BRUNO MARS’ “GRENADE” EXPLODES ATOP HOT 100
Bruno Mars is back on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week as his “Grenade” once again replaces Katy Perry’s “Firework” at number one. Mars’ “Grenade” edged “Firework” out of the top spot two weeks ago, only to have Perry’s track reclaim the chart’s lead spot for a fourth frame last week. “What’s My Name” by Rihanna featuring Drake is up one spot to number three, Ke$ha’s “We R Who We R” falls one notch to number four and P!nk’s “Raise Your Glass” holds at number five. Britney Spears’ new single “Hold It Against Me,” is expected to sell over 400-thousand copies, according to industry sources. It could easily debut at number one next week.
BILLBOARD TIDBITS: The rotating Hot 100 chart marks the first time two songs have alternated holds at number one over four weeks since “Live Your Life” by T.I. featuring Rihanna traded spots with Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” in December 2008.
A.J. McLEAN RETURNS TO REHAB
Backstreet Boys’ A.J. McLean has returned to rehab, according to MTV News. TMZ is reporting that sources close to the pop star say he has been “out of control” as of late due to issues with substance abuse. Reportedly, he was under the influence during much of the Backstreet Boys Cruise last month. He allegedly entered rehab, his third time in a decade, because his issues were affecting the planning stages of the NKOTBSB Tour, set to begin this June. McLean previously entered rehab in July 2001, just as the Backstreet Boys planned to kick off their Black & Blue world tour. He also went to rehab the following year in 2002.
TWITTER! A.J. took to twitter on January 9th and wrote: “Thank u all for my bday wishes and tweets:)! Its gonna be a great year! I love u all and wish me luck! I start my sober journey tomm! Ttfn!” One day later, he added, “Hey all wish me luck! This is gonna be an amazing year for me and all around me! I love u all and appreciate all the love and support”
EMINEM, GAGA, PERRY, CEE LO & MORE TO PERFORM AT THE GRAMMYS
Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Cee Lo Green, Arcade Fire and Miranda Lambert will perform at the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. According to MTV News, it marks the first GRAMMY performances for Miranda Lambert and Arcade Fire, while Gaga, Cee Lo, Em and Perry have all previously rocked the GRAMMY stage. Eminem leads all artists with 10 nods, while Lady Gaga scored six GRAMMY nominations. Katy Perry and Cee Lo Green are each up for four, and Arcade Fire and Lambert are vying for three awards. Additional performers and presenters will be announced soon.
JUSTIN BIEBER IS STARTING OFF THE YEAR WITH A BANG!
Justin Bieber is preparing to heavily promote his upcoming 3D movie, Never Say Never, which will be released on February 11th. He is scheduled to make an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on January 28th, and will also be on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on January 30th. He is further scheduled to make an appearance on The Today Show on January 31st and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on February 2nd. His heavy schedule does not end there! On February 3rd he’ll be on Regis and Kelly as well as BET presenting 106th. Bieber will also stop by The Ellen Degeneres Show on February 8th and Jimmy Kimmel Live! on February 9th. On February 13th he will rock the GRAMMY stage with a special performance.
NEW JUSTIN BIEBER FOOTAGE
As we reported yesterday, Ryan Seacrest shared a never-before-released clip from Justin Bieber’s 3D movie Never Say Never. The footage shows Bieber performing an acoustic version of “Baby,” while manager Scooter Braun talks about the most gratifying part of his job: handing out free tickets to fans. Justin Bieber: Never Say Never will arrive in theaters on February 11th.
COULD GAGA MAKE 100-MILLION BUCKS IN 2011?
Could Lady Gaga make 100-million dollars in 2011? Well Forbes.com certainly seems to think so, and the finance website gives a whole list of reasons why, including an in-depth look at how much she’ll be touring over the next 12-months, the release of her album Born This Way in May, and much more. Get the whole scoop, along with all the numbers, at Forbes.com.
A LITTLE MONSTER TWO-PAGE SPREAD
A little while back, we reported that V magazine wanted people to submit pictures of themselves doing their best Lady Gaga impression. Well out of the eight-thousand submissions they received, the mag chose their favorite two-hundred for a two-page spread. Head to VMagazine.com to see if your pic made the cut.
THE SCRIPT ANNOUNCE AMERICAN TOUR
The Script are heading to America for a tour. Vh1.com just posted a video of the Irish rockers announcing that they will be playing shows all over the U-S in May, June and July. Head to TheScriptMusic.com for all the dates, and be sure to see the band when they come to a town near you.
KATY HAS TEN-MILLION DOWNLOADS OFF TEENAGE DREAM
Katy Perry should be very proud of her album Teenage Dream. PerezHilton.com reports that singles off of the pop star’s sophomore effort have already been downloaded more than ten-million times combined. The first single, “California Gurls” featuring Snoop Dogg has sold 4.4-million, the title track just surpassed 3-million, and the current single, “Firework” has right around 2.5-million downloads. The gossip site adds that her tune “Peacock,” which hasn’t even been released as an official single yet, has already been downloaded close to 200-thousand times.
PS22 KIDS PERFORM “FIREWORK”
Everyone’s favorite elementary school chorus — PS22 — has just released another video of them performing a brand new track. The kids sing Katy Perry’s single “Firework” a cappella, and you can watch the video on YouTube now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F50TE3BSM_Q
KATY TAKES GRANDMA TO VEGAS FOR B-DAY
What do you do when your grandmother turns 90? Well, if you’re Katy Perry, you take her to Las Vegas. According to ContactMusic.com, the pop star took her grandma Ann Hudson to Planet Hollywood in Sin City where they celebrated at a steak house. Perry also tweeted, “Happy 90th birthday grandma HUDSON! You’re the reason why!”
