LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rapper Kanye West and reality TV star Kim Kardashian are expecting a child, Kardashian said on Monday shortly after West announced the pregnancy to fans at a concert.
'It's true!! Kanye and I are expecting a baby,' Kardashian, 32, wrote on her personal blog.
'Looking forward to great new beginnings in 2013 and to starting a family,' she added.
Kardashian began dating West in April, some six months after filing for divorce from basketball player Kris Humphries. The two were married for 72 days following a lavish, made-for-TV wedding. Their divorce has yet to be finalized.
Kardashian is about 12 weeks pregnant, according to U.S. media reports.
Fans and family took to Twitter to congratulate the celebrity power couple, and to speculate whether the new baby's name would begin with a K, in line with Kardashian family tradition.
'Been wanting to shout from the rooftops with joy and now I can!' wrote Kardashian's sister Kourtney. 'Another angel to welcome to our family. Overwhelmed with excitement!'
Kardashian's brother-in-law, basketball player Lamar Odom, who has been open about struggling to have a baby with wife and 'The X Factor' host Khloe Kardashian also tweeted his congratulations.
'I'm excited for Kanye and my sister!' said Odom. 'There's nothing like bringing life into this world! Let's keep God's blessings coming!'
West, 35, was first to announce the news from the stage at a concert in Atlantic City on Sunday, singing, 'God brought us a whole new plan, baby. 'Cause now you're having my baby.'
Kardashian, who rose to fame five years ago for her appearances in reality TV show 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians,' was the most-searched person on the Yahoo! website in 2012.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Cynthia Osterman)
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Monday, December 31, 2012
Kanye West, Kim Kardashian expecting baby: reports
(Reuters) - Rapper Kanye West and reality TV star Kim Kardashian are expecting their first child, celebrity media outlets reported on Monday.
Fans and family took to Twitter to congratulate the celebrity power couple.
'Been wanting to shout from the rooftops with joy and now I can!' wrote Kardashian's sister Kourtney. 'Another angel to welcome to our family. Overwhelmed with excitement!'
According to E! News, West, 35, announced the news from the stage at a concert in Atlantic City on Sunday.
Kardashian, 32, who rose to fame five years ago for her appearances in reality TV show 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians', was the most-searched person on the Yahoo! website in 2012.
She married basketball player Kris Humphries in August, 2011, in a lavish, made-for-TV wedding, but the couple divorced just 72 days later.
(Editing by Paul Casciato)
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Fans and family took to Twitter to congratulate the celebrity power couple.
'Been wanting to shout from the rooftops with joy and now I can!' wrote Kardashian's sister Kourtney. 'Another angel to welcome to our family. Overwhelmed with excitement!'
According to E! News, West, 35, announced the news from the stage at a concert in Atlantic City on Sunday.
Kardashian, 32, who rose to fame five years ago for her appearances in reality TV show 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians', was the most-searched person on the Yahoo! website in 2012.
She married basketball player Kris Humphries in August, 2011, in a lavish, made-for-TV wedding, but the couple divorced just 72 days later.
(Editing by Paul Casciato)
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Thursday, December 27, 2012
Taylor Swift's "Red" tops Billboard chart after holiday season
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country pop darling Taylor Swift retained the top spot of the Billboard 200 album chart on Thursday after strong sales during the holiday season that saw her album 'Red' mark its sixth week at No. 1 since its release two months ago.
'Red' sold 275,000 copies last week ahead of the holidays, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.
Swift, 23, was able to hold off rapper T.I.'s new album 'Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head' from the top spot. The rapper came in at No. 2 after selling 178,000 copies.
T.I.'s latest record was the only new release by an individual artist to debut in the top 10 this week. The entries comprised holiday favorites such as Michael Buble's 'Christmas' at No. 5 and some of this year's chart-toppers, including One Direction's 'Take Me Home' at No. 4 and 'Babel' by Mumford & Sons at No. 8.
Two compilation albums rounded out the top 10, with '12-12-12 The Concert for Sandy' at No. 9 and the latest Now Music installment, 'Now 44' at No. 10.
The star-studded '12-12-12' compilation was released to raise funds for victims of superstorm Sandy following a live concert at New York's Madison Square Gardens on December 12.
The album features live recordings of songs by Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters, The Rolling Stones and Alicia Keys.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Eric Kelsey and David Brunnstrom)
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'Red' sold 275,000 copies last week ahead of the holidays, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.
Swift, 23, was able to hold off rapper T.I.'s new album 'Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head' from the top spot. The rapper came in at No. 2 after selling 178,000 copies.
T.I.'s latest record was the only new release by an individual artist to debut in the top 10 this week. The entries comprised holiday favorites such as Michael Buble's 'Christmas' at No. 5 and some of this year's chart-toppers, including One Direction's 'Take Me Home' at No. 4 and 'Babel' by Mumford & Sons at No. 8.
Two compilation albums rounded out the top 10, with '12-12-12 The Concert for Sandy' at No. 9 and the latest Now Music installment, 'Now 44' at No. 10.
The star-studded '12-12-12' compilation was released to raise funds for victims of superstorm Sandy following a live concert at New York's Madison Square Gardens on December 12.
The album features live recordings of songs by Bruce Springsteen, Roger Waters, The Rolling Stones and Alicia Keys.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Eric Kelsey and David Brunnstrom)
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Friday, December 21, 2012
BMG Scores Rights to Nirvana, Tears for Fears Songs
NEW YORK (TheWrap.com) - BMG has acquired the worldwide rights to several music catalogues, a deal that will give it songs from artists including Kurt Cobain, Tears for Fears, The Human League, Iggy Pop, and Take That.
The company announced Friday that it will purchase the rights for the Virgin Music Publishing Companies, Famous UK Music Publishing and selected current songwriters from Sony/ATV and EMI Music Publishing.
Sony Corporation of America and a group of investors acquired EMI Music Publishing in June, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing administers EMI on behalf of the group. It had to sell the catalogues as a condition of the acquisition.
Virgin Publishing's catalogue includes Kurt Cobain's songs for Nirvana, including 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' 'Come As You Are' and 'About A Girl.'
Other hits include Jim Steinman's 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart,' Lenny Kravitz' 'Are You Gonna Go My Way,' Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black,' and Devo's 'Whip It.'
Other songs include Take That's greatest hits, including 'Patience,' 'Shine' and 'Greatest Day,' as well as former member Robbie William's interests in 'Angels,' 'Rock DJ' and 'Let Me Entertain You.'
Also in the catalogue are Tears for Fears' 'Everybody Rules The World,' Culture Club's 'Karma Chamelon,' OMD's 'Enola Gay,' and Iggy Pop's 'Lust for Life,' as well as recent hits including Duffy's 'Mercy.'
BMG, the fourth-largest music publishing company, is a three-year-old partnership between Bertelsmann and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. In May, it announced it had more than one million copyrights under management.
'These catalogues contain some of the most influential and successful songs in popular music,' said BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch. 'We are delighted to have won the opportunity to represent the writers of those songs and to demonstrate to them BMG's commitment to twenty-first century service. They have my pledge that we will do our very best to deliver for them.'
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The company announced Friday that it will purchase the rights for the Virgin Music Publishing Companies, Famous UK Music Publishing and selected current songwriters from Sony/ATV and EMI Music Publishing.
Sony Corporation of America and a group of investors acquired EMI Music Publishing in June, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing administers EMI on behalf of the group. It had to sell the catalogues as a condition of the acquisition.
Virgin Publishing's catalogue includes Kurt Cobain's songs for Nirvana, including 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' 'Come As You Are' and 'About A Girl.'
Other hits include Jim Steinman's 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart,' Lenny Kravitz' 'Are You Gonna Go My Way,' Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black,' and Devo's 'Whip It.'
Other songs include Take That's greatest hits, including 'Patience,' 'Shine' and 'Greatest Day,' as well as former member Robbie William's interests in 'Angels,' 'Rock DJ' and 'Let Me Entertain You.'
Also in the catalogue are Tears for Fears' 'Everybody Rules The World,' Culture Club's 'Karma Chamelon,' OMD's 'Enola Gay,' and Iggy Pop's 'Lust for Life,' as well as recent hits including Duffy's 'Mercy.'
BMG, the fourth-largest music publishing company, is a three-year-old partnership between Bertelsmann and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. In May, it announced it had more than one million copyrights under management.
'These catalogues contain some of the most influential and successful songs in popular music,' said BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch. 'We are delighted to have won the opportunity to represent the writers of those songs and to demonstrate to them BMG's commitment to twenty-first century service. They have my pledge that we will do our very best to deliver for them.'
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Thursday, December 20, 2012
"Gangnam Style" in line for UK dictionary inclusion
LONDON (Reuters) - He has the most-watched video in Youtube history, become a pop sensation with a horse-riding dance craze that has swept the world and now Korean singer Psy may cement his place in popular culture with recognition from a British dictionary.
'Gangnam Style,' Psy's signature song, has been chosen along with 'fiscal cliff' and 'Romneyshambles' as some of Collins Dictionary's words of the year.
'We were looking for words that told the story of the year,' said Ian Brookes, the dictionary's consultant editor.
'Some words are from events that have been and gone and so are not likely to stick around ... but others are probably here to stay.'
Other headline entries centered on American politics.
'Fiscal cliff' has drawn a lot of attention as the deadline for Congress and President Obama to agree on government spending and tax plans draws nearer.
While the term 'Romneyshambles' entered the British public's consciousness after Mitt Romney's gaffe-ridden visit to London in July in which he questioned Britain's readiness to host the Olympics.
The inclusion of '47 percent' on the list after a leaked video showed Romney telling donors that 47 percent of Americans would definitely vote for Obama because of their dependency on the government capped off a bad year for the losing presidential candidate.
Collins received over 7,000 submissions on its online database.
Twelve words of the year - one for each month - were then selected on the basis of the frequency with which they were spoken, how many places they appeared and their longevity in public discourse.
Appearing on the Collins words of the year list is no guarantee of insertion in the next dictionary.
But Gangnam Style stands a very good chance, Brookes said.
'It's obviously a craze, so there's the possibility it will go away. But it's been heard by so many people that I think it's probably earned the right to go into the dictionary.'
Other words of the year include 'mummy porn' after the popularity of the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' books, and 'superstorm' after Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc along the east coast of America in October.
(Reporting By Peter Schwartzstein, editing by Paul Casciato)
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'Gangnam Style,' Psy's signature song, has been chosen along with 'fiscal cliff' and 'Romneyshambles' as some of Collins Dictionary's words of the year.
'We were looking for words that told the story of the year,' said Ian Brookes, the dictionary's consultant editor.
'Some words are from events that have been and gone and so are not likely to stick around ... but others are probably here to stay.'
Other headline entries centered on American politics.
'Fiscal cliff' has drawn a lot of attention as the deadline for Congress and President Obama to agree on government spending and tax plans draws nearer.
While the term 'Romneyshambles' entered the British public's consciousness after Mitt Romney's gaffe-ridden visit to London in July in which he questioned Britain's readiness to host the Olympics.
The inclusion of '47 percent' on the list after a leaked video showed Romney telling donors that 47 percent of Americans would definitely vote for Obama because of their dependency on the government capped off a bad year for the losing presidential candidate.
Collins received over 7,000 submissions on its online database.
Twelve words of the year - one for each month - were then selected on the basis of the frequency with which they were spoken, how many places they appeared and their longevity in public discourse.
Appearing on the Collins words of the year list is no guarantee of insertion in the next dictionary.
But Gangnam Style stands a very good chance, Brookes said.
'It's obviously a craze, so there's the possibility it will go away. But it's been heard by so many people that I think it's probably earned the right to go into the dictionary.'
Other words of the year include 'mummy porn' after the popularity of the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' books, and 'superstorm' after Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc along the east coast of America in October.
(Reporting By Peter Schwartzstein, editing by Paul Casciato)
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Taylor Swift keeps Bruno Mars out of Billboard 200 top spot
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country pop star Taylor Swift held her reign at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, keeping retro-inspired R&B singer Bruno Mars' new album at bay.
Swift's latest album, 'Red,' released in October, held the No. 1 slot for a fifth non-consecutive week with sales of 208,000, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.
Mars' second album, 'Unorthodox Jukebox,' sold 192,000 copies in its opening week to take the No. 2 slot.
The album's lead single, 'Locked Out of Heaven,' stayed at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a second week, and is the singer's fourth chart-topping single. It also tops the Digital Songs chart this week.
Hip hop artist The Game entered the chart at No. 6 with his fifth studio album, 'Jesus Piece,' selling 86,000 copies.
Four festive albums sat in the top ten this week, with Michael Buble's 'Christmas' at No. 3, Rod Stewart's 'Merry Christmas Baby' at No. 5, Blake Shelton's 'Cheers, It's Christmas' at No. 8, and Lady Antebellum's 'On This Winter's Night' at No. 10.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy Editing by Jill Serjeant, Gary Hill)
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Swift's latest album, 'Red,' released in October, held the No. 1 slot for a fifth non-consecutive week with sales of 208,000, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.
Mars' second album, 'Unorthodox Jukebox,' sold 192,000 copies in its opening week to take the No. 2 slot.
The album's lead single, 'Locked Out of Heaven,' stayed at the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a second week, and is the singer's fourth chart-topping single. It also tops the Digital Songs chart this week.
Hip hop artist The Game entered the chart at No. 6 with his fifth studio album, 'Jesus Piece,' selling 86,000 copies.
Four festive albums sat in the top ten this week, with Michael Buble's 'Christmas' at No. 3, Rod Stewart's 'Merry Christmas Baby' at No. 5, Blake Shelton's 'Cheers, It's Christmas' at No. 8, and Lady Antebellum's 'On This Winter's Night' at No. 10.
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy Editing by Jill Serjeant, Gary Hill)
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Madonna leads Billboard's top-grossing tours
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - While this year's pop charts have been dominated by young singers, it is veteran music stars, led by Madonna, who are commanding big money in tour ticket sales, according to a new Billboard list released on Tuesday.
Madonna, 54, topped Billboard's list of highest-grossing live tours, earning an estimated $228.4 million in ticket sales from her sold-out ninth worldwide tour in support of her 12th studio album 'MDNA.' The singer will wrap her tour in South America this weekend, after performing more than 80 shows across the world starting in Israel in May.
Madonna came ahead of pop star Lady Gaga, who landed at No. 6, with ticket sales of $124.9 million from her worldwide 'Born This Way Ball' tour. Gaga, 26, is currently midway through her tour, which kicked off in South Korea in April, and will wrap in Oklahoma in March 2013.
Music publication Billboard compiled its list through estimated gross ticket sales figures from Billboard box scores, which tracks concert tours, ticket prices and sales.
The top five highest-grossing tour acts of 2012 included Bruce Springsteen, 63, and the E Street band at No. 2 with $199 million from 72 shows and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, 69, at No. 3 with $186 million.
Cirque Du Soleil's homage to late singer Michael Jackson in 'The Immortal World Tour' ranked No. 4 with $147.3 million over 183 shows, and British rock band Coldplay was fifth with $147.2 million over 67 shows.
