Mariah Carey has been a busy woman lately. Having just ended her ‘Angel’s Advocate’ US tour and preparing for the release of her similarly titled remix album, another track from her new project has surfaced. The remixed version of ‘Ribbon’ features the song’s co-writer, The-Dream, and rapper Ludacris. ‘Angel’s Advocate’ will be exclusively released via Target on March 30th. Give the song a listen below:

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Pop music’s current ‘it’ girl, Ke$ha, has issued some stinging comments for Britney Spears. The ‘Tik Tok’ singer slammed Spears for lip-syncing all of the performances during her recent ‘Circus’ tour. Here is what Ke$ha had to say:

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Just when it appeared the dust had settled in the Sugababes saga, it is being reported that ALL of the group’s original members have launched High Court action to secure the rights to the ‘Sugababes’ name.

According to Holy Moly, Keisha Buchanan, Mutya Buena, and Siobhan Donaghy have jointly applied to the European Trademark Authority, seeking ownership to the group’s name. Shockingly, the ‘Sugababes’ name had reportedly never been trademarked, which has allowed the case to proceed.

Buena initially filed the application back in November last year, 2 months after Buchanan was booted. Yet yesterday, the application was amended to include both Keisha and Siobhan.

If their case is successful (which insiders say is ‘likely’), the trio would be able use the name for, among other things, CDs and advertisements in Europe. They would also be able to perform and record under the name. Although the latter is unlikely in light of Buchanan’s solo deal and personal differences between Donaghy and the other members.

Worse still for the current line-up, who will undoubtedly have to change their name should they lose, their legal team have only until May 8th to officially file opposition. Ouch.

Check out scans of the legal files below!

There’s little else to be said other than….let the battle begin! Granted I’m sure there are intricate details and procedures which could drag on for a while, I know which side I’m rooting for. I mean, watching the current line-up performing the group’s older material (material which neither Amelle or Jade were even in the group for) just a few minutes before this story broke, really made my stomach turn. Peep their recent live spin on ‘Ugly’ and ‘Round Round’ after the jump…

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This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend ‘The Official Michael Jackson Exhibition’ at London’s 02 Arena. Somewhat bittersweet in that the venue is where the King of Pop was set to perform a record-breaking 50-concerts as part of his ill-fated ‘This Is It’ project, the exhibition was like no other I’ve been to before. Simply amazing.

The classy, well put-together showcase, featured priceless Jackson memorabilia such as his original, signed Motown contract, countless worn video outfits and props, his ’This Is It’ costumes, and even the Neverland gates!

At each turning, it felt like I stood before a small piece of my childhood; and for the first time since Michael’s passing, I felt legitimately able to really celebrate the life of what is (present tense) the greatest entertainer of all-time.

Perhaps the best thing of all though, was seeing young children, who were dressed as Michael, emulating his famous moves. This really warmed my spirit; after all, here were kids who were no doubt born long after Michael’s last album was released, yet here they were singing and dancing along to all his classic hits. It simply serves as a testament to Michael’s lasting legacy. No scandal, no naysayer, no nothing, can take away from the enduring impact Michael has had and will continue to have.

With the exhibition having finished its run here in London, reports say it is headed to the States next. Though it goes without saying, I’d thoroughly recommend it to anyone able to attend. A great celebration of a life which touched so many. Long live the King!

Check out the gallery of my snaps from the event below:

Your thoughts?

After conquering her home turf, Pop sensation Alexandra Burke is promoting her hit LP ‘Overcome’ in Europe, most recently performing on Poland’s ’20 Years Of RMF FM Radio’ show. Peep her performance of ‘Bad Boys’ above…

Granted we’ve seen her perform this song a million times here in the UK, I never tire of seeing Ms. Burke on stage. Considering how demanding the routine is, it really reinforces how talented she is, considering she remained on-key as well as belted through out. It’s also great to see that her rocking a new and improved weave (thank goodness!!! LOL).

Tidbit: Burke, 21, will be hitting the promo rounds soon in support of her new single ‘The Silence’, the video for which she’s filming as I type. The 21 year old Londoner took a break from re-recording her album in the US with hitmaker Red One (for her Stateside debut within the coming months), to film the video, as well as to embark on a very brief European promo tour.

What do you think of the performance?

Our good friends over at Rap-Up.com recently caught up with hitmaker Sean Garret, who revealed more about Rihanna‘s forthcoming album – which he has been enlisted to work on. As previously reported, the popular model is set to release an entirely new LP this summer – less than a year after the release of the relatively successful ‘Rated R’. Check out what Garrett had to say after the jump…

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R&B star Christina Milian and hit-maker hubby The-Dream are celebrating the birth of their first child. The couple welcomed a daughter, who they named Violet, on Friday (February 26th). According to the delighted pair, the child has “a full head of hair”.

