GAGA’S FORMER MANAGER TALKS
Long before there was Lady Gaga, there was Stefani Germanotta, the dark-haired up-and-coming singer/songwriter from New York. Her manager at the time, Bob Leone, explains that Gaga used to have a hard time getting onstage. Leone told People.com, that Gaga was “painfully shy and is very different from who she is now.” He added that the singer used to attend open mic nights around New York and would go a few times before mustering the courage to perform onstage. Leone said that Gaga went through a transformation in 2006, where she wrote a lot of the music that made her famous and after that she was officially known as Lady Gaga.
JUSTIN LOVES VINYL
Justin Timberlake thinks vinyl records sound better than digitalized tunes. The 29-year-old pop musician and actor told German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau on Thursday that he loves putting on records featuring oldies from the Beach Boys and early Beatles, claiming they “sound warmer” and “more vintage” than digital versions.
MILEY CYRUS’ NEW VIDEO
Miley Cyrus proclaimed her independence on the single “Can’t Be Tamed” and now she’s declaring her party girl status with the video for “Who Owns My Heart.” Cyrus, who will formally hit adulthood when she turns 18 next month, opens the video lying on a bed in hot pants, a tank top and a mask. She awakens from a nap to get ready for a night out and has multiple costume changes before she actually dons her real party gear. After a limo ride to a party at a mansion, where she dances with other revelers, the video ends with the singer back in her fancy bedroom, once again waking up, perhaps ready for another night of dancing. Cyrus’ Can’t Be Tamed album has sold over 259-thousand copies since its release 15 weeks ago.
LA ROUX TEAMS UP WITH KANYE WEST
La Roux have teamed up with Kanye West for the remix of their new single, “In For The Kill.” MTV’s The Seven caught up with La Roux singer Elle Jackson on the set of her new video for the “In for the Kill” remix, and she revealed that the rapper not only makes an appearance in the clip, but raps on the track as well. Jackson said working with Kanye is a one-of-a-kind experience. Elle returned the favor by working with West on a track for his new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, which is due out on November 22nd.
PITBULL PREPS PLANET PIT
Pitbull has had his share of success lately with tracks like the “Jersey Shore” soundtrack song “I Like It” with pal Enrique Iglesias, and “Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)” featuring T-Pain. The Miami-based rapper has tapped some big names for his upcoming album, Planet Pit, which is due in December. Pitbull collaborated with Akon, Shakira, and Iglesias plus he has tracks produced by Rodney Jerkins, Polow Da Don, David Guetta and Pharrell Williams. Planet Pit arrives in stores on December 8th.
NOT THAT JUSTIN BIEBER
Since 16-year-old singer Justin Bieber has become a household name, a man who happens to have the same name as the pop star has had to overcome some hurdles. According to FirstCoastNews.com, the Jacksonville, Florida man has been kicked off Facebook, Ping and other social networks because programmers believe he is using a fake name. Beiber had a Facebook account for six months but said it disabled with no warning or email. The self-confessed arcade geek gets at least 10 fan letters per day, and his phone rings off the hook with teenage girls on the other end, hoping to speak to the Canadian singer. He added that some music artists have actually called and asked to collaborate with him. Bieber has changed his phone number, but still gets calls at all hours and has to unplug the phone at night to get any rest. The one plus: everyone now knows how to pronounce his name, but he gets a lot of laughs when using his credit card or showing anyone his driver’s license.
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MEANWHILE BIEBER PLAYS HAWAII
Justin Bieber has enjoyed a few weeks off of his My World Tour. He took some R&R time in Hawaii before playing the 50th state over the weekend. On Twitter, Bieber told fans he went cliff diving, body boarding and even spent some time in the studio. Justin has another week off before his My World Tour rolls into Vancouver on October 19th.
JUSTIN BIEBER NAILPOLISH?
According to New York Magazine, Justin Bieber has created a line of nail polish, which will be sold exclusively at Wal-Mart in December. One of the colors is named after his hit song “One Less Lonely Girl,” and another is titled “Step 2 the Beat of My Heart.”
MJ AND P!NK TOP MYSPACE POLL
Michael Jackson and P!nk have been named the best solo artists of all time, according to a MySpace poll. The late hit-maker beat Justin Timberlake and Bob Marley, who came in second and third respectively, to land the top male singer title, while Pink topped Lady Gaga, Madonna and Britney Spears as the number one pop princess. AC/DC were lauded as the best band, beating out Nirvana and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
SHONTELLE AND RIHANNA HOOK UP
According to Rap-Up.com, Shontelle recently linked up with her childhood friend Rihanna to pen the track “Man Down” for Ri’s fifth album, Loud. The Barbadian natives went into the studio together to record the track right after one of Rihanna’s concerts. Shontelle said RiRi walked off the stage and right into the studio bus to get to work. She added that the song is “very dramatic” and was easy to write based on the duo’s comfort level, which came from them growing up together.
BURLESQUE SOUNDTRACK TRACKLISTING
Christina Aguilera’s voice will dominate the Burlesque soundtrack. The singer has eight tracks on the soundtrack to the film, which marks her first starring role as an aspiring singer. The soundtrack also features songs from Cher, Kristen Bell and Alan Cumming. Check out the tracklisting below, according to ThatGrapeJuice.com.
