The Black Eyed Peas are to play at Dublin's O2 Arena on May 2 next year.
The actress has had the cypress leylandii saplings, ranging from 4ft to 6ft tall, placed around her 140-acre Bunya Hill estate to shield it from onlookers.
The fast-growing trees can reach up to 20 metres high and eight meters wide, and have caused disputes between neighbours all over the world.
The picturesque $6 million five-bedroom property, built in the 1870s, is in a village called Sutton Forest, about 60 miles south-west of Sydney.
The actress, who lives in Nashville with her country singer husband Keith Urban, has boosted security there ahead of her sister Antonia's wedding to the financier Craig Marran, which is expected to take place at the retreat before the end of the year.
As well as the trees, she has also had an "ugly" green nylon fence erected by the main gate and an earth mound built to shield the property from the main road.
But it is the mammoth tree-planting project which has upset locals, who have been campaigning against leylandii for several years arguing they can grow to an immense height and turn into an eyesore.
Greg Barnsley, 49, whose property borders onto Bunya Hill said residents of the quiet town did not want the area ruined by the oversized trees.
"They grow to an enormous height," Mr Barnsley said. "Yes these ones are small now but they are going to be huge."
"They are out of character with the area, they are not even Australian natives.
"We respect that Nicole wants her privacy but if she wants trees let them be Australian ones.
"She could be gone in a couple of years and then we will be left with them forever."
While the dispute rages, Kidman, Urban and the couple's 18-month old daughter Sunday Rose have been staying in Sydney with Kidman's parents Anthony and Janelle.
The family is expected to move to the Bunya Hill property for the rest of the Christmas holidays.
Over the past few weeks, MTV News has been asking some of the biggest stars in music to name their favorite artists, songs and albums of the past year. And, not surprisingly, they all kept repeating the same two words: Lady Gaga
It's not exactly a surprise, considering that, over the past 12 months, Gaga was everywhere. Her hits topped the charts. Her tours wowed audiences. And her album (or, more specifically, albums) were in constant rotation on iPods everywhere. It's no stretch to say that in 2009, Lady Gaga was your favorite artist's favorite artist. She inspired them to write and record, to take their songs and tours to the next level. She pushed them to work harder, because they had to.
But who pushed her? We decided to find out, so on Saturday (December 19), hours before her Monster Ball stop in San Diego, MTV News sat down with the Lady herself, to get her favorite artists, albums and songs of 2009. As it turns out, she drew inspiration from the new and the old.
Artists of the Year
"First and foremost, my favorite artists of 2009 were my fans. They were my favorites because every song I did, they remade on their own, and every photograph that I took, they took their own version of it. And they remade my music videos, they designed clothes for me. They wrote poetry and made films and designed all sort of amazing paintings. They're just the most brilliant fans in the world. It's funny — my dad was at a show the other night and afterward he said, 'Do you think your fans are smart?' and I said, 'Oh hell yeah, my fans are smart,' and he said, 'You know what, I was thinking the same thing during the show.'
"My fans are f---ing really smart. They're art students, they're club kids, and some of them are just normal, top-40-listening kids in high school who don't feel like they have an identity yet and they're searching for one. But I would say that they're my favorite artists. Then I would say Semi Precious Weapons, who are on tour with me and are my very dear and close friends. And I really love Alphabeat, they're great and they're going to come out on tour with me next year."
Album of the Year
"I really liked Morrissey's new album, [Years of Refusal.] I listened to that one a lot."
