Celebrity News

Coming This Week: SXSW Coverage

by Chris Gray "What I want from each and every one of you is a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse and doghouse in that area." —Tommy Lee Jones, The Fugitive You don't have to spend much time at South By Southwest to know that all of ... More >>

Meryl Won't Win, and Other Surefire Oscar Predictions

This is the only ballot you'll need at your viewing party

Whitney Houston, R.I.P.

Whitney Houston, the big-voiced belter who dominated radio in the 1980s and '90s and whose cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" spent 14 weeks at the top of the Hot 100, passed away tonight at the Beverly Hilton, where Clive Davis's annual pre-Grammy party was about to take place. (Her c ... More >>

How Not To Write About Female Musicians: A Handy Guide

​Maybe it's all that misguided Year of the Woman chatter that dominated year-end roundups, or the slow, agonizing creep of Fashion Week, or the coming apocalypse, but hoo boy has there been a lot of terrible writing about female musicians in the past few weeks. The latest offender is the New Y ... More >>

It's Adele vs. Gaga At The Grammys Sunday

And that's good because it'll take some of the heat off Gaga vs. Madonna. But who do you think will win the Grammy for Album of the Year?

Oddsmaking: Should The Grammys Just Give The Album Of The Year Award To Adele Now?

For the last twenty years, the award for Album of the Year, the biggest Grammy honor of them all, has tended to go to two types of people: young women and old men. Female solo artists under 30 (Lauryn Hill, Taylor Swift) and male veterans over 40 (Tony Bennett, U2) have dominated the category for tw ... More >>

Oddsmaking: Best Country Solo Performance, Where Ludacris's Stamp Of Approval Makes A Difference

As part of this year's larger reduction in genre-specific awards, 2012 will see the country portion of the Grammys streamlined to just four categories: Best Solo Performance (which swallows Male and Female Vocal Performance), Best Duo/Group Performance (which swallows Best Duo/Group Vocal Performanc ... More >>

The Grammys' 53 Record Of The Year Winners, In Order

53. Phil Collins, "Another Day in Paradise" [1991] 52. The 5th Dimension, "Up, Up and Away" [1968] 51. Olivia Newton-John, "I Honestly Love You" [1975] 50. Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On" [1999] 49. Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, "A Taste of Honey" [1966] 48. Bobby McFerrin, "Don't ... More >>

ALMOST PARADISE

Celebrate love day with love songs

My Final Oscar Nomination Predictions!

​The nominations will be announced tomorrow morning, but you might as well just go by this list, which has been officially certified by the Dionne Warwick Psychic Hotline. BEST PICTURE (Ranked in descending order of likelihood) 1--The Artist 2--The Descendants 3--The Help 4--Hugo 5--Mo ... More >>

BEEN GONE

Kelly Clarkson  returns to New York

Elton John's Husband Trashes Madonna For Golden Globe Win And Speech!

​Madonna had just won Best Song for cowriting something that pops up in the February release W.E.. Sir Elton (who's British royalty just like Dame Madge herself) hadn't won for "Hello Hello" from the animated movie about lawn gnomes in love.

53 More Great Songs From 2011

Earlier today, Maura offered a list of the 47 songs on her "2011 Awesomeness" Spotify playlist; to complement that, here are the 53 songs from my less cleverly named playlist, "2011." As is the usually the case with these mega-lists, I compiled mine a bit haphazardly, throwing together a substantial ... More >>

The 11 Most Infuriating Songs Of 2011, No. 5: Rihanna, "S&M"

The Song: Rihanna, "S&M" The Crimes: Dressing a bloodless ode to kink up by saying it's actually about the media? Na na na na na na, come on, girl. Pop stars need their personas as much as they need the songs that take them to the top of the charts—and lest you think that need exists in a va ... More >>

The 11 Most Infuriating Songs of 2011

More reasons to turn off the radio

Radio Hits One: Hot 100 Peaks Only Tell Half The Story For Cee Lo, Britney Spears, And Other Year-End Winners

One of the most frustrating things about discussing the Billboard singles charts is how a song's peak position—the highest spot it occupied on a chart during its run—is almost universally regarded as the permanent measurement of its success or popularity. Any song that reaches No. 1 is e ... More >>

May The Holidays Bring....

​*A toast to Marcus Bachmann: "Bottoms up!" *Lindsay Lohan living behind bars instead of dancing on top of them. *Mothers who keep tiaras off their toddlers.

Underwhelmed And Overstimulated, Part III: Occupying The Year Of The Woman Cliché In Hopes Of Blowing It Up

Kanye West at Occupy Wall Street; confused woman. ​Sound of the City's year-end roundtable, with contributions from Tom Ewing, Eric Harvey, Maura Johnston, Nick Murray, and Katherine St. Asaph, continues. Follow along here. ... More >>

Transgender And Drag At The Oscars! A Fabulous Pictorial!

In Albert Nobbs, Glenn Close (above) convincingly plays a woman who dresses like a man in order to nab some employment in 19th-century Ireland. But it's the kind of stunt that can also nab you awards consideration.

You Know You Are Watching a Garry Marshall Movie When...

Middlebrow hero

20 Questions Brought Up By The Grammy Nominations

Last night's Grammy nominations show was full of pomp, eyeliner, and people on Twitter becoming very confused. Here's the complete list of nominees; below, 20 questions that we're still wrestling with some 14 hours after the broadcast signed off. 1. "Super Bass": Robbed or totally robbed? 2. Now t ... More >>

For Shame: Our 10 Favorite Swinging Dicks of Films Past

Harvey Weinstein is Back -- NY Film Critics

The big news to emerge from yesterday's New York Film Critics Circle voting--held early this year to scoop the other year end awards--is, of course, the second coming of homeboy Harvey Weinstein. Not only was The Artist voted best picture and its director Michel Hazanavicius anointed Best Director ... More >>

Radio Hits One: Playing Armchair A&R With The Singles From 2011's Biggest And Best Albums

​The two big formats that have long ruled over popular music are the single and the album. They have a great duality between them: the song and the collection; the sliver and the whole; the appetizer and the main course. Albums are the full-length format long considered pop music's ultimate a ... More >>

New Drag Show In Times Square!

​Tina, Cher, Michael, Janet, Beyonce, Madonna, Gaga, Katy, and then some. They're all onstage at the Times Square Snapple Center (1627 Broadway at 50th Street), every Friday and Saturday at 11 PM. And they're men! Even Michael! Icons is the D'Angora Entertainment-produced drag show which wa ... More >>

Will.I.Am Kickstarts The Perhaps-Inevitable Trend Of Naming Albums After Hashtags

​The forthcoming album from will.i.am, lead Black Eyed Pea and tireless trend-rider, is called #WILLPOWER, and yes, the pound sign is intentional; apparently he's so interested in willing (ha!) himself into the Internet-enabled public consciousness, he's named his album in the style of Twitter ... More >>

The Band Perry, Taylor Swift Win Big At Last Night's Country Music Awards

Last night, country music's biggest stars (not to mention welcome outsiders like Lionel Richie and Kenny Loggins, who joined Male Vocalist of the Year Blake Shelton for a performance of "Footloose") convened in Nashville for the CMA's annual awards show. By the time hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Un ... More >>

'Concert for Bangladesh Revisited'

Beyond Jay And Kanye's Throne: Ten More Regal Seats In Hip-Hop

Coming to an arena near you this weekend: Jay-Z and Kanye West. ​Kanye West and Jay-Z's grandiose Watch The Throne tour comes to the New York City area tomorrow, and sticks around through next week—the pair perform at the Izod Center on Saturday and Sunday, and at Madison Square Garden o ... More >>

If Adele Found A Solid Relationship...

​Her career would be over! WTF would she have to sing about? "I met the man of my dreams and he loves me right back"? Blech. Boring. That would go down the charts with a bullet. And here are some other potential career killers for top music stars:

100 & Single: You Can Keep Your EGOT; Adele's Going For A 2011 PB&G

​The lady sitting atop both of Billboard's major lists this week has made enough news in 2011 that I'm tempted to rename this column "This Week in Adele." The British thrush is certainly making enough sad news these days, canceling her tour and preparing to undergo much-needed throat surgery. ... More >>

100 & Single: The Erratic Chart Fortunes Of TV-Crowned Idols, From Kelly To Scotty

​Scotty McCreery—winner of the 10th edition of American Idol, and owner of the new No. 1 title on Billboard's album chart, Clear as Day—sets a handful of chart records this week that certainly sound impressive. As Billboard reports, McCreery is the first country act to debut at No ... More >>

The American Music Awards Nominations: Hey, Did You Know Adele Sold A Lot Of Albums This Year?

Have you bought your copy yet? (Give it time.) ​You can have your Grammys and your Mercury Prizes and your Polaris Prizes and whatever other musical prizes honor things like "talent" and "artistry"—the most honest awards show in pop music, though, is undoubtedly the American Music Awards ... More >>

Celebs Who Are Only Children: Here's The List

I always assumed I was the only Italian-American only child in creation -- those people tend to procreate a lot -- but it turns out Al Pacino is one, too! I'm not alone! And I did a little research (and glanced at Us magazine) and found some other famous folk who have gone through life without sib ... More >>

Kim Kardashian's Husband Could Have Saved A Million On The Ring

I know that's mere pocket change with that group, but still, it bears mentioning in case any of you are thinking about purchasing an engagement ring for some TV cutie in the near future. Says Ira Weissman from TruthAboutDiamonds.com: "Most men are clueless when it comes to diamonds and end up payi ... More >>

Oscar Predictions: It's Never Too Early

​Just like it's already Christmas in certain department stores, the Oscar predix business happens to be in full swing, with goldderby.com asking us pundits for our premature (I mean extremely mature) guesses as to who will get nominated. Here are mine as of this very moment. Bear in mind tha ... More >>

Woody's New Play: Guess What It's About? (Spoiler Alert)

​Don't read this if you don't want to know what happens in Honeymoon Motel, the Woody Allen playlet that appears in the Broadway evening Relatively Speaking, alongside works by Elaine May and the Coen brothers.

Radio Hits One: Adele Brings The Ballad Back To No. 1

​Adele's 21 has ruled the American charts for most of 2011, and it's done so almost entirely on the back of one song: the lead single "Rolling In The Deep." While the British singer was topping charts in her homeland and several other countries with the follow-up single, the ballad "Someone LI ... More >>

GOING TO THE CHAPEL

You're invited to a faux drag queen wedding

Bitter Moon

Radio Hits One: Raising The Bar For "YouTube Platinum"

Justin Bieber and Ludacris: Congratulations. A lot of people watched your video.​On August 28, MTV will throw the 2011 installment of its Video Music Awards, honoring achievements in the art form that used to make up the majority of its programming. While it's all too tempting to note the iron ... More >>

ROCK WITH YOU

Paying tribute to MJ

Why Is Bill O'Reilly Not Calling Out Mike Huckabee's Gangster Glorification?

​"You may remember a couple years ago that Pepsi hired gansta (sic) rapper Ludacris as a commercial pitchman. [I] objected, saying major American corporations have an obligation not to reward people who harmed society...Unlike Ozzy Osbourne, who curses, or Britney Spears, who's an immature ex ... More >>

Live: Beyoncé Wants To Make You (And You, And You) Happy

Myrna Suarez​ Beyoncé Roseland Ballroom Sunday, August 14 Better than: Feeling lousy about yourself. While waiting for Beyoncé to take the stage at Roseland on Sunday night, the audience at Roseland was treated to a video on loop; among its tableaus was a video of Beyoncé, in a convertib ... More >>

100 & Single: Is It Okay For Katy Perry To Bum-Rush Her Way Into The History Books?

​Chart fandom makes strange bedfellows. Six months ago, if you'd asked me what act I'd root for in a head-to-head chart battle between pop princess Katy Perry and electrodance goofballs LMFAO, I'd probably have picked Perry, whose song catalog includes at least one or two gems. Her current hit ... More >>

Live: Rihanna Can't Stop Touching Herself

​ Rihanna w/J. Cole Izod Center Thursday, July 21 Better than: Being outside in weather that makes you feel like you're perpetually trapped in the car with hot air blowing on you while you wait "just a few minutes while the engine gets going" for the AC to kick in. A friend of mine recently ... More >>

The Video Music Awards' Nominations Play To The Internet (Again)

​Last night MTV announced the nominees for this year's installment of their annual pseudo-event extravaganza, the 2011 Video Music Awards, and once again, the nominees for Video Of The Year have three pop picks ("Rolling In The Deep," "Firework," "Grenade"), one sop to the olds in the crowd wh ... More >>

Madeon Gets Hands-On With 39 Pop Songs

​ Just when mashups seemed a horse corpse well flogged by the likes of Glee and Girl Talk, the prodigal son of Discovery-era Daft Punk and the very best of Dr. Luke's blockbuster pop comes along to breathe life into the genre. The 17-year-old wunderkind known as Madeon (he's based in Nantes, F ... More >>

100 & Single: How Digital Changed The Charts, From Gwen To GoonRock

Spotify's top tracks (left) and albums on Friday, July 15.​The headline-grabbing music story of the week isn't on the Billboard charts—it's the U.S. debut of Spotify. With the streaming-music service less than 48 hours old here, it's a bit too soon to analyze what songs are getting the m ... More >>

It's A Great Year For Best Actress

​The Emmy nominations came out today, but my mind is stuck on the Oscars and how there will be no shortage of leading actress contenders to pick from in 2011. Not only is Meryl Streep donning prosthetics and an accent again, this time as moxieish Margaret Thatcher, but we have the following o ... More >>