Janet Jackson is recording new album

Janet Jackson has announced that she is starting work on her eleventh studio album.

The 'All For You' singer, whose last disc Discipline topped the Billboard chart last year, is expected to release the new record next year.

"I just finished working on the film Why Did I Get Married Too?. I'm looking forward to getting started on my new album!" she wrote on Twitter.

Jackson parted ways with her record label Island Def Jam Records last September, reportedly unhappy with its efforts in promoting her LP.

The star released her self-titled debut album in 1982 and has gone on to sell over 100 million records worldwide.

Rihanna to perform for first time since attack

Rihanna is to perform in public for the first time since being attacked by Chris Brown six months ago.

The 'Umbrella' singer will appear on the 'The Jay Leno Show' on September 14, alongside hip-hop stars Kanye West and Jay-Z.

The trio are expected to perform their new single 'Run This Town'. Tom Cruise is also in negotiations to appear on the programme.

Rihanna, 21, has kept a low-profile since she was assaulted by her then-boyfriend Chris Brown in February.

Chris pleaded guilty to the attack in June and was sentenced to five years' probation, 180 days of community service and ordered to attend an anti-domestic violence programme.

He is also banned from going within 50 yards of Rihanna.

But the singer recently announced she wants Chris' court order downgraded to a level-one protective restraining order.

Her lawyer Donald Etra said: "That order would prevent Chris from annoying, molesting or harassing her. That level-one order would fully protect her.

"The order in effect now is a stay-away order preventing them from coming within 50 yards of each other.

"But Rihanna's position from the beginning is that there was no need for that level of protective order."

Chris' scheduled formal sentencing hearing on Wednesday (05.08.09) was postponed until August 27 after the judge ruled she was not satisfied with the terms of his community labour order.

Roisin Murphy accuses GaGa of copying her

ROISIN MURPHY has declared that Lady GaGa has copied her style and attempted to make it her own.

The former Moloko star said she was responsible for the Poker Face star's outrageous dress sense which includes oversized hats, thigh-high boots and daring headpieces.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Murphy said: "She's copied my style. I met her about a year ago before she got really big and I had no clue that this was all going to happen. She wasn't wearing shoulder pads at the time, and I was.

"Lady Gaga is just a poor imitation of me. She has copied my style, she took my shoulder pads and all that. Mind you she doesn't wear the bottom half!"

Pink thinks fur is fattening

Pink thinks fur makes people look fat.

The 'Sober' singer - who is an outspoken animal rights activist - believes the only way to stop celebrities wearing animal skins is to tease them about their weight.

The 29-year-old star is quoted as saying: "The whole animal welfare and cruelty side of wearing fur is clearly not working because some people still insist on wearing it.

"So I think we should have a new campaign with the message - fur makes you look fat. That is probably the only thing these people care about so let's go for that. You look terrible in that. It makes you gain 15 or 20 lbs. That will do the trick."

Pink - real name Alecia Moore - is a strict vegetarian and staunch supporter of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

Although she loves animals, the star wasn't happy when a frog hopped into her face on a recent bike trip in Australia with husband Carey Hart.

The pair had stopped on the side of the road for a toilet break when the excited amphibian "attacked" her.

A source said: "They were relieving themselves by the road when a frog jumped up and hit Pink bang in the eyes. She freaked." Fortunately, Pink was not injured.

Snoop Dogg to take part in Millionaire

SNOOP DOGG has been signed up as a special guest on TV gameshow Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

The rapper will be one of a handful of celebrities taking part in the 10th anniversary extended series of the show which will last two weeks.

Other stars reportedly appearing include Katy Perry, actress Vanessa Williams and the Reverend Al Sharpton.

Each will be asked one question and if answered correctly, $50,000 (£30,000) will be donated to their favourite charity.

The run of shows will begin this Sunday, August 9 at 8pm on ABC.

Wallis Bird to release new single

WALLIS Bird releases new single 'To My Bones’ on August 31, 2009. It is taken from her forthcoming second album 'New Boots’, out September 7 through Rubyworks.

Hot on the heels of recent comeback single, the intoxicating 'La La Land’, Wallis Bird readies the release of her new album with a big pop song that arguably helps to define it.

The songs on 'New Boots’ emerged partly from the most euphoric moments of her life – epiphanies and personal triumphs – and partly from the shadow of splits – with her label, with her partner – experiences that, she says, nearly broke her in half.

