MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS 2009 NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

The nominees for this year’s MTV Video Music Awards were announced today, with singers Beyonce and Lady Gaga leading the nominations with nine each.

The pair will go head to head in eight categories, including best female video and video of the year.

Former Destiny’s Child singer Beyonce’s Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) video is nominated for three of the main awards and in all six professional categories, including best direction and cinematography.

Lady Gaga’s Poker Face video was nominated for four awards, while her video for Paparazzi received five nominations.

Britney Spears continues her musical comeback with seven nominations, having picked up three prizes last year.

In the best female video category, Beyonce and Lady Gaga's fellow nominees are Katy Perry, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift and Pink.

Rappers Kanye West and Eminem’s Love Lockdown and We Made You respectively are nominated for video of the year.

Both rappers are also nominated in the best male video category, along with hip-hop star Jay-Z and fellow rapper Ne-Yo.

A new category – best video (that should have won a moonman) – has been created this year for videos that were overlooked at previous MTV ceremonies.

The MTV Video Music Awards 2009 will be held on September 13 at a ceremony at New York's Radio City Music Hall, to be hosted by British comedian Russell Brand.

The awards will feature performances by Green Day, Pink, Taylor Swift and Muse.

AMY WINEHOUSE GRANTED DIVORCE

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Grammy-award winning singer Amy Winehouse and her husband Blake Fielder-Civil were today granted a divorce at London High Court.

The couple, who met in a London bar in 2005 and were married in Miami in May 2007, were granted a divorce by Judge Michael Segal during court proceedings which lasted only a few minutes, and were not present at the hearing.

Last month, the singer's parents said she was in constant denial over problems with alcohol and drug abuse.

Amy’s father, Mitch, who blamed Fielder-Civil for his daughter’s alcohol and drug addictions, said she was taking part in a drug programme but was still drinking.

In January, Fielder-Civil’s solicitor said he had been “instructed to commence divorce proceedings on the grounds of Amy’s adultery.”

Last July, Fielder-Civil was sentenced to 27 months imprisonment for assaulting a pub landlord in Hoxton, East London, in 2006.

It is reported that Winehouse has agreed to pay Fielder-Civil off with a £2.4 million settlement.

The star, who won five awards at last year's Grammys including song of the year and record of the year, both for her single Rehab, and best pop vocal album for Back To Black, has an estimated £10 million fortune.

PAULA ABDUL QUITS AMERICAN IDOL

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Paula Abdul yesterday announced she is quitting her role as judge on the top-rated US television programme, American Idol.

Making her announcement through her Twitter feed, Abdul said: “with sadness in my heart," she had decided not to return to American Idol, which is due to start auditions for its ninth season within days.

She did not cite any reason for leaving the programme.

Abdul, 47, who had previously found fame as a singer/dancer before becoming a television personality, has been the anchor of the programme since it began in 2002, and said the programme became an international phenomenon with her help.

In a statement, Fox and American Idol’s producers said Abdul was “an important part of the American Idol family over the last eight seasons, and we are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show,” adding that she was a “tremendous talent” and wishing her the best.

In July, Abdul had told The Associated Press she had been invited to stay with American Idol as long as the programme lasted, and was optimistic that she would be able to negotiate a new contract.

But the now ex-American Idol judge said the invitation to come back was subject to agreement on the details of a new deal.

On Monday, Fox announced that Kara DioGuardi would return for a second season on the American Idol judging panel, which includes Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson.

The addition of Grammy-nominated songwriter DioGuardi last year raised questions about Abdul's future with the hit programme.

JACKSON’S MOTHER AWARDED CUSTODY OF CHILDREN

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine was yesterday awarded full custody of the singer’s three children.

Los Angeles Superior Court judge Mitchell Beckloff finalised the custody agreement which will award Mrs Jackson, 79, custody of the late singer’s two children with ex-wife Debbie Rowe, Prince Michael, 12 and Paris, 11.

Mrs Jackson will also be the legal guardian of seven-year-old Prince Michael II, also known as Blanket, born to a surrogate mother whose identity is still unknown.

Under the custody agreement, Rowe will have visitation rights with her biological children and will continue to receive spousal support payments.

