Melody Plant

Former child star Ashley Olsen says she is amazed she never went off the rails like Britney Spears.

The actress rose to fame as Michelle Tanner in the hit TV show ‘Full House’, before establishing a business empire with twin Mary-Kate.

“I look at Britney, and I’m surprised I didn’t end up like her,” Olsen tells Marie Claire magazine.

“Growing up it was almost like I was in the Army.

“School, work, homework, fly to New York, get in at 2 in the morning, do a morning show at 5am, then another one at 7, then a radio interview at 10.”

Source: Splash News

Sharon Osbourne showed her soft side as she consoled a devastated singer kicked off America’s Got Talent.

Kelli Glover was inconsolable after getting the bad news from the judges and hysterically wailed before begging for another chance.

Judge David Hasselhoff gave her a hug before Osbourne sat her down and tried to calm her.

“You are not a failure. You are not a failure,” the reality TV star said soothingly as Glover, a former American Idol contestant, stopped crying before storming out.

Source: Splash News

Michael Jackson is being honoured with a comic book dedicated to the singer.

The King of Pop, who died last week, will follow in the footsteps of Princess Diana and Michelle Obama with the publication of the special edition.

It will trace his rise as a musical prodigy with the Jackson 5 through to the end of his life.

The book will also feature highlights from his storied career and cover his enigmatic private life.

Publisher Bluewater Productions is set to release the tribute issue in October.

It will feature a foreword by The Official Michael Jackson Fan Club’s Giuseppe Mazzola, who it says was a friend of Jackson.

“Michael Jackson’s music served as the soundtrack to countless lives, including mine,” said Bluewater president Darren G. Davis. “His influence on our culture has been profound.”

Singer Beyonce said Michael Jackson was “incomparable” and his death is a “tragic loss”.

The 27-year-old singer revealed her grief at the death of the King of Pop, who passed away in LA aged 50 after reportedly suffering a heart attack.

She told Entertainment Tonight: “This is such a tragic loss and a terrible day. The incomparable Michael Jackson has made a bigger impact on music than any other artist in the history of music.”

She added: “He was magic. He was what we all strive to be. He will always be the king of of pop. Life is not about how many breaths you take, but about how many moments in life that take your breath away.

“For anyone who has ever seen, felt, or heard his art, we are all honoured to have been alive in this generation to experience the magic of Michael Jackson. I love you Michael.”

Source: Splash News

Green Day has just premiered the video for their new single, “21 Guns,” exclusively on MySpace Music. The video was helmed by noted director Marc Webb, who has lensed clips for such artists as My Chemical Romance, Weezer, and All-American Rejects, and is making his feature film directorial debut in July with (500) Days of Summer.

“21 Guns” is the second single from the band’s latest album 21st Century Breakdown, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, as well as on the Rock, Active Rock, and Alternative charts, fueled by the Alternative radio No. 1 single “Know Your Enemy.” 21st Century Breakdown, which Rolling Stone has called “a rock opera in which the rock always comes first,” also topped the charts in 24 countries including the UK, Canada, and Japan.

Over the past month, Green Day has continued to work with MySpace Music for the promotion of 21st Century Breakdown. During the week of the album’s release, they played an exclusive concert in New York City which was filmed for the site’s premiere online concert program, The List. The performance can now be seen on The List’s official MySpace profile.

This year’s show will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, August 9th, and air the next day, Monday, August 10th, on FOX at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Fans can vote for Green Day at http://www.teenchoiceawards.com/.

Green Day, which is singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool, are preparing to launch their first proper tour of the United States and Canada in more than three years. The tour runs from July 3rd through August 25th. Please visit http://www.greenday.com/ for more details.

