LADY GAGA IS ANTI-PLASTIC SURGERY
Lady Gaga said she has never had plastic surgery. The pop sensation, who graces the cover of the May issue of Harper’s Bazaar with horns adhered to her face, said she’s never permanently altered her body. Gaga, who reportedly makes upwards of 62-million dollars a year now, currently lives in her pre-fame studio apartment in Manhattan. She told the magazine that she spends her money on props and creations to enhance her artistry. Lady Gaga will release her Born This Way album on May 23rd. Her second single, “Judas,” arrives on Tuesday.
Lady Gaga said she has never permanently altered her body: “I have never had plastic surgery, and there are many pop singers who have. I think that promoting insecurity in the form of plastic surgery is infinitely more harmful than an artistic expression related to body modification.”
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH GAGA
Lady Gaga has just posted another GagaVision YouTube video. Her 42nd installment gives a behind the scenes look at the pop star putting the finishing touches on her album, Born This Way, including picking out the image that will grace the cover. Check it out on YouTube now.
RIHANNA LEADS THE WAY AT THE BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARDS
Rihanna, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber scored the most nominations at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards. Rihanna leads the way with 18 nominations including ones for Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Female Artist, Top R&B Artist and Top Dance/Electronic Artist. Eminem is up for 16 awards, including Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Artist, Top Male Artist and Top Rap Artist. Lady Gaga follows with 12 nominations, while Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber each garnered 11 nods. The winners will be announced at the Billboard Music Awards show airing on ABC from Las Vegas on Sunday, May 22nd. Billboard.com has more.
A FEW OF THE 2011 BILLBOARD MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS:
TOP BILLBOARD 200 ARTIST
Justin Bieber
Susan Boyle
Eminem
Lady Antebellum
Taylor Swift
TOP HOT 100 ARTIST
Ke$ha
Bruno Mars
Katy Perry
Rihanna
Usher
TOP ARTIST
Justin Bieber
Eminem
Lady Gaga
Rihanna
Taylor Swift
TOP NEW ARTIST
Justin Bieber
Taio Cruz
Ke$ha
Bruno Mars
Nicki Minaj
TOP TOURING ARTIST
Bon Jovi
Michael Buble
Lady Gaga
U2
Roger Waters
RIHANNA TALKS X FACTOR RUMORS
According to MTV News, Rihanna is speaking up about whispers of her judging on X Factor. The pop star confirmed that “it’s something [she] would love to do” but it would be “impossible” to be on the show with her “demanding” schedule. One thing Ri Ri did have time for was creating the remix for “S&M” with Britney Spears. Rihanna said the collaboration was “automatic” and “very unexpected,” adding “the fans are really appreciative of that.”
ALICIA CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY FOR DEBUT
It’s hard to believe Alicia Keys’s debut album, Songs in A Minor, came out over ten years ago. We went back to the archives to find out how the singer knew that cuts like “Fallin’” and “If I Was Your Woman” were smash hit records (See Related Cut #2). To celebrate the tenth anniversary of her first studio effort, fans will be able to purchase a deluxe and collector’s edition on June 28th.
KE$HA “SUPERSTAR OF THE WEEK” ON MTV’S ABDC
On this week’s episode of MTV’s Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew, pop sensation Ke$ha has been tapped as the “Superstar of the Week.” Five new dance crews will perform routines using only the “Sleazy” singer’s songs and fashion style. Catch the Ke$ha inspired episode Thursday on MTV at 10 PM Eastern.
LADY A INTRODUCING NEW MUSIC IN CONCERTS
Lady Antebellum are currently touring in Australia and say fans can expect to hear new songs during their set. They recently debuted “Just A Kiss” at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Hillary Scott says the tunes are the last of the songs they wrote and recorded for their upcoming third album (See Related Cut #7). No release date for their album has been announced yet. The trio has said they spent a lot of time writing with other country artists for the project and have enjoyed being back in the studio.
HILLARY SCOTT’S AUSTRALIAN WISH COMES TRUE
Hillary Scott’s dream of meeting a koala while on tour in Australia came true last week. On Lady Antebellum’s webisode Wednesday, viewers can follow the trio all over continent as they stop for shows and radio interviews. One on-air personality gave Lady A a koala puppet wearing an “I Love Aus” shirt. But the puppet didn’t hold up to the real thing when the group got a visit from a surprise guest at another radio station. The koala bear was the center of attention. Now that Hillary has met a koala bear, she wants one of her own.
ADELE GOES PLATINUM
It was only a matter of time, and now it’s official. Adele’s album, 21, has been certified Platinum. The singer’s sophomore effort is back at the top of the Billboard album chart after spending the last two weeks in the third position, selling 88-thousand copies, which takes her just over one-million sold — and that’s only in the U-S. Adele’s debut album, 19, is also in the top 50, and recently reached Platinum status as well.
MORE ADELE COVERS
We reported that everyone has been covering Adele, from Mike Posner to David Cook to Gwyneth Paltrow on Glee, and you can now add another group to that list. The ever-adorable PS22 Chorus recently recorded a version of the singer’s hit, “Rolling in the Deep,” and you can check it out on YouTube now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ini98RV2r9Y
ADELE TALKS TO ROLLING STONE
Adele is on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine’s latest issue, and in the interview inside, she opens up about a number of different topics that you may not have heard her talk about before, including her body, stage fright, and her father. See the cover and read some of the interview at RollingStone.com.