“She Wolf” (Epic) is delicious and enjoyable and – as it should go without saying for her – achingly sexy. One might be tempted to worry about how this album unfolds after realizing it starts with the sultry “She Wolf,” the video for which strikes a delicate position between shocking, daring, innocent and erotic. But yes, back to the song: It’s a stellar, bouncy, disco exploration of a woman’s inner freak, and it’s the kind of splendid first single often used to tempt people into buying an otherwise bad album. No. She follows that right up with “Did It Again,” the first of a few tracks containing beats supplied by Hampton Roads’ own Neptunes. They’re on fire again, and Shakira is, too, taking her voice from high to low in quick loops not unlike those incredible moves she does with her hips. “Long Time,” another Neptunes track, borrows the Latin kick from reggaeton, but the Neptunes truly kill it with “Why Wait,” which mixes the warm electro synth chords that made them innovators with Arabian-styled horns and strings; it’s stunningly fabulous and totally appropriate for Shakira.
The album isn’t perfect; it buckles midway with a few bland pop tracks, but regains its traction with the mid-tempo ballad “Gypsy” and then the terrific rock-styled “Mon Amour.” There, Shakira plays the part of the jealous, scorned lover who hopes the French vacation her ex is taking with his new squeeze is full of horrible service, smelly rooms and airport drama. It’s this kind of varied and often wild range of emotions she pulls off well throughout. And while she’s sometimes comically extreme, she never hits melodrama. Superb beats and enviable singing are a plus.
The holiday season is upon us, which means that it's time to put the Bob Dylan Christmas album on your iPod, hit up your local mall to fight with other shoppers and gorge yourself on marzipan snowmen. Everybody celebrates this period differently, but for Katy Perry, the Christmas season is about dressing up in a sexy Santa outfit and treating fans in Austria to one of her traditionally balls-out concerts. After spending time snowboarding with boyfriend Russell Brand at the Silvretta Arena Ischgl-Samnaun ski resort, she took the stage in Ischgl and performed for 20,000 fans on Sunday night (November 29).
The show, which was the season-opening celebration for the resort, featured a hit-packed set and all of Perry's usual assortment of live gimmicks (including a giant glowing heart). The stage also had a pair of cannons re-creating the conditions outside the venue. "I hadn't realized they would have canons blasting snow onto the stage during the performance," she admitted from the stage. "It's f---ing cold!" As always, Perry bent over backwards to entertain her audience (quite literally, as you can see).
Beyonce Threw her hubby a 40th birthday party in the Dominican Republic this weekend. Check out the details:
The party was a lavish intimate bash with an A-List celeb filled guest list–that went down Friday night. Beyonce arranged every detail of the party at Campo de Casa. The dinner party Friday night was elegant and everyone was asked to wear 1920’s or 1940’s era frocks. Beyonce asked Jay’s friends to shoot a video that was played at dinner telling Jay how they felt about him. We’re told Kevin Liles shot his mushy BFF speech weeks before the bash back in the states.
After dinner there were synchronized swimmers and fireworks. Then the party REALLY started with Jay was dancing the whole night…and Diddy in his usual place on the mic the whole night.
The guest list was packed with Mr. Carter’s close friends and family: Diddy & Kim Porter, Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz, Kanye & Amber Rose, Solange, Lyor Cohen & Tory Burch, Alex Rodriguez & Kate Hudson, Steve Stoute, Micheal Kyser, Dream Hampton, Rich Kleinman, John Menilly, Ty Ty, Jay Brown, and Chaka and Carline. And of course, Jay’s mother-in-law Miss Tina and cousin Angie were there too.
And the Beyonce’s good wife duties didn’t end there. The next day, Saturday, Beyonce invited everyone over to the couple’s villa for a lobster and steak brunch.
The flash of cameras filled Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, as the attraction unveiled Madonna’s wax likeness, as well as hosting the “So You Think You Can Dance…Like Madonna?” competition, bringing an all-new interactive dance experience to guests just in time for the Christmas season.
During the event, the finalists got their groove on and went head to head live, before the attraction unveiled the superstar’s all-new look with the help of William Chan, one of the hottest local dance icons. The unveiling also marked the release of Madonna’s all-new greatest hits album “Celebration”, earlier in 2009.
