For once it isn't my fault

I know yall are like why the hell does this idiot not update even though he says he is?  Well for once it literally isn't my fault.  the site I have been going to for years is getting some major upgrades and is taking FOREVER.  It's been down for over a month.  I am going to have to find other means to find my music news. But I legit don't have time most days except Saturday afternoon and Sunday.  Things will more frequent after awhile but for the time being posts will mostly likely being only on the weekends.

MH

The Curious Staying Power of Britney’s Perfume Empire

Britney Spears has built one of the most lucrative fragrance collections of all time.

Priya Krishna Oct 20, 2016, 10:02a
Over the past few decades, putting out a signature perfume has become a standard move for any celebrity — but who remains the most dominant in the fragrance industry? Here are some hints: It’s not Beyoncé. It’s not Taylor Swift. It’s not even Kim Kardashian.
It’s Britney, bitch.
 

That’s right: Amid a career that has had its highest of highs (see: 2001 VMAs) and lowest of lows (see: all of 2007), Britney Spears has built one of the most lucrative perfume empires of all time. According to a rep from Elizabeth Arden (Spears’s fragrance partner), her perfumes comprise a "billion dollar fragrance franchise." Spears just put out her 20th fragrance, Private Show, to much hype — proving that, in spite of her often-tumultuous trajectory, she’s still a powerhouse when it comes to scents.
"The fact that she has done so many fragrances and that [Elizabeth Arden] is still interested in developing her brand speaks to her talent and the fact that she is very much doing well," says Sue Phillips, president and CEO of Scenterprises, a fragrance branding and marketing company (she's also formerly of Elizabeth Arden). "She is one of the few celebrities who actually enjoys fragrances, and it shows — you can see it in her sales."

Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

The rush for celebrities to create fragrances started when Elizabeth Taylor partnered with Elizabeth Arden to create the very first celebrity-backed scent, White Diamonds. The scent was an enormous success, having earned close to a billion dollars in revenue to date. As the royalties that artists and actors were receiving from album and movie sales started to decline, many of them turned to the fragrance industry, which promised quick, big revenue. For most celebrity perfumes released after White Diamonds, the trend was the same: "They usually went up like a rocket and did really well at launch, but they had a hard time sustaining customers," says Don Loftus, president of Parlux, a fragrance company whose celebrity portfolio includes the likes of Paris Hilton, Rihanna, and Jay Z.
That all changed when Britney Spears entered the market in 2004 with her debut scent, Curious. Spears was at a career high: She had just released her fourth studio album, In The Zone, as well as the racy video for her hit song "Toxic." The Curious scent was a mixture of sweet, accessible ingredients like orchids, vanilla, and jasmine petals; the bottle was pretty and bright blue, adorned with two dangling pink hearts. "At the time, young women did not really like fragrances because they reminded them of their grandmothers," Phillips says. "Suddenly [with Curious], there was this luscious, floral fragrance with a youthful feel that didn’t seem old or mature."

 

Spears made young women care about perfume for the first time. According to data from the NPD Group, a retail market research firm, an overwhelming 81 percent of young women were aware of Britney Spears’s fragrance when it came out, similar to awareness levels for both Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret, two brands whose body sprays were the most popular option for young women at the time. "She made it cool to wear fragrance," says Karen Grant, vice president and global beauty analyst for the NPD Group. "Young people are still very engaged in fragrance, and that awareness was raised years ago by Britney Spears. Britney was part of that appeal."
Curious became "by far" the number one scent not just in the celebrity category, but across the entire fragrance industry, Grant says, breaking all of Elizabeth Arden's records for a fragrance launch. As of 2013, Curious had sold 500 million bottles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. And it’s not even Spears’s most successful fragrance — according to Elizabeth Arden, that top position is occupied by Fantasy, her musky, fruity potion released in 2005. At one point, Spears’s website claimed that her perfumes occupied a staggering 34 percent of overall fragrance sales, though Elizabeth Arden would not confirm this statistic — and Spears has since taken down that statement from the site.
While not all of Spears’s perfumes have been quite as triumphant in the market as Curious or Fantasy, she stills takes in an estimated $50 million a year from just that portion of her business, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "When you think about the big houses like Chanel and Dior, none of them even have 20 fragrances," Loftus says. "So it’s huge that she’s been able to sustain interest. It’s not easy to do."

 

Britney’s secret to success lies primarily in a simple fact: She actually likes perfume. This is not always a given when it comes to celebrity scents. "With celebrity fragrances, when it’s not integrated with the actual brand, it loses its luster," Phillips says. "If you look at people like Lady Gaga or Madonna, whose fragrances should have done well, they didn’t do as well as Britney because they didn’t care. Britney really cares about fragrance. She loves to talk about it, wear it, and even sing about it." On the latter point, Phillips is referring to Spears’s 2009 single "Perfume." The video for the catchy ode about spraying your signature scent all over your two-timing boyfriend’s sheets for revenge contains at least four close-ups of Spears’s Fantasy scent. Similarly, the very first shot of her music video for "Circus" features adjacent bottles of Curious and Fantasy; "Work Bitch" showcases Fantasy Twist; "Hold it Against Me" flashes to a gleaming bottle of Radiance. Even just a few months ago, when Spears released a sneak peek of her new album Glory on Instagram, it was wrapped in an ad for her new fragrance, Private Show. No other celebrity has gone to such lengths to incorporate fragrance into her identity as Britney Spears has.
And it really works. "Her perfumes feel very authentic. Consumers feel like they are buying into her life," Loftus says. "Every launch has felt like it was at the moment for her, and reflective of where she was in her life. That’s the number one rule of anything, really — you have to believe it came from the house."
Spears’s scent supremacy defies the trope of bright-but-fleeting success that most starlets face — not only as fragrance ambassadors, but also as artists. Since her ascent to fame in 1992 (when she first appeared on Disney's Mickey Mouse Club), she has managed to stay consistently in the news. Whether the report is about her new album or her stint in rehab, "any press is good press," Grant says. "The fact that people are talking about her and aware of her is really important." Her perfumes function as "a constant reminder that she’s a relevant entertainer," Phillips adds.