The only other young stars in the list of 25 top-grossing tours was Canadian pop star Justin Bieber, 18, at No. 20 with $30 million from 29 shows as part of his ongoing 'Believe' tour, and country-pop darling Taylor Swift, 23, who raked in $26 million from 21 shows from her 'Speak Now World Tour.'
Last year, Swift ranked No. 5 on Billboard's list with an estimated $97 million in ticket sales from her 'Speak Now World Tour,' while Bieber came in at No. 15 with $44 million.
Swift will embark on her third worldwide concert tour in support of her studio album 'Red' in March 2013.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Eric Walsh)
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Madonna, 54, topped Billboard's list of highest-grossing live tours, earning an estimated $228.4 million in ticket sales from her sold-out ninth worldwide tour in support of her 12th studio album 'MDNA.' The singer will wrap her tour in South America this weekend, after performing more than 80 shows across the world starting in Israel in May.
Madonna came ahead of pop star Lady Gaga, who landed at No. 6, with ticket sales of $124.9 million from her worldwide 'Born This Way Ball' tour. Gaga, 26, is currently midway through her tour, which kicked off in South Korea in April, and will wrap in Oklahoma in March 2013.
Music publication Billboard compiled its list through estimated gross ticket sales figures from Billboard box scores, which tracks concert tours, ticket prices and sales.
The top five highest-grossing tour acts of 2012 included Bruce Springsteen, 63, and the E Street band at No. 2 with $199 million from 72 shows and Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, 69, at No. 3 with $186 million.
Cirque Du Soleil's homage to late singer Michael Jackson in 'The Immortal World Tour' ranked No. 4 with $147.3 million over 183 shows, and British rock band Coldplay was fifth with $147.2 million over 67 shows.
The only other young stars in the list of 25 top-grossing tours was Canadian pop star Justin Bieber, 18, at No. 20 with $30 million from 29 shows as part of his ongoing 'Believe' tour, and country-pop darling Taylor Swift, 23, who raked in $26 million from 21 shows from her 'Speak Now World Tour.'
Last year, Swift ranked No. 5 on Billboard's list with an estimated $97 million in ticket sales from her 'Speak Now World Tour,' while Bieber came in at No. 15 with $44 million.
Swift will embark on her third worldwide concert tour in support of her studio album 'Red' in March 2013.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Patricia Reaney and Eric Walsh)
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Sunday, December 16, 2012
Pop star Kelly Clarkson announces engagement
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kelly Clarkson, who became the first contestant to win 'American Idol' a decade ago and went on to several chart-topping successes, has gotten engaged to her boyfriend, the singer said in a Twitter message on Saturday.
Clarkson, 30, previously revealed she had been dating talent manager Brandon Blackstock since early this year. Blackstock is the stepson of country singer Reba McEntire.
'I'M ENGAGED!' Clarkson said on Twitter. 'I wanted y'all to know!! Happiest night of my life last night!'
She then followed that by posting a link to a photo of her canary yellow diamond engagement ring on a website. She wrote that her boyfriend helped design it and that she 'can't wait to make Brandon's ring.'
Clarkson's album 'Stronger' hit No. 2 last year on the Billboard 200 sales chart, and she in previous years topped pop charts with her songs 'My Life Would Suck Without You' and 'A Moment Like This.'
The Texas-born singer won the Fox television singing contest 'American Idol' in the show's debut year in 2002, and has had more success than many of the show's stars from following years.
Clarkson has burnished an image as an artist willing to speak her mind, even confessing to feelings of loneliness.
Last month, in an appearance on the 'Ellen DeGeneres Show,' Clarkson said she had been dating Blackstock since earlier this year and was thankful to have him.
'I am not alone for the first time for Thanksgiving and Christmas and I'm very happy,' she said on the show.
In the same November appearance, Clarkson said she expected to get engaged to Blackstock. 'We will totally, probably elope,' she told DeGeneres.
(Reporting By Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by David Bailey)
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Clarkson, 30, previously revealed she had been dating talent manager Brandon Blackstock since early this year. Blackstock is the stepson of country singer Reba McEntire.
'I'M ENGAGED!' Clarkson said on Twitter. 'I wanted y'all to know!! Happiest night of my life last night!'
She then followed that by posting a link to a photo of her canary yellow diamond engagement ring on a website. She wrote that her boyfriend helped design it and that she 'can't wait to make Brandon's ring.'
Clarkson's album 'Stronger' hit No. 2 last year on the Billboard 200 sales chart, and she in previous years topped pop charts with her songs 'My Life Would Suck Without You' and 'A Moment Like This.'
The Texas-born singer won the Fox television singing contest 'American Idol' in the show's debut year in 2002, and has had more success than many of the show's stars from following years.
Clarkson has burnished an image as an artist willing to speak her mind, even confessing to feelings of loneliness.
Last month, in an appearance on the 'Ellen DeGeneres Show,' Clarkson said she had been dating Blackstock since earlier this year and was thankful to have him.
'I am not alone for the first time for Thanksgiving and Christmas and I'm very happy,' she said on the show.
In the same November appearance, Clarkson said she expected to get engaged to Blackstock. 'We will totally, probably elope,' she told DeGeneres.
(Reporting By Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by David Bailey)
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Friday, December 14, 2012
Adele's "21" is top-selling U.S. iTunes album of 2012
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British singer Adele notched another accolade on Thursday as iTunes announced that her Grammy-winning album '21' was the top-selling record of 2012 in its U.S. store, extending the disc's successful run almost two years after it was released.
Adele, 24, who last year became the first artist to secure three iTunes milestones with top-selling album, single and artist of the year, came in ahead of country-pop star Taylor Swift's 'Red' and British folk band Mumford & Sons' 'Babel.'
ITunes did not reveal its sales or download figures.
British boy band One Direction's debut album 'Up All Night' and current Grammy nominees fun.'s debut 'Some Nights' rounded out the five top-selling albums on iTunes in the United States.
'21,' released in February 2011, has performed strongly in the U.S. music charts this year following the singer's Grammy-sweeping win in six categories in February 2012.
Adele also landed Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nominations for her sultry James Bond theme song 'Skyfall' this week, becoming a strong contender in the best song category for Hollywood's awards season.
'Thank you so much for the honor of being included in something as brilliant as the Golden Globes! Never in a million years did I ever think I'd come close to such a thing! Truly wonderful ... thank you to the Bond family for giving me the opportunity,' the singer said in a statement on Thursday.
ITunes U.S. compiled their Best of 2012 list by looking at the most downloaded items from the Apple iTunes store.
Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen had the top-selling track for her infectious breakthrough summer single 'Call Me Maybe.'
Post-apocalyptic action film 'The Hunger Games' was the best-selling movie while the second season of British aristocratic period drama 'Downton Abbey,' another Hollywood awards favorite, was iTunes' top-selling television series.
The iTunes Best of 2012 lists can be seen at www.itunes.com/AppStoreBestof2012
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and Mohammad Zargham)
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Adele, 24, who last year became the first artist to secure three iTunes milestones with top-selling album, single and artist of the year, came in ahead of country-pop star Taylor Swift's 'Red' and British folk band Mumford & Sons' 'Babel.'
ITunes did not reveal its sales or download figures.
British boy band One Direction's debut album 'Up All Night' and current Grammy nominees fun.'s debut 'Some Nights' rounded out the five top-selling albums on iTunes in the United States.
'21,' released in February 2011, has performed strongly in the U.S. music charts this year following the singer's Grammy-sweeping win in six categories in February 2012.
Adele also landed Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe nominations for her sultry James Bond theme song 'Skyfall' this week, becoming a strong contender in the best song category for Hollywood's awards season.
'Thank you so much for the honor of being included in something as brilliant as the Golden Globes! Never in a million years did I ever think I'd come close to such a thing! Truly wonderful ... thank you to the Bond family for giving me the opportunity,' the singer said in a statement on Thursday.
ITunes U.S. compiled their Best of 2012 list by looking at the most downloaded items from the Apple iTunes store.
Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen had the top-selling track for her infectious breakthrough summer single 'Call Me Maybe.'
Post-apocalyptic action film 'The Hunger Games' was the best-selling movie while the second season of British aristocratic period drama 'Downton Abbey,' another Hollywood awards favorite, was iTunes' top-selling television series.
The iTunes Best of 2012 lists can be seen at www.itunes.com/AppStoreBestof2012
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant and Mohammad Zargham)
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Thursday, December 13, 2012
Rock legends take to New York stage for storm Sandy victims
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and the Rolling Stones joined with actors and comedians in headlining a benefit concert on Wednesday for victims of Superstorm Sandy, which six weeks ago devastated scores of communities along the coastline of the U.S. northeast coastline.
The celebrity-packed '12-12-12' concert at New York's Madison Square Garden stretched on for nearly five hours, and organizers said it was distributed to nearly 2 billion people worldwide through television feeds, radio and online streaming.
'How do I begin again? My city's in ruins,' Springsteen sang to the packed crowd. He was joined by fellow New Jersey native Jon Bon Jovi for 'Born to Run,' ushering in a night of musical duets.
Next up, Pink Floyd's Roger Waters performed alongside Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, and later Paul McCartney jammed with the surviving members of 'Nirvana.'
'This has got to be the largest collection of old English musicians ever assembled in Madison Square Garden,' Mick Jagger told the crowd. The Stones, in the midst of a brief U.S. tour, performed 'You Got Me Rocking' and 'Jumpin' Jack Flash.'
Chris Martin of Coldplay jokingly suggested audience members should calculate the average age of the night's performers and agree to donate that much. 'And I think you'll raise billions,' he said.
At the end of the concert, R&B singer Alicia Keys closed the show with 'Empire State of Mind.'
To help with the fundraising, celebrities such as Kristen Stewart, Jake Gyllenhaal, Chelsea Clinton and Billy Crystal took part in a telethon during the concert.
Comedian Adam Sandler took the stage for a Sandy-themed spoof on Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah,' rhyming the title with 'Sandy, Screw Ya!'
Backstage, actress Susan Sarandon recounted losing power in her New York home but said that was a small hardship compared with the real victims who lost their homes.
Steven Van Zandt, guitarist of the E Street Band, scolded 'the oil companies' and 'Wall Street guys' for not doing more to help.
'Even with the music business not what it used to be ... we are proud to be here,' he said.
The concert was broadcast live on television, radio, movie theaters, on Facebook and iHeartRadio, and streamed on digital billboards in New York's Times Square, London and Paris.
EXPANDING FUNDRAISING'S REACH
More than 130 people were killed when Sandy pummeled the East Coast of the United States in October. Thousands more were left homeless as the storm tore through areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, causing billions of dollars in damage.
Throughout the show, celebrities shared memories of growing up in New York City or the Jersey Shore, and offered shout-outs to first responders.
'Watching my hometown get pummeled was devastating to watch,' said actor-comedian Crystal, who grew up on Long Beach, Long Island. 'It's a helpless feeling of what's in store for us maybe in the future.'
As the show neared its finale, organizers said it had raised $30 million from corporate sponsors, ticket sales and donations. The total raised from called-in pledges will take more time to calculate, said a spokesman for the Robin Hood foundation, the concert's major beneficiary.
Donations raised from the concert produced by Clear Channel Entertainment and the Weinstein Co, will all go to the Robin Hood Relief Fund, which will provide money and materials to groups helping people hardest hit by the storm.
New Jersey is expected to take 40 percent of the total, while the rest will be divided up between New York City, Long Island and Connecticut.
(Additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant, Patricia Reaney and Peter Cooney)
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The celebrity-packed '12-12-12' concert at New York's Madison Square Garden stretched on for nearly five hours, and organizers said it was distributed to nearly 2 billion people worldwide through television feeds, radio and online streaming.
'How do I begin again? My city's in ruins,' Springsteen sang to the packed crowd. He was joined by fellow New Jersey native Jon Bon Jovi for 'Born to Run,' ushering in a night of musical duets.
Next up, Pink Floyd's Roger Waters performed alongside Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, and later Paul McCartney jammed with the surviving members of 'Nirvana.'
'This has got to be the largest collection of old English musicians ever assembled in Madison Square Garden,' Mick Jagger told the crowd. The Stones, in the midst of a brief U.S. tour, performed 'You Got Me Rocking' and 'Jumpin' Jack Flash.'
Chris Martin of Coldplay jokingly suggested audience members should calculate the average age of the night's performers and agree to donate that much. 'And I think you'll raise billions,' he said.
At the end of the concert, R&B singer Alicia Keys closed the show with 'Empire State of Mind.'
To help with the fundraising, celebrities such as Kristen Stewart, Jake Gyllenhaal, Chelsea Clinton and Billy Crystal took part in a telethon during the concert.
Comedian Adam Sandler took the stage for a Sandy-themed spoof on Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah,' rhyming the title with 'Sandy, Screw Ya!'
Backstage, actress Susan Sarandon recounted losing power in her New York home but said that was a small hardship compared with the real victims who lost their homes.
Steven Van Zandt, guitarist of the E Street Band, scolded 'the oil companies' and 'Wall Street guys' for not doing more to help.
'Even with the music business not what it used to be ... we are proud to be here,' he said.
The concert was broadcast live on television, radio, movie theaters, on Facebook and iHeartRadio, and streamed on digital billboards in New York's Times Square, London and Paris.
EXPANDING FUNDRAISING'S REACH
More than 130 people were killed when Sandy pummeled the East Coast of the United States in October. Thousands more were left homeless as the storm tore through areas of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, causing billions of dollars in damage.
Throughout the show, celebrities shared memories of growing up in New York City or the Jersey Shore, and offered shout-outs to first responders.
'Watching my hometown get pummeled was devastating to watch,' said actor-comedian Crystal, who grew up on Long Beach, Long Island. 'It's a helpless feeling of what's in store for us maybe in the future.'
As the show neared its finale, organizers said it had raised $30 million from corporate sponsors, ticket sales and donations. The total raised from called-in pledges will take more time to calculate, said a spokesman for the Robin Hood foundation, the concert's major beneficiary.
Donations raised from the concert produced by Clear Channel Entertainment and the Weinstein Co, will all go to the Robin Hood Relief Fund, which will provide money and materials to groups helping people hardest hit by the storm.
New Jersey is expected to take 40 percent of the total, while the rest will be divided up between New York City, Long Island and Connecticut.
(Additional reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant, Patricia Reaney and Peter Cooney)
This news article is brought to you by DATING ADVICE 201 - where latest news are our top priority.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Legendary Indian sitarist, composer Ravi Shankar dead at 92
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Sitarist and composer Ravi Shankar, who helped introduce the sitar to the Western world through his collaborations with The Beatles, died in Southern California on Tuesday, his family said. He was 92.
Shankar, a three-time Grammy winner with legendary appearances at the 1967 Monterey Festival and at Woodstock, had been in fragile health for several years and last Thursday underwent surgery, his family said in a statement.
'Although it is a time for sorrow and sadness, it is also a time for all of us to give thanks and to be grateful that we were able to have him as a part of our lives,' the family said. 'He will live forever in our hearts and in his music.'
