Michael Jackson's legacy five years later: Music, family and 'What if?'


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Michael Jackson ♥ The last tear: Your words stabbed my heart, and I cried tears of pain. "Get out!" I shouted. "These are the last tears I'll ever cry for you." So you left. I waited for hours, but you didn't return. That night by myself I cried tears of frustration. I waited weeks, but you had nothing to say. Thinking of your voice, I cried tears of loneliness. I waited months, but you left no sign for me. In the depths of my heart, I cried tears of despair. How strange that all these tears could not wash away the
hurt! Then one  thought of love pierced my bitterness. I remembered you in the sunlight, with a smile as sweet as May wine. A tear of gratitude started to fall, and miraculously, you were back. Soft fingers touched my cheek, and you bent over for a kiss. "Why have you come?" I whispered. "To wipe away your last tear," you replied. It was the one you saved for me. Source: Youtube Michael Jackson Remembered (1958-2014)
So let's forget about the times when MJ was in the news for all the
 wrong reasons...today we're going to turn
up the stereo, attempt the moonwalk
and celebrate the late, great
Michael Jackson!
R.I.P MJ…FOREVER THE KING! Source: The Chronicle
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Katy Perry Set To Reinvent Herself With New Album 'Prism'

Katy Perry
Katy Perry is set to reinvent herself this fall with the release of her third album, "Prism." The singer has debuted two new teaser videos for the album's first single, "Roar", in which she begins shedding her old pop-tarty image. The first 30-second teaser, released Friday and called "Burning Baby Blue", features Katy lighting a Zippo lighter while standing in the dark and holding a purple wig, which she lights on fire. The second teaser, released on Monday and titled "The Third Coming", shows Katy at a funeral where it's pretty apparent that she's the one being buried. The pink casket is topped with pinwheels and pink roses while two girls wearing pink wigs -- symbolic of the singer's "Teenage Dream" phase -- look on while sobbing. The camera then pans to the new Katy, who smirks. "Prism" is set to release October 22. Source: Starpulse.com
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New Lady Gaga tracks leaks online


A new Lady Gaga song called either 'Burqa' or 'Aura' has leaked online. The track is believed to be a demo of a track recorded during sessions for the singer's new 'ARTPOP' album. It features the singer's distinctive voice, backed by an eastern-sounding stringed instrument, before a dance beat kicks in. The song's lyrics make references to wearing a veil and a burqa - traditional dress for women in certain Islamic cultures, worn as an outer garment to cover their bodies and sometimes faces while in public - as well as the lines: "Do you wanna see me naked, lover? Do you wanna peak underneath the cover? / Do you wanna see the girl who lives behind the aura?" In a later verse the song seems to make another reference to the Middle East, when Gaga sings: "I may not walk on your street / Or shoot a gun on your soil / I hear you screaming / Is it because of pleasure and toil?" The bad quality of versions of the track on the internet suggest it is an unfinished version. Aside from guest appearances, the song is the first taste of new material from Gaga since 'Marry The Night', released in 2011. The first official single from 'ARTPOP' will be 'Applause', set for release on August 19. Photo Credits: Honopix, PacificCoastNews.com. Source: StarpulseImage: flickr.com
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Lata Mangeshkar reveals her plans of singing with Amitabh Bachchan


