Kris Allen's Time Is Running Out
It's no fancy-schmancy album cover art, but it sure is pretty.
American Idol champ Kris Allen has unveiled the music video for his first single, "Live Like We're Dying," and overall, it's pretty standard. A guitar-wielding Allen performs his song in the middle of the desert on a larger-than-life-size digital clock, while countless unexplained tattered and torn curtains blown in the wind around him.
You know, that old chestnut.
The former Idoler does what he can to turn up the heat on the small screen, at one point literally throwing what looks to be a gigantic fire ball.
On the other had, as videos of the coffeehouse varitey go, it's not too shabby.
You decide: does this debut make a big splash or is it just another drop in the bucket?
________
Wait, there's more. Check out The Big Picture gallery for everthing happening in Hollywood today.
Exclusive
Preview Tori Amos' Midwinter Graces Right Here!
It ain't out till Tuesday, but we got it right here.
The little earthquake you're feeling is the rumblings of Midwinter Graces, Tori Amos' 11th studio album and her first seasonal compilation.
Get primed for the winter holidays (already?!) with tunes twisted Tori-style, including "What Child, Nowell," "Harps of Gold," "Snow Angel" and "Our New Year."
Christmas with an edge, we're calling it.
The 12-track (or more, if you pop for the bonus edition) album doesn't drop until Nov. 10, but we've got every lush chord and wistful lyric right after the jump.
Fashion Police: Leona Lewis' Dress So Fierce It'll Slap You in the Face
Leona Lewis was at MTV's European Music Awards yesterday where she performed her latest single "Happy."
She had walked the red carpet in harem pants so we weren't expecting too much from her stage style. But then the X Factor winner changed into this amazing custom Vivienne Westwood gown for her performance, and whoa! Total diva status.
We are digging the extravagant full tulle skirt and pointy PVC corset. Not only does it flatter her figure, but she goes all the way crazy-fierce evil Barbie—and owns it.
It's like a slap in the face to everyone playing it too safe on the red carpet.
________
Get more crazy fierce and fugly red carpet looks as chosen by our Fashion Police.
Latin Grammys Should Be Renamed the Calle 13's
All roads lead to Calle 13.
The Puerto Rican hip-hop duo went 5-for-5 at the 10th Latin Grammy Awards, held tonight at Mandalay Bay Events Center on the Las Vegas Strip.
Along with their second straight win for Best Urban Music Album, Calle 13's René "Residente" Joglar and Eduardo "Visitante" Cabra picked up golden gramophones for Album of the Year, for Los De Atrás Vienen Conmigo, Record of the Year, Best Alternative Song and Best Short Form Music Video.
"To all the people who make music in this moment of independent music, to hell with record labels!" Residente said in accepting the alternative song honor for "No Hay Nadie Como Tu. "This is the moment for those of us who make real music."
An inspirational sentiment, indeed.
Calle 13 also brought the house down with salsa star Rubén Blades on their hit song "La Perla," backed by performers from Cirque du Soleil's Mystère.
Enrique Iglesias, who promised a bilingual album for his next studio effort, presented the 2009 Person of the Year Award to Mexican artist Juan Gabriel. Alicia Keys broke out her musical Spanish for her duet with Alejandro Sanz on "Looking for Paradise." Eva Longoria was also a presenter.
For the complete list of winners, go to LatinGrammy.com.
________
Check out the goings-on across the pond in our 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards gallery.
Katy Perry Does the Mash at MTV Europe Awards
When Katy Perry dons a corset and surrounds herself with dancers in retro lingerie... Well, she could be doing almost anything.
But on this occasion she was mashing together the Best Song nominees at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards.
Hosting the shindig in Berlin for the second year in a row, Perry got the party at the "Katy Kat Club" going with a cabaret-style medley of Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling," David Guetta's "When Love Takes Over," featuring Kelly Rowland, Kings of Leon's "Use Somebody," Beyoncé's "Halo" and Lady Gaga's "Poker Face."
Perry's "Poker Face" was a little more wild-eyed than some, but she had the pantsless Gaga thing down. A little less bodysuit and we could've seen her halo.
But though all those acts got the proverbial girl-kiss from Perry, it was Beyoncé who stole the show with three wins for Best Female, Best Song and Best Video for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," and she was the night's final performer.
Check out a complete list of winners after the jump:
Gwen Stefani Ain't No Hollaback Boy; Sues Band Hero for Making Her a Man
Listen, if Gwen Stefani wanted to croon like a dude about about doing it with hookers, don't you think she would have done it by now?
Unfortunately, the makers of the newly released Band Hero didn't take the hint and allowed for the avatar of No Doubt's frontwoman to be manipulated into doing just that. Which means only one thing: lawsuit time!
The rock band has filed suit against the video game purveyor Activision, alleging fraudulent inducement and breach of contract, claiming that while Stefani, Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont and Adrian Young all signed off on allowing their likenesses to be used, it came with the stipulation that the company could only employ the use of three of their songs, "Don't Speak," "Excuse Me Mr." and "Just a Girl."