In India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office posted a Twitter message calling Shankar a 'national treasure and global ambassador of India's cultural heritage.'
'An era has passed away with ... Ravi Shankar. The nation joins me to pay tributes to his unsurpassable genius, his art and his humility,' the Indian premier added.
Shankar had suffered from upper respiratory and heart issues over the past year and underwent heart-valve replacement surgery last week at a hospital in San Diego, south of Los Angeles.
The surgery was successful but he was unable to recover.
'Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the surgeons and doctors taking care of him, his body was not able to withstand the strain of the surgery. We were at his side when he passed away,' his wife Sukanya and daughter Anoushka said.
Shankar lived in both India and the United States. He is also survived by his daughter, Grammy-winning singer Norah Jones, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Shankar performed his last concert with his daughter Anoushka on November 4 in Long Beach, California, the statement said. The night before he underwent surgery, he was nominated for a Grammy for his latest album 'The Living Room Sessions, Part 1.'
'NORWEGIAN WOOD' TO 'WEST MEETS EAST'
His family said that memorial plans will be announced at a later date and requested that donations be made to the Ravi Shankar Foundation.
Shankar is credited with popularizing Indian music through his work with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and The Beatles in the late 1960s, inspiring George Harrison to learn the sitar and the British band to record songs like 'Norwegian Wood' (1965) and 'Within You, Without You' (1967).
His friendship with Harrison led him to appearances at the Monterey and Woodstock pop festivals in the late 1960s, and the 1972 Concert for Bangladesh, becoming one of the first Indian musicians to become a household name in the West.
His influence in classical music, including on composer Philip Glass, was just as large. His work with Menuhin on their 'West Meets East' albums in the 1960s and 1970s earned them a Grammy, and he wrote concertos for sitar and orchestra for both the London Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.
Shankar served as a member of the upper chamber of the Parliament of India, from 1986 to 1992, after being nominated by then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
A man of many talents, he also wrote the Oscar-nominated score for 1982 film 'Gandhi,' several books, and mounted theatrical productions.
He also built an ashram-style home and music center in India where students could live and learn, and later the Ravi Shankar Center in Delhi in 2001, which hosts an annual music festival.
Yet his first brush with the arts was through dance.
Born Robindra Shankar in 1920 in India's holiest city, Varanasi, he spent his first few years in relative poverty before his eldest brother took the family to Paris.
For about eight years, Shankar danced in his brother's Indian classical and folk dance troupe, which toured the world. But by the late 1930s he had turned his back on show business to learn the sitar and other classical Indian instruments.
Shankar earned multiple honors in his long career, including an Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Britain's Queen Elizabeth for services to music, the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, and the French Legion d'Honneur.
(Editing by Eric Walsh)
Shankar, a three-time Grammy winner with legendary appearances at the 1967 Monterey Festival and at Woodstock, had been in fragile health for several years and last Thursday underwent surgery, his family said in a statement.
'Although it is a time for sorrow and sadness, it is also a time for all of us to give thanks and to be grateful that we were able to have him as a part of our lives,' the family said. 'He will live forever in our hearts and in his music.'
In India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office posted a Twitter message calling Shankar a 'national treasure and global ambassador of India's cultural heritage.'
'An era has passed away with ... Ravi Shankar. The nation joins me to pay tributes to his unsurpassable genius, his art and his humility,' the Indian premier added.
Shankar had suffered from upper respiratory and heart issues over the past year and underwent heart-valve replacement surgery last week at a hospital in San Diego, south of Los Angeles.
The surgery was successful but he was unable to recover.
'Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the surgeons and doctors taking care of him, his body was not able to withstand the strain of the surgery. We were at his side when he passed away,' his wife Sukanya and daughter Anoushka said.
Shankar lived in both India and the United States. He is also survived by his daughter, Grammy-winning singer Norah Jones, three grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.
Shankar performed his last concert with his daughter Anoushka on November 4 in Long Beach, California, the statement said. The night before he underwent surgery, he was nominated for a Grammy for his latest album 'The Living Room Sessions, Part 1.'
'NORWEGIAN WOOD' TO 'WEST MEETS EAST'
His family said that memorial plans will be announced at a later date and requested that donations be made to the Ravi Shankar Foundation.
Shankar is credited with popularizing Indian music through his work with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and The Beatles in the late 1960s, inspiring George Harrison to learn the sitar and the British band to record songs like 'Norwegian Wood' (1965) and 'Within You, Without You' (1967).
His friendship with Harrison led him to appearances at the Monterey and Woodstock pop festivals in the late 1960s, and the 1972 Concert for Bangladesh, becoming one of the first Indian musicians to become a household name in the West.
His influence in classical music, including on composer Philip Glass, was just as large. His work with Menuhin on their 'West Meets East' albums in the 1960s and 1970s earned them a Grammy, and he wrote concertos for sitar and orchestra for both the London Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic.
Shankar served as a member of the upper chamber of the Parliament of India, from 1986 to 1992, after being nominated by then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
A man of many talents, he also wrote the Oscar-nominated score for 1982 film 'Gandhi,' several books, and mounted theatrical productions.
He also built an ashram-style home and music center in India where students could live and learn, and later the Ravi Shankar Center in Delhi in 2001, which hosts an annual music festival.
Yet his first brush with the arts was through dance.
Born Robindra Shankar in 1920 in India's holiest city, Varanasi, he spent his first few years in relative poverty before his eldest brother took the family to Paris.
For about eight years, Shankar danced in his brother's Indian classical and folk dance troupe, which toured the world. But by the late 1930s he had turned his back on show business to learn the sitar and other classical Indian instruments.
Shankar earned multiple honors in his long career, including an Order of the British Empire (OBE) from Britain's Queen Elizabeth for services to music, the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, and the French Legion d'Honneur.
(Editing by Eric Walsh)
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Spice Girls take stage at musical premiere
LONDON (Reuters) - The Spice Girls took to the stage on Tuesday after the world premiere of a new musical loosely based on their meteoric rise to fame in the 1990s, earning huge cheers from an audience that only really got going at the encore.
'Viva Forever!' was the brainchild of producer Judy Craymer, whose 'Mamma Mia!' musical based on the hits of ABBA has earned nearly $2 billion worldwide and spawned a hit movie starring Meryl Streep.
She teamed up with British comedian Jennifer Saunders to create a story about the central character Viva, a sprightly teenager who, along with her friends, gets into the final stages of a TV singing contest closely resembling 'The X Factor'.
To boost flagging audience figures - a nod to 'The X Factor's real-life ratings woes in Britain this season - their 'mentor' springs a surprise and throws out three members of the band to leave Viva on her own.
What follows is part morality tale examining what is more important - friends, family or fame - and part satire on reality television, including a callous, Simon Cowell-like producer.
'We love you Judy!' said Geri Halliwell at the end of the show, which closed with a romp through some of the Spice Girls' biggest hits including 'Spice Up Your Life'.
'Thank you for making the Spice Girls' dream come true,' Halliwell added.
Halliwell was joined on stage by Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton and Melanie Chisholm, who together stormed the charts in the 1990s and put 'girl power' on the map.
Beckham, who arrived at the London premiere after her ex-bandmates, sat with her soccer star husband David and three sons, who clapped along to the music during the final medley.
NATIONAL TREASURES
Now all young mothers in their late 30s and early 40s, The Spice Girls are still affectionately known by the nicknames they adopted in the band - Posh (Beckham), Scary (Brown), Baby (Bunton), Sporty (Chisholm) and Ginger (Halliwell).
They were hailed as modern-day feminists by some and dismissed as vacuous pop princesses by others, but their success is beyond doubt. They sold 55 million records, had nine British No. 1 singles and three back-to-back Christmas No. 1s.
The band broke up around 12 years ago, and internal bickering among the members was long the delight of Britain's celebrity-obsessed tabloids.
Perhaps surprisingly, given the bust-ups and hissy fits, the group has been united in its backing of the new musical, and underlining the Spice Girls' lasting popularity they played a major part in the closing ceremony at the London Olympics.
Paul Taylor, writing in the Independent newspaper, gave the musical two stars out of five in his review.
'The Spice Girls' songs, with their clever hooks and catchy rhythms, are better at projecting an attitude than fleshing out a dramatic situation,' he wrote, describing Saunders' story as 'charmless', 'messy' and 'lackluster'.
'Not only does her script rarely give you that necessary gleeful sense of expectancy about where the songs are going to be shoe-horned in, but it's embarrassingly derivative of 'Mamma Mia!' and looks way past its sell-by date in its utterly surprise-free satiric swipe at 'X Factor'.'
Saunders said before the show that she considered herself the 'sixth' Spice Girl.
'We used to travel around everywhere to see them and they were so great with my kids,' said the 54-year-old, best known for playing a self-absorbed, eccentric mother in the popular British comedy series 'Absolutely Fabulous'.
'The thought of a Spice Girls musical written by somebody else was not acceptable,' she told the Daily Mirror newspaper. 'Because I was so close to them, I couldn't let it slip through my fingers.'
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Jill Serjeant)
This news article is brought to you by FREE ROMANTIC DATING SITE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
'Viva Forever!' was the brainchild of producer Judy Craymer, whose 'Mamma Mia!' musical based on the hits of ABBA has earned nearly $2 billion worldwide and spawned a hit movie starring Meryl Streep.
She teamed up with British comedian Jennifer Saunders to create a story about the central character Viva, a sprightly teenager who, along with her friends, gets into the final stages of a TV singing contest closely resembling 'The X Factor'.
To boost flagging audience figures - a nod to 'The X Factor's real-life ratings woes in Britain this season - their 'mentor' springs a surprise and throws out three members of the band to leave Viva on her own.
What follows is part morality tale examining what is more important - friends, family or fame - and part satire on reality television, including a callous, Simon Cowell-like producer.
'We love you Judy!' said Geri Halliwell at the end of the show, which closed with a romp through some of the Spice Girls' biggest hits including 'Spice Up Your Life'.
'Thank you for making the Spice Girls' dream come true,' Halliwell added.
Halliwell was joined on stage by Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton and Melanie Chisholm, who together stormed the charts in the 1990s and put 'girl power' on the map.
Beckham, who arrived at the London premiere after her ex-bandmates, sat with her soccer star husband David and three sons, who clapped along to the music during the final medley.
NATIONAL TREASURES
Now all young mothers in their late 30s and early 40s, The Spice Girls are still affectionately known by the nicknames they adopted in the band - Posh (Beckham), Scary (Brown), Baby (Bunton), Sporty (Chisholm) and Ginger (Halliwell).
They were hailed as modern-day feminists by some and dismissed as vacuous pop princesses by others, but their success is beyond doubt. They sold 55 million records, had nine British No. 1 singles and three back-to-back Christmas No. 1s.
The band broke up around 12 years ago, and internal bickering among the members was long the delight of Britain's celebrity-obsessed tabloids.
Perhaps surprisingly, given the bust-ups and hissy fits, the group has been united in its backing of the new musical, and underlining the Spice Girls' lasting popularity they played a major part in the closing ceremony at the London Olympics.
Paul Taylor, writing in the Independent newspaper, gave the musical two stars out of five in his review.
'The Spice Girls' songs, with their clever hooks and catchy rhythms, are better at projecting an attitude than fleshing out a dramatic situation,' he wrote, describing Saunders' story as 'charmless', 'messy' and 'lackluster'.
'Not only does her script rarely give you that necessary gleeful sense of expectancy about where the songs are going to be shoe-horned in, but it's embarrassingly derivative of 'Mamma Mia!' and looks way past its sell-by date in its utterly surprise-free satiric swipe at 'X Factor'.'
Saunders said before the show that she considered herself the 'sixth' Spice Girl.
'We used to travel around everywhere to see them and they were so great with my kids,' said the 54-year-old, best known for playing a self-absorbed, eccentric mother in the popular British comedy series 'Absolutely Fabulous'.
'The thought of a Spice Girls musical written by somebody else was not acceptable,' she told the Daily Mirror newspaper. 'Because I was so close to them, I couldn't let it slip through my fingers.'
(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Jill Serjeant)
This news article is brought to you by FREE ROMANTIC DATING SITE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Lady Gaga accused of illegal gay rights promotion in Russia
ST PETERSBURG, Russia (Reuters) - A political ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking legal action against American pop star Lady Gaga for promoting gay rights to minors during a concert on Sunday.
Vitaly Milonov, a member of the ruling United Russia party in the St Petersburg assembly and the architect of a city law that bans gay 'propaganda', accused the singer of breaking the law at the beginning of her show.
'We saw that in addition to music, songs and such, there were direct calls for 12-year-old citizens to support the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community,' Milonov said, adding that he would file a complaint to prosecutors over the singer's actions.
He had unsuccessfully called on authorities to bar people under 18 from attending Lady Gaga's show.
A vocal defender of lesbian and gay rights, Lady Gaga said offstage that her managers had received a call threatening her with arrest or a $50,000 fine if she spoke in support of the LGBT community, according to media reports.
The lower house of parliament is expected to consider legislation similar to the St Petersburg law later this month.
It is not clear whether it will pass. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, now the head of United Russia, said in an interview last week that 'not all human relationships are subject to legal regulation'.
Lady Gaga took Medvedev's comments as a sign of support for her show and thanked him on her Twitter microblog.
'Thank You Prime Minister Medvedev for not standing by your party's anti gay propaganda law & instead supporting my show+fans all over Russia,' she said in her tweet.
Lady Gaga has a concert in Moscow on Wednesday.
Last month, a St Petersburg court rejected a $10 million compensation claim against U.S. pop star Madonna initiated by Milonov and a group of anti-gay activists who accused her of hurting their feelings by promoting homosexuality at a concert in the city in August.
Madonna has called the city law a 'ridiculous atrocity'.
Homosexuality, punished with jail terms in the Soviet Union, was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but much of the gay community remains underground as prejudice runs deep.
(Writing by Nastassia Astrasheuskaya; editing by Andrew Roche)
This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Vitaly Milonov, a member of the ruling United Russia party in the St Petersburg assembly and the architect of a city law that bans gay 'propaganda', accused the singer of breaking the law at the beginning of her show.
'We saw that in addition to music, songs and such, there were direct calls for 12-year-old citizens to support the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community,' Milonov said, adding that he would file a complaint to prosecutors over the singer's actions.
He had unsuccessfully called on authorities to bar people under 18 from attending Lady Gaga's show.
A vocal defender of lesbian and gay rights, Lady Gaga said offstage that her managers had received a call threatening her with arrest or a $50,000 fine if she spoke in support of the LGBT community, according to media reports.
The lower house of parliament is expected to consider legislation similar to the St Petersburg law later this month.
It is not clear whether it will pass. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, now the head of United Russia, said in an interview last week that 'not all human relationships are subject to legal regulation'.
Lady Gaga took Medvedev's comments as a sign of support for her show and thanked him on her Twitter microblog.
'Thank You Prime Minister Medvedev for not standing by your party's anti gay propaganda law & instead supporting my show+fans all over Russia,' she said in her tweet.
