BIEBER COMIC BOOK!
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Justin Bieber is getting his own biography comic book, courtesy of Bluewater Productions. The 32-page Fame: Justin Bieber comic, due out in October, will chronicle the 16-year-old singer’s climb from his days as a Toronto street performer through his YouTube phenomenon to his current success.
NICOLE SCHERZINGER JUDGING THE X-FACTOR
According to PerezHilton.com, Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger will temporarily fill in for Cheryl Tweedy as a judge for British talent show The X-Factor. Nicole has already appeared on the panel as a guest in the Manchester auditions last week, while Tweedy is recovering from a bout with malaria.
JORDIN SPARKS TO MAKE BROADWAY DEBUT
2007 American Idol winner Jordin Sparks will make her Broadway debut in the musical In The Heights. Sparks will play “Nina Rosario” in the 2008 Tony and GRAMMY Award-winning musical, starting August 19th until November 14th. The shows will take place at the Richard Rogers Theatre at 226 West 46th Street in New York City.
PROTESTORS AT GAGA SHOW IN ST. LOUIS
On Saturday, Lady Gaga took to her Facebook page to write a letter requesting that her little monsters ignore a protest the Westboro Baptist Church was planning to hold outside her show in St. Louis, Missouri. In the letter, she asked her fans to not draw attention to the organization. She called the protesters “hate criminals,” whose message is “hatred and divisiveness.” Only about half a dozen Westboro protestors showed up to the gig. They were far outnumbered by Gaga supporters who, rather than ignore the hate messages, chose to counteract them with their own signs, T-shirts and rainbow flags. After the Saturday night show, Gaga took to her Twitter account and posted “Tonight love and hate met in St. Louis and love outnumbered the hate, in poetic thousands. Hate left. But love stayed. + Together, we sang.” AOL’s Politics Daily reports that Westboro Baptist Church plans to protest her Oklahoma City concert tonight.
CHARICE HAS SURGERY!
According to The Associated Press, Filipino singing sensation Charice Pempengco has had noninvasive cosmetic procedures in preparation for her debut on the second season of the hit TV show Glee. The 18-year-old, whose singing career rocketed after appearing The Oprah Winfrey Show, underwent a 30-minute “Thermage” procedure, involving an anti-aging skin tightening device, and Botox treatment, to make her face more narrow.
KATY AND RUSSELL “FIGHT AND MAKE-UP CONSTANTLY”
Katy Perry and Russell Brand are set to wed later this year, but a friend of the pop star is saying that they need to be careful, because “they fight and make-up constantly.” According to the New York Daily News, the source said that Russell has gotten mad about Katy partying too much, while she has suspected the comedian of being unfaithful. Reps for both Perry and Brand did not respond to a request for comment.
KRIS ALLEN’S SINGLE DOWNLOAD 1.5-MILLION TIMES
Kris Allen’s hit debut single “Live Like We’re Dying” has now been downloaded more than 1.5-million times. The former American Idol took the opportunity to thank his fans for their support. Check out the note now at KrisAllenOfficial.com.
MISS LIFEHOUSE ON LOPEZ TONIGHT?
Did you miss Lifehouse’s performance on Lopez Tonight last week? Don’t worry if you did, because you can now check it out in its entirety at LifehouseMusic.com.
TRAIN ARE PUTTING ON A FREE SHOW
If you’re in New York next week, you can see a live taping of a special Train performance for free. The San Francisco rockers are teaming up with Vh1 for a show, and they want you to be in attendance. All you have to do is head to TrainLine.com to fill out a form and say why you love Train. Spots will fill up quickly, so get to it now. The show tapes on Thursday, July 29th.
MICHAEL FRANTI HARMONIZES
Michael Franti has just posted a new video on his official website. It’s of him and some of his bandmates harmonizing on the song “Sound of Sunshine” a capella. Head to MichaelFranti.com to check it out now.
MICHAEL FRANTI ANNOUNCES FALL TOUR
Michael Franti has just announced the Sound of Sunshine fall tour in support of his forthcoming album of the same name. The trek will kick off on September 19th in Laytonville, California, and will take the singer-songwriter all over the U-S and Canada. Head to MichaelFranti.com now to see all the dates and locations, as well as a very funny tour announcement video from a completely naked Michael. Sound of Sunshine is due out on September 21st.
ALICIA KEYS SPLITS FROM HER MANAGER
According to Billboard.com, Alicia Keys has parted ways with her longtime manager, Jeff Robinson. The mom-to-be will still work with MBK Entertainment and said that this decision that was “mutually agreed upon and amicable.” Her manager for the last ten years explained in a statement, “This decision will allow Alicia more control over all aspects of her career from singing and songwriting, to leading many business ventures and social causes.”