Lata Mangeshkar talks about her plans for her music label LM Music... 
Congratulations, you've launched your own record label L M Music. What are your plans for your music company? I believe you will now be singing with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan?
Yes! I want to sing with Amitji for sure. We had come together for a duet 'Yeh Kahan Aa Gye Hum' in Yash Chopraji's film Silsila many years ago. But we didn't record it together. I had sung my portion. And later Amitji had recited Javed Saab's poetry. What would you be recording with Mr. Bachchan? I believe he is keen to do shlokas of Lord Tirupati with me. I'd love to do this project with him. I've spoken to him about it already. He has also been kind enough to give the voiceover for an album of devotional songs by Suresh Wadkar released on our label. Suresh had recorded the Kabir Bhajans many years ago but never released the album. When I heard them I thought they just needed some brushing up. That's where Bachchan Saab's commentary came in. What are the other albums to be released on the L M Music Label? We've already released several spiritual albums, and a children's album by my sister Meena. In that album Meena's granddaughter has also sung. In fact during the music-label launch function on January 15, Meena's granddaughter kept rushing to the stage to repeatedly touch Amitabh Bachchanji's feet (laughs). I've also released an album of Bhakti geet 'Har Har Mahadev' with Shankar Mahadevan accompanying me. Then there is an album of Buddha chants entitled Buddham Sharman Gachchami featuring 11 artistes including Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan, Pankaj Udhas, Anoop Jalota, my sister Asha and me. This is the first time I've sung in Pali. We also have classical vocalist Jeetendra Abhishek's son Shounak singing Bhau Geet for the first time. Shounak's sister who is my sister Meena's daughter-in-law has also sung in that album. The label launch function was attended by the likes of Mr. Bachchan, Neeta Ambani, Sridevi and Boney... Yes, a lot of distinguished people from the film industry showed up for the function. I am fortunate to have so many lovely people's best wishes. Whoever we invited showed up for the function. I am blessed. It was a quiet evening. Four of us Bachchan Saab, Neeta Ambaniji, Pandit Jasraj and I were on stage. Neetaji and Amitji are so busy yet they came to my function for their love of me. Pandit Jasraj is not well and yet he came. Jasrajji released the album. What has the feedback to your label been so far? The feedback to my music label has been heartening. I completed 70 years of singing in 2012. I am deeply indebted to the people of India for liking my voice for so many years. What would I have been if it wasn't for the love of the people? It's my duty to give something back to the music industry now. What are your future plans for the label? We've lots of plans. Usha Mangeshkar is ready to record an album of Garba songs. I also want to record Ghazals. I also want to record poems of Bachchan's Saab's father Shri Harivansh Rai Bachchan, selected by Amitji. We're only starting out. Any plans for upcoming singers? But my ardent wish is to create a platform for these children who are seen on reality shows after which they vanish from the music scene. They are known only as long as the show lasts. We want to create our own music show where winners from these shows get a second chance. Those selected from our show can go on to record songs on our label. I feel their talent and hard work are getting lost. Source: Hindustan TimesImage: https://upload.wikimedia.org
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Adele named Forbes' brightest musician under 30


After having been named by Billboard as its top artist for 2012 just a couple of days ago, singer Adele adds another feather to her cap by topping Forbes' annual list of the thirty brightest music stars under 30 years old. 24-year-old Adele made the list on the success of her second album '21', which has sold over 23 million copies worldwide, reported Ace Showbiz. The 'Rolling in the Deep' hitmaker leads the other acts in the coveted list that includes British-Irish group One Direction and R&B superstar Rihanna. One Direction are included in the list following the back-to-back success of their first two albums 'Up All Night' and 'Take Me Home', while Rihanna's string of sold-out shows and lucrative endorsement deals make her a shoe-in for the '30 under 30' list. Other big names in music that made it to the Forbes list this year are pop superstar Bruno Mars, country music sweetheart Taylor Swift, and teen sensation Justin Bieber. Pop sensation Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Kesha are among the other top female musical artists named to the '30 Under, Source: Screen-IndiaImage: flickr.com
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Britney Spears reveals most 'amazing' things about year 2012


(ANI): Britney Spears has revealed the top three things that made year 2012 "amazing" for her. The 31-year-old singer credited her career move to become judge on the 'X-Factor' that helped her to come out of her shell. "It's no secret I'm a shy person," People magazine quoted her as saying. "I feel doing this show over the past year has allowed me to come out of my shell a lot more. "Everyone on the show has been amazing and made me feel really comfortable," she said. The second thing that made her year "amazing" were her kids Preston, 7 and Jayden, 6. "It's really amazing to see how quickly my boys are growing up. "It seems like yesterday I was reading books to them at night. Now I sit and listen to them read me books!" she said. The third most amazing thing she's had an amazing year is because of her fiance Jason Trawick. "It amazes me that no matter what situation I'm in," she said. "Jason has the ability to always make me feel protected and loved," she added. (ANI), Source: News Track IndiaImage: flickr.com
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12-hour marathon Mohammed Rafi concert on Tuesday