“21 GUNS” VIDEO:
VIDEO EMBED:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=59213823

Complete list of 2009 MMVA winners

The following is a complete list of winners from the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards:

Best Video: Nickelback, “Gotta Be Somebody”

Best International Video – Artist: Lady Gaga, “Poker Face”

Best International Video – Group: Black Eyed Peas, “Boom Boom Pow”

Pop Video of the Year: Danny Fernandes, “Private Dancer”

Best International Video Canadian: Billy Talent, “Rusted from the Rain”

MuchLOUD Best Rock Video: Nickelback, “Gotta Be Somebody”

MuchVibe HipHop Video: Classified, “Anybody Listening”

Best Director: Marianas Trench, “Cross My Heart”

Best Post-Production: Nickelback, “Gotta Be Somebody”

Best Cinematography: Bedouin Soundclash, “Until We Burn Into the Sun (The Kids Just Want A Love Song)”

VideoFACT Best Independent Video: The Midway State, “Never Again”

MuchMusic.com Most Watched Video: Girlicious, “Like Me”

UR Fave International Video of the Year: The Jonas Brothers, “Burnin’ Up”

UR Fave New Artist of the Year: The Midway State, “Never Again”

UR Fave Video: Simple Plan, “Save You”

The music of Lady Gaga is now an app on the iPhone, and “LoveGame” is your game. ‘Lady Gaga Revenge’ is the latest version of ‘Tap Tap Revenge’, the wildly popular, most-downloaded app in Apple’s iTunes store. Tap the targets and shake your iPhone to the beats of 14 Lady Gaga album tracks and smash remixes, including “Poker Face”, “Just Dance”, and “Paparazzi”. With graphics and themes inspired by the videos and style of ‘The Fame’, ‘Tap Tap Revenge’ shows they know how to treat a Lady……

Download ‘Tap Tap Revenge’ from the iTunes store:

Want to MEET Lady Gaga? Download and play ‘Lady Gaga Revenge’ for a chance at 4 tickets to see Lady Gaga live & meet her after the show! To win this once-in-a-lifetime prize, grab your iPhone or iTouch and BEAT ‘Lady Gaga Revenge’. Submit a high score on each track in the game INCLUDING the locked boss tracks. Once you submit a score on every track, you’ve got an entry into the contest.

As if that wasn’t enough – we’re giving away 30 copies of ‘The Fame’ autographed by Lady Gaga! Every day for the next 30 days you can win one of these autographed albums just by submitting a high score in ‘Lady Gaga Revenge’. If you don’t get the game, you can’t win… Click here to download it now. For more info about ‘Lady Gaga Revenge’ and how to win these prizes, check out the Tapulous Blog.

“Paparazzi” Music Video:

RISE AGAINST “HERO OF WAR”
VIDEO OF THE WEEK ON iTUNES
FREE FOR DOWNLOAD

Message from Rise Against:

“Our new video Hero Of War directed by Meiret Avis, has been chosen by iTunes as the Video Of The Week, which means you get it FREE. Check out iTunes between the dates June 9 – 16 to download. More about the video HERE.”

For more information about Rise Against visit www.RiseAgainst.com. Appeal To Reason featuring “Hero Of War” and “Audience of One” is in stores now. For more information about the video, please visit NME.com.

“Hero of War” video:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=57569588

Beyonce has released a new music video for her single ‘Ego’. It’s the fifth single off of her latest album ‘I Am… Sasha Fierce’. The 27-year old singer talked to Entertainment Weekly about the video saying “My goal for [the] video is simplicity. In ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’, I saw this old tape of Bob Fosse’s wife, and I used that as inspiration. I thought in this world, with all the technology and everything that’s going on, to strip everything down—great idea. So I kind of did the same thing, but glossy and black, for ‘Ego’.”