PIERS MORGAN AND MADONNA HAVE BEEF
Piers Morgan is taking over for Larry King as CNN’s resident interviewer, and although he will most certainly have some of the biggest names in the world on his new show, don’t expect to see Madonna any time soon. Morgan tells Access Hollywood that there’s a mutual hatred between the two that goes back over 20 years. He gives a couple of different examples, including one from when he was running a newspaper and Madge’s publicist lied to him about Madonna being pregnant, instead giving the scoop to a rival publication. It seems there will be no reconciling either, because Morgan said that the only way he would drop his grudge against the Queen of Pop is if she gets “on bended knee in somewhere like Times Square on national television and begs” him for forgiveness. That just doesn’t seem too likely.
GWEN STEFANI & L’OREAL PARIS
Gwen Stefani has just announced that she’s signed a contract to become the next face of L’Oreal Paris. The No Doubt lead singer tells People that she’s a “lucky, lucky girl” and that she loves “playing dress up.” Gwen joins Beyonce, J-Lo and Eva Longoria are spokeswomen for the brand.
MAROON 5 EXCITED OVER VIDEO SHOOT
Maroon 5 shot the video for their song “Never Gonna Leave This Bed,” which is off of their album Hands All Over, in Los Angeles yesterday, and frontman Adam Levine seems pretty excited about how it went. He wrote on his Twitter account that this particular video “feels special” and that he “can’t wait to unleash this one into the universe.” Follow Adam at Twitter.com/AdamLevine. No word yet on when we’ll get to see the finished clip.
TAYLOR BRINGS “BACK TO DECEMBER” TO LIFE
Although fans have been speculating who Taylor Swift’s “Back to December” was written about for some time, now they’ll be able to put a face to the song as the music video premiered to the world on Thursday. In the video, Taylor is seen walking melancholy around a snowy, empty house, donning a tank top and ribbed cardigan. Though the tune is rumored to be about her ex, Taylor Lautner, the actor portraying the guy Taylor dumped doesn’t resemble the Twilight star. See the “Back to December” music video online now.
DR. PEPPER AND LADY ANTEBELLUM TO GIVE ONE FAN VIP ACCESS TO ACM AWARDS
Dr. Pepper has partnered with Lady Antebellum to give a lucky fan an unforgettable experience at the 46th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas. The contest winner will receive tickets to the show, passes to the post-awards ACM All-Star Jam, and entry to a special Dr. Pepper private concert with Lady A. As part of the promotion, the band will be featured on Dr. Pepper packaging and in-store displays. The ACM Awards airs on CBS, April 3rd.
DRAKE TO RAP ON NEW FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE ALBUM?
We might be hearing some rap on Florence and the Machine’s new album. NME reports that Drake has been working with the British singer on her highly anticipated follow-up to Lungs. Drake says he’s heard all of the new music from Florence and the Machine and picked the song he’d most like to rap on. We’ll keep you posted on details as they emerge!
PARAMORE WORKING ON MORE NEW MUSIC
Seems Paramore is really working on a new album. Just after the holidays, the group announced that they were working on a new track and now singer Hayley Williams says she is writing lyrics and melodies to yet another song! The singer keeps everyone up to date via her Twitter, so be sure to follow her at Twitter.com/YelYahWilliams.
GET YOUR JANET JACKSON PRE-SALE TICKETS!
Here’s a friendly reminder to let all Janet Jackson fans know that you can score tickets for her Number Ones, Up Close and Personal Tour. Concert passes for the event are available through her official website. As previously reported, the icon’s fans helped her choose intimate venues in 35 cities across the U-S. The highly anticipated trek kicks off on March 7th at The Chicago Theatre and ends on April 23rd inside Las Vegas’ The Colosseum.
DRAKE IS NOT DATING RIHANNA
Drake is setting the record straight and insists that he is not romantically involved with Rihanna. In a recent BBC Radio interview, Drizzy said of his “What’s My Name?” collaborator they “have a great connection, but no, we’re not together.” The Young Money member adds, “I care for her very much. She’s a great person.” As far as being tied down to any other woman, Drake is “just loving life. That’s it. I want to have some stories to tell the kids.”
USHER DELAYS EUROPEAN TOUR
According to Billboard.com, Usher was forced to postpone his European tour opening concert due to an unspecified illness. The “OMG” singer was expected to play in Berlin and could only offer the following apology to his fans overseas. The crooner said in a short statement, “I didn’t “feel that I could put on the show that my fans deserve.” Visit the site to learn more.
50 CENT’S STOCK PLUMMETS!
Just days after 50 Cent made 8.7-million dollars by tweeting to his followers to buy stock with the company TV Goods, the New York Post reports shares for HNHI stock fell 36-percent. As we previously reported, 50 could potentially be investigated for “manipulating the value of a stock” through his Twitter messages. According to the New York Post, the rapper’s encouraging tweets may have infringed on the strict guidelines by telling fans they can “double [their] money right now” and buy “what you can afford.” 50 still has not commented on the situation and recently removed his initial tweets about the stock.
KANYE, LUPE, PHARELL ALBUM DELAYED
While everyone is waiting for Jay-Z and Kanye West to drop their joint album, Watch the Throne, Lupe Fiasco has revealed that the project has infringed on his upcoming album with Yeezy. According to Rap-Up.com, Lupe spilled that Pharrell Williams is also apart of the disc that has been titled, Child Rebel Soldier. The Chicago rapper is a little upset that “whenever we get to go in [the studio] and have the time and the opportunity to do it, we’re always working on some other project.” No word on when Child Rebel Soldier will hit shelves, we’ll keep you posted!