Lady Gaga has a concert in Moscow on Wednesday.
Last month, a St Petersburg court rejected a $10 million compensation claim against U.S. pop star Madonna initiated by Milonov and a group of anti-gay activists who accused her of hurting their feelings by promoting homosexuality at a concert in the city in August.
Madonna has called the city law a 'ridiculous atrocity'.
Homosexuality, punished with jail terms in the Soviet Union, was decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but much of the gay community remains underground as prejudice runs deep.
(Writing by Nastassia Astrasheuskaya; editing by Andrew Roche)
This news article is brought to you by GLAMOROUS FASHION NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Jenni Rivera, soulful, troubled Mexican music star
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jenni Rivera launched her career hawking cassette recordings of her songs at flea markets, but a powerful voice, soulful singing style and frank discussion of personal troubles powered her to the heights of a male-dominated industry, transforming her into the one of the biggest stars of the genre known as grupero.
Her life was cut short at its peak on Sunday by an airplane crash in northern Mexico that also killed six friends and co-workers.
The 43-year-old mother of five and grandmother of two became a symbol of resilience for millions of fans on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. Her fame grew as she branched out into acting, appearing in independent film, reality TV and the televised singing competition 'La Voz Mexico.'
She had recently filed for divorce from her third husband, was once detained at a Mexico City airport with tens of thousands of dollars in cash, and publicly apologized after her brother assaulted a drunken fan who verbally attacked her in 2011.
'I am the same as the public, as my fans,' she told The Associated Press in an interview last March.
Rivera sold more than 15 million copies of her 12 major-label albums and won a string of Latin music awards. Her shows filled both the Staples Center in Los Angeles and Mexico's National Auditorium, a feat few male singers in her industry achieved.
Many of her songs dealt with themes of dignity in the face of heartbreak, and her shows were known for their festive atmosphere and her intimate interactions with her fans. She would fill song requests from fans who had suffered heartbreak and setbacks, and would often pull women and girls onto stage to personally tell them to keep moving forward.
The plane, being flown by two pilots, was taking her and her publicist, Arturo Rivera, her makeup artist, Jacob Yebale, and two friends, one named Mario Macias and another who was only identified as Gerardo, to the central Mexican city of Toluca after a Saturday night concert before thousands in the northern city of Monterrey. All were killed.
After the concert she gave a press conference during which she spoke of her emotional state following her recent move to divorce former Major League Baseball pitcher Esteban Loaiza, who played for teams including the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Rivera announced in October that she was divorcing Loaiza after two years of marriage.
'I can't get caught up in the negative because that destroys you. Perhaps trying to move away from my problems and focus on the positive is the best I can do. I am a woman like any other and ugly things happen to me like any other woman,' she said Saturday night. 'The number of times I have fallen down is the number of times I have gotten up.'
Rivera's parents migrated from Mexico to California and founded the label that also propelled two of her five brothers, Lupillo and Juan Rivera, to careers as well-known singers of grupero music.
Born on July 2, 1969 in Los Angeles, California, Dolores Janney Rivera Savedra studied business administration and often said with pride that she started her singing career in flea markets in the Los Angeles area, selling cassette tapes to fans.
She formally debuted on the music scene in 1995 with the release of her album 'Chacalosa'.
That successful album was followed with two other independent albums, one a tribute to slain Mexican-American singer Selena that helped Rivera expand her following. By the end of the 90s, she won a major-label contract, and built a loyal following that knew her as the 'Diva de la Banda.'
At the end of the 1990s, Rivera was signed by Sony Music and released two more albums, 'If You Want to See Me Crying,' and 'Queen of Queens.'
In 2002, she received her first Latin Grammy nomination, for best album in the band music category.
Even more widespread success came when she joined Fonovisa and released her 2005 album titled 'Partier, Rebellious and Daring,' which positioned her as one of the most renowned grupero singers and songwriters.
She was also nominated for Latin Grammys in 2008 and 2011.
She was also an actress, appearing in the indie film 'Filly Brown,' which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival, as the incarcerated mother of character Filly Brown.
'Though she'll be remembered as an iconic singer, she was also a powerful actress whose full range of talents the world was just beginning to discover,' the directors, producers, cast and crew of 'Filly Brown' said in a statement.
Her most recent album, 'Joyas Prestadas,' or 'Borrowed Jewels,' won widespread praise and awards and helped cement her status as one of the brightest stars of Mexican-American music.
She was also filming the third season of 'I Love Jenni,' which followed her as she interacted with her family and toured through Mexico and the United States. She also played a key role in the reality shows: 'Jenni Rivera Presents: Chiquis and Raq-C' and her daughter's 'Chiquis 'n Control.'
In 2009, she was detained at the Mexico City airport when she declared $20,000 in cash but was really carrying $52,167. She was taken into custody. She said it was an innocent mistake and authorities gave her the benefit of the doubt and released her.
In 2011, her brother Juan assaulted a drunken fan at a popular fair in Guanajuato. In the face of heavy criticism among her fans and on social networks, Rivera publicly apologized for the incident during a concert in Mexico City, telling her fans: 'Thank you for accepting me as I am, with my virtues and defects.'
This article is brought to you by MATCH.
Her life was cut short at its peak on Sunday by an airplane crash in northern Mexico that also killed six friends and co-workers.
The 43-year-old mother of five and grandmother of two became a symbol of resilience for millions of fans on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. Her fame grew as she branched out into acting, appearing in independent film, reality TV and the televised singing competition 'La Voz Mexico.'
She had recently filed for divorce from her third husband, was once detained at a Mexico City airport with tens of thousands of dollars in cash, and publicly apologized after her brother assaulted a drunken fan who verbally attacked her in 2011.
'I am the same as the public, as my fans,' she told The Associated Press in an interview last March.
Rivera sold more than 15 million copies of her 12 major-label albums and won a string of Latin music awards. Her shows filled both the Staples Center in Los Angeles and Mexico's National Auditorium, a feat few male singers in her industry achieved.
Many of her songs dealt with themes of dignity in the face of heartbreak, and her shows were known for their festive atmosphere and her intimate interactions with her fans. She would fill song requests from fans who had suffered heartbreak and setbacks, and would often pull women and girls onto stage to personally tell them to keep moving forward.
The plane, being flown by two pilots, was taking her and her publicist, Arturo Rivera, her makeup artist, Jacob Yebale, and two friends, one named Mario Macias and another who was only identified as Gerardo, to the central Mexican city of Toluca after a Saturday night concert before thousands in the northern city of Monterrey. All were killed.
After the concert she gave a press conference during which she spoke of her emotional state following her recent move to divorce former Major League Baseball pitcher Esteban Loaiza, who played for teams including the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Rivera announced in October that she was divorcing Loaiza after two years of marriage.
'I can't get caught up in the negative because that destroys you. Perhaps trying to move away from my problems and focus on the positive is the best I can do. I am a woman like any other and ugly things happen to me like any other woman,' she said Saturday night. 'The number of times I have fallen down is the number of times I have gotten up.'
Rivera's parents migrated from Mexico to California and founded the label that also propelled two of her five brothers, Lupillo and Juan Rivera, to careers as well-known singers of grupero music.
Born on July 2, 1969 in Los Angeles, California, Dolores Janney Rivera Savedra studied business administration and often said with pride that she started her singing career in flea markets in the Los Angeles area, selling cassette tapes to fans.
She formally debuted on the music scene in 1995 with the release of her album 'Chacalosa'.
That successful album was followed with two other independent albums, one a tribute to slain Mexican-American singer Selena that helped Rivera expand her following. By the end of the 90s, she won a major-label contract, and built a loyal following that knew her as the 'Diva de la Banda.'
At the end of the 1990s, Rivera was signed by Sony Music and released two more albums, 'If You Want to See Me Crying,' and 'Queen of Queens.'
In 2002, she received her first Latin Grammy nomination, for best album in the band music category.
Even more widespread success came when she joined Fonovisa and released her 2005 album titled 'Partier, Rebellious and Daring,' which positioned her as one of the most renowned grupero singers and songwriters.
She was also nominated for Latin Grammys in 2008 and 2011.
She was also an actress, appearing in the indie film 'Filly Brown,' which was shown at the Sundance Film Festival, as the incarcerated mother of character Filly Brown.
'Though she'll be remembered as an iconic singer, she was also a powerful actress whose full range of talents the world was just beginning to discover,' the directors, producers, cast and crew of 'Filly Brown' said in a statement.
Her most recent album, 'Joyas Prestadas,' or 'Borrowed Jewels,' won widespread praise and awards and helped cement her status as one of the brightest stars of Mexican-American music.
She was also filming the third season of 'I Love Jenni,' which followed her as she interacted with her family and toured through Mexico and the United States. She also played a key role in the reality shows: 'Jenni Rivera Presents: Chiquis and Raq-C' and her daughter's 'Chiquis 'n Control.'
In 2009, she was detained at the Mexico City airport when she declared $20,000 in cash but was really carrying $52,167. She was taken into custody. She said it was an innocent mistake and authorities gave her the benefit of the doubt and released her.
In 2011, her brother Juan assaulted a drunken fan at a popular fair in Guanajuato. In the face of heavy criticism among her fans and on social networks, Rivera publicly apologized for the incident during a concert in Mexico City, telling her fans: 'Thank you for accepting me as I am, with my virtues and defects.'
This article is brought to you by MATCH.
Monday, December 10, 2012
U.S.-Mexican singer Jenni Rivera dies in plane crash
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican-American singer Jenni Rivera died in a plane crash after the small jet she was travelling in went down in northern Mexico, her father said on Sunday.
A spokesman for the state government of Nuevo Leon said investigators had found the remains of Rivera's Learjet, which disappeared from the radar 62 miles from the northern city of Monterrey at about 3:30 a.m. local time/4.30 a.m. EST.
Speaking after the wreckage was discovered, the singer's father, Pedro Rivera, told Telemundo television all seven of the people on board the plane, including two pilots, had died.
'Everyone was lost,' Rivera said, flanked by two sons.
Investigators are still searching the crash site in the municipality of Iturbide, south of Monterrey. The transportation and communications ministry said the wreckage was strewn so far and wide that it was hard to recognize anything.
It was not clear what caused the crash.
Rivera, 43, was heading for the city of Toluca in central Mexico after a concert in Monterrey on Saturday night.
Born in Long Beach, California, to Mexican immigrants, Rivera sold some 15 million records in her career, won several awards and received Grammy nominations, her website said.
A mother of five, Rivera was a renowned performer of the Nortena and Banda musical styles.
(Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Philip Barbara and Stacey Joyce)
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A spokesman for the state government of Nuevo Leon said investigators had found the remains of Rivera's Learjet, which disappeared from the radar 62 miles from the northern city of Monterrey at about 3:30 a.m. local time/4.30 a.m. EST.
Speaking after the wreckage was discovered, the singer's father, Pedro Rivera, told Telemundo television all seven of the people on board the plane, including two pilots, had died.
'Everyone was lost,' Rivera said, flanked by two sons.
Investigators are still searching the crash site in the municipality of Iturbide, south of Monterrey. The transportation and communications ministry said the wreckage was strewn so far and wide that it was hard to recognize anything.
It was not clear what caused the crash.
Rivera, 43, was heading for the city of Toluca in central Mexico after a concert in Monterrey on Saturday night.
Born in Long Beach, California, to Mexican immigrants, Rivera sold some 15 million records in her career, won several awards and received Grammy nominations, her website said.
A mother of five, Rivera was a renowned performer of the Nortena and Banda musical styles.
(Writing by Dave Graham; Editing by Philip Barbara and Stacey Joyce)
This article is brought to you by DATING.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Half a century on, Rolling Stones rock Brooklyn
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Fifty years since their first London jam sessions, the Rolling Stones kicked off the U.S. leg of a brief anniversary tour with a vibrant show in New York on Saturday that belied their years - wrinkles and nostalgia aside.
Drummers wearing gorilla masks warmed up the crowd packed into Brooklyn's Barclays Center as black-clad women swung their long tresses in rhythm.
Mick Jagger pranced, shimmied and howled his way through the 2-1/2 hour show, pausing to reminisce about the band's history and its first New York concert at Carnegie Hall in 1964.
For a group whose early years were punctuated by quarrels and occasional brushes with the law, the biggest controversy ahead of Saturday's show was the price of seats - up to $800, and as much as 10 times that amount on websites offering last-minute tickets.
In those days, milk was cheaper and 'tickets to the Rolling Stones was - well, I'm not going to go there,' Jagger acknowledged.
The band's last major tour was in 2007 and the latest reunion almost didn't happen, owing in part to a spat between Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards over comments Richards made about the singer in a 2010 autobiography.
Richards joked in a recent interview: 'We can't get divorced - we're doing it for the kids.'
A tribute video opened Saturday's proceedings featuring celebrities heaping praise on the band.
'They're great songs to do bad things to,' said actor Johnny Depp. 'Just how skinny they all are... It really, really pisses me off,' said actress Cate Blanchett.
The Stones - average age 68 - ripped through 20 hits that began with 'Get Off of My Cloud' and closed with 'Sympathy for the Devil' and an encore of 'You Can't Always Get What You Want', 'Jumping Jack Flash' and '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'.
Women in the crowd opened their arms wide as Jagger, wearing a silver sequined jacket, strutted along the horseshoe-shaped stage for 'I Wanna Be Your Man', a Beatles tune. The band was then joined by R&B singer Mary J. Blige for 'Gimme Shelter'.
'People say 'why do you keep doing this?'' Jagger told the crowd. He thanked fans for buying records and 'generally being amazing for the last 50 years.'
The Stones started their brief diamond jubilee tour in London and are due to play twice in Newark, New Jersey.
Fans said it could be the last chance for New Yorkers to see the band live.
'It's the only concert I wanted to see before I die,' said Lucy Webley, 33.
(Editing by Tom Pfeiffer)
This article is brought to you by FREE DATING SITES.
Drummers wearing gorilla masks warmed up the crowd packed into Brooklyn's Barclays Center as black-clad women swung their long tresses in rhythm.
Mick Jagger pranced, shimmied and howled his way through the 2-1/2 hour show, pausing to reminisce about the band's history and its first New York concert at Carnegie Hall in 1964.
For a group whose early years were punctuated by quarrels and occasional brushes with the law, the biggest controversy ahead of Saturday's show was the price of seats - up to $800, and as much as 10 times that amount on websites offering last-minute tickets.
In those days, milk was cheaper and 'tickets to the Rolling Stones was - well, I'm not going to go there,' Jagger acknowledged.
The band's last major tour was in 2007 and the latest reunion almost didn't happen, owing in part to a spat between Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards over comments Richards made about the singer in a 2010 autobiography.
Richards joked in a recent interview: 'We can't get divorced - we're doing it for the kids.'
A tribute video opened Saturday's proceedings featuring celebrities heaping praise on the band.
'They're great songs to do bad things to,' said actor Johnny Depp. 'Just how skinny they all are... It really, really pisses me off,' said actress Cate Blanchett.
