BEYONCÉ TO BE HONORED WITH BILLBOARD MILLENNIUM
Beyoncé Knowles will receive the Billboard Millennium Award at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards. The honor will recognize Beyoncé’s career achievements and her influence in the music industry, from her role as the frontwoman of Destiny’s Child to her three-chart-topping solo albums, which have collectively earned her 16 GRAMMY Awards and ASCAP’s Pop Songwriter of the Year Award. Bey will receive the honor at the May 22nd show, which airs on ABC at 8 Eastern from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
WHO IS TINIE TEMPAH?
Tinie Tempah is the man behind the hit single “Written in the Stars.” The U-K rapper had enormous success in his native land with his debut album Disc-Overy and now he is ready to bring his lyrical flow stateside. Tinie told us the back story behind his name.
See the video for “Written in the Stars,” featuring Eric Turner, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgFyi74DVjc
DAVID GUETTA HACKED; SPAWNS HIT SINGLE
David Guetta’s latest single, “Where Them Girls At” featuring Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj, is already making noise on the charts. It sold more than 160-thosuand iTunes downloads in less than a week to soar to the top of the iTunes Dance Songs chart in the U-S and 10 other countries. The French DJ/producer is proud of the immediate success of the track, due to the circumstances of its release. Guetta was recently the victim of a computer hacking theft, which led him to rush the song out without radio promotion or a music video. Guetta is not taking the matter lightly, even hiring a Pentagon security specialist to track down the culprits.
Guetta told MTV News about how the song was hacked saying, “Some hackers stole an a capella (version) of ‘Where Them Girls At,’ and I was really not ready, because I made a remix for Snoop Dogg and we released that record together, the ‘Sweat,’ record. I was not supposed to release the record so soon, and I was thinking of maybe using the Taio (Cruz) record as a first single. Hackers stole the a capella and someone produced some music around it and put my name on it and put it on the Net. So it was horrible, I really didn’t like the music. People thought it was me.”
LADY GAGA AND KANYE WEST HEAD TO CANNES
Lady Gaga and Kanye West are set to perform at the Cannes Film Festival. Gaga landed in Paris on Tuesday to start promotion for her new album, Born This Way, which, like in the U-S, will be released in France on May 23rd. Gaga will head to Cannes to perform a live concert this afternoon on Canal Plus’ hit show Le Grand Journal. The 64th Annual Festival de Cannes kicked off today.
GAGA TO RELEASE YET ANOTHER SONG BEFORE ALBUM DROPS
Lady Gaga is going to release yet another song from her forthcoming album, Born This Way, before the record comes out on May 23rd. According to NME, a Gaga fan-site has confirmed that a tune titled “Hair” will be available on Monday on iTunes, just like how she put up “The Edge of Darkness” last Monday. “Hair” will be the fourth song heard from Born This Way, joining the title track, “Judas,” and “The Edge of Darkness.”
Someone has already posted an excellent cover of “The Edge of Darkness” on YouTube using a ukulele.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXuGShLC3Uc
JAY-Z AUCTIONS OFF INTERNSHIP FOR GOOD CAUSE
Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and others will take part in an auction benefitting Mary J. Blige’s Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now (FFAWN) organization. As part of the auction, Jay-Z will be offering the opportunity to intern at his entertainment/record company Roc Nation. On top of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation internship, singer Christina Aguilera will be donating tickets to The Voice for the auction and pop star Lady Gaga will auction off a meet and greet at an upcoming Good Morning America appearance. The auction will be held through Charity Buzz, a luxury auction site that specializes in celebrity auctions.
JENNIFER LOPEZ EXCITED FOR THA CARTER IV
We’re counting down and patiently waiting until Lil Wayne’s Tha Carter IV will be available in stores. While the disc won’t arrive until June 21st, we’re asking celebrities if they are excited to hear it and if it’ll live up to the hype. Jennifer Lopez weighed in (See Related Cut #5). In related news, Jenny from the Block has released the alternate version of her new single, “I’m Into You,” which features Weezy. Check it out on YouTube now!
GLEE TO USE MATTHEW MORRISON/KRIS ALLEN SONG IN FINALE
The season finale of Glee is going to feature something special. According to The Hollywood Reporter, on the show, star Matthew Morrison will be singing his song “Still Got Tonight,” which is off of his recently released self-titled debut album. But what’s interesting about the song is that it was co-written by none other than former American Idol Kris Allen. The season two finale of Glee airs on May 24th on FOX.
ADELE CAN’T BE STOPPED IN THE U-K
Adele just can’t be stopped in America or the U-K. According to Billboard.com, the singer’s latest effort, 21, is atop the U-K chart for the 14th time in the 15 weeks that it’s been released, and has sold more than six-million copies worldwide. 21 is at the summit of the U-S album chart at the moment as well.
MAN WHO INSPIRED ADELE’S 19 WANTS TO GET PAID
Adele has never tried to hide that her debut album, 19, was inspired by a particular ex-boyfriend, and apparently now he’s ready to cash in. In an interview with British paper The Sun, the singer said that he called her and was “serious” about asking for some money, and that she told him that he made her “life hell,” so she deserves everything that she’s making now and he should get none. She added that “he really thought he’d had some input into the creative process by being a prick.” Read more at NME.com.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine — “Watching funny videos on YouTube has taken over my life. At this point I’m never leaving my hotel room. EVER.”
PHARRELL NAMED CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF KARMALOOP TV
Pharrell Williams has been named creative director for Karmaloop TV. According to Billboard.com, the network is set to launch later this year and will feature original shows as well as movies aimed at 18 to 34-year-olds who grew up with the Internet.
STATEMENT: Karmaloop CEO Greg Selkoe said Williams will help create a brand that will get “cutting-edge youth culture” excited about TV, as MTV did in the 1980s.
Karmaloop TV is an extension of Karmaloop, a 10-year-old website that sells streetwear brands from around the world.
JERMAINE DUPRI SUED OVER MISSING CHILD SUPPORT
According to the Associated Press, an Atlanta-area woman is suing Jermaine Dupri over missed child support payments after a judge recently ordered him to pay her. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Margaret Dorsey told the GRAMMY-winning producer in March to pay over two-thousand dollars a month and an additional seven-thousand to Sarai Jones, based on the results of a paternity test. Jones’ attorney, Randy Kessler, said Jones hopes that she and Dupri “can work together to co-parent their beautiful baby girl,” who is 7 months old.
LINKIN PARK MAN DIRECTS FIRST FEATURE FILM
Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn has directed tons of the band’s videos and now he is directing his first feature film, Mall, starring Vincent D’Onofrio and Chelsea Handler. The movie reportedly follows the intersecting paths of five suburbanites. Hahn is best known as the guy behind the turntables in Linkin Park. Mall is due out in 2012.
