Music
McCartney says drugs made Lennon dislike him
John Lennon only talked “crap” about his songwriting pal when he was high, according to Sir Paul McCartney.
The 67-year-old former Beatle denies the widely held belief Lennon didn’t like him, insisting Lennon’s drug habit made him say things he didn’t mean.
“John was on drugs, wasn’t he? This is the trouble with history, with journalism. John said so much crap that he later said he hadn’t meant. It’s bullshit. We were there. We all enjoyed it. I never really criticized John. I’m not that critical. It’s a question of personalities,” said McCartney.
“John’s was more abrasive than mine and that was good for his corner of the square that made up The Beatles. If we’d had two people like that, forget it, I don’t think it would have worked.
“Whatever bad things John said about me, he would also slip his glasses down to the end of his nose and say, ‘I love you.’ That’s really what I hold on to. That’s what I believe. The rest is showing off.”
After the band broke up, Lennon, who was killed in 1980,complained about McCartney’s lack of commitment to the group in a series of interviews.
But McCartney insists Lennon wasn’t as tough as people thought he was.
“The image of John is seriously flawed because he was not the hard, mad man that people think he was. He was a very soft-centered guy and we had a lot more in common than people think. His favorite song when we were kids was ‘Little White Lies’, which was very sentimental. It was a smoochy old standard that his mum liked.”
Jay-Z, Kanye West and Rihanna’s ‘Run This Town’
Jay-Z and Kanye West have brought Rihanna back into the spotlight for things other than being assaulted. The hip hop threesome joined forces for “Run This Town” and it’s pretty good. Check out the song:
Kelly Clarkson heads back to ‘American Idol’
Kelly Clarkson will be idolized all over again. The winner of the first season of “American Idol” is set to return to the Fox show as a guest judge at an audition next week.
“Kelly is beyond excited to get back to the show that started it all,” said a source.
According to reports, Clarkson and the other current judges, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi, will be joined by one of the Jonas Brothers to find America’s next pop superstar.
Clarkson hops on board after the anticlimactic departure of Paula Abdul. Other judges taking her spot in the new season include former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, hip-hop artist Mary J. Blige and singer Katy Perry.
“At this stage it doesn’t look like Paula will be replaced by one person. The celebrity judges are working really well for now,” said the source.
Lady Gaga to go modest in Israel
Even Lady Gaga has to dial it back in the holy land.
The provocative singer has vowed to be respectful while she is in Israel and can’t wait to see “sacred and holy” Jerusalem.
She added her visit to the holy city will be “an emotional and spiritual experience” and plans to swim in the Dead Sea.
She doesn’t plan to be completely chaste, however, and a drunken day in Jerusalem is a possibility.
Lady Gaga will perform the last show of her “Fame Ball” tour in Tel Aviv Wednesday before heading to Israel. She’s not the first star ordered to tone down their image during a visit to a religious country.
In October 2007, Beyonce Knowles canceled her concert in Malaysia after she was told to follow the Muslim country’s strict dress code.
Madonna was warned about her raunchy stage show for her concert in Russia’s St. Petersburg earlier this month.
Rihanna back in the studio and banging on the drum
Rihanna is moving from her regular R’n'B sound to working on a drum and bass track.
The singer has teamed up with British duo Chase and Status for her “big change”.
Chase and Status’ Saul Milton said: “We’ve spent the past few weeks working with Rihanna and her people in an undisclosed location. She’s a lovely girl, so professional and it was an honor to work with her. The stuff she’s doing now I would definitely go out and buy myself, it’s a big change.”
According to Milton, Rihanna approached him and bandmate Will Kennard after being played some of their music.
“Rihanna got in contact with us after hearing our track ‘Saxon’. She loved the feel of the drums and said she wanted a similar thing for her next record,” said Milton.
“It’s over 140 beats per minute but there’s also a dub step vibe on the things we’ve done with her. It’s more musical, which we’re into right now.”
The duo are also working with Rihanna’s mentor, Jay-Z.
“We gave Jay-Z a bunch of stuff for ‘The Blueprint 3′ but he has so many beats, who knows if they’ll make the grade,’ said Milton.
Chase and Status received huge praise for their debut LP “More Than Alot,” which won Best Album at the 2009 Drum and Bass Awards.
Lady Gaga’s ‘Poker Face’ acoustic version
Wow, is this a different version of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.” Check out the acoustic stylings of the electronica song:
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Susan Boyle heading to the U.S.
