Britney Spears To Kick Off Las Vegas Residency With New Year’s Run

Britney Spears is set to perform on New Year’s Eve and on Valentine’s Day during her Las Vegas residency.

The star’s “Britney: Piece Of Me” shows will kick off on December 27 and continue for two years at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, and she’s set to perform four of those shows before the end of 2013.

16 dates have been announced so far, beginning on January 29, following a brief hiatus after her New Year’s run of shows. So far she’s set to perform on alternating Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and also on Fridays and Saturdays.

Britney’s new as-yet-untitled album, her eighth studio recording, will be released on December 3.

MC Hammer Slams Police On Twitter Following His Arrest

MC Hammer has taken to Twitter.com to protest his innocence following his arrest in California on Thursday.

The U Can’t Touch This hit-maker was apprehended at a shopping center in Dublin, northern California, and cited for obstructing an officer in the performance of duties and resisting an officer.

Police officials allege the hip-hop star was sitting in a vehicle with an expired registration and he was not the registered owner, but MC Hammer, real name Stanley Kirk Burrell, has suggested he was the victim of racial profiling.

In a series of tweets, posted on Saturday, Hammer maintains the incident kicked off when a “chubby Elvis-looking” officer approached him to ask for his identification.

He writes, “I rolled down the window and he said, ‘Are you on parole or probation?’ While I was handing him my ID he reached in my car and tried to pull me out (of) the car but forgot he was on a steady donut diet.

“It was comical to me until he pulled out his guns, blew his whistle and yelled for help (Mall Cop)!!! But make no mistake he’s dangerous.”

Hammer also tweeted, “Only thing more dangerous than a scared man with a gun, is a scared man with an agenda, a gun and a badge,” before concluding: “I will now answer his question, contrary to his personal beliefs, all people of color are not on parole or probation, fat boy!”

The star was taken into custody at Santa Rita Jail, where he was booked, cited and released.

Photo Credits: PR Photos

Madonna Edges Out Springsteen As Music’s Top Money Maker

Even at 54, Madonnna has proven she’s the queen of the music world. The pop star beat out Bruce Springsteen to be named the top money maker of the past year.

In the last 12 months, Madonna earned a staggering $34.58 million, largely due to her very successful “MDNA” world tour, which earned her an estimated $32 million alone.

Falling about $1 million behind her is rock icon Springsteen, who earned $33.44 million in the same period after hitting the road on the “Wrecking Ball” trek.

Filling out the top five slots are Pink Floyd legend Roger Waters ($21.16 million), Van Halen ($20.18 million) and country star Kenny Chesney ($19.15 million). The Billboard top 10 list also features Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay and Justin Bieber.

Notice, Madonna is the only female in the top 10 list. You go girl!

Billboard’s Music’s Top 40 Money Makers 2013

1. Madonna $34,577,308.62
2. Bruce Springsteen $33,443,606.64
3. Roger Waters $21,160,131.06
4. Van Halen $20,184,709.91
5. Kenny Chesney $19,148,525.24
6. Dave Matthews Band $18,903,334.14
7. Tim McGraw $18,329,167.89
8. Jason Aldean $17,578,651.96
9. Coldplay $17,300,144.34
10. Justin Bieber $15,944,293.10
11. Adele $13,906,635.76
12. Lady Antebellum $12,968,992.17
13. Celine Dion $12,927,494.01
14. Brad Paisley $12,848,724.84
15. Taylor Swift $12,695,783.32
16. Carrie Underwood $11,942,956.65
17. Nickelback $11,121,419.71
18. Eric Church $11,015,773.11
19. Rascal Flatts $10,777,282.68

20. Barbra Streisand $10,611,419.16
21. Neil Diamond $10,498,985.38
22. Trans-Siberian Orchestra $9,959,362.28
23. Toby Keith $9,805,764.042
24. Drake $9,504,992.38
25. Red Hot Chili Peppers $9,477,807.56
26. The Rolling Stones $9,276,084.10
27. Miranda Lambert $8,818,536.04
28. Rush $8,719,834.30
29. Elton John $8,575,518.13
30. One Direction $7,955,840.71
31. Phish $7,382,514.39
32. The Black Keys $7,358,679.41
33. Maroon 5 $7,159,923.53
34. Jay-Z $7,011,905.17
35. Journey $6,983,106.58
36. Andrea Bocelli $6,732,442.76
37. Zac Brown Band $6,682,797.58
38. Rod Stewart $6,459,568.26
39. Mumford & Sons $6,168,737.62
40. Blake Shelton $5,914,591.11

Photo Credits: PR Photos

One Direction Release Video For Charity Single ‘One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks)’

One Direction has released the music video for their latest single “One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks)”, which was specially recorded for Red Nose Day, a telethon event annually held by a British charity, Comic Relief. The music video starts off on a serious note, as the five boys explain about Comic Relief and how they were going to help Comic Relief raise money for the less fortunate.

The music video was filmed while the boys were on tour. Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles recently visited a children’s hospital in Accra, Ghana and they were extremely upset and heartbroken to see young children on the brink of losing their lives.

“My mum worries about me all the time so I can’t imagine how terrible it must be for these mothers to see their babies so poorly,” 19 year-old Harry admitted. “Looking into a tiny baby’s eyes and seeing their pain is terrible.” Zayn adds, “We all waste money but the most important thing we can all do is give 5 to protect children from these illnesses.” Well-said!

Some of the children at the children’s hospital mistook the band for Westlife.

