Goodbye my friends

Hey guys!

Unfortunately, I have decided to close the blog for good. I simply don't have the time to put in the effort that such a blog deserves. For those who have visited on a regular basis, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. I will keep the archives online as it would be a waste to delete all the posts. But don't expect any updates from now on.

I strongly recommend the fantastic auspOp blog for all the latest information regarding the Australian music industry.

Love to you all...
x

New music videos from Pink and Vanessa

Pink's "So What" is an absolutely hilarious video, a true feast for the eyes. And it features her ex-hubby, for whom the song is about (sarcastic of cause)! Damn this girl rocks! Especially love the part when she's flashing in front of the paps haha. Watch it here (they won't let me embed the video argh!).

And Vanessa Amorosi has revealed the video for her new single "The Simple Things (Something Emotional)". A nice simple video which reflects the song perfectly, and she looks amazing.

In praise of Alanis

"In Praise Of The Vulnerable Man" has been released as a digital single in the UK and Ireland this week. The iTunes format features a brand new b-side titled "Break".

Here is a performance of the track on Jimmy Kimmel Live:


According to an Italian fan site, the second single in the US will be "Not As We" (as stated during her appearance on Jay Leno) while Europe will get "In Praise Of The Vulnerable Man". Why they haven't already released the brilliant "Versions Of Violence" is beyond me. It should have been the album's first single.

The marketing of "Flavors Of Entanglement" has been quite dismal. The terrible choice of first single "Underneath" (my least favourite off the album) killed the album before it was even released. "Flavours" has managed to sell just below half a million copies worldwide since its release three months ago. In the US, it currently sits at #146 with total sales of 177,252. Unfortunately, the album looks to become Alanis' lowest selling international studio album yet - a continuing trend with each release since her peak in the mid-90s with the classic, 30 million selling "Jagged Little Pill".

P!nk's funhouse

Pink has revealed the title of her fifth album, and it's called "Funhouse"! The album hits stores in Australia on October 25, and the US on October 28.

The music video for the first single "So What" premiers this Friday, August 22nd. Reception to the single has been overwhelming positive. In the US, it is the #1 most added song at two radio formats (Pop and Adult Contemporary), and it's also the #1 greatest gainer at radio. In Australia, it's sitting comfortable at #1 on iTunes. Will "So What" become Pink's third Australian solo #1 since 2000's "Most Girls" and 2002's "Get The Party Started"?

Female stars gather for charity single

The likes of Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood are gathering together for the "Stand Up To Cancer" campaign, each contributing vocals to the single "Just Stand Up".

Produced by Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and Antonio "L.A." Reid, the track will be available to download on iTunes from September 2nd. The singers will share the stage to perform the single on the "Stand Up To Cancer" television special, airing on September 5th simultaneously on ABC, NBC and CBS.

Flashback: Unique II "Break My Stride"

Does this take you back or what? In 1996, dance duo Unique II released a cover of the 1983 Matthew Wilder classic "Break My Stride". The single was hugely popular in Australia, peaking at #2 and accredited Platinum status, and was a #1 hit in New Zealand and Austria. Although they remain one hit wonders here in Australia with no other releases ever charting in the Top 50, the duo achieved several Top 10 singles and albums in their Austrian homeland.

Listen to Shannon's "Summertime"

The first single from Shannon's new greatest hits album "No Turning Back: The Story So Far" (out September 27th) is a big rock ballad. Listen to it here. Apparently, it will be a digital only single.

Next month, Shannon will be embarking on the biggest tour of his career, with already 32 dates set, and more to be added. Tickets are on sale now. For details check the tour section of his official site.

Delta on Rove and Melbourne instore

Performing her latest single "I Can't Break It To My Heart", an absolutely beautiful performance.


An exclusive performance of "In This Life" which was not aired.


An absolutely hilarious interview in which Delta talks of her experiences in the US (including bribing people with food to watch her perform!), plus the classic "Win $20 in 20 seconds".

Now to the Melbourne instore which occurred on Saturday! There was an enormous turn-out for Delta, this being her first Melbourne instore in around 3 years. Delta came out and performed acoustic versions of "I Can't Break It To My Heart" and "In This Life", and then began signing CDs for the thousands of fans who spent hours lining up. If there's one thing you could never fault Delta, it's the way she treats her fans. She is extremely friendly, has conversations and takes photos with everyone. She has the ability to make all her fans feel loved and appreciated. I spoke to Delta about the tour - she's completed the set list and it will include my favourite track "Angels In The Room" as I requested! Below is a couple of photos I took and a my signed copy of the new single.

Madonna turns 50

The Queen of Pop is now half a century old! Happy Birthday Madonna!

News on upcoming U2 releases

The boys from Ireland are in the midst of completing their 12th studio album, the follow-up to 2004's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" which sold 10 million copies worldwide and picked up eight Grammy Awards. According to fansite @U2, the new album title is believed to be "No Line On The Horizon", with the release date on November 14, 2008. Song titles include "Moment of Surrender," "For Your Love," "Love Is All We Have Left" and "One Bird", "If I Could Live My Life Again," "The Cedars of Lebanon" and the title track.

A few of U2's early albums - Boy (1980), October (1981), War (1983), The Joshua Tree (1987) - have been remastered and re-issued over the past few months. Next up is the remastering of U2's first live album "Under a Blood Red Sky" (1983), while their first concert video "Live At Red Rocks" will be released on DVD for the very first time. The DVD will feature five previously unreleased songs, a director’s commentary, digitally re-graded pictures and a 5.1 mix. A deluxe edition will include both CD and DVD in the one package.

"Under a Blood Red Sky" CD track listing:
1. Gloria
2. 11 O’Clock Tick Tock
3. I Will Follow
4. Party Girl
5. Sunday Bloody Sunday
6. The Electric Co.
7. New Year’s Day
8. “40”

"Live At Red Rocks" DVD track listing:
1. Out Of Control
2. Twilight
3. An Cat Dubh
4. Into The Heart
5. Surrender
6. Two Hearts Beat As One
7. Seconds
8. Sunday Bloody Sunday
9. Cry
10. The Electric Co.
11. October
12. New Year’s Day
13. I Threw A Brick Through A Window
14. A Day Without Me
15. Gloria
16. Party Girl
17. 11 O’Clock Tick Tock
18. I Will Follow
19. “40”

Both DVD and remastered album, will be released on 29th September 2008.

Take me on the floor!

Here is the video for The Veronicas' new single "Take Me On The Floor", the fourth single from their currently 2x platinum album "Hook Me Up". The song is bloody ace, and the clip is sure to raise a few eyebrows with its lezbian action.

The girls have been through a rough couple of weeks. Jess called off her engagement to former Australian Idol contestant-turned "Neighbours" star Dean Geyer, and nude photos of Lisa were posted on the internet by an ex-boyfriend.

Musically, they've been kicking goals with all three singles from this album having reached Top 10. I doubt "Take Me On The Floor" will be an exception. They've completely won me over with this album. If you haven't heard it, get it!

Britney's back and looking AMAZING!

Here are the ads starring Britney Spears, promoting the 25th annual MTV Video Music Awards, and WOW, isn't she looking amazing?! You could be forgiven for thinking these clips were shot three years ago before Britney's private life turned into absolute hell. But it seems safe to say that the worst is finally behind her, and that her proper "comeback" will be a great joy to watch. Brit is currently working on her fifth studio album, the follow-up to last year's "Blackout" (which performed well considering it received virtually zero promotion from Britney who was still battling her inner demons).

It was at last year's VMAs that she stole the show (for all the wrong reasons), with her ironically now iconic, disastrous performance of "Gimme More". It makes me so genuinely happy to see Britney look the best she has in years, happy and relaxed. In years to come, hopefully people will look back on that troubled period of her life, and honor Britney as a TRUE survivor.

Kylie's "The One" video!

Here it is!!! Let us know what you think.

