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Posts Tagged ‘pop’

Rihanna was scheduled to perform in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia for a crowd of 6,000 on Nov. 14 but had to cancel the tour over security concerns. A spokesperson for the event organizer Show Master Live, Dive Purnomo, said the 20-year-old singer was scheduled to perform for a sold-out crowd but changed her mind while in Australia. The nation was among several that issued a travel advisory to citizens in Indonesia after the executions of three Islamic militants convicted in the 2002 Bali bombings. The warning issued while Rihanna was down under came after the men called on followers to carry out revenge attacks if they did in fact receive the deaths by firing squad sentenced to them. Purnomo said she hoped Rihanna will come back to Jakarta to perform for her many fans in January.

Before “Umbrella” propelled Rihanna into the realm of major stardom, the singer was born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in 1988 in Saint Michael, Barbados and despite winning various beauty and talent contests at a young age she assumed that fame was well beyond her reach. Pop producer Evan Rogers, who has produced for stars like Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson and others, was vacationing on the island when he met Rihanna and sent her to the studio with his partner Carl Sturken to make some demo tapes. Newly appointed Def Jam president Shawn Carter (aka Jay-Z) heard Rihanna’s demos and was instant enthralled, signing her on the spot and Def Jam released the single “Pon de Replay” off the album Music of the Sun in 2005. The song peaked at number tow on the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned another popular single, “If It’s Lovin’ That You Want.”

After a successful debut album, Rihanna continued her trajectory to the top with an even more successful sophomore album, A Girl Like Me, which spawned popular singles “S.O.S.,” “Break It Off” and “Unfaithful.” For her third effort, Rihanna chopped her signature long locks and dropped the good-girl image promoted by stereotypical Caribbean lingo and sugar-coated ballads. The aptly-titled Good Girl Gone Bad was a dance/pop album led by the number one single “Umbrella.” Good Girl Gone Bad also featured collaborations with Timbaland, StarGate and Jay-Z and boasted hit singles “Disturbia” and “Take a Bow.” Rihanna recently made another notch on the Billboard charts when she was featured on T.I.’s smash single “Live Your Life.” The career of Caribbean sensation Rihanna is still young (and so is she, at just twenty-years-old!) but with the backing of Jay-Z and a unique vocal style that blends her heritage with urban pop, she is sure to be around for a long time. Rihanna hit the rod this last year as to open for rapper Kanye West on his Glow In the Dark tour and will most likely be touring again so be sure to get your Rihanna tickets soon!

Author Bio: This article is sponsored by StubHub and was written by Kirby Brooks. StubHub.com is a leader in the business of selling Rihanna tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

As the 62 year old pop icon continues to deny rumors about a recent show cancellation at Caesar’s Palace, more news stations are eager to get the “cancer on” rather than report on the longtime pop singers talents during her 90 minute performance.

The singer has recently had to deny everything from severe abdominal problems to cancer when she was caught with “Vegas throat.” “If I had cancer, everyone would know it,” Cher told “Access Hollywood” in an interview Friday. “I wouldn’t tell them, but somebody would. When you have those kinds of things happen, if you’re famous, you can’t keep them a secret.” While Cher is not one to be excluded from the spotlight, it isn’t much of a surprise that these rumors have started. With something like three successful careers under her large embellished belt, it comes as so surprise that this legend knows how to keep thing exciting.

This so called “sickness” blows in with the desert air every so often enough that other long time Sin City performers known exactly what she’s talking about. “My health is great. But you know there’s a wind thing that blows there sometimes in different months, and I have an allergy to it. So yeah it’s really hard if you get a sickness and you’re famous. It’s impossible. You have to suffer with the sickness and everyone gets to know it,” she continued during Friday’s taping.

Just enough to spike the rumors to high heaven is her recent announcement to continue her Vegas stint next year. Returning to Caesars Palace in February, Cher plans on keeping her hefty schedule with four nightly shows a week that run ninety minutes long. The first 35 dates are already scheduled and begin at the end of February.

“Cher at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace” has been a staple since last May when she sold out 44 shows and performed for over 200,000 fans, according to a press release. Since the ’60s the world of Cher has been in the public eye. From her public relationship with music partner and producer Salvatore “Sonny” Bono to her work in film (and a subsequent Best Actress Academy Award for her role in Moonstruck), Cher’s comings and goings have always been of media speculation. After a very public divorce and dissolve of the group that got her her star (Sonny & Cher), she kept recording hit records and eventually transitioned into a famous actress. Currently she is recognized not only for her alternative folk days with ex-husband but also for her unique and ever-changing fashion sense. If you’re still not sick of Cher, check out her most recently updated dates, all of which are at The Colosseum at Caesars.

