SUSAN BOYLE & RIHANNA TOP U-K CHARTS
According to Billboard, Susan Boyle’s second album, The Gift, gives the singer her second number one album in the U-K. The Scottish crooner’s Christmas album follows last year’s I Dreamed A Dream, which became the bestselling album of 2009 in the U-K, despite being released in November. Her debut had a huge start selling over 412-thousand copies, while The Gift sold over 103-thousand copies. Bon Jovi’s Greatest Hits stays at number two, while Cheryl Cole’s Messy Little Raindrops falls two spots to number three. Rihanna’s “Only Girl (In The World)” is the number one song in the U-K for the second straight week.
TAYLOR SWIFT’S E! SPECIAL
Taylor Swift’s accomplishments, career and inspiring story will be highlighted during the E! Entertainment Special: Taylor Swift. Swift’s mother, Andrea, and her high school best friend, Abigail, will be interviewed for the special, along with Julianne Hough, Brad Paisley and Tim McGraw. Taylor is known for writing songs about her love life, and Stephen Barker Liles, the guy who inspired her song “Hey Stephen,” will give his view on Taylor’s success. The E! Entertainment Special: Taylor Swift premieres December 1st at 10 PM Eastern on E!
JAY-Z SAYS BEY IS DEFINITELY NOT PREGNANT
Jay-Z has said the final word on those Beyonce pregnancy rumors: NO. The rapper told Howard Stern that his wife is not with child and wonders when the rumors will stop. Jay said he likes to keep his marriage private and stated “the day that happens, I don’t think Newsday is gonna know before my grandmother.” So there you have it!
AKON PROUD OF MJ DUET
“Hold My Hand,” the duet between Michael Jackson and Akon, came out this week. Akon is glad that fans now have the official copy of the single and not the version that leaked a few years back. The rapper said of the track, “It has become an incredible, beautiful anthemic song. I’m proud to have had the chance to work with Michael, one of my all time idols.”
KATY PERRY WILL KEEP DRESSING SEXY
Just because Katy Perry is now a married woman doesn’t mean that she’s going to stop dressing sexy. In an interview with British paper News of the World, the “California Gurls” singer said that she and husband Russell Brand tying the knot will not influence her to dress any less “sexy or provocative,” and that everyone should just “look at f***ing Beyonce! She’s married to Jay-Z. She’s so sexy but she’s a married woman. She absolutely rocks it.”
RIHANNA TO GET KATY A SECOND HONEYMOON?
Rihanna seems to be truly devastated that she wasn’t able to attend the marriage of her best-friend Katy Perry to Russell Brand, and supposedly, Ri-Ri really wants to make it up to them. According to British paper The Sun, the pop star wants to pay for the couple to have a second honeymoon — a four-night vacation in Tokyo where they would stay in a fancy hotel and fly first class to get there. A source says that the total cost of the trip could be upwards of 40-thousand dollars.
GAGA TALKS YOGA
There have been reports about Lady Gaga being addicted to yoga while out on her Monster Ball tour, and something she wrote on Twitter over the weekend all but confirms it. The most followed person on the social networking site wrote that she might be a “yoga junkie” and then asked if there is such thing as “Bikram rehab” — Bikram being a very popular style of yoga. If you’re not already following Gaga, be sure to at Twitter.com/LadyGaga.
NO SOLO ALBUM FROM FERGIE FOR A WHILE
We’re going to hear another solo album from Fergie, it’s just not going to be anytime soon. According to MTV News, at a recent red carpet, the Black Eyed Peas’ singer joked that she’ll “definitely” put out a solo record in her “lifetime,” but that it will not be in the “near future.” You’ll still be able to hear plenty of Fergie though, as the BEP’s new album, The Beginning, comes out on November 30th.
LEONA LEWIS TO BROADCAST LIVE
If you’re a fan of Leona Lewis, you’re going to want to be near a computer on November 29th. That’s because it’s the day that the “Bleeding Love” singer will be going live on Ustream for the very first time. Learn more about what you can expect from the live feed at Twitter.com/LeonaLewis.
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH P!NK
P!nk recently released a video for her song “Raise Your Glasses,” off of her new album Greatest Hits…So Far!!! which is out today. The pop star just posted a short clip online where you can go behind the scenes of the video shoot. Check it out at PinksPage.com.
POSSIBLY PREGNANT P!NK IN A BIKINI
The rumors of P!nk being pregnant are still going strong, and the “Sober” singer did nothing to refute those claims over the weekend. People.com has a picture of the pop star smiling happily at the beach in a bikini, and although it could simply be the angle that she’s standing, let’s just say P!nk is showing off what could be thought of as a “baby bump.” See the pic and judge for yourself at People.com.
http://www.people.com/people/gallery/0,,20441899,00.html
DID JAMES BLUNT PREVENT A WAR?
