B13 Peer Review

CELEBRITY ,  MUSIC Another American celeb is giving BJs to Europe. And it’s not Gwyneth Paltrow for once. Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill attributes the group’s lack of success in the U.S. to Americans and their poor taste in music: From  Contact Music: Drummer Nathan Followill insists the music-buying public in the U.K. are more receptive to rock music – and slams Americans for being transfixed with teen pop acts. He says, “Most music gets ignored in the States unless it’s hip-hop or Hannah Montana or Disney music like the Jonas Brothers. Kiddy pop or hip-hop, that’s pretty much what America is. You may turn on the radio and you hear maybe one out of 10 songs that you’d consider decent. “The U.K. is more open to all kinds of music. The fans are just insane in the U.K. – they are music lovers. You have kids going to shows to see the bands, not going to a show to be seen there.”

Posted by  Emily Exton  on 08/10/2012 at 9:08 AM  Videos The Popdust Files:  Interviews ,  Oprah ,  Rihanna Thanks to Rihanna’s prolific  tweeting , we’d been tipped off that she  spent a day with Oprah in Barbados , riding around in a jeep—yes, the driver’s seat is on the other side—and walking through her old neighborhood as passersby greeted the young girl formally known as Robyn. ”I went there with my own ideas of who she was,” Oprah tells the camera of Sunday’s upcoming episode of her  Next Chapter  series on OWN, airing Sunday August 19. “I thought she was going to be a badass, kind of a hard-edge, rocker-pop woman.” Instead she became witness to a local girl made good, whose fame is celebrated and appreciated by friends and family, but hasn’t disconnected her from her roots. RiRi welcomes her famous guest into her home, introduces her to loved ones, and chauffeurs her through the streets of her hometown, stopping to hug people along the way and riff on the weather t

Posted by  Andrew Unterberger  on 08/09/2012 at 5:28 PM  News The Popdust Files:  Cover Art Cop ,  No Doubt Well, first the good news: The cover for No Doubt’s new LP  Push and Shove , due out late next month, is way, way less of an eyesore than the art for their comeback single “Settle Down,” still the most unsightly thing we’ve had the displeasure of setting our eyes on this year. The less-than-good news: the No Doubt cover art does seem slightly borrowed to us, from a source that we would consider less than iconic: Not that there’s anything wrong with the black-and-white four-quadrant look, and at least No Doubt didn’t do the weird thermo-vision thing that the Stones did back in the day, though the four members are weirdly blurry/shimmery/fingerprinty/whatever. But if you’re gonna copy a Stones album cover, we’d say stick with  Some Girls  or (if you have the crotch for it)  Sticky Fingers . And if you have to go the four-quadrant way, the Talking Heads’  Remain in

Posted by  Katherine St Asaph  on 08/09/2012 at 3:40 PM  News The Popdust Files:  Aaliyah ,  Drake Here are the facts, as we know them so far, about  Aaliyah’s posthumous album : 1. It is going to exist. 2. The cover looks like this. Note the logo for Blackground Records, run by Aaliyah’s uncle: Photo: OVO 3. Drake, who really likes Aaliyah, and Noah “40″ Shebib are probably going to handle most of the production. He says the whole thing will be out by the end of the year; meanwhile, one track, “Enough Said,” currently exists. It is…  well, it’s existent. 4.  Timbaland is not happy . Depending on which rumor you read, he may or may not be working on a few tracks, but not the whole thing. 5. This is all happening because it is August–the rumors got serious on Aug. 1–and long, drawn-out, tiresome and tedious things always happen in August.  Clearly . Got that? Great. Now here’s the he said / he said (she, being Aaliyah, is unfortunately unable to speak on the m

Singer has been dropped from the Tim Allen comedy Photo: Wenn ABC sitcom,  Last Man Standing  has suffered a number of casting setbacks recently when it was announced the show had been picked up for a second season! Nick Jonas had starred in the first series as Ryan, who played Kristin's ex boyfriend. However Nick won't be returning for the next season, whether or this has anything to do him landing another job *cough*  American Idol *cough* we just don't know! Jonas himself had recently confirmed stories he'd been in talks with FOX bigwigs over his possible involvement with  American Idol , so could that explain his departure? As well as Nick leaving, the actress who plays Kristin , Alexandra Krosney, will also be departing the show meaning producers will now have to recast both roles! It was understood Krosney wouldn't be returning to show back in June, having been dropped for “creative reasons”. Taking over will be  Grey's Anatomy  star Amanda

US dubstep producer has worked on album track Photo: Wenn He sung on his 808s & Heartbreak album and now Kanye West could be turning all Dubstep for his forthcoming new record which will feature a track produced by Skrillex. The rising dubstep producer, who has previously worked and remixed songs for the likes of Korn and Lady Gaga, revealed that he'd teamed up with the rapper earlier this year. "I did some music with Kanye and from what I know, it's actually going to be the first song on his new album," Skrillex told the  Daily Beast . West is currently working on the release of the G.O.O.D. Music compilation  Cruel Summer and also the anticipated follow-up to his 2010 effort  My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy . Last week,  West unveiled the cover art for his latest album ,  Cruel Summer , and of course it's going to cause some controversy, as it could be classed as rather explicit. The cover art for his new G.O.O.D. Music compil

Hollywood's glitziest couple are rumoured to be set to tie the knot at the Chateau Miraval Brad Pitt  and  Angelina Jolie  took approximately six decades  to get engaged , so we assumed that we’d be grandparents by the time they finally went ahead with the actual wedding. But color us amazed when we heard that the super couple might be  tying the knot this very weekend ! Sadly, we were not invited. According to the  UK Sun , their French chateau is being prepped for some kind of major blow out, with Brad’s parents even being flown in, as well as the man who designed Angelina’s engagement ring, jeweler to the stars Robert Procop. The couple’s reps are claiming that the big event is actually a 50th anniversary party for Brad’s mom and dad, but sources in the town just aren’t buying it. “Brad flew in to oversee preparations but they’re all here now,” they told the magazine. “They say it’s for Jane and Bill, but some think this could be it. Even Angelina’s private jeweler is he

Whitney Houston  earned Grammys, our hearts and much more as she gave the world so many great performances and influenced much of the talent that we see in today’s music industry. As her birthday and the premiere of  Sparkle  nears, we remember her powerful voice that was strong  enough to move the world. Here are 10 of her greatest videos for you to enjoy. You are missed Whitney. Whitney Houston – I Look To You I Wanna Dance With Somebody I Have Nothing  All The Man That I Need I’m Every Woman Run To You   How Will I Know Million Dollar Bill Saving All My Love For You  Heartbreak Hotel    Greatest Love Of All AUG BOBBI KRISTINA’S GIFT TO HER MOTHER CELEBRITY , MUSIC BY: JONNYFANTASTICO Yesterday was probably one of the hardest days of  Bobbi Kristina Brown ‘s life — her mother, Whitney , would’ve been 49 had the horrible  circumstance  of February 11th never happened. To mark the sad occasion with somethin

Russia's INCREDIBLE synchronized swimming team didn't just blow away the judges with their gold medal-winning  Michael Jackson  routine this week -- they also left a lasting impression on one particular member of the Jackson family. In case you missed it, the Russian team of  Natalia Ischenko  and  Svetlana Romashina  donned MJ-themed bathing suits and performed an amazing routine to the King of Pop's "They Don't Care About Us." The performance eventually helped them land the gold, over Spain. Their routine was near-perfect -- but no one was more impressed than Michael's sister, La Toya Jackson , who tells TMZ, "I'm thankful for the honor that the Olympian swimmers paid to my brother Michael's memory." She adds, "It is so wonderful to see how many global fans he has!" Yes, global fans who look OUTSTANDING in bathing suits. B-13 Peer Review : Amazing!

Mariah Carey talks her new single, 'Triumphant' As if Mariah Carey's success wasn't enough to inspire "American Idol" contenders-to-be, the new "Idol" judge's latest single should offer plenty of motivation. On Thursday, Carey's song "Triumphant (Get 'Em)" hit the radio, and, as expected, its lyrics encourage listeners to "reach for the stars." "I wrote TRIUMPHANT when I was going through a difficult time & it helped me get through it,"   Carey said   of the song last month. "When u hear it, pay attention 2 the lyrics." The mom of twins  added  that this is a song that's "very close" to her heart, and co-writer/co-producer Bryan-Michael Cox said as much to  MTV . "This song is kind of inspirational," Cox said. "I think her fans are going to really, really be emotionally attached to this song." Carey collaborated with rappers Meek Mill