While the child is Milian’s first, she is The-Dream’s fourth – the singer/songwriter has three children with ex-wife, singer Nivea.

Milian and Dream, real name Terius Nash, married in October last year, announcing the pregnancy a few weeks prior to tying the knot in Las Vegas.

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Congratulations to them!

Your thoughts?

Lady GaGa was snapped leaving her London hotel this morning in yet another ‘interesting’ outfit. The 23 year old’s braved the UK cold in the daring ensemble, which was…erm…rather revealing (let’s just say the pink stars above were not part of the outfit!).

The 23 year old GaGa wrapped up a sold out 3-night residency at the capital’s famed O2 Arena last night. European fans who missed her ‘Monsters Ball’ show will be pleased to know that more dates have been added, due to overwhelming demand. Click here for more details.

Peep more pics , as well as a random 2pence by yours truly below:

Randomness: Say what you want about ol’ GaGa, but I can’t help but applaud what she’s brought to the industry. Besides the music, we’re in an age where the more that is known about a celebrity personally or the more ‘real’ they’re made to seem, the better. The problem is; most concepts of ‘real’ in today’s industry aren’t real at all. They are carefully stage-managed versions of ‘real’ (kinda like reality shows). Put simply ‘celebrity’ is very much a job…not a 9-5…but a job nonetheless.

Wondering where I’m going with this? Well, GaGa – unlike many of her peers – seems to have embraced the ‘fantasy’/unreal nature of the business, and is therefore very much a throwback to the stars of the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. Such stars were just as big, yet the masses never knew who they were beyond the music and films they released…keeping the focus solely on the just that. In a nutshell, GaGa is a welcome modern take on the ultimate showbiz star…which is hard not to love.

Your thoughts?

As the release of Monica‘s new LP ‘Still Standing’ draws ever-nearer its March 23rd release, a short snippet of a new track titled ‘Mirror‘ has surfaced. The Grammy Award winner spoke of the  Jim Jonsin produced track in our interview with her last week:

One of the songs that I just recently recorded, which I really love, was done by Jim Jonsin and it’s titled ‘Mirror.’ It basically says that ‘when I look in the mirror I don’t have to feel ashamed’. It’s saying that I’m happy with who I am and who I have become, and because of that I’m able to do whatever it is that I want to do in life without hesitation. I think that’s something that you should feel on a consistent basis because people are so judgemental and unfair now that it prevents some people from taking chances and doing things that they may enjoy. So ‘Mirror’ is one my favourites.

You can listen to a LQ snippet of the track below, which should give a taster of what to expect from the song in its entirety. I’m loving what I hear thus far!

Hit or Miss?

As Ciara continues to work on her fourth studio album (due May / June), a new cut from the record’s recording sessions has surfaced in the form of ‘I’m Up In The Bank’. Written and produced by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, the song sees the 24 year old hit back at the critics, who have – in truth – been rather merciless towards her since her last LP ‘Fantasy Ride’ failed to ignite the charts in the way she and her label had hoped.

Is it any good, though?

Well the track does a great job of re-engaging Ms. Harris with her core Urban audience and exudes much in the way of swagger. However, I’m gonna need something with a bit more ‘umph’ to heighten my anticipation levels for her new record – which are already quite high, considering the fact I really enjoyed ‘Fantasy Ride’.

Hit or Miss?

Jennifer Lopez hosted on ‘Saturday Night Live’ this weekend. The performer, who recently parted ways with Epic Records, performed two new songs from her ‘Love?’ LP which will hit stores this Summer. Check out her performances and the show’s ‘We Are The World’ parody where Lopez imitated Rihanna:

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After a brief absence from the music scene, UK-bred/US-based singer Estelle is back with new single ‘Freak’.  Produced by hit-maker of the moment David Guetta, the Dance/Urban mash-up sees the Londoner embrace a markedly different sound to that of soulful R&B of her last LP, 2008’s ‘Shine’. The question however, is whether it actually works….

Luckily for Estelle, the answer is a ‘yes’…just about. Getting the ‘bad’ out of the way first, the production and overall busyness of the track may put off some of her Urban loyalists, while the Kardinal Offishal feature wasn’t really needed. That said, with ridiculously catchy hooks, including one which samples Soul II Soul’s ‘Back To Life’, as well as Ms. Swaray re-engaging with her rap roots while dually trying something new, this one is a winner.

Hit or Miss?