Keys down under

Soul diva Alicia Keys is coming to Australia in December for her first major tour in four years. It will include arena and winery shows. 2007 American Idol winner Jordin Sparks will be supporting Alicia at all shows. Tickets go on sale August 22.

December 10:
Brisbane, Entertainment Centre
December 12:
Sydney, Acer Arena
December 13:
Hunter Valley, Bimbadgen Estate
December 14:
Bowral, Centennial Vineyards
December 17:
Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
December 18:
Adelaide, Entertainment Centre
December 20:
Swan Valley, Sandalford Wines

Delta promo dates

Delta is back in Australia this week to promote her new single "I Can't Break It To My Heart", which is out August 16th (this Saturday!). She'll be doing three instore appearances and a few TV performances, so keep an eye out!

Saturday 16th August:
Melbourne instore, Westfield Plenty Valley 1pm
Sunday 17th August:
Rove performance
Tuesday 19th August:
Brisbane instore, Westfield Carindale 4pm
Thursday 21st August:
Sydney instore, Westfield Parramatta 5pm
Wednesday 27th August:
Sunrise performance and CD signing

I'll be going to the Melbourne instore, so stay tuned for plenty of photos!

This week 10 years ago: Australia's #1 single

There are some songs that remain absolutely timeless, and "Iris" by the Goo Goo Dolls is no exception. Taken from the phenomenally successful "City of Angels" soundtrack (which spent two weeks at #1 in Australia), the song became their biggest and most memorable hit worldwide.

It spent five consecutive weeks at #1 and a total of 33 weeks in the ARIA Top 50, and was accredited 2x platinum for sales of more than 140,000 copies. Unfortunately, the Goo Goo Dolls have remained "one hit wonders" in Australia, with further singles failing to make an impact on the charts. But you'll still here "Iris" on the radio every now and again.

Rogue Traders update

Since the departure of lead singer Natalie Bassingthwaighte a couple of months ago, a dark cloud has been hanging over the future of the Rogue Traders. Recently, Rogue Traders co-founder/member James Ash cleared up a few questions on their official forum and gave some insight into the new phase of the band. You can read the whole thing here.

But to summarise his main points:
- There will be no fourth single from their latest album "Better In The Dark". This was not a decision of the band, but the record company. Had there been a new single, "On Your Way To The Disco" would have been chosen.
- A live DVD will not be happening anytime soon. Although the band has footage of their live shows, it is not of DVD quality. They originally had plans to film one of their shows from their latest tour for a DVD release, but SonyBMG were stingy and didn't give them money to do it.
- They will begin writing material for the fourth album over the next couple of months, but will release it when it's ready to be released. Expect the new album sometime next year.
- They will be looking for a new lead singer, but have not begun searching just yet.
- Although he is unsure of what the new material will sound like, he suspects it will be more dancier and less rock.

So there you have it. It'll be particularly interesting to see who is selected as the new lead singer, and how they'll transform the Rogue Traders sound which Natalie trully created with her distinct, attitude-filled vocals.

Here's the proposed, now cancelled, fourth single "On Your Way To The Disco".

Lennox gets reflective

The "Best of" collections just keep on rolling in! The legendary Annie Lennox is set to release a compilation spanning her entire solo career, featuring singles from the albums "Diva" (1992), "Medusa" (1995), "Bare" (2003) and last year's "Songs Of Mass Destruction" (2007).

Unfortunately all her music videos on YouTube have been disabled. But here's Annie's two biggest solo hits.

"Why", possibly one of the saddest songs ever recorded.


"No More I Love You's", which earned her a Grammy award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.


And a more recent track, "Dark Road", the first single from her fourth studio album "Songs of Mass Destruction".


The 14-track album is composed of 12 singles and two new tracks, recorded specifically for this collection.

1. Little Bird
2. Walking on Broken Glass
3. Why
4. No More I Love You's
5. Precious
6. Love Song for a Vampire
7. A Thousand Beautiful Things
8. Sing
9. Pavement Cracks
10. A Whiter Shade of Pale
11. Cold
13. Dark Road
14. Pattern of My Life
15. Shining Light

"The Annie Lennox Collection" is out September 15, 2008.

Ness goes simple on new single

After the massive success of her #1 radio, Top 5 ARIA, gold smash hit "Perfect", Vanessa Amorosi is preparing for the third single from her latest album "Somewhere In The Real World" called "The Simple Things (Something Emotional)".

I admit, this choice of single has puzzled me. Of all the tracks on the album, this laid-back ballad never screamed "single material" to me so I'm not sure how it'll be received. I personally would have gone with the rockin', hair-raising "19 Turning Point". I guess we can only wait and see how it goes. A remix, titled the Paolos San Terenzo Mix, has been promo'd out to radio stations, and I'm assuming will be the official "radio mix". It revamps the track into a electro-trancy number - me likes alot! You can listen to it here.

Track list:
1. The Simple Things (Something Emotional) (Radio version)
2. The Simple Things (Something Emotional) (Album version)
3. Hello
4. Perfect (T-Funk remix)
5. The Simple Things (Something Emotional) (Instrumental)

Also loving the single cover. "The Simple Things (Something Emotional)" is out digitally and physically on September 6th 2008.

Kylie confirms: "The One" will get a video

Kylie fans, let us rejoice! "The One" is getting a music video. The hysteria surrounding the release of "The One" has been a frustrating and tiring one. The track, which quite simply should have been THE comeback single for Kylie, has been treated dismally by Parlophone, releasing it as a lame digital single.

As a consequence, with no music video to support it, "The One" debuted at #36 on the UK charts last week, becoming Kylie's lowest-charting single since...well forever. Ridiculous when you consider Kylie was touring the UK at the time, and being the fan-favourite off the album, a physical single would have most likely secured her a Top 10 position. Since then, rumours have been flying around that Parlophone are indeed releasing it physically (god only knows if and when!), but the question of a music video ever happening has been finally answered by Kylie herself! AMEN.

From Kylie's official site:

Now that the European tour has finished I really wanted to thank you all for making it such an incredible experience for me. It has been (such) a joy to perform this show in so many cities, both familiar and new. The audience reactions have been overwhelming and I find myself peaceful, a little tired but overall energized and ecstatic about this tour... professionally and personally! Log on to Kylie.com for some more exciting tour news and, yes, I have made a video for "The One" which will premiere on Kylie.com very soon!!!! Kylie x

Let's hope "The One" is given a full Australian release, maybe with a tour announcement attached to it!

Is Hilary "so yesterday"?

Times are tough for the Duffster. Her latest album "Dignity" (2007), which showcased a more mature Hilary moving into the electro-pop genre, scared off the kiddie fanbase who once bought her albums in the millions. As a result, Hollywood Records is pulling the plug on the former Lizzie McGuire star.

With current Disney golden girl Miley Cyrus taking the pre-teen world by storm with her Hannah Montana television series and subsequent music career, it appears Hilary has become what her signature tune suggests - so yesterday! What's worse is the fact Hollywood Records, without Hilary's support, have decided to release a "Best Of" compilation to cash-in on her greater-selling back catalogue, and to make up for the financial loss of "Dignity" (which struggled to shift 400,000 units in the US, and less than a million units worldwide).

Word is Hollywood Records wanted a brand new studio album out by the end of the year, but as Hilary refused to be rushed, this new compilation is the solution to complete her 6 album deal. What's so ridiculous about this release is not only Hilary's lack of notable hits (and I use that term "hits" very lightly), but the fact this will now be her second(!) worldwide singles collection. In 2005, Hilary released "Most Wanted", a compilation of all her singles up that point. This is from a girl who's only released three studio albums in her entire career people!

BUT on the bright side, sources say Hilary has wanted out of her Hollywood Records contract for over a year now in order to make music in which she has greater "artistic" control. She's said to be in talks with several labels. Good luck to her.

"The Best Of Hilary Duff" is due for release on September 23, 2008 (pre-order on Amazon.) The pitiful track list consists of a lazy twelve tracks: eight "hits", two new tracks and two remixes of the two new tracks.

