SINGER CHALLENGES LADY GAGA
Apparently there’s at least one person out there who doesn’t like Lady Gaga. According to Billboard, a singer named Alisa Apps has challenged the pop star to a televised singing competition, with a grand prize of one-million dollars. Apps issued a statement saying, “I feel sorry for Lady Gaga — she’s just a plastic doll generated by the music money marketing machine. This contest gives people a chance to choose which they prefer — plastic or real.” Not surprisingly, Gaga is yet to respond to the challenge.
LES BAR WON’T ALLOW GAGA MUSIC
Lady Gaga used to reside in New York City’s Lower East Side, but that doesn’t mean much to the owners of the Parkside Lounge, standing just a two-minute walk from where the “Bad Romance” singer used to lay her head when she was trying to make it big. Gothamist.com reports that the bar has put a sign on their jukebox reading, “No Lady Gaga! You play, you pay! It will be turned off and your $ will not be returned. THIS IS YOUR WARNING.” Learn more and see a picture of the sign at Gothamist.com.
GAGA FEARS FOR HER SAFETY
If he hadn’t been killed by a fan, there’s a good chance that John Lennon would have turned 70 just a few days ago. And it seems that it’s situations like that one that have Lady Gaga pretty nervous. A source told British magazine Heat that the pop star has been getting some “ominous” fan mail, some of which says things like “they won’t be happy until they die with her.” Because of this, Gaga’s “security team are always close by” and “her bodyguard even sits in her room as she sleeps.”
PERRY’S TEENAGE DREAM LEAPS UP THE CHART
Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream album leaps ten spots to number eight on the Billboard album chart this week. According to Billboard, the boost can be attributed to sale tag pricing at both Target and Best Buy, as well as its placement as one of Amazon’s MP3 Store’s daily deals last week.
RIHANNA’S “ONLY GIRL IN THE WORLD” VIDEO LEAKED
Rihanna’s video for “Only Girl in the World” has leaked onto a couple of different websites. The clip features RiRi dancing alone in a field of flowers and in a desert. Taking the title of the song literally, she is the only person featured in the entire clip. Her new album, Loud, arrives on November 12th.
LADY GAGA & MORE FEATURED ON DANCE CENTRAL GAME
Harmonix, MTV Games and Microsoft released the full list of songs and artists featured on the Dance Central soundtrack. Players get to try out fun choreography and authentic routines alongside a soundtrack that features Lady Gaga, Cascada, Kylie Minogue, No Doubt, Salt-N-Pepa, Nelly Furtado, Christina Milian and many more. Dance Central will be available exclusivly for Kinect for the Xbox 360 starting on November 4th.
KINGS OF LEON ALBUM STREAMING
Kings of Leon put out their brand new album in just five days. The record, which is the group’s fifth studio effort, is titled Come Around Sundown and it’s streaming right now at SomeKindOfAwesome.com. The guys play Boston on November 14th.
NEW DVD SET BOASTS JACKSON’S SHORT FILMS
During his lifetime, Michael Jackson produced a handful of short films and now, they’ve all been compiled in a new DVD set called Michael Jackson’s Vision. The three-disc package boasts over four and a half hours of content, including more than 40 videos in newly restored color and remastered audio. Among them, the full-length versions of “Thriller,” “Black of White,” “Bad” and many others. It’s due out on November 22nd and you can learn more at MichaelJackson.com.
LADY A RESPOND TO AMA NOMINATIONS
Lady Antebellum got the word of their five nominations for this year’s American Music Awards while on a brief day off in Nashville. The group is nominated for Country Favorite Band, Duo or Group, Country Favorite Album for Need You Now, Pop/Rock Favorite Band, Duo or Group, Adult Contemporary Favorite Artist and the T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist award. Dave Haywood said, “We are so proud to have had this album so well received from the country fans and many different audiences.” Charles Kelley added, “What a great way to start celebrating Thanksgiving week a little early!” The AMAs will be broadcast live from Los Angeles on November 21st at 8 PM Eastern on ABC.
TAYLOR SWIFT’S 21ST BIRTHDAY PLANS
Taylor Swift is gearing up for the release of her upcoming album, Speak Now, and Ladies Home Journal was able to catch up with the country star. In the article, Taylor describes her plans for her 21st birthday in December. Unlike many soon-to-be 21-year-olds, Taylor said, “Maybe I’ll have a glass of wine – but nothing too hardcore for me.” She also admits she has never had the burning desire to drink, explaining, “I need to be in control of what I say, and if I drank, I’d stress out about saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.” Taylor’s yet to reveal if she will have a huge birthday bash, but she will have something to celebrate when Speak Now is released on October 25th.