 

Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images

Spears’s relationship with her fans is also a unique one. "The thing about Britney is that your heart goes out to her," Grant says. "Even when she does things that make you go ‘Come on, Britney!’ people don’t hate her, they root for her. That is an enduring quality about her." And that sympathy translates into sales. According to Loftus, "her real fans thought that when Britney was going through difficult times, buying her perfume would help her. It’s strange the relationship people have with these brands."
Marketing and celebrity aside, Spears’s perfumes have managed to consistently nail the most important element — she makes scents that people actually want to smell. "The advertising and the merchandising will get people to the counter," Phillips says. "What makes people come back is the actual juice itself — and hers are really great fragrances." Case in point: Her 2009 perfume, Midnight Fantasy, earned a perfect four-star review in the New York Times for its musky and rich plum-cherry combination.
So is Spears’s collective portfolio the next Chanel No. 5? It’s hard to know for sure — but, as Grant points out, she has made an undeniably indelible mark on the fragrance world: "When a young celebrity, like Ariana Grande, comes out with a perfume now, it’s usually inspired by Britney, and that’s because hers had the longevity."
Grant says that most reports seem to indicate a general decline in the celebrity fragrance industry. Thankfully, there are no signs of Spears’s fragrance empire — or career — dying out anytime soon.
 
"At one point every young girl wanted to be Britney Spears," Phillips says. "They wanted to have her lifestyle and be famous and have her figure and her money and her talent. Then she hit a bad streak and went in a downward spiral. But then she reinvented herself. Maybe there is a story there about sticking with it and coming back and never giving up. Maybe that’s the message that is her legacy. Maybe that’s why her perfumes still do well."

Kesha Making a 'Fuck Off' Song with Mystery Artist

It's been a minute since Kesha updated us on the status of her next album, but she made up for it this week with a provocative Instagram post that has her fans wildly speculating. "Making a F--K OFF song with a casual Grammy award winning secret person," she wrote alongside a serious-looking selfie. "Got a good feeling about this one."

A spokesperson for the singer could not be reached at press time to answer Billboard's question about who the mystery collaborator might be, but that didn't stop fans from emphatically weighing in. Among their guesses: Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande, with Swift getting the most nods thanks to a number of fans' observation that Kesha put 13 emojis into her comment, a number that just happens to be Tay's favorite.

"emojis omg 13 - taylor's lucky number taylor - grammy award winner ------------ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤," read one of the more than 2,600 comments. A spokesperson for Swift had not returned requests for comment at press time.

Kesha is working on music for her first album of new material since 2012's Warrior, reportedly delivering 28 new songs to her label earlier this summer. No information is available yet on the music, which has been a long time coming in light of the singer's ongoing lawsuit against former mentor/producer and label boss, Dr. Luke (born Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald) over allegations that he drugged and raped her and psychologically abused her from the time she moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to pursue a music career through her breakthrough five years later; Luke has denied the charges and in August Kesha dropped her sexual assault claims in New York after earlier dropping them in California.

Swift has supported Kesha in her battle with Luke, donating $250,000 to the cause in February, to "help with any of her financial needs during this trying time." Demi Lovato and Lady Gaga have also stood up for Kesha, who went on a seven-date mini tour this summer during which she promised to play songs "you've never heard me play before, and songs I may never play again" with her new band, the Creepies.

JT Says He's "Absolutely" Down to Collab With Britney Spears

We have a strong feeling that this news is going to be music to your ears.

For anyone who grew up in the ‘90s and early 2000s, chances are you have fond memories of the bond shared between Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.

So perhaps it wasn't a surprise that when the "Piece of Me" singer recently said that she would like to collaborate with J.T., the Internet and pop culture fans alike freaked out. If you are curious to know what Justin thought of the comment, wonder no more. Ladies and gentlemen, he's totally interested.

"She did? Sure! Absolutely, absolutely," he told E! News' Marc Malkin exclusively at the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of his Netflix concert documentary film Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids. "I have a 17 month old so I don't get the headline news."

He added, "I apologize for not being in the know…I'm accessible, give us a call!"

Just last month, Britney participated in a fan Q&A for Most Requested Live with Romeo where she was asked to reveal her dream collaborators.

As it turns out, the guy who wrote the breakup ballad "Cry Me A River" was on her list.

"Aerosmith seems really good and bright. He's a genius I think. He's very rock n' roll. He sings from his soul," Britney explained. "Gwen Stefani, I think she's great."

And then she added the most important name (drumroll, please), "Justin Timberlake is very good."

Calvin Harris: 'Not Trying to Put Out an Album, Just Songs'

At the very beginning of 2016, Grammy-winning producer/DJ Calvin Harris promised fans via social media he had several new singles on the way this year, and so far ... he's delivered. Following the success of his collaboration with Rihanna "This Is What You Came For," which went #1 on charts in Australia, Canada and Ireland along with reaching multi-platinum status in five countries, Calvin released his song "Hype" with Dizzee Rascal (who he has worked with in the past). Now, the 32-year-old Scottish songwriter just released another new song "My Way," which he has been teasing all week on social media. But instead of any of the talented artists he's worked with over the years, his new song features his own vocals, something he's done before on songs like "Feels So Close" and "Summer."