1. Reach Out
2. Holiday
3. Stranger
4. With Love
5. Play With Fire
6. Wake Up
7. Fly
8. Come Clean
9. So Yesterday
10. Why Not
11. Reach Out (Remix)
12. Holiday (Remix)

Surely they could have added some unreleased crap in order to please the few die-hards she has left? Notable singles "Beat Of My Heart" and "Our Lips Are Sealed" aren't even included. Even though the album cover (above) uses a year old photo, damn she looks hot with dark hair. My advise? Give up the music career and do some modelling.

So what?!

The world's favourite dyke Pink is back with her rockin' new single "So What", the first to be released from her fourthcoming fifth studio album. It's everything we have come to love from Pink, filled with guts, attitude and humorous sarcasm. I especially love the start of the second verse which goes "The waiter just took my table and gave it to Jessica Simpson, SHIT!" LOL!



The track is very similar to past hits "U and Ur Hand" and "Cuz I Can" - not surprisingly, the producer behind those two Pink classics is also behind "So What". The man in question, Max Martin, continually proves that when it comes to pop, he knows what the people want. There's no official word of when the single will be released, but the album - which has yet to be titled - will be out October 25 2008.

Meanwhile, a couple of weeks ago, the never-dieing "I'm Not Dead" passed it's 100th week in the ARIA Top 50!

Wiggle It!

Yeah baby, Ricki's back! The boobilicious former Young Diva (who are they again?!?) is back with a brand spankin' new single called "Wiggle It", a sexy R&B-pop anthem that's sure to continue her string of Top 10 hits. Listen to it on YouTube here.

This release has appeared completely out of the blue as I don't believe Ricki has even begun working on her third album. I'm assuming its purpose is to capitalise on her new role as co-host of the upcoming sixth season of Australian Idol, which begins airing on August 24th. "Wiggle It" was originally intended for her second album "Brand New Day". As Ricki states, "I was disappointed when "Wiggle It" didn’t work on my last album, so I’m beyond THRILLED to be finally getting this single out to my fans!".

The single is due for physical release on September 13th, 2008 with a digital release on September 16th, 2008.

Darren Hayes on "Hard Candy"

Dissapointing. I like one or two songs. Madonna's always the best when she's leading the pack. When she works with someone at the end of a trend, like she did with Babyface, it sounds like their record, not hers. (Herald Sun, August 7 2008)

Agree or disagree with Darren's views? Let us know!

Idol runner-up to release "Best Of"

Shannon Noll, the first Australian Idol runner-up, is also the first Australian Idol contestant to release a Greatest Hits collection. Since coming to fame in 2003, Shannon has released three successful albums - the multi-platinum #1s "That's What I'm Taking About" (2004), "Lift" (2005) and his latest platinum record "Turn It Up" (2007). Now the most successful of the whole Idol bunch is doing a "Natalie Imbruglia" by releasing a singles collection with an additional five new tracks. Premature? Yes. But rumours suggest there's tension between Shannon and Sony BMG and that this compilation could be a way out of his contract. These are however only RUMOURS and could be totally false.

Unlike Natalie Imbruglia, each of the ten singles that make up "No Turning Back: The Story So Far" have ALL been big hits on the Australian charts and radio alike. Shannon has achieved ten consective Top 10 singles, 3 of which have reached #1. All of these apart from "C'mon Aussie C'mon", a charity single released in 2004, are present. A wise move as "C'mon" remains the most embarassing song of his career.

The track list will include the following, but the orderering of tracks has not been confirmed:

1. What About Me
2. Drive
3. Learn to Fly
4. Shine
5. Lift
6. Now I Run
7. Lonely
8. Don't Give Up (with Natalie Bassingthwaighte)
9. Loud
10. In Pieces
11. Summertime*
12. You're Never Alone*
13. Crash*
14. Tomorrow*
15. No Turning Back*
(*= new track)

Hopefully a limited edition will come with a bonus DVD of all the music videos. It seems to be the trend these days! "No Turning Back: The Story So Far" is released September 27, 2008. The first single "Summertime" will go to radio later this month.

Delta: New single and tour news

After finally releasing her debut US album last month - which gained itself a place in the Billboard 200 at #116 - Delta is back in Australia for the fourth single from her 3x platinum album "Delta" and its called "I Can't Break It To My Heart". The singles off this album have showcased a diverse range of styles, from the rock-pop of "In This Life" to the dance, string-fuelled ballad "Believe Again" to the quirky raggae-pop of "You Will Only Break My Heart". "I Can't Break It" is an epic ballad about being in denial over the breakup of a relationship. The music video is a collection of behind the scenes footage intertwined with Delta performing the track earler this year at one of her Sydney shows. Watch it here.

Track listing:
1. I Can't Break It To My Heart
2. In This Life (Diamond Cut Remix)
3. Burn For You (Live At The Chappel)

Unfortunately, the CD single features no new b-sides. In fact, it doesn't offer much new at all. Keen fans will have heard the Diamond Cut remix of "In This Life" on the Diamond Cut MySpace page, while the live "Burn For You" (a John Farnham cover) has been floating around the net for months. But hey, better than no single at all! And as the two previous Diamond Cut mixes were much fun, this "In This Life" mix is also a real gem. Australian fans can pre-order limited edition artwork. To do this, visit the official site.

The single is in stores August 16th.



But for the MOST EXCITING NEWS IN AGES! Delta is embarking on her second national tour of Australia in January 2009. Considering The Visualise Tour took place in mid-2005, this is LONG overdue, but will be worth the wait I'm sure. The 9 date "Believe Again" tour stops off in Canberra, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Newcastle with 2 shows each in Melbourne and Sydney. Tickets go on sale August 21 through Ticketmaster.

Dates are as follows:
January 09 - Civic Theatre, Newcastle
January 12 - State Theatre, Sydney
January 13 - State Theatre, Sydney
January 16 - Hamer Hall, Melbourne
January 17 - Hamer Hall, Melbourne
January 24 - Royal Theatre, Canberra
January 27 - Convention Centre, Brisbane
January 30 - Adelaide Entertainment Centre
February 3 - Perth Kings Park

For the UK and European fans who still remember Delta (I don't blame you if you've given up hope since she hasn't released anything for you guys in 4 years!), it appears she will be releasing "Delta" later this year, once US promo is complete. So stay tuned for updates on that!

Alanis "Underneath" music video

FINALLY, here it is. To be honest, this will never rank as one of my favourite Alanis songs and I don't think it will set the charts alight. The video is directed by Sanji who also did Jesse Mc's "Leavin'" video.

The album "Flavours of Entanglement" is out June 7. A limited edition comes with a bonus disc of 5 bonus tracks and an expanded booklet - yummy!

Delta in the US: New video and album cover

Here's the brand new US video for "In This Life", the first single from Delta's debut self-titled US album, out June 24. It's strangely familiar to Delta's US "Lost Without You" video, which was also set on the beach, but ad least it's miles better than the dreadful Australian video. I'm assuming they will also use this video to re-launch Delta's UK and European career.

Also released is the artwork for the cover of the US album. The picture is gorgeous, but can't say I'm too keen on the font.

On Britney's radar

Apparently "Radar" will be the fourth single from Britney's latest album Blackout, which has sold around 2.5 million copies since its October 2007 release. An official cover (above) leaked onto the internet and there are reports that Brit will direct the video herself (hopefully with greater success than her last attempt with "Do Somethin'"!). The track sounds very similar to Rihanna's "SOS".

Current single "Break The Ice" is beginning to make an impact on the charts worldwide, following monster singles "Give Me More" and "Piece Of Me".

Jesse goes US Top 10

His new single may be called "Leavin'", but Jesse McCartney ain't going anywhere. After an impressive Hot 100 debut last week at #14, it climbs Top 10 this week at #10. This is now Jesse's biggest US hit. His previous peaks on the Billboard Hot 100 are as follows:
- "Beautiful Soul" (2004) #15
- "She's No You" (2005) #91
- "Right Where You Want Me" (2006) #33

The video above is an acoustic recording he made of the track.