BURLESQUE TRACKLISTING:
1. “Welcome to Burlesque” — Cher
2. “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” — Christina Aguilera
3. “Tough Lover” — Christina Aguilera
4. “Long John Blues” — Kristen Bell
5. “Diamonds” — Christina Aguilera
6. “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” — Cher
7. “Express” — Christina Aguilera
8. “But I Am a Good Girl” — Christina Aguilera
9. “A Guy Who Takes His Time” — Christina Aguilera
10. “Bound to You” — Christina Aguilera
11. “That’s Life” — Alan Cumming
12. “Spotlight” — Christina Aguilera
USHER THANKS WILL.I.AM FOR “OMG”
While promoting his Versus album, Usher opened up about the magic he created with will.i.am for his smash single, “OMG.” The platinum selling singer believes that the Black Eyed Peas member is a musical genius (See Related Cut #4). Mr. Raymond’s current single, “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” featuring Pitbull, is sitting at the number five position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
NICKI MINAJ SETS BILLBOARD RECORD
We’ve just learned Nicki Minaj has solidified her importance in hip hop by having a record number of entries on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Lil Wayne’s protégé laid verses on seven songs that not only charted but also became the highest selling downloads of 2010. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the tracks include Ludacris’ “My Chick Bad” (1,246,000), Lil Wayne’s “Knockout” (519k), Trey Songs’ “Bottoms Up” (518k), Usher’s “Lil Freak” (508k), Sean Kingston’s “Letting Go (Dutty Love)” (377k) and Jay Sean’s “It Ain’t The End” (355k). The news comes a month after the rapper was given her first number one rap single, “Your Love,” on Billboard’s rap chart. Look for Pink Friday on November 23rd!
WAKA FLOCKA AND BRUNO’S PROJECTED SALES
After issuing his debut album, Flockaveli, it looks like Waka Flocka Flame’s first week sales are estimated to move nearly 40-thousand units. Hits Daily Double reports the “No Hands” rapper is likely to have a greater impact on the Billboard 200 chart than Pimp C’s posthumous effort, The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones. Elsewhere, Bruno Mars’ newly released Doo-Wops and Hooligans LP is projected to sell 45 to 50-thousand units in its opening seven days. We’ll have to wait until Wednesday for the official SoundScan results!
SOLANGE: “’CALIFORNIA GURLS’ IS KIDDIE PORN”
Never the one to bite her tongue, Solange Knowles has tweeted her feelings about Katy Perry’s latest video, “California Gurls.” The mother of a five-year-old son named Julez, wrote that he “sneaked and watched ‘California Gurls’ on YouTube. Katy Perry is polluting the [children]. It is like kiddie porn!” Beyonce’s sister added, “All them damn colors, candy and s**t… and then daisy dukes, breast shooting cream.” Apparently Solo is “tickled pink” by angry Perry fans and concluded that she would never have done what Katy did.
KERI FLATTERED BY KANYE COMPLIMENTS
Rap-Up.com has learned that Keri Hilson was “taken aback” by Kanye West revealing on Twitter that he loved her debut project, describing her upcoming album, No Boys Allowed, as “super crazy.” The Atlanta native explained that she “didn’t know he even had my album, so it was an incredible honor.” After recruiting Ye on “Knock You Down,” Miss Keri Baby shared, “We did a bunch of stuff. We just clowned around, played around in the studio. A lot of the stuff we did had no aim. We just kind of created.” It’s unknown if their recent collaboration will make the final tracklist for No Boys Allowed, which will land in stores on November 30th.
B.O.B TALKS SOPHOMORE ALBUM
According to XXLMag.com, B.o.B. is currently recording the follow-up to his impressive debut, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray. The Grand Hustle artist didn’t want to give too many details away but he promised that the forthcoming project will not be released “unless it’s better than the last album.” In related news, Bobby is expected to perform in Fresno, California for his Shooting Stars tour. Visit his official website for a list of all dates.
KINGS OF LEON LOOSE SOME FANS FOR BEING FAMOUS
Kings of Leon used to be Indie darlings before their track “Sex on Fire” made them one of the biggest bands in the world. Drummer Nathan Followill reportedly gets emails from longtime fans who no longer like them due to their mainstream success. Kings of Leon put out their new album, Come Around Sundown, on October 19th.
COUNTDOWN TO NEW NEON TREES VIDEO
Neon Trees have a pretty rad countdown clock on their website right now, so what’s it all about? The ticker is counting down the seconds till the band releases their video for “1983,” a new song off their debut album, Habits. Be sure to check back at NeonTrees.com for updates!
DURAN DURAN ANNOUNCE AFRICA DATES
Duran Duran have announced five December shows in South Africa. It will mark the bands first concerts in Africa in 17 years and will be their only gigs in 2010. The band has been spending a lot of time with producer Mark Ronson, appearing onstage with him at two recent gigs and joined him at his in-store at Swordfish Records in Birmingham, England. The group has been working on their new album, All You Need is Now, which will be released next year. For more check out DuranDuran.com.