(IANS) A 12-hour marathon concert in memory of the legendary singer Mohammad Rafi will be held here Tuesday to mark his 88th birth anniversary, an organizer said Saturday. "The concert will start at 12 noon Dec 25 and conclude at midnight. In between there will be a short break to honour renowned radio personality Amin Sayani and the late composer Naushad Ali with the Mohammad Rafi Award for this year," Spandan Arts chief Ashish Shelar told IANS. Rafi was born Dec 24, 1924 and died July 31, 1980, aged 55, leaving behind a wealth of over 5,000 songs in Hindi, various Indian and even a few foreign languages, which he rendered during his 35-year-long singing career. While the 80-year old Sayani will receive the award in person, the late music director Naushad Ali's son, Raju, will accept the award on behalf of his father, Shelar said at a media briefing here. Well-known stage singers Srikant Narayan, along with Sarita Rajesh and Mona Kamat will regale the audiences with a selection of 101 ever-popular, timeless favourites rendered by Mohammad Rafi. "Music is a universal language and food for the soul. Mohammad Rafi was the 'King of Hearts' and his songs would continue to give tremendous joy and listening pleasure for many more generations," Shelar said. Considered the greatest Indian playback singer of the Hindi film industry, Mohammad Rafi was noted for the rare ability to mould his voice to the persona of the actor on the screen lip-synching the song. "Even though you knew it is Rafi singing, it appeared as if the voice belonged to one of the actors on whom it was picturised like Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Dev Anand, Raj Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar, Balraj Sahni, Shashi Kapoor, or many others. He was the 'unique' voice of many stars simultaneously. His void remains unfilled even today," said music lover and Rafi admirer Anand Joshi. During his lifetime, Mohammad Rafi was conferred the Padmashri, National Film Award, Best National Singer Award, six Filmfare Awards, besides many other national and international honours. Shelar said that the Tuesday concert would have a complete selection of Rafi numbers - happy, mischievous, romantic, sad, qawwalis, bhajans, duets - which have made him rule the charts even 32 years after his demise. Source: News Track India
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Lady Gaga Continues Wild Promotion Of New Perfume At Macy's


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On Friday, Lady Gaga attended her "Fame" Eau de Parfum launch at Macy's Herald Square in New York City by arriving in a replica bottle of perfume carried by a horse drawn carriage. The pop star wore an unusual, shiny black costume and a metallic copper mask. Her giant heeled boots featured naked gold figures writhing all over them. On Thursday, the singer launched her perfume at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum where she allowed people to touch her while she was "sleeping" and she got a tatoo of a cherub on the back of her head. See more photos of Gaga at Macy's. Source: Starpulse
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Jennifer Lopez performs at the O2 World Arena in Berlin

Jennifer Lopez performs at the O2 World Arena in Berlin
US American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, also known as JLo, performs at the O2 World Arena in Berlin, Germany on October 13, 2012. US American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, also known as
JLo, Berlin, turning as she performs at the O2 World Arena in Germany on October 13, 2012. Source: Voice of Russia
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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon loves Psy's Gangnam Style


UN  Secretary  General  Ban Ki  -  moon  is   amazed  but  likes   the  South  Korean  rapper Psy's global hit Gangnam Style. "I'm very proud that his performance has been loved and enjoyed by more than 400 million people. It is amazing," Ban Ki-moon said. He says music is a force for world peace. "There are no languages required in the musical world. That is the power of music that is the power of the heart. Through this promotion of arts we can better understand the culture and civilizations of other people. In this era of instability and intolerance we need to promote better understanding through the power of music," he added. Ban Ki-moon who has been the face of Korea for years has been recently displaced as the best-known Korean after the emergence of chubby rapper's catchy video But the 68-year-old is delighted by the astonishing success of the song and he himself has seen it several times. The Gangnam style video has been viewed more than 400 million times. (with inputs from ANI),  Source: News Track IndiaImage: flickr.com
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Katy Perry Named Billboard Magazine's Woman Of The Year

Katy Perry
Pop superstar Katy Perry has been named Billboard magazine's Woman of the Year and will be honored at the magazine's seventh annual Women in Music event on November 30. The award itself has been given out since 2008 and celebrates the most powerful and talented women in music; and Katy joins only four other stars on the short list: Ciara (2008), Beyonce (2009), Fergie (2010) and Taylor Swift(2011). "Katy Perry broke into the industry not even five years ago, and has already accomplished more than most artists can hope for in an entire career," said Bill Werde, Billboard's editorial director. "We are thrilled to celebrate these incredible achievements and her amazing past 12 months by honoring her with the Billboard Woman of the Year Award. With what seems like a never-ending supply of record-breaking, chart-topping hits, coupled with her unique and fresh style, Katy Perry is hands-down one of the most exciting and inspiring artists in the industry today." Katy's overall success includes setting numerous records, which include her five number-one hits from her second album, "Teenage Dream" -- the first time a woman has accomplished the feat in the Billboard Hot 100 chart's 54-year history. "Teenage Dream" spent over 100 weeks on Billboard's Hot 200 chart; sold 2.5 million copies in the U.S. alone; and 48 million singles have been downloaded. Four of those singles -- "Firework,"California Gurls," "E.T." and "Hot N Cold" are among the top 30 selling downloads of all time. Katy also holds the record (69 weeks) for having at least one song in the top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100. In support of the album, Katy's "Teenage Dreams Tour" sold out in 124 venues around the world and the tour was the subject of a 3D documentary based on her 2011 tour. The film, Katy Perry: Part of Me, is the fourth biggest music documentary ever. Portions of ticket and merchandise sales on the tour were donated to several charities, including The Children's Health Fund, Generosity Water, The Humane Society, and The Red Cross's disaster relief efforts. © 2012 Starpulse.com, Photo Credits: Steve Solis / PR PhotosSource: Starpulse
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Jolin Tsai explores the arts in new album