Mika recently had an interview in the new issue of British music magazine Q where the singer talks about his upcoming sophomore album which is due to come out this fall. Mika said “I wanted to make an unashamed pop record. I became obsessed with Disney soundtracks from the ’50s, so I decided to make my own.” Who knew that Disney could inspire one of the most revolutionary artists of today to make some great music? I can’t wait to hear what Mika has in store for us come this fall. He was always a fun one to listen to and watch.
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Dave Matthews Band release second track, “Shake Me Like A Monkey,”

Fans that have purchased the Dave Matthews Band iTunes pass will get a little closer to celebrating the new album, Big Whiskey and The GrooGrux King, with a second track from the upcoming record. The exclusive download of “Shake Me Like A Monkey” from the iTunes pass is the second in a series of pre-album releases with the deluxe iTunes package. Also exclusive with the package is a behind the scenes look at the making of the album as well as unreleased b-sides, a digital artwork booklet and live music from the band’s Spring and Summer 2009 tours.

In addition to these rarities, be sure to check out the Dave Matthews Band channel on You Tube to watch the Groo Grux album artwork come alive with a fun and unique musical animation.

Dave Matthews Band’s latest album Big Whiskey and The GrooGrux King hits stores June 2nd, but is now available for pre-order with the exclusive iTunes pass! For more news, tour dates and to pre-order the album in a variety of configurations visit DaveMatthewsBand.com.

Shake Me Like A Monkey.
YouTube

21st Century Breakdown, Green Day’s highly-anticipated eighth studio album, was released worldwide on Friday May 15th, by Reprise Records. The album is the follow-up to 2004’s two-time Grammy Award-winning punk-rock opera American Idiot, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, spawned five hit singles, and went on to sell more than 12 million copies worldwide.

The album’s first single, “Know Your Enemy” is already capturing the imagination of listeners across the country. It has been No. 1 at Alternative radio for three weeks and is the band’s ninth No. 1 single at the format, making them the artist with the second most No. 1’s of all-time at Alternative.

Green Day, which is singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool, are preparing to launch their first proper tour of the United States and Canada in more than three years. The tour begins July 3rd at Seattle’s Key Arena and will cross North America through the summer, including a July 27th stop at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, before finishing up with a show at the Forum in Los Angeles on August 25th. Please visit greenday.com for all cities, venues, and ticket on-sale dates.

For the second round, Kris Allen gets to sing “What’s going on” by Marvin Gaye… a song that apparently doesn’t fit too well with his style. Kris Allen however stays true to his own way of performing and for this he gets the appreciation of Kara and Paula… but Ryan and especially Simon aren’t so convinced of his performance. The latter said: “It was like three friends in their bedroom, strumming along to Marvin Gaye. You did not… grab hold of the song and make it your version, and I thought it was too laid-back for a night like this.” So it looks like round two goes to Adam Lambert… geez, now wasn’t that so utterly unpredictable?

U2’s new single, “Magnificent,” was released on May 4th by Mercury Records.

The video for “Magnificent” was directed by French filmmaker Alex Courtes. Alex also directed the video for the band’s previous single, “Get On Your Boots,” and alongside his former creative partner Martin Fougeral won a Grammy award for the “Vertigo” video. The video for “Magnificent” was shot in the historic city of Fez, Morocco last month.

“Magnificent,” the second single from No Line On The Horizon, will be available in the UK as a download and on 7″ vinyl. The vinyl single will be backed with a live version of album track Breathe, recorded in the Somerville Theatre in Boston earlier this year.

Magnificent Video:

Lily Allen has been handpicked by Karl Lagerfeld himself to be the new face of Chanel’s handbag campaign. When asked about his decision to have the troublesome British singer onboard for the new ads, he simply said “She’s fun.” Talk about being a man of many words. Who knew that Lily can still get a job? And who knew that she can be regarded as stylish? Uncle Karl must have had a blindfold on when he chose her for the campaign or that he knows close to nothing about Lily’s attitude. Here’s to hoping that she doesn’t mess it up.

The former American Idol contestant will be appearing as a co-host on the “American Idol Extra” show, a spectacle destined to catch interviews with all the contestants that are currently being given the boot from the contest. So this is how American Idol manages to recycle its old contestants as Ace Young participated in the fifth season and finished on the staggering position of seventh place. And now it seems Ace Young is back to entertain us again and to gain a bit more audience for the star-producing franchise. Still, it is a bit ironical that even contestants that didn’t make it to the top still have managed to build up some sort of a career due to the show… one has to wonder if daddy Cowell has anything to do with all of this.