The new album Departure is released May 20 in the US, May 31 in Australia, June 4 in Japan and June 9 in the UK. Australian and Japanese editions will include his version of Leona's "Bleeding Love" as a bonus track.

Madonna's first week sales

Madonna's Hard Candy debuted at #1 in the US with un-remarkable sales of 280,000. Mariah, whose recent album E=MC2 debuted with sales of over 463,000, must be celebrating with champagne. This is also a significant drop compared to first week sales of Madge's last studio effort Confessions On A Dancefloor which opened with 350,606 copies sold. Considering "4 Minutes" has been a bigger hit compared to "Hung Up" in the United States, this result is quite surprising.

Hard Candy sold 14,585 copies to debut at #1 on the Australian ARIA charts (having shipped 35,000 copies). Not a bad result, but not AMAZING either, especially for a superstar like Madonna. In comparison, Kylie's X sold over 16,000 copies in its opening week and Delta's self-titled third album last year sold 22,000 copies in its opening week.

The album has so far debuted at #1 in 18 countries. Will it have a lasting impact?

Quote of the day

The King of Goth, Nick Cave on his fellow "Where the Wild Roses Grow" duet-partner:

Kylie Minogue is the greatest thing that happened to Australian music. Before her the world didn't have a fucking clue about our music nor any interest in it. She alerted the world to the fact that Australian music was a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, Australians didn't understand that at the time and were embarrassed by her...Kylie has more greatness in her little fingernail than every fuckin' Aussie indie band put together

And that hauntingly beautiful ballad they produced together in 1995 to commerical and critical acclaim...

Club Disco OUT NOW!

All you Aussies reading this, I demand you go out and get a copy (or two) of Dannii's sublime 2-disc club compilation "Club Disco". It's jam-packed full of (club) HITS, unreleased material, lounge mixes and a bonus disc of club remixes - she really is the QUEEN OF CLUBS! Ok, so the idiots at Central Station have made it non-chart eligible because they know its going to flop and are afraid of tampering with Dannii's incredible chart history (five Top 100 albums - $UCCE$$!). Poor Dannii, it should be the public who doesn't allow you to chart, not your own record company :(

The promo video above, created by Mike (webmaster of Dannii's Dirty Box), is possibly the only sort of marketing "Club Disco" will receive. If you ask me, it does the job purrrr-fectly.

And to top it all off, here's Dannii's brilliant presentation at the Logie Awards:

"Retouch My Body"

HILARIOUS Mariah parody posted on Perez. Listen here.

Alanis on Yahoo Live

Watch it here

Alanis performs new tracks from her fourthcoming album Flavours of Entanglement (out in less than a month!) as well as some old favourites such as "You Learn", "So Unsexy" and "Thank You". The question and answer parts are particularly interesting and quite humerous. But what is going on with the hair Alanis?! Love this woman.

ARIA update: 05-05-2008

ARIA: Australian Recording Industry Association
1st no: This weeks position
2nd no: Last weeks position
3rd no: Number of weeks on chart
4th no: Highest position on chart so far
*: Bullet/new entry
(G): Gold certification: 35,000 copies shipped to retailers
(P): Platinum certification: 70,000 copies shipped to retailers

TOP 50 SINGLES
1 1 4 1 4 MINUTES Madonna Feat. Justin Timberlake (G)
2 2 7 1 SWEET ABOUT ME Gabriella Cilmi (G)
3 3 14 1 LOW Flo Rida Feat. T-Pain (P)
4 5 11 1 BUBBLY Colbie Caillat
5 8 8 5 DREAM CATCH ME Newton Faulkner
6 6 9 6 WORK Kelly Rowland
7 7 9 5 WITH YOU Chris Brown
* 8 16 20 1 BLEEDING LOVE Leona Lewis (P)
9 9 11 5 TATTOO Jordin Sparks
* 10 21 3 10 BETTER IN TIME Leona Lewis
* 11 26 4 11 PERFECT Vanessa Amorosi
* 12 44 3 12 PSYCHO TEDDY Psycho Teddy
13 13 7 13 LIKE ONLY A WOMAN CAN Brian McFadden
* 14 20 5 14 PARALYZER Finger Eleven
15 14 3 14 THIS LOVE The Veronicas
16 10 16 9 THIS HEART ATTACK Faker (G)
17 11 15 1 DON'T STOP THE MUSIC Rihanna (P)
18 4 2 4 FROM LITTLE THINGS BIG THINGS GROW The Getup Mob
19 17 6 17 TOUCH MY BODY Mariah Carey
20 15 19 3 CRANK THAT Soulja Boy (G)
21 12 16 3 PICTURES OF YOU The Last Goodnight (P)
22 18 5 13 BEAT IT Fall Out Boy Feat. John Mayer
23 19 14 2 PIECE OF ME Britney Spears (P)
24 22 13 11 STOP AND STARE OneRepublic
25 25 8 8 I DON'T DO SURPRISES Axle Whitehead
26 33 8 26 LOVE IN THIS CLUB Usher
27 29 3 27 I DON'T THINK SO Kelis
28 28 10 28 BIG GIRL (YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL) Mika
29 27 15 19 MY PEOPLE The Presets
30 24 9 7 NAUGHTY GIRL Mr G (G)
31 30 2 30 WHAT YOU'RE ON Rogue Traders
32 23 8 19 NINE IN THE AFTERNOON Panic At The Disco
* 33 43 2 33 YOUR LOVE IS A LIE Simple Plan
34 35 21 2 UNTOUCHED The Veronicas
* 35 - NEW 35 IN MY ARMS Kylie Minogue
36 32 5 14 YOU WILL ONLY BREAK MY HEART Delta Goodrem
37 37 2 37 SOMETHING GOOD '08 Utah Saints
* 38 - NEW 38 SWEETEST GIRL (DOLLAR BILL) Wyclef Jean
39 48 2 39 LOVE SONG Sara Bareilles
40 34 14 8 WANNA BE STARTIN' SOMETHIN' 2008 Michael Jackson With Akon
* 41 - NEW 41 BREAK THE ICE Britney Spears
42 31 25 8 KISS KISS Chris Brown Feat. T-Pain (G)
43 40 30 5 DON'T HOLD BACK The Potbelleez (G)
44 36 14 20 SCREAM Timbaland Feat. Keri Hilson
45 38 27 1 APOLOGIZE Timbaland Feat. OneRepublic (P)2
46 - R/E 38 TOO FINE Cristian Alexanda Feat. Ja Rule
* 47 - NEW 47 YOU PICK ME UP Pete Murray
* 48 - NEW 48 MERCY Duffy
49 39 27 3 NO ONE Alicia Keys (P)
50 41 3 41 READY TO FLY Amy Pearson


Commentary:
Madge and JT retain #1 position for the second week and go gold. Leona's promo trip pays off - both "Bleeding Love" and "Better In Time" shoot into the Top 10. Vanessa's "Perfect" shoots up the chart to #11 with the addition of physical sales. It is now her highest peak on the ARIA singles chart since her double-aside "The Power"/"Everytime I Close My Eyes" reached #8 in 2000. Worrying news for Kylie's camp with "In My Arms" entering the charts at #35! If the single fails to climb into the Top 20 during the weeks ahead, it will be her first proper single to have missed the Top 20 since 1998's "Cowboy Style".

