on 22/6/2010

Avril Lavigne nearly single again?

According to persistent rumours, the Canadian singer Avril Lavigne has been having marital difficulties for several months. The magazine "Us Weekly" has gone even further by claiming that the pretty blond has just kicked out her husband Deryck Whibley! Consequently, a divorce looks imminent...

The wedding of the two musicians took place in July 2006. At that time, Avril was just 21 years old: quite young age, which probably explains some of her disillusionment in love.

The young icon of "glam pop" has frankly decided to move on. She has every intention of getting rid of all the tracks, composed with Deryck, due to appear on the track list of her next album. As a result, this work is likely to be somewhat delayed.

 

Miley Cyrus is going to have to go into the studio with her ex, Nick Jonas, to record a song for their label, Disney. And even though Miley just this very morning told Ryan Seacrest, "me and Nick are really close friends now" -- we can't help but think working with a former BF could be a little tense. E! News reports that his bandmates/brother, Joe and Kevin, plus some other stars, will also record Pass It On at a session later this week.
Earlier today Miley addressed her relationship with the Jonai on Seacrest's radio show. "Everyone thinks that me and the Jonas Brothers have this big feud going on, and me and Nick are really close friends now. We talk all the time and he's one of my best friends." "We don't hate each other," she added. "We really love each other. He's really cool, and I'm happy we've been able to stay friends." 

 

Nick Cannon, 28, held a packed house on Oct. 20 as he spun classic hip-hop tunes for the gala party at the Whitney Museum of American Art in NYC.

But there was one audience member who clearly wasn't bopping to the DJ's music – his wife, Mariah Carey! Mariah sat in the back of the DJ booth, glumly fiddling with her cell phone. Then, 10 minutes into Nick's set, Mimi, 38, snuck out to chat with gala host Donatella Versace.

"Mariah clearly wasn't into Nick's music at all," says one partygoer. "It looked like she wanted to tell him to turn down that awful rackett!"

Maybe the singer was just preoocupied. Mariah has signed up to appear on the British series The X Factor next month, where she'll sing her new track "I Stay In Love."

Mariah is one of the most successful female artists of all time," says an insider. Says another, "Simon Cowell loves Mariah. He's always comparing acts to her. And finally all the compliments have paid off."

Now if only Nick can get his wife to give him compliments on his music!  Listening to him spin is obviously not how she stays in love!

 

People.com: The clock may be ticking, but Céline Dion still hopes to have a second child after her world tour ends in February 2009.

There is a "small window of hope," she told Oprah Winfrey this week. "We'll give it a try after my tour ... Hopefully, we [will be] parents again. If not, that's fine. We have our miracle baby."

Dion and her husband, manager René Angélil, have a 7-year-old son, René-Charles, conceived by in vitro fertilization after six years of trying.

In the meantime, Dion has more pressing concerns, like battling the respiratory ailment which forced her to cancel a recent show in Minneapolis. (The concert has been rescheduled for Feb. 5.)

 

ET: Singer Nelly Furtado is a married lady! The singer tells our sister show, "ET Canada," that she got married over the summer!

The lucky groom is the bride's longtime love, Demacio "Demo" Castellon, a sound engineer who worked with Furtado on her 2006 album, Loose, and wedding bells rang on July 19.

"It's a nice phase of my life," she told "ET Canada."

Lisa Wilson, an employee of NetJets, filed a suit in Brooklyn citing the incident took place in July of 2006 when she was assigned to work a flight with Jenny From the Block on board.

The security on board featured Floyd, a German shepherd who was described in documents obtained by New York Daily News as "a well-behaved guard dog." However, Lopez still gave her instructions on how to act around Floyd.

An hour and a half into the flight, when Wilson walked past Floyd, the dog began "attacking her and biting her pant leg" causing the shocked air stewardess to twist and fall resulting in an injured back which required surgery last year "at great economic loss."

Because she is no longer able to work, Wilson believes J-Lo is "absolutely liable for all injuries" because she "should have known the dog had vicious propensities" and kept it leashed.

Ayala tells In Touch magazine, "You know, I have never seen him (Timberlake) with anyone like that. She is the best. I love Jess".

Timberlake has been dating Biel for just over a year after the couple met up for a romantic break at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival in Utah.

The former N Sync star, who dated Cameron Diaz before embarking on a relationship with Biel, has never asked a girl to move in with him, but he insists he’s ready.

The source also explains how the two lovebirds have managed to make their relationship work: “They avoid the spotlight as much as possible.”

Ayala reveals Biel helps the pair with denim designs for their William Rast clothing line.
Justin Timberlake is convinced his newfound career as an actor is fate - because he was poised to try out as a TV star before finding fame as a singer.

