GAGA MAKES U-K CHART HISTORY
Lady Gaga has made U-K chart history. The pop star’s album The Fame has returned to the number one spot for the fourth time, making her only the second female solo artist to so. According to ContactMusic.com, Gaga joins Dido, who did the same with her debut effort back in 2003 and 2004. The Fame first reached number one in the U-K in April of last year and has now spent 48-weeks in the top ten.
GAGA PROMOTES SAFE SEX
Just because Lady Gaga’s videos are sexually charged doesn’t mean that she’s promoting promiscuity. In an interview with Britain’s The Daily Mail, the pop star spoke about sex, saying, “You don’t have to have sex to feel good about yourself, and if you’re not ready, don’t do it.” She went on, telling the paper, “If you are ready, there are free condoms given away at my concerts when you’re leaving.”
BIEBER THE BREAKDANCER
Justin Bieber has uploaded a video of himself break-dancing when he was eight. The now 16-year-old singer posted a link to the clip on his Twitter page. The short video shows Bieber with a buzz cut, long before he grew out his signature locks, dancing to guys playing bongos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pVHiaD_HV8&feature=player_embedded
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE JOINS ASCAP I CREATE MUSIC EXPO
Justin Timberlake has joined the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO lineup. He will sit down with legendary singer-songwriter Bill Withers for a one-on-one conversation. The GRAMMY-winning Withers wrote classics like “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Just the Two of Us,” “Lean on Me” and “Lovely Day.” Timberlake and Withers will draw from experiences in their careers to explore what it means to be a dedicated and visionary music creator. This year’s EXPO will also feature Quincy Jones being interviewed by Ludacris, an interview with John Mayer, a series of writer and composer-focused Master Sessions with some of the most successful names in music, including Linda Perry, Just Blaze and many more. The three-day EXPO will also feature Allison Iraheta and Jason Mraz, when it takes place in Hollywood April 22nd through the 24th. Learn more at ASCAP.com.
LILITH FAIR DATES, RIHANNA TO JOIN
A complete list of dates and locations for the 2010 Lilith Fair has finally been released. According to a press release, the tour will kick off on June 27th in Calgary, Canada, and will remain on the road for the majority of the summer until August 16th, when it winds down in Dallas, Texas. It was also announced that Rihanna will be joining the trek for one show on July 12th in Salt Lake City. See a complete list of artists and when the tour is coming to a town near you, at LilithFair.com.
SHARIKA VISITS HAITI
Shakira visited Haiti over the weekend to make good on her pledge to build a school for the island nation’s children. The Associated Press reported that Shakira touched down on a golf course that has become a makeshift camp for more than 50-thousand homeless quake survivors. She was looking for a suitable plot of land for the school for needy children to be built by her Pies Descalzos (Barefoot) Foundation in the capital of Port-au-Prince. In addition to greeting fans and infants living at the Petionville Golf Club, Shakira met with actor Sean Penn, who has been working on disaster relief on the island since the quake struck on January 12th. Shakira, who took part in MTV’s Hope for Haiti Now telethon in January, met with 100 children at the site of her Barefoot Haiti school. The singer said she believes that providing education to the many displaced and orphaned Haitian children is a key part of the reconstruction efforts.
ALICIA PREPS ELEMENT OF FREEDOM RE-RELEASE
If you loved Alicia Key’s latest album, Element Of Freedom, you should know that the singer is considering a re-release. Keys told Rap-Up.com, “It’s still a conversation at this point, but it’s looking like it will happen.” If she gets the green light for the revamped disc, she’d like to “add some incredible new songs and collaborations” to her fourth studio album — which has already achieved platinum status since being released in December. In related news, Alicia is looking to debut the video for her new Drake-assisted single “Un-thinkable (I’m Ready)” in the coming weeks.
JENNIFER HUDSON’S NEW EFFORT DROPS THIS FALL
According to the Associated Press, Jennifer Hudson is currently working on her sophomore album, which should hit stores this fall. The new Weight Watchers spokeswoman told the AP, she’s “at least 10 songs in” and juggling “film and music right now.” For the follow-up to her self-titled debut, Hudson revealed the project will “definitely be a different direction” and will embrace more “feel good” records. You can expect the LP to hit stores sometime in September.
RUMOR CONTROL: MARY J BLIGE IS NOT PREGNANT!
Marie Claire has just issued a retraction after printing in the May issue of their magazine that Mary J Blige was pregnant with her first child with husband Kendu Isaacs. The site explained in statement, “We erroneously reported that Mary J. Blige is expecting a baby with her husband this summer. This is not the case and we apologize for any upset or offence this may have caused.” One thing is for sure, MJB is scheduled to headline this year’s Essence Music Festival in New Orleans during July Fourth weekend. Visit Essence.com to learn more.
TEAIRRA MARI COVERS USHER’S “DADDY’S HOME”
To help remain fresh on the minds of her fans, Teairra Mari has released her rendition of Usher’s hit song, “Daddy’s Home.” The steamy viral video was posted on WorldStarHipHop.com and includes a reminder at the very end that her upcoming sophomore album, At That Point, will hit stores in June. <WM>
Mari will star in the upcoming film, Lottery Ticket, which will drop in theaters this summer.