TOP 50 ALBUMS
* 1 - NEW 1 HARD CANDY Madonna (G)
* 2 - NEW 2 WALTZING MATILDA Andre Rieu & Mirusia (G)
* 3 - NEW 3 CATCH THE WIND: SONGS OF A GENERATION Damien Leith
4 1 2 1 RATTLIN' BONES Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson (G)
* 5 - NEW 5 THE RISE Carl Riseley
6 3 3 1 APOCALYPSO The Presets (G)
* 7 16 14 1 SPIRIT Leona Lewis (G)
8 4 12 1 WATERSHED k.d. lang (G)
* 9 - NEW 9 THIRD Portishead
* 10 - NEW 10 FLYING COLOURS Bliss N Eso
11 2 2 2 E=MC2 Mariah Carey
12 9 5 2 THE 100 MOST BEAUTIFUL MELODIES Andre Rieu
13 8 31 1 EXILE ON MAINSTREAM Matchbox Twenty (P)3
* 14 - NEW 14 SO MUCH BEAUTY Kate Ceberano
15 5 2 5 SET IN STONE Brian McFadden
16 6 3 2 SHARING SPACE Cog
17 14 5 14 COCO Colbie Caillat
18 7 9 3 STEP UP 2: THE STREETS Soundtrack (G)
19 10 24 6 EXCLUSIVE Chris Brown (G)
20 12 8 5 HAND BUILT BY ROBOTS Newton Faulkner
21 15 58 4 BACK TO BLACK Amy Winehouse (P)
22 11 13 1 SLEEP THROUGH THE STATIC Jack Johnson (P)
23 17 35 3 HYMNS OF THE 49TH PARALLEL k.d. lang (P)2
24 20 2 20 WHEN THE FLOOD COMES The Audreys
25 19 5 12 ROCKFERRY Duffy
26 23 2 23 COME INTO MY WORLD Nick Skitz
27 22 26 2 HOOK ME UP The Veronicas (P)2
28 13 6 1 IN GHOST COLOURS Cut Copy
29 24 37 3 GOOD GIRL GONE BAD Rihanna (P)2
30 31 8 21 GOOD TIME Alan Jackson
31 29 32 1 ECHOES, SILENCE, PATIENCE & GRACE Foo Fighters (P)2
32 18 12 4 DREAMING OUT LOUD OneRepublic (G)
* 33 44 45 1 CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE Michael Buble (P)4
34 28 6 24 MAIL ON SUNDAY Flo Rida
* 35 - NEW 35 THE MOTOR CITY COLLECTION Human Nature
36 37 24 6 A BOOK LIKE THIS Angus & Julia Stone (G)
37 34 2 34 HANNAH MONTANA & MILEY CYRUS: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS CONCERT Miley Cyrus
* 38 - NEW 38 SYMPHONY Sarah Brightman
39 21 5 1 PRETTY. ODD. Panic At The Disco
40 26 3 8 KONK The Kooks
41 - R/E 15 CAUGHT IN THE ACT Michael Buble
42 27 104 1 THRILLER Michael Jackson (P)12
43 32 12 24 BE THE TWILIGHT Faker
44 36 59 5 LIFE IN CARTOON MOTION Mika (P)2
45 38 8 1 BREED OBSESSION Gyroscope
* 46 - R/E 4 BETTER IN THE DARK Rogue Traders (P)
47 30 2 30 THE AGE OF THE UNDERSTATEMENT The Last Shadow Puppets
* 48 - R/E 12 TAKING CHANCES Celine Dion (P)
49 25 2 25 THE BLACK SWAN Story Of The Year
50 42 22 14 ALIVE 2007 Daft Punk (G)

Commentary:
M-dolla enters at #1 with gold shippings, "Hard Candy" becoming her 9th Australian #1 album. Can she retain it next week? Poor Mimi drops to #11 in her second week after a #2 debut, as does Brian McFadden who drops 10 spots to #15. Damien Leith debuts at #3 with his covers album, although it may reach #1 with Mother's Day coming up. Another serial coverer Kate Ceberano comes in at #14. Idol contestant, Carl Riseley, debuts at #5 with his debut album.

Visit the ARIA website

Leona down under

Here are some of Leona's performances from her short promo trip in Australia. It helped - the album shoots back into the Top 20 and new single "Better In Time" climbs 11 spots to #10 on this week's ARIA chart.

"Bleeding Love" on the grand final edition of So You Think You Can Dance:


"Better In Time" and "Bleeding Love" on Sunrise:

Kylie farts on US career

Kylie has seen the light. After the disastrous American flopping of "X", which peaked at #139 last month, Kylie has decided that her US career is officially dead and burried.

I gave it my best shot. I won't try again.

Of course, her "best shot" meant one week of television promotion. With Kylie no longer flying the US Minogue flag, has Dannii finally been given the opportunity to shine? Me thinks someone needs to get a petition started - "CLUB DISCO FOR US RELEASE!"

Article

Track-by-track review: Hard Candy

After the brilliance of 2005's "Confessions On A Dancefloor", Madonna is back with her 11th studio effort "Hard Candy", and it's a flawed record. The moment I heard Madonna was gathering the hottest hit-makers of the moment to create a record that would give her urban cred, I was worried. Madonna has often been a mainstream trend-setter, plucking obscure producers (William Orbit, Mirwais, Stuart Price) to come out with a unique sound everytime, which would set her apart from the competition. Now it appears she's doing the opposite, desperate to mimic the likes of younger, more "hip" female popstars such as Nelly Furtado and Gwen Stefani. You can't help but feel this album represents Madonna's mid-life crisis as this attempt to be accepted by the younger generations reeks of desperation. Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Pharrel Williams are all on board, but instead of working together to create something fresh, innovative and daring, they have simply re-used their previous works and added Madonna's vocals. Madonna's albums have always felt personal to her but on "Hard Candy", she sounds detached as ever. Here's a track-by-track review:

Candy Store
Ja Rule did this in 2005. Like most of the material on this album, Madonna is 4 minutes too late (no pun intended...really). Dreadful lyrics (no Madonna, as much I love you, I don't want a piece of your turkish delight) on top of typical Pharrel production (not bad, but not a patch of his classic works with Britney and Gwen). It comes off sounding like a demo. I just hope this song is a piss-take, and that she's not actually taking herself seriously. There is something extremely disturbing about a 50 year old woman whispering "my candy is raw" multiple times. *Puts on "Erotica" to remember the days when Madonna could pull off hot and sexy so effortlessly*
2/5

4 Minutes
The first single in which Madonna provides guest vocals on a trademark Timbaland track. Justin proves why he's at the top of his game. Even though the lyrics are shit, his effortless, smooth vocal performance is pure class and saves "4 Minutes". With the two Tims are on board, this is the US hit Madonna has been having wet dreams over for years. Too bad it still can't get her to #1.
3/5

Give It 2 Me
My first thought: production sounds half-baked. Some great synths happening in the chorus. It's all safe fun, nothing remarkable. Apparently this is second single.
3/5

Heartbeat
Probably my favourite on the album. I love the weird vocal arrangements, and her high-pitched vocals in the bridge. Memorable chorus, lets pray this is a single. My only complaint is the breakdown in the middle in which Madonna pulls off her best Nelly Furtado impersonation *rolls eyes*.
4/5

Miles Away
Certainly not miles away from sounding like a more up-tempo cardboard copy of Nelly Furtado's "All Good Things Come To An End". It's nice enough, probably her best vocal performance on the record.
3/5

She's Not Me
The silky production of this electro-dance track is terrific. The verses are completely cringeful (she was stealin, stealin, stealin, and now you're feelin, feelin, feelin). The bridges and chorus are great though (although instead of "love you", a "fuck you in the shower", would have been a bit more interesting).
3.5/5

Incredible
Hmmm...the production sounds dated. I've definitely heard this track before, but can't put my finger on it. I like the verses, but the chorus is cheese galore.
2/5

The Beat Goes On
A 70s-style slow-groove from Pharrel. Nothing like the demo that leaked months ago, although it retains the hypnotic "on and on and on the beat goes on". One of the album's better tracks. Features a non-eventful Kanye West appearance.
4/5

Dance 2Night
Second Justin duet, although Justin lets Madonna take up more vocal time. Features the terrible lyric "you don't have to be rich and famous to be good"...um ok. The chorus is reminiscent of classic Michael Jackson. This track is actually very street-wise and "cool" in a retro kind of way. One of the better tracks in which Madge sounds in her element.
4/5

Spanish Lesson
DREADFUL. Worst song on the album in which Madonna attempts to teach us Spanish. Oh the pain, it doesn't get any cringier than this. How did this make the final cut!?
1/5

Devil Wouldn't Recognise You
A shameless re-hash of Justin's "What Goes Around (Comes Around)". An example of where Madonna sounds like a guest vocalist on someone else's track. It's not bad, I like it, but its not Madonna.
3/5

Voices
Album finishes on a serious, dramatic note. Decent track, not much to write on it.
3/5

Quote of the day

I absolutely love being the only girl in between two men
Dannii Minogue.