Timberlake has made a successful crossover from music to film, thanks to well-received roles in
movies like Alpha Dog and new release The Love Guru.

Chris said: "Our relationship is growing. We started off as friends and we're getting a little bit closer now. My mom is real cool about it all. They both have light skin with green eyes, so?

"But I don't want to let down all my girlfriends, so all the ladies out there, I still love y'all!"

The 19-year-old singer - who was spotted kissing Rihanna in a fast food restaurant last month - dismissed claims they were "friends with benefits", insisting that would make their relationship sound "cheap".

Chris also says he hopes to emulate his heroes Prince and Michael Jackson by experimenting with a different musical direction for his new album 'Graffiti'.

He added to a US radio show host recently: "I wanted to change it up and really be different. Like my style nowadays, I don't try to be typical urban. I want to be like how Prince and Michael and Stevie Wonder were. They can cross over to any genre of music."

Could she be following in the footsteps of her best mate Nicole Richie’s footsteps?

After fueling pregnancy speculation in a green dress earlier this week, the following day Paris attempted to cover up her rounded stomach as she partied in Las Vegas for her new reality show. Wearing a slimming black dress and strategically placed belt, Paris shied away from pregnancy talk as she posed at a party to promote her new show My BFF at Tao nightclub.

 Her spokesperson has denied the hotel heiress is expecting a baby, telling Us magazine: 'The rumors are completely false.' Over the past few years, the socialite has regularly spoken of her wish to be a young mum - her own mother Kathy Hilton gave birth to Paris when she was 19. 

Last year, Paris said: 'I know in my heart of hearts I would be a great mother. I have a lot of beautiful animals that I look after and I feel that I would have a lot to give to my children... 'I don't want to be an old mom — hopefully it'll happen soon.' Last week Paris stepped out to dinner in LA with her boyfriend Benji Madden wearing an emerald green dress and at a close glance the stomach was quite bulky.

 The couple have been dating since February and have publicly declared their deep love for each other.

 In a recent interview on America's Sirius radio, Benji said: "We have known each other for a long time, and I've always known the real Paris. I always knew that she was like a wife material or serious girlfriend material. 

"You just want to get on top of a mountain and go, I'm in love! But your fans would probably make fun of you."

 When asked if he would consider marrying Paris, he replied: "Nothing would make me happier. Wow, alright. Ok. I'm not gonna bet against you on that. We'll see. I'm very, very happy right now."

 Paris has been engaged twice before - to American model Jason Shaw and Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, while Benji ended his engagement to Australian singer/actress Sophie Monk just weeks before he started dating the hotel heiress.

Britney's Manager on Way Out, Attorney Wants to Quit

In a shake-up, Britney Spears' business manager is close to being fired and her divorce attorney has asked the court for permission to drop her as a client.

Howard Grossman, the business manager, tells PEOPLE he is aware he was the subject of a closed-door hearing Thursday but he has no idea why a temporary conservator's motion to give Spears's father the right to fire him was granted.

Court papers show that Grossman was served Thursday with orders to surrender "all documents, records and assets relating to Britney Spears."

"The only thing I will say is my reputation speaks for itself," Grossman says. "I couldn't tell you why they chose this path."

Also, divorce lawyer Sorrell Trope tells PEOPLE he filed papers Friday asking permission to be released as Spears's attorney in her custody battle with Kevin Federline.

A hearing will be held on the matter on March 10. The high-profile divorce attorney had filed similar papers several weeks ago, but retracted them.

 

 Jennifer Lopez is expecting twins, her father says.

"They are twins, yes," David Lopez said on Telefutura's "Escandalo TV" program. He said his sister had twins.

"To be a mother is something Jennifer has wanted for many years," Lopez said. "I feel superproud."

The 39-year-old singer, who is married to Marc Anthony, confirmed her pregnancy during a concert in November. "Marc and I are expecting," she told the crowd in Miami.

Lopez and Anthony, 38, were married in 2004.

LATimes.com: Pop singer Britney Spears was released from a psychiatric ward at the UCLA Medical Center today after nearly a week of treatment.

It was unclear where she was going, but sources said she might head to one of her homes before seeking additional treatment.

Unlike the spectacle surrounding her trip to the Westwood medical facility last week, she slipped out with relatively little fanfare. A private security detail escorted her in contrast to last week when more than a dozen Los Angeles police officers escorted Spears to the hospital via motorcade.

The LAPD said they took that step after increasingly aggressive tactics by paparazzi have forced them to take costly precautions. Authorities said she was headed home before seeking additional treatments.