Susan Boyle is hoping to make a splash in the United States before trying for success across the pond.
The 48-year-old singer who shot to fame on “Britain’s Got Talent” earlier this year – is reportedly planning to travel to the states in November, where she will perform at a series of public events.
After her concert schedule is complete, Susan is expected to release her debut album in the United States.
An insider told Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper: “We are really pleased with how she is doing and the album is now well on the way to being finished.
“Susan will be flying to America in November to give her fans there a treat of Thanksgiving. Initially, there were plans for a single, but now it seems to be all about an album.”
Judge Simon Cowell recently said Boyle sounds “fantastic” on her album.
He said: “I’ve cut one track with her and she sounds fantastic. She’s so good and the album is not just going to be show tunes. We’re going to take our time with this.”
Eminem: The Warning
Remind me never to piss Eminem off. The rapper slammed Mariah Carey in a song on “Relapse,” pissing off Carey and hubbie Nick Cannon, who took his rage to blog and media outlets. Now Eminem firing back the way he does it best – in song. Check out one hell of a diss:
Whitney Houston’s Akon fears
Whitney Houston’s collaboration with Akon wasn’t an easy one. The singer was nervous about working with the hiphop star, but wanted to recapture the sound of her 1999 hit “My Love Is Your Love,” which she worked on with Wyclef Jean, for her new album “I Look To You.”
“When (label president) Clive (Davis) told me I would be working with Akon, I thought, ‘Hmm, interesting, um, all right,’” said Houston.
“I wanted the record like ‘My Love Is Your Love’ with an island feel. I wanted an island record because ‘My Love Is Your Love’ is so huge and it has its own fashion with Wyclef. I wanted that feeling, but I didn’t know who could do that. And Clive came and said, ‘Akon is the guy that we’re going to work with.’ And I was like, ‘OK, Akon. OK, I can deal with that.’”
Even after their first meeting, Akon didn’t manage to completely quash her nerves
“I was asking him, ‘Did your mother name you Akon?’ And he said, ‘No, it means a convict.’ And I thought, ‘Oh, God. OK, all right, I can handle that.’ He’s a gentleman. He did his work very well. We did it very quickly, very diligently, and I’m very proud of that record. It’s a great record,” she said.
Alicia Keys, however, was tops on her list of people to work with.
“When she performed at one of Clive’s parties the year before last, I kind of looked at her, and it was when she had the ‘No One’ record out, and it was the only record that came on the radio that inspired me,” said Houston. “It made me feel good and happy, and I thought, ‘God, she’s on the label with Daddy – Clive Davis – here.’
“I thought, ‘I got to get to know her. I got to have a camaraderie with some of the people that were on the label where I came back home to.’ I walked over to her, and off the cuff said, ‘Hey, do you think you could produce me?’ She said, ‘Yeah, I think I can.’
“Then I performed a year after, and she came up with the song ‘Million Dollar Bill,’ and I said, ‘Wow, incredible.’”
Kelly Clarkson wishes her new single was already gone
Kelly Clarkson’s latest single “Already Gone” is a decent one, but it sounds too similar to Beyonce’s hit “Halo.” Still, the original American Idol claims it’s not her fault.
In a weekend interview with Canada’s CBC radio network, Clarkson revealed that she had been trying to keep the song, which she co-wrote with songwriter Ryan Tedder, from being released after it sounded very similar to another song Tedder co-wrote, Beyonce’s “Halo.”
Clarkson said didn’t hear the other songstress’s version until the new album “All I Ever Wanted.” But she knew immediately that the same backing track was used, she claims.
Outraged, Clarkson said she confronted her co-writer on the phone, “I don’t understand. Why would you do that?
“No one’s gonna be sittin’ at home, thinking ‘Man, Ryan Tedder gave Beyonce and Kelly the same track to write to,’” she recalled saying. “No, they’re just gonna be saying I ripped someone off.”
“I fought and fought” to stop it, she says, but “in the end, they’re releasing it without my consent,”
Clarkson added, “It sucks, but it’s one of those things I have no control over. I already made my album. At this point, the record company can do whatever they want with it. It’s kind of a shitty situation, but . . . you know, you learn.”
Check out the song below (I actually like her version, but the timing does suck):
Mashup: ‘Never Gonna Give Your Teen Spirit Up’
There is nothing like a good mash up and this is one that brings two delightfully opposite worlds together Nirvana and Rick Astley in “Never Gonna Give Your Teen Spirit Up”:
Katy Perry to throw down on her new record
Nothing like a good girl fight to get the record sales pumping. Katy Perry preparing to take her feud with Lily Allen to the studio.