Recorded in varying locations – a rural Germany studio close to where she lived for 18 months; her home in London; her parents’ house back in Ireland – Wallis even utilised her family as backing vocalists on some of the songs. 'Having family and friends take part makes it more personal, both for me and for the listener,' she says. 'I feel that music can die if we don’t keep it intimate.'

Together with her band, Wallis has dug deep, fought hard and alchemised pop gold, creating an honest, bold and predictably unpredictable album. None more so than on the stadium-sized acoustica of summer popsicle 'To My Bones’, a song that has already pricked up the tuned-in ears of our mainstream radio airwaves.

An impassioned performer often likened to Janis Joplin and Ani DiFranco, much of the live energy of Wallis’ shows is captured on 'New Boots’. Listeners might be surprised by the 5ft 2in bundle of white heat who throws herself around the stage with wilful abandon, breaking strings and shredding her fingers from the sheer force of her playing, urging the crowd into a collective sing-a-long and throwing her entire soul into each performance.

'New Boots’ is a fiercely honest record from a young Irish songstress not afraid to channel heart and soul into her every last note. 'To My Bones’ is its rallying cry.

Wallis Bird live:

August 7 Relentless Boardmasters Festival, Newquay
August 22 V Festival, Chelmsford
August 23 V Festival, Stafford
August 30 Solfest, West Cumbria
September 2 Koko, London (supporting Rodrigo y Gabriela)
September 12 Jimmy’s Farm Festival, Ipswich


www.myspace.com/wallisbird www.wallisbird.com

J-Lo talks to her twins online

Jennifer Lopez uses a webcam to keep in touch with her children.

The singer-and-actress - who gave birth to twins Max and Emme in February 2008 - can't bear to be parted from her family, so uses the internet to check on how they are doing.

She said: "I hate being away from my kids. But we have devised this thing where I can see them on the computer. I call up on the web camera so I can see the babies while I am away and I just look at them."

Although the 40-year-old star enjoys speaking to the twins via a webcam, she admits it can be upsetting and confusing for her 18-month-old daughter Emme to see her mother talking to her on a computer screen.

Jennifer is quoted as saying: "It is so sweet - my son just stares at the camera and looks. And then my daughter just starts crying when she sees me on the screen. She holds out her arms to me and gets very upset. It breaks my heart if I am away from them even for a short time."

50 Cent to play at Jackson tribute

50 CENT is set to pay tribute to Michael Jackson on what would have been the King of Pop's 51st birthday.

The rapper has signed up to perform at a theme park benefit show in New Jersey on August 29 which will help raise cash for the rapper's G-Unity Foundation.

He also revealed that he has dedicated his latest mixtape, Forever King, to the late pop superstar - and changed the project's artwork and some of the rhymes and lyrics to honour Jackson, who died on 25 June (09).

50 Cent said, "When Michael Jackson passed, there was a piece of artwork that had 'King of Pop, King of Rap' with me and his pictures. That's what gave me the concept of the artwork."

The new mixtape samples actor Vincent Price's maniacal laugh from Thriller and a revamp of the Jackson 5's I Wanna Be Where You Are on the track Michael Jackson Freestyle, which chronicles the life of a drug dealer.

Miley Cyrus stalker arrested again

A MAN has been arrested for the second time for stalking teen star Miley Cyrus.

Mark McLeod, 53, was detained in Georgia, US, on Wednesday after he was spotted on the set of her new movie 'The Last Song’.

According to Reuters, he told police he is secretly engaged to the star and previously told reporters he was her Number One fan at a book signing in New York.

McLeod was first arrested in June after trying to get past a security perimeter on the movie set, and was issued a police order to stay away.

He was held for just one day in custody due to over-crowding.

Katy Perry steps in as American Idol judge

KATY PERRY has been signed up as a guest judge on the new series of American Idol.

Following resident judge Paula Abdul's departure from the show after eight series this week, Perry will take her place for one of the audition shows.

The news comes the day after it was revealed that former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham will also appear as a guest judge on the US version of Britain's The X Factor.

But executives at Fox, which broadcasts the show said they are searching for a permanent, fourth judge to sit in Abdul's seat when the ninth season of the show returns to TV in early 2010.

18 weeks at US No.1 for Black Eyed Peas

Black Eyed Peas have extended their record run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

Their track 'I Gotta Feeling' notches up its sixth week at number one, having previously ended the 12-week chart reign of predecessor 'Boom Boom Pow'.