Her release comes after Spears' mother, in court documents, said her daughter's self-described friend and manager exerted near-total control over the singer, cutting her phone lines, taking away her cellphone chargers, disabling her vehicles and grinding up pills to place in her food. Spears' mother alleges in a restraining order against the man.

Spears' mother made the allegations in a request for a restraining order against the manager, Sam Lutfi. The restraining order, approved Friday and released by the court Tuesday, bars Lutfi from coming within 250 yards of the singer.

Spears' father and an attorney have been granted temporary conservatorship over Spears and her estate. According to sources, a grand theft report was filed by Spears' father, Jamie Spears, after the singer was taken to the UCLA hospital last week.

The grand theft report alleges that paintings, jewelry and other valuables were taken from his daughter's Coldwater Canyon home. A limited number of people had access to the home in that period, sources said.

 

The troubled movie star, Lindsay Lohan who recently split from her rehab boyfriend Riley Giles after their Thanksgiving break in New York last month, took her new boy friend to a Hollywood nightclub to show him around.

 Apparently Lindsay was totally smitten with this guy. She introduced him to all her friends and said, 'This is my boyfriend, Spencer.’ And she never left his side during the entire evening, not to mention that they were really touchy feely.

 The 21-year-old actress took her new man out for dinner to top restaurant s and has been showing him off all around. Recently she took him out with her 14 year old photographer friend Austin.

 Despite having company, Lindsay and Spencer kissed throughout the meal.

 A fellow diner said: "Poor Austin looked so uncomfortable. It was definitely a case of two's company, three's a crowd."
 
Lindsay is said to have dumped Riley who she met at her most recent trip to rehab because he was jealous of her fame.

 A source said: "She made it pretty clear when they got home that it was over. She got tired of him pouting all the time.

"It was fine when they were in Utah, just the two of them. But then they returned to Los Angeles and Lindsay was thrown back into her hectic work. His ego couldn't take it."

Jamie Lynn has revealed she is shocked to be expecting her first child with boyfriend Casey Aldridge when she’s only 16 years old.

 She said: "It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected. I was in complete and total shock and so was he."

 The 'Zoey 101' star who is 12 weeks pregnant, kept the news under wraps until she got used to the idea. And she only told her mom before Thanksgiving.

The 'Zoey 101' star, who is 12 weeks pregnant, kept the news a secret until she got used to the idea. She told her mother Lynne shortly before Thanksgiving.

She reportedly said that she took two weeks to herself where she didn't tell anybody.

And that only one of her friends knew because she needed to work out what she would do for herself before she let anyone's opinion affect her decision. Then she told her parents and her friends. She also said that she was scared, but she had to do what was right for her.

Her mother, according to her, was very upset as it wasn’t at all expected, however, a week after she had time to cope with it and became very supportive.

 Jamie and her boyfriend Casey, have known each other for years, began dating in high school.
Although Jamie is pleased about the pregnancy, she has advised her young fans to abstain from sex until they are married. 

She said: "I definitely don't think it's something you should do, it's better to wait. But I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in."

 Lynne Spears who was actually in the process of releasing a parenting book about raising her famous daughters, has postponed the plans for publishing her book indefinitely. The mother reportedly said that she couldn’t believe it because Jamie Lynn's always been so conscientious. She's never late for her curfew. Shewas in shock as, this is my 16-year-old baby.
 
Britney, 26 - who only has supervised visits with her sons, two-year-old Sean Preston and 15-month-old Jayden James after losing custody to ex-husband Kevin Federline - did not know her sister was pregnant.

 The 'Gimme More' singer was shopping late when she was told the news by a photographer.

 She replied: "My sister's not pregnant!"

"Britney doesn't have to listen to anyone now but her sister still does so who knows what people are telling her. She has her career now too."

Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie are ecstatic that there adoption of the two-year-old David Banda has finally been approved by the Malawian government.

 It has been a year since the couple took Banda back to Britain while claims were raised that they stepped the official adoption process, finally they have been given the clearance make Banda a proper part of their family. 

 A source revealed that although Madonna didn’t seem at all worried, she in fact was in fear that the adoption wouldn't go through.

In other news, rumours have circulated recently that Madonna ordered a yoga class to be evacuated so she could practice her moves alone. After the 25 students and teacher abandoned the studio, Madonna allegedly launched into a private routine - and didn't bother to stop when another class turned up for a session. 

This rumour quite baffled the star’s representatives and they reportedly said that it sounded unlikely.

Nicollette Sheridan and Michael Boltons secret wedding

The 'Desperate Housewives' actress and the singer - who got engaged in March 2006 - were seen leaving a New York restaurant both wearing a band on their respective wedding fingers.