February 2009
21, 22 – Las Vegas, NV
24, 25 – Las Vegas, NV
28 – Las Vegas, NV

March 2009
1 – Las Vegas, NV
3, 4 – Las Vegas, NV
7, 8 – Las Vegas, NV
10, 11 – Las Vegas, NV
14, 15 – Las Vegas, NV
17 – Las Vegas, NV
20, 21 – Las Vegas, NV

April 2009
25, 26 – Las Vegas, NV
28, 29 – Las Vegas, NV

May 2009
2, 3 – Las Vegas, NV
5, 6 – Las Vegas, NV
9, 10 – Las Vegas, NV
12, 13 – Las Vegas, NV
16, 17 – Las Vegas, NV
19, 20 – Las Vegas, NV
23, 24 – Las Vegas, NV

This article is sponsored by stubhub.com and was written by Meaghan Clark. http://StubHub.com is a leader in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/cher-tickets/, as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

As if a bitter divorce and an adulterous scandal isn’t enough drama for one person, the Material Girl is adding one more thing to her recent agenda – a lover’s quarrel. If you’re thinking it’s her own, think again. Television and radio personality Ryan Seacrest talked about it on his KIIS-FM talk show – Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears performed together during Madonna’s Los Angeles concert. Just days after she shouted with approving San Diego crowds moments after President elect Barack Obama was announced, Madonna headed to Dodger Stadium with a little more flair. Can’t wait to see what this sticky and sweet singer will do next? Check out http://www.stubhub.com/madonna-tickets/ for her next uproar!

Individually, all three of the concert participants have had their fair share of controversy. Since Spears and Timberlake stopped any ties that connected the former couple who came together when they first popped onto the pop music scene, Spears has been in and out of the tabloid presses mostly because of her eccentric lifestyle after she married, then sequentially divorced, a former backup dancer. Timberlake, who has been in and out of Hollywood relationships since his “first” (aka Spears) continues to create questions about his openly seamless love adventures. Finally Madonna has as of recent been making headlines not because at 50 years old she is performing a worldwide tour, but rather due to her divorce with younger film director Guy Ritchie and public relationship with Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez, who also recently went through a divorce.

While fans may not have much trouble purchasing tickets for the show, true Madonna fans shouldn’t be too surprised to learn of the two pop stars guest appearances. Timberlake appeared on Madonna’s “4 Minutes” and performed with her during her New York City show. Spears and Madonna have an even longer history – that goes back to the seductive kiss from MTV’s Video Music Awards. “If Justin and Britney end up on that stage with her.. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything quite like that before,” Seacrest added during his morning show with BoyToy Jesse. “Expect some real serious surprises.”

Madonna is currently touring the world with her “Sticky and Sweet” tour promoting her Hard Candy album, which premiered in April and debuted at number one in more than 30 countries. Throughout her extravagant world concert, which began in Cardiff, Wales in September, Madonna grooved to giant virtual Timberlake’s and sang duets with a recording of Spears, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. The queen of pop didn’t have to imagine anything on Thursday night when Timberlake and Spears actually arrived in person for a few songs. Her 11th studio album has several hit singles, including “Give it 2 Me” and “4 Minutes.”

Her concerts remained one of the highest rated, not only for its rich styles that is evident not only on the material girl but via the stage, but also because of the icon herself, who has been making musical headlines since the early ’80s with her singles “Like a Virgin,” “Lucky Star” and “Material Girl.”

This article is sponsored by stubhub.com and was written by Meaghan Clark. http://StubHub.com is a leader in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/madonna-tickets/, as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Tony Bennett is going to try and squeeze all of the grinches out by Christmastime. It’s not really the grinches’ fault though. There are those un-payable mortgages, mounting student loans, layoffs galore and the prickly pear at the grocery store has doubled its price. So in the end, what suffers? The gifts, the toys, the big stuffed Elmo dolls and giant-jumbo sized packages of candy-canes. And the ham, what about the melt in your mouth honey-baked ham? Are we going to turn in droves to Subway sandwiches, or worse, start stockpiling cans of Spam?