Pop singer Jolin Tsai promotes her new album "Muse" at the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing on Thursday, September 13, 2012. Tsai explains that the title "Muse" was chosen in order to show that the album is a combination of the arts and pop music. The album will hit shelves on September 14. Tsai is slated to perform a solo concert in Beijing on September 15, the date of her 32nd birthday. [Photo: ent.sina.com.cn] Source: China.org.cn
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Dave Matthews Band debuts at No. 1

Dave Matthews of The Dave Matthews Band sings during a special pre-game show honoring the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints who are hosting the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL's 91st season opener in New Orleans, September 9, 2010.[Photo/Agencies]
US rock group Dave Matthews Band's new album, "Away From the World", landed in the top spot on the Billboard 200 on Wednesday - the band's sixth straight No 1-debuting studio album. But the album's 266,000 sales figure was the band's smallest album launch since 1996's "Crash", which sold 254,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan figures. For only the second time in history, the top six albums on the Billboard 200 chart are debuts, the music publication said. Country music quartet Little Big Town's new arrival, "Tornado", took the second place slot after selling 113,000 copies. It was the group's best ever sales week. Bob Dylan's latest studio album, "Tempest", landed in the No 3 spot. It sold 110,000 copies. In fourth position, The Avett Brothers' "The Carpenter" sold 98,000 copies. Rock act the xx's second album, "Coexist", landed in the No 5 spot, while ZZ Top's "La Futura" came in at No 6 - the legendary rock band's highest debuting album ever. On the digital songs chart, country-pop crossover artist Taylor Swift held on to the top spot for the fifth straight week with her single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together". US album sales so far in 2012 stand at 207.29 million units, down 5 percent from the same time last year. Source: China.org.cn
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James Taylor To Receive France's Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters

James Taylor
James Taylor has landed one of France's top cultural awards in honor of his lengthy music career. Officials in the country have told the singer/songwriter he has been named as the latest recipient of the Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters, which recognizes individuals who have contributed to the arts. A post on Taylor's website reads, "James has received word that the French government has conferred on him the distinguished honor of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters." "The announcement will be followed by a private medal ceremony at a later date at the French Embassy in New York." The award was established in May of 1957 by the country's Minister of Culture and is given to French citizens 30 year old and older or foreign artists of any age. Previous recipients of the award include Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Uma Thurman. Photo Credits: PR Photos , Metropolitan Talent, Source: Starpulse.com
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Rolling Stones To Release 'GRRR!' - New 50-Track Greatest Hits Collection For 50th Anniversary

