December is set to be a very busy month for Kylie Minogue. Here is a look at her upcoming schedule:
Nov 30 | Kylie: Sing & Dance (Release)
Dec 01 | Benissimo
Dec 03 | Royal Variety Performance (performance of "On A Night Like This")
Dec
06 | X Factor Italy Finale
Dec 09 | Rod Stewart's Christmas Special
Dec 11 | Nobel Peace Prize Awards (performance of songs from Abbey Road Sessions with full orchestra)
Dec 17 | On A Night Like This (Single
Release - Abbey Road Sessions)
Dec 21 | Alan Carr: Chatty Man
Dec 21 | Hit Factory Live
Dec 25 | Final Tweet to Unlock Surprise
Dec 31 | Sydney New Year's Eve
And she's the Elle cover girl for the January 2013 issue (above), which features brand new photos and an exclusive interview.
Thanks to Shine On And On for the info. Make sure to check that fabulous site for constant updates on all things Kylie - including the full Elle article.
With the fabulous news about the return of Army Of Lovers, here is a quick look back at one of the most controversial and FUN groups of the 90s!
Army Of Lovers were founded in 1987 in Sweden. The founding members, who had all worked
together in a band called Barbie, were Alexander Bard, Jean-Pierre Barda and
Camilla Henemark (aka La Camilla).
Army of Lovers scored several Top 10 hits in Europe, the biggest being "Crucified", which was one of the
biggest selling European singles of 1991, and stayed at #1 on the Eurochart for
eight consecutive weeks. Their total album sales were seven million copies
worldwide.
While Alexander Bard was the
"brain" behind the band, Jean-Pierre Barda was the lead vocalist on
hits such as "Crucified" and "Israelism". Bard and Barda
were the only two band members who were present throughout all of the band's
various line-ups. When La Camilla left the band in 1991, she was replaced by
Michaela Dornonville de la Cour. In 1993, Dominika Peczynski joined, making the
band a four-piece. In 1995, Dornoville de la Cour left and Henemark returned.
Third album, The Gods of Earth and Heaven was never published in the US due to its suggestive lyrical content. Record company Giant wanted the group to make a clean American version for US markets but they refused to make any modifications to the album. Giant reacted by abolishing their recording contact. Both the album and the single "La plage de Saint-Tropez" became highly successful in China and Japan and the single single received a plenty of radio play also in several European countries. The controversial single "Israelism" topped charts in Israel despite of being subject for criticism and the video being banned on MTV.
During their time together, Army Of Lovers became famous for their outlandish visual appearance and music videos that were both hilarious and controversial.
Although both "Obsession" and
"Sexual Revolution" reached the top spot of the Eurocharts, their
presence in the US and the UK was limited to club chart successes (though
"Crucified" reached the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart in February
1992). They released four studio albums, made over twenty music videos, and
became successful across Eastern Europe before Bard disbanded the group to
concentrate on his new group Vacuum in 1996. The band reformed briefly in 2001.
They also joined forces again in 2007 for
two shows, one at G-A-Y in London and one in Moscow. Bard, Peczyniski and Barda
were present, but Henemark was replaced by an inflatable doll. The original lineup are now back together to perform at the 2013 Melodifestivalen and to release a new greatest hits compilation.
The albums:
Some of the singles:
The compilations:
The funniest collection of music videos you will ever see, released in DVD in 2005:
And last but not least: some of the clips:
And a short look into the demented minds of this lovely group:
Can't wait to see what they have in store next year!
All the artists performing the songs in the 2013 Melodifestivalen have been announced.
Sadly there are not a lot of big names included in the line-up. But there is one name that comes as a massive and a very welcomed surprise: Army Of Lovers!
The original lineup of the group will perform their
forthcoming single “Rockin’ The Ride” during the fourth semifinal in Malmö,
which is scheduled for February 23. The song was
written by Alexander Bard and Henrik Wikström ( Gravitonas). When they were asked to describe the song, they said: "Swedish House Mafia Meets Gangnam Style, takes a ton of crack and jumps into the laundry machine". OK then :)
New about the reunion are all over the Swedish press and I must say I am very happy about their comeback! The group released their last material in 2001 when they released two singles from a Greatest Hits compilation.
Army Of Lovers are releasing another hits compilation soon with a couple of new tracks. Welcome back!
Here is the final lineup of the 2013 Melodifestivalen:
Heat 1, Karslkrona 2
Feb 2013:
1.Cookies
and Beanz - Burning
flags (Fredrik Kempe)
2.Mary
N’diaye - Gosa (Johan Åsgärde, Mattias Frändå, Mary N’diaye)
3.Yohio
- Heartbreak hotel (Johan Fransson, Tobias Lundgren, Tim Larsson,
Henrik Göranson, YOHIO)
4.Jay-Jay
Johanson - Paris (Jay-Jay Johansson)
5.Anna
Järvinen - Porslin (Björn Olsson, Martin Elisson)
6.David Lindgren
- Skyline (Fernando Fuentes, Henrik Nordenback, Christian
Fast)
7.Eric
Gadd - Vi kommer
aldrig att förlora (Eric
Gadd, Thomas Stenström, Jacob Olofsson)
Madonna has done a new interview to the Mexican magazine Basta. There she reveals that she has already started work on her next album - or at least she stated that she has material for it! She also has a new movie project coming up. Hopefully this means we will get some new stuff from her next year!
She also did a TV interview (in her bathroom!) in Miami which will be broadcast tomorrow on Globo TV!
Madonna has wrapped up the US leg of her MDNA tour, with every single show completely sold out! And there are some more good news for the queen (and gays):
Madonna did not break city laws on the
promotion of a homosexual lifestyle among minors during a concert in St.
Petersburg earlier this year, a court ruled on Thursday.
"Madonna’s actions were planned and
aimed at the formation of a distorted view of personal relations," read
the lawsuit, which was dismissed after a six-hour-long hearing by the St.
Petersburg court.
The nine plaintiffs were claiming over $10
million in compensation for "moral damages" suffered during Madonna’s
concert in August, during which the star handed out pink bracelets to the crowd
in a show of unity with the city’s gay and lesbian community.
The organizers of the concert had stated
that entry to the concert would be barred to anyone under 18 years of age.The authorities had earlier refused to open
a criminal investigation into the allegations.
"St. Petersburg’s laws were brutally
violated and in the coming years this type of violation could become the
norm," plaintiff Marina Yakovlyeva told the court. "But we have
created a precedent – any artist coming to our city will know now what laws
exist in our city."
The plaintiffs also said Madonna’s
"gay propaganda" would lead to a deterioration of Russia’s
demographic crisis and its subsequent inability to man its army. They also said
her promotion of homosexuality would lead to an increase in divorce rates.
But the judge at the trial was unimpressed.
"How many families split up because
one of the couple is gay?" asked Judge Vitaly Barkovsky. "And how
many because of alcoholism? How many lawsuits have you filed against alcohol
companies?"
The plaintiffs were backed by St.
Petersburg lawmaker Vitaly Milonov, who authored the city’s "gay
propaganda" law. The law, which was passed in March, criminalizes
"public action aimed at propagandizing sodomy, lesbianism, bisexualism,
and transgenderism among minors." Those charged with breaking the law face
fines from 5,000 to 500,000 rubles.
Despite a court summons, Madonna did not
attend the hearing, which attracted intense media attention in Russia. A
spokesperson for Madonna was not available for comment on Thursday.
The court’s ruling deflected further
potential criticism of Russia’s judicial system, which was the subject of
widespread international condemnation in the wake of the jailing of anti-Putin
punks Pussy Riot for two years apiece in August.
Madonna, who will appear in Rio de
Janeiro on her MDNA world tour, has reserved an entire hotel for herself and
her team, the online edition of the daily O Globo said Tuesday.
“The team includes, among many others,
physical trainers, personal assistants, hairdressers, wardrobe attendants” as
well as her four children and their tutors, the Web site said.
It added that due to the large number of
people surrounding her on the tour, Madonna decided to reserve an entire hotel
by the sea at Ipanema, a stretch of coastline that together with Copacabana and
Leblon make up Rio’s most famous string of beaches.
The MDNA tour, which kicked off in Israel
last May, will reach Latin America next weekend, when the Queen of Pop appears
in Mexico before moving on to Colombia.
On Dec. 2 the singer will perform in Rio de
Janeiro, after which she will be off to Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre followed by
Buenos Aires and Santiago, finally winding up her tour in the Argentine city of
Cordoba.
A beautiful LP re-issue of Results by Liza Minelli is coming out on December 3rd.
Liza Minnelli, winner of four Tony Awards,
an Oscar, a special "Legends" Grammy, two Golden Globe Awards and an
Emmy, is one of the entertainment world's consummate performers. In film, on
stage and in television, Liza has won critical acclaim, a multitude of fans,
and recognition from her peers in show business, giving new dimension and
credibility to the word "superstar."The Pet Shop Boys themselves
need no introduction.
This collaboration is a truly winning combination,
produced by The Pet Shop Boys and Julian Mendelsohn this remastered vinyl
edition pressed on 180g vinyl is packaged in a hardback book gatefold sleeve
with booklet, featuring the original album plus a bonus disc of rare 12inch
mixes. All the joy, excitement, pain, & insecurity apparent in many
relationships is captured here. Lyrically, this is the Pet Shop Boys at their
very best and Liza sure knows how to bring these lyrics to life. This is not a
cheerful album, in fact some if it is very moody...but thats exactly how it's
supposed to be, and in the hands of Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe they came up
with this undoubted classic.
Original released in 1989 the albums features
covers of the Pet Shop Boys songs, Rent (which features some great singing from
Liza and a superb orchestration courtesy of Anne Dudley) 'Tonight Is Forever'
and 'I Can't Say Goodnight'. Four of the tracks 'I Want You Now', 'If There Was
Love', the heartfelt 'So Sorry I Said' and 'Don't Drop Bombs' are brand new
Tennant and Lowe compositions written especially for this project. The
remaining 3 tracks that make up this album are a cover of the Tanita Tikaram
classic 'Twist In My Sobriety', Stephen Sondheims 'Losing My Mind' from Follies
and the Yvonne Elliman HI-NRG anthem that is 'Love Pains'.
The bonus disc
contains four 12inch remixes - 'Don't Drop Bombs', 'Losing My Mind' ultimix and
the very different ultimix dub version plus the very rare Steve Hurley deep
house pains mix of 'Love Pains'. An album where two worlds collide, a
fascinating mix of styles and traditions that still stands the test of time
today.
Tracklist:
I Want You Now
If There Was Love
So Sorry I Said
Don't Drop Bombs
Twist In My Sobriety
Rent
Love Pains
Tonight Is Forever
I Can't Say Goodnight
Dont Drop Bombs ext mix
Losing My Mind ultimix
Losing My Mind ultimix dub
Love Pains Steve 'Silk' Hurley deep house
pains
The album was originally released in September 1989. It peaked at#6 in the UK, but failed to enter the US charts. It has since become quite a classic - thankfully, since it is is an excellent album!
Four singles were released: "Losing My Mind", "Don't Drop Bombs", "So Sorry, I Said" and "Love Pains".
I have the deluxe CD, the original LP and most of the singles and I must say that even though the album is dated, it seems to become even better as time goes on...
The UK singles chart is celebrating it's 60th year! A shame that the milestone happens during one if the very worst years in the charts history - but these things tend to have it's ups and downs...
So sit back and enjoy this documentary on the UK singles chart (the only chart I still bother to check each week, despite it's current state).
News about the forthcoming DVD release of Madonna's MDNA tour have just been released:
We are happy to announce that Madonna’s
MDNA Tour DVD will be filmed in Miami on November 19th & 20th!
If you are to attend one of Miami shows,
get ready “to dance & sing, to get up and do your thing” as you could make
it in the final cut. . .
Fan club members: We are to launch the
devoted Golden Triangle contest very soon. This time, we will pick winners out
of the most amazing/fun looks, so go ahead and surprise us!
I CAN NOT WAIT FOR THIS TO COME OUT!!!
In the meantime, we have this mini-gig from Paris - love it, love it, love it!
Fabulous news for Diana Ross fans. Although not officially announced yet, official sources have confirmed that next year we will see expanded editions of at least two more Diana albums, courtesy of Hip-O Select. We already knew that Baby It's Me was on the way, but it has now been confirmed that an expanded edition of the 1978 album Ross will also come come out next year. Ross has never been released on CD anywhere in the world, except for a recent Japanese release.
Both albums will feature new remasters from the original tapes and they will both come with "incredible bonus tracks". My my, bring on 2013 I say!
As always, more info will be posted when I get it!