Bloomingdales is against spam, and against record profit losses for that matter. The executives at the giant retail company have decided that there is only one man that can save Christmas, and he’s got a twinkling smile and cloudy white hair. Is it Saint Nick, you ask? Oh no… his stocks fell weeks ago. This jolly old man exudes Christmas warmth with his new holiday jingles found on A Swingin’ Christmas. Tony Bennett will perform when the holiday windows at Bloomingdales in New York City are introduced. Bennett stands as the centerpiece for Bloomingdales’ campaign to save Christmas, which they are marketing with the slogan, “Oh What Fun.” Will the promotion work? Will Tony Bennett be able to raise spirits and inject a little holiday joy into our bloodstreams? It’s still too early to tell, but Bloomingdales is certainly willing to take the bet.

Tony Bennett won the hearts of Americans after he found success in the 1950s and 1960s with his catchy renditions of pop music and jazz songs. Fans remember well songs like “Rags to Riches,” “Stranger in Paradise” and of course the unforgettable “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Even through tough times, Bennett soldiered on, never once giving up on his adoring fans. He experienced a lull in sales when rock music became the preferred genre but staged an elaborate comeback in the 1980s with an unexpected audience: the younger crowd. His popularity kept rising on through the 1990s and 2000s. Today the talented big band singer has fans that span generations. A pair of tickets will allow you to enjoy a concert by a performer, whose success on the stage has enveloped decades.

Now, Bennett is being called upon once again. He is expected to rally the Christmas shopping base and inspire customers to come out in droves. The economy points to a pathetic holiday season, with many dejected Americans turning to a bottle of whiskey for warmth rather than the fireplace. But, in a statement Bennett gave to the New York Times, he claimed, “One thing about the holidays: no matter what happens, the holidays soften everybody.”

That is the sentiment that the execs at Bloomingdales want to believe in, and there certainly must be a bit of truth in Bennett’s beliefs. Sometimes after a painful thrashing on the stock markets, with weather storms on the horizon, and after weeks of eating into the cans of stockpiled Spams, Americans want to celebrate the holidays right: sitting by the fire, opening giant stuffed Elmos, smelling the savory hints of a honey-baked ham and listening to a classic Tony Bennett record.

This article was written by Alexa Evans and is sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/. StubHub sells http://www.stubhub.com/tony-bennett-tickets/, as well as many other kinds of sports tickets, concert tickets, special events tickets and theater tickets.

Hip-hop heavyweight Kanye West has publically shown his support for president-elect Barack Obama ever since the senator from Illinois announced his decision to run for president earlier this year, and West is nothing but floored coming out of Obama’s victorious campaign this week. Paying tribute to the Obama campaign, West wrote the words “Hi Mom, Obama Won!” on his website’s blog, a touching move from the rapper whose mother Donda passed away less than a year ago after complications with surgery.

Other fervent Obama supporters in the hip-hop community include artists Will.i.am, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Stevie Wonder, Will Smith, Q-Tip, John Legend, Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Ludacris, Common, Mos Def, Ne-Yo, Nas, Young Jeezy, the Game, Herbie Hancock, Usher and more. Chicago talk show guru Oprah Winfrey has also been a supporting figure in the Obama campaign, and she was in attendance at Grant Park in Chicago Tuesday night as Barack Obama made his historic election speech. Brad Pitt was also in the crowd, and several other public figures celebrated Obama’s victory on television programs, websites and interviews as the presidential election concluded. Kanye West’s declaration on his website was one of many, but the shout-out to his late mother was one of the most memorable notes of Obama excitement.

West, a Chicago, Illinois native, has been incredibly involved in the presidential campaign this year, but before he was dominating the music (and now, political) scene, the fresh rapper was blazing through the Midwest with his hip-hop talent and unrelenting perseverance. West first burst on the music scene in the late ’90s and early ’00s, getting his foot in the door by appearing on Jay-Z’s Blueprint album. West’s 2004 album The College Dropout was the massive success the rapper had been waiting for, and songs like “Jesus Walks” and “Slow Jamz” placed the name Kanye West among the big dogs in the hip-hop industry.

Since 2004, Kanye West has recorded and released several number ones on the Billboard charts ranging from “Gold Digger” and “Good Life” to “Stronger,” also garnering eight Grammy Awards in the wake of his musical peak. The rapper’s confident feel-good anthems have dominated radio waves and television channels for several years now, and he’s been rocking out live performances to everyone with Kanye West tickets just as long. If you haven’t heard West’s live rendition of “Stronger” in concert, discover the Kanye West magic for yourself.