 If they did get married, the pair kept it very quiet, however, in their last sighting; they didn’t seem to be hiding their rings.
 
Michael and Nicollette originally dated in the 90s but split in 1993, before rekindling their romance in 2005.

The couple announced their engagement after Michael popped the question and presented Nicollette with a huge diamond ring.

 She said at the time: "Have you seen the size of the ring? Forget the wedding. That was the event of the year as far as I'm concerned."

 Michael added: "I was thinking 2008 for the wedding. But while we wait I might write another song for her."

Last month, it was reported Nicollette was pregnant with her first child.

Rumor had it that She's absolutely glowing and her pregnancy is the buzz of the set.

 The 43-year-old actress has been asking her 'Desperate Housewives' co-stars Marcia Cross and Felicity Hoffman for advice on pregnancy and motherhood.

 And she reportedly kept asking Felicity and Marcia about how the pregnancy would change her appearance and if it would make her hair thinner.

It seems almost everyone has an opinion about Britney Spears’ fall from pop grace. “Loveline” host Dr. Drew Pinsky recently joined the chorus in an interview with Us Weekly. The addiction-medicine specialist shared his informed opinion on what’s wrong in Brit’s life and whether or not there’s still hope for the singer.

“(Britney) is a drug addict,” Dr. Drew insisted. “It is an indisputable point.” To back up his claim, he told Us, “We know that she is a drug addict because she's been admitted to a treatment center. You can't be admitted unless you’ve met criteria for addiction.”

When asked if Brit’s problems could be traced to attaining pop success at such an early age, Dr. Drew wouldn’t entertain the blame game. “Her mental health has almost nothing to do with her career.” But he does believe her mega-stardom makes it harder to help her.

Madonna and disco queen Donna Summer are among nine acts nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the hall embraces more musical genres.
Other nominees include U.S. rock singer John Mellencamp, Canadian poet-singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, 1960s English band The Dave Clark Five and instrumental rock band The Ventures.
Also nominated are New York-based funk group Chic, rap pioneer Afrika Bambaataa and hip-hop group The Beastie Boys, reflecting the Hall of Fame's willingness to accept a diversity of genres.
 Five-hundred music industry professionals will choose five of the nominees to be inducted at a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel next March.
Last year, rap group Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first hip-hop artists to be inducted.Chic, the Dave Clark Five and Mellencamp have been nominated previously.
Artists become eligible for Hall of Fame induction 25 years after the release of their first record and are represented at a permanent exhibition at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Spice Girls announced that they are to play extra dates on their reunion tour.
The band announced new concerts in San Jose, California, and Shanghai, China. 

Victoria Beckham, Geri Halliwell, Mel Brown, Emma Bunton and Mel Chisholm split six years ago, after selling 55 million albums and nine UK number ones.

 Since launching their reunion tour last month, three million people have registered to see the band.

In a statement on their website, they said that they were giving the fans the chance to vote on where the band should play.

They said: "If we haven't announced a date near you, you can still vote for your city to become 'Spice City. For one night only, exactly where we perform is down to you and your votes...we are literally in your hands."

 

Jennifer Lopez and her husband, Marc Anthony, are working on plans to tour together.
"Jennifer has never toured," Anthony told US music magazine Billboard. "I've toured all my life.

This is where I can step in and says, 'Oh, my God, this could be fun,' and introduce her to that world."

He added, "So, yes, we're seriously talking about going out this year (and) putting together an amazing show with just her and me."

Anthony and Lopez both star 'El Cantante', a biopic of Salsa King Hector Lavoe who started the salsa movement in 1975 and brought it to America.

The film is due to be released in the US in August.

Pop singer Kylie Minogue is reportedly hoping to rekindle her romance with actor Olivier Martinez, after the pair ended their four year relationship earlier this year.

According to the Daily Mail, the singer sees "Olivier as the love of her life. He made her feel like a woman again when she lost her hair. They still have a massive connection".

A source also told the newspaper: "After the split, they texted each other and would reminisce about the good times. Kylie said to Olivier that she missed him dearly and suggested they should have what she called a 'glorious summer'."

The singer's friends recently denied that the pair had rekindled their romance, saying that Minogue only travelled to France to visit Martinez's dog.

Britney fans rejoice – she’s filming her first music video in two years! The sexy mum-of-two donned a tiny black dress, black boots, black hat and long black wig to shoot the video for her comeback single, Get Back, at a warehouse in LA. The upbeat song, the first single from her new album, could be released as early as October. It’s been a busy week for Brit-Brit – after her recent slap-fest with her estranged mum, Britney cooled down by stripping down to her hot pink bra and unmatching undies, in full few of the over-excited paparazzi, to take a dip in the ocean at Malibu. Put it away, love, we’ve seen it already!

