Thursday, April 17, 2008

Mariah Carey's new album enjoys huge early sales

Mariah Carey's video

Mariah Carey looks certain to debut at No. 1 on next week's U.S. pop album chart, based on massive first-day sales from a survey of leading music retailers.

Preliminary data show that "E=MC2," Carey's follow-up to her 2005 smash "The Emancipation of Mimi," sold 154,000 units Tuesday. That's more than five times the first-day haul for the current Billboard 200 champ, Leona Lewis' "Spirit," which ended up selling almost 205,000 copies in the week ended April 13.

The first-day sales are tallied on tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan's Building Chart, which is based on data from nine chains -- Trans World Entertainment, Starbucks, Best Buy, Circuit City, iTunes, Borders, Target, Anderson Merchandisers, and Handleman Co. Billboard estimates they represent 80% of the U.S. retail market. Final data will be released on Wednesday.

"The Emancipation of Mimi," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 404,000 copies. The first single from the new album, "Touch My Body," has spent two weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart.

Reuters/Billboard 1

Wild boys Duran Duran "cool" at last



Duran Duran Video

Pop stars Duran Duran, who shot to fame for a string of smash hits and dodgy suits in the 1980s, are officially cool at last.

Once panned for being pretty boys who used enough hairspray to blow a hole in the ozone layer, the British band have become a reference point for many of today's chart-topping acts, such as indie rockers Arctic Monkeys and American outfit The Killers.

"It's the greatest form of flattery," Duran Duran drummer Roger Taylor told Reuters in an interview before a sell-out Tokyo show earlier this week.

"Sometimes the music press try to write us out of music history a little bit, so it's been really cool that bands have actually said we were a good band, and they were good songs and they want to be a little bit like us and take something from Duran Duran."

While videos of them on yachts wearing silk suits might be painful to watch now, over 100,000 Internet pages are devoted to Duran Duran, who have sold more than 90 million albums.

The band counted the late Princess Diana among their legions of female fans during their 1980s heyday with hits such as "Girls on Film" and "Hungry Like the Wolf."

However, Duran Duran bristle at the notion they are 80s relics, pointing to a new album made in collaboration with Justin Timberlake and top American producer Timbaland.

"I think people who grew up in the 80s are often going to think of us," said keyboard player Nick Rhodes. "That was when we started out so it's inevitable to a degree. We did have quite an impact musically at that time.

"But we've always carried on working, throughout the 1990s. In fact (1993 comeback single) 'Ordinary World' was, world-wide, the biggest hit we ever had.

"It's good to think we've been around almost 30 years and we've put together a new album like 'Red Carpet Massacre' which feels very fresh and sharp."

MISSING TAYLORS

Rhodes and singer Simon Le Bon are the only two of the original five members to stick with Duran Duran through thick and thin, the band losing the last of its unrelated trio of Taylors with bassist John Taylor's departure in the late 1990s.

"All the Taylors went missing," smiled Rhodes. "It was very careless of us. That was a very difficult time without a doubt."

Although the original five members reformed in 2003, guitarist Andy Taylor has since left again.

"There was only one album we made completely Taylor-free," continued Rhodes. "It definitely didn't feel like the essence of Duran Duran anymore."

It has been a long and often painful catharsis for Duran Duran, with stories of bust-ups, spells in rehab and the occasional boating accident splashed across the tabloids.

"In the 80s our core audience were like 12, 13-year-old girls...very hormonally strung-out teenagers," said Roger Taylor, who quit the band in 1985 and bought a farm.

"We'd turn up at a hotel and we couldn't go anywhere because there would be thousands of them outside, glued to the window. We were just kept in our rooms.

"We would get torn apart if we went out. It was a very intense period of time. I just wanted to get away. I bought a farm. I wasn't really a farmer -- that was just a myth."

FRILLY-SHIRTED EXUBERANCE

A generation on from the frilly-shirted exuberance of 1981 debut "Planet Earth," the former heart-throbs have lost none of their flair for courting controversy.

The video for the single "Falling Down" -- a Britney Spears-inspired portrayal of anorexic-looking models in rehab -- was banned for being too raunchy.

Although the musicians are now in their late 40s, Duran Duran concerts regularly sell out in minutes, the crowd mania at this week's Tokyo show testament to their enduring popularity.

Lifetime achievement awards from the music industry further underline the impact the band have had on popular culture.

"I'm sure when people see us come into the room they see a history," said Taylor. "I think it's very important that we keep looking forward. We rarely talk about the early days or listen to the music. It's bad to get stuck in an era."