Aside from producing some of the most powerful hip-hop music on the scene these days, West has also become a fearless public icon in the media for anything and everything he believes in. The rapper has been tapped on camera saying that George Bush doesn’t care about black people in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, also depicted as Jesus Christ on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and now his strong support for president-elect Barack Obama has earned him some time in the spotlight, as well. West is still busy performing and supporting his new album 808s & Heartbreak, and the rapper hasn’t shown any signs of a slowdown.

This article is sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/ and was written by Jenna Jay. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/kanye-west-tickets/, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Dothan, Alabama and the surrounding area accounts for around half of the peanuts grown in the U.S., and the town celebrates the peanut farmers and harvest season every year by putting on a festival spanning multiple days and including several contests, pageants and concerts. Bucky Covington, an American Idol alum and contemporary country superstar, was one headliner at this year’s National Peanut Festival, strumming his magical guitar to the tunes of “A Different World” and “I’ll Walk,” his most recent Billboard hits. Covington’s appearance at the peanut festival was one of the week’s biggest acts, and he performed onstage Thursday night following budding country artist Brantley Gilbert.

Other artists celebrating the peanut harvest season in style at the 2008 National Peanut Festival include a handful of gospel artists as well as up-and-coming musicians Colby O’Donis and Danny and the Tanks. Additional headliners aside from Covington were contemporary country staples Jimmy Wayne and Corey Smith, the latter no stranger to the peanut festival. This year’s theme for the event was “A Peanut Round-Up,” and the 65th annual National Peanut Festival rounded up a lot more than just stellar musical acts. The nation’s largest peanut festival also included animal acts, agricultural displays, food, contests, arts and crafts, a parade and, of course, peanuts! Wrapping up on November 7, the National Peanut Festival is Dothan’s claim to fame and one jam-packed week of entertainment.

For Bucky Covington, a small-town Southern concert is exactly the kind of stuff the red-hot country act is made of. The Rockingham, North Carolina native grew up heavily influenced by the country music scene, narrowing his dreams down to music at a young age after seeing blues guitarist Jeff Healy in the film Road House. Eventually, Covington auditioned for the dream to come true, becoming part of the American Idol phenomenon in 2006 among 23 other aspiring music stars. Ultimately taking eighth place in the singing contest after being dubbed the country-rock artist of the bunch, Covington made the rounds in the 2006 “American Idols Live” tour before storming Nashville with his charming style and booming vocals. Covington lucked into the country circuits, earning a spot on the “GAC Country Music Christmas Tour” when Nashville Star winner Buddy Jewell dropped out of the tour due to a wrist injury.

Seeing an in with the industry, Covington headed straight for the studio following the tour, releasing his eponymous debut in 2007 for Lyric Street/Hollywood Records. The rousing rock-infused country artist tore up the charts with the album, capturing the coveted number one slot on the country charts while singles “It’s Good to Be Us,” “A Different World” and “I’ll Walk” charted in 2007 and 2008, as well. Ever since his success in the big leagues, the long-haired Covington has embarked on a string of live performances, wowing fans across the country with Bucky Covington tickets. Covington’s twin brother Rocky plays drums in his band, and to see the brotherly duo perform together in stage get concert tickets.

This article is sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/ and was written by Jenna Jay. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/bucky-covington-tickets/, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

Pop diva Britney Spears has quite the reputation as one of Hollywood’s biggest socialites, and this year has been one for the record books when it comes to things to celebrate. Along with publically turning her party girl life around over the past year, Spears has also made the comeback of a lifetime with her music career, preparing America for her new album Circus. Featuring the newly-released single “Womanizer,” Circus will debut on December 2, Spears’ 27th birthday.

Sending rumors, blogs and speculation flying across the Internet, Spears recently released the cover art for Circus and a list of the album’s tracks, as well. Aside from the catchy song and scandalous music video for the album’s first single “Womanizer,” Spears has also promised more of edgy staples with other singles like “Circus,” “Mmm Papi” and “Lace and Leather,” all to appear on this winter’s release of Circus. Sporting a skeptically innocent pose and wearing a frilly pink dress with a golden backdrop on the cover of Circus, the only things that scream chaos-wreaking three ring circus are the stars and block lettering announcing the Britney Spears stamp of approval on the cover of the album.