Theatre producers announced Tuesday plans for a London musical version of pop queen Madonna's 1985 film "Desperately Seeking Susan" that will feature hit songs by punk rock band Blondie.

Debbie Harry, who is now 63 years old, has also written a new song, "Moment of Truth", for the production that will open in London's West End theatre district in October, producers said.

"It's going to be all Blondie songs," said Mark Rubinstein, one of the musical's producers.

"It sets the world before Madonna, when there was Debbie Harry and Blondie. She's from that world and that time. 'Moment of Truth' is different," Rubinstein said.

The musical will also feature old Blondie hits such as "Heart of Glass", "Atomic", "One Way or Another", "Dreaming", and "The Tide is High".

Emma Williams, 24, who will assume the role of Susan played by Madonna in what was her first major film, said her character "will be a cross between Madonna and Debbie Harry."

Kelly Price, who recently appeared in the West End production of Guys and Dolls, will play Roberta Glass, the bored suburban New Jersey housewife who becomes fascinated with Susan. Rosanna Arquette had the film role 22 years ago.

Susan Gallin, the originating producer, said: "It will be very close to the movie.

"The story is universal. It's a quirky, off-beat movie about women who change their lives and end up with the lives that they were meant to have.

Harry, whose new song is "based on an R and B idea," said: "The story just works with the lyrics. I thought it was a good idea, really smart. I would love it to come to Broadway. Hopefully it will be a huge success."

She expected the musical to be "more light-hearted" than the film.

Gallin added: "We would like to have Madonna (who has a home in London) come to see the opening night. It was her break-out movie. She was wonderful in it. Interesting, quirky and fabulous."

The production -- rights for which were bought from MGM -- will open at London's Novello Theatre on October 12.

The musical is written and conceived by US writer, director and actor Peter Michael Marino, whose other writing projects include "Hollywood Nurses", an homage to lesbian pulp novels of the 1950s.

It has been announced that Justin Timberlake is to play an intimate show at Dublin's venue Vicar Street in the early hours of Sunday 1 July after his concert at the RDS.

Doors will open for the show at Vicar Street at 12am. Timberlake and his band take to the stage at 1am.

Tickets for the Vicar Street show go on sale on Monday 25 June from usual outlets nationwide.

They are priced €81.25 and are limited to two per person

Trouble Already Brewing Between The Spice Girls

Spice Girls reunion tour organizers have become concerned that one of the singers could pull out of the concerts.

According to a report in the News of the World today, the girls have already started feuding again and are now only being put together for essential events because they cannot stand to be around each other.

The newspaper claims that Victoria Beckham has become annoyed with Geri Halliwell for making attempts to try and steal the limelight, while Melanie Brown has caused problems with poor time-keeping. The rows have also resulted in Sporty Spice Mel C demanding time alone before press conferences and interviews.

It was also claimed that there are too many egos for them to last more than a tour together. On the outside the girls are pals and everything is fantastic. But behind the scenes the Spice Girls' wars have started again - and the egos have landed.

"Away from the cameras they are niggling away at each other and all vowing to be top dog. They had pledged to be calmer and collected but it is turning into an ego fest."

Pop singer and American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson may want to consider singing the blues with all the turmoil in her life lately.

 After feuding with her label for months over artistic control of her upcoming album, My December, and abruptly firing her long-time manager this week, the singer pulled the plug on a summer concert tour on Thursday due to poor ticket sales.

"The fact is that touring is just too much, too soon," said Clarkson, 25, who has sold an estimated 11 million records worldwide.
Clarkson promised fans she'd "get back out there as soon as is humanly possible."

Michael Rapino, chief executive officer of concert promotion company LiveNation, said, "Ticket sales have not been what we anticipated and we came to the realization that we had bit off more than we could chew."

People.com: Britney Spears has been keeping her newly-short haircut under wraps in public – but one of her backup dancers says the pop star's buzz cut looks great.

"She looks so good she should model," dancer Crisilla Crossland tells the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The famously self-shorn singer, whose hair is now now about two inches long, even jokingly asked her dancers: "Would y'all cut your hair?" – though none of them took her up on the offer, Crossland says.

And what about Spears's upcoming album? Crossland tells the paper that the singer has been rehearsing two new songs, which Crossland calls "amazing."

Meanwhile, Spears, who performed four shows last week, has returned to the dance studio to continue her rigorous workouts. Donning fishnet stockings and a cowboy hat, she was seen at Millennium Dance Complex in North Hollywood Tuesday carrying her 1-year-old son Sean Preston.