Article

Olivia and Delta's cancer song

Olivia and Delta, both beautiful Australian songstresses who have survived their battles with cancer, have teamed up for an inspirational ballad called "Right Here With You". It is unknown if it will be released as an actual single, but the track will feature on Olivia's new duets album "A Celebration With Song", which is out in Australia on May 3.

Track listing:
1. Right Here With You - with Delta Goodrem
2. Find A Little Faith - with Cliff Richard
3. Courageous - with Melinda Schneider
4. The Heart Knows - with Barry Gibb
5. Everything Love Is - with Jimmy Barnes
6. Isn’t It Amazing - with Sun Ho
7. Never Far Away - with Richard Marx
8. Sunburned Country - with Keith Urban
9. Reckless - with John Farrar
10. The Water Is Wide - with Amy Sky & Ryandan
11. Angel In The Wings - with Jann Arden
12. Beautiful Thing – with Belinda Emmett

Speaking of Delta, she won the award "Video Of The Year" at the 2008 MTV Australia Music Video Awards for the stunning "Believe Again" (which is one of, if not, the most expensive Australian-produced music video ever), beating international acts like Foo Fighters, Fergie and 50 Cent.

ARIA update: 28-04-2008

Feast your eyes on this weeks Australian ARIA music charts, with my commentary below...

1st no: This weeks position
2nd no: Last weeks position
3rd no: Number of weeks on chart
4th no: Highest position on chart so far
**: New entries
(G): Gold certification: 35,000 copies shipped to retailers
(P): Platinum certification: 70,000 copies shipped to retailers

TOP 50 SINGLES
1 3 3 1 4 MINUTES Madonna Feat. Justin Timberlake
2 2 6 1 SWEET ABOUT ME Gabriella Cilmi
3 1 13 1 LOW Flo Rida Feat. T-Pain
**4 - NEW 4 FROM LITTLE THINGS BIG THINGS GROW The Getup Mob
5 4 10 1 BUBBLY Colbie Caillat
6 7 8 6 WORK Kelly Rowland
7 5 8 5 WITH YOU Chris Brown
8 8 7 8 DREAM CATCH ME Newton Faulkner
9 6 10 5 TATTOO Jordin Sparks
10 12 15 9 THIS HEART ATTACK Faker (G)
11 9 14 1 DON'T STOP THE MUSIC Rihanna (P)
12 10 15 3 PICTURES OF YOU The Last Goodnight (P)
13 18 6 13 LIKE ONLY A WOMAN CAN Brian McFadden
14 14 2 14 THIS LOVE The Veronicas
15 11 18 3 CRANK THAT Soulja Boy (G)
16 13 19 1 BLEEDING LOVE Leona Lewis (P)
17 22 5 17 TOUCH MY BODY Mariah Carey
18 16 4 13 BEAT IT Fall Out Boy Feat. John Mayer
19 15 13 2 PIECE OF ME Britney Spears (P)
20 27 4 20 PARALYZER Finger Eleven
21 32 2 21 BETTER IN TIME Leona Lewis
22 17 12 11 STOP AND STARE OneRepublic
23 21 7 19 NINE IN THE AFTERNOON Panic At The Disco
24 19 8 7 NAUGHTY GIRL Mr G (G)
25 20 7 8 I DON'T DO SURPRISES Axle Whitehead
26 25 3 23 PERFECT Vanessa Amorosi
27 24 14 19 MY PEOPLE The Presets
28 29 9 28 BIG GIRL (YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL) Mika
29 49 2 29 I DON'T THINK SO Kelis
30 - NEW 30 WHAT YOU'RE ON Rogue Traders
31 23 24 8 KISS KISS Chris Brown Feat. T-Pain (G)
32 28 4 14 YOU WILL ONLY BREAK MY HEART Delta Goodrem
33 36 7 33 LOVE IN THIS CLUB Usher
34 26 13 8 WANNA BE STARTIN' SOMETHIN' 2008 Michael Jackson With Akon
35 30 20 2 UNTOUCHED The Veronicas
36 31 13 20 SCREAM Timbaland Feat. Keri Hilson
**37 - NEW 37 SOMETHING GOOD '08 Utah Saints
38 34 26 1 APOLOGIZE Timbaland Feat. OneRepublic (P)2
39 41 26 3 NO ONE Alicia Keys (P)
40 33 29 5 DON'T HOLD BACK The Potbelleez (G)
41 - R/E 41 READY TO FLY Amy Pearson
42 35 6 34 TAKE YOU THERE Sean Kingston
**43 - NEW 43 YOUR LOVE IS A LIE Simple Plan
44 50 2 44 PSYCHO TEDDY Psycho Teddy
45 44 32 7 HOW FAR WE'VE COME Matchbox Twenty
46 39 11 16 OUTTA MY HEAD (AY YA YA) Ashlee Simpson
47 40 15 9 I NEVER LIKED YOU Rogue Traders
** 48 - NEW 48 LOVE SONG Sara Bareilles
49 38 23 7 WON'T GO HOME WITHOUT YOU Maroon 5 (G)
**50 - NEW 50 MERCY (ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE AT PARIS, AZ) Duffy

Commentary:
As predicted, Madonna and Justin take top spot this week now that their digital and physical sales are finally combined. This is Madge's 12th #1 in Australia. Brian's "Like Only A Woman Can" goes up 5 places to #13, its highest peak so far, with great news for the album debut (see below). Delta on the other hand drops 4 spots with "You Will Only Break My Heart". Leona's "Better In Time" bullets to #21, expect it to be in (or close to) the Top 10 next week after her short promo visit which includes a performance on the finale of "So You Think You Can Dance". And lastly, the Rogue Traders debut at a dissapointing #30 with "What You're On". Lets hope it rises in the weeks ahead. Vanessa Amorosi releases the "Perfect" CD single this week so it will be interesting to see how physical sales contribute to her chart placing. Also released this week on CD are Kylie's "In My Arms" and Jesse's "Leavin'".