Reuters/Nielsen

Britney Hits the Studio "Just for Fun"

Britney Spears has apparently decided her body wasn't the only thing in need of a little fine-tuning.

E! News has confirmed that the "Gimme More" singer is taking voice lessons and has spent the last two days in a Burbank, Calif., recording studio to work on getting her voice back into fighting shape.

Spears, whose 2008 didn't exactly get off on the right foot, careerwise, is not working on anything official, a source close to the 26-year-old comeback kid told E! News, but instead is just looking to enjoy herself right now.

"She's doing it just for fun," the source said. "She's just sitting at the piano, singing a little. She's just in there to have some fun. It may lead to something down the road, but right now this is just part of her staying on the right track."

Spears is also said to be spending time under the tutelage of voice coach Ron Anderson, who, according to his professional website, has worked with the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Anthony Kiedis, Chris Daughtry, Avril Lavigne, Björk, Paris Hilton, Paula Abdul, Pink, Shania Twain, Usher and Tori Amos, among others.

Blackout, Spears' fifth studio album and her first in four years, was released in October and sold 290,000 copies its first week out of the gate to land at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, the first time one of her studio efforts didn't debut at No. 1.

Kristy Lee Cook's Idol Secret

Kristy Lee Cook's American Idol run was marked by a number of stays in the bottom three and, as it turns out, a secret engagement.

Cook's boyfriend popped the question in the sauna of her Idol apartment on March 15, days after she survived her first elimination round as a finalist.

The country-inclined singer was able to share this detail with reporters Thursday because she did not survive Idol's latest elimination round Wednesday night.

After an especially Byzantine results show, Cook, 24, was revealed to be the odd singer out, exiting in Mariah Carey week with the inaptly titled "Forever."

"I was kind of upset that I went home because I thought I was getting stronger and stronger," Cook said. "I thought ["Forever"] was my best performance so far. I thought I had at least another week in me."

Cook said her goal was to make the top five. In the end, she finished seventh.

No stranger to the bottom three—she was there four out of the last six weeks—Cook "built up a stamina for it." And so when host Ryan Seacrest divided the finalists into curious groups Wednesday night, Cook wasn't fazed, even if Carly Smithson was.

Smithson, Cook said, was convinced that Cook's group—she was sent to stand next to her nonrelation David Cook—was the safe group. "They're going to do something that's so off the wall," Cook said she advised the nonbelievers.

Cook was right. David Cook, the show's emotional favorite, was sent to safety—and to Smithson's group. Kristy Lee Cook, Brooke White and Syesha Mercado ultimately comprised the unsafe group.

Cook took the opportunity of her exit to sing her swan song right in the face of her chief critic, judge Simon Cowell.

" 'Well, you made it awkward for me,' " Cook said Cowell told her. "And I said, 'Well, now you know how you make it for all of us.' "

Of Cowell, Cook said, "He didn't really get what I have. I still don't think he does."

On a happier note Wednesday night, Cook's boyfriend, whom she identified only as Andy, reproposed on the Idol set, dropping to his knee—a move he didn't do the first time out in the sauna. "He owed it to me," she said.

Cook didn't talk about her engagement earlier because of all the Idol-related madness that goes with being a finalist. "The first time we tried to keep everything on the down-low," she said.

There's no wedding date yet, although Cook guessed she might walk down the aisle in June 2009. And she more than guessed that she might invite the Idol judges, Cowell included.

"Oh, yes, of course I would," Cook said. "I definitely would."

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Britney Spears in minor car accident






Britney Spears was involved in a minor traffic accident on a Los Angeles freeway Saturday, authorities said.

California Highway Patrol Officer Patrick Kimball says the two-car collision occurred about 8:20 p.m. Saturday on the northbound 405 at the 101 freeway. Kimball says it was a minor accident and nobody was hurt.

Kimball says it's unclear whether Spears was driving or which car she was in.

The CHP took a report and no one was cited.

An after-hours e-mail sent to Spears' publicist was not returned Saturday.

Rock Of Love 2's Daisy Vs. Ambre: Who Will Stay And Rock Bret's World?

Last year, Poison singer Bret Michaels--the man aptly credited with "vocalizin' and socializin'" on his band's debut LP--reared his bandanna-swaddled head in pop culture once again, following his star turn as Nashville Star's wisecracking center judge with his own reality show, a televised search for the heavy-metal hoochie of his rock 'n' roll fantasies called Rock Of Love.

