You Thought So!

Oprah Winfrey will be having Jennifer Hudson on her show. The Queen of Talk Shows will have her fellow Chicago native performing today so set your TiVo for this one. The former American Idol contestant will be singing her new single ‘If This Ain’t Love’. I hope that Oprah gets an interview in as well. If there is, it would be Jennifer’s first sit-down since the gruesome murders of her mother, brother and nephew back in October which was the cause of her absence in the scene these past couple of months. I bet Oprah could help her deal. Sometimes, it’s better to just get things off of your chest by talking it out.

There’s nothing that can slow Jewel down – not even a knee injury. On Wednesday, the singer blogged about the injury she picked up while rehearsing for her Dancing with the Stars debut. But in a new statement, Jewel says that she’s not going to let something like that get in the way of competition. She said “Yes, it is true I have had a minor setback in my training for Dancing with the Stars, but I am dedicated to getting better and showing the judges and America that I can cha cha with the best of them. Don’t count me out, as I am in this for the long run.”

Beyonce joined 2009 Oscars host Hugh Jackman on stage for a musical number. There’s a bit of controversy surrounding that performance now. Some people say that Beyonce was lip synching during her performance, singing to a track, using auto-tune or relying on her background singers way too much. Beyonce was definitely off of her game that night which is bad considering the rest of the performers on the number did so well – and they were not professional singers. I guess her dress wasn’t the only thing wrong for Beyonce that night. She needs to step up her game! I’m not used to this.

The controversy between former sweethearts Chris Brown and Rihanna (or are they still on?) is far from over; not now when their common friends want to know what really happened between them. Chris Brown did not only get arrested and is out on bail for attacking Rihanna but he is also suffering from harsh public opinion. Ne-Yo, a common friend of the two singers, said he wants to speak to them personally instead of just listening to third party accounts of what really happened. Ne-Yo is still stunned about what happened between Rihanna and Chris Brown and is greatly concerned about his friends. He said he has spoken to Rihanna who told him she’s fine but who did not really give a lot of details about the incident. Ne-Yo said he understands the pain Rihanna must be going through so he did not push.

Ne-Yo said he was stricken with grief when he saw the leaked photo of Rihanna which looked like a mug shot of someone after a battery incident. He said Rihanna’s bruised face hurt him a lot but he does not want to judge Chris Brown because he has not had the opportunity to talk to him yet. He said what happened was inexcusable and he wants to explain this to Chris Brown in case he does not understand. Despite this, he said he will not crucify Chris Brown for this and he would not pick sides. Ne-Yo, who has performed in a tour with Chris Brown and has a duet with Rihanna, however said he is praying for both of them.

Michael Jackson is reportedly in negotiations with the O2 arena in London to perform 30 shows starting in July. Haven’t we heard this before? Michael Jackson would be paid £5million per show, that’s around $10 million, which would put the total earnings for the comeback shows at $300 million. It’s just the kind of payday that the dethroned King of Pop needs to pay off his debts and his lawyers’ fees. However, there’s this issue of a skin infection and I’m assuming that Michael Jackson will not be allowed to perform if his condition worsens. Maybe they could pay him in advance so he can get some medication of procedures done for it. I personally don’t trust him with money though.

The Soundtrack to Jonas Brothers’ new film “Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience” is available today! The jam packed album includes live versions of favorites like “Hello Beautiful” and “S.O.S” as well as performances with Taylor Swift and Demi Lovato, a Shania Twain cover, and one new, never-before-heard studio recording called “Love Is On Its Way.” The highly anticipated film goes behind-the-scenes with Kevin, Joe and Nick on last year’s Burning Up Tour, following their every move along the way.

Check out footage from their MTV special last night and head over to iTunes to grab the Soundtrack.

iTunes link:

These days, Lady Gaga is always gallivanting across the globe, going from one phenomenal performance to the next! Last week was no exception when she and Brandon Flowers (of The Killers) joined the Pet Shop Boys onstage at the 2009 Brit Awards held at London’s Earls Court. The legendary duo were this year’s recipients of the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award, and serenaded the audience with a medley of their greatest hits, during which Lady Gaga provided supporting vocals on “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” and “It’s a Sin”. Check out the full performance!

Pet Shop Boys Medley with Lady Gaga & Brandon Flowers:

Plus, Lady Gaga dropped by MTV to give some special performances of her greatest hits! Watch her exclusive MTV Sessions!

“LoveGame” MTV Sessions:

“Poker Face” MTV Sessions:

“Just Dance” MTV Sessions:

New Kids On The Block have just premiered the video for their song “2 in the Morning.” Shot at a mansion in Pacific Palisades, CA, the video follows a feuding couple throughout the house. Donnie describes the concept of the piece as “somewhat based on a very literal translation of the song with a twist.”