The former Roc-A-Fella princess has leaked a new song called “Goodie Bag.” Check it out via ConcreteLoop.com now.
http://www.zshare.net/audio/7483920613d0798d/
DMX TAUGHT JAY-Z HOW TO PERFORM
The Los Angeles Times reports Jay-Z must give all praises to fellow rapper DMX for encouraging Hova to improve his on-stage performances. The mogul explained, “All my early years? Forget it. I was a horrible performer. DMX tore me to pieces. I remember being stunned.” Jay admits that DMX was the one who helped him understand, saying, “If you want to be a headliner, you better put on a headline show.” In addition to now playing sold-out venues, Jay-Z is gearing up to perform for the first time ever at Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, California. <WM>
HEAR SONGS FROM THE MADONNA GLEE EPISODE
It’s the moment that all Glee fans have been waiting for — you can now hear clips of all the songs that will be featured in their forthcoming Madonna episode. Head to PerezHilton.com now to listen to snippets of Madge-classics performed by the cast like “4 Minutes,” “Like a Prayer,” “Vogue” and more.
DAVID GUETTA TALKS MADONNA
Madonna and David Guetta teamed up recently to work together on some music, and as one can imagine, the DJ was a little intimidated with the idea of being the same room as the Queen of Pop. The Frenchman told Britain’s News of the World that he was “totally paranoid” before meeting her, but that she was “really, very normal,” and that they spoke about “life, love, children,” and that he found out she’s the “sweetest person.”
AMY WINEHOUSE GOES TO THE HOSPITAL
Reports are coming out of London saying that Amy Winehouse has had to make yet another trip to the hospital. According to British paper The Sun, the embattled singer was rushed there late last week after complaining of chest pains. A family friend told the paper that Amy was convinced it had to do with her breast implants, and that Winehouse is “waiting for a decision on whether the implants have to come out or not.” We’ll keep you posted.
COLBIE CAILLAT LOVES BASEBALL
It’s baseball season, and it seems that Colbie Caillat is pretty excited about it. The singer-songwriter wrote on her Twitter account that she took a day trip from her home in Malibu to San Diego yesterday to watch the Padres play. Keep up to date with everything the “Bubbly” singer is up to at Twitter.com/ColbieCaillat.
COLBIE AND LEONA FOR COTTON
Colbie Caillat and Leona Lewis are all about Cotton. According to a press release, the two singer-songwriters will be starring in a series of commercials of the brand, giving their takes on Cotton’s trademark jingle, “The Fabric of My Life.” Look for the 15 and 30-second spots to begin airing on TV this week.
JOSS STONE TO TAKE IT OFF FOR PETA
Joss Stone is taking it all off for PETA. An insider told British paper The Mirror that the singer-songwriter will be the latest celebrity to join up with the organization. The source revealed Joss will be naked in an ad aimed at stopping the Royal Guard from using black bear pelts. The insider also spoke about what we can expect to see, saying that Stone is “laying on a Union Jack with nothing on” and that “she was very comfortable being without clothes.”
LIFEHOUSE ON ONE LIFE TO LIVE
Lifehouse is returning today to ABC’s hit daytime soap One Life to Live. The band will be performing their hit single “Halfway Gone,” marking their first appearance on the program since 2006, when they played their tune “You and Me.” The group plays the song in a scene where a bunch of different couples go to take a break from their “complicated relationship troubles.” See Lifehouse’s return to One Life to Live today at 2 PM Eastern on ABC.
MANDY MOORE ON GREY’S/NEW MOVIE
The season finale of Grey’s Anatomy is going to be a very special episode. That’s because Mandy Moore will be on it, guest starring as a patient being treated by “Bailey,” who is played by Chandra Wilson. It’s a two-hour finale and it airs on May 20th on ABC.
AMERICAN IDIOT WAS ALWAYS MEANT FOR STAGE OR SCREEN
Green Day’s American Idiot play officially opens on Broadway next week. The production, which is based on the band’s 2004 album, features music from the album as well as tracks from the band’s latest record, 21st Century Breakdown. For ticket information, visit AmericanIdiotOnBroadway.com.
WATCH BILLIE JOE ON REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER
Billie Joe Armstrong was on Real Time With Bill Maher on Friday night and the Green Day singer opened up about the band’s sound, American Idiot on Broadway and more. Fans who missed it can head to YouTube to see the segment again.
CHAD SMITH MAKES KIDS ALBUM
According to NME, Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith has worked with actor Dick Van Dyke on a children’s album. The record is titled Rhythm Train and Smith says although he’s not playing the kit as hard as he would on a Pepper’s record, he was creative and tried to make the songs “as good as I can.” Fans, and their kids, can hear the album now at TheRhythmTrain.com.
GREEN DAY: ROCK BAND TRACKLIST REVEALED
On June 8th, Green Day: Rock Band will be released to the world. The track listing for the highly anticipated videogame includes 47 tracks including hits from Dookie, American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. The game depicts the band playing three separate venues, Milton Keynes in England, a fictional venue called The Warehouse and The Fox Theatre in Oakland, California. Green Day: Rock Band features the likenesses of Billie Joe, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool and hits shelves on June 8th.
KINGS OF LEON THINK YOU’LL LIKE NEW TUNES
Kings of Leon begin week two in the studio this week, working on the follow-up to their breakthrough album Only By the Night. Drummer Nathan Followill has been tweeting about their adventures in the studio and recently wrote, “We put down some jams that I think you all will like.” No word yet as to when Kings will put out the new album, but the band kicks off a U-S tour on June 5th in Atlantic City.
FRANCES BEAN HAPPY TO TURN 18 SO SOON
According to TMZ, Frances Bean Cobain was in a Los Angeles court on Friday dealing with the custody case she’s involved in with her mother, Courtney Love. The 17-year-old heir reportedly walked out of the courtroom smiling. Love will have no right to guardianship over her daughter once Cobain turns 18 on August 18th.