Well, after wading chaps-deep through a murky sea of big-haired, big-implanted groupie girls, Bret narrowed his lurid lovehunt down to two prospects: a magenta-haired ice queen named Jes, and a brassy-tressed, brass-balled, gold-hearted Vegas stripper named Heather. Heather seemed like the perfect match for him (well, she could match him tequila shot for tequila shot, at least, and she had enough abundant, Aquanetted hair to compensate for whatever might've been lacking under his everpresent bandanna). But even though Heather proved her undying adoration for Bret by tattooing his name on her deeply spray-tanned flesh, Bret still made the mistake of choosing Jes--a woman who dumped him on the reunion show faster than she could open up and say ahh.

But maybe it wasn't a mistake. Because if Bret and his bachelorette #1 had worked out in "real life," he would've never had the second chance to pursue rebound romance--and RATINGS, of course--on this year's Rock Of Love 2.

So VH1 quickly held another open casting call, recruited an even sleazier slew of willing wannabes (most notably Angelique, aka the Gallic, trout-pouted he/she nicknamed "Frenchie"), and Bret started another search for a proverbial rose among the thorns. And now it's down to "singer"/exotic dancer Daisy De La Hoya (niece of Oscar) and professional actress/TV presenter Ambre Lake, between whom Bret will choose on this Sunday's Rock Of Love 2 finale. Now, it's likely that whomever Bret picks, he'll probably split with her just in time to start taping Rock Of Love 3...but just in case he is taking this potentiall life-altering decision seriously, here are the pros and cons of each:

AGE - Ambre is 37, while Daisy is somewhere in her early twenties (all the plastic surgery's she had, which gives her the appearance of a "melted-faced tranny" according the Best Week Ever, makes it hard for me to guestimate her exact age here). Now, it seems 46-year-old Bret would be more compatible with Ambre than with a chick who's literally too young to remember the original versions of the tunes on Poison's recent cover-songs album. But rock stars are (in)famous for upgrading their girlfriends/wives every few years--trading them in for younger, spiffier models, as if they were leased cars. So Ambre's "advanced" age might not be an advantage in this instance, especially since she lied and claimed to be 32 when she first met Bret. This fib seemed to irk Bret quite a bit, even though Daisy's many off-white lies (about having a previous relationship of some kind with Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille, about cohabitating with her ex-boyfriend, etc.) seemed to be far more egregious than Ambre's largely vanity-driven shaving-off of five years. But regardless, last season Bret chose twentysomething Jes over thirtysomething Heather, and we all know men never change.

- Daisy is a (self-declared) singer, despite what her tone-deaf rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" would have us believe. So it seems like that would be a plus, as she and Bret have that in common. However, a shared love of music and performing wasn't enough to keep Peyton in the competition, and Bret might worry that Daisy is just looking for another musician's coat-tails to ride, now that she's no longer singing for her ex Charles's band. Additionally, Daisy earns a living as an exotic dancer--the same profession as season 1's Heather, whom Bret thought was too much of a "party girl"--so that could be an disadvantage. Then again, there IS a reason why Bret had a stripper pole installed in his Rock Of Love mansion, so maybe Daisy's dancing is a plus. Meanwhile, Ambre is an actress with a modestly impressive history of bit parts in films and TV shows like Sweet Home Alabama and The Twilight Zone. Not quite as sexy as Daisy's career, but if Bret's looking for a woman who won't necessarily depend on his "Every Rose Has Its Thorns" royalties, gainfully employed Ambre is probably the better bet.

- Not to be mean, but Daisy is such a butter face, she should get an endorsement deal with Parkay. Her body is smoking, but from the neck up she's a hot mess of over-inflated duck lips, jutting Picasso-painting facial angles, and half-mast eyes that make her look like Janis from the Muppets. But did I mention her body is smoking? Yep, she filled out a garter belt quite nicely when Bret took her lingerie-shopping on their solo date, that's for sure. Anyway, Ambre has abs of steel that have received multiple compliments from Bret (so much so that she used pinking shears to hack all her tops into half-shirts, the better to show off her stomach). And Ambre is technically much prettier than Daisy, with a face that seems relatively silicone-, Restylane-, and Botox-free. But, well, Ambre does look 37, not 32. That shouldn't be a bad thing considering that 37 is still nine years younger than Bret's age--but let's face it, as I mentioned two paragraphs ago, most rockers like 'em young. Also, it should be noted that Daisy caught Bret's eye right away in episode 1, securing a coveted "VIP pass" from him, while Ambre was totally overlooked and almost sent home early in the season. That indicates what the attraction level is here. - Ambre and Bret did not have a real spark at first; in fact, he was going to eliminate her, until one of the bachelorettes he'd picked had a panic attack and decided to go home early, thus luckily leaving an open slot for Ambre to fill. But Ambre and Bret's "spiritual connection" grew from the moment they smooched--Bret has said on more than one occasion that Ambre is the best kisser in the house--and she seems to have a developed-enough brain to carry on polysyllabic conversations with Bret. Then again, polysyllabic conversations may not be that high on Bret's (admittedly long) list of turn-ons, given that he had Ambre have only kissed but he and Daisy have supposedly slept together "about 500 times."

All right, if my extremely scientific calculations above are correct, then Daisy is the woman who'll get the final rose, while Ambre will be left with the thorns. I hope I'm wrong, though, since I do think Ambre is the better catch. Either way it's going to be close, so we'll all just have to watch this weekend to find out who Rock Of Love 2's fallen angel will be. Set your TiVo now!

The Ice Man Restraineth






Vanilla Ice is going from the cooler to the hot seat.

The former hit-making hip-hopster was released from Palm Beach County Jail following a court appearance Friday morning, hours after getting arrested for shoving his wife.

Criminal Court Justice Nancy Perez placed Ice, aka Robert Van Winkle, on supervised release without bond and ordered him to keep away from Mrs. Ice, aka Laura Van Winkle, until the court can make a final decision in the case.

"I love my wife and I know she feels bad about this," Van Winkle told Perez.

"Good luck to you," said Perez.

Outside the jail, Ice's agent, Wes Kain, labeled the incident "a misunderstanding."

According to Teri Barbera, spokeswoman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, the rapper faces one count of simple domestic battery and will now enter the Palm Beach County Supervised Own Recognizance program, which requires him to live apart from his missus and have no physical contact with her.

He can, however, contact her by phone, and the judge granted him visitation with their two children, 8-year-old Dustee Rain and 10-year-old Keelee Breeze, as long as he's in the presence of his neighbor, Frank Morales.

The 40-year-old Ice was also allowed to pay a onetime visit to the couple's Wellington home escorted by a police officer to collect his personal effects. Otherwise, he must stay away until the domestic battery charge is resolved.

Per the arrest report, the one-hit wonder was taken into custody and booked at approximately 10:43 p.m. ET Monday, after his spouse called 911 and reported she had been hit and kicked by Ice after a dispute over the purchase of a bedroom set. Laura Van Winkle said the incident occurred in front of one of their children.

Officers turned up at approximately 7:15 p.m. and tracked down Ice, who was on his motorcycle about two blocks away from the house. By the time police got back to the house, Laura Van Winkle altered her story, claiming she had only been pushed, she wasn't in fear for her safety, and she wanted a divorce. She then refused to say anything more until she spoke to her attorney.

Ice denied pushing her and insisted that he hopped on his bike to get away from her, not the cops. He also said they had been arguing for two days, per the police report, and that his wife was bipolar and sometimes "irrational."

An arraignment in the case is tentatively scheduled for May 5, Barbera said.

The "Ice Ice Baby" rapper and former Surreal Life star is no stranger to domestic disturbances.

In 2001, he was arrested near Davie, Fla., for purportedly grabbing his wife's hair during a heated argument in the couple's car, but Laura declined to cooperate with police and the case was dropped.

In recent years he has gotten in trouble for a series of motoring miscues and was fined after his pet wallaroo and goat escaped and wandered around town.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Victoria's Secrets Revealed






It's been a pretty monumental year for band reunions so far: The Police, the Sex Pistols, Crowded House, Rage Against The Machine, Van Halen, the Verve, the Jesus & Mary Chain, and of course Led Zeppelin are only a few of the long-gone acts who buried the hatchet this year. But perhaps one of the most hyped and anticipated reunions of 2007 has been the return of the Spice Girls.

Some people probably thought there was no demand for Posh, Ginger, Scary, Sporty, and Baby these days. They might have assumed that the Spicy circa-'96 message of "Girl Power!" no longer rang true. These people probably laughed at the idea of the Spice Girls embarking on an international arena tour. But clearly the Spice Girls are having the last laugh now--and they're laughing all the way to the bank, as tickets to their reunion concerts have sold out in a matter of minutes. Apparently what pop fans want, what they really really want, is to see the Spice Girls one more time.

So now the Spice Girls are back to spice up our lives, and they're bigger and better than ever. They're looking hotter than they did in their heyday (one look at their slick, lingerie-draped "Headlines" video indicates the ladies have much better access to stylists and personal trainers now); Melanie Brown has gracefully recovered from that Eddie Murphy babydaddy scandal and is now a frontrunner on Dancing With The Stars; Emma Bunton is raking in residuals from her spaghetti sauce commercials; and the highest-profile Spice of all, Victoria "Posh Spice" Beckham, is a bona fide fashion icon currently conquering her new home city of Hollywood.

With the Spice Girls' tour less than three weeks away, Victoria recently took time out of her grueling rehearsal schedule to talk with Y! Music managing editor Lyndsey Parker about her new life in L.A., her family, those ubiquitous band infighting rumors, and the Spices' upcoming show of shows. Read on for a little Posh talk...

YAHOO! MUSIC: So how are you enjoying Los Angeles so far?

VICTORIA: I love it. I've got to say, this year's probably the happiest we've ever been as a family. People say to me, "God, it must be really hard to transition," and I'm like, "What's hard? The sun's great, we live in Beverly Hills...let's be realistic, how hard can that be?" We absolutely love it.

YAHOO! MUSIC: You've had no difficulty adjusting?

VICTORIA: Actually, not at all. I did a lot of groundwork, though: I came over, I searched for a house, I bought a house, I enrolled my children in an incredible school. It took a long time of going backwards and forwards to find everything I needed to find because I hadn't been here that much, but it's the most wonderful place. We definitely see ourselves staying here much longer than we initially planned, because we're very, very happy. It's great. We have a lot more privacy here; we go out and do our things. The kids love it; they have a nice circle of friends. We can both work here. It's actually incredible. We're very, very happy.

YAHOO! MUSIC: But you'll be gone from L.A. for a while, huh, when you go on tour?

VICTORIA: I'm going to be away for half of December and the whole of January, in London, and then we come back to America for February. I'm really only going to be gone from L.A. a month and a half. But I'll definitely, definitely miss it, because I feel much freer here in L.A. I'm much calmer. This is the perfect place for me!

YAHOO! MUSIC: Not everyone likes L.A. You either love it or hate it, I guess...

VICTORIA: Well, obviously I love England--that's where I'm from. Fashion-wise, I find London very inspiring. It's lovely to go back and visit. But I'm used to traveling and being away from home, and I think L.A. is a great place. The people are very nice. I haven't been here that long, so hopefully it's not going to change! But we all love it. The kids are so happy.

YAHOO! MUSIC: OK, so about this tour...why now? The Spice Girls reunion has been rumored for so long, and surely you've had many offers before...

VICTORIA: You know, for years we were rumored to be discussion, but we all know what the media's like: When they haven't got anything to write about, they just make up sh*t. Everyone else was talking about a reunion, but we weren't! Geri [Halliwell] basically had a christening for [her daughter] Bluebell, and we were there, and it literally was just really natural. We all started laughing about the things we used to get up to, and how phenomenal our success was. And one thing led to another, and it just seemed like the right thing to do. As soon as we decided we got [19 Management's] Simon Fuller involved, and he started planning things. I think we were all obviously nervous in our own little ways, but for me it was just the fact that I wanted my children to see Mommy was a pop star once! To see what Mommy used to do. That Mommy does more than just moan at the boys and say, "Do your homework!" and "Brush your teeth!" That was my motivation for doing it, and it's not for long. The tour has been planned so that David [Beckham] can come on the tour and the kids can come on the tour, then at the end of February, David goes back for training and the boys will go back to school, and that will be it.

YAHOO! MUSIC: So there are no plans for a full reunion album? A permanent reunion?

VICTORIA: Well, there's the greatest hits album, which is released exclusively through Victoria's Secret. They've made a huge commitment, which is fantastic, and we're performing at their show this Thursday [November 15]. There's two new tracks on the album, "Voodoo" and "Headlines." That will be it. This isn't the Spice Girls getting back together to record loads of new material and do a new film. We're not starting off our careers again; we're literally celebrating the past, celebrating our huge success, saying thank you to our fans, showing our kids what we used to do, and finishing it off the way we should have finished it off.

YAHOO! MUSIC: It seems most bands who reunite these days try to justify the reunion with a whole album of new material, even though the fans at the reunion concerts really just want the old hits...

VICTORIA: But we've never done things the way everyone else does things. We do things the way that suits us and our families. At the end of the day, I'm already dreading it coming to an end, to be honest. I admit I was nervous at the beginning, because I've worked very hard to be accepted in the fashion industry, and I was nervous: Would they accept me if I turned into "Posh Spice" again? There's been a lot of doors opened for me in the fashion industry because of what I've done with the Spice Girls, but then again there's been a lot of doors that have been shut as well, because people do have preconceptions. It's taken me many years to work through that, so I was very nervous how people would think about that. Because fashion, outside of my family, is my passion; I'm not in the music industry anymore. But the Spice Girls reunion has been accepted very well. But after February, the kids will go back to school, David will go back to training, and my family are everything to me. I couldn't commit to doing any longer of a tour or any other stuff with the Girls, because it takes so much time. I'm having so much fun and I'm loving being back with the Girls and I've missed them so, so much--but I have a family now, so I just couldn't commit to any more time.

YAHOO! MUSIC: Why did you decide to sell your album at Victoria's Secret? With all the changes going on in the music industry right now, it seems like a smart business move.

VICTORIA: Simon Fuller is very clever businessman. It was his idea, and we all think Victoria's Secret is great, the perfect place for us to sell our record. We're five women who love Victoria's Secret, and they made a huge, huge, huge commitment, they're a very nice company. It was Simon's idea, and we all think it's a great idea. He's a genius when it comes to coming up with different ways of doing things. We don't play by the rules, we do things are different way, you know.

YAHOO! MUSIC: Are you surprised by how rabidly this reunion has been received? People are going nuts!

VICTORIA: It's great. We have the most incredible, committed fans. They've stuck with us for the last 10 years. I think it's proof that no matter what anybody says, no matter what anybody writes, it really doesn't matter. The fans are what matter. And people WANT the Spice Girls. The press can write whatever the bloody hell they like--PEOPLE WANT TO SEE THE SPICE GIRLS! It's been absolutely phenomenal. We didn't know what to expect. We weren't worried about it, but we didn't know if anyone was going to want to come see us after all these years. And it's just been fantastic. Very exciting for us.

YAHOO! MUSIC: What can fans expect to see on your tour?

VICTORIA: The show is just going to be incredible. We have the best people working on this show. We have Jamie King directing it and heading up all the choreography. We have Roberto Cavalli designing all the tour clothes. We have 10 of the best dancers in the world that myself and Melanie B auditioned out here in L.A. The show is going to be one of the best shows people will ever see! The attention to detail is great, and we're going full-out to put on a fantastic show for our fans.

YAHOO! MUSIC: Are you nervous to be back onstage again?

VICTORIA: You know what? I'm not nervous at all, because I've got the other girls. If I was going to do it on my own, I'd be really nervous. But we're just going out there to have fun! I'll be happier once we've done a few shows and I know I have the choreography under my belt, because we have had so much to learn. We've got a month to rehearse all the songs, all new choreography. So there's a lot to do. But I'm not nervous. You know, we're not perfect--so what if someone does a dance move wrong? We're trying very hard, but we're the Spice Girls and we just get up there and have fun. And that's what people want to see.

YAHOO! MUSIC: How are band relations now, after all those infighting rumors over the years?

VICTORIA: Like I said, people write stuff about us all the time. We get on really, really well. Everyone is so much more mature. We've all got kids except for Melanie C, and it's great--my kids come to rehearsal after school and they hang out and they sing with us. All of our kids are getting on really well. We're just so much more mature now. We used to argue, but there hasn't actually, as yet, been any arguments this time. We've all got a lot of work to do, we all have to knuckle down and get into it, and our priorities have changed. Everything changes once you have a family. I've personally really, really missed not being in the group. Not because I missed singing and dancing, even though that is fun. I don't miss the industry. But what I have missed is having four really good friends that have got my back. And I didn't realize until I got back with the girls how much I missed that. Personally, we've all been through so much and had to deal with it on our own, and when you get back and you've got four people...well, it's like unconditional love, to be honest. Whatever you do, whatever you say, they've got your back and they care about you. I am loving every minute of it because of that--because I didn't have that in the years that I wasn't in the group.

YAHOO! MUSIC: Is it true that Melanie C was the one holdout, the one Spice Girl who didn't want to participate in the reunion?

VICTORIA: No, I think we all had our concerns. I was really concerned, like I said. I'm not in the music industry anymore, I'm in fashion, and I was nervous because I've worked very hard and had a huge amount of success with my DVB brand. I was worried that I might be jeopardizing that in any way. We were all nervous in our own little ways, but obviously it's a better story to put one girl aside and say she's the one that is having problems. People are so crazy and need Spice Girls stories all the time, that when they don't have them they just make them up! But that's cool, we accept that. We've been doing this a long time.

YAHOO! MUSIC: When the Spice Girls first came out, they were all about "Girl Power!" Do you think that positive message is missing from female pop stars' music today?

VICTORIA: That's an interesting point, because I think the whole industry has changed. For instance, I used to think fashion and music went hand-in-hand, and now I totally don't think they do. I think there are very few music artists that have any influence on fashion at all nowadays. But I think you're right about the "Girl Power" thing, and I think that's why people liked the Spice Girls--because that's what we stood for. And I think that's what people continue to like about us.

VICTORIA: Do you think that message will resonate with little girls today, who are too young to remember the Spice Girls from the first time around?

YAHOO! MUSIC: Yes, it's been incredible. The people who want tickets aren't just our fans who've grown up, but they're their children, too. There are little kids running around saying they want to go to the Spice Girls show, and they weren't even born when the Spice Girls were around before! But I think as five women that have children, all we're doing is spreading a positive message out there. I think that we're good role models and I think it's positive for women to believe what we believe in, and I think the music industry is definitely in need of that when it comes to girl groups. There's so many girl groups out there, and I'm not saying that we're any better than them, but I do think we're different. And I think the fact that people are going so crazy over our tickets is proof that people need that out there.

R.E.M. frontman discusses sexuality






R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe recently said that he believes it is important for public figures to be open about their sexuality.

The 48-year-old singer has long been candid about being gay, having been named in Out magazine's "Out 100" list of gay celebrities in 1995, and describing himself as a queer artist in a 2001 interview with Time magazine.

In a recent interview with Spin, the singer revisited the topic, saying that he was always honest about his sexuality with those close to him, and now recognizes that it is important for people in the public eye to be open about such matters.

"I was totally open with the band and my family and my friends and certainly the people I was sleeping with. I thought it was pretty obvious," Stipe said.

"Now I recognize that to have public figures be very open about their sexuality helps some kid somewhere out there."

R.E.M. are due to release their 14th studio album, Accelerate, on April 1.

For more on R.E.M., check out their NME.com page.

Norah Jones knows why she came to film






Sitting in a Soho coffee shop, Norah Jones looked across the table at the elegant and mysterious Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai, who sat quietly behind dark sunglasses that don't come off, even indoors.

Jones didn't even know who Wong was, but the hugely respected filmmaker had a question for the singer. Eventually, Wong posed his heavily accented query:

"So Norah, do you want to act?"

As is often the case for the 29-year-old musician — whose musical collaborators have ranged from Outkast to Herbie Hancock — Jones greeted the inquiry with a simple "Why not?"

"I thought, `If I say no, I might regret it,'" Jones said in a recent interview at a favorite hangout near her East Village apartment. "And if I say yes, I'll have an experience. If I stink, whatever! I'm a musician — I've got a day job. What can I lose here?"

Two years later, the fruit of their unlikely pairing is appearing in theaters in limited release, expanding further in coming weeks. "My Blueberry Nights" is both Jones' debut as an actor and Wong's first English-language film.

For the naturally shy Jones, suddenly becoming a movie star (and acting alongside Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Rachel Weisz) is a step just as unexpected as her emergence as one of the most successful recording artists of the decade. (Her 2002 debut album, "Come Away With Me," won eight Grammys and has sold more than 16 million copies.)

Jones is now sporting a short hairdo and a fresh tattoo on her right arm, her third, which she only briefly waves at, saying, it's "personal." She nevertheless oozes an unmistakable air of comfort with herself. Only a few years ago, she was reluctant to stroll out from behind the piano while performing.

Making the film, she says, "really helped that side of me. It helped my confidence, making music videos and doing this last tour. ... I enjoyed it so much more. I was so much more confident. I see that side of me as something that hopefully will just get better with age and practice."

Jones acknowledges taking a handful of acting lessons several years ago when a few filmmaker friends wanted to make "tiny" independent movies with her. But Wong told her not to take any lessons, to preserve her naturalism.

A certain naivety and innocence was suitable to the character: a waitress traveling aimlessly after a breakup. Jones says she still has no idea why Wong wanted her for the part.

"I listened to her music and then I decided to meet her," says the director, who's most renown for his acclaimed 2000 international hit, "In the Mood for Love." "What really impressed me about her was her face, her voice and also her character."

It's easy to see commonalities between Jones and Wong. Though Wong is the far more stylized of the two, they both like to linger in the breezy interludes between moments. "My Blueberry Nights," Wong says, is a film about distance — particularly that between Jones' character and Jude Law's.

Wong also is not your average director. Though he had to deal with American unions and production rules for the first time, he's known for his open-ended, improvisational style in which plans change frequently. (One scene, which involved Jones and Law, took three 14-hour days and, reportedly, more than 150 kisses.)

"He makes films like a jazz musician," says Jones, who didn't see a script until just a few weeks before shooting. "I just had to blindly trust him."

The resulting film, which opened the Cannes Film Festival last year in a version 20 minutes longer, was called dissatisfying by The New York Times. The Los Angeles Times and AP critic Christy Lemire were both unimpressed by Jones' debut, labeling her "bland" and "outmatched," respectively.

For Jones, though, critical kudos were never the goal.

"I'm not trying to break into the movie business," she says. "I just wanted to have a cool experience."

Jones is currently on hiatus, having last fall completed touring her third album, "Not Too Late." She believes her next disc will be a new direction that, like "My Blueberry Nights," will challenge her.

"It's just time to branch out," she says. "This movie showed me that it's fun to be taken out of your comfort zone sometimes. I'm excited to try that with music."

Meanwhile, she still plays occasional local concerts, often under band names like the Little Willies and El Madmo, for which she's performed in disguise. Though Jones doesn't believe such performances suggest a predilection toward acting, she's still interested to continue work in movies.

"I really enjoyed pretending to be someone else," says Jones. "It would be really interesting to see how good I could get at it with actual lessons and preparation. I love working this way, though — don't get me wrong."

___

On the Net:

http://www.norahjones.com

http://www.blueberrynightsmovie.com/

(This version CORRECTS grammar in long overline. )

Toni Braxton Hospitalized




Toni Braxton is on the mend and in "good condition" following a health scare.

The 40-year-old "Un-Break My Heart" singer was admitted to Las Vegas' St. Rose Dominican Hospital for chest pains Monday night.

The six-time Grammy winner, in Vegas headlining a five-nights-a-week show at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino, is currently listed in good condition and is expected to be released later Tuesday.

But according to a Flamingo rep, Braxton won't be able to go on with her Revealed show right away.

"We wish Toni a quick recovery and would like her to take the time she needs to regain optimal health," said Don Marrandino, the resort's president . "We are looking forward to her return at the end of the week."

The singer's agent at ICM, Mark Seigel, would not comment on Braxton's hospitalization.

Though several reports have erroneously claimed that Braxton was taken to the hospital immediately after a performance, there was no Revealed scheduled for Monday. (The show is dark on Sundays and Mondays.) Hotel officials also clarified that Braxton was not at the casino at the time.

While there hasn't been any further details released on her present ailment, Braxton has previously admitted suffering from a condition called pericarditis, an inflammation of the lining of the heart, which she was diagnosed with four years ago.

In a January interview with Newsweek, Braxton said she periodically suffers from heart flutters and high blood pressure.

Since her disclosure, Braxton has since been named a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association.

Radiohead, Kanye Light Up Lollapalooza






Radiohead fans will be going gaga over Lolla.

Thom Yorke's crew is set to join Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails and Rage Against the Machine as the headliners for the annual Lollapalooza festival at Chicago's Grant Park, running Aug. 1 through Aug. 3.

The 2008 lineup is a virtual alt-rock who's-who: Chitown natives Wilco, the Raconteurs, a reunited Love and Rockets, Gnarls Barkley, Bloc Party, Cat Power, Mark Ronson, the Black Keys, Broken Social Scene, the National, Lupe Fiasco, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, G. Love and Special Sauce, and Flogging Molly.

Since morphing three years ago from an alternative-music lover's traveling carnival into a three-day family-friendly affair held in Lake Michigan-adjacent parkland in downtown Chicago, Lollapalooza has rebranded itself as one of America's premiere rock megafestivals, alongside Coachella and Bonnaroo.

The 2007 edition attracted a capacity crowd of 167,330 over the three days, grossing a whopping $9.8 million in ticket sales, per Billboard Boxscore, to rank as the fifth-highest grossing festival worldwide.

And this year's Lolla is shaping up to be the biggest yet.

Since going on sale, three-day $175 Early Bird passes have already been snapped up, while $190 advance passes are reportedly going fast. Once those sell out, a regular festival pass, retailing for $205, will be the only way in.

Aside from featuring 120 music acts, the fest will feature a variety of comedy acts, hip-hop workshops, organic food stands, interactive games, a scavenger hunt and even a petting zoo.

Festival founder Perry Farrell says that organizers are also working on a deal with Apple to hatch iTunes-only unique content, possibly pairing up various acts onstage and, eventually, in the studio as well, which Lollapalooza and Apple would then release.

"These will be recorded in a studio but, of course, because we can share files online, we don't have to be in the same place at the same time—we have finishing studios all over the world for the artists to finish the piece off," Farrell told MTV News. "We'll start to talk with Radiohead about putting them with someone they'd like to collaborate with, tell them how it's going to go down."

Lollapalooza will serve as the kickoff to the second leg of Radiohead's North American tour.

The band has headlining gigs at the All Points West Festival in New Jersey's Liberty State Park Aug. 8 and 9 and the Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival at Golden Park in San Francisco. Radiohead is also on track to perform in Indianapolis, Cleveland, Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver and Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl, before wrapping things up in Santa Barbara on Aug. 28.