Kate Voegele has just announced that she will be going on tour! Check out dates below and save the date to catch Kate in a town near you. Visit KateVoegele.com to grab tickets.
Also, check out part 2 of the One Tree Hill songstress at the photo shoot for her new album A Fine Mess due out in May.

University of Phoenix Presents: Kate Voegele’s Lift Me UP Tour
4/24 Salt Lake City, UT – Club Sound
4/25 Denver, CO – Marquis
4/27 Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck
4/28 Omaha, NE – Sokol Underground
4/29 Minneapolis, MN – Varsity
5/1 Chicago, IL – Park West
5/2 Milwaukee, WI – Rave Bar
5/3 Pontiac, MI – Eagle Theatre
5/5 Toronto, ON – Mod Club
5/6 Cleveland, OH – HOB Cambridge
5/7 Cincinnati, OH – 20th Century
5/8 Columbus, OH – The Basement
5/9 Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theatre
5/11 New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
5/12 Boston, MA – Paradise
5/13 New York, NY – Highline
5/15 S Hackensack, NJ – School of Rock
5/16 Philadelphia, PA – The Note
5/17 Baltimore, MD – Sonar
5/19 Nashville, TN – Rutledge
5/20 Atlanta, GA – The Loft
5/22 Orlando, FL – The Social
5/23 Jacksonville, FL – Jack Rabbits
5/24 Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
5/28 New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
5/29 Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
5/30 San Antonio, TX – White Rabbit
5/31 Dallas, TX – The Loft
6/2 Phoenix, AZ – Promotion
6/3 Phoenix, AZ – Martini Ranch
6/4 San Diego, CA – Soma Sidestage
6/5 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey
6/6 Orangevale, CA – The Boardwalk
6/7 San Francisco, CA – Slims
6/8 San Francisco, CA – Promotion
6/10 Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
6/11 Seattle, WA – Neumo’s
6/24 Bessemer, AL – Alabama Adventure

Some people predicted that Alexis Grace was going to be in the top four of American Idol. However, that was proven wrong after this week’s elimination show as the blonde has been booted off. The 21-year old went home, thanks no doubt to an uncharacteristically shrill performance of Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’. Because of the new Judges’ Save rule and because the judges have always liked her, Alexis was permitted to sing an encore to ultimately decide her fate. However, it wasn’t to be as she even her encore couldn’t save her from getting the boot. Some are saying that in a season featuring a widower and a blind man, Alexis’ story just didn’t have a winningly tragic charisma which makes her a little less popular than everyone else. Or maybe she really was just not that good.

The American Idol contestant will be saying goodbye to the show since she won’t be competing anymore due to the judges’ decision on Wednesday night. When asked if surprised that the judges did not use a save for her, Jasmine Murray replied: “You always have to have hope and faith, and it could happen. And they could have said yes, but they didn’t. They know what they want for the competition, and they probably wanted to save it. That’s OK with me.” It seems like the Disney-like song didn’t hold too well for Jasmine Murray after all. Oh well, if she can trust Simon Cowell and the rest of the judges’ decision, then I guess we can too… but then again?

Apple threatened to shut down iTunes in light of the Copyright Royalty Board in Washington DC considering a motion to increase the royalty rate paid by Apple to music publishers and record labels from 9 cents to 15 cents. However, the board rejected the raise in payouts but did not back up Apple’s suggestion of lowering rates. As of now, publishers will continue to receive their 9 out of 99 cents that iTunes charges for songs. iTunes VP Eddy Cue said that “Apple has repeatedly made clear it is in the business to make money and most likely would not continue to operate iTunes store if it were no longer possible to do so profitably.” In short, Apple wants to pay artists less so they can make more.