67 And Fabulous...

Heaven, Horses And Real Life...

August will see reissues of the four Virgin-era Belinda Carlisle solo albums on the Edsel label. They will be released in a series of 2CD+DVD sets, all presented in casebound book packaging.

Each release comes with a DVD featuring all the relevant promo videos, plus an interview with Belinda by Mark Goodier discussing the album in question. The Heaven On Earth DVD also includes the Belinda Live! concert from 1988.

All four sets will be released on 26 August 2013.

Here are the tracklists for the CD's (DVD tracklists have not been made available yet).

Heaven On Earth

Disc: 1

1. Heaven Is A Place On Earth
2. Circle In The Sand
3. I Feel Free
4. Should I Let You In?
5. World Without You
6. I Get Weak
7. We Can Change
8. Fool For Love
9. Nobody Owns Me
10. Love Never Dies
11. Heaven Is A Place On Earth (Promo 7″ Edit)
12. I Get Weak (7″)
13. Circle In The Sand (7″)
14. World Without You (7″ remix)
15. I Feel Free (7″)
16. Love Never Dies (7″)

Disc: 2

1. Heaven Is A Place On Earth (Heavenly Version)
2. I Feel Free (Extended Version)
3. Circle In The Sand (Beach Party Mix)
4. World Without You (Extended Worldwide Mix)
5. I Get Weak (12″ Version)
6. Heaven Is A Place On Earth (Down To Earth Dub)
7. Circle In The Sand (Seaside Mood Groove Mix)
8. World Without You (Panavision Mix)
9. Circle In The Sand (Sandblast Multi – Mix)
10. I Get Weak (Romantic Mix)
11. Heaven Is A Place On Earth (Acappella)

Runaway Horses

Disc: 1

1. Leave A Light On
2. Runaway Horses
3. Vision Of You
4. Summer Rain
5. La Luna
6. (We Want) The Same Thing
7. Deep Deep Ocean
8. Valentine
9. Whatever It Takes
10. Shades Of Michaelangelo
11. Leave a light on (7″)
12. La Luna (7″)
13. Runaway Horses (Single Edit)
14. (We Want) The Same Thing (Summer Remix)
15. Summer Rain (Single Remix)
16. Vision Of You (7″ Edit)
17. Valentine (Edit)*

Disc: 2

1. (We Want) The Same Thing (Extended Summer Remix)
2. Leave A Light On (Extended Version)
3. La Luna (Extended Dance Mix)
4. Summer Rain (Justin Strauss Remix)
5. Leave A Light On (Kamikazee Mix)
6. (We Want) The Same Thing (All The Right Moves Mix)
7. La Luna (12″ Dub)
8. Summer Rain (Dub Mix)
9. Vision Of You (91 Remix)
10. La Luna (Acappella)

Live Your Life Be Free

Disc: 1

1. Live Your Life Be Free
2. Do You Feel Like I Feel?
3. Half The World
4. You Came Out Of Nowhere
5. You’re Nothing Without Me
6. I Plead Insanity
7. Emotional Highway
8. Little Black Book
9. Love Revolution
10. World Of Love
11. Loneliness Game
12. Live Your Life Be Free (Single Edit)
13. Do You Feel Like I Feel (Single Edit)
14. Half The World (Single Edit)
15. I Plead Insanity (Single Mix)
16. Live Your Life Be Free (Radio Edit)

Disc: 2

1. Live Your Life Be Free (Club Mix)
2. Little Black Book (Little Black Mix)
3. Do You Feel Like I Feel (Dance Mix)
4. I Plead Insanity (Extended 12″)*
5. Live Your Life Be Free (Extended)*
6. Little Black Book (Belinda’s In The House Mix)
7. Live Your Life Be Free (House Mix)*
8. I Plead Insanity (Dub Mix)*
9. Only A Dream
10. The Air You Breathe

Real

1. Goodbye Day
2. Bigscaryanimal
3. Too Much Water
4. Lay Down Your Arms
5. Where Love Hides
6. One With You
7. Wrap My Arms
8. Tell Me
9. Windows Of The World
10. Here Comes My Baby
11. Lay Down Your Arms (Single Edit)
12. Heaven Is A Place On Earth (Dyme Brothers 7″ Mix)
13. All God’s Children (Edit)
14. A Prayer For Everyone (Edit)
15. Heaven Is A Place On Earth (Dyme Brothers 12″)

Disc: 2

1. Change (Demo)
2. Too Much Water (Demo)
3. Wrap My Arms (Demo)
4. Here Comes My Baby (Demo)
5. Feels Like I’ve Known You Forever*
6. A Prayer For Everyone*
7. All God’s Children*
8. I Feel Free (Live)**
9. Circle In The Sand (Live)**
10. Heaven Is A Place On Earth (Live)**

SOTD...