* 1 - NEW 1 RATTLIN' BONES Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson
* 2 - NEW 2 E=MC2 Mariah Carey
3 1 2 1 APOCALYPSO The Presets (G)
4 3 11 1 WATERSHED k.d. lang (G)
* 5 - NEW 5 SET IN STONE Brian McFadden
6 5 8 3 STEP UP 2: THE STREETS Soundtrack
7 2 2 2 SHARING SPACE Cog
8 8 30 1 EXILE ON MAINSTREAM Matchbox Twenty (P)2
9 4 4 2 THE 100 MOST BEAUTIFUL MELODIES Andre Rieu
10 6 23 6 EXCLUSIVE Chris Brown (G)
11 7 12 1 SLEEP THROUGH THE STATIC Jack Johnson (P)
12 11 7 8 HAND BUILT BY ROBOTS Newton Faulkner
* 13 18 34 3 HYMNS OF THE 49TH PARALLEL k.d. lang (P)2
14 9 5 1 IN GHOST COLOURS Cut Copy
* 15 24 4 15 COCO Colbie Caillat
16 14 57 4 BACK TO BLACK Amy Winehouse (P)
17 19 13 1 SPIRIT Leona Lewis (G)
18 10 11 5 DREAMING OUT LOUD OneRepublic (G)
19 20 4 15 ROCKFERRY Duffy
20 13 4 1 PRETTY. ODD. Panic At The Disco
* 21 - NEW 21 COME INTO MY WORLD Nick Skitz
* 22 - NEW 22 WHEN THE FLOOD COMES The Audreys
23 17 25 2 HOOK ME UP The Veronicas (P)2
24 15 36 3 GOOD GIRL GONE BAD Rihanna (P)
* 25 - NEW 25 THE BLACK SWAN Story Of The Year
26 16 103 1 THRILLER Michael Jackson (P)12
27 22 5 22 MAIL ON SUNDAY Flo Rida
28 12 2 12 KONK The Kooks
29 35 31 1 ECHOES, SILENCE, PATIENCE & GRACE Foo Fighters (P)2
30 21 7 21 GOOD TIME Alan Jackson
* 31 - NEW 31 THE AGE OF THE UNDERSTATEMENT The Last Shadow Puppets
32 30 11 29 BE THE TWILIGHT Faker
* 33 - NEW 33 HANNAH MONTANA & MILEY CYRUS: BEST OF BOTH WORLDS CONCERT Miley Cyrus
34 25 4 12 ATTACK AND RELEASE The Black Keys
35 23 2 23 GURRUMUL Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
36 26 7 1 BREED OBSESSION Gyroscope
37 38 58 5 LIFE IN CARTOON MOTION Mika (P)2
* 38 - NEW 38 WHO I AM Amy Pearson
39 36 20 6 A BOOK LIKE THIS Angus & Julia Stone (G)
* 40 - R/E 1 DREAM DAYS AT THE HOTEL EXISTENCE Powderfinger (P)3
* 41 - NEW 41 BITTERSWEET WORLD Ashlee Simpson
42 33 19 14 ALIVE 2007 Daft Punk (G)
43 - R/E 1 CALL ME IRRESPONSIBLE Michael Buble (P)4
44 41 57 1 GRAND NATIONAL The John Butler Trio (P)3
45 29 3 12 GHOSTS I-IV Nine Inch Nails
46 44 2 44 JONAS BROTHERS Jonas Brothers
47 28 3 18 CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY The Saboteurs
48 37 2 37 PNAU Pnau
* 49 - R/E 15 CAUGHT IN THE ACT Michael Buble (G)
50 42 29 5 THE STORY SO FAR: THE VERY BEST OF... Rod Stewart (P)2

Commentary:
Country star Kasey Chambers keeps Mimi off top spot, scoring her fourth #1 album with "Rattlin' Bones" (a collaboration album with her hubby Shane Nicholson). So Mimi will have to settle for second best, although "E=MC2" has already beaten the peak of "The Emancipation Of Mimi" which reached #6 back in 2005. Brian McFadden debuts at a very impressive #5 - an amazing result considering his debut solo record "Irish Son" failed to crack the Top 50 here (despite containing a #1 with "Almost Here"). Brian has been promoting the hell out of this album during the past few weeks so it's good to see it all pay off. Hopefully it'll stick around for a while. Next week will see "Hard Candy" debut - will Madonna score her 9th Australian #1 album? Hmmmm....duh!

Visit the ARIA website

Mariah's car crash performance

A performance she'd rather forget, I'm sure. The pre-recorded vocals do an "Ashlee Simpson", but Mariah continues on like a pro. But her live vocals don't appear to be in fine form, is she loosing it?

Mariah proves who the real queen is

Mimi debuted at #1 on the US Billboard 200 with her album "E=MC2", selling 463,000 copies. This is Mimi's biggest debut sales week ever. It's also the highest sales week of the year, surpassing the 375,000 start of Jack Johnson's "Sleep Through the Static" in February. Mimi celebrates her 6th chart-topping US album, now tied with Madonna and Janet Jackson for the title of female artist with the second most #1s (although Madge will be a step ahead when "Hard Candy" takes top spot in a couple of weeks). The top honour goes to Barbara Streisand who has scored 8. Wow, how gay are the US?

Mariah kicks Mariah-wannabe Leona Lewis' "Spirit" off top spot (we still love you Leona!) which sold 205,000 copies to debut at #1 last week. This week "Spirit" sells 95,000 copies, sitting comfortably under her idol at #2.

Janet Jackson must be digging her grave after hearing of Mimi's $UCCE$$. While "Discipline" also debuted at #1 in the US, late February, it did so with a pitiful 181,000 copies. Mariah has sold more in her first week then what Janet has sold in 2 months. "Discipline" continues Janet's string of flop albums, reaching disastrous positions worldwide, most notably the UK where it peaked at #68!

Mariah debuted in the UK at #3 selling 34,800 copies. Ironically, she was outsold by Leona who sold 36,000 copies at #2 - OUCH! "Bianca is soooo upset!". Indie band The Kooks took top spot with 66,000 copies of their album "Konk".

$UCCE$$

Dannii's press releases are always a good laugh, and this one for the Australian release of "Club Disco" is no exception:

The nations Queen of Dance returns with a new artist album for 2008, featuring the UK Dance Chart #1 'Touch Me Like That' , plus the hit singles 'Perfection', 'So Under Pressure' and the LMC edit of 'He's The Greatest Dancer'. Dannii's reign as Queen of the Clubs is undeniable, with 13 UK Club Chart #1's and four top selling albums to her name since 1997.
Club Disco also contains a second disc of hot remixes. $ucce$$ indeed.

Bless her heart. "Club Disco" (2 Disc) is out May 3rd.
Top 150 here we come!

Order online now

And speaking of Danush, she performed "Xanadu" on the finale of "It Takes Two" last night. It's possibly the GAYEST performance you'll ever see. A queen's wet dream come to life.



IMO not a patch on last year's fabulous performance on "Dancing With The Stars". Grant proves he has alot to learn if he wants to become one of great hosts like Daryl Sommers. I mean c'mon, where is the mention of Dannii's countless, never-ending #1 (club) hits? No one wants to know about Dannii's Great Walk to Beijing, it's all about the HITS! He didn't even give "Club Disco" a plug! I doubt Dannii herself even knows its getting a release.

Damn girl!

Zigazig ARGHHHH alright! "Scary Spice" Mel B is looking absolutely breast-alicious, as she becomes the new boobs...i mean new face of lingerie giant "Ultimo". And isn't she looking fine? Work it girl!

Ricki-Lee to launch in the UK

Australian pop singer Ricki-Lee is going international! A thumping dance remix of her Top 2 ARIA hit "Can't Touch It", retitled "U Wanna Little Of This", will be her first single in the UK through Ministry Of Sound. The music video (above) remains the same as the original, although it has been sped up to fit the remix. British "Neighbours" fans will recognise the barman at the start of the video, Dan O'Connor, who plays Ned Parker. He and Ricki-Lee have both remained good friends since beginning as contestants in the 2004 season of Australian Idol.

"U Wanna Little Of This" is out digitally on May 19th and physically on May 26th. Go Ricki!!!

Things that make you go mmmmm...

Isn't Chace Crawford...well...perfect?

Rock remix of Leavin'

This is an awesome unofficial remix of Jesse McCartney's new single "Leavin'". It turns the track into a pop-rock song, much like Jesse's more traditional sound. I'm not sure who created it, they posted it on YouTube, but I can't seem to find the source anymore. The cover art was made by me. Hope you like it!

Download

Kelly sings for Pope

Kelly performed "Ave Maria" for Pope Benedict XVI, before an estimated crowd of 30,000 people, at St. Joseph’s Seminary, April 19.

She is currently working on the follow up to last year's controversial "My December" which sold 2 million copies worldwide. The new record, which will include collaborations with OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder, is due later this year. In September, she resumes her sell-out US tour with country icon Reba McEntire.

ARIA update: 21-04-2008

Feast your eyes on this weeks Australian ARIA music charts, with my commentary below...

