Jet setter Justin Bieber wins NRJ Award, performs in France

He is a young man who does not stay in one place for long, Justin Drew Bieber. After flying to Puerto Rico to support Selena Gomez on her world tour, he returned to L.A. for a few days in the studio. Then off he went again - to France

Bieber flew to Cannes and went to the NRJ awards. At the Saturday Jan. 28 award show he sang and won the award for Artist of the Year. The NRJ awards are the most prestigious awards in France, given out yearly by the pop radio station, NRJ, based in Cannes.

Justin Bieber: Making 'Believe'

No official word from Bieber's manager Scooter Braun or his website when he's returning, though it's likely soon. Reports of his time in the studio say work on his next album 'Believe' is going well and he intends to complete it in time for a spring release.

Yesterday, the 27th, he tweeted to fans: "i never thought i would ever get out of stratford and now im celebrating in france. never gets old. ALWAYS grateful! #Ilovemyfans." He also won an NRJ award last year. LMFAO also performed at the award show.more information...

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Source: http://www.digitaljournal.com

Beyonce, Adele, Chris Brown Up for NAACP Image Awards

Beyoncé, Adele, Chris Brown, Bruno Mars and Cee Lo Green are all in the running for top music awards at the 43rd annual NAACP Image Awards on February 17th. Beyoncé is nominated for Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Album for her record 4, while Mars, Brown, Green and Common are all up for Outstanding Male Artist. Jennifer Hudson, Lupe Fiasco, Ledisi and Mary J. Blige are also nominated for Outstanding Album alongside Beyoncé.

Though the NAACP is traditionally designed to honor "the accomplishments of people of color," Adele is nevertheless nominated for Outstanding Song and Music Video for her smash hit "Someone Like You." 

The complete music nominations for the NAACP Image Awards are as follows. The ceremony will be broadcast on NBC on February 17th at 8 p.m. ET.

Outstanding Song
"Best Thing I Never Had" - Beyonce
"Fool for You" feat. Melanie Fiona - Cee Lo Green
"I Smile" - Kirk Franklin
"So In Love" feat. Anthony Hamilton - Jill Scott 
"Someone Like You" - Adele

Outstanding Album
4 - Beyonce
F.A.M.E.  - Chris Brown
I Remember Me - Jennifer Hudson
Lasers - Lupe Fiasco
The Light of the Sun - Jill Scott

Outstanding New Artist
Committed
Diggy Simmons
Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. 
Mindless Behavior
Wynter Gordon

Outstanding Male Artist
Anthony Hamilton
Bruno Mars
Cee Lo Green
Chris Brown
Common

Outstanding Female Artist
Beyonce
Jennifer Hudson
Jill Scott
Ledisi
Mary J. Blige

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration
Boyz II Men
Cee Lo Green feat. Melanie Fiona
Mary J. Blige feat. Drake
Sounds of Blackness
The Roots

Outstanding Music Video
"25/8" - Mary J. Blige
"Hear My Call" - Jill Scott
"I Was Here" - Beyoncé
"Someone Like You" - Adele
"Where You At" - Jennifer Hudson

Outstanding Jazz Album
Chano y Dizzy - Terence Blanchard and Poncho Sanchez
Friends - Stanley Jordan
Guitar Man - George Benson
Legacy - Gerald Wilson
Road Show Vol. 2 - Sonny Rollins

Outstanding Gospel Album (Traditional or Contemporary) 
Becoming - Yolanda Adams 
Church on the Moon - Deitrick Haddon
Hello Fear - Kirk Franklin 
Something Big - Mary Mary
The Journey - Andrae Crouch

Outstanding World Music Album
Afrodiaspora - Susana Baca
Carnival Fever - Brother B
Live at 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival - Boukman Eksperyans
Sounds of Blackness - Sounds of Blackness
The First Grader  - Alex Heffes

more information...

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Source: http://www.rollingstone.com

Probe into Rapper Slim Dunkin's fatal shooting continues

Atlanta police Saturday continued to investigate the shooting death of rapper Slim Dunkin, who was gunned down in a Memorial Drive recording studio Friday after possibly getting into an argument with another person. 
Dunkin, whose real name is Mario Hamilton, 24, was  rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Atlanta Police Major Keith Meadows said Saturday there have been no arrests and “we’re still talking to people, but the truth is we don’t know exactly what happened.” Meadow said  13 to 20 people were in the building when the shooting occurred, around 5:30 p.m.

Investigators were still piecing together the sequence of events.Meadows said that Hamilton got into a "verbal altercation"  before the video shoot and the person he was arguing with pulled out a pistol and shot Hamilton once in the chest.

Meadows said Saturday it's not clear whether the argument was over the video.

"Right now we're just trying to....identify who may have seen what, really just trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together," Meadows said. "It seems everybody witnessed something very different. We're just trying to go back and make sense of everything."

Police have not recovered the handgun that was used.

Hamilton, who lives in metro Atlanta, was an emerging rap star with growing connections in the industry. Music news website HipHopDX reported Saturday Dunkin was a childhood friend of Waka Flocka Flame and appeared on Gucci Mane and Waka's "Ferrari Boyz" album released over the summer.

Another industy website, TheBoomBox, reported that the Brick Squad affiliate was to appear in the "Push Ups" video for Mane and V-Nasty when he was shot.

Fans posted a memorial Facebook page, “Rest In Peace Slim Dunkin,” where comments were posted Saturday.

“Life is so cruel, people don't give a dam [sic] about no one not even themselves, you got people crying, because people are dying," read one. Read another: " “It shows you that you can't trust a soul on this planet one min you with that person next you at there funeral."more information...

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Source: http://www.ajc.com

Beyonce releases 'Dance For You' video -- and does just that

If Beyonce is vying for most prolific pregnant diva, she moves a step closer to the title this Thanksgiving holiday by releasing yet another music video -- this time in support of her concert DVD "Live at Roseland: Elements of 4."

"Dance For You," a sultry black-and-white clip filmed prior to her baby bump, courtesy of husband Jay-Z, B goes for a Jessica Rabbit vibe in the shadowy offices of a private detective (watch it here).

The video carries the standard Bey DNA -- wind machines, plunging necklines and lots of hair. Not that we're complaining. "Live at Roseland" will feature highlights of her four-night stint at the aforementioned New York City ballroom.

That performance block was, let's say, a micro-tour for "4." Beyonce never intended to produce an international showing, as she was due on the set of Clint Eastwood's "A Star Is Born" update first thing in the new year. "Babyonce" changes things a bit, but she's still on track to play leading lady.more information...

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Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com

Michael Jackson's Neverland to become park?

Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch could become a memorial park for the King of Pop.

The late 'Bad' hitmaker - who died of acute Propofol intoxication in June 2009 - hadn't lived at the address since he was cleared of child molestation charges in 2005, and handed over the estate to Colony Capital LLC, a private equity firm, amid financial worries in 2008.

But now, state assembly member Mike Davis has revealed he proposes to apply to the California State Senate for backing to turn the disused site into a Michael Jackson-style Graceland.

Owned partly by the Jackson estate, Neverland currently lies dormant, a far cry from its heyday when the singer wrote many of his greatest hits at the site - complete with zoo and Ferris wheel - and entertained hundreds of children with parties.

However, Mr. Davis suggested as California's budget deficit currently stands at $19 billion, it would be difficult for the State Parks Department to purchase the property alone, and therefore proposes a public-private partnership to put the plan into action.

Meanwhile, several members of the Official Michael Jackson Fans of Southern California Group have offered to clean the pop legend's vandalised Great Masoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California - the singer's final resting place - after other fans defaced the building with tributes written in permanent ink.

The group say they want cemetery officials to realise not all of the late star's supporters are vandals.more information...

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Source: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/index.html

RUMOR PATROL: Lady Gaga NOT Launching Her Own Perfume

With the internet abuzz with speculation that Lady Gaga would be Coty’s next star perfumer, we couldn’t help but imagine what the outrageous singer would put out on shelves (just think of the bottle design alone!).

But sadly it seems that we won’t be finding out. “It’s a totally false rumor,” Steve Mormoris, senior vice president of global marketing for the firm’s Coty Beauty division, tells WWD.  “I know nothing of this project.”

We guess we’ll try and keep a “Poker Face” to hide our sadness over this rumor not being true and “Just Dance” to beat the blues.more information...

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Source: http://www.people.com/

Carlos Santana goes to 'Guitar Heaven' with help from Rob Thomas, Chris Daughtry, Nas, and more: Full tracklist revealed

Since 1999′s megasmash Supernatural, Carlos Santana has mostly stuck with that album’s eclectic, guest-heavy format for his subsequent releases. Now he’s taking the collaborative spirit one step further. On Sept. 21′s Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time, the famed guitarist enlisted at least one famous friend to perform on each of 13 covers.

The full line-up for Guitar Heaven was finalized via press release today. You can check it out after the jump. As you’ll see, Santana brought back his “Smooth” pal Rob Thomas for Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.” Grungy growlers dominate the rest of the track list, including Chris Cornell on Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” Scott Weiland on the Rolling Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’,” Gavin Rossdale on T. Rex’s “Bang a Gong,” Chris Daughtry on Def Leppard’s “Photograph,” and Scott Stapp on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son.” Then there’s Santana’s take on AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” which will feature rapping from Queensbridge’s own Nas.

Some of those pairings could work quite well. I’d definitely like to hear what Nas can do over those crunchy power chords. Gavin Rossdale going glam sounds intriguing. Anyone who’s heard a Stone Temple Pilots album knows Scott Weiland can do a solid Mick Jagger impression. And Joe Cocker gnashing his way through Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” should be well worth hearing. As for the turgid Scott Stapp attempting Creedence’s protest anthem? Yeah, that one’s an instant skip for me.

But what do you think? Take a look at the full track list for Carlos Santana’s Guitar Heaven after the jump and let us know which of these covers you’d like to hear.more information...

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Source:  http://www.ew.com/ew/

Lady Gaga Heats Up the 'Today' Show

Lady Gaga performed on the 'Today' show on Friday morning for a crowd of an estimated 20,000 people who took over a humid and rainy Rockefeller Plaza in New York.

The singer started her set with the classic Gershwin ballad 'Someone to Watch Over Me,' wearing an all-white ensemble of pants, a bra and a blazer. With dancers backing her, she took off the jacket and launched into her hit 'Bad Romance.'

Before continuing the performance, the hosts of the 'Today' show talked to Lady Gaga about the realities of fame and her new music.

"There are certainly things that are difficult to deal with," Gaga said. "But the kind of fame that I cherish is the relationship I have with my fans."

Lucky for her fans, Lady Gaga then performed 'You and I,' a brand new song from her upcoming record. The singer sat alone at her piano to play the soulful rock ballad and climbed atop it for the finale of the song.

After a break, Lady Gaga returned to the stage in a black version of her previous outfit to sing 'Alejandro,' encouraging her "little monsters" to put their hands up. She closed her set with a performance of 'Teeth.'more information...

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Source: http://www.popeater.com/ ( Exclusive New Track Lady Gaga 'You and I' )