Before Spears was involved in a slanted fairytale that included a lavish wedding and subsequent divorce resulting in two children and one nasty custody battle, the gorgeous Louisiana native was rocking the school-girl outfit in her teenage years while declaring, “Hit me baby, one more time.” The year was 1998, and Britney Spears had already made her name a mainstay among boy bands like Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC. The former Mouseketeer grew up performing on The Mickey Mouse Club alongside Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez and Christina Aguilera, and the late ’90s were a time for all teen pop musicians to break out on their own. After a string of demos and auditions, Spears scored big with her debut single “Baby One More Time,” immediately following up the earth-shattering single with songs like “(You Drive Me) Crazy,” “Sometimes” and “From the Bottom of My Broken Heart.” Spears’ debut album Baby One More Time sold more than 10 million albums by 1999, setting the young teen pop idol up for the monumental success that followed.

Britney Spears kept the American mainstream satisfied with her innocent-yet-curious image through the early 2000s, eventually making the extreme transformation from naive Catholic school girl to pulsating sex goddess. From Oops!…I Did It Again (2000) to Britney (2001) and In the Zone (2003), Spears morphed into a sex symbol, releasing highly sexualized songs and music videos to singles like “Toxic” and “Me Against the Music” while lighting the fire with the Britney-Madonna kiss at the 2003 VMA Awards. By 2005, Spears and her recklessly high-flying antics had gotten her burned a few times with the entertainment industry, and a high-profile relationship with backup dancer Kevin Federline led to Spears’ down spiral that started with two pregnancies and seemingly ended with a stint in rehab. Despite ongoing struggles with her personal life, Britney Spears reemerged on scene again in 2007 with the album Blackout, an instant number one on the charts that led the revolution to millions of fans with Britney Spears tickets in line to see the pop princess dominate the mainstream once again. Now completely headed for a comeback with Circus, Britney Spears concerts are thriving with lively tunes and positive energy. If you haven’t seen Spears in concert yet, the time is ripe.

This article is sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/ and was written by Jenna Jay. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling http://www.stubhub.com/britney-spears-tickets/, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

For years now, Barry Manilow’s easy listening has provided fodder for comedians looking for a fast and easy punch line. His music is mellow, pleasing adult contemporary, a genre infamous for lacking personality. But it’s also immensely popular across the country, and has earned Manilow the reputation of being one of America’s most successful adult contemporary artists in history.

What’s often overlooked – largely because no one bothers to listen to his music before judging him – is the fact that Manilow’s career proved him to be a versatile artist who was willing to explore beyond standard easy-listening pop.

Manilow was born Barry Pincus in Brooklyn in 1943. He adopted his mother’s surname after his father left the family when he was only two. From an early age, he displayed a talent for music, and eventually went to the Juilliard School of Music. He scraped together a living by working on ad jingles after graduating, finally catching a break by becoming Bette Midler’s pianist in the early ’70s. His work with Midler earned him exposure and eventually a record deal. His 1973 debut, Barry Manilow I, was all but ignored. His follow-up, 1974′s Barry Manilow II, earned him notoriety for his first smash single, “Mandy.” From that day forward, Manilow would begin to establish a reputation as a writer of moving, if sometimes overly sentimental, romantic ballads. Not missing a beat, Manilow released a third record, Trying to Get the Feeling, in 1975, scoring another hit with the single “I Write the Songs.”

Numerous hits would follow, and the mid- to late-’70s would become a high point in Manilow’s career. His 1977 double-disc live album, Live, went to the top of the charts. Even Now, another release, was one of several that turned triple-platinum. He also released “Copacabana,” a song that he’s still known for to this day.

By the turn of the decade, Manilow began to fall out of favor with the general public. They seemed to be growing tired of the slightly bombastic, syrupy ballads he was known for. He began to slip in the charts, but that didn’t end his career. He had his touring act to fall back on. Besides that, his loss of an adult contemporary audience freed him to pursue new directions. He began experimenting with jazzier songs in 1984′s 2:00 A.M. Paradise Cafe. The genres of swing and jazz-pop became staples in this work during the ’80s. In the ’90s, Manilow turned his attention toward a stage musical based on his song “Copacabana,” which was in turn based on an infamous club of the same name. The musical was highly successful, touring across America and the U.K. and bringing Manilow’s music to a new generation of fans.

Though today he’s largely forgotten as a leftover from the ’70s pop scene, the massive number of Barry Manilow tickets that are sold each year is a testament to the popularity this artists still enjoys.

This article was written by Andrew Good and sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com/. StubHub sells http://www.stubhub.com/barry-manilow-tickets/ as well as sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and more to just about any event in the world.