Apparently the technical brainboxes at Activison didn't take the hint from that last song title.
The gamemakers allow players to manipulate Stefani and crew so they can perform more than 60 songs—and here's the sticking point—of other artists, turning the No Doubters, per the lawsuit, into little more than "a virtual karaoke circus act."
The song No Doubt seem to have taken the most issue with is the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Woman," claiming that manipulation "results in an unauthorized performance by the Gwen Stefani avatar in a male voice boasting about having sex with prostitutes."
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Podcast: Why Didn't Rihanna Speak Out Sooner?
Rihanna finally spoke out about domestic violence this week. What took her so long?
—via the Answer B!tch mailbox
She has broken her silence! All over the place! In Glamour! And then tomorrow and Friday on Good Morning America and 20/20! And it only took eight months.
Before we get into it, let me be clear: Nobody deserves what happened to Rihanna. Nobody. But then now, months after her boyfriend beat her to a pulp, for the first time does this very visible role model actually say anything about it.
She tells Glamour: "I want to give as much insight as I can to young women, because I feel like I represent a voice that really isn't heard. Now I can help speak for those women."
Great, but why now, you ask? Maybe because her album is coming out? Because now she wants my money?
Considering how much good can be done by Rihanna speaking up, and how much harm may have been done by her silence, that is not OK. Hear exactly why in my all-new podcast! Hit play above to listen.
________
Never miss an episode! Subscribe to my free podcast on iTunes.
Fashion Police: Lady Gaga Wears Something Crazy (Obviously)
Well, look who it is! Lady Gaga accepting her Stylemaker Award at the 13th annual Accessories Council Excellence Awards. Is she wearing something crazy?
Yes, of course.
But really, what else do we expect from Gaga? A Marc Jacobs outfit with the underwear on the outside, an Erickson Beamon lace headpiece, an Afro wig, all that covered in white powder and topped off with a creepy hand pose—it's just part of the never-ending Gaga experience.
It's all gone so far past the point of "OMG, look at her! What a unique snowflake this commercial pop artist is..." to just plain normal. Maybe that's what she wants, though? That way when we're least expecting it, she'll pop up in jeans and a T-shirt and seriously shock us all so bad the whole world will just stop.
In the meantime, we'll get more Gaga as she's now a M.A.C spokeslady. Cannot escape the Gaga.
________
While Lady Gaga is essentially exempt from Fashion Police fines, these people aren't!
Rihanna on Chris Brown Aftermath: "I Woke Up as Britney Spears"
Apparently, it's time.
Since Rihanna's horrific altercation with then-boyfriend Chris Brown in February, the "Umbrella" singer may not have kept a low profile, but she certainly has not been talking.
Until now. Today marks the first we're hearing from her on the situation, whether in snippets from her interviews with Diane Sawyer and Glamour magazine, or in her music video for "Russian Roulette," her first single from Rated R.
The star is set to appear on Good Morning America on Thursday and Friday mornings and 20/20 Friday night, but her first quote has just been released.
"This happened to me…it can happen to anyone," she tells Sawyer. "He was definitely my first big love."
Of that fateful night, the 21-year-old tells Glamour, "I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears. That was the level of media chaos that happened the next day."
Eight months later, and she's already looking on the bright side of the whole scandal.
Glambert Debuts New Single: Are You Entertained?
Just in time for Halloween, the Glampire himself has loosed upon the ever-critical Interwebs the first single/title track from his debut album.
Described by Adam Lambert as "dance music with a glam-rock shuffle beat," "For Your Entertainment" premeired on Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM radio show this morning and is currently streaming on Lambert's official site.
While the cut may not show off the American Idol runner-up's pipes as much as his reality stint did, but it more than defined his style.
And ferocity...
Countdown to Britney Spears' "3" Video Is Over
For those of you needing more than the few seconds of the "3" video that Britney Spears teased us with yesterday, you're in luck, as the whole darn thing now makes its debut.
And of course, given the song's ménage à trois theme, it's really no surprise to see the pop princess bringing the sexy here, complete with lacy outfits, revealing leotards and a whole lot of gyrating with her multiple backup dancers.
Much like those few seconds from yesterday.
________
Sometimes singers don't just get sexy, they also get animated.
Thriller Makers, So Many Others Still Gunning for Jackson Money
Michael Jackson's This Is It wasn't the only big hit for MJ's estate this week.
John Landis, who directed the King of Pop's "Thriller" video, producer George Folsey Jr. and a production company filed claims against the estate Thursday seeking more than $2.4 million in profits related to the 1982 production.
Landis first sued Jackson in January, shortly after the singer sold the Broadway rights to "Thriller," for about $1 million he said he was owed for his work on the '80s-era game-changer, which put MJ on the map as a pioneer in video production.