“One Way Or Another (Teenage Kicks)” is a medley of two popular songs from the ’70s: “One Way Or Another” by Blondie and “Teenage Kicks” by The Undertones. The video is sure to make you laugh your head off as you watch the boys do the most hilarious things – Niall singing in the shower (ALMOST NAKED), the boys hugging British Prime Minister David Cameron, dancing hilariously, etc.

Support One Direction in their fundraising project with Comic Relief! Visit the band’s page on Red Nose Day to find out more. Every penny counts! You can improve millions of underprivileged lives by just fishing out a small portion of your bank’s savings!

Photo Credits: David Gabber / PR Photos

Queen To Be Honored With London Concert Plaque

Rock icons Queen are to be honored with a special commemorative plaque at the venue where they played their first concert in London.

Queen stars Brian May and Roger Taylor will be at Imperial College on March 5th to receive the PRS for Music Heritage Award in honor of the concert they played there at the start of their careers on July 18th, 1970.

May says, “The first proper gig we did was at Imperial College in the Union Hall. I remember it very distinctly because I’d seen all sorts of people playing in there. I’d been part of the Entertainment Committee and we booked a group every Saturday night in those days. People like Spooky Tooth and Steamhammer! We booked Jimi Hendrix too. So for us it was a dream come true to actually play on that stage. It used to get packed in there so it was a major stepping stone for us.”

Taylor adds, “Imperial College was effectively our positional and spiritual base and so (it) means a lot to Queen. Many good memories, without it… who knows?”

PRS for Music bosses established the Heritage Awards to recognize iconic live music venues where superstars have performed, and previous honorees include Elton John, UB40 and Snow Patrol.

Photo Credits: PR Photos

Jennifer Lopez Settles Legal Battle With Former Driver

Jennifer Lopez has reached an out-of-court settlement with a disgruntled former driver.

The On the Floor hit-maker was slapped with legal action from Hakob Manoukian last year amid allegations he was forced to quit over the way he was treated by his ex-boss’ manager Benny Medina. He also claimed he was owed money for additional on-call services both parties agreed to on top of his annual $72,000 salary.

Lopez filed a $20 million countersuit, accusing the driver of demanding $2.8 million from her for his silence, insisting he would go public with secrets he overheard while in her employ if she didn’t pay up.

Her extortion argument was dismissed by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joseph Kalin in December, and now Lopez has agreed to settle the case with Manoukian.

A notice of the settlement was filed in court on February 8th, although the details of the deal have not been disclosed, reports Eonline.com.

Jenni Rivera’s Memoir To Be Published This Summer

Jenni Rivera‘s memoir is to be published posthumously following the Latin star’s death in a plane crash last year.

The 43-year-old singer perished when her plane went down over Mexico in December, and it has now emerged she was working on a book project at the time of her death.

Publishers at Atria Books have confirmed Rivera finished writing the autobiography, titled Unbreakable, and they will release the book in July.

Rivera’s sister Rosie Rivera insists the family is supporting the release and they hope it will bring comfort to fans.

She says, “I miss my sister every moment, but on days that I want to feel her close, I open her book written in her own words, and feel her right next to me.”

Unbreakable will be released in both English and Spanish.

Photo Credits: PR Photos
, Universal Music Group

Keke Palmer To Portray Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas In TLC Movie

Singer/actress Keke Palmer has signed up to play Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas in an upcoming biopic about TLC.

Palmer joins rapper Lil’ Mama, who will play Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes, in the full-length TV movie about how the R&B superstars became one of the most successful girl groups in history.

Nineteen-year-old Palmer admits it is a huge honor to be involved in the TLC movie because she was a huge fan of the trio growing up.

She tells Vibe.com, “I would sing No Scrubs over and over again to the point my parents would have to tell me to stop, but I never did, I had my little hairbrush as my mic and nobody could tell me I wasn’t the fourth member of TLC.

“I am a true fan. I love these ladies.”

The biopic is due to air on VH1.

Photo Credits: PR Photos
, Sony BMG

Carrie Underwood Required Oxygen At Valentine’s Day Concert

During a Colorado concert last week Carrie Underwood required oxygen because the venue’s high altitude bothered her. Symptoms of altitude sickness include headache, fatigue, dizziness, and swelling.

The country pop star performed in Broomfield on Thursday, but before her encore she returned to her dressing room for a little boost.

The singer posted a photograph of herself wearing an oxygen mask on Twitter, writing, “In high altitudes, they put oxygen in my dressing room under the stage! This is me before the encore.”

She later added: “Thanks, Colorado, for the wonderful energy over the last two shows! I can always tell when I’m in a great place full of great people.”

Underwood wowed the audience at the Grammy Awards last week with a special dress that acted as a projector screen during her performance.

She explained: “We wanted it to be artful and dramatic. I just like to stand still and sing sometimes, so this seemed like the best way I could do that and still create something visually attention-capturing. They can do a lot of amazing things with projectors these days. We had a dress especially made.”

Photo Credits: Carrie Underwood instagram

Katy Perry Cools Friendship With Rihanna Because She’s Back With Chris Brown

Katy Perry is reportedly no longer speaking to Rihanna because the singer doesn’t approve of the Barbadian beauty’s relationship with Chris Brown.

Perry is reportedly unhappy with RiRi’s decision to reconcile with her ex, so she put the stops on their friendship, a source told UsMagazine.com.

The former besties kept their distance from each other at the Grammys on Sunday night. Instead, Perry hung out with her boyfriend John Mayer.

Brown was arrested for assaulting Rihanna in 2009 the night before the Grammy Awards. This year the couple was snapped enjoying the Grammys from the front row. Rihanna also flashed a diamond (engagement?) ring while performing “Stay” at the event.

We can’t help but wonder what Perry thought about that?

Photo Credits: WENN.com