FINALLY!!!

After a very tough semester, I finished my last exam this morning. And unless I failed and have to take it again, I now have two whole months off from school!!!

There is only one song for this occasion...

Skirt...

Kylie Minogue has released a new track online.

The song - called 'Skirts' - was unveiled by producer and DJ Chris Lake to celebrate Kylie's 44th birthday today (May 28). After premiering the track at Pacha Ibiza, Lake tweeted: "Happy Birthday @kylieminogue !!!!! Sick new track with @NomDeStrip called 'skirt'."

The track was helmed by dance producers Chris Elliot and Marco Lys aka Nom De Strip and co-written by The-Dream, whose previous credits include Mariah Carey (eeeeeewwwww), Usher and Beyoncé.

Meanwhile, Minogue tweeted that she is spending her birthday in the studio working on her new album, posting: "Might be my birthday but I'm still working #studio"

Omar Grant - who is part of the A&R division at Roc Nation said that Minogue's new album will feature an 'interesting' collaboration, though did not clarify as to whether it would be a male or female.

Pharrell Williams recently confirmed that he has worked with Minogue on new material. Darkchild, Stargate and Sia are also rumoured to have worked on the follow-up to 2010's Aphrodite.

Minogue has previously said that her new album is almost finished, and that she is doing something "different" for the record.

Here is the new track. Happy 45th birthday Miss Minogue!

Download (thanks to Silvanemesis)

NYC 83...

A new book collecting the Madonna portraits shot by Richard Corman in New York City in the early 80's will be published by Damiani on November 30, 2013.

Madonna NYC 83 celebrates a moment in early 1980s New York that has been increasingly reappraised in recent years for its fecund interactions and overlaps between the worlds of fashion, art and music.

Coming in the wake of punk and new wave, this economically fragile period gave rise to a vital, edgy restlessness in the city, spawning adventurous personal styles and music that merged rap, funk, punk and pop. Madonna represented this sensibility like no-one else. As this book makes amply clear, from the start she was determined to define a look for herself, and to carve out a space in the public imagination. After her countless subsequent incarnations over the past three decades, it is extraordinary to revisit these early years. Richard Corman met Madonna by chance in 1983 and created a bountiful collection of images that constitute a multifaceted portrait of the young Madonna and a New York that remains timelessly inspiring and significant.

Madonna NYC 83 is not only an homage to Madonna and the early 80s, but also a collage of exuberance, humor, fashion, sexiness and performance.

The book is designed by Yolande Cuomo Design. As a portrait photographer, Richard Corman has worked with subjects ranging from Nobel Peace Prize recipients (Nelson Mandela, James Dewey Watson) to actors (Robert De Niro, Paul Newman, Al Pacino), athletes (Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Muhammad Ali) and musicians of our time (Sting, Wynton Marsalis). A native New Yorker, Corman studied at Hunter College, later spending two years apprenticing with Richard Avedon in the early 1980s.

The book is available to preorder from Amazon

SOTD...

Just got home from a test I have been studying for what seems like months. Thankfully I think I did pretty well. Now there is one more test to get through (next week) and then I get two whole months off from school! Maybe I can have some sort of a life again...

But, before that there is the small matter of getting through the last one, which is German! I urge you to try to learn all the basics in a new language in less then a month, while doing another course! 

But, for inspiration I will call upon the princess of Germany. Yes, it's Sandra of course!

My Euro-priestess of pop turned 50 years young a few days ago, but thankfully she is still releasing fabulous music and touring around Europe. Back in 1985, after the massive success of "Maria Magdalena", Sandra released the follow up single in November: "In The Heat Of The Night".

The song became another big hit for her, charting inside the Top 5 in Germany, Italy, France and Sweden to name a few. She released her first proper music video to go with the song, which you can of course enjoy below. What followed was a string of fabulous hit singles and quite a few fantastic albums. Her latest album, Stay In Touch, is amongst the best she's done and proves that she is far from finished.

But this one remains one of my favorites.

EP...

On June 5th Army Of Lovers will release a new EP called the Scandinavian Crime EP. It will contain  the four brand new songs from the Big Battle Of Egos album, but with main focus on the new single "Signed On My Tattoo" (a duet with Gravitonas). The EP also features brand new vocals from La Dominika and Jean-Pierre on "Tragedy" and "Rockin' The Ride". 

The EP is a global release from SoFo Records and will be followed by further new material from Army Of Lovers throughout 2013-14. Here is a fanmade video for the new single:

More Hurrah!...

After the news a couple of days ago that Miss Janet Jackson is working on new material, Bananarama have now announced that they are working with their US management on a new album, which will probably be out next year! Watch the interview:

Young Guns...

Excellent documentaries from 1999 about Bananarama, Culture Club, The Human League and The Smiths.

Cover...