Perry has promised to “get nasty” when writing songs for her new album and spill all the dirt on her fight with Allen, with whom she had a war of words earlier this year.
“It’s just going to be completely packed with what you want to hear about what I think. Everyone asks me, ‘What do you think about this? What do you think about that? And about this person?’ I don’t really comment about that in public but I take it to the pen and I get nasty.”
Despite the high school-esque chick fight, Perry claims the record will be more grown up than her debut album, but said her fans will still be able to relate.
“I’m looking to make a record that’s more honest and it’s going to be different. I’m not trying to alienate my fans necessarily but ‘One of the Boys’ was written from 17 to 23 and now I’m 24 so my perspective on life has changed,” said Perry.
“I’m not looking to make a record about, ‘Hey, I got famous this year and you didn’t… blah blah blah. This relates nothing to you.’ It might be emotional but I don’t think it’s going to be sad emotional.”
Vid: T.I. (feat. Mary J. Blige) ‘Remember Me’
Mary J. Blige has never made a song that hasn’t rocked and “Remember Me” by T.I. and featuring the R&B songstress is no exception.
Check out the official video below:
Lily Allen’s ’22′
This song hits a little too close to home. But it’s got good beats, so check out Lily Allen’s new song, “22″:
Black Eyed Peas Boom Boom Pow video
The Black Eyed Peas are back on the gossip scene thanks to the will.i.am confrontation with Perez Hilton, but they also make music. Check out their newest video:
Kate Moss wants to make sweet music with Lily Allen
Kate Moss is ready to move past karaoke. The supermodel has begged Lily Allen to let her sing on her new album.
Moss sang with former boyfriend Pete Doherty and recorded a duet with Primal Scream and has dreams of rock’n'roll stardom.
“Kate is obsessed with becoming a rock star. She’s desperate to persuade Lily to include her on a new album,” said a source.
She and Allen have gotten close and seems to be caving.
The source added: “Lily adores Kate and it seems like she’d do anything she suggests. They say they’re like sisters as they’ve got so much in common.”
You might think that Moss at age 35 would calm down, but not-so-much, she’s still interested in partying hard and doing it with Allen, who is only 24.
The insider explained to Closer magazine: “A lot of Kate’s older friends have calmed down, but Lily is as mad as she is when it comes to staying up all night. They just love it.”
Simon Cowell seeking an even bigger pay day
Simon Cowell could buy and sell me. And you. A few million times. The “American Idol” judge and producer made a reported $36 million last year for judging the show and this year, he has been offered three or four times that amount (between $100 million and $144 million per year) by co-producers Fox and 19 Entertainment to stick around after his contract expires in May, according to The Guardian, a London newpaper.
The show rakes in just shy of $900 million each year and apparently Cowell’s snark is the linchpin that holds it all together.
Cowell has been using his long-time friend and UK retail multibillionaire Sir Philip Green, who owns hot fashion franchise Top Shop, for help negotiating the terms of a new “Idol” contract, reports say. Green is said to be lobbying hard for an increase in Cowell’s appearance fee on the show.
Sources close to the two friends say that this is just the first step to the creation of an international TV production, talent management and merchandising company, which would put Cowell in a position to own the shows, ideas and the talent he discovers, not just getting a salary for appearing.
“This is about properly owning himself, Brand Cowell, everything he does, new formats and new programs, not just the ones starring him,” a source close to Green told The Guardian.
Check it out: Pink’s ‘Funhouse’ video
It occurs to me I’ve watched far more music videos online than on TV lately. Just thought I’d mention it. The latest one I’m watching is Pink’s new “Funhouse.” Maybe it’ll grow on me, but I don’t think it’s the best from her new album, not by far.
Check it out: Lily Allen’s ‘Fuck You’
Meh. The latest Lily Allen has a provocative title, “Fuck You,” (guaranteeing it will never air on our delightfully Puritanical airwaves) but doesn’t quite sing like her others. Check it out for yourself below:
Do you want to be Mrs. Robert Pattinson – or at least sing about it?
Robert Pattinson has crazy fans, that’s pretty much a given. But they have musical talent, too. “She Wants To Be Mrs Robert Pattinson,” written by Sarah Williams for her daughter, Chariss, has hit YouTube and is now available for download by clicking here.
A local studio offered her their services for a cleaner, clearer version. Check out the original YouTube video below:
