Jacadimus' world

Artist and Group of the Year

2010-01-04T06:15:00.001-08:00

The two acts that dominated the charts worldwide this year were no other than newcomer Lady Gaga and the unstoppable Black Eyed Peas. We will now look at each artist individually and see why both of these acts dominated the charts.

Lady Gaga

Jacadimus' world has decided to crown Lady Gaga as the artist of the year - though an obvious choice, she is the one artist that has captured the world by her infectious music, unique style and artistic videos. She has pushed the boundaries for artists in ways that it can be argued no artist has done before. Her debut album The Fame (Monster) has amassed sales of 5.9 million units worldwide in 2009 alone.

Even more impressive are the sales of her singles both in the UK and US, below is a breakdown of each of the official singles:

Just Dance: US = 4,880,456 UK = 758,915
Poker Face: US = 4,469,561 UK = 882,059
Paperazzi: US = 1,716,904 UK = 438,365
Love Game: US = 1,908,660 UK = 121,000
Bad Romance: US = 1,793,466 UK = 458,553
Telephone: US = 258,493

Total US = 15,027,540 Total UK = 2,220,965

With over 17 million singles sold in the US and UK alone as well as almost 6 million albums sold worldwide this year, it is no surprise to see that Lady Gaga is the artist of the year around the world. Here are her two most talked about video's of the year, which have made fellow artists realise that they need to step up their game in terms of video's if they wish to compete in the coming decade.

Paperazzi

Bad Romance

Black Eyed Peas

Black Eyed Pea's exploded back on to the scene this year with their new futuristic dance sound, that returned them back to the top of the charts. In the US they spent an unheard of 26 consecutive weeks at No.1 with both Boom Boom Pow (12 weeks) and I Gotta Feeling (14 weeks) whilst over on this side of the pond Black Eyed Peas secured 3 consecutive No.1's and managed to secure all 3 of their singles in the Top 10 end of year charts for 2009, a feat that only 2 other acts in history have done; Spice Girls in 1996 and Engelbert Humperdinck in 1967.

Below is a breakdown of each of their singles and their sales in both the UK and US

Boom Boom Pow: US = 4,663,373 UK = 606,455
I Gotta Feeling: US = 4,243,203 UK = 818,815
Meet Me Halfway: US = 1,460,634 UK = 517,178
Imma Be: US = 314,967

Total US = 10,682,177 Total UK = 1,942,448

Though the figures don't match up to Lady Gaga's figures, it is clear to see that B.E.P's have only released 3 singles (Imma Be is just being serviced to US radio now) and as such they have done impressively well. With 12.5 million singles sold in the UK alone and 4.6 million albums sold worldwide, it is clear that they were the band of 2009.

Here is the video for Black Eyed Pea's "I Gotta Feeling" which is undoubtedly the single of the year worldwide in terms of chart positions and sales.

Biggest selling artists worldwide in 2009

2010-01-04T05:38:00.001-08:00

2009 is officially over and as always there is endless countdowns of the biggest singles/albums domestically and internationally, but the one chart I'm most interested in, is who dominated the charts Worldwide. It is no surprise to find that our very own Susan Boyle is the biggest artist of the year with 6 million units shifted in just over a month, narrowly beating Lady Gaga who sold 5.9 million units but had an extra 10 1/2 months to do so.

However the act that unsurprisingly dominates the worldwide album charts in 2009 is the late Michael Jackson, who has 6 albums in the Top 25 which combined total 21 million units ( a figure likely to be closer to 23 million units when factoring in his other albums). An astonishing feat by any artist, but sad under the circumstances in which they were sold.

Other winners were Black Eyed Peas who dominated the charts this year all around the world, selling 4.6 million albums who have had an amazing year worldwide with their latest album producing 3 massive singles.

Below is a countdown of the top 40 album sellers worldwide in 2009.

1 Susan Boyle - I Dreamed A Dream 6,0 million copies
2 Lady GaGa - The Fame (Monster) - 5,9 million copies
3 Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D. - 4,6 million copies
4 Taylor Swift - Fearless - 4,2 million copies
5 Michael Jackson - Thriller (25th Anniversary Reissue) - 4,0 million copies
6 Michael Jackson - Number Ones - 3,6 million copies
7 U2 - No Line On The Horizon - 3,5 million copies
8 Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night - 3,5 million copies
9 Michael Bublé - Crazy Love - 3,3 million copies
10 Beyoncé - I Am... Sasha Fierce - 3,2 million copies
11 Michael Jackson - This Is It - 3,1 million copies
12 Michael Jackson - The Essential - 2,9 million copies
13 Hannah Montana: The Movie - 2,9 million copies
14 Andrea Bocelli - My Christmas - 2,9 million copies
15 Eminem - Relapse - 2,9 million copies
16 Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown - 2,6 million copies
17 Pink - Funhouse - 2,6 million copies
18 Twilight OST - 2,4 million copies
19 Michael Jackson - King Of Pop - 2,0 million copies
20 Michael Jackson - Bad - 2,0 million copies
21 Jay-Z - Blueprint 3 - 1,9 million copies
22 Nickelback - Dark Horse - 1,9 million copies
23 Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You - 1,7 million copies
24 Michael Jackson - Dangerous - 1,7 million copies
25 Michael Jackson - Off The Wall - 1,7 million copies
26 Muse - The Resistance - 1,6 million copies
27 Whitney Houston - I Look To You - 1,6 million copies
28 Bruce Springsteen - Working On A Dream 1,6 million copies
29 Jason Mraz - We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. 1,6 million copies
30 Miley Cyrus - The Time Of Our Lives - 1,5 million copies
31 Coldplay - Viva La Vida - 1,5 million copies
32 Robbie Williams - Reality Killed The Video Star- 1,5 million copies
33 Arashi - All The Best! (1999-2009) - 1,5 million copies
34 New Moon OST - 1,5 million copies
35 Madonna - Celebration - 1,4 million copies
36 Britney Spears - Circus - 1,3 million copies
37 Soundtrack - Mamma Mia!- 1,3 million copies
38 Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted - 1,3 million copies
39 Beatles - Abbey Road- 1,3 million copies
40 Katy Perry - One Of The Boys - 1,3 million copies

iPod touch outsells the iPhone this Christmas

2009-12-28T07:39:00.001-08:00

The iPod touch's breakout Christmas

Downloads grew 1000% on Christmas Day, surpassing the iPhone's for the first time

Judging from data scheduled for release Monday morning by Flurry Analytics, Apple's (AAPL) iPod touch was one of the hot gifts this holiday season. "It appears that an influx of new iPod Touch devices has flooded the market over Christmas," Flurry reports, "and that users of the handset, primarily pre-teen and teen audiences, are voracious downloaders."

In the chart above, iPhone downloads on Christmas Day are set at 1 to show relative growth. As Flurry reports, the data show:

App Store downloads on the iPod touch exceeded the iPhone's for the first time, eclipsing iPhone downloads by 172%.
iPod touch 3G downloads increased by more than 900% on Dec. 25, compared with the average of all previous Fridays in December.

Total iPod touch downloads (all generations) jumped by more than 1000% on Christmas Day, suggesting that iTunes gift-card giving may have helped drive downloads to older-generation iPod touches, as well as to the new 3G models found under the tree that morning.

Downloads from phones powered by Google (GOOG) Android also popped on Christmas Day, but their growth trailed behind Apple's by a significant margin.

Motorola's (MOT) Droid led the way, with nearly 49% of the Christmas download share. Droid app downloads increased 93% on Dec. 25 over previous Fridays in December.

Overall, however, Apple's App Store download volume was 13 times greater than downloads from all Android phones.

Source: CNN

This years big album sellers

2009-12-27T12:47:00.000-08:00

For all you number crunchers out there, here is a list of some of this years biggest selling albums

1,576,982 Susan Boyle - I Dreamed A Dream
1,332,805 Lady Gaga - The Fame
1,153,065 Michael Buble - Crazy Love
1,084,566 Beyonce - I Am.... Sasha Fierce (sales up to Dec 20th)
1,049,899 Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D.
943,860 JLS - JLS
752,377 Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up
728,189 Robbie Williams - Reality Killed The Video Star
608,127 Cheryl Cole - 3 Words
548,569 Leona Lewis - Echo
538,561 Snow Patrol - Up To Now
524,186 Queen- Absolute Greatest
414,450 Take That - Circus Live
412,607 Will Young - The Hits
411,378 Westlife - Where We Are

2,199,509 Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night - sales combined from 2008 and 2009 (over a million copies sold in 2009)

This weeks top albums

2009-12-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

In something of a surprising uprising in recent weeks, Michael Buble has managed to topple the juggernaut that is Susan Boyle to claim this weeks No.1 album, with close to 1/4 million album sales. Michael has now firmly cemented himself as the artist that all mum's and grans love and youngsters too, replacing the previous owners of the title Westlife who still managed to sell over 80,000 copies of their album this week.

Here is a list of the Top 20 albums as well as their sales.

1) 243226 Michael Buble
2) 234651 Susan Boyle
3) 148676 The Black Eyed Peas
4) 143252 Lady Gaga
5) 108999 JLS
6) 102283 Robbie Williams
7) 102083 Take That
8) 93946 Snow Patrol
9) 84831 Will Young
10) 84754 Cheryl Cole
11) 81016 Westlife
12) 76724 Leona Lewis
13) 75988 Rod Stewart
14) 75874 Queen
15) 72047 Paolo Nutini
16) 56858 Michael Jackson
17) 52703 Alicia Keys
18) 48649 Rihanna
19) 47292 N-Dubz
20) 46709 Soldiers

Hits Daily Double Project Sales for Billboard 200

2009-12-23T09:37:00.001-08:00

Susan Boyle has for the 4th consecutive week in a row secured the No.1 spot on the Billboard 200 Album charts, with projected figures of over 650,000 copies sold in the past week, bringing her 4 week US total to nearly 2.5 million copies and nearly 5 million copies worldwide in the last month. An astonishing feat by any means. Also making debuts on the chart are Alicia Key's with her 4th studio album "Elements of Freedom" bring in sales of over 400,000 and Robin Thicke at No.9 with his album Sex Therapy.

Michael Buble's crosses the 1 million sales mark in the US this week, with nearly 150,000 copies sold, and the album looks a dead cert to claim the No.1 album in the UK this weekend by also reaching 1 million copies, and dethrowning Susan Boyle and marking his status in the UK as the biggest selling male of 2009.

1 1 SUSAN BOYLE COLUMBIA 659,382 +13% I DREAMED A DREAM
-- 2 ALICIA KEYS J RECORDS 405,762 --ELEMENT OF FREEDOM
2 3 ANDREA BOCELLI DECCA 384,928 -2% MY CHRISTMAS
4 4 TAYLOR SWIFT BIG MACHINE 230,045 +39% FEARLESS
5 5 CARRIE UNDERWOOD 19/ARISTA 159,423 +44% PLAY ON
-- 6 MICHAEL BUBLE REPRISE 149,437 -- CRAZY LOVE
7 7 LADY GAGA INTERSCOPE 135,045 +32% FAME
8 8 JUSTIN BIEBER ISLAND 130,012 +28% MY WORLD
-- 9 ROBIN THICKE STAR TRAK 120,018 --SEX THERAPY
12 10 MICHAEL JACKSON EPIC 115,086 +41% THIS IS IT

The race is now well and truly on to see if the Boyle can become the biggest selling album of the year, which is currently being held by Taylor Swift and with her sales increasing this week it looks like it will be a fight all the way to the end. Current figures are:

Susan Boyle 2,465,000
Taylor Swift 2,933,000

Who will win? Taylor swifts margin seems to big to catch but if Susan posts another 2 weeks above 500,000 and Taylor around 250,000 then Susan may just sneak it but a whisker....

Billboard Top 50 Digital Songs - December 23rd

2009-12-23T09:07:00.000-08:00

BILLBOARD HOT DIGITAL SONGS - TOP 50

Black Eyed Peas this week manage to get a 2nd single over 4 million digital sales with "I Gotta Feeling" and Kesha climbs to the top of the digital sales and looks a dead cert to get the Christmas No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100 tomorrow. Other notable artists include debuts from Eminem at No.12 and No.31 and Alicia Keys at No.26 with her interpretation of her current No.3 digital sales song Empire State of Mind, which is at No.3 on the digital songs chart.

2 1 KE$HA TIK TOK 221493 22 181834 1438285
1 2 LADY GAGA BAD ROMANCE 169886 -7 182527 1348555
3 3 JAY-Z + ALICIA KEYS EMPIRE STATE OF MIND 147699 8 136720 1945231
4 4 IYAZ REPLAY 129464 24 104490 1602277
5 5 OWL CITY FIREFLIES 114365 12 102058 2047970
12 6 SEAN*JAY FEAT. LIL WAYNE DOWN 95192 59 59752 2518981
7 7 BLACK EYED PEAS MEET ME HALFWAY 88717 -3 91398 1218258
8 8 GUETTA*DAVID FEAT. AKON SEXY CHICK 87678 1 86959 1258556
9 9 DERULO*JASON WHATCHA SAY 86885 11 78443 2211121
6 10 LUDACRIS HOW LOW 83248 -11 93120 176368
10 11 YOUNG MONEY FEAT. LLOYD BEDROCK 76929 17 65572 239828
-- 12 EMINEM FEAT. DR. DRE HELL BREAKS LOOSE 74331 999 0 74331
15 13 SEAN*JAY FEAT. SEAN PAUL & LIL DO YOU REMEMBER 64074 15 55679 351602
13 14 CYRUS*MILEY PARTY IN THE U.S.A. 61637 8 56870 2697285
11 15 SPEARS*BRITNEY 3 61404 -5 64975 1278548
22 16 RIHANNA FEAT. YOUNG JEEZY HARD 61212 35 45285 232509
16 17 BLACK EYED PEAS I GOTTA FEELING 58452 5 55664 4044882
19 18 BROWN*CHRIS FEAT. LIL WAYNE & I CAN TRANSFORM YA 56935 21 47093 569711
14 19 LADY ANTEBELLUM NEED YOU NOW 52325 -8 56835 1058432
25 20 BOYS LIKE GIRLS FEAT TAYLOR SW TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE 52320 25 41839 401449
21 21 DRAKE, KANYE WEST, LIL WAYNE & FOREVER 50698 11 45631 1002385
30 22 TRAIN HEY, SOUL SISTER 50469 47 34267 470930
61 23 KEYS*ALICIA TRY SLEEPING WITH A BROKEN HEA 50442 139 21129 164951
17 24 CAREY*MARIAH ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YO 48386 -11 54142 1492173
20 25 LADY GAGA PAPARAZZI 48185 3 46712 1543841
-- 26 KEYS*ALICIA EMPIRE STATE OF MIND (PART II) 42836 999 0 42836
27 27 CASCADA EVACUATE THE DANCEFLOOR 40983 12 36475 760586
28 28 ALLEN*KRIS LIVE LIKE WE'RE DYING 40355 14 35553 290216
34 29 CLARKSON*KELLY ALREADY GONE 38575 18 32608 918287
37 30 LADY GAGA FEAT. BEYONCE TELEPHONE 36778 18 31073 169862
-- 31 EMINEM ELEVATOR 36246 999 0 36246
39 32 NEW BOYZ FEAT. RAY J TIE ME DOWN 34539 16 29672 290888
26 33 SHAKIRA FEAT. LIL WAYNE GIVE IT UP TO ME 33969 -7 36625 228237
38 34 BIEBER*JUSTIN ONE TIME 33747 9 30951 1115310
32 35 RIHANNA RUSSIAN ROULETTE 33054 -2 33567 494727
36 36 UNDERWOOD*CARRIE COWBOY CASANOVA 32840 3 31919 708766
59 37 MUSE UPRISING 32016 47 21830 459603
44 38 SWIFT*TAYLOR YOU BELONG WITH ME 31083 10 28279 2530208
48 39 BIRDMAN FEAT. LIL WAYNE & DRAK MONEY TO BLOW 30938 18 26209 352791
40 40 BEYONCE SWEET DREAMS 30696 4 29500 991845
42 41 JAY-Z, RIHANNA & KANYE WEST RUN THIS TOWN 30399 6 28745 1835396
43 42 BLACK EYED PEAS BOOM BOOM POW 29657 3 28686 4544087
66 43 ORIANTHI ACCORDING TO YOU 29472 47 20000 88041
18 44 TIMBALAND FEAT. JUSTIN TIMBERL CARRY OUT 27660 -45 50077 102254
52 45 SWIFT*TAYLOR FIFTEEN 26936 11 24251 546084
46 46 LADY GAGA POKER FACE 26902 2 26396 4374716
51 47 KINGS OF LEON USE SOMEBODY 26430 7 24675 2619677
49 48 SNOOP DOGG FEAT. THE-DREAM GANGSTA LUV 25542 2 25048 202368
45 49 GUCCI MANE FEAT. USHER SPOTLIGHT 25277 -7 27038 142532
57 50 BEYONCE SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON I 24966 11 22552 3368803

Nexus One (aka Google Phone) video run through

2009-12-23T04:32:00.000-08:00

Here is a 5 minute video run through of one of the most talked about phones in the last 6 months.

It looks extremely promising and as long as it can host emails from other domains than gmail and google wave, then my decision over the iPhone and Blackberry is made.

With a release date scheduled for January 5th, hopefully I will be getting a belated Chrimbo pressie from Santa!!!! Eyes crossed hey!

One for all the girls - Sex In City 2 trailer

2009-12-23T04:20:00.000-08:00

Here is the trailer for what is set to be one of the most anticipated films of 2010.

Unfortunately the trailer doesn't reveal much of the storyline, but with more trailers due in the new year in the lead up to the film, it looks like SITC 2 may actually be bigger than the first film!

Rage Against The Machine secure Christmas No.1

2009-12-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

After the massive backlash about X Factor's dominance over the Christmas No.1's in recent years, the facebook group that was set up to challenge the Christmas No.1 has been successful. The song chosen to challenge Joe's "The Climb" was Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name". The final figures were 502,600 to Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name" and 450,800 to Joe McElderry's "The Climb".

Rage against the machine pulled an early lead at the start of the week, but it was feared that Joe would pull ahead when the physical single was released this Wednesday (RATM didn't have a physical single available for release). With close midweek figures on Friday's midweeks, it was thought that Joe would pull away come Sundays official announcement, but with all the press coverage garnered from the facebook campaign, the British public rallied behind the campaign and ensured that RATM secured the coverted No.1 spot (full breakdown of day by day sales figures at the bottom).

Here are the video's for each song as well as an amazing mash-up of "Killing In The Name" to X Factor clips.

Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name

Joe McElderry - The Climb

Parody of Killing in the Name with X Factor clips

Below is a list of sales figures for each day, along with the final figures:

Tuesday Midweeks
1 Rage Against The Machine 83k
2 Joe McElderry 77k

Wednesday Midweeks
No data released

Thursday Midweeks
1 Rage Against The Machine 253k
2 Joe McElderry 216k

Friday Midweeks
01 Rage Against The Machine 306,115
02 Joe McElderry 297,192

Final Figures
01 Rage Against The Machine 502,600
02 Joe McEldery 450,800

I Got You - Leona Lewis

2009-12-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

The second single to be released from Leona's album Echo is "I Got You" and is to be serviced to airwaves worldwide this week.

I GOT YOU - LEONA LEWIS

She also has a couple of other songs that have been tied in with two of the biggest releases in the coming weeks.

She will be singing the main song for the most anticipated film of the year Avatar called "I See You" an exclusive track that is not on the Echo album, as well as her song "My Hands" being featured on the latest Final Fantasy release. So no matter where you go or look, Leona's music will be there, on the radio, at the cinema and on computer consoles.

I SEE YOU - LEONA LEWIS

Vevo - New Music Video Platform launched today

2009-12-08T02:57:00.000-08:00

It’s December 8th, the day we finally get to see 2 very well kept secrets: Vevo and Bada. Vevo, is a new music service by Google, YouTube, and Sony in partnership with Universal Music Group. Back in November, we reported that the official Vevo account on Twitter sent out the following tweet:
“VEVO is launching the night of Tues, Dec 8th. Get ready!!”
The music service has further confirmed it’s big launch tonight with new tweets responding to questions by its followers.

Bada, on the other hand, is Samsung’svery own mobile platform, which is expected to be unveiled today. At the end of last month, Samsung announced it would be unveiling the OS at a press conference in London, where Samsung’s EVP and Head of Media Solution Center, Dr. HS Lee will be speaking along with the Head of Mobile at Twitter, Kevin Thau.

Cutest Cat ever!

2009-12-08T02:26:00.000-08:00

Mariah Carey UK tour Spring 2010

2009-12-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

Mariah Carey has already started to announce dates in the US for her "Angels Cry" tour including a NYE show at Madison Square Gardens in NYC and Jacadimus' World can exclusively reveal to you that the tour will be working its way to England in 2010.

Dates at the moment are just being tied up with tentative dates booked in for the end of Spring (April/May) and back-up dates in October dependent on scheduling and routing for the tour in the rest of the world.

Tickets are currently being set at the price of 60GBP, which considering the prices a lot of the artists have been charging recently is definitely value for money! An official announcement is scheduled soon, with tickets planning to go on sale just before Christmas.

A stocking filler for all you lambs out there if ever there was one.

Jay Z's take on Tiger Wood's affair scandal

2009-12-06T10:52:00.001-08:00

If you having girl problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one

Susan Boyle - Breaking Records

2009-12-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

The scottish lass is a force to be reckoned with as her album in its second week on the UK charts once again hits the top spot selling a whopping 303,708 copies this week, bringing its 2 week total to 715,528!!!!

She is on course to get the record for the fastest selling debut record to sell a million copies. That title is currently held by another reality artist, Leona Lewis who managed the feat in just under 4 weeks, though Susan looks likely to achieve this in around 21 days.

A true hollywood story if ever there was one, Susan Boyle should be an inspiration to everyone and definitely has proved to a lot of people that you should never judge a book by its cover!

Top 40 Selling Songs of the Decade

2009-12-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

Below are the Top 40 biggest selling songs of this decade - an updated list will be published once this year is out.

Unsurprisingly, the top 10 records are full of reality contestants, with 5 of the 10 records in the Top 10 being from Talent Competitions such as X Factor and Pop Stars.

It is also refreshing to see that in the last 12 months, we have had a couple of artists rapidly approach the 1 million mark who aren't from a reality show, proving that the industry is still alive and capable of producing big selling singles (Kings Of Leon and Lady Gaga)

However this decade's title goes to Will Young the winner of the first Pop Idol show with his debut single "Evergreen/Anything Is Possible"

Below is a list of the Top 40 singles of the decade with their respective sales.

1. Will Young - Evergreen/Anything Is Possible 1,795,000
2. Gareth Gates - Unchained Melody 1,400,000
3. Shaggy - It Wasn't Me 1,200,000
4. Alexandra Burke – Hallelujah 1,161,650
5. Band Aid 20 - Do They Know It's Christmas 1,150,000
6. Tony Christie - Is This The Way To Amarillo 1,137,000 (1,197,000)
7. Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out Of My Head 1,104,000
8. Shayne Ward - That's My Goal 1,100,000
9. Hear'Say - Pure & Simple 1,080,000
10. Bob The Builder - Can We Fix It 1,010,000

11. Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love 971,500
12. Gnarls Barkley - Crazy 970,000
13. Atomic Kitten - Whole Again 965,000
14. Kings of Leon – Sex On Fire 865,705
15. Leona Lewis - A Moment Like This 862,000
16. Lady GaGa – Poker Face 848,580
17. Enrique Iglesias - Hero 835,000
18. X Factor Finalists – Hero 802,000
19. DJ Otzi - Hey Baby 776,000
20. Eminem ft Dido - Stan 772,000

21. Westlife - Uptown Girl 768,000
22. Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling 762,790
23. Lady GaGa – Just Dance 749,115
24. S Club7 - Don't Stop Moving 742,000
25. All Saints - Pure Shores 721,000
26. Nelly & Kelly Rowland - Dilemma 710,000
27. Baha Men - Who Let The Dogs Out 707,000
28. Elvis vs JXL - A Little Less Conversation 700,000
29. Take That - Rule The World 686,925
30. Kings of Leon – Use Somebody 681,310

31. Rihanna - Umbrella 670,000
32. La Roux – In For The Kill 651,225
33. Sonique - Feels So Good 650,000
34. Black Eyed Peas - Where Is The Love 641,500
35. Girls Aloud - Sound Of The Underground 635,000
36. James Blunt - You're Beautiful 635,000
37. Cheryl Cole – Fight For This Love 632,090
38. Shakira - Whenever Wherever 631,000
39. S Club 7 - Never Had A Dream Come True 630,000
40. Robbie Williams - Rock DJ 629,000

Song Of The Day - Alicia Keys and Beyonce 'Put It In A Love Song"

2009-12-06T09:12:00.000-08:00

Got smash hit written all over this song, surefire hit for the number one spot when it eventually gets released as a single.

Loving the retro vibe this song has.

X Factor this week

2009-12-06T09:03:00.000-08:00

Who do you think was the best performer this week?

Though many people have criticized his performance, Danyl's vocal performance on Man In The Mirror was my highlight of the show, the first verse and chorus were shockingly bad, but the last 45 seconds were better than the rest of the performances, even if it didn't match up to my favourite Jackson song...

The other highlight of the show for me was Stacey's 'Somehow, Someday, Somewhere", though she messed up the last note, she still knocked it out the park.

The person I think that will be going home this week is Olly, I always thought he was gonna win the show, but now he is definitely the weakest of the three, his dance moves this week were ridiculous and just embarassing and his vocals were sub par.

Thought of the day

2009-12-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

Life is too short, and we spend so much time trying to seek approval in others that we will never get. So rather than strive to get that approval which will never come, focus your energies on the things in life that will make a difference, your dreams, your true friends and other important factors.

Are you a black mermaid

2009-03-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

UK Charts

2009-03-23T06:02:00.000-07:00

Lady Gaga has once again hit the top spot with her new single "Poker Face" with only 221 copies seperating the Top 2, the comic relief songs take a subsequent fall and end up back down at 3 and 4 respectively. Beyonce is now the one to watch as she races up the chart with new single "Halo" climbing from No.20 to this weeks No.9.

1 4 LADY GAGA POKER FACE 53,699
2 2 FLO RIDA FT KESHA RIGHT ROUND 53,478
3 1 JENKINS/WEST ISLANDS IN THE STREAM 40,478
4 3 SATURDAYS JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH 34,633
5 5 TAYLOR SWIFT LOVE STORY 33,922
6 7 TI FT JT DEAD AND GONE 31,353
7 6 KELLY CLARKSON MY LIFE WOULD SUCK 30,030
8 9 AKON BEAUTIFUL 25,565
9 20 BEYONCE HALO 25,122
10 8 KINGS OF LEON USE SOMEBODY 19,637

On the album charts, in the battle for the mothers day album, Ronan Keating came out on top, whilst Lionel who has been in the UK all week promoting his new album could only just scrape the Top 10.

1 (NEW) RONAN KEATING SONGS FOR MY MOTHER 87,030
2 (2) ANNIE LENNOX THE COLLECTION 52,317
3 (4) KINGS OF LEON ONLY BY THE NIGHT 40,964
4 (6) FARYL FARYL 40,350
5 (9) TAKE THAT THE CIRCUS 37,642
6 (1) U2 NO LINE ON THE HORIZON 30,199
7 (8) LADY GAGA THE FAME 28,214
8 (3) KELLY CLARKSON ALL I EVER WANTED 27,373
9 (21) BETTE MIDLER THE BEST BETTE 25,031
10 (NEW) LIONEL RICHIE JUST GO 22,618

Beautiful shots of the Aurora Australis

2009-03-22T08:32:00.000-07:00

The aurora australis, commonly known as the southern lights

Jade Goody has passed away

2009-03-22T08:29:00.001-07:00

Jade Goody passed away around 3:30am this morning at her home in Essex, England.

Jade who has been fighting cancer since finding out on India's Big Brother back in 2007, lost her battle whilst surrounded by her mum and husband.

Thoughts and prayers are with her family at this difficult time.

Prince's LA shows for album release

2009-03-21T06:05:00.000-07:00

Prince has a busy schedule next week. Along with performing three nights in a row (March 25-27) on the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno," the Purple One is scheduled to play three back-to-back concerts at separate venues in Los Angeles on March 28.

Prince is hoping the live appearances will help build anticipation for the March 29 release of his two new albums, "LOtUSFLOW3R" and "MPLSoUND." Both CDs, along with a third by new artist Bria Valente, will be available as a three disc set exclusively through Target for a price of $11.98.

Prince is also launching a fan subscription service called Lotusflow3r.com. For $77 a year, subscribers will get an as yet not fully outlined set of content that will include exclusive music, video, lyrics, artwork and photos.

On March 28, Prince is scheduled to perform three full-length concerts at Los Angeles' $2.5 billion L.A. Live sports and entertainment project, which is owned and being developed by AEG. Doors for the first show at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live will open at 5:30 p.m.; doors at the Conga Room open at 8 p.m.; and doors at Club Nokia will open at 11:30 p.m.

Fans will be required to purchase separate tickets for each concert. Tickets go on sale March 22 via ticketmaster.com and lotusflow3r.com for $77 (plus additional fees).

The "Tonight Show" performances are part of a larger rollout for the CD package in Los Angeles. In an e-mail message sent to fans who signed up for updates on lotusflow3r.com, Prince wrote, "From the 24th on, there will b a slew of NPG-related events happening around electric LAlaland.. we don't want 2 give away all the details yet, but b prepared 2 get yo groove on, numerous ways 4 numerous days. We know $ is tite but the adventures will b worth ur while! Stay 2ned 2 this outtaspacestation."

As previously reported, Prince is just the latest music legend to release new music exclusively through a major retailer. AC/DC and the Eagles were among the acts who sold millions of CDs through their partnership with Wal-Mart.

Obama's olive branch to Iran

2009-03-20T08:53:00.000-07:00

Walmart hand out $2billion in bonuses

2009-03-19T14:05:00.000-07:00

he world’s largest retailer, Wal-Mart, has released new annual bonus figures today. Wal-Mart said it paid out about $2 billion to its U.S. hourly employees through various financial incentives, which included $933.6 million in cash bonuses, $788.8 million in profit sharing, merchandise discounts, 401(k) contributions, employee stock options, among other incentives.

Last year, Wal-Mart handed out $1.2 billion in financial bonuses.

Wal-Mart has been able to do this given strong growth despite a global economic downturn. Same-store sales were up 3.3% in the last fiscal year ending Jan 31, 2009. Total sales during that same period were up significantly by 7.2% to $401.24 billion.

More and more people are going to Wal-Mart today to save on purchases given massive job losses and high mortgage payments that become due. Wal-Mart said today it plans to further cut prices including specifically on glasses and contact lenses, among other merchandise.

Fritzl sentenced to life

2009-03-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

The sick man who trapped his daughter in his basement and raped her thousands of times over 2 decades and subsequently had 7 children with her has been sentenced to life in jail.

The daughter and children are still being looked after by officials, and though the children are said to suffer from psychological issues, because they are young they should be able to adapt to their new surroundings. However it is the daughter that will have the massive psychological problems and need constant observation, as she spent most of her life void of communication to humans, bar her children and father and the overwhelming feeling of being introduced to a new world will have serious repocussions.

Google launches UK version of its street view maps

2009-03-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

Funniest group ever

2009-03-19T05:48:00.000-07:00

Celebs feeling the credit crunch too

2009-03-17T05:03:00.000-07:00

Heir-head Paris Hilton is feeling the pinch.

The 28-year-old It Girl once commanded around £75,000 for a nightclub appearance in London but in November her “work” fee dropped to just £25,000.

And she can’t even fall back on a big inheritance either. In 2007, her grandfather, Barron, cut her original £50million potential windfall to just £2.5million, pledging the rest to charity.

MEGA-MINTED Roman Abramovich is thought to have suffered losses of up to £12BILLION thanks to the crunch.

The Chelsea FC owner has seen his stakes in Russian steel group Evraz and mining firm Highland Gold take a kicking, while his property investments and his main company Millhouse have also plunged in value.

The 42-year-old Russian tycoon may now have only a measly £3billion in his personal coffers now.

Zac Efron naked girl scandal

2009-03-17T04:59:00.001-07:00

And this time it isn't Vanessa Hudgens but an outtake from his shoot with "Interview Magazine"

Joby One Kanoby this ones for you!

Jade Goody Hours from deaths door

2009-03-17T04:53:00.000-07:00

It is now a matter of hours
Jade deteriorated overnight and is close to the end

CANCER victim Jade Goody was last night just hours from death.

Frail and weak, the desperately-ill star is not expected to live beyond tomorrow.

As family and close friends gathered at her bedside yesterday one pal warned: “It IS now a matter of hours, she has deteriorated dramatically overnight. Sadly she is very close to the end.”

The friend then told how, when the truth sank in on Friday night, reality TV star Jade cried out in terror, screaming for husband Jack Tweed.

“One of the problems is she’s terrified of falling asleep because she’s afraid she’ll never wake up,” said the source.

“That means she completely exhausts herself. It was terrible.”

Lakers

2009-03-17T04:47:00.001-07:00

Grammy's moved next year.

2009-03-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

Next year's Grammy Awards will be held at L.A.'s Staples Center on Jan. 31, a week earlier than this year's kudocast.
One reason for next year's shuffle -- which is not expected to be permanent -- is that CBS, longtime broadcaster of the Grammys, has the Super Bowl on Feb. 7. The Olympics also begin on NBC soon thereafter, so moving later wasn't an option, especially with the Oscars also set for late February on ABC.

As a result of the shift, the eligibility period for voting will be shortened by one month, lasting from Oct. 1 to Aug. 31.

The usual week's worth of fashion, education and philanthropic events leading up to the kudocast will remain in place, the Recording Academy said.

The date of the Grammy nominations announcement will be disclosed soon, the org said.

UK Top 10 Single and Album Charts

2009-03-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

This week sees a new number one in the form of comic relief's "Islands in the Stream" by Ness and Glyn from Gavin and Stacey.

1 NEW JENKINS/WEST ISLANDS IN THE STREAM 87,177
2 1 FLO RIDA RIGHT ROUND 66,493
3 2 SATURDAYS JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH 63,433
4 3 LADY GAGA POKER FACE 55,293
5 5 TAYLOR SWIFT LOVE STORY 42,907
6 4 KELLY CLARKSON MY LIFE WOULD SUCK 42,050
7 6 TI FT J T DEAD AND GONE 38,334
8 11 KINGS OF LEON USE SOMEBODY 26,052
9 13 AKON BEAUTIFUL 22,418
10 NEW OASIS FALLING DOWN 21,448

Over on the album charts, U2 just manage to hold on to the top spot, with new entries by Annie Lennox and Kelly Clarkson vying for that coveted top spot. Also new entries this week from Taylor Swift and Faryl keep the top 10 interesting.

1 1 U2 NO LINE ON THE HORIZON 44,261
2 NEW ANNIE LENNOX THE COLLECTION 42,649
3 NEW KELLY CLARKSON ALL I EVER WANTED 39,858
4 3 KINGS OF LEON ONLY BY THE NIGHT 37,064
5 NEW TAYLOR SWIFT FEARLESS 33,829
6 NEW FARYL FARYL 29,172
7 2 PRODIGY INVADERS MUST DIE 26,892
8 4 LADY GAGA THE FAME 23,597
9 7 TAKE THAT THE CIRCUS 17,298
10 5 LILY ALLEN IT'S NOT ME IT'S YOU 15,666

Song Of The Day - Keri Hilson

2009-03-14T10:37:00.001-07:00

This song "Knock You Down" is definitely a future single for her, with Ne-Yo and Kanye also on the track.

Gotta love the Keri.

Liverpool on the way to two cups

2009-03-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Liverpool completed the double this week, by beating both Real Madrid in the European Cup on Tuesday 4-0 and then beating Man United today 4-1. Torres named man of the match in todays clash with Man U, has been on form and now Liverpool are into the quarter finals of the Champions League and then still could win the Premier League although they are still 4 points behind Man Utd.

Jai Ho - the video

2009-03-14T06:00:00.001-07:00

Furthering my blog posting last month of the song, here is the video for PCD's new song, the oscar winning Jai Ho.

It really is all about Nicole!

Lily's US tour in trouble

2009-03-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

After Lily Allen's car was rear ended by a paperazzi, she got out her car and got into an altercation with the paperazzi guy.

Unfortunately this incident means that Lily could not be granted her work visa to tour in the states.

Paperazzi need to learn some fucking respect and give celebrities the relevant amount of space and privacy, and this was clearly an invasion of both!

Fergie looking great in NY

2009-03-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

Fergie was spotted at a charity event in NYC last night sporting new brunette locks, presumably from the new video "Boom Boom Pow"

This definitely suits her better than the blonde look, more sexy less crystal meth look.

Song Of The Day - Alain Clark

2009-03-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

Alain Clark - Blow Me Away

AMAZING soul singer, hey one good thing recently is I have been discovering a lot of great new music. I am a bit late on this bandwagon but better late than never!

The internet

2009-03-12T18:15:00.001-07:00

The internet is a city. It has monumental libraries, theatres and museums, but like any city it also has red light districts and places you wouldn't want your children to wander alone. And like any city, you don't pull down all of it because it's got bits you don't like.

Song Of The Day - "Sleepwalking" Joe Brooks

2009-03-12T12:15:00.001-07:00

AMAZING new singer - Joe Brooks - my new favourite singer of 2009!

Pic of the day

2009-03-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

Zac Efron and Taylor Swift...17 Again

2009-03-12T10:52:00.001-07:00

Zac Efron and Taylor Swift attend Zac's film premiere for his new movie 17 again in Australia this week.

Don't they make for a cute couple!!!

Credit: Just Jared

Foreclosures

2009-03-12T10:31:00.000-07:00

The US Market really is feeling the recession kick in now with foreclosures growing every day:

* Foreclosure filings are up 6% in February 2009 on January 2009
* Due to the grace period Obama introduced to hold foreclosures for 90 days there was a 10% decline in filings in January 09
* Foreclosure filings are up 30% from a year ago
* One in every 440 households with mortgages drew a filing last month
* 291,000 properties in US got a foreclosure notice in February 2009
* One in every 54 households with a mortgage got at least one filing notice in 2008
* House prices are down 26% since their peak 3 years ago i 2006

If You Seek Amy Video

2009-03-12T09:35:00.000-07:00

Looking good and back to the old Britney days!!!!

Michael Jackson just keeps on adding dates!

2009-03-12T05:48:00.000-07:00

Added to the ever growing list of dates, Michael Jackson has now added dates in January and February of 2010, see below for the new dates for next year:

Thu 07/01/10
Sat 09/01/10
Tue 12/01/10
Thu 14/01/10
Sat 16/01/10
Mon 18/01/10
Sat 23/01/10
Mon 25/01/10
Wed 27/01/10
Fri 29/01/10
Mon 01/02/10
Wed 03/02/10
Mon 08/02/10
Wed 10/02/10
Fri 12/02/10

Downloading films from your cell phone to your PC

2009-03-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

Technology is evolving so fast, you can now scan a barcode on your phone for a film and it will find the film in a torrent site and then by activating it on your computer and having your IP address, you can start the download from your phone to make it start downloading on your computer at home, and then it will be ready for you when you get in.

CRAZY!!!!!

Katie Holmes back to best

2009-03-11T09:26:00.001-07:00

Katie Holmes, is back to looking her best after getting new hair extensions put in this week in Tokyo, Japan where she is with husband Tom Cruise to promote his film Valkarie.

At one point I questioned why Katie Holmes used to be the person out of anyone in the world I would want to spend the rest of my life with, but it looks like she is getting back to the way she used to be.

Youtube ban UK viewers to watch music videos

2009-03-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

LONDON -- Google Inc. said Monday it will block U.K. users from watching music videos on its popular video-sharing site YouTube after negotiations with Britain's music royalty-collecting body broke down.

Google said it would begin blocking British users starting Monday night. The Internet titan said it knew the move would cause "significant disappointment." But it said its hand was forced by PRS for Music, which it said is asking for royalties that would cause Google to lose money every time a video was played on YouTube.

"Our previous license from PRS for Music has expired, and we've been unable so far to come to an agreement to renew it on terms that are economically sustainable for us," Google said in a statement. Until a solution is found, it added, "we will be blocking premium music videos in the U.K. that have been supplied or claimed by record labels."

PRS for Music, which collects money on behalf of writers and publishers worldwide, said it was outraged by Google's move.

"Google has told us they are taking this step because they wish to pay significantly less than at present to the writers of the music on which their service relies, despite the massive increase in YouTube viewing," the group said in a statement.

Source: Associated Press

Product placement ban still in place on UK TV

2009-03-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

The government is keeping the ban on product placement in British TV shows -- and struggling commercial broadcaster ITV is furious. A three-month consultation had failed to make a convincing case for product placement, which is widespread in the U.S.

“There is a lack of evidence of economic benefits, along with very serious concerns about blurring the boundaries between advertising and editorial.”

He said he was aware that a number of commercial broadcasters were facing difficult economic times and he would continue to work with the industry to explore ways of supporting these webs, but allowing product placement was a last resort.

The European Union greenlit limited TV product placement in 2007 but individual governments still have the power to outlaw the practice. Imports, including movies, which feature product placement can be aired in Blighty.

ITV, hit by declining ad coin, said it will fight the decision, labeling it “perverse but not surprising.”

Executive chairman Michael Grade said, “Given the extraordinary economic pressures ITV and others face, we can’t let a decision like this simply go through without trying to fight it.”

Ego and Broken Hearted Girl - new Beyonce singles

2009-03-11T08:56:00.001-07:00

As if 2009 hasn't already been jam-packed for Beyonce Knowles, the singer-actress is currently preparing a year-long world tour with dates in Canada set to launch later this month. "I've been working on this tour for eight months," Beyonce told EW when we caught up with her on the set of a TV ad she was taping. "It's crunch time! I've been rehearsing and trying to make sure I put my set list together. Right now I'm anxious and I can't sleep -- I'll be wanting to be at rehearsal. That's the only thing I can think about. But I can't wait." While details are still being worked out, she has dates tentatively penciled in for the U.K., Ethiopia, Japan, Brazil, and more, plus a run through the U.S. this summer. She'll be backed once more at each show by the all-female band from 2007's The Beyonce Experience tour.

Beyonce has also finished two new music videos to keep fans happy while she's crisscrossing the globe: "Broken-Hearted Girl," from the ballad-heavy I Am... half of her recent double album, and ...Sasha Fierce's up-tempo "Ego." Beyonce co-directed the latter clip with her choreographer. "My goal for [the 'Ego' video] is simplicity," she says. "In 'Single Ladies,' 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.'"

One thing that the video for "Ego" won't share with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" is a certain animatronic appendage. "I didn't have the Sasha Fierce hand [in the video]," she laughs. "But I have it on the tour. It's actually even more wild -- I have to figure out how I'm going to perform with that hand!"

Source: EW

This weeks top digital songs

2009-03-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

Flo-Rida is still sitting pretty atop the digital sales chart selling another 319,294 with the highest new entry coming from Miley Cyrus with her song "The Climb" (from the new Hannah Montana move) debuting at No.3 on sales of 165,735. Flo-Rida therefore looks set to hold the BIllboard Hot 100 position for another week.

1 (1) FLO RIDA RIGHT ROUND 319294 1749649
2 (2) LADY GAGA POKER FACE 192354 6 182208 1265535
3 (-) CYRUS*MILEY CLIMB 165735 165735
4 (4) SOULJA BOY KISS ME THRU THE PHONE 164332 914749
5 (3) T.I. FEAT. JT DEAD AND GONE 1598341436288
6 (6) AAR GIVES YOU HELL 137501 2049841
7 (5) EMINEM CRACK A BOTTLE 128067 -9 141503 1123942
8 (11) ROTH*ASHER I LOVE COLLEGE 118533 360089
9 (8) CLARKSON*KELLY MY LIFE WOULD SUCK 102241 1147104
10 (9) LADY GAGA JUST DANCE 98186 3311690

The one track to watch out for and a band I have been tiping since early 2008 is LMFAO with "I'm In Miami (or LA) Bitch" this week it sold 24148 and jumped from 108 to 62 on the sales chart so watch this band come up and be 2009's one to watch!

On the album charts, U2 bow in at No,1 with their new album "No Line On The Horizon" selling a 484,000 copies this week. However many people believe this to be a poor sales tally for the band, whose last studio album "How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" sold over 800,000 copies first week - surely due to the scathing reviews a lot of the press have given the album.

1) U2 - No Line On the Horizon 484,000
2) Taylor Swift - Fearless 52,000
3) Neko Case - Middle Cyclone 44,000
4) Lady Gaga - The Game 42,000
5) Nickelback - Dark Horse 36,000
6) Jamie Foxx - Intuition 32,000
7) The Fray - The Fray 32,000
8) Beyonce - I Am Sasha Fierce 31,000
9) Slumdog Millionaire - OST 24,000
10) TI - Paper Trail - 24,000

Apple bringing in Touch Sceen for 3rd Quarter release

2009-03-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

Apple have just commissioned a batch of 10" touch screens, supposed to be the first generation of laptops to have the same technology as the current, iPhones and iTouch.

Taiwan touchscreen specialist Wintek already makes small screens for Apple iPhones, and has received orders for the larger ones that are roughly the same size as those used in mini PCs, said the source close to the Taiwan firm. He asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Second suicide bomber detonated himself

2009-03-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

This is the moment caught on camera, that a suicide bomber detonated and susbequently killed all of those in the picture.

The image captured in Sri Lanka, shows the devastating impact of what a suicide bomber can do when it sets off.

Rihanna first public appearance

2009-03-11T07:41:00.000-07:00

Rihanna spotted out at Coco De-Ville last night in LA. Its the first public outing for RIhanna since the infamous run in between her and Chris Brown on February 8th.

Jade Goody, leaving hospital to die at home

2009-03-11T07:30:00.001-07:00

Jade has been granted her wish of leaving the hospital to spend her last days at home with her family and friends.

Her publicist Max Clifford stated that “The plan is she will leave in an ambulance under supervision of someone from the Marsden who will administer the epidural and pain control. Jade is desperate to get home with the boys.”

Jade is also reportedly going blind as the cancer travels up through her blood into her brain. Poor girl.

Tours Tours and More Tours

2009-03-11T07:18:00.001-07:00

Jonas brothers announce new tour too, South America and North America first followed by Europe, Asia and Australasia.

No Felicia though as she is with Britney, but they still have Big Rob.

Mel C's new baby - Scarlet Starr

2009-03-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

The final Spice Girl to have a baby, Mel C welcomes Scarlet Starr into the world.

Above is the first official picture of the two!

So adorable.

They should do a spice kids band soon! 8 and counting!

Michael Jackson presale NOW 27 SHOWS!!!!

2009-03-11T05:15:00.000-07:00

So the pre-sale for Michael Jackson's O2 shows started today, in true fashion I set my alarm, but for LA time not London, so I clearly woke up after the sale, but the 10 dates are already at 18 and growing by the minute!!! Below is a list of all the announced dates so far (12:15pm GMT)

Wed 08/07/09
Fri 10/07/09
Sun 12/07/09
Tue 14/07/09
Thu 16/07/09
Sat 18/07/09
Wed 22/07/09
Fri 24/07/09
Sun 26/07/09
Tue 28/07/09
Thu 30/07/09
Sat 01/08/09
Mon 03/08/09
Mon 10/08/09
Wed 12/08/09
Mon 17/08/09
Wed 19/08/09
Mon 24/08/09
Wed 26/08/09
Fri 28/08/09
Sun 30/08/09
Tue 01/09/09
Thu 03/09/09
Sun 06/09/09
Tue 08/09/09
Thu 10/09/09
Mon 21/09/09

Back in London

2009-03-11T05:14:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the lack of updates these last few days, I have had to head back to London to sort out a load of things, and subsequently my life (and this site) has been put on hold to do so.

I hope that all of you have been keeping well and updates will resume this afternoon.

Chris and Rihanna saga continues

2009-03-05T18:44:00.001-08:00

So following on from the newest round of rumours, Chris Brown went in to court today to face up to the charges brought against him (felony assault and criminal threat). However Brown did not enter into a plea and subsequently his lawyer asked to postpone the arraignment until April 6th, to which the judge accepted.

However the judge did order Brown "not to annoy, harass, threaten or commit violence against anyone."

Also in an extreme twist on events, speculation is rife that whilst in Miami Chris Brown and Rihanna actually got engaged???!!!!

According to Perez Hilton: This is the response we got back from one of her reps about the wedding/engagement reports:

"Sorry for the delayed response, but we aren’t able to offer anything right now but will keep you in posted if that changes.

With every day something new unravels...next she will be pregnant!!!!

Rock Band - Beatles Edition gets release date

2009-03-05T10:31:00.001-08:00

Mark September 9th in your diarys!

The Beatles will finally release their music in a digital format for the gaming phenomenon Rock Band.

The game will be released worldwide for Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii.

Exclusive content will be made available for fans who pre-order the game (pre-order date still TBC)

The game along will carry a $59.99 list price. A version with standalone guitars will run $99.99, while the Limited Edition Premium Bundle will cost $249.99.

Double "Relapse" for Eminem

2009-03-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

Eminem is making his "Relapse" a double: not only did the best selling rapper reveal the release date for his highly-anticipated return to the rap game, but he announced that the follow-up will drop in 2009 too.

"Relpase," Eminem's first full album of new material in four years, is due from Interscope/Aftermath/Shady on May 19. The album's first single, "Crack the Bottle," is currently at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100.

A second album, "Relapse 2," is promised before the end of the year. "A lot of people were expecting Relapse to drop last year," said Eminem in a statement. "I was one of them. Then Dre and I went back in the studio in September for a few days, and that turned into six months. We were on such a roll; we wound up with a ton of new music produced by Dre."

The second single from Eminem will be released on April 7th, with the download released the same day as the video and single are serviced to radio.

20-25 O2 dates according to AEG ECO + President

2009-03-05T10:15:00.000-08:00

AEG president and CEO Tim Leiweke revealed that Michael Jackson is set to perform 20 to 25 shows at London's O2 Arena and that the singer is "very focused." Leiweke was speaking during his keynote Q&A session at the Billboard Music & Money Symposium at the St. Regis Hotel in New York City.

"The man is very sane, the man is very focused, the man is very healthy," Leiweke said of Jackson. "I think he has been dragged through the mud."

The shows will be promoted by AEG Live, which also put together Prince's record-setting run of 21 sellouts at the O2 that grossed more than $22 million. The Spice Girls, Take That, and Kylie Minogue all have played multiple nights at the London arena, and Britney Spears has an eight night run scheduled for June. AEG operates the O2 venue.

Leiweke told the Billboard Music & Money audience: "We’ll announce 10 shows. I think you'll see 20, 25 dates at the O2. His production budget is... Wow."

"Despite everything you read about him, he was fine," added Leiweke. "The man took a physical for us to go do these concerts."

Leiweke also confirmed that it has taken some time to get Jackson to agree to the deal. Jackson has not released a studio album or played a full concert since 2001. His last major tour was the "HIStory" World Tour in 1996-1997.

"We spent two years working with Michael trying to get him comfortable with this," said Leiweke.

Asked why the comeback was being staged in London at the O2, Leiweke commented: "It's the most important venue in music today. With all due respect to the Staples Center and the [Madison Square] Garden, the O2 is where you went to see Led Zeppelin reunite."

Past O2 multiple-night runs (via Billboard Boxscore):

Prince $22,052,026 (£10,971,157) 351,527 21 shows (all sellouts)
Spice Girls $33,829,250 (£16,637,563) 256,647 17 shows (all sellouts)
Take That $10,195,810 (£5,097,905) 132,835 9 shows (all sellouts)
Kylie Minogue $9,881,561 (£4,964,386) 116,375 7 shows (all sellouts)
Justin Timberlake $7,346,896 (£3,649,725) 79,742 5 shows (all sellouts)
Stevie Wonder $6,343,690 (£3,603,960) 60,066 4 shows (all sellouts)
Neil Diamond $5,896,536 (£2,985,890) 46,174 3 shows (all sellouts)

Michael's press conference announcing 10 dates at O2

2009-03-05T09:52:00.000-08:00

Starting July 8th, Michael Jackson will perform a series of 10 concerts at the O2 arena in London. To get tickets for the show, you must register with his website www.michaeljacksonlive.com this is for the pre-sale only and will take place on Wednesday 11th March at 7am GMT, failing that the general onsale is at 7am on Friday 13th July.

This definitely is the show of the year - if not the decade!!!!

PRESS CONFERENCE

Below is the email confirmation for registering with the website for the pre-sale.

Welcome to MichaelJacksonLive.com!
You successfully registered for your chance
to participate in the Michael Jackson Presale.
Michael announced 10 shows at The O2 arena
in London starting 8 July 2009

If your application is successful you will receive an email in the upcoming days with your exclusive unique password and information on where and when you can purchase tickets during the presale window. The password pin code can only be used once. The password pin code allows up to four (4) tickets to be purchased during the presale window.

If you miss the presale window or due to demand are unsuccessful in being chosen to receive a password pin code, the general onsale is 7am 13 March 2009.

Barry Islands In The Stream

2009-03-05T09:49:00.000-08:00

My favourite show from England "Gavin and Stacey" have brought two of their stars Ness and Bryn together to record their take on Dolly Parton's "Islands In The Stream" with a special guest appearance (see the video) for this years Comic Relief.

Check out the video below.

If you ask me it is much better than The Staurdays "Just Can't Get Enough"

'Substantial doubt' for GM future

2009-03-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

Ongoing losses and the struggle to generate cashflow meant the firm's ability to continue as a going concern should be questioned, auditors stated.

Last week GM posted a $30.9bn (£21.9bn) loss for 2008 and warned that 2009 was set to be "challenging". The firm, which plans to cut 47,000 jobs also said it might need another $22.6bn in government loans to survive.

It has already received $13.4bn in federal loans as it struggles in what analysts say is the worst vehicle sales market in 27 years.
GM said that its creditors had decided not to force the company to repay more than $6bn in loans following the auditor's warning, in order to let GM press the case for more government financial aid.

Shares in General Motors fell almost 15% in early New York trading.

US Bilboard Hot 100

2009-03-04T15:45:00.000-08:00

Flo-rida once again tops the digital sales for a 3rd week running, and will once again reign on top of the Billboard Hot 100. Unsurprisingly the oscar awarded Jai Ho, makes the biggest impact on the digital sales jumping from 76 to number 7 and with a new version coming from the Pussy Cat Dolls, it looks like this song will be around for a long time in the charts.

(1) 1 FLO RIDA RIGHT ROUND 334312 1430355
(4) 2 LADY GAGA POKER FACE 182208 1073181
(2) 3 T.I. FEAT. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE DEAD AND GONE 182036 1276454
(6) 4 SOULJA BOY KISS ME THRU THE PHONE 156070 750417
(3) 5 EMINEM CRACK A BOTTLE 141503 995875
(5) 6 ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS GIVES YOU HELL 137290 -12 155381 1912340
(76) 7 RAHMAN*A.R JAI HO! 130062 489 22081 216018
(7) 8 CLARKSON*KELLY MY LIFE WOULD SUCK 103828 1044863
(8) 9 LADY GAGA F JUST DANCE 103561 -13 119175 3213504
(9) 10 WEST*KANYE HEARTLESS 95591 2381817

Over on the album charts; with an 18% uptick in sales, Taylor Swift's "Fearless" continues its rule over The Billboard 200 for an 11th week. The Big Machine effort sold 73,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. As reported last week, such a feat has gone unmatched by any album since Santana's "Supernatural" collected 12 weeks at No. 1 in 1999 and 2000.

Debuting at No. 2, a career high, is Lamb of God's "Wrath" (Prosthetic/Epic), having sold 68,000. The metal act's last release, "Sacrament," entered at No. 8 with 63,000 in 2006.

The Jonas Brothers' "3D Concert Experience" soundtrack from Hollywood Records bows right behind at No. 3 with 50,000. The group's movie opened with $12.5 million at the U.S. and Canada box office last weekend, a lower figure than what was expected by industry observers.

Whitney Houston - screws up the classics

2009-03-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

iPhone vs Blackberry Storm

2009-03-04T11:58:00.001-08:00

Hillarious!

New 3-disc Prince album dropping March 29th

2009-03-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

Prince is coming to a Target near you.

The superstar is releasing a three-disc CD set through the retailer at the end of this month. The set will include two new albums - "LOtUSFLOW3R" and "MPLSoUND" - as well as a third by his new artist, Bria Valente, for the price of $11.98.

Prince is just the latest music legend to release new music exclusively through a major retailer. AC/DC and the Eagles were among the acts who sold millions of CDs through their partnership with Wal-Mart.

Prince has released his recent CDs through major labels, but they were one-album deals that gave him the flexibility to go elsewhere when the project was done. Last fall, he released a coffee table book of photos titled "21 Nights" documenting his record-breaking, 21-night run at London's 02 Arena in 2007. The book also included a CD of live performances.

"Prince has long been renowned as one of the world's most original and iconic musical artists," said Mark Schindele, Target's senior vice president of merchandising. "We are thrilled to have the opportunity to share his most recent work with our Target guests."

The CD set will be on sale at Target and its Web site on March 29.

Madame Tussauds opening in Hollywood this year - FINALLY

2009-03-04T00:55:00.000-08:00

After what seems to have been a long time coming, Madame Tussauds is set to open this year in Hollywood. Construction is under way on the $55 million project, part of the U.S. division of Merlin Entertainments Group.

Los Angeles architect Michael Rotondi was tapped to design the 40,000-square-foot building located at Hollywood Boulevard and Orange Drive. The Hollywood location's opening will coincide with the 200th anniversary of Madame Tussauds.

Other locations include London, Amsterdam, Las Vegas, New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Washington and Berlin.

The first inducties into the Hollywood location will be none other than Beyonce and Jamie Foxx.

Dow Jones the lowest it's been since 1997

2009-03-04T00:50:00.000-08:00

As a fresh setback Monday sent major indices plunging to mid-1990s levels, media companies generally kept pace with the market.

The Dow fell another 4% -- the lowest it's been since 1997 and less than half its all-time high above 14,000, reached in October 2007. Similarly dented was the S&P 500, which closed at 700.82, its worst finish since 1996.

Among the biggest pure media congloms, Disney was down 4% to $16.05; News Corp. dipped 5% to $5.28; Viacom dropped 6% to $15.75; and Time Warner gave up 3.5% to $7.36.

Wall Streeters had little specific news on which to blame the drop. They simply cited continuing anxiety about financial institutions and the complexity and severity of the recession and credit crisis.

In particular, the day brought unnerving revelations about AIG. The mega-insurer received a fourth round of federal assistance of up to $30 billion to repair damage from some $500 billion in credit that it extended with little collateral to cover defaults.

Kings of Leon - Use Somebody

2009-03-04T00:43:00.000-08:00

The next single in the US already a No.1 on the European Hot 100 Charts it looks to help propel them from popular indie band to mainstream act.

LA Mayor Villaraigosa scores 2nd term in office

2009-03-04T00:25:00.000-08:00

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa established a solid lead over his nine challengers Tuesday, securing a second four-year term.

With about half of the votes counted, Villaraigosa avoided a runoff against the second-place candidate, attorney Walter Moore.The mayor had been expected to secure the needed majority, given that he had appeared in television commercials for himself and two other campaigns -- and had outspent Moore by a ratio of 15 to 1.

Villaraigosa has some major changes that he wants to bring to Los Angeles and is well on his way to doing so. He is more than two-thirds of the way toward his goal of hiring 1,000 additional police officers. The mayor also is attempting to replace as many as 17,000 older diesel trucks at the Port of Los Angeles and reach his goal of ensuring that 20% of the power at the DWP comes from renewable sources, such as wind and solar energy.

Britney kicks of Circus Tour

2009-03-04T00:09:00.000-08:00

The reviews are coming in thick and fast and it is only 12am PST! It looks like Britney is back on form and aside from the predictable lip syncing throughout the tour, the show itself is said to be a 90 minute set of pure entertainment. Though deemed quite inappropriate for some younger fans, the show is extremely well produced, choreographed and executed.

I can't wait to see the shows in LA in April and London in June.

Below is the set list for the tour:

Act 1: CIRCUS
Circus (Funky Remix)
Piece Of Me
Radar
Act 2: HOUSE OF FUN (Anything Goes)
Ooh Ooh Baby/Hot As Ice
Boys
If U Seek Amy
Me Against The Music
Act 3: FREAKSHOW/PEEPSHOW
Freakshow
Get Naked
Breathe On Me/Touch Of My Hand
Act 4: ELECTRO CIRC
Do Something
I'm A Slave 4 U
Toxic
Baby One More Time (Remix)
ENCORE
Womanizer (Extended Remix)
Circus Reprise

Beyonce and Solange - Samantha Thavasa Campaign

2009-03-04T00:05:00.000-08:00

Check the above image for an exclusive peek at the new campaign for Japanese bag designer Samantha Thavasa, featuring Beyonce and sister Solange.

Michael Jackson to follow in Prince's footsteps and do an O2 residency

2009-03-03T23:47:00.000-08:00

Michael Jackson is set to announce a string of dates on Thursday 5th March at London's O2 arena, to be played over the summer, in a similar way to which both Prince and the Spice Girls both did in 2007 and 2008.

Talks for the last 2 years have been circulating about the King Of Pop's return to the stage, with him said to be performing 10 dates in London at the O2, 10 at the Tokyo Dome and then 10 at the Staples Center in LA.

His last substantial series of concerts came in 1996 and '97, when he played 82 shows in 58 cities as part of the History tour.

The whole world will be looking to see if this comes true and even more so if he can pull of touring in such a fragile state. Also speculation is rife that a new album will coincide with the tour dates.

Michael seen above arriving in London on Tuesday 3rd March 09 for the announcement on Thursday

For all the chavs and gangs out there....

2009-03-03T23:42:00.000-08:00

The perfect mug/cup

UK Charts - Kelly Clarkson and Prodigy rule

2009-03-03T23:17:00.001-08:00

In the singles chart, Kelly Clarkson makes a massive leap from No.102 to No.1, and impressive jumps also are incurred by Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and TI and Justin Timberlake at No.2, 3 and 4 respectively.

1 (103) KELLY CLARKSON MY LIFE WOULD SUCK... 51,114
2 (22) TAYLOR SWIFT LOVE STORY 33,261
3 (15) LADY GAGA POKER FACE 32,338
4 (17) TI FT JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE DEAD AND GONE 31,733
5 (1) LILY ALLEN THE FEAR 30,961
6 (2) LADY GAGA JUST DANCE 28,408
7 (3) KINGS OF LEON USE SOMEBODY 27,167
8 (6) SHONTELLE T-SHIRT 24,934
9 (10) PUSSYCAT DOLLS/MISSY WHATCHA THINK ABOUT 24,034
10 (5) ALESHA DIXON BREATHE SLOW 20,929

In the album charts, Prodigy return to the top of the album chart with their first album in 4 years "Invaders Must Die" but the real winner this week is the Kings Of Leon who at No.2 who this week went 5 times platinum in the UK selling over 1.524 million copies.

1 (NEW) PRODIGY INVADERS MUST DIE 97,254
2 (1) KINGS OF LEON ONLY BY THE NIGHT 58,636
3 (2) LILY ALLEN IT'S NOT ME IT'S YOU 29,507
4 (4) DUFFY ROCKFERRY 23,251
5 (7) LADY GAGA THE FAME 19,393
6 (5) ELBOW THE SELDOM SEEN KID 19,355
7 (8) TING TINGS WE STARTED NOTHING 16,565
8 (16) TAKE THAT THE CIRCUS 15,861
9 (10) FLEET FOXES FLEET FOXES 14,829
10 (6) KILLERS DAY & AGE 14,279

The rumors are true - High School Musical 4

2009-03-03T23:11:00.001-08:00

The rumors are true that the High School Musical franchise will indeed be coming back for a forth installment.

However the downside of this is that in the last movie (HSM3) the students graduated, meaning that the movie is likely to focus on a new group of students at the school (likely to be the ones introduced in the last film).

No comments yet on if any of the original cast will be in the film or making small cameos. One thing that is confirmed though is that the next installment will be returning to the Disney Channel rather than the big screen (safety behind a channel I guess)

This could work out great like the UK television Skins, but it could also suck big time if no new heart-throb is in the film to replace Zac Efron.

Britney's Circus Tour - CAN'T WAIT

2009-03-02T20:29:00.000-08:00

Money

2009-03-01T12:35:00.000-08:00

In a world where everything has becoming very materialistic and everyone is very much about having the latest accessory, the newest car or the most expensive designer outfit, have we lost sight of what is really important.

All the wealth in the world can't buy you happiness, yet no wealth means that you are unable to live and you barely survive so why can't we go back to the days when people traded food or animals for houses or land.

With the current economic climate being the way it is, alongside the fact that people are losing jobs left right and centre, it means that peoples funds are dwindling, savings are eaten into and overdrafts and credit cards are maxed out.

But my question is what do you do when the money runs out?

Song Of The Day - Black Eyed Peas

2009-02-27T18:59:00.000-08:00

There new song is possibly one of their best to date!!!!!

SOng Of The Day - Dream "Walking On The Moon"

2009-02-23T15:46:00.000-08:00

California Legalizing Marijuana

2009-02-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

The story SF Weekly broke on Friday is true: Assemblyman Tom Ammiano will announce legislation on Monday to legalize marijuana and earn perhaps $1 billion annually by taxing it.

Quintin Mecke, Ammiano's press secretary, confirmed to SF Weekly that the assemblyman's 10 a.m. Monday press conference regarding "new legislation related to the state's fiscal crisis" will broach the subject of reaping untold -- and much-needed -- wealth from the state's No. 1 cash crop.

Mecke said Ammiano's proposed bill "would remove all penalties in California law on cultivation, transportation, sale, purchase, possession, or use of marijuana, natural THC, or paraphernalia for persons over the age of 21."

The bill would additionally prohibit state and local law officials from enforcing federal marijuana laws. As for Step Two -- profit -- Ammiano's bill calls for "establishing a fee on the sale of marijuana at a rate of $50 per ounce." Mecke said that would bring in roughly $1 billion for the state, according to estimates made by marijuana advocacy organizations.

Great interpretation of technology evolution here...

2009-02-23T00:43:00.001-08:00

SO TRUE!!!!!

Miley "The Climb"

2009-02-23T00:43:00.000-08:00

Very mature song and video for her

Kate Winslet finally wins her oscar

2009-02-23T00:19:00.001-08:00

So deserving of an oscar, even if there were better performances this year.

However her hair was shocking, sometimes understated is the best way to go, rather than 2nd world war chic.

Beyonce always wanting to get attention

2009-02-23T00:14:00.000-08:00

Furious at not being nominated for best song with "At Last" at this years Oscars, Beyonce ensured that she would still be a main part of tonights show and performed the musical medley alongside Hugh Jackman, Amanda and Dominic from Mamma Mia and Zac and Vanessa from High School Musical 3, though you barely would have known the latter two couples were even on stage....

Here is the performance below

Brad and Angie at Oscars

2009-02-23T00:11:00.001-08:00

They look so happy and content together, and it is such a shame that neither of them got the recognition for their roles tonight, though Kate definitely deserved to win an oscar after so many nominations, Angies performance was so compelling.

ALso Brad is one of the most underrated artists of our times, due to his good looks, it sometimes hinders peoples judgement of what a great actor he actually is...

Slumdog sweeps oscar awards.

2009-02-23T00:03:00.000-08:00

This year's oscars belonged to Slumdog Millionaire winning 8 of the 10 categories it was nominated for including best film and best director for Danny Boyle. Making it an even bigger victory for the English, was Kate WInslet who finally won an Oscar for her role in The Reader.

Below is a full list of the winners...

BEST PICTURE
* Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACTOR
* Sean Penn, Milk

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
* Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

BEST ACTRESS
* Kate Winslet, The Reader

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
* Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST DIRECTOR
* Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
* Milk

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
* Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
* Wall-E

BEST ART DIRECTION
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
* Slumdog Millionaire

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
* The Duchess

BEST DOCUMENTARY
* Man on Wire

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
* Smile Pinki

BEST FILM EDITING
* Slumdog Millionaire

BEST FOREIGN FILM
* Departures, Japan

ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
* Slumdog Millionaire

BEST SONG
* Jai Ho, Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
* La Maison en Petits Cubes

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT
* Spielzeugland (Toyland)

BEST SOUND EDITING
* The Dark Knight

BEST SOUND MIXING
* Slumdog Millionaire

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
* The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Dark Knight Global Phenomenon - Breaks $1 billion dollar mark

2009-02-21T15:22:00.000-08:00

"The Dark Knight" has become the fourth film to take in more than $1 billion in worldwide box office.
Warner Bros. made the announcement Friday afternoon, saying that the combined domestic and international gross had totaled $1,001,082,160 to date -- about $533 million domestically and $567 million overseas.

"Knight" had been about $4 million short of the 10-figure mark when Warner Bros. re-released it into Imax screens on Jan. 23, the day after its eight Oscar nominations were announced. Grosses from Ecuador also helped nudge the Batpic over the mark, a spokeswoman said.

Only "Titanic," with $1.8 billion, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" have topped the billion-dollar worldwide mark previously.

"Knight" also is the second-highest domestic grosser of all time, trailing only "Titanic."

Warner also noted that it's the largest 2-D digitally re-mastered Imax release in the domestic market with $49.6 million and worldwide with $64.9 million.

Rihanna picture post fight

2009-02-19T19:13:00.001-08:00

This is the extent of the damage that Chris Brown caused to Rihanna after the fight on Saturday 7th Feb.

SHOCKING!

Kings of Leon (Kings of the Brits!)

2009-02-19T08:42:00.001-08:00

SHould have gone to Spec Savers

2009-02-19T08:35:00.001-08:00

Brit 2009 Winners

2009-02-19T08:22:00.000-08:00

Best British male
Paul Weller

Best British female
Duffy

Best British group
Elbow

Best British live act
Iron Maiden

Best British single
Girls Aloud - The Promise

Best British Album
Duffy - Rockferry

Best British breakthrough act
Duffy

Best international album
Kings of Leon - Only By The Night

Best international male
Kanye West

Best international female
Katy Perry

Best international group
Kings of Leon

Critics' Choice: Florence and the Machine

Outstanding Contribution To Music: Pet Shop Boys

And here is Duffy's performance of "Warwick Ave"