SWIFT EXPLAINS KEY SONGS ON SPEAK NOW
Taylor Swift has opened up to New York Magazine about two key songs on her upcoming album Speak Now. Her fans had a taste of the song “Innocent” after Taylor performed it for the first time at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. The lyrics were written about Kanye West’s infamous interruption and Taylor felt it was important to write a song to him. She said, “It doesn’t really add anything good if I start victimizing myself and complaining about things.” Another important track to Taylor is “The Story Of Us.” The song was inspired after Taylor and an ex ignored each other at an awards show. Taylor said after the show, she said to her mom “It was like I was standing alone in a crowded room,” and wrote the song from there. Both tunes will be featured on Taylor’s Speak Now album which is in stores on October 25th.
DIDDY-DIRTY MONEY GET LAUNCH DATE!
Just when you started to count them out, Diddy-Dirty Money have announced a new release date for their debut album, Last Train To Paris. The group explained in a YouTube video that they simply “weren’t ready to drop the album” and they’re genuinely “sorry for the delay.” It’s unknown if their previous singles, “Love Come Down,” “Hello Good Morning” and “Angeles” will de included on the effort when it hits shelves on December 14th.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNrpX2XuVB4
LIL JON TO APPEAR ON THE APPRENTICE!?
Whoa and Whoa! Lil Jon will reportedly compete on the upcoming season of Celebrity Apprentice. What?! The “Get Outta Your Mind” rapper will show his many talents to Donald Trump and be joined by MLB’s Jose Canseco, supermodel Niki Taylor, La Toya Jackson, Mark McGrath, and Star Jones. Be sure to visit TMZ to learn more!
How many seconds into the show will Lil Jon go without saying one of his infamous phrases: “Okay!!!” or “Yeaaa!!”
CIARA ANNOUNCES NEW RELEASE DATE
So it looks like there won’t be any R&B showdown between Keri Hilson’s No Boys Allowed and Ciara’s Basic Instinct LP. Miss Harris has reportedly decided to delay her project, which will include “Gimme Dat,” “Ride” and “Speechless.” Fans can anticipate Ci Ci’s album to now land in stores on December 14th. Smart move.
Ciara promises the material will be her best work (See Related Cut #5).
LIL WAYNE WRITES ANOTHER LETTER FROM RIKER’S
We were pretty sure the next time we’d hear from Lil Wayne would be after he left Riker’s Island in 24 days. However, Weezy has penned his ninth letter from prison while he serves the remainder of his weapons possession sentence. The rap star shared that he doesn’t have access to TV, radio or snacks and is only allowed one phone call a week! He admits that the situation sucks but is looking forward to leaving soon. He also thanked all his fans for the birthday cards that were sent and everyone who downloaded the I Am Not A Human Being LP. To read the full letter, visit WeezyThanxYou.com now.
ROB THOMAS MAKES AN “IT GETS BETTER” VIDEO
Just like many other artists, Rob Thomas has made an “It Gets Better” video. In it, the matchbox twenty singer tells people that it’s good to be different and that things really will get better after high school. Watch it on YouTube now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-xy9j4-YqI
BIG NAMES TO PERFORM ON X-FACTOR
The hit U-K TV series The X-Factor is going to have a pretty amazing line-up of stars performing in the coming weeks. According to XFactor.TellyMix.co.uk, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Christina Aguilera will all be making appearances on the program. An American version of The X-Factor is set to begin soon, with former American Idol judge Simon Cowell at the helm.
NEW ALBUM FROM THE DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
The Dave Matthews Band are releasing a new album. It’s titled Live in New York City and the two-CD set was recorded earlier this year at a show at Citi Field in Queens. It features all the DMB tunes that you would expect to hear, including “Crash Into Me” and “Funny The Way It Is,” as well as some cover songs. Live in New York is due in stores on November 9th.
SCOTT STAPP SOLO TOUR
Scott Stapp recently launched a solo, acoustic tour. According to a press release, the Creed frontman is playing 90-minute sets that include songs off of his solo album as well as band favorites. See all the dates now at ScottStappOfficial.com. He plays Enoch, Alabama on Saturday night.
ELTON SPEAKS OUT AGAINST GAY BASHING
Elton John is the latest star lamenting about the recent rash of homosexual teen suicides and the bullying of gay men and women. The singer told USA Today, “When I first came here, it was such a loving country. It’s never been in a more horrible place. This is not the America I love.” John goes on to urge people to be more tolerant and to be grateful that we are not all the same. Elton explained he embraces diversity, which is why he agreed to sing at the wedding of Rush Limbaugh, who opposes gay marriage. Read more at USAToday.com.
TYLER WATCHES IDOL AUDITIONS IN AUSTIN
Steven Tyler was in Austin this week, searching for contestants with the other American Idol judges. The Aerosmith singer was in the Texas capital, watching auditions along with Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez. Check out a local news report on their visit at MyFoxHouston.com.