Calvin opened up about his new single when he stopped by iHeartRadio HQ for an exclusive interview. He told us the meaning behind the song, what he's been up to in the studio, and what fans can expect from him for the rest of the year.

On the meaning behind the lyrics for "My Way"

"[The] song's kind of about breaking out of a situation that you thought was a good thing. Then, you're way more comfortable out of it. And it could be anything. It could be a job, or it could be a relationship. I had kind of the idea for the concept for a few years, but I didn't know how to work out how it sounded."

Over the course of his career, Calvin has worked with an impressive list of singers and producers in addition to Rihanna and Dizzee Rascal, including Ellie Goulding, Florence Welch, Ne-Yo, Gwen Stefani, Tinashe, Alesso, Haim, John Newman, Hurts, and more. But he explains that for "My Way," he chose to sing on the song because "the time [was] right." He tells us, "I like to sing on a song every two or three years, or so." He adds, "I just kind of thought it was a bit of a curve ball. I kind of like the idea of just tracking something out without a celebrity guest feature, and I think the vocal works, so why not."

If you've been paying attention to Calvin's social media, then you already know the producer has been in the studio a lot this year. But although he's spending a lot of time there, he tells us, "I've been in the studio a lot. But it doesn't necessarily mean I've been working. I just kind of mess around. Just trying to let the ideas come to me. Just trying to figure out what's going on."

Since these "ideas" are resulting in songs like "This Is What You Came For" and "My Way," we can't wait to hear what else Calvin Harris has up his sleeve. As for what fans can expect for the rest of the year, the DJ says that he's not trying to put an album together, and that he's concentrating on one song at a time.

However, the fandom can expect another collab with Big Sean. Calvin previously teamed up with Big Sean on a track called "Open Wide" from his 2014 album Motion. Now, it looks like the two have collaborated again, and we may just hear this song (hopefully) before the end of the year.

On what new music fans can expect

"This ['My Way'] is probably the last thing I'll put out this year. I did something with Big Sean for him, which he said might be out this year -- which I really hope it is, because I love that. Apart from that, that's it. One song at a time. That's my new mantra. Try to make each song as good as it can possibly be. I'm not trying to do an album. I'm just trying to do good music."

Zara,JT,Drake,Calvin,Charlie, 5H & More Reach Platinum Sales

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Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop The Feeling” secured a platinum US certification exactly one month after its release. It officially attained triple platinum status just over four months from release day. The song, which arrived on May 6, 2016, ascended to triple platinum on September 9, 2016. The honor confirms a US unit total of at least 3 million. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. “Can’t Stop The Feeling” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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Zara Larsson & MNEK's "Never Forget You" attains double platinum status in the United States. "Lush Life" reaches gold. September 6, 2016 brought new US certifications for Zara Larsson’s international hits “Never Forget You” and “Lush Life.” The former, which jointly credits MNEK as a lead artist, earned a double platinum honor. The latter received a gold award. The certifications respectively confirm US unit totals of 2 million and 500,000. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams.

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The RIAA certifies Drake's "One Dance" up to quadruple platinum. Through the end of August, Drake’s smash “One Dance” had not officially received a digital singles certification from the RIAA. That changed on September 1, when the RIAA certified Drake’s hit all the way up to quadruple platinum. The quadruple platinum honor confirms a US unit total of at least 4 million. Under the terms of the RIAA’s digital singles program, each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. Drake’s “One Dane” achieves the impression distinction despite not having an official music video. Video streams, as a reminder, do count toward RIAA certifications.

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Calvin Harris' "This Is What You Came For," which features Rihanna and was co-written by the infamous Nils Sjoberg, earns a double platinum award. As promotional attention turns to his new single “My Way,” Calvin Harris can celebrate a multi-platinum certification for his “This Is What You Came For.” The song, which features Rihanna, officially went double platinum on August 31, 2016. The RIAA announced the certification Monday afternoon. The double platinum honor confirms a US unit total of at least 2 million. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. “TIWYCF” peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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"Blue Neighbourhood" attains gold status in the United States. The album responsible for Troye Sivan’s platinum-certified single “Youth” now has a Recording Industry Association of America certification of its own. Sivan’s album “Blue Neighbourhood” is now gold in the United States. “Blue Neighbourhood” received the RIAA gold award on September 16, 2016. The honor confirms a US unit total of at least 500,000. Under the terms of the RIAA’s albums program, each unit is equal to 1 album sale, 10 track sales or 1500 track streams.

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The Chainsmokers' "Closer (featuring Halsey)" quickly reaches double platinum status. Halsey also earns new certifications for four of her own songs -- and her album. The Chainsmokers’ “Closer (featuring Halsey)” was released on July 29. On September 14, 2016, it attained double platinum status in the United States. The certification confirms a US unit total of at least 2 million. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. “Closer” was one of several Halsey releases to earn a new certification in the past few weeks. Her radio single “New Americana” officially went platinum (1 million) on August 26, while songs “Hold Me Down,” “Ghost,” “Colors,” and “Gasoline” all earned gold honors (500,000). Her album “Badlands” ascended to platinum status on September 7, confirming 1 million in album units. An album unit is equal to 1 album sale, 10 track sales or 1500 track streams.