The Stones - average age 68 - ripped through 20 hits that began with 'Get Off of My Cloud' and closed with 'Sympathy for the Devil' and an encore of 'You Can't Always Get What You Want', 'Jumping Jack Flash' and '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction'.
Women in the crowd opened their arms wide as Jagger, wearing a silver sequined jacket, strutted along the horseshoe-shaped stage for 'I Wanna Be Your Man', a Beatles tune. The band was then joined by R&B singer Mary J. Blige for 'Gimme Shelter'.
'People say 'why do you keep doing this?'' Jagger told the crowd. He thanked fans for buying records and 'generally being amazing for the last 50 years.'
The Stones started their brief diamond jubilee tour in London and are due to play twice in Newark, New Jersey.
Fans said it could be the last chance for New Yorkers to see the band live.
'It's the only concert I wanted to see before I die,' said Lucy Webley, 33.
(Editing by Tom Pfeiffer)
This article is brought to you by FREE DATING SITES.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
"Gangnam Style" singer Psy apologizes for past anti-U.S. songs
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The South Korean pop singer behind the viral smash hit 'Gangnam Style' apologized on Friday for past concerts featuring anti-American lyrics, ahead of a holiday performance to be attended by U.S. President Barack Obama and his family.
Psy issued the apology after reports surfaced in the United States on Friday about his participation in two performances critical of the U.S. military in 2004.
Psy's 'Gangnam Style' Korean pop and dance video is now the most-watched video ever on YouTube, with more than 900 million views since it was first uploaded in July.
'While I'm grateful for the freedom to express one's self, I've learned there are limits to what language is appropriate and I'm deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted,' the rapper said in a statement.
'I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused by those words,' he added.
In one performance, which Psy said was from eight years ago, the rapper protested the deaths of two teenage South Korean girls who were run over by a U.S. tank stationed in the country.
In a separate performance, Psy was critical of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and its occupation, in which South Korean forces participated.
Psy is scheduled to perform at the annual 'Christmas in Washington' television special that will also be attended by Obama and his family, the White House said on Friday. Broadcaster TNT said Psy would still perform as planned.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Additional reporting by Mark Felsenthal in Washington; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Peter Cooney)
This news article is brought to you by GOING GREEN NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Psy issued the apology after reports surfaced in the United States on Friday about his participation in two performances critical of the U.S. military in 2004.
Psy's 'Gangnam Style' Korean pop and dance video is now the most-watched video ever on YouTube, with more than 900 million views since it was first uploaded in July.
'While I'm grateful for the freedom to express one's self, I've learned there are limits to what language is appropriate and I'm deeply sorry for how these lyrics could be interpreted,' the rapper said in a statement.
'I will forever be sorry for any pain I have caused by those words,' he added.
In one performance, which Psy said was from eight years ago, the rapper protested the deaths of two teenage South Korean girls who were run over by a U.S. tank stationed in the country.
In a separate performance, Psy was critical of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and its occupation, in which South Korean forces participated.
Psy is scheduled to perform at the annual 'Christmas in Washington' television special that will also be attended by Obama and his family, the White House said on Friday. Broadcaster TNT said Psy would still perform as planned.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Additional reporting by Mark Felsenthal in Washington; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Peter Cooney)
This news article is brought to you by GOING GREEN NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Friday, December 7, 2012
No Grammy love for Justin Bieber, One Direction
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Irate fans of Justin Bieber and boy band One Direction took to social media on Thursday to voice their outrage after being snubbed by the Grammys for a chance to win the biggest honors in the music industry.
Indie-pop band fun and rapper Frank Ocean led the 2013 nominations, tying with The Black Keys, Mumford & Sons, Jay-Z and Kanye West for six nods. But The Recording Academy overlooked some of the year's biggest and most commercially successful artists in Wednesday's nominations.
While Bieber, 18, who won three American Music Awards in November, stayed quiet on his omission, his manager Scooter Braun took to Twitter.
'Grammy board u blew it on this one. the hardest thing to do is transition, keep the train moving. The kid delivered. Huge successful album, sold out tour, and won people over. ... This time he deserved to be recognized,' Braun posted in a series of tweets.
Many of Bieber's 31 million Twitter fans quickly followed suit, with hashtags such as #BieberForGrammys trending on the micro-blogging service.
The Canadian singer, who has never won a Grammy, in June released album 'Believe,' showcasing a more grown-up image. The album, which produced top 10 hits 'Boyfriend' and 'As Long As You Love Me,' has sold more than 1.1 million copies.
British boy band One Direction was also left empty-handed despite their debut album 'Up All Night' having topped the Billboard 200 album chart.
The quintet has performed sold-out shows across the world and won three MTV video music awards earlier this year.
The Grammy Awards are voted on by members of The Recording Academy and recognize achievement in 81 categories.
Lady Gaga, rapper Nicki Minaj and Korea's Psy also failed to snag any nominations.
While Gaga hasn't released new music this year, focusing on her global tour, Minaj released 'Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,' which topped the Billboard 200 chart and spawned singles such as 'Starships.'
Psy may have YouTube's most watched video ever with 'Gangnam Style,' - over 897 million views - but he missed out on becoming the first Korean artist to receive a Grammy nod.
The Grammy Awards will be handed out at a live performance show and ceremony on February 10 in Los Angeles.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; editing by Jill Serjeant and Todd Eastham)
This news article is brought to you by STOCK MARKET BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Indie-pop band fun and rapper Frank Ocean led the 2013 nominations, tying with The Black Keys, Mumford & Sons, Jay-Z and Kanye West for six nods. But The Recording Academy overlooked some of the year's biggest and most commercially successful artists in Wednesday's nominations.
While Bieber, 18, who won three American Music Awards in November, stayed quiet on his omission, his manager Scooter Braun took to Twitter.
'Grammy board u blew it on this one. the hardest thing to do is transition, keep the train moving. The kid delivered. Huge successful album, sold out tour, and won people over. ... This time he deserved to be recognized,' Braun posted in a series of tweets.
Many of Bieber's 31 million Twitter fans quickly followed suit, with hashtags such as #BieberForGrammys trending on the micro-blogging service.
The Canadian singer, who has never won a Grammy, in June released album 'Believe,' showcasing a more grown-up image. The album, which produced top 10 hits 'Boyfriend' and 'As Long As You Love Me,' has sold more than 1.1 million copies.
British boy band One Direction was also left empty-handed despite their debut album 'Up All Night' having topped the Billboard 200 album chart.
The quintet has performed sold-out shows across the world and won three MTV video music awards earlier this year.
The Grammy Awards are voted on by members of The Recording Academy and recognize achievement in 81 categories.
Lady Gaga, rapper Nicki Minaj and Korea's Psy also failed to snag any nominations.
While Gaga hasn't released new music this year, focusing on her global tour, Minaj released 'Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,' which topped the Billboard 200 chart and spawned singles such as 'Starships.'
Psy may have YouTube's most watched video ever with 'Gangnam Style,' - over 897 million views - but he missed out on becoming the first Korean artist to receive a Grammy nod.
The Grammy Awards will be handed out at a live performance show and ceremony on February 10 in Los Angeles.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; editing by Jill Serjeant and Todd Eastham)
This news article is brought to you by STOCK MARKET BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Spotify gains more listeners and Metallica
(Reuters) - Digital music service Spotify rolled out new features and said it increased the number of active users at a press event that featured a special musical performance by Frank Ocean.
Spotify now has 20 million active users worldwide, up 33 percent in less than six months. The company counts five million people among paying subscribers, a 25 percent increase during the same time period.
Spotify also revealed it has one million paid subscribers in the United States, that it added a Twitter like functionality that allows users to follow one another, and that the rock band Metallica's music was now available on the service.
The company made the announcements at a splashy New York event on Thursday that included a conversation between Spotify backer Sean Parker and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.
Ulrich's appearance is notable since his band was one of the leading crusaders against Napster, the digital music sharing company co-founded by Parker more than a decade ago that was a flashpoint for digital rights and artist compensation.
'We have more in common than the whole thing that happened 12 years ago,' said Ulrich about Parker.
Ulrich said the decision to join Spotify coincided with the fact the band now owns its entire catalogs of music.
Spotify, which strikes royalty deals with record labels, has paid more than $500 million to the music industry since its launch four years ago - an amount that has more than doubled in the past nine months. It pays roughly 70 percent of its revenue back to rights holders.
'The more music that gets shared the more money goes back to artists,' said Daniel Ek, CEO and co-founder of Spotify.
Spotify is a free on-demand streaming music service that is rising in popularity. People can pay to hear music without interruptions from advertising and the ability to play lists and preferences from any device any time.
The company has struck up a partnership with Facebook - Parker is Facebook's founding president - that allows listener's to display their music choices on their personal pages.
Streaming music services such as Spotify and Pandora are being carefully watched by the music industry concerned over the royalty payments.
For example, Pandora is pushing the Internet Radio Fairness Act, which would change how royalties are paid to artists. As of now, online streaming music companies like Pandora pay a different rate to license music than say traditional radio companies.
Many of music's most notable names like Billy Joel and Rihanna are opposing the proposed change.
(Reporting By Jennifer Saba in New York)
This news article is brought to you by PERSONAL FINANCE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Spotify now has 20 million active users worldwide, up 33 percent in less than six months. The company counts five million people among paying subscribers, a 25 percent increase during the same time period.
Spotify also revealed it has one million paid subscribers in the United States, that it added a Twitter like functionality that allows users to follow one another, and that the rock band Metallica's music was now available on the service.
The company made the announcements at a splashy New York event on Thursday that included a conversation between Spotify backer Sean Parker and Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.
Ulrich's appearance is notable since his band was one of the leading crusaders against Napster, the digital music sharing company co-founded by Parker more than a decade ago that was a flashpoint for digital rights and artist compensation.
'We have more in common than the whole thing that happened 12 years ago,' said Ulrich about Parker.
Ulrich said the decision to join Spotify coincided with the fact the band now owns its entire catalogs of music.
Spotify, which strikes royalty deals with record labels, has paid more than $500 million to the music industry since its launch four years ago - an amount that has more than doubled in the past nine months. It pays roughly 70 percent of its revenue back to rights holders.
'The more music that gets shared the more money goes back to artists,' said Daniel Ek, CEO and co-founder of Spotify.
Spotify is a free on-demand streaming music service that is rising in popularity. People can pay to hear music without interruptions from advertising and the ability to play lists and preferences from any device any time.
The company has struck up a partnership with Facebook - Parker is Facebook's founding president - that allows listener's to display their music choices on their personal pages.
Streaming music services such as Spotify and Pandora are being carefully watched by the music industry concerned over the royalty payments.
For example, Pandora is pushing the Internet Radio Fairness Act, which would change how royalties are paid to artists. As of now, online streaming music companies like Pandora pay a different rate to license music than say traditional radio companies.
Many of music's most notable names like Billy Joel and Rihanna are opposing the proposed change.
(Reporting By Jennifer Saba in New York)
This news article is brought to you by PERSONAL FINANCE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Metallica's music now available on Spotify
NEW YORK (AP) - Metallica is bringing its all-out assault to Spotify.
The company announced the move Thursday during a presentation to debut new features in New York.
Metallica had previously declined to stream its music. Fans can now access 30 years of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band's recordings.
The move is significant for the band. Metallica was among several acts who sued Napster in 2000, eventually forcing a settlement that required Napster to evolve into a pay-for-use service that became something of a model for today's streaming companies.
Drummer Lars Ulrich says in a news release the band has waited a long time to see how the music streaming service model would evolve and is 'beyond psyched to unleash our music through' Spotify.
___
Online:
http://metallica.com
http://spotify.com
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The company announced the move Thursday during a presentation to debut new features in New York.
Metallica had previously declined to stream its music. Fans can now access 30 years of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band's recordings.
The move is significant for the band. Metallica was among several acts who sued Napster in 2000, eventually forcing a settlement that required Napster to evolve into a pay-for-use service that became something of a model for today's streaming companies.
Drummer Lars Ulrich says in a news release the band has waited a long time to see how the music streaming service model would evolve and is 'beyond psyched to unleash our music through' Spotify.
___
Online:
http://metallica.com
http://spotify.com
This article is brought to you by FREE DATING.
Male artists lead 2013 Grammy nominations
NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - Male artists led the nominations announced on Wednesday for the 2013 Grammys, as fun., Frank Ocean, Mumford & Sons, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys landed six nods each for music's biggest awards.
The nominations for New York-based indie-pop band fun. - made up of Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff - included the four main categories for record, song and album of the year, and best new artist.
fun., which also performed at the Grammy nominations concert with Janelle Monae, said it felt good to be recognized and 'took pride' in its live performances.
'Tonight, all I wanted to do was get up and really give it our all ... receiving the nomination is amazing and a culmination of hard work the three of us have put into this band,' lead singer Ruess told reporters backstage.
The group scored a huge hit with its first single, 'We Are Young,' and then followed that up with its successful album 'Some Nights' and single of the same name.
Joining it in the album, record of the year and best new artist categories was hip hop artist Ocean.
The 25-year-old rapper-singer made waves earlier this year after revealing his first love was a man, a groundbreaking move in the hip hop industry, which has faced criticism in the past for being hostile toward gays.
His debut album, 'Channel Orange' was a critical and commercial success, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart in July.
Ocean and fun. will be competing with blues-rock group Alabama Shakes, country singer Hunter Hayes and folk-rockers The Lumineers for the coveted best new artist title.
While young male artists made up a large portion of nominees in key categories, noticeably absent was 18-year-old Canadian singer Justin Bieber, one of 2012's biggest pop music stars with chart-topping album 'Believe' and singles such as 'Boyfriend.'
The winners will be announced at the televised awards show in Los Angeles on February 10.
AFTER ADELE, MALE ARTISTS LEAD
After British singer Adele dominated the previous Grammy Awards with her juggernaut album '21,' male artists took the lead in the album of the year category, where Ocean and fun. are competing with The Black Keys, Mumford & Sons and Jack White.
British folk band Mumford & Sons, which scored six nominations both in 2011 and 2012 for its debut album, 'Sigh No More,' landed six more nominations on Wednesday for its chart-topping sophomore album, 'Babel,' which is the second biggest-selling album in the United States this year.
Ohio rock duo The Black Keys, formed by frontman Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, landed five nominations, while Auerbach also notched a non-classical producer of the year nomination for his work on four albums.
Blues-rocker Jack White, the former frontman of The White Stripes, picked up three nods for his chart-topping debut solo album 'Blunderbuss.'
Rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West continued to pick up nods for their 2011 album, 'Watch The Throne,' including best rap performance for 'N****s in Paris.' Jay-Z also landed nods for collaborating on songs with Young Jeezy and Rihanna, while West scored multiple nominations for his song 'Mercy.'
Kelly Clarkson was one of the few leading female nominees, picking up three nominations, including record of the year and best pop vocal album.
R&B singer Rihanna also landed three nods, including best solo pop performance for 'Where Have You Been.'