“Madonna is undoubtedly the Queen of Pop, known for her high-energy dancing and singing that has rocked audiences and venues around the world. With the Christmas season fast approaching, our new interactive experience is set to immerse guests in excitement at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong like never before and help them celebrate the holidays with some unbelievable dancing fun,” said Bret Pidgeon, General Manager of Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and Shanghai.
“In addition to posing with Madonna in her all-new costume inspired by her Sticky and Sweet Tour 2009, guests can put on a variety of props such as dazzling top hats, colourful wigs or
flashy canes to transform into superstars themselves.”
Madonna’s wax figure will be on display in the Music Icon section, on her very own decked out stage. Dressed in a black ruffled jacket and frilly skirt, along with matching coloured gloves, boots and cane, Madonna’s wax counterpart is frozen in one of the singer’s signature poses with a microphone in one hand. Moving stage lights and a wall of multi-coloured lights will make guests feel as if they are centre stage with Madonna in front of thousands of adoring fan
Shakira had a hit on her hands earlier this fall with 'She Wolf,' the title track from her new album, but it turns out there was a rather unexpected he-man behind the song -- Sam Endicott of the Bravery. The frontman teamed up with producer John Hill, who also co-helmed the Bravery's new effort, 'Stir The Blood,' to write a trio of tracks for Shakira's latest LP.
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With a record selling of more than 175 million albums along with singles and videos all over the world, Mariah Carey surely has made an unbeatable place in the music world and in the heart of the music lovers. She is being termed as the best and one of the successful American artists of the 1990s and it was just not for without any reason. She had the record of being the first recording artist who was being accredited in the top position by the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and it was for her first five singles. After that also, this singer, songwriter, record producer and actress of America have made many remarkable contribution in the music and hip hop dancing world. So, are you looking for a chance to visit Mariah Carey’s concerts that was being named as the female pop artist of the millennium at the 2000 World Music Awards?
You can check out all her latest events and concerts that are to be held at various parts of the world. Choose Internet for searching for Mariah Carey concert tickets and gain good benefits. She has her official website MARIAHCAREY.COM available for all such things. Simply browse her site and check out the latest events and book tickets of one of such concerts.
People.com has a sneak peek of Madonna’s new Steven Klein-shot ad campaign for Dolce & Gabbana, a series of black and white photos that feature Madge in the kitchen playing the role of busty housewife. The third-highest-grossing concert artist of the Oughts is shown washing the dishes, shredding lettuce, and digging into a bowl of pasta with her fingers.There’s a variety of things going on in the campaign that please me. First, she’s on the verge of eating in two shots, which can’t hurt, given her rescued-greyhound physique of late. Second, she is seemingly unable to perform even the simplest domestic tasks without courting scandal: note the veggie photo (pictured here), in which her bazooming bosoms swoon beneath an enormous crucifix — exactly the sort of setup that tends to rile religious conservatives. (The breasts shall never touch the cross!)
Third, there is literally no reason whatsoever for Madonna to be in these pictures as opposed to some generic model, unless you start thinking about it, and then your brain slinks down the rabbit hole of symbolism involved in the Material Girl getting domestic just as Lady Gaga seems to have surmounted her provocateur pedestal. Finally, they continue the long and proud tradition of high-fashion advertorial photography in which I have absolutely no clue what exactly is being sold. Cookware? Wood paneling? Push-up bras? I mean, seriously, is anyone looking at the clothes, or just wondering what it would be like to live in a double-wide with a lady who once hitchhiked naked?
By Matt Thompson
Fall in love. Get married. Have a baby. Is that the correct, only order to go by? You be the judge. "The Back-Up Plan" (out April 16, 2010) is about a woman (Jennifer Lopez) in her mid 30’s who is distressed because she has no children and hasn’t met “the one” yet. She tries to convince her friend Clive (Eric Christian Olsen) to be her “baby daddy,” to no avail, so she decides to have a baby through artificial insemination. Shortly after the procedure, she rushes into a cab when it’s raining. Unfortunately, the cab is already taken by a very handsome guy (Alex O'Loughlin). She leaves the cab boldly proclaiming she’s “not going to let him ruin her good mood.” Coincidentally, she runs into the same man multiple times afterward. They go on a few dates, share a few laughs and eventually start falling for each other. But here’s the tricky part, she fails to tell him that she’s pregnant with a baby. And the fun starts. Check out the trailer.