1st no: This weeks position
2nd no: Last weeks position
3rd no: Number of weeks on chart
4th no: Highest position on chart so far
**: New entries
(G): Gold certification: 35,000 copies shipped to retailers
(P): Platinum certification: 70,000 copies shipped to retailers

TOP 50 SINGLES
1 2 12 1 LOW Flo Rida Feat. T-Pain
2 1 5 1 SWEET ABOUT ME Gabriella Cilmi
3 3 2 3 4 MINUTES Madonna Feat. Justin Timberlake
4 4 9 1 BUBBLY Colbie Caillat
5 5 7 5 WITH YOU Chris Brown
6 6 9 5 TATTOO Jordin Sparks
7 8 7 6 WORK Kelly Rowland
8 10 6 8 DREAM CATCH ME Newton Faulkner
9 7 13 1 DON'T STOP THE MUSIC Rihanna (P)
10 11 14 3 PICTURES OF YOU The Last Goodnight (P)
11 13 17 3 CRANK THAT Soulja Boy (G)
12 9 14 9 THIS HEART ATTACK Faker
13 12 18 1 BLEEDING LOVE Leona Lewis (P)
**14 - NEW 14 THIS LOVE The Veronicas
15 16 12 2 PIECE OF ME Britney Spears (P)
16 14 3 13 BEAT IT Fall Out Boy Feat. John Mayer
17 15 11 11 STOP AND STARE OneRepublic
18 20 5 15 LIKE ONLY A WOMAN CAN Brian McFadden
19 17 7 7 NAUGHTY GIRL Mr G (G)
20 18 6 8 I DON'T DO SURPRISES Axle Whitehead
21 19 6 19 NINE IN THE AFTERNOON Panic At The Disco
22 21 4 17 TOUCH MY BODY Mariah Carey
23 24 23 8 KISS KISS Chris Brown Feat. T-Pain (G)
24 22 13 19 MY PEOPLE The Presets
25 23 2 23 PERFECT Vanessa Amorosi
26 25 12 8 WANNA BE STARTIN' SOMETHIN' 2008 Michael Jackson With Akon
27 32 3 27 PARALYZER Finger Eleven
28 26 3 14 YOU WILL ONLY BREAK MY HEART Delta Goodrem
29 29 8 28 BIG GIRL (YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL) Mika
30 27 19 2 UNTOUCHED The Veronicas WARNER
31 31 12 20 SCREAM Timbaland Feat. Keri Hilson
**32 - NEW 32 BETTER IN TIME Leona Lewis SBME
33 30 28 5 DON'T HOLD BACK The Potbelleez (G)
34 28 25 1 APOLOGIZE Timbaland Feat. OneRepublic (Px2)
35 37 5 34 TAKE YOU THERE Sean Kingston
36 44 6 36 LOVE IN THIS CLUB Usher
37 40 14 14 WHEN I'M GONE Simple Plan
38 34 22 7 WON'T GO HOME WITHOUT YOU Maroon 5 (G)
39 33 10 16 OUTTA MY HEAD (AY YA YA) A Ashlee Simpson
40 36 14 9 I NEVER LIKED YOU Rogue Traders
41 35 25 3 NO ONE Alicia Keys (P)
42 41 7 34 BABY Pnau
43 39 6 29 NEW SOUL Yael Naim
44 47 31 7 HOW FAR WE'VE COME Matchbox Twenty
45 38 3 38 TOO FINE Cristian Alexanda Feat. Ja Rule
46 - R/E 34 ALL YOUR REASONS Matchbox Twenty
47 48 2 47 S.O.S. Jonas Brothers
48 43 11 18 WHINE UP Kat De Luna Feat. Elephant Man
**49 - NEW 49 I DON'T THINK SO Kelis
**50 - NEW 50 PSYCHO TEDDY Psycho Teddy

Commentary: Again, not much movement happening on this week's Singles Chart. The Veronicas score the highest debut of the week with "This Love" at #14. Delta only drops a couple of spots to #28 (I was worried it would be alot worse), while Brian goes up two spots to #18 (lets hope the album gets a Top 20 debut next week). Leona's #32 debut with "Better In Time" is based on downloads only. The CD single is out this week so next week's chart will represent a combination of both digital and physical sales, which is sure to increase its position on the chart quite rapidly. The same case for Madonna and Justin who remain at #3 in their second week, based solely on downloads. When combined with physical sales next week, I have no doubt it will be #1 (becoming Madge's 12th Australian #1).

TOP 50 ALBUMS
**1 - NEW 1 APOCALYPSO The Presets
**2 - NEW 2 SHARING SPACE Cog
3 1 10 1 WATERSHED k.d. lang (G)
4 3 7 3 STEP UP 2: THE STREETS Soundtrack
5 2 3 2 THE 100 MOST BEAUTIFUL MELODIES Andre Rieu
6 6 22 6 EXCLUSIVE Chris Brown (G)
7 5 11 1 SLEEP THROUGH THE STATIC Jack Johnson (P)
**8 - NEW 8 KONK The Kooks
9 10 4 1 IN GHOST COLOURS Cut Copy
10 8 6 5 HAND BUILT BY ROBOTS Newton Faulkner
11 14 29 1 EXILE ON MAINSTREAM Matchbox Twenty (Px2)
12 4 10 4 DREAMING OUT LOUD OneRepublic
13 7 3 1 PRETTY. ODD. Panic At The Disco
14 11 56 4 BACK TO BLACK Amy Winehouse (P)
15 9 35 3 GOOD GIRL GONE BAD Rihanna (P)
16 16 24 2 HOOK ME UP The Veronicas (Px2)
17 13 102 1 THRILLER Michael Jackson (Px12)
18 19 12 1 SPIRIT Leona Lewis (G)
19 34 33 3 HYMNS OF THE 49TH PARALLEL k.d. lang (Px2)
20 12 3 12 ROCKFERRY Duffy
**21 - NEW 21 GURRUMUL Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu
22 32 3 22 COCO Colbie Caillat
23 26 6 21 GOOD TIME Alan Jackson
24 27 4 24 MAIL ON SUNDAY Flo Rida
25 17 3 12 ATTACK AND RELEASE The Black Keys
26 22 6 1 BREED OBSESSION Gyroscope
27 23 3 13 ACCELERATE R.E.M.
28 18 3 18 CONSOLERS OF THE LONELY The Saboteurs
29 24 10 24 BE THE TWILIGHT Faker
30 15 2 15 GHOSTS I-IV Nine Inch Nails
31 48 4 31 PNAU Pnau
**32 - NEW 32 ****: LIVE IN PHOENIX Fall Out Boy
33 37 22 6 A BOOK LIKE THIS Angus & Julia Stone (G)
34 35 20 14 ALIVE 2007 Daft Punk (G)
35 41 25 20 HANNAH MONTANA 2 / MEET MILEY CYRUS Miley Cyrus (G)
36 44 30 1 ECHOES, SILENCE, PATIENCE & GRACE Foo Fighters (Px2)
37 39 57 5 LIFE IN CARTOON MOTION Mika (Px2)
38 25 7 15 REUNION The Slim Dusty Family
39 36 56 1 GRAND NATIONAL The John Butler Trio (Px3)
40 20 2 20 THE ODD COUPLE Gnarls Barkley
41 33 38 1 TIMBALAND PRESENTS: SHOCK VALUE Timbaland (Px3)
42 28 2 28 SHINE A LIGHT (SOUNDTRACK) Rolling Stones
**43 - NEW 43 JONAS BROTHERS Jonas Brothers
44 29 28 5 THE STORY SO FAR: THE VERY BEST OF... Rod Stewart (Px2)
45 31 6 8 WITH HEARTS AS ONE Hillsong United
46 21 40 5 IT WON'T BE SOON BEFORE LONG Maroon 5 (P)
47 46 10 29 CHRONICLE: THE 20 GREATEST HITS Creedence Clearwater Revival (G)
**48 - NEW 48 BLOODDRUNK Children Of Bodom
49 38 7 2 DIG, LAZARUS, DIG!!! Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds
50 - R/E 6 SIMPLE PLAN Simple Plan

Commentary: Seven new entries this week, none of which have much interest to me. Hmmm...really not much to comment on this week. Pretty dull chart. Next week will see new entries from Mariah with "E=MC2" and Brian McFadden with "Set In Stone".

Visit the ARIA website