Her reps won't comment on whether the pop star has any more shows scheduled in the near future, but her associates say she's not slowing down after her club appearances in Southern California and Las Vegas.

"I'm just so happy for her right now," says Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin, who saw Spears's dancing last week. "She's been working really hard. She choreographed all of those shows herself. She's such a talented girl."

According to Kate, who attented one of the last shows of the Back To Basics Tour, Christina showed Britney some love. She said: "Watch out! Miss Britney Spears will be back, bigger and better than before." And then, the whole stadium started cheering. Christina then smiled and kept on with her show

Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie have reportedly had a furious showdown over her plans to adopt again.

The couple, who have been married for seven years, have allegedly been rowing since Madonna flew to Malawi to meet with a three-year-old girl called Grace. 

Guy said he's uncomfortable with the idea of expanding his family, following the furor over their adoption of one-year-old Malawi boy David Banda last year. 

A friend told Britain's Grazia magazine: "Guy is very happy that they decided to adopt David but he believes that they have already attracted enough criticism." 

"He wants them both to keep a low profile and continue focusing on David - who still needs time to adjust to his new life." 

A friend of the couple said: "They've basically reached a stalemate, but in the end it looks like Madonna might back down." 

Forbes.com staff,

First jobs don’t often portend future careers. Donald Trump collected soda bottles for the deposit money. Michael Dell washed dishes at a Chinese restaurant. But it turns out playing swashbuckler Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean wasn’t the first time Johnny Depp donned makeup to earn a buck. 

As a teenager, Depp fronted a Kiss tribute band, and, according to his biographer Nigel Goodall, even warmed up audiences for the B52s and Iggy Pop. On lean nights, Depp pulled in $25 a night. Only later, when he was 22, did Depp land his first acting role, in Nightmare on Elm Street. Last year, Forbes estimated the Hollywood A-lister had pocketed $29 million from his acting gigs.

Things have certainly changed for Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne since 2004's sophomore effort Under My Skin. Where that album portrayed a petulant, pre-marriage Avril on angst overload - she moaned about boys, boys and, well, boys - latest disc The Best Damn Thing doesn't so much as moan about boys, rather it showcases Lavigne in a far feistier mood, kicking their asses and taking names respectively. 

It's a direction best offset by lead single Girlfriend, a swaggering, bitchy empowerment anthem that sees bad Avril tangle with her distinctly more geeky counterpart ('cause she's 'like, so whatever') for the affections of her current squeeze. It's confident, though at times complacently arrogant lyrics typify the standpoint Lavigne's taken as regards The Best Damn Thing. It's an assured, though not entirely fulfilling, set of songs designed to get fans off their asses and back into the mosh-pit - and to that degree, it works an absolute treat.

There's no playing the lowly underdog here, as the likes of I Can Do Better and Everything Back But You act as proverbial middle fingers to wasteful lovers, with Lavigne breaking into hysterical giggles at the climax of the former. When You're Gone and Innocence meanwhile show that Avril certainly hasn't lost her ear for a cracking power ballad, with the combination of subtle strings and gorgeous piano working especially well throughout Innocence's loved-up tale of (you'd assume) Lavigne's not-so-recent marriage to Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley.

Long time fans will doubtless notice the writing credits for Lavigne's former lead guitarist Evan Taubenfeld on the likes of Innocence, Hot and One Of Those Girls - arguably the albums' three standout tracks - and considering Taubenfeld's successful co-work with Lavigne on debut album Let Go back in 2001, it really comes as little surprise to see his name attached to the albums best moments. If anything, it serves to show just how inexperienced Avril remains as a sole lyricist, with the bratty naivety of title-track The Best Damn Thing paling in comparison to Taubenfeld's assistance on Hot et al.

That said though, it's the same youthful innocence that makes The Best Damn Thing such a fun, engaging record. The excellent Runaway crashes along on a wave of crunchy guitars and Travis Barker-donated drums, whilst the catchy-as-hell Contagious sees Avril professing her qualities to a prospective partner, and whilst there are times when the songs show a worrying lack of substance, it's largely due to The Best Damn Thing being a no-frills romp of a record, not designed to be deep or particularly meaningful.

Lavigne's legion of fans will doubtless treat The Best Damn Thing like an early Christmas present, and so they should. For all its lyrical misgivings (largely when Avril tries to go it alone),The Best Damn Thing is an exuberantly fun album, one that packs more than a fair punch and puts a delightfully perky twist on the direction of former releases Let Go and Under My Skin.