BIEBER NOT MEETING WITH ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER
Justin Bieber’s trip to Israel got off to a rocky start when the paparazzi aggressively followed him visiting holy sites. Bieber ended up spending a lot of time in his hotel hiding from the paps instead of sightseeing. There were rumors that the young singer was supposed to meet with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but according to Billboard, the scheduling didn’t work out for the two parties to meet. Justin Bieber will play an outdoor concert in Tel Aviv tonight.
NERVO AND JESSIE & THE TOY BOYS THRILLED TO JOIN SPEARS ON TOUR
Nervo’s Mim and Liv will be joining Britney Spears this summer for her highly anticipated Femme Fatale tour, alongside Nicki Minaj and Jessie & the Toy Boys. When the Aussie twins spoke to MTV News earlier this week, they seemed genuinely surprised by the news, calling the slot “such an honor.” Meanwhile, Jessie & the Toy Boys are also thrilled to be featured on the tour. Jessie Malakouti said, “I’m honored to join Britney and the other femme fatales on the road this summer.” The tour kicks off in Sacramento, California on June 16th.
Check out Jessie & the Toy Boys’ video for “Push It” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGAKyZjcwq4
JORDIN SPARKS JOINS NKOTBSB TOUR!
It’s official — American Idol-winner Jordin Sparks will join the New Kids On the Block and the Backstreet Boys as a special guest on the highly anticipated NKOTBSB Tour. Sparks will join the tour in Rosemont, Illinois on May 25th through the Los Angeles date on July 1st. Fans can expect the singer to perform new music as well as fan favorites like “Tattoo,” “One Step At A Time” and “Battlefield.”
STATEMENT: Jordin Sparks released the following statement: “I am honored to be joining the NKOTBSB Tour. It is going to be crazy being the only girl on the road but I am looking forward to it!”
STATEMENT: NKOTBSB released the following statement: “We are so excited to have Jordin Sparks joining us as a special guest for the tour. Her voice is strong, her songs are strong, and we think she’ll be a really fun addition to our show.”
TISDALE & HILSON POSE NUDE FOR ALLURE
Ashley Tisdale is baring it all in the latest issue of Allure. Tisdale and R&B singer Keri Hilson both stripped down for a tasteful shoot in the magazine that is on newsstands now. Hilson said that posing nude allowed her to block out all of the beauty advice she receives and be herself. She said, “We do a lot of things to seek validation: I have to get more expensive handbags or fake lashes or fake boobs. This shoot was about dropping all that.”
AUBREY O’DAY’S NEW SOLO SINGLE IS “AUTOMATIC”
Aubrey O’Day has released her highly anticipated debut solo single, “Automatic.” The up-tempo dance song is now available for download at iTunes and is among the best-selling pop songs at the moment.
STATEMENT: Aubrey released the following statement: “I would like to thank all of my fans for their endless support! I’m so excited to release ‘Automatic’ for you all! I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to share each step of my solo journey with my fans and can’t wait to show you what else I’ve got! I love all of my fans, and my comeback is 100% ALL ABOUT THEM! Now go to iTunes and download ‘Automatic’!”
REBECCA BLACK SURPASSES 100 MILLION VIEWS
Rebecca Black’s viral video for “Friday” surpassed the 100- million views on YouTube Wednesday morning, making it one of only 43 videos to have done so. The low-budget clip has surpassed the Black Eyed Peas’ video for “The Time (Dirty Bit),” which has over 100.2-million views. The single has sold over 159-thousand units.
See Rebecca Black’s video for “Friday”: www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0
GREEN DAY FILM GETS GREEN LIGHT
According to Reuters, Green Day’s 2004 album American Idiot will be adapted for the big screen. Tom Hanks has been hired by Universal to produce the film version of the album, alongside the band. Reports claim that Broadway director Michael Mayer, who helmed the stage version of the album, will work on the film and Milk scribe Dustin Lance Black is in talks to pen the screenplay. We’ll keep you posted.
JAY-Z TALKS NEW BLOGGING JOB
We previously reported Jay-Z is now a lifestyle blogger for his newly launched website, LifeAndTimes.com. During a recent interview, the mogul revealed what inspired him to create the site. Jay explained, “I started working on it in its various incarnations over a year ago. I’ve thought about it forever.” In case you haven’t checked it out yet, on the site, the rapper includes posts about art, fashion, design and much more. Check it out today!
WIZ KHALIFA AND BIG SEAN ANNOUNCE JOINT TOUR
According to his official website, Wiz Khalifa has announced that Big Sean and Chevy Woods will join him during his upcoming Rolling Papers World Tour. Tickets go on sale on April 20th and fans can expect the trek to begin on June 12th in Missouri and wrap on August 3rd in Canandaigua, New York. In related news, Khalifa’s latest album, Rolling Papers, dropped from the number two position to the number five slot on the Billboard 200 chart.
CELINE WANTS BRITNEY, KYLIE TO COME TO VEGAS
There have been rumors for quite a while now about Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue possibly doing Las Vegas residencies in the future, and Celine Dion, who has currently set up shop at Caesar’s Palace in Sin City, thinks that they should both definitely consider it. She told British paper the Daily Mail that the two singers should “go for it,” and that “Vegas is changing. There is room for everyone — new singers and older ones.”