Did James Blunt prevent war from breaking out? According to BBC Radio, while serving in the British Army, the “You’re Beautiful” singer was supposed to follow some orders from a commanding officer that he didn’t find appropriate while fighting in the Balkans in 1999. The station reports that Blunt believes that had he followed out those orders, a “new war” would have started, so he’s very glad that he didn’t listen. Learn more at NME.com.
HEAR A NEW SONG FROM DUFFY
Duffy has just released another song off of her forthcoming album, Endlessly. It’s a tune titled “My Boy” and you can hear it now at People.com. Duffy’s highly anticipated sophomore effort hits shelves on December 7th.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20442188,00.html
BEHIND-THE-SCENES WITH ALDEAN AND CLARKSON
Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson blew CMA Award viewers away with their rendition of “Don’t You Wanna Stay” and now, a video has hit the Internet with behind-the-scenes footage of the two collaborating. The clip shows Jason and Kelly meeting in the recording studio for the first time to produce the song, which wasn’t originally planned to be a duet. Once Jason got his wish to have Kelly on the track, he said, “Immediately the first words out of her mouth were stupid good.” “Don’t You Wanna Stay” can be found on Jason’s new album, My Kinda Party.
HEAR ADELE’S NEW SINGLE
Adele fans, listen up. The singer-songwriter has just posted the first single off of her forthcoming sophomore album on her official website. It’s titled “Rolling in the Deep” and you can hear it now at Adele.tv. Adele’s new album, 21, is due out in the U-S on February 22nd.
JOHN MAYER AND GERARD BUTLER SING TOGETHER
Gerard Butler apparently had quite the birthday party in New York City over the weekend, and it featured none other than John Mayer. According to the New York Post, the 300 star had his party at a club and asked pal Mayer to perform at the event. According to a source, the two collaborated on a version of “Mustang Sally,” while Butler also sang Oasis’ “Wonderwall” with Mayer on guitar. John also reportedly performed one song by himself — his tune “Who Says.” Read more at NYPost.com.
MADONNA’S FITNESS CENTER DRAMA
Is Madonna’s opening of her Hard Candy Fitness Centers all over the world a slight against former longtime trainer Tracy Anderson? According to the New York Post, the two allegedly had a falling out a while back because Madge thought Anderson was capitalizing on her name to open her own fitness clubs in New York and Los Angeles. A source close to the Queen of Pop says that Madonna’s interest in opening a chain of gyms has nothing to do with Anderson, and that she doesn’t give “Tracy a second thought.” The first Hard Candy Fitness Center opens later this month in Mexico City, with plans to open more all over the world
JAY BACKS UP KANYE WEST
Jay-Z stopped by to talk to Howard Stern this week and had some things to say about Kanye West. According to People.com, the hip-hop legend addressed Yeezy’s statements about George Bush directly following Katrina saying, “It was bad timing, but it was absolutely an honest emotion. We all felt like that. We didn’t feel like Katrina was a national disaster. We felt like it was an attack on black people.”
KANYE SAYS PINK FRIDAY IS CRAZY
Kanye West and Nicki Minaj both have albums coming out on Monday AND the pair both appear on each other’s albums. Yeezy had some compliments for Nicki saying on Twitter that he got to hear some of her Pink Friday album and describes it as “crazy.”
LAURYN HILL PEFORMS AT BENEFIT IN NYC
Lauryn Hill used her talents for a good cause this weekend. The singer performed at Michael J. Fox’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Cure Parkinsons benefit in New York City. Hill performed Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” alongside The Roots. Hill’s former Fugees bandmate Pras recently told UsMagazine.com that Lauryn is working on a new album for next year.
NICKI LOVES TRACK WITH RIHANNA
Rihanna appears on Nicki Minaj’s upcoming Pink Friday album, which comes out in just under a week. According to RapUp.com, Ri Ri is on a track called “Fly” and Nicki just loves the track. She said, “‘Fly’ is one of my absolute faves. I wanted to work with Rihanna for a long time.” She goes on to describe the track as a “female empowerment song.” Pick up Pink Friday on Monday.
WHY DID ADAM LEVINE BECOME A SINGER?
Why did Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine decide to become a singer? Well, it’s probably not for the reason that you think. The “This Love” singer wrote on his Twitter account that the only reason he became the voice of the band was because when they first started, he just happened to be “the one who could sing the best.” He added that he was never “all American Idol about it.” Learn more at Twitter.com/AdamLevine.
BON JOVI IN NEW JAPANESE COMMERCIAL
There’s a new commercial running in Japan and it features Bon Jovi. The ad, which promotes Nissin’s Cup Noodles, uses footage from the band’s 1995 concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. Jon Bon Jovi’s singing is dubbed over in Japanese, with new lyrics that translate to “The son was studying for his exams because he is third grade of junior high school but his mom has forgotten cup noodle for midnight snack. The boy sulked.” Check out the ad by searching YouTube for “Bon Jovi Noodle.”