DRAKE ADMITS TO HAVING AN ANDRE 3000 SHRINE
Even though Andre 3000 turned down a collaboration with Drake on Thank Me Later, Drizzy is still a big OutKast fan. During an interview with Paper magazine, the rapper confessed he honors 3 stacks with “a shrine in my apartment dedicated to Andre.” Drake explained, “I took a door off a barn and had an artist take the lyrics from his verses [and put them] on this barn door. As soon as you walk into my apartment that’s the first thing you see.”
KELLY WANTS FANS TO NAME HER ALBUM
According to her official website, Kelly Rowland is looking to her fans to come up with a title for her third album. The former Destiny’s Child singer is open to all suggestions; however she’s asking everyone to be respectful. Led by her hit “Commander” single, what would you name Rowland’s next album?
THE SCRIPT REVEAL NEW ALBUM TITLE
Fans of The Script have something to be excited about. The Irish rockers just announced that they’ll be doing a small U-K tour in September, but more important than that, the guys have a title for their second album, the follow-up to their hit self-titled debut. It’ll be called Science & Faith and will be out in Europe later this year. No word yet on when we’ll be able to get it in America.
DIRECT LINK TO TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiHjQPOQh_Q
FANS LOVE NEW KINGS OF LEON SONGS
Kings of Leon have been playing some new music on their current tour, songs off their upcoming, as-yet-untitled fifth studio album. Their label isn’t too happy, but according to Billboard, the boys just can’t help themselves. Singer Caleb Followill said, “We didn’t want to go back out there and give them the Only By The Night tour part two,” adding that the response from fans to the new music has been “unbelievable.” The Kings have not set a release date for the new album just yet but we’ll let you know when they do.
U2: STILL RICH
U2 are once again the highest earning musicians in the world. According to Forbes, the Irish band tops the Top Earning Musicians list, earning 130-million dollars in the last 12 months. The band faced troubles this summer though as they had to postpone a U-S summer tour after Bono underwent emergency back surgery. The group has rescheduled the trek for 2011. For dates, visit U2.com.
NO RECONCILIATION BETWEEN LEONA AND EX
It doesn’t look like Leona Lewis and her childhood sweetheart Lou Al-Chamaa will be getting back together anytime soon. According to British paper The Sun, the “Bleeding Love” singer was “hoping for a reconciliation” between the longtime couple, but rumors have started to emerge about Al-Chamaa courting British actress Roxanne Pallett, so Lewis doesn’t want to try anymore. ContactMusic.com reports that the pair had been dating for 15 years before breaking up last month.
JOSS STONE IN NEW “BOND” VIDEO GAME
The new “James Bond” movie has been put on hold, but that’s not stopping a brand new video game of the famed franchise from being released — and it’s going to feature Joss Stone. According to USA Today, the singer-songwriter will have her likeness and voice appear alongside Daniel Craig and Judi Dench’s in the new game, James Bond 007: Blood Stone. She’ll also be contributing an original song titled “I’ll Take It All,” which was co-written with Dave Stewart.
FASHION DETAILS BEHIND UNDERWOOD’S WEDDING
Carrie Underwood wore two different styles of a Monique Lhuiller custom-created dress during her Georgia wedding to Mike Fisher. During the ceremony, Carrie wore a drop waist custom ballgown which was completed with Chantilly lace, covered in silk flowers, and a blush pink sash around the waist. The gown took over 400 hours to create. She also wore a chapel-length circular veil which was encrusted with clear and pink crystals. According to the creator of her wedding dress, Carrie wanted to be able to slip into something more comfortable for the reception. Carrie wore a cocktail dress which was similar to her wedding gown — a strapless look, completed with jewels and a frayed organza skirt. Monique also created four different style silk gowns for Carrie’s eight bridesmaids. Carrie gave those in her wedding party an assortment of jewelry from Swarovski — including a pendant cross necklace, crystal earrings, and a bracelet.
UNDERWOOD AND HUSBAND ENJOY TAHITI
Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher have been enjoying their honeymoon time in Tahiti, which is expected to be an eleven-day vacation. During their stay, the two have been taking in many different French Polynesian sights. According to People, Carrie and Mike have been swimming and snorkeling with reef sharks, as well as touring the island via helicopter. The couple is secluded in an overwater bungalow where they have spent a majority of time enjoying the sun on their private deck.
CREED RECORD NEW SINGLE
Billboard reports that Creed hope to have a new song recorded in time for their upcoming tour. The band heads out on their American 20-20 tour on July 26th in Nashville. Guitarist Mark Tremonti says they want to have a new song laid down in the next week or so and plan to release it in the coming weeks. He also says old school Creed fans will be happy with the song explaining, “It brings back the old vibe we used to send out in our songs.”