Rapper Drake holds steady at two with 'Best I Ever Had', while Taylor Swift bounces back to three with 'You Belong With Me'.

Meanwhile, British R&B singer Jay Sean scores his first ever US top ten hit after climbing from 32 to six with 'Down', a collaboration with Lil Wayne.

Outside the top ten, Shakira jumps from 41 to 21 with 'She Wolf', while T.I. and Mary J. Blige debut at 29 with 'Remember Me'.

The top ten singles in full (click where possible for our reviews):

1. (1) Black Eyed Peas: 'I Gotta Feeling'
2. (2) Drake: 'Best I Ever Had'
3. (4) Taylor Swift: 'You Belong With Me'
4. (3) Keri Hilson ft. Kanye West, Ne-Yo: 'Knock You Down'
5. (5) Kings of Leon: 'Use Somebody'
6. (32) Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne: 'Down'
7. (6) Sean Kingston: 'Fire Burning'
8. (7) Black Eyed Peas: 'Boom Boom Pow'
9. (8) Lady GaGa: 'LoveGame'
10. (12) Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester: 'Good Girls Go Bad'

Razorlight drummer joins We Are Scientists?

WENN
Former Razorlight member Andy Burrows has reportedly announced plans to join We Are Scientists, as well as complete a second solo album.

The drummer, who quit Razorlight in March, has been recording in New York with the 'After Hours' rockers, working on new material for the band's third record, according to NME.

"There was no plan from me to go solo," Burrows explained, speaking about his 2007 solo debut The Colour Of My Dreams. "I've always been comfortable behind the drums, but I've always written songs too and I had a bunch sitting around, and it dawned on me once I'd left Razorlight I had enough for an album."

Burrows also revealed for the first time why he felt he had to leave his old band.

"I'm a fan of Razorlight, but by the end I wasn't a fan of being in Razorlight," he said, adding that there were no hard feelings between he and the rest of the group.

He continued: "I was really pleased to hear that they were going to carry on without me, though. It was good to see the band being positive and moving on."

Speaking about his new role in We Are Scientists, Burrows declared that he will play live and record with the group as an "honouree Scientist".

Welcoming their new member, frontman Keith Murray noted that he faced stiff competition for a place in the band's lineup, saying: "We were thinking for this record that we'd collect all our drummer friends and have different guys do different songs. Andy was one of those guys but after he left Razorlight we got together, fell in love and decided to make a record."

Britney 'won't sing' at Teen Choice Awards

Britney Spears has released a statement to deny that she is performing live at the Teen Choice Awards on Monday.

The singer, who recently confirmed that she would appear at the annual bash in California, apologised to fans for mistakenly suggesting that she would sing live.

"Britney is appearing, not performing at the TCAs," the statement reads.

"We are deeply sorry for any confusion and disappointment and appreciate the ongoing dedication of Britney's wonderful fans."

Spears is nominated in three categories at the ceremony, which will be hosted by the Jonas Brothers.

Kathrine gets the kids

It has been confirmed that the kids will go to MJ's mom (kathrine). This is what MJ wanted since the kids already were close to her.

Humanoid done!

News from MTV.com! Tokio Hotel’s Humanoid Is Finished, After Brotherly Arguments Bill and Tom Kaulitz argued over tracklist, producer says. They’d already settled on a title and a release date, so it was probably time for the guys in Tokio Hotel to actually finish recording Humanoid, the follow-up to their English-language debut, Scream.And they have. According to producer David Jost, brothers Bill and Tom Kaulitz have just returned from Los Angeles, where they put the finishing touches on the album, which has been in the works for nearly a year.“Bill and Tom have just been in Los Angeles to do the final guitar and voice recordings. The production is finished and we’re now mixing the album,” Jost said in a statement to MTV News on Wednesday (August 5). “From the 25 songs we’ve written these past 12 months, we had gotten to a [final] selection of songs, which we’ve been focusing on, production-wise for the last months.”Jost went on to say that the Kaulitz have whittled those 25 songs down to 13, which will comprise the tracklist for Humanoid. But it wasn’t easy.“A few days ago, Bill and Tom had a little argument about what should be the final tracklist for the album. But it seems that this internal problem has been solved,” Jost wrote. “Bill has now compiled a track list including all the songs that will be part of the Humanoid album. According to Bill’s latest version, 13 songs will be on the new album.”And what will those 13 songs sound like? Well outside of some YouTube leaks — snippets from a pair of Humanoid songs, “Dark Side of the Sun” and “Pain of Love” dribbled out back in June — few people seem to know. Jost had previously mentioned that Kaulitz had been drawing inspiration from the world of science-fiction, and earlier this year, production team the Matrix told MTV News that they had recorded eight songs with Tokio Hotel, and that the material was “strong, anthem-y” stuff with a dark edge and “lots of guitars.”In his statement, Jost hinted that the new material might be more somber and stream-of-consciousness. Or at least that’s what we think he’s saying …“Already as a young boy Bill held an immense melancholy within himself. At the writing and recording sessions, his emotional extremes are his greatest asset. In the studio Bill’s truth is always his last mood and his latest feeling,” Jost wrote. “Sometimes Bill was entering the studio — dreaming wide awake — and then he pulled out those crumpled-up slips of paper with his song ideas on it, from various pockets and bags.”

Pussycat Dolls star 'admits group split'

Ashley Roberts has reportedly admitted that the Pussycat Dolls have "broken up".

The singer/dancer has allegedly told fans outside a hotel in London that the girl group have split, reports the Daily Mail.

Ashley Roberts said: "This is the last time we'll be in the UK as a band. We've broken up. We're sorry."

The group's future has been in question for months as lead singer Nicole Scherzinger has reportedly planned to launch a solo career.

John Mayer reveals songwriting struggles

John Mayer has revealed that he is trying to adopt a new carefree approach to songwriting.

The 31-year-old singer admitted that he was previously worried about his lyrics because he did not want fans to compare them to tabloid rumours surrounding his personal life.

Writing on Twitter, Mayer explained: "I find it hard to write lyrics like I used to. This is not because people know so much about me, but because of what they think they know.

"So I find myself trying to guess what they think they know and then trying to steer clear of it and find another way to explain myself.

"The whole thing gets very tiresome and has led me to say 'f**k it' and write exactly like I used to."

Mayer has been linked to a number of female celebrities in the past, including Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz.

Gerard Way reveals new MCR LP details

Gerard Way has claimed that My Chemical Romance's upcoming album will feature the "greatest song" that the band has ever written.

The singer and lyricist discussed the progress of the follow-up to 2006's The Black Parade during an appearance at Comic-Con to promote his latest comic books.

Speaking to Rolling Stone, he said: "The songs are all wildly different, but the one I'm really excited about is called 'Death Before Disco'.

"It's a completely different sound for the band - it's like an anti-party song that you can party to. I can't wait for people to hear it.

"It brings back, lyrically, some of that wonderful fiction from the first album. I think we wrote our 'Born to Run', and I'm so amped about that. To me, it's the greatest song we've ever written - it's my favourite MCR song."

Way added that the group are "right in the middle" of producing the as-yet-untitled record, which is expected to be released later this year or early 2010.

Rihanna earned £10 million in one year

Rihanna earned an estimated £10 million last year, it has been claimed.

The 'Umbrella' singer is expected to become one of the world's richest popstars following the success of her third album Good Girl Gone Bad and a number of high profile endorsements.

According to Forbes magazine, the 21-year-old profited from a re-release of the LP, which spawned an impressive seven singles, as well as a world tour and contract with fashion giant Gucci.

The Bajan singer has reportedly enlisted Justin Timberlake, Kanye West and Jay-Z to work on her new album, scheduled for release next year.

Placebo release ‘The Never-Ending Why’

Lifted from their now critically-acclaimed, top five (in twenty countries!) album 'Battle For The Sun’, Placebo are pleased to announce the release of their new single 'The Never-Ending Why’ on the 7th of September.

High energy and utterly infectious, 'The Never-Ending Why’ harks back to classic Placebo, kicking into life with a dense barrage of noise and building into a chorus that clamps itself onto your brain and refuses to let go. The single will be available on 7' vinyl with an exclusive b-side and as a download bundle that will feature the 7' tracks plus a remix.

Placebo have been highly active on the live circuit this year with 25 European festival appearances this summer alone (including a return to the mainstage at the Reading/Leeds festivals this August), followed by a huge arena tour booked for this December that includes a headline appearance at The O2 Arena in London on December 9th.

The December dates are as follows:

Tuesday 08th Birmingham LG Arena
Wednesday 09th London The O2
Friday 11th Bridlington Spa
Saturday 12 Manchester Central
Monday 14th Glasgow SECC
Tuesday 15th Dublin Olympia Theatre
Wednesday 16th Dublin Olympia Theatre