Between singing, dancing and falling over on stage, Jennifer Lopez has been doing it all lately. She has an album entitled Love? coming out next month. But J-Lo seems to be strolling down a new avenue with the rom com "The Back-Up Plan." This marks her first film in three years.
Just think how many fewer albums Chris Brown would have sold had Walmart actually not (like the MechanicalDummy himself erroneously believed) stocked his album.
And just think how many more albums Chris Brown would have sold had he not beaten up his girlfriend earlier this year.
The R&B star's latest release, Graffiti, debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard charts this week, selling just 102,000 copies (by comparison, the week's No. 1, Susan Boyle's unstoppable I Dreamed a Dream, sold nearly six times as much: 582,000).
Team Rihanna will be pleased to know that her release last month, Rated R, easily bested her ex's. That album came into the charts at No. 3 with sales of 181,000 in its first week out.
Still, while Brown's debut may look paltry in comparison to other artists', as far as Brown debuts go, it wasn't all that bad.
Graffiti was Brown's second-biggest debut, beaten only by his 2007 album, Exclusive, which debuted at No. 4 with 294,000 copies.
But though Brown's year started off very, very, very badly, it's ending only marginally better, PR-wise.
On Monday, the singer peaced out of Twitter after throwing a hissy fit over his perceived slight by Walmart. After visiting a Connecticut outlet that didn't have his album in stock (but did have the latest from 12-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys!) he fell under the meltdown-inducing misapprehension that the retail giant was not on Team Chris.
"I'm tired of this s--t," he wrote on his now defunct account. "Major stores r blackballing my CD. Not stockin the shelves and lying to costumers."
Aw, Chris, don't drag the wardrobe department into this.
"What the f--k do I gotta do?" he went on. "The industry can kiss my ass."
Just as long as he's aware the customers aren't going to.
Meanwhile, SuBo continued her domination on the charts, putting her 2009 total at 1.8 million and counting. Should her sales continue apace, she has a good chance of upsetting Taylor Swift's Fearless—steadily but slowly adding to its 2.7 million copies—as the year's best-seller.
Also capping off a banner week is Glee. Fresh off the show's Golden Globe nominations, the first soundtrack volume from the show shot up to No. 3 on the charts.
Beyonce Knowles and Jay-Z are to change their names.
The couple, who married in April 2008, are to take on both of their respective surnames in order to keep the 'Crazy In Love' star's parental line from dying out.
Jay-Z - whose real name is Shawn Carter - will now be known as Shawn Knowles-Carter, while Beyonce is to become Beyonce Knowles-Carter.
A source told the Daily Star newspaper: "They want to keep Knowles because Beyonce's parents didn't have any sons and they're keen to keep the name going strong, especially if they don't produce any children themselves."
 Beyonce Knowles' name change |
In October, rumours surfaced that Mathew may have been unfaithful, with a paternity suit filed by Alexandra Wright claiming he was the father of her unborn child - an allegation he has denied.
However, in a statement the estranged couple - who also have a daughter, Solange - claimed that the divorce would not be "an ugly, messy fight" and they would continue working together amicably.
"Every woman has a she-wolf inside her," the Colombian-born singer/songwriter says. "We all have our secret desires and forbidden dreams, and I'm going through a phase where I want to capture more of that sensuality in my work. For the first time, I'm talking about those things with a little more freedom."
Mind you, Shakira, 32, felt free enough back in 2005 to call her last album Oral Fixation Vol. 2. (The Spanish-language companion, Fijacion Oral Vol. 1, arrived the same year.) But she says She Wolf was "written more from a woman's perspective. That's because I feel more like a woman now, and more like the owner of my life."
That's partly because of age and experience. "I have wonderful friends who are still looking for the right man. I see the struggles women face, trying to be good professionals, to be girlfriends and mothers, to look good and do their jobs well. Dealing with all the pressures and demands from society, it's not easy."
Shakira didn't exclude male collaborators in pursuing her gynocentric vision. Pharrell Williams and John Hill helped write and produce several tracks, and Wyclef Jean– who teamed with Shakira for 2006's smash single Hips Don't Lie– turns up on Spy. Lil Wayne makes a guest appearance on the single Give It Up to Me, No. 29 and rising on USA TODAY's top 40 airplay chart.
"I wanted a very upbeat album, to use dance and electronic (textures) while still keeping a fusion of influences from all over the world." She's part Lebanese, and "being a mutt, I was drawn to those different cultures – it's in my DNA."
Shakira's fans are equally eclectic, says Billboard senior chart manager Keith Caulfield. That makes it tricky to predict her album sales.
"She appeals to younger people, (and) that audience can be satisfied with a track or two," he says. "But she's also a global superstar with a core base she can count on to buy the album the first week. When you're parodied by Taylor Swift on Saturday Night Live, you have a pretty huge following."
Shakira has used that popularity as a platform for philanthropy. In 2006, she helped launch the foundation Latin America in Solidarity Action (better known by the Spanish acronym ALAS, which means "wings") to combat child poverty.
She has built five schools in her country and is raising money for another. "I've seen (education) transform the lives of not only children, but whole families," she says.
"Developing more as a woman" has enabled her to see things more from a mom's perspective. "A she-wolf isn't just a sexual individual; it's someone who strives to realize who she is and defends and nurtures her children. I feel closer to motherhood now, maybe on the threshold of it."
But while Shakira has a long-term boyfriend, Argentine lawyer Antonio de la Rua, she's not ready to settle down completely. "I'm too young to get married," she says, laughing. "I want children first. I'm getting ready to reproduce."
Not quite yet, though. "I feel like a mother who has just delivered a baby with this album" – and she plans to have another, a Spanish-language project, next year. "That's absorbing all my energy for now."
1. “Everybody’s Girl”
Produced by Mike Caren, Written by Wynter Gordon
It’s hard having a private life when you’re one of the most famous entertainers in the world. J.Lo questions whether her man is capable of loving her under the intense glare of the spotlight. “Can you love somebody when their everybody’s girl?” she asks over the slick uptempo production, while the hook repeats: “Can you love, can you love, can you love a girl?” One of the standout tracks, this could easily be a single.
2. “What Is Love”
Produced by D’Mile, Written by Wynter Gordon
A version of this song leaked online earlier this year. The latest version has been mixed and hits harder with added drums. There is a “What Is Love (Part 2)” produced by Jean Baptiste that may or may not makethe album.
3. “Starting Over”
Produced by Danja, Written by Wynter Gordon
Jenny from the Block describes the hardships of getting back in the game after a breakup. “I’m afraid of starting over,” she sings over Danja’s fast-paced, galloping beat, while admitting she’s “still in love” with the man she left. “It’s like my whole existence he holds in his hands.”
4. “This Cannot Be Love”
Produced by Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins
The beginning sounds like the chords from another Darkchild joint, Brandy and Monica’s duet “The Boy Is Mine.” It quickly picks up the pace with an electro-pop beat and speedy hook (“This cannot be love, this can’t be love, this can’t be love,” she repeats). J.Lo wonders whether true love exists. “How could something that felt so right turn so wrong? … I need to know right now,” she demands. The production gets more aggressive towards the end.
5. “One Love”
Produced by D’Mile, Written by A-Plus
“Took a shot with a bad boy from the block,” she croons on the leaked track. It won’t take long for listeners to make the connection to Sean “Diddy” Combs. “Mr. Wrong, he plays his part,” she says of her former music mogul boyfriend. But J.Lo is on to the next one, in search for that one true love of a lifetime. She counts her famous lovers by the numbers, #3 being Ben Affleck (“Came and swept me off my feet/ Went nowhere, but kept the ring/ Once again I’m lonely”) and her current husband Marc Anthony (“#4, you sang to me, but I’m not sure … Made me want to try once more and I couldn’t say no.”)
6. “Keeper”
Produced by Danja, Written by Britney Bereal and Luke Boyd
After much searching, J.Lo finally finds Mr. Right. The beat is somewhat reminiscent of T.I.’s “Hell of a Life,” which Danja also produced. “You give me so much love, you keep it locked down,” she sings on the bouncy hook. “It doesn’t matter what they tell me … That boy’s a keeper.” One of our favorites. Danja contributed another track called “Love and War” that was not played.
7. “Beautiful”
Produced by Mike Caren, Written by Chris Sernel
A guitar-driven ballad that sounds like it was made for a movie. In fact, it may be used during the end credits for The Back-Up Plan. “Some days I feel beautiful, just not today,” she sings on the Ryan Tedder-esque production.
“Louboutins,” the first single helmed by Tricky Stewart and The-Dream, as well as the Pitbull-assisted, Neptunes-produced buzz record “Fresh Out the Oven” will also be onthe album.
NEW YORK (Billboard) - With seven No. 1s on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs tally and four consecutive chart-toppers on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Alicia Keys walks off as Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the decade.
The singer's 2001 debut album, Songs in A Minor, reigned over Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for six weeks and launched a pair of top 10 singles, including the multiformat smash "Fallin'."
Keys followed Songs in A Minor with The Diary of Alicia Keys (2003), Unplugged (2005) and As I Am (2007). With the exception of her third offering, each set ranks in the top 40 of the decade's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Keys' No. 1 singles have led for 41 chart weeks, more than any other artist. Among them, "No One" and "Like You'll Never See Me Again" combined for 17 consecutive weeks at No. 1.
Keys' dominance reflects the broader picture of the era's top-ranked acts. Straight-ahead R&B artists like Keys, Beyonce and Ne-Yo fare better than rap acts on the all-encompassing top artist ranking, despite being responsible for fewer than half of the decade's top 50 R&B/hip-hop albums. R&B acts account for 31 of the decade's top 50 artists, while rap acts, led by Jay-Z at No. 2, round out the remaining slots.
R&B's grip of the Top Artists list is buoyed by its greater appeal on adult R&B and mainstream R&B/hip-hop radio stations. Due to broader airplay across multiple formats of radio, R&B songs generally enjoy a longer life span and are more successful on the chart. Since 2000, no rap song has spent more than nine weeks at No. 1 or more than 56 chart weeks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Meanwhile, R&B singles have tallied nine leaders with at least 10 weeks at No. 1 and eight songs that spent at least 60 weeks on the chart. During the decade, "Be Without You" by Mary J. Blige established the record for the most weeks at No. 1 since 1958 (15).
All is not lost for rap. Of the aforementioned Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, rap holds seven of the top 10 positions. Jay-Z is the genre's Top Album Artist of the decade with 10 No. 1s, the most for any artist.
"A year ago this month I was opening for Natasha Bedingfield and the New Kids on the Block -- at this theater," said Lady Gaga on Monday night during the first of her three sold-out performances at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. She was posing as usual, her body elegantly contorted to show off a dazzlingly weird outfit. But she was also smiling, cracking a warm and surprisingly unaffected grin.
Gaga has arrived. She knows it, even when she sprawls on the floor in her cruelly shiny black bustier and declares herself a gothic Tinkerbell, in danger of dying unless her fans scream. They all know it too; they arrived Monday in homemade versions of those signature haute-art costumes and danced and screamed throughout the nearly two-hour show with the fervor of those whose team is headed for a championship.But that's just one color Gaga has in her wardrobe. We have years to see her mix and match, cut and shred and bedazzle more.
