Archive for December 2nd, 2009
Beyonce, Taylor Swift Lead Grammy Nominations
December 2nd, 2009
Photo: Mazur/WireImage
The nominations for the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards were announced tonight (December 2) during a televised one-hour special concert event.
Only part of the nominees were announced on the air, but the full list at the official Grammys site shows Beyoncé leading the pack with 10 nominations for I Am…Sasha Fierce and “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).” Taylor Swift came in second place with eight nods and Lady Gaga earned five.
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Happy 28th Birthday, Britney!
December 2nd, 2009
Photo:
Loccisano/FilmMagicLast year Dr. Drew said that Britney Spears was “dying in front of our eyes.” Thank goodness Brit listened up and got her life back on track. Today the world’s most famous pop tart turns the ripe old age of 28. It’s been a good year for Britney: Her Circus tour wowed fans across the world (minus those nit-picky Australians), she scored her two Number One singles, she landed a new beau (or so we ...
50 Cent’s Path of Destruction Bears Down on Jay-Z
December 2nd, 2009
Photo: Kaiser/DDP/Getty
When Rolling Stone caught up with 50 Cent for a Close-Up in our current issue (dated December 10, 2009), the Queens MC was having some of his signature tattoos lasered off his arms to benefit his budding acting career while musing on the leak of his latest disc, Before I Self Destruct. Fiddy also chatted about his new collaboration with Philly rapper Beanie Sigel and mouthed off about another New York legend with a ...
Live Review: Lady Gaga Brings Her Pop Theatricality to Boston in First U.S. “Monster Ball” Show
December 2nd, 2009
Photograph by Jordan Corey courtesy of Kiss108.com
Last night in Boston, at a venue traditionally reserved for Broadway shows like The Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables, Lady Gaga opened the American leg of her highly anticipated The Monster Ball tour. The choice of locale couldn’t have been arbitrary. Throughout the evening, Gaga — a.k.a. Stefani Germanotta, a.k.a. Tinker Bell (more on this later) — aimed for a kind of pop theatricality that might ...
Enter to Win Converse AC/DC Sneakers and More in Rolling Stone’s Gift Guide Giveaway!
December 2nd, 2009
That rockin’ pair of AC/DC-branded Converse kicks up top are just one of the many awesome gifts Rolling Stone is offering up in the first of three rock & roll giveaways during December. As we wrote yesterday, this prize pack also features a Gibson SG Zoot Suit Guitar (retails for $1,999), two photo books (Trust: Photographs by Jim Marshall and Sound Kapital) and a Karmaloop x MTV Staying Alive Foundation Tee designed by Shepard Fairey.
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Video: Alicia Keys Performs “You Don’t Know My Name” At World AIDS Day Benefit Concert
December 2nd, 2009
Alicia Keys took to the stage last night at New York’s Nokia Theatre for a benefit concert in support of World AIDS Day and Keep A Child Alive. In addition to debuting two new songs off her upcoming The Element of Freedom, “Love is Blind” and “Distance and Time,” the performance also featured a cameo by Jay-Z, who joined her to close out the show with their hit “Empire State of Mind.” In this exclusive ...
New Music Report: Animal Collective’s “Fall Be Kind”
December 2nd, 2009
This week in the New Music Report, Rolling Stone assistant editor Kevin O’ Donnell takes a in-depth look at Animal Collective’s new EP Fall Be Kind, which features pan flute, the first-ever officially licensed Grateful Dead sample and a touch of the group’s trademark experimentation that has won them a massive cult following. Animal Collective’s eclectic style is evident in the EP’s opening track “Graze,” which segues into the most conventional — and possibly best ...
Breaking: The xx
December 2nd, 2009
Who: Britain’s coolest new band the xx, fronted by singer-bassist Oliver Sim and singer-guitarist Romy Madley Croft, who uniquely blend sultry boy-girl indie pop with austere, icy post-punk and dub grooves. After hitting it big back in the UK with their debut xx, the trio — producer/beatmaster Jamie Smith rounds out the line-up — was named the MVP of this year’s CMJ Festival in October.
Sounds Like: On their debut, Sim and Croft’s hushed voices ...
The Killers Go Mariachi For New Christmas Single, Cast a Bearded Luke Perry in Video
December 2nd, 2009
Keeping with their nascent holiday tradition, the Killers released their fourth Christmas single yesterday, this one titled “Happy Birthday Guadalupe.” The mariachi-flavored track, recorded miles away from whatever hemisphere produced Day & Age, features guest spots from two bands that opened for the Killers during their recent tour, Wild Light and Mariachi El Bronx. The single was released digitally via (RED) on World AIDS Day and all proceeds from the track will go toward the ...
On the Charts: Susan Boyle Makes History With Top-Selling Debut
December 2nd, 2009
Photo: Villagran/Getty The Big News: In a week that featured new releases by Rihanna, Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga and Shakira, it was a 48-year-old British woman plucked out of absolute obscurity a year ago who topped the Billboard Top 200 on its most competitive week of the year. Susan Boyle’s I Dreamed a Dream far exceeded any expectations in the U.S., selling 701,000 to give The Britain’s Got Talent runner-up the best-selling debut week of ...