New Kids On The Block video:

Chris Cornell has added ten more dates to his spring tour in support of his forthcoming album, Scream – produced by Timbaland and released by Mosley Music/Interscope on March 10. The 28-date tour now includes a Canadian stop in Vancouver in addition to U.S. cities such as Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Tickets for the 10 newly announced shows go on sale to the public this Friday, February 27. All previously
announced shows are on sale now. Scream showcases a new, seductive sound – dark, multi-layered and full of puzzles and surprises. The songs bring a cinematic scope to Cornell’s performances with potent visual imagery echoing the non-stop musical assault from his internationally acclaimed live band. “Musically, this is the most ambitious thing I’ve been a part of. It’s almost like a movie soundtrack,” says Cornell, who will also be playing other music from his two-decade, 14 –album career.

Get SCREAM with TICKET PURCHASE
Cornell has also announced that fans who purchase tickets online tothe upcoming tour
will also receive a digital copy of his entire new album, Scream. A code will be sent to
online ticket purchasers to redeem a digital copy when the album is released nationwide
on March 10. Chris hopes this will give fans something extra at a time when money’s
becoming tighter for everyone.

Newly Announced Tour Dates – On Sale This Friday, February 27 at 10am ET
April 21: St. Louis, MO – Pop’s
April 22 : Kansas City, MO – Harrah’s Voodoo Lounge
April 24 : Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
April 25 : Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
April 27 : Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
April 28 : Vancouver, BC, Canada – Commodore Ballroom
April 29 : Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
May 1 : San Francisco, CA – Grand Ballroom
May 2 : Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
May 3: Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern

Previously Announced Tour Dates – On Sale Now
March 28 : Dallas, TX – House of Blues
March 29 : Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
March 30 : Austin, TX – Stubbs Bar-B-Q
April 1 : Atlanta, GA – CW Center Stage
April 3 : Atlantic City, NJ – Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
April 4 : Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
April 5 : Washington DC – 9:30 Club
April 7 : New York, NY – Webster Hall
April 8 : New York, NY – Webster Hall
April 10 : Boston, MA – House of Blues
April 11 : Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theatre
April 13 : Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
April 14 : Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theater
April 15 : Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue Theatre
April 17 : Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
April 18 : St Paul, MN – MYTH
April 19 : Chicago, IL – Riviera Theater

The Pussycat Dolls have teamed up with two time Oscar winner A.R. Rahman for an English interpretation of the song “Jai Ho!”, the spectacular finale to the Oscar winner for Best Picture, Slumdog Millionaire. Listen here for a preview of A.R. Rahman and the Pussycat Dolls featuring Nicole Scherzinger “Jai Ho!” (You Are My Destiny).

Super-producer Ron Fair (Fergie, Christina Aguilera) produced the lead vocals for Nicole, whose voice blends with that of composer A.R. Rahman. Visit People.com for more info on the story.

Last Friday, a 41-year old man was arrested outside of Celine Dion’s Canadian home for allegedly stalking the singer. The man apparently buzzed the intercom and demanded to see the French Canadian diva or her husband, Rene Angelil. When the man refused to leave, security called the police. The crazy fan was sent to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation and was scheduled to face the court this past Monday to answer to the stalking allegations. I wonder what his intentions were. Most stalkers just call on their supposed victims. I wonder why he was demanding for Celine’s husband too. Celebrities go through the craziest things.

Tori Amos is about to set Austin ablaze. It has just been announced that the piano diva is going to be performing a very special intimate concert at the SXSW music festival next month. The singer has just signed with Universal Republic and she will be headlining the record label’s showcase on March 19th. Additionally, it’s also been announced that Tori’s album is called ‘Abnormally Attracted to Sin’ and it’s coming out this spring. I’m a big fan of Tori’s and I can’t wait to get a chance to see her or even just to grab a copy of her new album. I’m so excited that it’s not even funny!

The first 12 of the top 36 contestants of American Idol took to the stage this past week. Jackie Tohn sang Elvis Presley’s ‘A Little Less Conversation’, Rick Brady sang Leon Russell’s ‘A Song for You’, Alexis Grace sang Aretha Franklin’s ‘I Never Loved a Man’, Brent Keith sang Jason Aldean’s ‘Hicktown’, Casey Carlson sang the Police’s ‘Every Little Thing She Does is Magic’, Anoop Desai sang Monica’s ‘Angel of Mine’, Anne Marie Boskovich sang Aretha’s ‘Natural Woman’, Michael Sarver sang Gavin DeGraw’s ‘I Don’t Want to Be’, Tatiana Del Toro sang Whitney Houston’s ‘Saving All My Love for You’, Stephen Fowler sang Michael Jackson’s ‘Rock with You’, Steve Wright sang Taylor Swift’s ‘You Belong to Me’ and Danny Gokey sang Mariah Carey’s ‘Hero’. On the results show, it was revealed that the 3 moving on were Alexis Grace, Michael Sarver and Danny Gokey.

Here are the winners for this year’s Brit Awards, held at London’s Earls Court on 18 February.