Madonna's Nanny Diaries

Kai Falkenberg,

Looks like we won't be reading the inside story of what it’s like to have Madonna as a mom anytime soon. Her former nanny signed a deal with Crown Publishing for a tell-all book entitled Live to Tell: My Life as Madonna’s Nanny. But a week later the publisher canceled the deal after Madonna reportedly unleashed the full impact of her legal team against the rogue nanny. 

In the U.K. these days, those legal threats have real merit. While the British press has always had to deal with plaintiff-friendly libel laws, there were no equivalent protections for privacy. Unlike in the U.S., a right of action for invasion of privacy did not exist. British tabloids have taken full advantage of that fact--often publishing stories that U.S. publications do not.

But that may soon change. Several recent cases brought by celebrities have effectively created a new privacy law in the U.K. And recently, the House of Lords upheld a landmark ruling barring the friend of a well-known folk singer from publishing certain passages of a tell-all book about the celebrity. 

Loreena McKennitt, a Canadian folk singer, challenged the publication by Niema Ash of a book revealing details about McKennitt's life that Ash was privy to as a result of their close friendship. McKennitt told the court that unlike fellow celebs, she doesn't speak to the press about her personal life--except, she admitted, that occasionally she's released information which "she felt comfortable with" and was able to control. 

McKennitt objected to dozens of passages in the book written by her former friend--some relating to events as innocuous as a shopping trip to Italy and conversations with the singer's record company. The lower courts had ruled that their close relationship imposed a duty of confidence upon Ash. In revealing the details about McKennitt's life, Ash breached that duty of confidence. It's as though by being McKennitt's friend, Ash had signed a confidentiality clause covering virtually all aspects of McKennitt's life. 

The House of Lords let stand the lower court's ruling barring Ash from publishing passages about McKennitt's personal and sexual relationships, information on her health and diet, and matters related to her emotional vulnerability among others. But that's not all. It ruled it was an invasion of McKennitt's privacy to describe the layout and décor in her home--finding such seemingly trivial revelations "almost as objectionable as spying into the home with a long-distance lens." 

In upholding the lower courts' decisions, the House of Lords made this expansive new privacy protection the law of the land in England. It has been called the most important privacy decision in 20 years--with a sizable impact on the U.K. publishing world, and in particular, jeopardizing their publication of future unauthorized biographies. 

The McKennitt case comes on the heels of another major privacy decision brought by Prince Charles against a newspaper publisher. Last December, an appellate court upheld a breach of confidence claim the prince brought against Associated Newspapers for publishing excerpts of his travel journal concerning the handing over of Hong Kong--a journal that he had shared with at least 20 people. The court ruled that the prince had a reasonable expectation that the contents of his journal would be kept private and the newspaper should have known that the information was confidential and of a private nature. Even if the events discussed in his journal were in the public domain, the court held, his opinions on those events were not. 

Prince Charles has fellow royal Princess Caroline of Monaco to thank, in part, for his successful privacy suit. The princess has waged a decade-long campaign against the press for publishing photos of her going about her daily life. Last month, a German court upheld her privacy claim against German celebrity magazines for publishing covertly shot photos of her on vacation taken by paparazzi. The court ruled a photo of the princess and her husband on a ski lift in St. Moritz had no "informational value" and therefore violated the couple's privacy rights. 

The German court's ruling follows a seminal June 2004 decision in Princess Caroline's favor issued by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The princess had appealed to that court, claiming that prior decisions of the German courts infringed privacy rights protected under the European Convention on Human Rights. The court agreed, ruling that photos and articles related exclusively to details of her private life were not a matter of public concern and therefore should not be published. 

Pop star Nelly Furtado has won five prizes including album of the year at the Junos, Canada's top music awards. "I'm just happy to be here and humbled," said the 28-year-old, who also hosted the award ceremony. 

Furtado's Loose album has sold around five million copies and earned her a Brit Award for best international female solo artist. 

Furtado's awards included best album, fans' choice and best single for her duet with producer Timbaland, Promiscuous - a Candaian number one. 

She had already received artist of the year and pop album of the year at a gala dinner on Saturday. The singer, who was born in British Colombia to Portuguese-Azorean parents, performed a medley of her hits at the show

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline reached an amicable divorce settlement yesterday, including a custody agreement over their two young sons. 

The estranged couple spent five hours at the Los Angeles offices of Spears' lawyer Laura Wasser along with Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan. Michael Sands, spokesman for Federline's lawyer, says, "The parties signed a global settlement on all issues of their marriage and the custody of the children." 
The terms of the agreement were not revealed, but a Los Angeles judge still has to approve the documents. Spears 25, filed for divorce on November 7 - just two months after giving birth to their youngest child Jayden James - citing "irreconcilable differences."