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Charlie Puth's current radio single, which features Selena Gomez, goes gold in the United States. Here is something about which Charlie Puth and Selena Gomez can talk: their collaboration “We Don’t Talk Anymore” is now gold in the United States. The single, which appears on Puth’s “Nine Track Mind,” went gold on August 31, 2016. Under the terms of the RIAA’s digital singles program, the gold certification confirms a US unit total of at least 500,000. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams.

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Fifth Harmony's "Work From Home (featuring Ty Dolla $ign)" reaches triple platinum in the United States. As of September 6, 2016, Fifth Harmony has two triple platinum singles in the United States. Following in the footsteps of “Worth It (featuring Kid Ink),” the group’s “Work From Home (featuring Ty Dolla $ign)” recently earned a triple platinum certification. The certification confirms a US unit total of at least 3 million. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. “Work From Home,” which marked the group’s first Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, appears on the gold-certified “7/27.”

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Melanie Martinez receives another gold certification -- this time for "Carousel." On September 1, 2016, a third Melanie Martinez song earned gold status in the United States. Following in the footsteps of “Dollhouse” and “Pity Party,” Martinez’ “Carousel” earned the relevant certification from the RIAA. The certification confirms a US unit total of at least 500,000. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. All three gold-certified Melanie Martinez songs appear on her gold-certified album “Cry Baby.”

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Fifth Harmony's "7/27" album earns a gold certification. Single "All In My Head (Flex)" also goes gold. In addition to a triple platinum honor for “Work From Home,” September 6 brought a pair of gold certifications for Fifth Harmony. The group’s “7/27” went gold under the RIAA’s album program, while “All In My Head (Flex) (featuring Fetty Wap)” went gold as a single. Both confirm US unit totals of at least 500,000. Album units are equal to 1 album sale, 10 track sales or 1500 track streams. Single units are equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. “7/27” is Fifth Harmony’s second straight gold album.

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Selena Gomez' "Kill Em With Kindess" earns a gold certification under the RIAA's digital singles program. “Kill Em With Kindness” has officially earned a certification from the RIAA. The Selena Gomez single attained gold status on August 26, 2016. Under the terms of the RIAA’s digital singles program, the gold certification confirms a US unit total of at least 500,000. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams. “KEWK” appears on Gomez’ platinum-certified album “Revival.”

Adele’s “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)" Goes Platinum

Adele’s “Send My Love (To Your New Lover),” which recently hit #1 on the Mediabase pop and hot adult contemporary airplay charts, is officially platinum in the United States.

“Send My Love” earned the RIAA certification on September 14.

The honor confirms a US unit total of at least 1 million. Each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams.

“Send My Love” appears on Adele’s blockbuster album “25.” The RIAA currently labels the album as 8x platinum, but Columbia Records says it is actually diamond (10x platinum) in the United States.

“Hello,” the lead single from “25,” is certified up to 6x platinum.

Hilary Duff’s Next Record Will Sound “Darker”

Hilary Duff is working on her Breathe In. Breathe Out. followup, and it will sound “darker” and “heavier.”

Duff let a lot of us down when she abruptly stopped promoting her last record because, according to her, she didn’t have the energy to be a pop star. “I’m not going to be on a world tour and be the top of the charts because I don’t have the time to put in and that’s not what’s important to me,” she said back in February. “Also, I didn’t have time to really give it the push that it needed with press and going around and promoting it.”

It appears Duff found the inspiration she needed to get back out there. She aligned herself with Scooter Braun, who manages Justin Bieber, Kanye West, Tori Kelly and many more, and confirmed new music is in the works.

“I was in the studio a few weeks ago, and I tend to do this a few weeks before filming… Just during the season it kind of helps me get excited for the possibility of making a new record or having something to play people,” she told E! News, adding there’s no set date of when she’ll release the new stuff (sidenote: by now the quote is old, but slipped through the cracks and, well… it deserves your undivided attention).

“It’s a bit of a darker tone,” she added. “The one I teased [on Snapchat] is called ‘Tied to You.’ It has a little big of a heavier, darker sound. But it changes all the time.”




In June, Duff assured fans she’ll continue to put forth new material when the time is right.

“Music is such a part of my life and my makeup, though, that I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing it,” she said. “I just don’t think it’ll ever be on the scale that it used to be.”

Ariana Grande Sued over 'One Last Time'

If the hook in Ariana Grande's hit song, "One Last Time," sounds familiar that's because she jacked it from a song that came out 2 years earlier ... according to a new lawsuit. Songwriter Alex Greggs says he wrote, and holds the copyright on the 2012 tune, "Takes All Night" ... an EDM track for Skye Stevens. In the suit, Greggs says Ariana and David Guetta -- who produced "One Last Time" -- duplicated the most memorable part of his song ... the chorus! Greggs is a heavy hitter, who's worked with Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and both Jacksons -- Janet and Michael -- and says Ariana copied his music as well as lyrics, like ... "take(s) [or taking] you home." He's suing for a cut of the profits from AG's track, a top 20 hit in 2014. Go ahead and play juror ... check out both tunes.

Jessie J beats copyright appeal over smash hit 'Domino'

The songwriters behind Jessie J's hit "Domino" didn't steal their melody from a Santa Barbara indie band, according to a 9th Circuit ruling published Friday.

The legal battle began in 2012 when Will Loomis sued Jessica Cornish, known as Jessie J, along with Universal Music Group. He claimed the singer's hit song "Domino" copied a two-measure vocal melody from his song “Bright Red Chords.”

In 2013, the district court granted the defendants' motion for summary judgment in its entirety, finding that Loomis didn't put forth sufficient admissible evidence to establish that Jessie and her songwriting team, including embattled producer Dr. Luke, had access to his song.