The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones, ABKCO Music & Records and Universal Music Group are pleased to announce the release of GRRR! by The Rolling Stones on the 12th of November 2012 for the World Excluding North America and on the 13th of November 2012 in North America. Available in various different formats – including a three-CD 50 track version featuring 50 tracks, and a four-CD Super-Deluxe version gathering a whopping 80 tracks – the collection tells the fascinating ongoing story of the Greatest Rock'n'Roll Band In The World, from their high octane version of Chuck Berry's Come On, their first single issued in June 1963, via the thrilling chart-toppers The Last Time, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, Get Off Of My Cloud, Jumping Jack Flash and Honky Tonk Women and the perennial juke-box and concert favorites Brown Sugar, Tumbling Dice, Miss You and Start Me Up, all the way to the present day with the inclusion of Gloom And Doom and One Last Shot, two new studio recordings recently completed by the group in Paris, France. These brand new recordings constitute the first time Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood have all been together in the studio since completing the exalted A Bigger Bang album in 2005, and follow on from the critically-acclaimed expanded re-releases of the historic 40th Anniversary live Madison Square Garden concert "Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!" in November 2009 and of two of their seventies masterworks, Exile on Main St., in May 2010, and Some Girls, in November 2011. All GRRR! formats will feature a striking painting by award-winning American artist Walton Ford, who has created the latest in a long line of iconic artwork that has always been part of the band's DNA. MickThe Rolling Stones
Jagger and Keith Richards touch, met were schoolfriends who lost up again at Dartford train station in 1960, and bonded over a shared love of rock'n'roll and Chicago blues. Within a couple of years, they were joined by guitarist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart and became part of the rich rhythm and blues scene that gravitated around Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies in London. By January 1963, they had added drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman and were playing a repertoire of Chess Records favorites Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters – whose Rollin' Stone composition provided their name – and Howlin' Wolf – whose Little Red Rooster became their second UK number one in 1964. Jagger and Richards forged a creative partnership that endures to this day and has produced some of the most memorable songs in music history, including the much-covered Ruby Tuesday and Wild Horses. The Jagger-Richards catalog is remarkably consistent, full of unexpected lyrical and melodic twists which helped shaped popular music. Compositions like 19th Nervous Breakdown, Paint It, Black, Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow? and Let's Spend The Night Together articulated the feelings and frustrations of the counterculture generation and held a mirror to British society. In 1968, the Rolling Stones made the seminal Beggars bankt album, featuring the heart-of-darkness opener Sympathy For The Devil and the finely-observed Street Fighting Man whose 'what can a poor boy do, except to sing for a rock'n'roll band?' lyric sounds more apposite than ever. They survived the loss of Jones, replaced by Mick Taylor who proved a sterling contributor to Let It Bleed, the influential 1969 album which included the elegiac You Can't Always Get What You Want and the ominous, eerily prescient Gimme Shelter. With Jagger, the ultimate showman setting the gold standard for other lead singers, and Richards, the iconic guitarist raising the bar in riff-making, the Rolling Stones were the first band to master the art and craft of playing arenas and effortlessly made the groundbreaking move into stadiums in the seventies. They have remained the world's top concert attraction with every successive record-breaking tour, as effective performing beautiful ballads like Angie and Fool To Cry as the out-and-out rocker Respectable, their 1978 riposte to the punks who copped so many moves from them. The arrival of Wood, who took over from Taylor in the mid-seventies, added his signature slide and pedal steel guitar to an already heady brew and proved the perfect partner in the 'ancient art for weaving' for Richards on tracks like Beast Of Burden, coincided with the funkier direction of the dancefloor fillers Hot Stuff and Emotional Rescue. In 1983, the edgy, sonically-adventurous Undercover Of The Night showed the group still had their finger on the pulse of alternative culture; the controversial Undercover video, directed by Sex Pistols associate Julien Temple, provided another highlight in a storied career that has seen them collaborate with world-famous film-makers like Nicolas Roeg, Jean-Luc Godard, Martin Scorsese, the Maysles and Peter Whitehead. The Rolling Stones overcame the mid-eighties hiatus that nevertheless saw them score one of their biggest successes with their superior version of Bob & Earl's Harlem Shuffle, and returned stronger than ever with the Steel Wheels album and its irresistible lead off-track Mixed Emotions in 1989. Following Wyman's exit in 1993, they soldiered on and hit another purple patch with the Voodoo Lounge and Bridges To Babylon albums and their respective singles, the harmonica-led Love Is Strong and Anybody Seen My Baby, their first hit to feature sampling and rapping. In 2005, the soulful, gospel-infused ballad Streets Of Love, from A Bigger Bang, became a worldwide smash 42 years after their first chart entry, while the 1972 outtake Plundered My Soul helped the expanded Exile On Main St. return to the top the UK album charts 38 years after its original release, a feat unmatched by any artist. Cherry-picking timeless hit singles and classic album tracks from their peerless catalog and bringing the story up to date, the various formats of GRRR! offer the perfect package to help Rolling Stones fans celebrate the group's fiftieth anniversary in style. In celebration of the Rolling Stones' incredible journey, an innovative campaign has been launched to reveal their GRRR! Greatest Hits album sleeve using 3D Augmented Reality. During a three week teaser campaign, fans were invited to download the free uView app in preparation for a big announcement. From today, using the uView app fans can scan the GRRR! sleeve and watch the stunning imagery come to life in 3D animation right before their eyes. The campaign will have further exciting updates coming soon. The use of one of the most advanced forms of mobile technology currently around solidifies The Rolling Stones as one of the most innovative bands in the world and as relevant as they have always been. The technology has been developed in partnership with Aurasma, the leaders in image recognition and augmented reality technology. Source: Starpulse
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Bruce Springsteen Says He's Battled Depression For Over 20 Years