In the divorce papers, Spears was seeking legal and physical custody of Jayden James and Sean Prestion, 18 months, while former dancer Federline, 29, also asked for custody of the children, as well as requesting spousal support. The couple wed in October 2004 after a whirlwind six month romance. 

The divorce agreement comes nine days after Spears checked out of Promises Rehab Center in Malibu, California for a month-long treatment for unspecified problems.

Christina Aguilera keeps her marriage to Jordan Bratman alive with the help of love notes and balloons.

The Beautiful singer, who wed the marketing whizz-kid in November 2005, insists the couple constantly leave "cute" surprises and gifts for one another.

She says, "He'll fill my room with balloons and I really won't be expecting it. I'll come into the room and there will be balloons everywhere and a card and my favorite chocolates all around.

"And I'm always sending cards when I can, just cute little love notes. He always leaves Post-Its by my bed when I wake up in the morning telling me how much he loves me.

"It might all sound gushy stuff, but it feels good. He is the best." 

Lopez is to release her first Spanish album

Billboard reports that Como Ama Una Mujer (How a Woman Loves) will be released on 3 April and was co-written and co-produced by Jennifer Lopez's husband, Marc Anthony.

Speaking to Billboard about the album, Lopez said: "Emotionally speaking, to me this album is more me than any other album."

As part of the promotion of the record, a deal is being negotiated with the Univision TV network for a five-part miniseries, based on the content of the album.

While Lopez will not act in the series, she will perform a song at the end of each episode.

Lopez also plans to release a new English-language album before the end of the year, with Billboard describing that album as "more urban-leaning".

"I've matured as a singer," Lopez told Billboard. "Marc gave me confidence in the studio as well. When someone believes in you so much, you don't want to let them down."

She continued: "And it's also the material. I think this material lent itself to my voice. And it actually made me approach my new English album in a different way. I have a different standard now"

 

Pop superstar Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel have fueled reports they are a couple after the actress flew to the Sundance Film Festival in Utah on Wednesday to be with the singer.

News of a romance between the couple began circulating after the Golden Globe Awards on January 15 when Timberlake and Biel spent hours together at the post-show party hosted by Prince in Los Angeles.

Timberlake's ex, Cameron Diaz, was reportedly so upset by seeing her former boyfriend chatting to The Illusionist star, she confronted him about his new friendship at the party. A Sundance source says, "Jessica has no reason to be at Sundance.

She doesn't have a film to promote here, while Justin is in town talking about his new film Black Snake Moan.

She's obviously here for him." Biel, who regularly competes with Diaz in US polls to find the world's sexiest actress, had been dating New York Yankees baseball star Derek Jeter.

The couple vacationed together in Puerto Rico at Christmas. Jeter is now being romantically linked to another actress, Gabrielle Union, after he was spotted dancing with her in the Bahamas last weekend.

Alicia Keys offers school scholarships

R&B star Alicia Keys is offering four scholarships to students who need financial help to attend university. The Grammy Award winner is offering $5,000 scholarships to students from four cities in the United States. She explains, "We're just looking for standout students who are definitely college-bound and need a little bit of help financially to really achieve their dreams."

The four scholarship winners will be selected in Jacksonville, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Atlanta, Georgia; and New York City's Harlem neighborhood.

The Open Doors Scholars Program is part of From The Ground Up, a Jacksonville-based nonprofit organization started by Keys' road manager, DJ Walton, who went to college in Jacksonville. In return for their scholarships, the students will represent the organization at school appearances and must perform community service each semester

.

Mary is Still Carey

An internet report published this morning indicated that a judge ruled in favor of Mariah Carey in her attempt to prevent adult star Mary Carey from trademarking the stage moniker she's been using for years. According to Mary's attorney, who is assisting her with the trademark application, the report is not true. There has not been a ruling in the case.

Indeed, Mary hasn't even filed her response to Mariah's objection. Mary has plenty of time to file that response before a Judge would normally rule. So, as of now, there is no ruling saying Mary Carey cannot trademark her stage name and we're told the web report indicating otherwise is being taken down.

Although she hasn't filed her formal, official response with the trademark office, you'll recall Mary already shared her thoughts with us on Mariah's attempted intervention into the trademark process. As for Mariah, besides being busy trying to make sure no one confuses her with a porn star, she's going to reveal a few things to Playboy in March.

But, she won't be emancipating any body parts. Ms. Mariah won't be posing nude, but a source tells us she will be on the cover as she's interviewed in the issue and history shows that Playboy cover models are typically scantily clad. So, we'll see if Mariah comes out looking more like Mimi or Mary when it hits new stands in a couple months.

 

Your Local Time