Now, nearly three years later, the 9th Circuit has upheld that decision.

Loomis had argued that multiple intermediaries could have passed his song on to the "Domino" songwriters. One theory involved his former guitarist Casey Hooper later working with Katy Perry who worked with Dr. Luke. The panel didn't buy it.

"Nothing in the record shows the requisite nexus between Hooper and the Domino songwriters except for Loomis’s own speculation," writes Circuit Judge Richard Clifton.

The panel further found that, despite some attention from MTV, "Bright Red Chords" was never widely disseminated or commercially successful -- noting that "Loomis was able to provide to the district court documentation of only 46 sales of the recording."

The panel found that Loomis' claims, had they been substantiated, might have survived summary judgment. "The problem is that it was not supported by potentially admissible evidence," writes Clifton. "At bottom, the record consists primarily of Loomis’s speculations of access unsupported by personal knowledge. The other evidence did not fill the breach."

As access could not be proven, neither court reached the question of whether the two songs are substantially similar.

Defendants were represented by Jeffrey M. Movit, Christine Lepera and Elaine K. Kim, of Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP. Loomis was represented by attorney Michael Gross.

Selena Gomez is taking time off

Selena Gomez needs some time away from the spotlight. The singer, who recently wrapped up her Revival world tour, released a statement today to explain to fans that she's decided to take some time off to focus on her health and the unfortunate side effects of her lupus diagnosis. "As many of you know, around a year ago I revealed that I have lupus, an illness that can affect people in different ways," the 24-year-old told People, who first reported the story. "I've discovered that anxiety, panic attacks and depression can be side effects of lupus, which can present their own challenges." She continues, "I want to be proactive and focus on maintaining my health and happiness and have decided that the best way forward is to take some time off. Thank you to all my fans for your support. You know how special you are to me, but I need to face this head on to ensure I am doing everything possible to be my best. I know I am not alone by sharing this, I hope others will be encouraged to address their own issues." The young singer broke her silence on her lupus diagnosis during an interview with Billboard magazine for their October 2015 issue, where she also revealed that she'd been keeping an even bigger secret—she went through chemotherapy. "I was diagnosed with lupus, and I've been through chemotherapy. That's what my break was really about. I could've had a stroke," Gomez tells the magazine of her time spent away last year, which caused a flurry of speculation as to what caused her decision to stay MIA. "I wanted so badly to say, 'You guys have no idea. I'm in chemotherapy. You're assholes.' I locked myself away until I was confident and comfortable again," she recalled. Kenneth M. Farber, the co-CEO and co-president of the Lupus Research Alliance, tells People, "it is not commonly known that depression, anxiety and panic attacks can be side effects of lupus. We are so proud of Selena for taking care of herself and bringing awareness to this sometimes very misunderstood illness." Furthermore, a source tells the mag that Gomez's time off has nothing to do with "alcohol or substance abuse," and explains that Selena just "hadn't felt like herself" lately. "She feels relieved that she can now make more sense of why she was feeling the way she was and is optimistic about the future."

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Fergie's Paper Interview

"I've never gone viral before!" Fergie exclaims. “My video has 70 million views -- what the hell is that?!" The video she's referring to is for “M.I.L.F. $," the sexy, dairy-drenched, motherhood-celebrating lead single off her ever-so-close-to- being-released new album, Double Dutchess. It's been a decade since the release of her cheeky, genre-hopping, multi-platinum solo album, The Dutchess; seven years since her marriage to actor Josh Duhamel; five years since her group The Black Eyed Peas, an electro-pop- rap colossus, went on hiatus; three years since the birth of her son Axl Jack and two years since she began building the new album. “If everyone's wondering what the hell's been going on all this time, I'm not sitting drinking mimosas on some balcony," laughs Fergie, putting it mildly.

When Fergie (née Stacy Ann Ferguson) joined The Black Eyed Peas way back in 2003, she had been living at her mother's house in Los Angeles, with all of her possessions in storage. She had spent the last year in therapy, trying to regroup after overcoming the crystal meth addiction that precipitated the breakup of her first band, Wild Orchid. Ready to begin work on a solo music career, she reached out to group leader will.i.am, whom she met years earlier when Wild Orchid opened for The Black Eyed Peas. She needed a producer, and he needed female vocals for The Peas' nearly completed third album, Elephunk. Their creative chemistry was off the charts, and after she contributed powerhouse lead vocals to “Shut Up," will.i.am., along with fellow members apl.de.ap and Taboo, asked her to become a formal member of the group.

Up to that moment,The Black Eyed Peas had been critically well-regarded for their quirky, socially conscious backpack rap, but the group didn't really find a mainstream audience until Fergie entered the equation. She had the range as a performer and a writer to complement and enhance the band's genre-bending sound, which incorporated hip-hop, pop and proto-EDM. She could go from sex kitten to swagged-out tomboy; she could rap; she could croon like a pop princess and she could wail like Nancy Wilson (the fact that she's gorgeous didn't hurt, either).

By 2011, having won every possible award, broken several chart records, played the Super Bowl and circled the globe countless times with the Peas, Fergie had to get off tour. “My husband and I wanted to start a family -- it's crazy going from city to city like that, and to be honest, I was really burnt out," she recalls. After The Black Eyed Peas announced their hiatus, Fergie bought a home with her husband and began the hard work of acclimating herself to civilian life. “It was like peeling back layers from an onion," she says. “It was relearning how to live." She continues, “I'm living with my husband for the first time as a couple, and all of a sudden I'm not living out of travel bags -- that took a while, because it always felt like I was about to leave at any second. I was like, 'No, I can actually have drawers that look like drawers.' It's such a weird thing to explain to people, but it was just my reality."

In 2013, the couple welcomed their son Axl into the world in the midst of a full home renovation, and after navigating the white-knuckle survival phase that all new parents must endure, Fergie was ready to start adding the layers back. She created a granular schedule to block out time for the important elements of her life, so that when work returned, the life she had built would be protected. Baby time. Alone time. Husband time. Family time. Workouts. Eventually, studio time. “Those are non-negotiable," she says, soberly.“ Everything needs to have a little ebb and flow, but I gotta hold this shit together." She adds, “I thank the Lord for Google Calendar. Mine's color-coordinated and has a category called 'basic human functions,' because otherwise I wouldn't have time to eat!"

By the next year, the inevitable question arose: another baby, or another album? “My husband was really the one who encouraged me," she beams. “He said, 'It's who you are, and I want to see you onstage again.'" So it began. Re-learning how to dance in heels was added to the calendar. She got into the studio with DJ Mustard in 2014 and put out “L.A. Love (La La)," an utterly infectious slow-tempo hip-pop strut that featured shoutouts to the better part of an atlas and helped recontextualize Fergie's brand of sassy braggadocio for the post-Iggy Azalea landscape.“It was great to reach out and say, 'Hi! I'm here,'" she laughs, “'This is what I do and who I am, and what's up everybody in every fucking country!'" She adds, “Doing the video was good, because I got to put on the Jean Paul Gaultier and feel hot again and feel that part of me." She contemplated releasing her album that same year, but decided she just wasn't ready yet. "I told people back then -- next time I come out, I'm going to have the whole album done."

So she went into what she calls her "creative cave," and began building the new album track by track. In June, she reemerged with two stylish, black-and-white teaser clips for a moody, trunk-rattling track called "Hungry," which depicted the singer chopping her long signature locks into a chic bob and opened with the line,"To say it's complicated / understatement of the year." This uncharacteristically eerie, hard-hitting track, alongside the decidedly sophisticated image makeover, heralded the arrival of Fergie 2.0. The album's release date is still being finalized, but fans got another taste of what's in store when Fergie released her booty-bouncing, matriarchal banger,"M.I.L.F.$."

The video takes place in the candy-colored, '50s-flavored suburban idyll of MILFville (altered for Fergie's purposes from its objectifying original meaning to Moms I'd Like to Follow), and stars a megawatt cast of lingerie-clad celebrity moms like Ciara, Kim Kardashian and Chrissy Teigen as well as a full September issue's worth of supermodels like Alessandra Ambrosio and Amber Valletta. There are milk showers, pimped-out strollers, breastfeeding breaks and gallons of dairy puns. Fergie, clad in latex, struts her way through a variety of sexy, high-camp set pieces ,as she indulges in a luxurious milk bath, pulls a shift as a waitress at a diner that serves “MILF shakes" and reins in a classroom of rowdy teenage boys as a ruler-slapping Betty Page- style professor. Sure, it's a veritable neutron bomb of viral content, but its underlying message is one of empowerment.

“I wanted it to be liberating," she says. “I knew it was going to be campy and with a wink to the audience -- true to my DNA for sure -- but with the underlying message of strength." She continues, "Just because you're a mom doesn't mean that's all that defines you, and so the underlying message is 'Just be who you are.'" It's no small feat to just be who you are when who you are is a wife, a mother and an international pop sensation, but when her son got to see her perform for the very first time at the California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles this past July, she knew she was in the right place. "That was such a magical moment in my life, seeing Axl in the crowd, waving" she says, her eyes welling with emotion. "The person I've worked so hard to become in my career, my destiny to be an entertainer, was matching up with my destiny to have a family and be a mom.Those two worlds connected in that moment, and I thought to myself, 'We got this.'"

JT Accused of Using Britney Spears for Publicity/Sympathy

Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake may have split 14 years ago, but he’s still being accused of using their past relationship for publicity.

The latest Britney and Justin drama happened after Timberlake appeared to reference his Spears breakup in a new interview with Vogue Italy, where he seemingly accused Spears of making him “suffer” during their 2002 split.

Justin didn’t mention Britney by name in the magazine, though BreatheHeavy.com claimed that Timberlake got seriously candid about the pain that went into writing his 2002 breakup anthem “Cry Me A River,” which has long been rumored to be about his and Spears’ bitter breakup.

The site reported that Justin was asked by the magazine if an artist must be “depressed” and “tormented” to create authentic music, to which Timberlake had a pretty interesting response.

“It depends. In the past, suffering helped me write,” Justin told the magazine according to translation provided by the site, dishing on the “moment of pain” that allowed him to write the Britney breakup track.

“‘Cry Me a River’ was written in a moment of pain,” he said, seemingly confirming reports that Spears influenced the song by adding, “and the whole world knew.”

Justin didn’t explicitly say Britney’s name, though his alluding to their past relationship was enough for Lainey Gossip and a number of other outlets to accuse the star of using Spears and their past relationship to sell his latest project, Trolls.

“As much as [Justin] refuses to admit that he would be nothing without Britney, that hasn’t stopped him from using her, still, after all this time, whenever it’s convenient,” the site said.




The gossip site then pointed out Timberlake’s latest Britney relationship reference in the pages of Vogue Italy, claiming that it came “out of f****** nowhere.”

“[Timberlake] could have answered a thousand different ways… But he chose to go there. He chose to invoke Britney,” the site fired off almost 15 years after the breakup. “You need Britney’s help to sell your movie, boy? Is that what this is?”

BreatheHeavy.com also teased Timberlake about mentioning his relationship with Spears, asking Justin, “Still talking about it, King?”

Britney fans were also quick to take aim at Justin on social media for seemingly heading back more than a decade to his Spears romance.

“He’s such a cry baby,” Spears fan @H85Mak said of Timberlake in lieu of his “suffering” accusations, while @KQEDPop tweeted, “When will Justin Timberlake stop bringing up Britney’s cheating for sympathy? (Never).”

Britney and Justin have had little interaction after they split after five years together in 2002, though Spears did speak about Justin in 2011 with USA Today where she claimed that her ex-boyfriend actually “inspires” her.

“Justin [is so different and fresh],” Britney told the site of how she really feels about Timberlake five years ago. “It’s inspiring for me, and it makes people eager to listen to music, which helps everyone.”

Justin also got candid about his relationship, and breakup, with Spears in a 2011 interview, where he admitted that he and Spears hadn’t spoken since they sensationally split more than a decade ago.

“We were two birds of the same feather — small-town kids, doing the same thing” Timberlake said of Spears in an interview with Vanity Fair. “Then you become adults, and the way you were as kids doesn’t make any sense. We spent way too much time being the biggest thing for teenyboppers.”

Justin also shot down reports suggesting there could have been bad blood between himself and Britney following the split, which was rumored to have been instigated after Spears cheated on the singer.

“I wish her the best — that goes without saying,” Timberlake said of Britney.

What do you think of Justin Timberlake alluding to his 2002 breakup with Britney Spears?

The Killers started recording their new new album Friday

Speaking to DIY, the band’s Ronnie Vannucci Jr. opens up about mystery collaborators, and those Elton John rumours… After plenty of frantic speculation about what the hell The Killers are up to at the moment, it’s now official. The band head into the studio to start work on their new album later this week. Blimey! Speaking to DIY’s Emma Snook, the band’s Ronnie Vannucci Jr. confirmed “we go into the studio 2 days from now. On the 9th [September], we start on the 9th.” “We’ll see what happens,” he added. ”We’ve been working with different people and seeing how it feels, and we’re starting to work with another person now,” he hinted, adding, ”I don’t know if we wanna reveal who that is.” Asked if he could give any early indication of The Killers’ latest sonic direction, the drummer admitted “it’s difficult, because when we get in there we come at it from one direction, and then it’ll go another direction! It’ll be surprising to us,” he explained, ’and that’s sort of the fun part about it. That’s always been the way with our band,” he pointed out. And as for the rumours that The Killers might be working with Elton John? “I think that’s what they are - just rumours,” Ronnie clarified. ”I think that came from his radio show,” he added - referring to Elton John saying on air he was heading to Vegas to work with the band. “First of all it would be great to work with Elton John,” he started, ”but we haven’t done anything beside the Christmas song [‘Joseph, Better You Than Me’] with him. That would be awesome to work with him, especially in a songwriting capacity…that dude is no joke when it comes to writing songs. That would be fun, but that is just a rumour. A nice rumour, I suppose!” he conceded. Ronnie Vannucci Jr. also confirmed that The Killers are recording in Las Vegas, and that they’re looking to work with Alan Moulder again. It all depends on schedules, mind. “We haven’t figured it out yet,” he explained. ”We’ll always try and work with Alan [Moulder] we love Alan. So, if it works out yeah. He’s a busy guy! We shall see.” DIY

Well July turned to September

Sorry about the long ass wait. I have been extremely busy.  I was upgraded to 68 hours a week at work for 2 weeks then being on 56 hours a week since last August.  Now I have to deal with new hour changes that are not in my favor at all.  I seriously about to quit that god forsaken job.  It's been so freaking insane and I am still a temp.  Anyways I do have a bunch of stuff I do want to post but I am going to have space them out.  I WILL be more committed to this blog and the sister blog I have going.  I also have a new YouTube channel I'm trying to get going that deals with gaming.  However, my #1 Priority is to find a better job than the one I have right now.  I should have a handle on things by the end of the month.  Lastly I just want to thank every single person who has visited and commented on this blog.  It means a lot me.

I will be be back next month.

Been having an insane few months (again). I got some downtime but not enough . I am working on 2 short stories/books (still. I have writer's block at the moment), and working all of these crazy hours at work (48 to 56 hours a week). My creativity has been so-so for the past few weeks.  i will back to posting stuff soon.

J Lo Signs deal back to EPIC records

Posted: 2 days ago   Us Weekly wrote: Jumping ship! Jennifer Lopez has cut ties with Capitol Records and the Island Def Jam Music Group to sign a multi-album deal with Epic Records, a source confirms exclusively to Us Weekly. “She had dinner with [her manager] Benny [Medina] and L.A. Reid Monday night at Il Mulino to celebrate her new record deal!” the source tells Us of the trio’s get-together in NYC on February 29. “Jennifer and L.A. are longtime friends, and they love working together.” For most of her career, the Shades of Blue actress, 46, has released her dance-heavy discography through Epic Records. In 2010, she left the label to sign with Def Jam where Reid, 59, served as CEO at the time. Now that the former X Factor judge oversees Epic, where Lopez produced some of her most memorable albums, she’s ready to go back home. “She has a bunch of hits. But she’s always making music,” the source adds of the “I Luh Ya Papi” singer. “And she’s really excited to work with L.A. to put new stuff out!” Back in October 2015, the multi-hyphenate star spoke to MTV UK about releasing new tunes after the first run of her Las Vegas residency, All I Have. “I’m always working on music, always, always, always,” she teased. “I'm working on a couple of other things, so we’ll see … it'll be an exciting year!"

Nicole Scherzinger To release a mixtape with 9 new songs

OMG OMG OMG! Ollie, Nicole's manager, posted some videos on his snapchat listening to Pretty and One More Shot, and he confirmed that she's going to release a mixtape with 9 songs! LISTEN THE PREVIEWS BELOW!

- PortalNicole

PRETTY PREVIEW
https://twitter.com/getalittlewet/status/703202158821249024


ONE MORE SHOT
https://twitter.com/getalittlewet/status/703202258104627200

YOU GUYSSSS!!! Finally after so many years Nicole's Manager just posted on his snapchat 2 previews, ONE MORE SHOT AND PRETTY OMFG OMFG WE ARE FINALLY GETTING SOMETHING. 


If it's anything like freak then I'm in.

Gwen Stefani to Broadcast TV's First Live Music Video

Solo Gwen Stefani is back, and she's making history with a one-of-a-kind approach to her new music video.

Shortly after announcing that Stefani's third solo album, This Is What the Truth Feels Like, was coming March 18, Target revealed that her next music video will air during the 2016 Grammys.

Actually, it's more complicated than that -- Gwen's "Make Me Like You" video will be acted out, filmed and broadcast live during a four-minute Grammys commercial break on CBS.

Yes, Stefani's "Make Me Like You" will be the first music video ever created on live TV. There are a few precedents for this kind of thing, though. Back in November, Erykah Badu filmed a live music video for "Phone Down" on Periscope. In 2011, Death Cab for Cutie live-streamed their "You Are a Tourist" video online, which they described as the first scripted live music video.

In addition to the live music video, Target is teaming with Gwen for a deluxe edition of her new album. Check out the track list to the Target edition of This Is What the Truth Feels Like below.

1. Misery

2. You’re My Favorite

3. Where Would I Be

4. Make Me Like You

5. Truth

6. Used To Love You

7. Send Me A Picture

8. Red Flag

9. Asking For It

10. Naughty

11. Me Without You

12. Rare

13. Rocket Ship (Target exclusive)

14. Getting Warmer (Target exclusive)

15. Obsessed (Target exclusive)

16. Splash (Target exclusive)

A Beyonce mention sends Red Lobster sales higher

Beyonce's newest song "Formation" is doing more than racking up viral views on YouTube. It's also increasing traffic and sales at Red Lobster. The music video, suddenly posted on Saturday, already has more than 13.3 million views on the video platform and features a series of off-color lyrics about enjoying the popular seafood restaurant. Weekend sales at Red Lobster saw a significant boost from "Queen Bey," spiking 33 percent on Sunday over last year, company brass said. "We are absolutely delighted with what we saw over the weekend, particularly the consumer sentiment that we saw expressed," Kim Lopdrup, CEO of Red Lobster, told CNBC. "It's clear that Beyonce has helped create some Red Lobster fans, and we are very grateful to her for that." The restaurant traditionally experiences a spike in sales during this time of year due to their annual "Lobster Fest" promotion, but Lopdrup credits this weekend's boost to the R&B star. The company refers to it as the "Beyonce Bounce" and some of its employees have already begun renaming popular menu items after the pop star. Cheddar Bay Biscuits are now Cheddar "Bey" Biscuits and their Bay Breeze drinks are "Bey" Breezes.

http://www.cnbc.com/2016/02/08/a-beyonce-mention-sends-red-lobster-sales-higher.html?__source=facebook|business|link|020915|11AM|beyonce-red-lobster

Kelly Clarkson, More Alumni to Return to 'American Idol'

Original American Idol Kelly Clarkson will return later this month and the top 24 will getting a special treat on this week's show, as past Idol alumni will return as mentors.

On this Wednesday's show (Feb. 10) MacKenzie Bourg, Emily Brooke, Gianna Isabella,James VIII, Jeneve Rose Mitchell, Stephany Negrete, Jenna Renae, La’Porsha Renae, Jordan Sasser, Thomas Stringfellow, Sonika Vaid and Avalon Young will each get a chance to perform solo. The next night (Feb. 11), the semi-finalists will have the opportunity to duet with Fantasia Barrino, Ruben Studdard, Scotty McCreery, Caleb Johnson, Lauren Alaina, and Nick Fradiani on the Feb. 11 show. Each Idol will duet with 12 semi-finalists, seven of which will move forward to the next round, according to a Fox release.

The Feb. 17 show will feature Jenn Blosil, Amelia Eisenhauer, Trent Harmon, Lee Jean, CJ Johnson, Adam Lasher, Tristan McIntosh, Dalton Rapattoni, Olivia Rox, Manny Torres, Kory Wheeler and Shelbie Z. The next night they will get their chance to duet with alums Constantine Maroulis, Haley Reinhart, Chris Daughtry, Kellie Pickler, Jordin Sparks and David Cook. The judges will then announce which contestants are moving forward and who is going home.

The following week (Feb. 24) , the judges will reveal which eight singers are definitely moving forward to the top 10, leaving six remaining vocalists to compete for America's vote. The show will go live the next night (Feb. 25), when host Ryan Seacrest announces the results and which two singers will complete the top 10. As a bonus that evening, Clarkson will return to the show to perform and serve as a guest judge.

Beginning Feb. 24, public voting will be live at AmericanIdol.com, on the FOX NOW app, via Google Search, via text messaging and by toll-free calling when the Idol vote window opens.