Full List:

Best British male
Ian Brown
James Morrison
The Streets
*Paul Weller
Will Young

Best British female
Adele
Beth Rowley
*Duffy
Estelle
MIA

Best British group
Coldplay
*Elbow
Girls Aloud
Radiohead
Take That

Best British live act
Coldplay
Elbow
*Iron Maiden
Scouting For Girls
The Verve

Best British single
Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Duffy – Mercy
*Girls Aloud – The Promise
Leona Lewis – Better in Time
Scouting for Girls – Heartbeat

Best British Album
Coldplay – Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends
*Duffy – Rockferry
Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid
Radiohead – In Rainbows
The Ting Tings – We Started Nothing

Best British breakthrough act
Adele
*Duffy
Last Shadow Puppets
Scouting For Girls
The Ting Tings

Best international album
AC/DC – Black Ice
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes
Killers – Day & Age
*Kings of Leon – Only By The Night
MGMT – Oracular Spectacular

Best international male
Beck
Neil Diamond
Jay-Z
*Kanye West
Seasick Steve

Best international female
Beyonce
Gabriella Cilmi
*Katy Perry
Pink
Santogold

Best international group
AC/DC
Fleet Foxes
Killers
*Kings of Leon
MGMT

Rihanna may be broken and bruised inside and out but definitely not her bank account as sales of her 2007 album “Good Girl Gone Bad” increased by 33% which is equal to 25,000 album copies sold. Rihanna’s brisk album sales, which came amid the domestic violence issue involving her and boyfriend Chris Brown, is being interpreted as a sign of support for her. Rihannas’s album stands out considering that Grammy winners and big debuts by Lily Allen among others dominated this week’s album sales.

But while Rihanna’s album sales is soaring, the reverse is happening to Brown’s 2007 album “Exclusive” which did not even made it to the Top 200. Rihanna went home to Barbados after the incident to spend time with her family but is now reportedly out and about and keeping herself on the radar. Aside from cancelling her Grammy Awards performance, Rihanna has also cancelled two Asian shows and has not scheduled any public appearance since then.

Check out this week’s “Hijinks” episode of Clique Girlz TV. After goofing off at the airport, the trio head to Target and continue their crazy antics in the store.
Clique Girlz’ Incredible EP is available now.

Video Clique Girlz TV:

MySpace Music myspace.com/music, the world’s premier online music portal, announces the exclusive world premiere of No Line On The Horizon, the new studio album from U2. Beginning on February Feb. 20th ,MySpace U.S. users will be able to stream the album in its entirety from U2’s official MySpace Music profile at www.myspace.com/u2, giving fans a chance to preview it before the U.S. release on March 3rd. No Line On The Horizon will be available for purchase on MySpace Music starting on March 3rd.
U2 recently premiered their latest video for the hit single Get On Your Boots on MySpace Music to fans around the world. No Line On The Horizon is the group’s highly anticipated 12th studio album and their first release since How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb came out in late 2004. Recording sessions for No Line On The Horizon were held in various locations around the world, including Fez, Morocco, the band’s own studio in Dublin, New York’s Platinum Sound Recording Studios, and Olympic Studios in London. Long-time U2 collaborators Brian Eno and Danny Lanois produced the album, with additional production by Steve Lillywhite.
For more information about U2 and to stream No Line On The Horizon, visit their MySpace Music official profile at: myspace.com/u2.

U2 Widget:

It looks like it is going to be a very strong 2009 for rock band, Hollywood Undead.

According to recent reports, Hollywood Undead’s album, Swan Songs has topped its own best sales numbers in multiple weeks since its debut. Hit single “Undead” as tracks “Everywhere I go,” and “City,” have also drawn a significant amount of attention from radio and fans alike.

The band has been reported as the fastest selling developing rock band, reaching the Top 15 in modern & Top 10 in active rock radio, as well as hottest night record of the year. Look for them on the Saints and Sinners Tour which kicks off February 27th in Fr. Lauderdale. Check out their MySpace page to find a show near you!

Video Embed Code for “Undead”

Undead –

Christina Aguilera is apparently hard at work on her 4th album and she’s working with some pretty amazing people. Her 2006 studio effort ‘Back to Basics’ was a very retro-sounding affair and it now seems like she has a killer strategy for her follow up. Christina has confirmed that she has been working with Australian singer Sia since January and has also confirmed that she has been speaking with the electropop group Ladytron regarding a collaboration. Another rumor floating around is that she will be collaborating with Goldfrapp but nothing has been confirmed yet. If it is true, it sounds like it’s going to be another amazing album for Christina.

Taylor Hicks’ brand new video for “What’s Right Is Right” has just premiered on Yahoo! Music. Head over to Yahoo! to watch the crooner do his thing in the video and perform in a dark lounge with his trademark soulful sound. “What’s Right Is Right” will appear on Taylor’s upcoming release, The Distance, due out March 10th.

“What’s Right Is Right” the video: