New Madonna

MTV News reports that the title of Madonna's forthcoming album will be Hard Candy. The record includes a track called "Candy Store" and her longtime rep told EW.com that Madonna chose to stick with the sweet theme because "she loves candy." She added, "It's about the juxtaposition of tough and sweetness, or as Madonna so eloquently expressed 'I'm gonna kick your ass, but it's going to make you feel good.'" The album features Justin Timberlake on multiple tracks and production by Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, and Nate “Danja” Hills. It will be released April 29^th. The first single, "Four Minutes," will be out at the end of March.

Paramore Not Breaking Up

Paramore break up rumors were apparently kicking around the Web so much after the band’s message about their European tour cancellation that Hayley Williams felt it necessary to clarify things. The vocalist wrote on the group’s Web site that they are not breaking up and that they thought it would be best to be honest with their fans about their state of being. She closes by assuring fans that they will see Paramore on March 27^th in Orlando. To read the post, visit Paramore.net.

Wanna Smell Like JT?

Justin Timberlake has partnered with Parfums Givenchy to be the spokesperson for a men's fragrance that will hit shelves in the fall.

Soon You Will Hear It Live

Maroon 5 is the latest band to have played at the Apple Store Soho in New York. But their performance last night was a bit different than most, as they played the songs on their album It Won't Be Soon Before Long in order. It's the first time the band has ever played the entire disc live. The live set was recorded and will be sold exclusively through I-Tunes starting in late March or early April.

Misery For Paramore Tour

Paramore have cancelled the remaining dates on their current European tour dates. In a post on their Web site, the band has revealed that they are going through some personal problems, saying, “There are a lot of internal issues that have been going on in this band for quite a while now. A lot of it started right around the time we were gearing up for the RIOT Tour in the U-S. We were able to fight through all of it for this long but unfortunately we weren’t able to keep it together long enough to make it through ’til the end of this tour. We really feel that taking this time is going to give us a chance to get away and work out our personal issues at home and on our own terms.” Paramore’s future is uncertain, as they also wrote, “We just aren’t willing to risk the life of our band over one tour.” Paramore asked their friends for understanding with the current situation. They are currently scheduled to play Orlando, Florida on March 27^th.

Pink Has Friends

Gary LeVox of Rascal Flatts has reached out to his friend P!nk, who announced this week that she is ending her two year marriage to motocross star Carey Hart. The group and P!nk tried to work together on Rascal Flatts’ latest Still Feels Good album on the song “Help Me Remember,” but P!nk was in Europe during recording time. People.com reports Gary was feeling “terrible” for the pop artist adding, “If she needs some love she can come to us at Rascal Flatts camp.”

Fergie's New Deal

FERGIE is set to become the new face of fashion house Calvin Klein. The Black Eyed Peas star wore a lemon-coloured Calvin Klein dress to the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month  and is now lined up to join Eva Mendes as a spokesperson for the company. A source tells American magazine OK!, "She's a perfect fit. She loves Calvin and they think she is beautiful and fun and brings a lot to the brand."

STP In Columbus

It’s been confirmed that the Stone Temple Pilots will play their first reunion show at the Rock on the Range festival in Columbus, Ohio on May 17^th and 18^th. Other bands on the bill include Kid Rock, Disturbed, 3 Doors Down, Staind, Papa Roach, Seether, Flyleaf, Finger Eleven and more. This is STP’s first show in over seven years. Tickets go on sale on February 23^rd.

Mariah Changes Her Mind

Despite previous reports that Mariah Carey’s upcoming album would be titled That Chick, the R&B diva has since changed the title to MC². In addition to the new title, Carey has officially released her first single off the album, “Touch My Body.” According to a statement Tuesday, Brett Ratner will be directing the video. MC², which features production by Jermaine Dupri, DJ Toomp, will.i.am and Bryan Michael Cox, among others, hits stores April 15^th.

Jordin Opens For Alicia

American Idol graduate Jordin Sparks said she wanted to launch her touring career as an opening act for a big star, and on April 18^th, she’ll start doing just that – when she hits the road with Alicia Keys. The tour’ll kick off in Hampton, Virginia, and wind up two months later at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Not bad for a first tour at all.

Happy Birthday To Rob

Rob Thomas celebrated his 36^th birthday in style last Thursday when he and his band played a sold-out Madison Square Garden show on their Exile In America tour. Thomas’ wife wheeled out a wedding size birthday cake for the frontman and the entire arena sang “Happy Birthday” to Rob. The rest of the band then surprised Thomas by playing his solo single “Streetcorner Symphony” and Rob sang it for the crowd. It was the only time matchbox twenty has ever played Rob’s single. The band secretly learned it as a present for Rob during this tour. Fans can purchase the only recorded version of the “Streetcorner Symphony” tune at matchboxtwenty.com.

Levine Talks Politics

Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine knows who he is supporting throughout the rest of the Presidential primaries. The rocker has chosen to take a ride on the Barack Obama campaign wagon. “Well I think that, I know that I am in fact, I am going to be, I am supporting (Barack) Obama. He’s got my vote all the way at this point, he’s inspiring and I actually believe the words coming out of his mouth, which is refreshing.”

Lifehouse On The Tonight SHow

Lifehouse will kick off The Disarray Tour with Matt Nathanson and HoneyHoney on the 24^th in Spokane, Washington, but if you can’t see the boys while they’re out on the road, you’re in luck. Jason Wade and company will perform this Friday on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Check ‘em out at 11:35 PM Eastern on NBC. For more details, visit LifehouseMusic.com.

24

Last night American Idol revealed this seasons Top 24. And the new contestants are...

David Archuleta, 17, Murray, Utah
Colton Berry, 18, Staunton, Virginia
Joanne Borgella, 25, Hoboken, New Jersey
Robbie Carrico, 26, Melbourne, Florida
Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, Texas
Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, Oregon
David Cook, 25 Blue Springs, Missouri
Amy Davis, 25, Lowell, Indiana
Asia'h Epperson, 19, Joplin, Missouri
Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, California
Garrett Haley, 17 Elida, Ohio
David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, Arinoza
Michael Johns, 29, Buckhead, Georgia
Alexandrea Lushington, 17, Douglasville, Georgia
Kady Malloy, 18, Houston, Texas
Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, Florida
Luke Menard, 29, Crawfordsville, Indiana
Syesha Mercado, 21, Sarasota, Florida
Danny Noriega, 18, Azuza, California
Amanda Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, Indiana
Carly Smithson, 24, San Diego, California
Alaina Whitaker, 16, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Brooke White, 24 Mesa, Arizona
Jason Yeager, 28, Grand Prairie, Texas

Cars Go Boom

Rihanna was involved in a car crash hours after claiming gold at the GRAMMY Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night. According to StarPulse.com, the singer who won for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, was driving away from a Def Jam after-show party when her vehicle was hit by another car. The “Umbrella” songstress’ aides said Rihanna and her driver were not injured in the minor collision.

Taylor Video Director

Taylor Swift has released a new music video, but not for her new single "Picture to Burn." Instead, she played director and editor on a video for "I'm Only Me When I'm With You," a bonus track that was added to the deluxe edition of her self-titled debut album. 

On her MySpace page she explains, "I looked at my schedule and saw how long it was going to be before we could fit in time to shoot the video for 'Picture.' We still don't shoot it until next week, and then there are weeks of production after that. So I decided to put together some home-movie clips to the music of one of my other songs so it wouldn't be forever till we had another video out." The video includes footage of concerts and dress rehearsals, plus behind-the-scenes and home movies

Nickleback Thinking About Recording

It's been almost two-and-a-half years since Nickelback released their biggest album ever, All the Right Reasons. After watching it sell six-point-six-million copies in the U-S alone, frontman Chad Kroeger is ready to start work on its follow-up. 

The band has taken six months off to recharge, and Kroeger says they're looking to start working on "all those little ideas that have been stored over the last couple of years." He adds that it's a bit more difficult to get the band back in action now that his brother, bassist Mike Kroeger, has moved to Hawaii. "So rehearsal's a little tough. Getting everybody in the same zip code is a little difficult."

Doesn't Play Well With Others :-)

from msnbc...Don’t expect to see a photo of Christina Aguilera’s baby on the cover of any magazines this week. Sources say that after months of negotiating, a deal between Aguilera and OK! magazine came to a halt because the magazine couldn’t guarantee a full-cover photo of Aguilera and baby boy, Max.

It might seem surprising that OK! wasn’t game to play by Aguilera’s rules, considering the mag ran Aguilera’s wedding photos, but a magazine insider points out that the singer performs well on stage, but not so much on newsstands. “The OK! wedding cover didn’t sell as well as they hoped, and even her recent Marie Claire cover underperformed, all things considered,” the source said.

An industry source added, “Christina has an inflated sense of her own value and seems to expect an extortionate amount of money for these baby pictures. I'm not sure OK! or much of the industry thinks is a dollar figure that's worth it. ... She hasn't proven to be a real seller.”

$$$

Forbes magazine has compiled its first annual "Cash Queens of Music" list, and Madonna has been named supreme ruler. Madge pulled in 72-million dollars between November 2006 and November 2007, putting her at the head of the 20-woman class. The Material Mom edged out Barbra Streisand, who banked 60-million, and Celine Dion, who took in 45-million. Despite all her woes, Britney Spears made the list at number-20, with eight-million dollars in earnings

Kellie Pickler Turns Reporter

Tune into N-B-C's Tonight Show With Jay Leno tomorrow night to hear Kellie Pickler's re-cap of Tuesday's Super Bowl Media Day in Tempe, Arizona. She spoke to players for both the New England Patriots and the New York Giants, and according to ESPN-dot-com, even got her C-D into the hands of Giant's defensive end Michael Strahan, who promised to listen to her hit "Red High Heels" before the game. 

Hannah's Dance Party

Miley Cyrus is taking Hannah Montana to the dance floor on a new collection of remixes titled Hannah Montana Two: Non-Stop Dance Party. The disc includes songs tweaked by super-producer Chris Cox -- who's worked with Rihanna, Madonna and Christina Aguilera -- as well as concert videos chronicling the Hannah Montana invasion of Europe. Miley's also started talking a bit about her personal life, telling U-S-A Today that there's no truth to those tales about her dating, then splitting with, Nick Jonas of The Jonas Brothers. She insists, "We're just really good buds...that's what we've always been."

Miley 3D

Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: The Best of Both Worlds Concert opens on Friday. The film features 3-D highlights of the young singer and T-V star's sellout 54-city tour.

Maroon 5 On Leno This Wednesday Night

For Maroon 5, having a second album become popular changed the way they create their set list. Frontman Adam Levine explained. “It’s more challenging in some ways because we have twice as much material whereas on your first album you kind of just have to play your first record so, it will be tricky putting a good set together, but you know that’s always a fun creative experience.” Maroon 5’s set list will be pretty small on Wednesday, however; they are playing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Sara Bareilles Video and Tour

Sara Bareilles’ vlogging continues as she travels on a promotional tour. The latest video contains a nice childhood moment, since in it, Sara sings her first song, which she wrote when she was six. It’s called “Starsweeper” and for fans who want to hear it, visit SaraBMusic.com. Bareilles and James Blunt head out on Vh1’s You Oughta Know Tour on February 4^th in Seattle, Washington.

New Fray Music

The Fray will play a three-night club stand in their hometown of Denver from February 1st through the 3rd. A note on their official website says they'll be performing only new material at the intimate gigs.

Daughtry Likes Harleys

Daughtry has been confirmed to perform as part of Harley Davidson's 105th anniversary festival in Milwaukee. They're scheduled to perform on August 30th, the third day of the four-day festival. Other performers confirmed for the event include Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Z-Z Top, Black Crowes, Buddy Guy and Foghat.

Lifehouse On TV Tonight

An episode of the P-B-S Soundstage concert series Lifehouse taped in Chicago last summer will premiere tonight on many public television stations across the country. As if playing Soundstage, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Times Square on New Year's Eve and the B-C-S College Football Championship Game in New Orleans earlier this month haven't been enough, the group has now been tabbed to play at halftime of this year's N-F-L Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. The game takes place February 10th and will be televised by FOX.

Amy Winehouse In Rehab?

Less than 24 hours after a British tabloid posted home movies showing her smoking crack and rambling incoherently, Amy Winehouse went to a London rehab facility -- but there's some debate about whether or not she's checked in for the long haul. London's Sun tabloid reports that the singer is, in fact, staying at the private London clinic, but People magazine quotes Winehouse's publicist as saying "no, no, no." The flack tells People, "Amy is not in rehab. She was seeing a doctor who she regularly sees as part of her ongoing treatment. It was a regular appointment which she attends all the time. She has not checked in overnight."

New Alanis

There's a new Alanis Morissette video making the rounds on YouTube, but the Canadian songstress has mixed feelings about it. On her website, Alanis writes that the clip for "Elevate" was rushed out so it could be shown at the Elevate Film Festival -- but she insists it's not an official video. She says, "I didn't sign off on the final cut to be shown publicly, [but] there's a good chance this will be the first single off the new record. If that's the case, there will be an official video shot for it very soon, one that I will share full blast and formally. I am very psyched about this record."

Amy Is Our Future?

from contact...
MARY J. BLIGE is praying AMY WINEHOUSE survives her battle with drugs, because the future of music relies on her. Mary J. senses music is heading for a renaissance, and needs talents like Winehouse to help the industry recover from years of "drought".

She tells Fleetwood MAC star Stevie Nicks in the latest issue of Interview magazine, "Someone like Amy Winehouse is so important to the music business right now. It's very painful (to see her battle drugs). I hope she makes it. "I think it (the music industry) kind of got lost and we ended up in a drought for a while, but I see it making a turn, so instead of music being just synthetic, we'll see it going back to actual instruments. That's what I'm hoping for anyway, because that's the kind of music I'm making."

Monahan's Cd Title

It’s hard to come up with a good album title. Just ask Pat Monahan. He named his latest record Last of Seven, but it was nearly something else entirely.  “In the beginning, while I was searching for a name of the album. I wanted to call it Oprah’s Favorite Record, so I could test the media market and see if it would help me sell millions of records. And the joke became a reality because I really started to think it was a great idea and I kinda got talked out of it a little bit.” Pat just finished up a few gigs this past weekend in Park City, Utah at the Sundance Film Festival.

Nelly Sings The Monkees

June will mark the two-year anniversary of the release of Nelly Furtado’s hit album, Loose.  No timetable has been given as to when she’ll start working on her next album, so if you want to hear to new music from the Canadian export, then you may want to pick up Anne Murray’s album, Duets: Friends & Legends.  That’s right, according to RollingStone.com, the ‘70s soft rocker and Furtado have teamed up to do a cover of The Monkees song “Daydream Believer.”  

Nelly Furtado has also been nominated for two GRAMMYs this year – Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Say It Right” and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals on Timbaland’s “Give it to Me.”  The 50^th Annual GRAMMY Awards will air live on Sunday, February 10^th at 8 PM Eastern on CBS. 

Colbie Always Wanted To Be A Singer

Colbie Caillat has clearly proven herself rather successful with her voice, words and a guitar in her hands. However, the Californian singer-songwriter did not always want to be just that. “I always wanted to be a singer. I never even thought about the whole writing side of it or playing an instrument, because every time I tried to play an instrument, I would be bad. Like, the first time I tried it, I’d be like, ‘I’m never going to be able to do this,’ so I would just stop.” 

Colbie went on to say that her dad would tell her that to gain credibility, she’d have to become skilled with an instrument and sing her own songs; looks like it worked. Caillat will set sail on the Mayercraft Carrier Cruise on February 1^st.

Milk Good For Ya

Jason Wade hit up the Lifehouse blog again to write about a recent interview with BodyByMilk.com. The singer says it got him thinking about how milk is not a part of his life anymore. He writes, “I have decided to work milk back into my daily diet. I just haven’t decided whether or not to drink two percent, or nonfat. To me if you’re gonna drink nonfat, you mine as well be drinking water; which I don’t drink enough of either.” 

Perhaps more important than Jason’s calcium intake is music. And the rocker says he’s started a few new songs, one on the piano and another on guitar. He’s only got melodies, no lyrics. To read the entire post, visit LifehouseMusic.com. The band kicks off a new tour February 24^th in Spokane, Washington.

Jonas Bros News

The Jonas Brothers, who are leaving the Hannah Montana tour to embark on their own headlining trek, are being replaced by another group of siblings. Everlife, which consists of Amber, Sarah and Julia Ross, will open the final six dates of the Montana extravaganza.

Behind The Scenes With Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera probably hasn't even opened all the letters congratulating her on the birth of her son Max Liron, but she's already taken the opportunity to give fans a gift to mark the occasion. The singer took to her official website to post a note and a new video clip starring her and hubby Jordan Bratman.

"In honor of our love for each other and our growing family, I have put together a special video for the song 'Save Me From Myself.' This video is very dear to me as it includes actual footage from our personal wedding video. [It's] just a little something to say 'thank you' for your undying love and support. It is in no small part because of you that I live such a blessed and wonderful life!"

Simon Predicts The Presidential Election

Simon Cowell is playing it typically coy about the seventh season of American Idol, but he is willing to offer up a prediction about the upcoming presidential election. Simon tells Reality T-V World, "My gut feeling is I think it'll be a Democrat is going to win in November."

They Said No, No, No

Amy Winehouse got a thumbs-down from the co-op board when she applied to buy a flat in the London apartment building she's been living in for the past year. London's Mirror quotes a source close to the decision makers saying, "Her application was refused because the feeling was that neighbors would be uncomfortable with the attention she gets." 

Avril Settles Quietly

Avril Lavigne has reached an out-of-court settlement with '70s pop band The Rubinoos, who'd accused her of ripping off the hit "Girlfriend" from their 1979 single "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend."

Little Known Carrie Facts

Carrie Underwood has a powerful voice, but she also has some powerful weaknesses -- including '80s hair bands. She tells Women's Health magazine, "I saw Quiet Riot and Slaughter in Nashville. My two older sisters turned me on to all that stuff. I remember singing Motley Crue's remake of 'Smokin' in the Boy's Room' in front of the mirror." Carrie also admits to craving Hostess 100-Calorie Packs and Healthy Choice ice cream sandwiches.

Fergie In Love

Fergie may not be shy about strutting her stuff onstage, but when it comes to talking about her love life, she can get very bashful.The Black Eyed Peas singer tells London's Daily Mail, "The fine points of my relationship [with fiance Josh Duhamel] are sacred. I'm thrilled with everything, but I'm not giving any details -- which is hard for me, because I have a big mouth."

Cry For Help

While Amy Winehouse has generated plenty of memories for others over the past couple of years, she doesn't recall many of them. The singer tells O-K magazine, "I went to a restaurant recently and my friend was like, 'Do you remember what happened the last time we were here? The head waiter carried you out and you were trying to punch and kick us."

Great News For No Doubt Fans

No Doubt drummer Adrian Young says there's a light at the end of the tunnel for their long-suffering fans -- and that they should have a new album in stores by the end of the year. Young says that he and the rest of the guys in the band have "a lot of songs" ready to go, and that Gwen Stefani will begin recording her vocals in the next month.

Ingrid and Sara Hit the Road

INGRID MICHAELSON AND SARA BAREILLES TO HEADLINE TOUR. Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles have just been announced as the main acts for the fourth annual Hotel Café Tour. The tour will start off in San Diego on March 6^th and wrap up on April 12^th in L-A. Also included in the lineup is singer-songwriter Joshua Radin. For more information hit up TheHotelCafeTour.com. The full list of tour dates is below.

March 6^th – San Diego, California

March 7th – Santa Barbara, California

March 8^th – Anaheim, California
March 9^th – Los Angeles, California

March 10^th – Tucson, Arizona
March 11^th – Phoenix, Arizona
March 13^th – Austin, Texas

March 14^th – Dallas, Texas
March 15^th – Houston, Texas

March 17^th – Birmingham, Alabama 
March 18^th – Nashville, Tennessee
March 19^th – Atlanta, Georgia 
March 20^th – Chapel Hill, North Carolina

March 21^st – Annapolis, Maryland 
March 22^nd – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

March 24^th – New York, New York

March 25^th – Boston, Massachusetts

March 26^th – Ithaca, New York

March 27^th – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 
March 28^th – Chicago, Illinois 
March 29^th – Madison, Wisconsin

March 31^st – Minneapolis, Minnesota 
April 1^st – Kansas City, Missouri 
April 3^rd – Boulder, Colorado 
April 4^th – Denver, Colorado 
April 5^th – Salt Lake City, Utah
April 7^th – Boise, Idaho
April 8^th – Seattle, Washington

April 9^th – Portland, Oregon 
April 11^th – San Francisco, California

April 12^th – Los Angeles, California

 

Chris Gets Cut?

from VH-1

It turns out Chris Daughtry is not considered a National Treasure. According to the New York Post, his band, Daughtry, wrote a song for the ending credits of theDisney flick National Treasure: Book of Secrets. Apparently, the song got cut at the last minute because “it just felt wrong.” National Treasure: Book of Secrets stars Nicolas Cage and is in theatres now…without Daughtry.

Winehouse Hangin With Bryan Adams?

 AMY WINEHOUSE has jetted off to the Caribbean to spend New Year's Eve at the beachside home of rocker BRYAN ADAMS. According to blogger Perez Hilton, the star will take time out on the tiny island of Mustique with Adams, who is currently shooting a video there.

Beautiful Gems

"I reward myself with jewellery, a chain, a watch, a ring." BEAUTIFUL GIRLS hitmaker SEAN KINGSTON uses his chart success to increase his diamond collection.

We Don't Need Any Stinking Money

from contact...
JON BON JOVI is so content with making new albums and touring that he doesn't need chart success to make him happy. The Bon Jovi rocker admits the band will never be as popular as they were in their 1980s heyday, but they don't care as long as they can continue to make a living out of music.

He says, "It's not about having to prove anything any more. I think we feel that less and less with each album - we know what we've achieved." He adds, "It's important we experiment. Without experimentation there wouldn't be growth, and you risk becoming something of a nostalgia act, trying to repeat past successes."

Huh, What?

COURTNEY LOVE is "devastated" after a pair of $100,000 pink diamond earrings was stolen from her New York hotel room on Wednesday. Love, was staying at the exclusive Four Seasons Hotel with her 15-year-old daughter Frances Bean when they were targeted by thieves.

 

A source tells celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, "Courtney is devastated. She had brought the earrings for Frances as her Christmas present. Frances hadn't even tried them on yet." But hours after New York police launched an investigation into the incident on Thursday morning the pink diamond and yellow drop earrings were mysteriously returned to the hotel.