Bruce Springsteen has revealed a long battle with depression in a recent interview with The New Yorker. Springsteen says he has been seeing a psychiatrist since 1982 to battle the self-loathing and suicidal thoughts he felt when he was just becoming a huge star. Springsteen says his late father also had a form of isolating depression. "My dad was very nonverbal — you couldn’t really have a conversation with him. "My parents’ struggles, it’s the subject of my life. It’s the thing that eats at me and always will. My life took a very different course, but my life is an anomaly. Those wounds stay with you, and you turn them into a language and a purpose." Perhaps a gold lining is that his fear of mental illness kept him away from the drugs that killed so many fellow musicians. Band mate Steven Van Zandt said of Springsteen: "the only guy I know — I think the only guy I know at all — who never did drugs." © 2012 Starpulse.com, Photo Credits: Awais, PacificCoastNews.com. Source: Starpulse.com
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Britney Spears fiance proud of her


Pop star Britney Spears fiance Jason Trawick is beaming with pride after her first week of work as a judge on 'The X Factor'. The 40-year-old shared his sentiments in a self-shot video message to his soon-to-be bride, s media report said.  “Princess, we just completed our first weekend in Austin on 'X Factor'. Just wanted to say I'm very proud of you and I love you so much. Congratulations,” he said to Spears in the video, where he can be seen lying in bed with his head on a pillow. Spears was touched by her beau's message and quickly responded, tweeting, “Awww love you too Xoxo (sic).” The couple got engaged in December 2011. Spears and fellow new judge Demi Lovato make their debut on 'The X Factor' this fall. Source: Screen-IndiaImage: flickr.com
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At the Music Hall: Billy Mayerl's Marigold, 1927

Billy Mayerl, Image from "The Billy Mayerl Society"
“Marigold” is perhaps the best known composition of celebrated English pianist and composer Billy Mayerl (1902-1959). Mayerl was the “Master of Light Music” and rose to great popularity on the boards of the English Music Halls and musical theatres. His syncopated novelty piano pieces (over three hundred which he wrote himself) were often named for and inspired by flowers and trees. Though he’s famous for these piano pieces, he also composed a variety of more substantial works for piano and orchestra. Mayerl also founded and operated the “School of Syncopation” which offered instruction in modern musical techniques such as 
ragtime. This led to his long-running correspondence course, “How to Play Like Billy Mayerl.” These two videos are quite enjoyable. The first is a recent performance of “Marigold” and the second is a rare film of Billy Joseph Mayerl himself playing the piece.Source: Stalking the Belle Époque
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Backstreet Boys To Record First New Album In Seven Years

Backstreet Boys
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The reunited Backstreet Boys are to release the first album featuring the band's original line-up for seven years. Kevin Richardson quit the group in 2005 to pursue other interests, and the remaining four members released two albums in 2007 and 2009 without him. He has now rejoined the boy band, and during an appearance on Good Morning America via satellite link to the Britain on Tuesday, they revealed Richardson will be laying down his vocals with the band for a new record. Howie Dorough says, "We are really excited,  this is actually our first time in the studio together - all five of us - since 2005, we are recording our brand new record right here in London." Nick Carter added, "It's awesome, it really is, the vibe is fantastic... it's just been really organic and our vibe - it's like never before. It's revitalized and we're having so much fun." The album's release will coincide with the band's 20th anniversary next year and they are gearing up for their first official comeback concert in New York next month. Watch "Details for Backstreet Boys' New Album" Photo Credits: PR Photos, Sony BMG. Source: Starpulse
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Jennifer Aniston - hottest woman of all time


Beating big names like screen legend Marilyn Monroe, pop icon Madonna and actress Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston has been named the hottest woman of all time in a new poll by online portal menshealth.com. The 42-year-old was followed by American actress Raquel Welch at the second stop, Monroe at third and pop icons Britney Spears and Madonna at the fourth and fifth place respectively, reports contactmusic.com. ‘Baywatch’ beauty Pamela Anderson was at the eighth spot whereas Jane Fonda and Jolie took ninth and 10th place respectively. According to the site, Aniston was a hands down winner because she is funny. "Funny is sexy, and Jennifer Aniston is funny. Her down-to-earth persona makes her seem attainable. And her all-too-human love life off screen inspires sympathy that not even a string of bland romantic comedies can diminish," the site reported. *** Source: Deccan ChronicleImage: flickr.com
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