Record of the year nominees saw an assortment of rock, pop and hip hop nominees, with Clarkson's 'Stronger' competing with The Black Keys' 'Lonely Boy,' fun.'s 'We Are Young,' Australian artist Gotye's heartbreak hit 'Somebody That I Used To Know,' Ocean's 'Thinkin Bout You,' and Taylor Swift's 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.'
To be eligible for nominations this year, artists had to release their music between October 1, 2011, and September 30, 2012.
Adele, who swept the awards in February with six accolades including the top three, landed only one nomination this year for best pop solo performance, as she did not release any music in the eligibility time frame.
The nominations for the top awards and main categories were announced during an hour-long televised concert in Nashville for the first time, co-hosted by country-pop artist Swift and veteran Grammy host, rapper-actor LL Cool J.
Adding a twist to the announcements, Hayes sang the nominees for best pop album, a tight contest between Maroon 5, Clarkson, Pink, fun. and Florence and the Machine. Hayes picked up two nods for best new artist and best country vocal performance.
British rock legends The Who will receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in February.
(Writing by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Peter Cooney and Lisa Shumaker)
This news article is brought to you by ADVANCED DATING ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
The nominations for New York-based indie-pop band fun. - made up of Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff - included the four main categories for record, song and album of the year, and best new artist.
fun., which also performed at the Grammy nominations concert with Janelle Monae, said it felt good to be recognized and 'took pride' in its live performances.
'Tonight, all I wanted to do was get up and really give it our all ... receiving the nomination is amazing and a culmination of hard work the three of us have put into this band,' lead singer Ruess told reporters backstage.
The group scored a huge hit with its first single, 'We Are Young,' and then followed that up with its successful album 'Some Nights' and single of the same name.
Joining it in the album, record of the year and best new artist categories was hip hop artist Ocean.
The 25-year-old rapper-singer made waves earlier this year after revealing his first love was a man, a groundbreaking move in the hip hop industry, which has faced criticism in the past for being hostile toward gays.
His debut album, 'Channel Orange' was a critical and commercial success, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart in July.
Ocean and fun. will be competing with blues-rock group Alabama Shakes, country singer Hunter Hayes and folk-rockers The Lumineers for the coveted best new artist title.
While young male artists made up a large portion of nominees in key categories, noticeably absent was 18-year-old Canadian singer Justin Bieber, one of 2012's biggest pop music stars with chart-topping album 'Believe' and singles such as 'Boyfriend.'
The winners will be announced at the televised awards show in Los Angeles on February 10.
AFTER ADELE, MALE ARTISTS LEAD
After British singer Adele dominated the previous Grammy Awards with her juggernaut album '21,' male artists took the lead in the album of the year category, where Ocean and fun. are competing with The Black Keys, Mumford & Sons and Jack White.
British folk band Mumford & Sons, which scored six nominations both in 2011 and 2012 for its debut album, 'Sigh No More,' landed six more nominations on Wednesday for its chart-topping sophomore album, 'Babel,' which is the second biggest-selling album in the United States this year.
Ohio rock duo The Black Keys, formed by frontman Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney, landed five nominations, while Auerbach also notched a non-classical producer of the year nomination for his work on four albums.
Blues-rocker Jack White, the former frontman of The White Stripes, picked up three nods for his chart-topping debut solo album 'Blunderbuss.'
Rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West continued to pick up nods for their 2011 album, 'Watch The Throne,' including best rap performance for 'N****s in Paris.' Jay-Z also landed nods for collaborating on songs with Young Jeezy and Rihanna, while West scored multiple nominations for his song 'Mercy.'
Kelly Clarkson was one of the few leading female nominees, picking up three nominations, including record of the year and best pop vocal album.
R&B singer Rihanna also landed three nods, including best solo pop performance for 'Where Have You Been.'
Record of the year nominees saw an assortment of rock, pop and hip hop nominees, with Clarkson's 'Stronger' competing with The Black Keys' 'Lonely Boy,' fun.'s 'We Are Young,' Australian artist Gotye's heartbreak hit 'Somebody That I Used To Know,' Ocean's 'Thinkin Bout You,' and Taylor Swift's 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.'
To be eligible for nominations this year, artists had to release their music between October 1, 2011, and September 30, 2012.
Adele, who swept the awards in February with six accolades including the top three, landed only one nomination this year for best pop solo performance, as she did not release any music in the eligibility time frame.
The nominations for the top awards and main categories were announced during an hour-long televised concert in Nashville for the first time, co-hosted by country-pop artist Swift and veteran Grammy host, rapper-actor LL Cool J.
Adding a twist to the announcements, Hayes sang the nominees for best pop album, a tight contest between Maroon 5, Clarkson, Pink, fun. and Florence and the Machine. Hayes picked up two nods for best new artist and best country vocal performance.
British rock legends The Who will receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in February.
(Writing by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Peter Cooney and Lisa Shumaker)
This news article is brought to you by ADVANCED DATING ADVICE - where latest news are our top priority.
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck dead at 91
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck, whose choice of novel rhythms, classical structures and brilliant sidemen made him a towering figure in modern jazz, has died at the age of 91, his longtime manager and producer Russell Gloyd said on Wednesday.
Brubeck died of heart failure on Wednesday morning after he fell ill on his way to a regular medical exam at Norwalk Hospital, in Norwalk, Conn., a day short of his 92nd birthday, Gloyd said.
His Dave Brubeck Quartet put out one of the best selling jazz songs of all time: 'Take Five,' composed by alto saxophonist Paul Desmond. Like many of the group's works, it had an unusual beat -- 5/4 time as opposed to the usual 4/4.
'We play it differently every time we play it,' Brubeck told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2005. 'So I never get tired of playing it. That's the beauty of jazz.'
'Take Five' was the first million-selling jazz single.
Dressed in a suit and horn-rimmed glasses and living a clean-cut lifestyle in the 1950s, Brubeck did not fit the stereotype of a hipster jazzman and his music was not nearly as brooding as that coming from East Coast be-bop players.
Despite his innovative approach, some critics interpreted Brubeck's popularity as a sign of un-coolness, but his fans were undeterred.
Brubeck was born in Concord, California, on December 6, 1920. His father was a rancher and as a teenager Brubeck was a skilled cowboy. But his mother, a music teacher who had five pianos in the house, saw that he took up piano at age 5.
At the College of the Pacific in Stockton, California, he planned to be a veterinarian, but within a year he was majoring in music and playing jazz in nightclubs.
'After my first year in veterinary pre-med I switched to the music department ... and that was at the advice of my zoology teacher,' Brubeck said in a Reuters interview. 'He said 'Brubeck, your mind is not here, with these frogs and formaldehyde. Your mind is across the lawn at the conservatory. Will you please go over there.''
Brubeck later met the co-director of a weekly campus radio show, Iola Marie Whitlock, and they eventually married.
After graduation, Brubeck studied under French composer Darius Milhaud and played in a U.S. Army jazz band during World War Two.
In the late 1940s, he moved to the San Francisco Bay area, where he headed an experimental jazz octet. He formed a trio in 1950 and the following year expanded to a quartet with Desmond, who he had known since the war.
Brubeck injected classical counterpoint, atonal harmonies and modern dissonance into his music, hinting at composers such as Debussy, Bartok, Stravinsky and Bach.
The group built an enduring fan base by taking its subdued bluesy brand of classically influenced jazz to colleges.
As a leading figure in the West Coast jazz scene, which also included Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker, Brubeck was featured in a Time magazine cover story in 1954. Some critics and black musicians, who felt jazz was a central part of black culture, resented the story about the prominence of a white artist.
In the article Brubeck said Milhaud had told him 'if I didn't stick to jazz, I'd be working out of my own field and not taking advantage of my American heritage.'
Brubeck disbanded the quartet in 1967 after nearly 17 years to concentrate on composing. He wrote several choral works, all religiously influenced.
He later began performing jazz regularly again and appeared with his sons, Darius, a composer and pianist; Chris, who played electric bass and trombone; and drummer Danny. They were billed as Two Generations of Brubeck.
In February 1989 Brubeck, who had a history of heart problems, underwent triple-bypass surgery but kept playing. Well into his 80s, he still put on some 80 shows a year. He had a pacemaker implanted in October 2010.
Actor-director Clint Eastwood, a jazz fan, announced plans to make a documentary on Brubeck in 2007. Eastwood also was named chairman of the Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific, designated as the home of his papers, private recordings and other memorabilia.
Brubeck and his wife, who also was his agent and lyricist, had two other sons, Matthew, a cellist, and Michael, and a daughter, Catherine. The couple lived in Wilton, Connecticut.
(Reporting by Christine Kearney; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)
This news article is brought to you by GLOBAL WEATHER NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Brubeck died of heart failure on Wednesday morning after he fell ill on his way to a regular medical exam at Norwalk Hospital, in Norwalk, Conn., a day short of his 92nd birthday, Gloyd said.
His Dave Brubeck Quartet put out one of the best selling jazz songs of all time: 'Take Five,' composed by alto saxophonist Paul Desmond. Like many of the group's works, it had an unusual beat -- 5/4 time as opposed to the usual 4/4.
'We play it differently every time we play it,' Brubeck told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2005. 'So I never get tired of playing it. That's the beauty of jazz.'
'Take Five' was the first million-selling jazz single.
Dressed in a suit and horn-rimmed glasses and living a clean-cut lifestyle in the 1950s, Brubeck did not fit the stereotype of a hipster jazzman and his music was not nearly as brooding as that coming from East Coast be-bop players.
Despite his innovative approach, some critics interpreted Brubeck's popularity as a sign of un-coolness, but his fans were undeterred.
Brubeck was born in Concord, California, on December 6, 1920. His father was a rancher and as a teenager Brubeck was a skilled cowboy. But his mother, a music teacher who had five pianos in the house, saw that he took up piano at age 5.
At the College of the Pacific in Stockton, California, he planned to be a veterinarian, but within a year he was majoring in music and playing jazz in nightclubs.
'After my first year in veterinary pre-med I switched to the music department ... and that was at the advice of my zoology teacher,' Brubeck said in a Reuters interview. 'He said 'Brubeck, your mind is not here, with these frogs and formaldehyde. Your mind is across the lawn at the conservatory. Will you please go over there.''
Brubeck later met the co-director of a weekly campus radio show, Iola Marie Whitlock, and they eventually married.
After graduation, Brubeck studied under French composer Darius Milhaud and played in a U.S. Army jazz band during World War Two.
In the late 1940s, he moved to the San Francisco Bay area, where he headed an experimental jazz octet. He formed a trio in 1950 and the following year expanded to a quartet with Desmond, who he had known since the war.
Brubeck injected classical counterpoint, atonal harmonies and modern dissonance into his music, hinting at composers such as Debussy, Bartok, Stravinsky and Bach.
The group built an enduring fan base by taking its subdued bluesy brand of classically influenced jazz to colleges.
As a leading figure in the West Coast jazz scene, which also included Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker, Brubeck was featured in a Time magazine cover story in 1954. Some critics and black musicians, who felt jazz was a central part of black culture, resented the story about the prominence of a white artist.
In the article Brubeck said Milhaud had told him 'if I didn't stick to jazz, I'd be working out of my own field and not taking advantage of my American heritage.'
Brubeck disbanded the quartet in 1967 after nearly 17 years to concentrate on composing. He wrote several choral works, all religiously influenced.
He later began performing jazz regularly again and appeared with his sons, Darius, a composer and pianist; Chris, who played electric bass and trombone; and drummer Danny. They were billed as Two Generations of Brubeck.
In February 1989 Brubeck, who had a history of heart problems, underwent triple-bypass surgery but kept playing. Well into his 80s, he still put on some 80 shows a year. He had a pacemaker implanted in October 2010.
Actor-director Clint Eastwood, a jazz fan, announced plans to make a documentary on Brubeck in 2007. Eastwood also was named chairman of the Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific, designated as the home of his papers, private recordings and other memorabilia.
Brubeck and his wife, who also was his agent and lyricist, had two other sons, Matthew, a cellist, and Michael, and a daughter, Catherine. The couple lived in Wilton, Connecticut.
(Reporting by Christine Kearney; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)
This news article is brought to you by GLOBAL WEATHER NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Lady Gaga buys Michael Jackson's costumes at auction
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Lady Gaga purchased 55 items belonging to late singer Michael Jackson in a weekend auction that raised more than $5 million, a portion of which will be donated to charity, Julien's Auctions said.
The auction, held in Beverly Hills, showcased 465 lots of items spanning Jackson's career through the years, including costumes and props used on tour and in music videos.
Highlights from the sale included the late singer's 'BAD' tour jacket raising $240,000, a white glove selling for $192,000 and one of the singer's Pepsi and Awards jacket garnering more than $68,000, the auction house said in a statement.
Following Sunday's auction, Gaga told her 31 million Twitter followers that 'the 55 pieces I collected today will be archived & expertly cared for in the spirit & love of Michael Jackson, his bravery, & fans worldwide.'
Jackson died aged 50 in June 2009 in Los Angeles from an overdose of the anesthetic propofol and sedatives.
The collection of outfits, designed by Los Angeles-based collaborators Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush and gifted back to them by the late singer, were taken on a world tour earlier this year, traveling across South America, Europe and Asia.
In September, British hat designer Philip Treacy designed his first London fashion week show in a decade around Jackson's auction costumes, which were worn by the models down the runway and accessorized with hats inspired by the late singer's life.
Gaga not only attended Treacy's show but was on hand to introduce the milliner's collection.
The auction exceeded pre-sale estimates of $1 million to $2 million, and a portion of the final amount raised will benefit the Guide Dogs of America and Nathan Adelson Hospice in Las Vegas.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant)
This news article is brought to you by CELEBRITY GOSSIP NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
The auction, held in Beverly Hills, showcased 465 lots of items spanning Jackson's career through the years, including costumes and props used on tour and in music videos.
Highlights from the sale included the late singer's 'BAD' tour jacket raising $240,000, a white glove selling for $192,000 and one of the singer's Pepsi and Awards jacket garnering more than $68,000, the auction house said in a statement.
Following Sunday's auction, Gaga told her 31 million Twitter followers that 'the 55 pieces I collected today will be archived & expertly cared for in the spirit & love of Michael Jackson, his bravery, & fans worldwide.'
Jackson died aged 50 in June 2009 in Los Angeles from an overdose of the anesthetic propofol and sedatives.
The collection of outfits, designed by Los Angeles-based collaborators Dennis Tompkins and Michael Bush and gifted back to them by the late singer, were taken on a world tour earlier this year, traveling across South America, Europe and Asia.
In September, British hat designer Philip Treacy designed his first London fashion week show in a decade around Jackson's auction costumes, which were worn by the models down the runway and accessorized with hats inspired by the late singer's life.
Gaga not only attended Treacy's show but was on hand to introduce the milliner's collection.
The auction exceeded pre-sale estimates of $1 million to $2 million, and a portion of the final amount raised will benefit the Guide Dogs of America and Nathan Adelson Hospice in Las Vegas.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy, editing by Jill Serjeant)
This news article is brought to you by CELEBRITY GOSSIP NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Obama salutes entertainers at Kennedy Center Honors
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Music legend Led Zeppelin was recognized on Sunday alongside entertainers from stage and screen for their contributions to the arts and American culture at the Kennedy Center Honors, lifetime achievement awards for performing artists.
The eclectic tribute in Washington, alternated between solemn veneration and lighthearted roasting of honorees Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, wisecracking late-night talk show host David Letterman, blues guitar icon Buddy Guy, ballerina Natalia Makarova and Led Zeppelin.
'I worked with the speechwriters - there is no smooth transition from ballet to Led Zeppelin,' President Barack Obama deadpanned while introducing the honorees at a ceremony in the White House East Room.
Friends, contemporaries and a new generation of artists influenced by the honorees took the stage in tribute.
'Dustin Hoffman is a pain the ass,' actor Robert DeNiro, a former honoree, said in introducing the infamously perfectionist star of such celebrated films as 'The Graduate' and 'Tootsie.'
'And he inspired me to be a bit of a pain in the ass too,' DeNiro said with a big smile.
At a weekend dinner for the winners at the State Department, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted that the performing arts often requires a touch of diplomacy as she toasted Makarova, a dance icon in the former Soviet Union when she defected in 1970.
Makarova, the pride of her national ballet program, said she obeyed an impulse for creative freedom when she sought asylum while in London for a performance.
'It's most incredible because it looks like I lived two lives,' the artist told reporters before the event. 'I've come a long way, baby, no? That's the way someone said it for me.'
The lightest moments came in the tribute to variety show host David Letterman. Several performers said his oddball program was a worthy successor to 'The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,' which was the standard bearer for late-night shows from the 1960s through the early 1990s.
Comedian Tina Fey, honored with the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2010, marveled at Letterman's ability to goad and humble his celebrity guests.
'David Letterman is a professor emeritus at the 'Here's Some More Rope Institute,'' she joked.
Letterman, who joked earlier in the weekend that he was going to fund an investigation to determine how he was given the honor, was at a loss for words on the red carpet.
'I was full of trepidation, but now I am full of nothing but gratitude,' he said. 'I don't believe this, but it's been nice for my family.'
Despite the president's misgivings about his own speech, performances at the Kennedy Center easily transitioned from precision dance tributes for Makarova to gritty blues music when the spotlight turned to Guy, a sharecropper's son who made his first instrument with wire scrounged from his family's home in rural Louisiana.
'He's one of the most idiosyncratic and passionate blues greats, and there are not many left of that original generation,' said Bonnie Raitt, who as an 18-year-old blues singer was often the warm-up act for Guy.
Raitt led an ensemble tribute that included singer Tracy Chapman and guitarist Jeff Beck.
Guy, 76, was a pioneer in the Chicago blues style that pushed the sound of electrically amped guitar to the forefront of the music.
'You mastered the soul of gut bucket,' actor Morgan Freeman told the Kennedy Center audience. 'You made a bridge from roots to rock 'n roll.'
In a toast on Saturday night, former President Bill Clinton talked of Guy's impoverished upbringing and how he improvised a guitar from the strands of a porch screen, paint can and his mother's hair pins.
'In Buddy's immortal phrase, the blues is 'Something you play because you have it. And when you play it, you lose it.''
It was a version of the blues that drifted over the Atlantic to Britain and echoed back in the heart-pounding rock sound of Led Zeppelin.
Jimmy Page, 68, was the guitar impresario who anchored the compositions with vocalist Robert Plant, 64, howling and screeching out the soul. Bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, 66, rounded out the band with drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980.
The incongruity of the famously hard-partying rock stars in black tie under chandeliers at a White House ceremony was not lost on Obama.
'Of course, these guys also redefined the rock and roll lifestyle,' the president said, to laughter and sheepish looks from the band members.
'So it's fitting that we're doing this in a room with windows that are about three inches thick - and Secret Service all around,' Obama said. 'So, guys, just settle down.'
On stage Sunday night, Nancy and Ann Wilson of the rock band Heart, belted out Zeppelin's emblematic 'Stairway to Heaven' to close out the show.
The gala will be aired on CBS television on December 26.
(Reporting By Patrick Rucker and Mark Felsenthal)
This news article is brought to you by SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
The eclectic tribute in Washington, alternated between solemn veneration and lighthearted roasting of honorees Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, wisecracking late-night talk show host David Letterman, blues guitar icon Buddy Guy, ballerina Natalia Makarova and Led Zeppelin.
'I worked with the speechwriters - there is no smooth transition from ballet to Led Zeppelin,' President Barack Obama deadpanned while introducing the honorees at a ceremony in the White House East Room.
Friends, contemporaries and a new generation of artists influenced by the honorees took the stage in tribute.
'Dustin Hoffman is a pain the ass,' actor Robert DeNiro, a former honoree, said in introducing the infamously perfectionist star of such celebrated films as 'The Graduate' and 'Tootsie.'
'And he inspired me to be a bit of a pain in the ass too,' DeNiro said with a big smile.
At a weekend dinner for the winners at the State Department, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton noted that the performing arts often requires a touch of diplomacy as she toasted Makarova, a dance icon in the former Soviet Union when she defected in 1970.
Makarova, the pride of her national ballet program, said she obeyed an impulse for creative freedom when she sought asylum while in London for a performance.
'It's most incredible because it looks like I lived two lives,' the artist told reporters before the event. 'I've come a long way, baby, no? That's the way someone said it for me.'
The lightest moments came in the tribute to variety show host David Letterman. Several performers said his oddball program was a worthy successor to 'The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,' which was the standard bearer for late-night shows from the 1960s through the early 1990s.
Comedian Tina Fey, honored with the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2010, marveled at Letterman's ability to goad and humble his celebrity guests.
'David Letterman is a professor emeritus at the 'Here's Some More Rope Institute,'' she joked.
Letterman, who joked earlier in the weekend that he was going to fund an investigation to determine how he was given the honor, was at a loss for words on the red carpet.
'I was full of trepidation, but now I am full of nothing but gratitude,' he said. 'I don't believe this, but it's been nice for my family.'
Despite the president's misgivings about his own speech, performances at the Kennedy Center easily transitioned from precision dance tributes for Makarova to gritty blues music when the spotlight turned to Guy, a sharecropper's son who made his first instrument with wire scrounged from his family's home in rural Louisiana.
'He's one of the most idiosyncratic and passionate blues greats, and there are not many left of that original generation,' said Bonnie Raitt, who as an 18-year-old blues singer was often the warm-up act for Guy.
Raitt led an ensemble tribute that included singer Tracy Chapman and guitarist Jeff Beck.
Guy, 76, was a pioneer in the Chicago blues style that pushed the sound of electrically amped guitar to the forefront of the music.
'You mastered the soul of gut bucket,' actor Morgan Freeman told the Kennedy Center audience. 'You made a bridge from roots to rock 'n roll.'
In a toast on Saturday night, former President Bill Clinton talked of Guy's impoverished upbringing and how he improvised a guitar from the strands of a porch screen, paint can and his mother's hair pins.
'In Buddy's immortal phrase, the blues is 'Something you play because you have it. And when you play it, you lose it.''
It was a version of the blues that drifted over the Atlantic to Britain and echoed back in the heart-pounding rock sound of Led Zeppelin.
Jimmy Page, 68, was the guitar impresario who anchored the compositions with vocalist Robert Plant, 64, howling and screeching out the soul. Bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, 66, rounded out the band with drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980.
The incongruity of the famously hard-partying rock stars in black tie under chandeliers at a White House ceremony was not lost on Obama.
'Of course, these guys also redefined the rock and roll lifestyle,' the president said, to laughter and sheepish looks from the band members.
'So it's fitting that we're doing this in a room with windows that are about three inches thick - and Secret Service all around,' Obama said. 'So, guys, just settle down.'
On stage Sunday night, Nancy and Ann Wilson of the rock band Heart, belted out Zeppelin's emblematic 'Stairway to Heaven' to close out the show.
The gala will be aired on CBS television on December 26.
(Reporting By Patrick Rucker and Mark Felsenthal)
This news article is brought to you by SEXUAL HEALTH NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Led Zeppelin will Reunite - for "Letterman" interview
LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - The surviving members of Led Zeppelin will make a rare appearance together on 'Late Show With David Letterman' on December 3, CBS said Friday.
Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones will drop in on the late-night show for an interview - which isn't quite the reunion that Zep fans have been patiently waiting for, but it might have to do. With the exception of a one-off tribute concert for Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun at London's O2 Arena in 2007 - which was released as the DVD 'Celebration Day' in October - Jones has largely been estranged from Page and Plant since the group's 1980 breakup following drummer John Bonham's death.
The 'Late Show' appearance won't be the only time that Letterman hangs out with the rock legends - the group, along with Letterman, will be lauded at the 35th Annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., which will take place December 2 and air December 26 on CBS.
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Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones will drop in on the late-night show for an interview - which isn't quite the reunion that Zep fans have been patiently waiting for, but it might have to do. With the exception of a one-off tribute concert for Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun at London's O2 Arena in 2007 - which was released as the DVD 'Celebration Day' in October - Jones has largely been estranged from Page and Plant since the group's 1980 breakup following drummer John Bonham's death.
The 'Late Show' appearance won't be the only time that Letterman hangs out with the rock legends - the group, along with Letterman, will be lauded at the 35th Annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., which will take place December 2 and air December 26 on CBS.
This news article is brought to you by PARENTING KIDS - where latest news are our top priority.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Korean pop rides "Gangnam Style" into U.S. music scene
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - 'Gangnam Style,' the catchy Korean song by rapper Psy, may have danced its way into the American charts but the Korean pop industry isn't horsing around when it comes to capitalizing on the singer's phenomenal U.S. success.
With 'Gangnam Style' topping the current Billboard Digital Songs chart and becoming the most-watched video on YouTube ever with more than 800 million views, fellow Korean pop, or K-pop, artists are positioning themselves for similar U.S. breakthroughs.
Korea's pop music industry is thriving. Over the past two years, a handful of K-pop acts including girl group 2NE1, boy band Super Junior and nine-piece band Girls Generation have embarked on mini-promotional tours around the United States to build their audience.
'Psy has opened doors and is shining a spotlight on K-pop. People are paying attention to what's being done there,' Alina Moffat, general manager at YG Entertainment group, which manages Psy, told a recent entertainment industry conference in Los Angeles.
Psy's vibrant music video, featuring his invisible pony-riding dance, also featured K-pop artists Kim Hyun-a of girl band 4Minute, and Deasung and Seungri of boy band Big Bang, all of whom are attempting to crack the U.S. market.
'YouTube has really changed the awareness of K-pop. Both American kids and second-generation Korean American kids are discovering it,' Kye Kyoungbon Koo, director of the Korea Creative Content Agency, told a panel at a Billboard and Hollywood Reporter conference in Los Angeles in October.
MARKETING THE NEXT BIG THING
For U.S. companies looking to invest, K-pop is being marketed as the next big thing, boasting young, stylish and influential artists who command devoted fan followings.
Moffat said car companies and mobile phone brands were among those being courted at KCON, a convention held in October in Irvine in Southern California that showcased K-pop artists.
'Kids are coming, they're engaged, they want to spend money and sponsors saw that,' Moffat said.
Whether Psy or other K-pop artists can command a global following to rival Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber or Rihanna remains to be seen, but John Shim, senior producer at MTV World, believes it is the right genre to compete with pop music's biggest names.
'K-pop admittedly is a very niche genre but I also think it's the best equipped of Asian pop to cater to the U.S. audience,' Shim told Reuters.
Psy has helped to break down language barriers, keeping 'Gangnam Style' in its original Korean form instead of adapting it to English when it became an international hit.
The singer told Reuters he was persuaded to keep it that way by his manager Scooter Braun, the talent scout responsible for Justin Bieber's success, who signed Psy to his record label.
'I thought, 'Should I translate this or not?' because (the fans) have got to know what I'm talking about, and lyrics are a huge part,' Psy said.
CHATTING IN ENGLISH
But industry executives say at least one member of each K-Pop group is usually taught to be fluent in conversational English.
'The investment in language is costly, but effective,' said Ted Kim, president of South Korean music television channel Mnet. 'It really matters that Psy can go on the Ellen DeGeneres TV show and have a conversation.'
Psy said he was proud his song succeeded in Korean, but he now wants to branch out into English.
''Gangnam Style' is not the sort of thing that's going to happen twice. I've definitely got to make something in English so I can communicate with my fans right now,' the singer said.
In Korea, bands such as SM Entertainment's Super Junior and Girls Generation have became branding powerhouses, scoring endorsements ranging from cosmetics, fashion, video games, electronics and beverages.
In the United States, companies such as Samsung have already jumped on the K-pop train, sponsoring Korean boy band Big Bang's U.S. tour.
But while the genre is gaining steam in the charts, it has yet to spill into ticket sales for tours, according to Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief at Pollstar.com, which tracks concert sales.
'Psy may be able to sell out arenas in Asia, but not yet here. For the American audience, he has to prove that he's more than a novelty act,' Bongiovanni said.
'K-pop has to prove itself before large companies spend money on it,' he added.
(Editing by Jill Serjeant and Eric Walsh)
This article is brought to you by PICTURES OF SEXY GIRLS.
With 'Gangnam Style' topping the current Billboard Digital Songs chart and becoming the most-watched video on YouTube ever with more than 800 million views, fellow Korean pop, or K-pop, artists are positioning themselves for similar U.S. breakthroughs.
Korea's pop music industry is thriving. Over the past two years, a handful of K-pop acts including girl group 2NE1, boy band Super Junior and nine-piece band Girls Generation have embarked on mini-promotional tours around the United States to build their audience.
'Psy has opened doors and is shining a spotlight on K-pop. People are paying attention to what's being done there,' Alina Moffat, general manager at YG Entertainment group, which manages Psy, told a recent entertainment industry conference in Los Angeles.
Psy's vibrant music video, featuring his invisible pony-riding dance, also featured K-pop artists Kim Hyun-a of girl band 4Minute, and Deasung and Seungri of boy band Big Bang, all of whom are attempting to crack the U.S. market.
'YouTube has really changed the awareness of K-pop. Both American kids and second-generation Korean American kids are discovering it,' Kye Kyoungbon Koo, director of the Korea Creative Content Agency, told a panel at a Billboard and Hollywood Reporter conference in Los Angeles in October.
MARKETING THE NEXT BIG THING
For U.S. companies looking to invest, K-pop is being marketed as the next big thing, boasting young, stylish and influential artists who command devoted fan followings.
Moffat said car companies and mobile phone brands were among those being courted at KCON, a convention held in October in Irvine in Southern California that showcased K-pop artists.
'Kids are coming, they're engaged, they want to spend money and sponsors saw that,' Moffat said.
Whether Psy or other K-pop artists can command a global following to rival Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber or Rihanna remains to be seen, but John Shim, senior producer at MTV World, believes it is the right genre to compete with pop music's biggest names.
'K-pop admittedly is a very niche genre but I also think it's the best equipped of Asian pop to cater to the U.S. audience,' Shim told Reuters.
Psy has helped to break down language barriers, keeping 'Gangnam Style' in its original Korean form instead of adapting it to English when it became an international hit.
The singer told Reuters he was persuaded to keep it that way by his manager Scooter Braun, the talent scout responsible for Justin Bieber's success, who signed Psy to his record label.
'I thought, 'Should I translate this or not?' because (the fans) have got to know what I'm talking about, and lyrics are a huge part,' Psy said.
CHATTING IN ENGLISH
But industry executives say at least one member of each K-Pop group is usually taught to be fluent in conversational English.
'The investment in language is costly, but effective,' said Ted Kim, president of South Korean music television channel Mnet. 'It really matters that Psy can go on the Ellen DeGeneres TV show and have a conversation.'
Psy said he was proud his song succeeded in Korean, but he now wants to branch out into English.
''Gangnam Style' is not the sort of thing that's going to happen twice. I've definitely got to make something in English so I can communicate with my fans right now,' the singer said.
In Korea, bands such as SM Entertainment's Super Junior and Girls Generation have became branding powerhouses, scoring endorsements ranging from cosmetics, fashion, video games, electronics and beverages.
In the United States, companies such as Samsung have already jumped on the K-pop train, sponsoring Korean boy band Big Bang's U.S. tour.
But while the genre is gaining steam in the charts, it has yet to spill into ticket sales for tours, according to Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief at Pollstar.com, which tracks concert sales.
'Psy may be able to sell out arenas in Asia, but not yet here. For the American audience, he has to prove that he's more than a novelty act,' Bongiovanni said.
'K-pop has to prove itself before large companies spend money on it,' he added.
(Editing by Jill Serjeant and Eric Walsh)
This article is brought to you by PICTURES OF SEXY GIRLS.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
R&B star Mary J. Blige sued for defaulting on $2.2 million loan
(Reuters) - R&B star Mary J. Blige was hit with a lawsuit on Wednesday alleging the Grammy winner and her husband defaulted on a $2.2 million bank loan.
According to court documents filed in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Signature Bank is seeking to recoup the original loan plus $58,000 in interest.
Blige, 41, who has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, and her husband Martin Isaacs took out the loan in October 2011 and defaulted in July 2012, the suit alleges.
Blige's publicist declined comment on the lawsuit. The singer's attorney did not immediately return a request to comment.
The lawsuit also names Blige's production company, Mary Jane Productions Inc.
The lawsuit is the latest financial headache for the New York City native. The 'Family Affair' singer's charity, The Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now Inc, was accused earlier in this year of mishandling funds and cheating scholarship students.
Blige acknowledged the problems in a June interview.
'The lives of young women are at stake,' the singer told Reuters when asked about the allegations. 'I feel what they feel. I don't want them to suffer. I promised them something and I'm gonna deliver. Period.'
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Jill Serjeant and Todd Eastham)
This article is brought to you by ONLINE DATING.
According to court documents filed in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, Signature Bank is seeking to recoup the original loan plus $58,000 in interest.
Blige, 41, who has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, and her husband Martin Isaacs took out the loan in October 2011 and defaulted in July 2012, the suit alleges.
Blige's publicist declined comment on the lawsuit. The singer's attorney did not immediately return a request to comment.
The lawsuit also names Blige's production company, Mary Jane Productions Inc.
The lawsuit is the latest financial headache for the New York City native. The 'Family Affair' singer's charity, The Mary J. Blige and Steve Stoute Foundation for the Advancement of Women Now Inc, was accused earlier in this year of mishandling funds and cheating scholarship students.
Blige acknowledged the problems in a June interview.
'The lives of young women are at stake,' the singer told Reuters when asked about the allegations. 'I feel what they feel. I don't want them to suffer. I promised them something and I'm gonna deliver. Period.'
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey, editing by Jill Serjeant and Todd Eastham)
This article is brought to you by ONLINE DATING.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Adele's "21" sells 10 million, Rihanna leads Billboard
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British singer and Grammy darling Adele reached the 10 million sales mark in the United States on Wednesday with her heartbreak album '21' becoming the first by British woman to reach the milestone, Nielsen SoundScan said.
'21,' released in February 2011, produced the hits 'Someone Like You' and 'Rolling In The Deep' and became the top-selling album of 2011. Earlier this year, Adele swept the Grammy Awards with six, including song, record and album of the year.
'21' became the third album to cross 10 million in 2012, along with Linkin Park's 'Hybrid Theory' and Usher's 'Confessions.' But it is the only album to reach the milestone in less than two years in the last decade, Nielsen said.
'What an incredible honor,' Adele said in a statement. 'A huge, huge thank you to my American fans for embracing this record on such a massive level.'
'21' will receive the diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, marking its 10 million milestone, joining the ranks of albums by artists such as Michael Jackson, The Beatles and Madonna.
'Adele's unique talent is a gift to music fans, and her success is certainly cause for a celebration of Diamond magnitude,' Cary Sherman, RIAA's chairman & CEO, said in a statement.
Adele, 24, is enjoying the success of her latest single 'Skyfall,' the official theme song for the James Bond film of the same name. It has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. The singer also gave birth to her first child earlier this year.
On the Billboard 200 chart this week, R&B star Rihanna scored her first No. 1 album with 'Unapologetic,' selling 238,000 copies.
She held off new entries from 'American Idol' winner Phillip Phillips, who landed at No. 4 with his debut album 'The World From the Side of the Moon,' and country-rock singer Kid Rock, who rounded out the top five with his latest album 'Rebel Soul.'
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy Editing by Jill Serjeant, Grant McCool and Andre Grenon)
This news article is brought to you by GOING GREEN NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
'21,' released in February 2011, produced the hits 'Someone Like You' and 'Rolling In The Deep' and became the top-selling album of 2011. Earlier this year, Adele swept the Grammy Awards with six, including song, record and album of the year.
'21' became the third album to cross 10 million in 2012, along with Linkin Park's 'Hybrid Theory' and Usher's 'Confessions.' But it is the only album to reach the milestone in less than two years in the last decade, Nielsen said.
'What an incredible honor,' Adele said in a statement. 'A huge, huge thank you to my American fans for embracing this record on such a massive level.'
'21' will receive the diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, marking its 10 million milestone, joining the ranks of albums by artists such as Michael Jackson, The Beatles and Madonna.
'Adele's unique talent is a gift to music fans, and her success is certainly cause for a celebration of Diamond magnitude,' Cary Sherman, RIAA's chairman & CEO, said in a statement.
Adele, 24, is enjoying the success of her latest single 'Skyfall,' the official theme song for the James Bond film of the same name. It has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. The singer also gave birth to her first child earlier this year.
On the Billboard 200 chart this week, R&B star Rihanna scored her first No. 1 album with 'Unapologetic,' selling 238,000 copies.
She held off new entries from 'American Idol' winner Phillip Phillips, who landed at No. 4 with his debut album 'The World From the Side of the Moon,' and country-rock singer Kid Rock, who rounded out the top five with his latest album 'Rebel Soul.'
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy Editing by Jill Serjeant, Grant McCool and Andre Grenon)
This news article is brought to you by GOING GREEN NEWS - where latest news are our top priority.
A Minute With: Pop star Ke$ha on new album "Warrior"
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Ke$ha made a name for herself with infectious dance-pop hits but the singer-songwriter is stepping out of her Auto-Tune comfort zone on 'Warrior', out this week.
Ke$ha, 25, stormed the charts with hit songs about drinking, partying and having a good time, such as 'TiK ToK' and 'Your Love is my Drug' from her 2010 platinum-selling album 'Animal'.
Ke$ha talked with Reuters about the pressures of following up the success of her first album and responding to her critics.
Q: Did you feel additional pressure while working on this album after the success of your debut, 'Animal'?
A: 'Everybody keeps asking me about pressure, and I think a lot of other people maybe are feeling pressure about this record, but I just want to make a good record. If I sat around trying to make a number one record, I'd just be too consumed with that. I just want to make an awesome, kick-ass record that I love and that my fans love.'
Q: Was there anything that you weren't happy with on the first album and that you wanted to change for the second?
A: 'I just wanted to make sure my entire personality was presented more accurately. I feel like people really got to know the super-wild side of me but then sometimes a more vulnerable side. I didn't really feel comfortable expressing it. So this time I kind of forced myself to express a little bit more vulnerability, less Auto-Tune, less vocal trickery. It's a little more raw.'
Q: You received a lot of criticism for your use of Auto-Tune, masking your true singing voice. Was that a valid criticism for you, when many others use it?
A: 'I remember having this conversation with my producer, and him saying, 'We're using a lot of vocal tricks,' and I said, 'People will get to know me as my career goes on, I just want it to sound really weird and cool and clubby right now, and super electronic.' I made a conscious decision to use Auto-Tune for effect, as ear candy, and vocoders and chop up my words.
'This time around, I have heard so many different people say I can't sing, it's quite frankly irritating, so I ... made a five-song acoustic EP ('Deconstructed', out on December 4) that's kind of like my middle finger to all those people that said I couldn't sing, and there's more of my voice on this record. You know, haters are going to hate, you just have to do what you want to do.'
Q: Talk us through some of the collaborations on 'Warrior'. There's quite a variety, such as with Iggy Pop and Ben Folds.
A: 'Ben Folds is a friend of mine. He gave me a giant glitter grand piano that's in my house, so that one was natural. The Flaming Lips was probably surprising for a lot of people because we're two super-different genres of music but we had the most fun and we made so many songs, it was super insane. We're like best friends, we text everyday now, so that kind of came naturally. The one that I really have been working on for years was a collaboration with Iggy Pop. He's one of my favorite musicians and artists of all time, so that was super exciting for me, because I respect him so much.'
Q: You've written tracks for Kelly Clarkson and Britney Spears, and you've written all the songs for 'Warrior'. What did you want to bring out in your lyrics this time round?
A: 'I definitely wanted to maintain the irreverence, because that's why my fans like me. It's because I'm super honest, not always PG rated ... but I didn't want to let the haters somehow cramp my style or get the best of me, so I maintain my irreverence ... I also really wanted to show the other side of my personality, which kind of is more nerve-wracking to show people, being a real person and the vulnerable side of my personality and voice. So there are tracks on this record that are super vulnerable and were hard even to write. I had to force myself to sit down and write these songs.'
Q: You've carved a distinctive image and also just launched your latest collaboration with Baby-G watches. How do you want to evolve your career in the future?
A: 'I think that with this record, I really wanted to show that there are no rules or boundaries in art, at all, like I sing and I can use crazy Auto-Tune vocoders and I can rap and I can do a song with Iggy Pop. You can do all these things that make sense. You don't have to just be one thing, like, you don't adhere to any sort of stereotype or any boundaries or any rules, so for me it's really fun to break down these boundaries.'
Q: You came in at the forefront of the electronic dance music explosion in the pop charts two years ago. Why do you think EDM is doing so well?
A: 'Dancing is one of the ways we, as adult human beings, still get to play and it's socially acceptable. Little kids play all the time, but as we grow up, we're supposed to just not play anymore, so our version of that is going out and dancing, and I think it's one way people are still visceral and animal-like.'
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Dale Hudson)
This news article is brought to you by PERSONAL FINANCE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
Ke$ha, 25, stormed the charts with hit songs about drinking, partying and having a good time, such as 'TiK ToK' and 'Your Love is my Drug' from her 2010 platinum-selling album 'Animal'.
Ke$ha talked with Reuters about the pressures of following up the success of her first album and responding to her critics.
Q: Did you feel additional pressure while working on this album after the success of your debut, 'Animal'?
A: 'Everybody keeps asking me about pressure, and I think a lot of other people maybe are feeling pressure about this record, but I just want to make a good record. If I sat around trying to make a number one record, I'd just be too consumed with that. I just want to make an awesome, kick-ass record that I love and that my fans love.'
Q: Was there anything that you weren't happy with on the first album and that you wanted to change for the second?
A: 'I just wanted to make sure my entire personality was presented more accurately. I feel like people really got to know the super-wild side of me but then sometimes a more vulnerable side. I didn't really feel comfortable expressing it. So this time I kind of forced myself to express a little bit more vulnerability, less Auto-Tune, less vocal trickery. It's a little more raw.'
Q: You received a lot of criticism for your use of Auto-Tune, masking your true singing voice. Was that a valid criticism for you, when many others use it?
A: 'I remember having this conversation with my producer, and him saying, 'We're using a lot of vocal tricks,' and I said, 'People will get to know me as my career goes on, I just want it to sound really weird and cool and clubby right now, and super electronic.' I made a conscious decision to use Auto-Tune for effect, as ear candy, and vocoders and chop up my words.
'This time around, I have heard so many different people say I can't sing, it's quite frankly irritating, so I ... made a five-song acoustic EP ('Deconstructed', out on December 4) that's kind of like my middle finger to all those people that said I couldn't sing, and there's more of my voice on this record. You know, haters are going to hate, you just have to do what you want to do.'
Q: Talk us through some of the collaborations on 'Warrior'. There's quite a variety, such as with Iggy Pop and Ben Folds.
A: 'Ben Folds is a friend of mine. He gave me a giant glitter grand piano that's in my house, so that one was natural. The Flaming Lips was probably surprising for a lot of people because we're two super-different genres of music but we had the most fun and we made so many songs, it was super insane. We're like best friends, we text everyday now, so that kind of came naturally. The one that I really have been working on for years was a collaboration with Iggy Pop. He's one of my favorite musicians and artists of all time, so that was super exciting for me, because I respect him so much.'
Q: You've written tracks for Kelly Clarkson and Britney Spears, and you've written all the songs for 'Warrior'. What did you want to bring out in your lyrics this time round?
A: 'I definitely wanted to maintain the irreverence, because that's why my fans like me. It's because I'm super honest, not always PG rated ... but I didn't want to let the haters somehow cramp my style or get the best of me, so I maintain my irreverence ... I also really wanted to show the other side of my personality, which kind of is more nerve-wracking to show people, being a real person and the vulnerable side of my personality and voice. So there are tracks on this record that are super vulnerable and were hard even to write. I had to force myself to sit down and write these songs.'
Q: You've carved a distinctive image and also just launched your latest collaboration with Baby-G watches. How do you want to evolve your career in the future?
A: 'I think that with this record, I really wanted to show that there are no rules or boundaries in art, at all, like I sing and I can use crazy Auto-Tune vocoders and I can rap and I can do a song with Iggy Pop. You can do all these things that make sense. You don't have to just be one thing, like, you don't adhere to any sort of stereotype or any boundaries or any rules, so for me it's really fun to break down these boundaries.'
Q: You came in at the forefront of the electronic dance music explosion in the pop charts two years ago. Why do you think EDM is doing so well?
A: 'Dancing is one of the ways we, as adult human beings, still get to play and it's socially acceptable. Little kids play all the time, but as we grow up, we're supposed to just not play anymore, so our version of that is going out and dancing, and I think it's one way people are still visceral and animal-like.'
(Reporting by Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Dale Hudson)
This news article is brought to you by PERSONAL FINANCE BLOG - where latest news are our top priority.
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