The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
- Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift big winners at Billboard Awards
- Rod Stewart tops charts for first time in 34 years
- Beatles guitar auctioned for $408,000 in US
| Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift big winners at Billboard Awards Posted: 19 May 2013 09:42 PM PDT (Reuters) - Pop stars Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift won the big prizes on Sunday at the Billboard Music Awards, which also honored legendary performers Madonna and Prince. Bieber, who was named top male artist, also performed at the show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. He also took home Billboard's first Milestone Award, chosen by fans, for musical innovation and ingenuity. "I'm 19 years old. I think I'm doing a pretty good job, Bieber said. "It should really be about the music. This is not a gimmick. I'm an artist and I should be taken seriously. And all this other bull should not be spoken of." The teen heartthrob did not elaborate, but in recent months he has been involved in several high-profile incidents ranging from driving offenses to reports of hard partying and drugs being found on his tour bus in Sweden. Swift won the top award of the night, artist of the year. She thanked her fans by telling them: "You are the longest and best relationship I've ever had." Pop diva Madonna was named top touring artist for her MDNA Tour, 2012's highest-grossing concert series. Madonna strode onstage to accept the accolade from will.i.am, wearing black fishnet stockings, garters and a padlock choker. The MDNA tour grossed more than US$305 million from 88 sold-out shows and attracted an audience of 2.2 million people. Madonna acknowledged her fans, saying: "A showgirl needs her fans. Thank you for supporting me for three decades." She also thanked her four children for being "incredibly supportive." The Billboard Music Awards, hosted by 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan, opened with Bruno Mars performing Treasure. Early awards went to Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, who won top rap song for Thrift Shop, and Nicki Minaj, who took home the top rap artist honor. Carly Rae Jepsen's Call Me Maybe was named top digital song, while Swift took home the top Billboard 200 album award for Red. French producer and DJ David Guetta was named top electric dance music artist. Among musical highlights, Bieber performed Take You, which was chosen by his fans via Twitter, before pairing up with will.i.am for "#ThatPOWER." Other musical pairings included Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull singing #LiveItUp, Minaj and Lil Wayne who performed "High School," and Christina Aguilera and Pitbull singing Feel This Moment. Selena Gomez, Chris Brown, Icona Pop, South Korea rap sensation Psy and Swift, who was nominated for 11 Billboard awards and received eight, performed as well. In an apparently unscripted moment, Miguel, performing Adorn, leapt from the stage and landed feet-first atop two young women. No mention was made on the broadcast as to whether they were injured. The show ended with the Icon Award for Prince, in recognition of his unique career and accomplishments in the music industry. Prince performed a medley to close the show, but did not deliver an acceptance speech. |
| Rod Stewart tops charts for first time in 34 years Posted: 19 May 2013 09:17 PM PDT LONDON (Reuters) - Veteran rocker Rod Stewart scored his first British album chart number one in more than 30 years on Sunday with Time, while the French electro outfit Daft Punk clung to the top of the singles chart, the Official Charts Company said. Stewart, sporting his trademark spiky blonde hairdo, told Reuters that the process of putting together his new autobiography had freed up what is normally a slow song writing process. "I've written some decent songs, but I've never considered myself a songwriter because it doesn't come naturally," he said. "It doesn't flow out of my pen like it does with some songwriters, it's always been a struggle. It was much more enjoyable this time round." Time is Stewart's first fully self-penned album in more than 20 years, and his eighth British number one album. Despite his success, Stewart, a 68-year-old father of eight, said he had no intention of slowing down any time soon. Stewart tours from June, and hopes at some point to work again with his old Faces bandmate Ronnie Wood, now a guitarist with the Rolling Stones. "Once that window of opportunity opens up, then Ronnie and I will get together and we'll all come out on Zimmer frames and wheelchairs, but we'll do it," he said. Another veteran singer, ABBA's Agnetha Faltskog, scored the highest charting album of her solo career with a sixth place for A, her first new album in almost a decade. In the singles chart, Daft Punk's Get Lucky is on track to become Britain's biggest selling of the year, with the group's hotly anticipated new album out on Monday. The highest new entry in the singles chart was Heart Attack by former Disney star and current U.S. X Factor talent show judge Demi Lovato, which came in at number three. |
| Beatles guitar auctioned for $408,000 in US Posted: 19 May 2013 05:13 PM PDT NEW YORK: A six-cord electric guitar that Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison played went under the hammer for $408,000, Julien's Auctions said Sunday. The customized VOX guitar was the centerpiece of the annual Music Icons auction held Saturday at the New York Hard Rock Cafe by the Beverly Hills, California-based auctioneers. Julien's Auctions had valued the guitar ahead of the auction at between $200,000 and $300,000. The guitar, which had been at several exhibitions prior to auction, was a gift from John Lennon to "Magic Alex" Mardas, an engineer at Apple Records and a friend of the band in 1967, Julien's said. Harrison used the guitar while practicing the song "I am the Walrus." Lennon played it during a video session for "Hello, Goodbye." Some 450 other items were also auctioned at the event, including the pants that Elvis Presley wore in the "Jailhouse Rock" movie, a jumpsuit worn by 70s pop star David Cassidy and objects from David Bowie, Michael Jackson and the Grateful Dead. An electric guitar that Elvis once played on sold for $50,000, while sunglasses that "the King" once wore sold for $28,125.-AFP |
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