Mr Beckloff also agreed to provide Mrs Jackson with an allowance paid by the singer's estate, along with a separate allowance for the three children.

Mrs Jackson had been the caring for the pop star’s three children since his death on June 25.

In a 2002 will, Michael Jackson had nominated his mother to raise his children in the event of his death.

Rowe gave up custody rights to her two children with Jackson following their divorce in 1999.

The former nurse had later applied for her access to the children to be reinstated, reaching an agreement with Jackson in 2006.

Lawyers for both parties said no money had changed hands as part of the agreement approved by the court.

MADONNA STAGE COLLAPSE KILLS TWO

Friday, July 17, 2009

A second man has died overnight following the collapse of a stage constructed for a Madonna concert in France.

The latest victim of the collapse, Charles Prow, a 23-year-old from Leeds, UK, died at a hospital in Marseille from injuries he suffered when the partially-built roof of the city’s Velodrome Stadium he helped construct fell on Thursday.

Charles Criscenzo, a 53-year-old French worker, was killed instantly in the accident, with another eight people seriously injured and one American in a critical condition.

Firefighters said the accident occurred when the roof of the stage, set-up for a concert as part of Madonna’s Sticky and Sweet tour, became unbalanced as it was being lifted by four cranes, toppling one of them.

Madonna was in Udine, Italy, rehearsing for a concert when she was told of the incident.

During her concert in Udine, Madonna paid an emotional tribute to Prow and Criscenzo, saying, “I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge and pay tribute to two people who lost their lives today.”

“It's a great tragedy to me,” the multi-Grammy award winner continued, visibly saddened by the news.

“I feel so devastated to be in any way associated with anyone's suffering.

"Let's all just take a moment to say a prayer for Charles Criscenzo and Charlie Prow. Our hearts go out to their family and loved ones.”

Madonna said she was “devastated” by the news of Prow’s death, and subsequently cancelled her concert planned for Sunday.

CHRIS BROWN APOLOGISES

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

R&B star Chris Brown today issued a public apology for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, multi-award winning pop and R&B singer Rihanna.

In a video posted on his website, Brown, 20, says he accepts “full responsibility” for his actions, adding that he was “truly, truly sorry” and that what he did was “unacceptable.”

Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting Rihanna, 21, in February, just hours before the couple were due to perform at the Grammy Awards.

Police had been called to the LA suburb of Hancock Park after an argument between the couple escalated into violence.

According to an affidavit filed by LA detective, De Shon Andrews, the attack happened in a car when the Umbrella singer checked Brown's mobile phone and found a text message from another woman.

The affidavit reported that Brown attempted to push Rihanna out of the vehicle before punching her repeatedly and biting her ear.

Brown then allegedly threatened to kill her when she pretended to phone her assistant to get police help, and it is also alleged Brown tried to choke Rihanna.

Following the attack, photographs showing Rihanna's beaten and swollen face were leaked on to the Internet, which led to a fall from grace for Brown, who had previously been praised for his clean-cut image and for being a good role model to his fans.

Brown is due to be sentenced on August 5, but is expected to avoid jail, with a recommendation of six months of community service and probation.

UKRAINE BANS BRUNO

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Censors in the Ukraine have banned the box office hit comedy Brüno, claiming that the film could “damage the morality” of its citizens, the Ukraine ministry of culture said today.

The ministry claimed that Brüno “contains unjustified showing of genital organs” and depicts “homosexual perversions” in an “explicitly realist manner.”

The ministry subsequently told local film distributor Sinergia it had "decided to ban all showings of this film on Ukrainian territory.”

Nine members of the culture ministry's 14-person commission voted for a total ban of Brüno, which is currently topping the box office chart in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Brüno star Sacha Baron-Cohen, who plays a gay Austrian fashionista in the film, had already landed himself in hot water with the former Soviet Union after his previous alter-ego, the Kazakh journalist Borat, caused controversy in the Central Asian state.

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which ridiculed the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan and the United States and hit number one at the US box office, had been banned in the Ukraine, Russia and most of the Middle East.

Universal Pictures re-cut Brüno for UK audiences after it was rated 18, in order to make the film available to a wider audience and keep box office sales high.

An edited version was also released in the United States in order to prevent the film receiving an NC-17 rating, which would have prohibited anyone under the age of 17 from seeing the film.

TWILIGHT STAR HIT BY CAR WHILE ESCAPING FAN MOB

Friday, June 19, 2009

Twilight star Robert Pattinson was hit by a taxi after trying to escape a mob of female fans while filming a new movie in New York City today.

Pattinson, 23, was clipped on the hip by the taxi as he ran across the road to escape a mob of female fans scrambling to get an autograph and take photos of the star.

The taxi driver slammed his brakes when he realised he had hit Pattinson, who apart from appearing to be stunned by the incident, walked away from the accident relatively unscathed.

Three of Pattinson’s bodyguards continued to try to fend off the mob of hysterical teenagers as the heartthrob walked around the block to production offices from the Manhattan location of a scene that he was shooting for his role in the forthcoming romance film, Remember Me.

Pattinson was a relatively unknown British actor before he landed the starring role as a teenage vampire in box office hit Twilight, the first installment of the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s novel series.

Pattinson has since confirmed his starring role in the next three films of the cult series: New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn.

The international success of the first film has seen Pattinson’s popularity soar in the past 12 months to become one of the world’s most famous heartthrobs as well as one of the most sought after actors.

Public appearances by the star have spurred thousands of screaming fans to flock to his location, with one girl even breaking her arm while trying to catch a glimpse of him in Pennsylvania last year.

‘CHARLIE’S ANGEL’ FARRAH FAWCETT DIES

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Farrah Fawcett, best known for her role in the 1970s TV series Charlie’s Angels and for her best-selling pinup poster, died today at age 62.

The 70s siren, who had been battling anal cancer for three years, died shortly before 9.30am local time at St John’s hospital in Santa Monica, California, her spokesman Paul Bloch said.

Ryan O'Neal, Fawcett’s long-time companion, was at her side when she died, along with close friend Alana Stewart.

O'Neal is the father of Fawcett's son, Redmond O'Neal, born in 1985.

Redmond O'Neal is in an intense rehabilitation programme conducted in the Los Angeles county jail, and learnt of his mother’s death through a grief counsellor and chaplain.

Fawcett's cancer journey had been documented in a television special partly shot by the actress, entitled Farrah’s Story.

Fawcett began shooting Farrah's Story by taking a camera to a doctor's appointment, and eventually the film expanded to include trips overseas in the hope of treating her cancer.

To many of her fans, Fawcett will always be best known for the pinup poster featuring Fawcett in a red swimsuit, which sold a reputed 12 million copies after its release in 1976.

Soon after the photo shoot, Fawcett was cast as private investigator Jill Munroe in the Aaron Spelling hit television show, Charlie's Angels, about a trio of female detectives who work for a mysterious man named Charlie, whose only appearance in the show was through his voice.

MICHAEL JACKSON DIES

Thursday, June 25, 2009

King of Pop, Michael Jackson, died at his rented Holmby Hills home in Los Angeles today after suffering from cardiac arrest.

Paramedics, who arrived at Mr Jackson’s home after a 911 call from one of his staff members, were unable to revive the 50-year-old music legend after he stopped breathing, and he was rushed to UCLA hospital.

There, staff tried to resuscitate Mr Jackson for over an hour, but he was pronounced dead shortly after.

The star’s body was then flown from UCLA to the LA County Coroner’s Office, where a post-mortem is expected to take place on Friday.

Mr Jackson had been due to perform a series of 50 sold out comeback concerts at the O2 Arena in London, entitled This is It, which was to begin on July 17 and continue through to March 2010.

The star underwent a five-hour medical examination in March in order to secure insurance for the London shows, and he was declared physically fit to perform.

Concert promoters AEG Live secured cover for the first 22 dates, but were unable to convince insurers to offer a complete policy to cover all 50 shows.

Mr Jackson began his career at age five with his brothers in The Jackson 5.

He then went on to achieve worldwide success as a solo artist with 13 number one singles, 13 Grammy Awards, and record sales in excess of 750 million.

The star is survived by his three children, Michael Joseph Jackson Jr, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince Michael Jackson II, as well as by his mother, Katherine, father, Joseph and eight siblings.