The cover for the new Gloria Estefan album, out on September 10th.

September!...

After Madonna accepted her Top Touring Artist award at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, she sat down exclusively with Extra’s Jerry Penacoli, and opened up about her family, her Met Gala photo with Kim Kardashian and her feud with Elton John.

She also revealed that the MDNA Tour is being released on DVD and Blu-ray in September.

On family…

It was great to have a working family… to me that’s my idea of fun, to be creative, to do what I love to do and see my kids working around me and earning their way in life. My daughter worked in the costume department and she loved it. My son was in the show, and he loved it.

I try to find the right balance between being there for them and guiding them and also being an artist. I’m trying to find enough time in the day to do those jobs well. I try to be very clear with them. This is my persona for work. What we aspire to do is to work and to be good people. If you don’t have those two things, fame is nothing, so I try to drill that into their heads.

On Kim Kardashian…

I met her years and years ago when she was a little girl, believe it or not. She told me she was a huge fan of mine, and it was during the time I was wearing all of the rubber bracelets on my arms. I took off all of the bracelets and gave them to her and then I completely forgot about it. She reminded me when I saw her the other night. Now she’s a pregnant lady!

Madonna confirmed the reconciliation with Elton John at a restaurant in Nice, France…

After we kissed and hugged, he paid for my dinner, as he should.




Right after winning Top Touring Artist at the Billboard Music Awards Sunday night, we caught up with Madonna backstage for a quick chat. The pop icon discussed her upcoming MDNA concert special, new album rumors and her charitable initiatives in Africa and beyond.

Madonna was quick to quiet any notion that she had started work on a new studio album. 'No, not yet. I just finished editing the DVD of my ('MDNA') concert,' adding jokingly, 'so I haven't had any free time.' Madonna's editing handiwork will be revealed on June 22, when her MDNA Tour concert special premieres on premium network EPIX. The concert will debut at 8 p.m. EST that night on EPIX's TV network and online at EpixHD.com and on EPIX apps. A home video release of the tour is due out in fall, possibly in September. The globe-trekking MDNA Tour was 2012's highest-grossing trek and the 10th-biggest tour of all time according to Billboard Boxscore. It played 88 shows on four continents to over 2.2 million attendees. The tour supported her 2012 studio album 'MDNA,' which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

At the Billboard Music Awards, Madonna also spoke about her continued commitment to girls education and outreach in Malawi and beyond. 'I continue to do my work there,' she said, noting that her organization had recently finished building 10 schools, 'which I'm very proud of,' and that she continues 'to do work with various orphanages, hospitals, medical trainees, supporting doctors (and) pediatricians.' She continued, saying how she's 'trying to expand' her efforts 'beyond Malawi to other parts of the world.' As part of that charitable expansion, she recently sold a Fernand Leger painting for $7.2 million, the proceeds of which will benefit her Ray of Light Foundation that supports girls' education projects in the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. The 1921 painting, titled 'Trois Femmes a la Table Rouge,' was sold at a Sotheby's auction on May 7, exceeding pre-sale expectations. Madonna had owned the work since 1990, when she bought it at Sotheby's for $3.4 million.


And in other Madonna news:

Madonna has confirmed her participation as presenter in 'The Sound of Change Live' concert, presented by CHIME FOR CHANGE. Recently founded by Gucci, the organization hosts campaigns for improved Education, Health and Justice for women and girls worldwide. The four-hour concert, which takes place at Twickenham Stadium on Saturday 1 June, is supported by an impressive line-up of world-class artists and internationally renowned presenters, lending their voices to CHIME FOR CHANGE.

The confirmed line-up is: Aishwarya Rai * Archbishop Desmond Tutu * Beyonce * Blake Lively * Ellie Goulding * Florence + the Machine * Freida Pinto * Gloria Steinman * Gordon and Sarah Brown * HAIM * Humaira Bachal * Iggy Azalea * Jada Pinkett Smith * James Franco * Jennifer Lopez * Jessica Chastain * John Legend * Laura Pausini * Leymah Gbowee * Madonna * Mpho Tutu * Rita Ora * Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy * Timbaland * Zoe Saldana *

Madonna said, "60 percent of the children in the world NOT in school, are girls! 2/3 of the world's illiterate are WOMEN! I Do NOT accept this. We need to change this and we WILL CHANGE THIS!"

The concert will start at 5.30pm and finish at 10:00pm and each artist will perform special sets with some exciting collaborations expected. Throughout the concert short films will be shown highlighting issues such as: 60% of children not in school are girls, 800 women die daily in pregnancy or childbirth - most of whom would live with access to proper care, and despite gains, just 21% of seats in national parliaments are held by women.

Tickets for the concert are available from: www.chimeforchange.org

www.ticketmaster.co.uk

Tel: +44 (0) 844-847 1693

UPDATE:

The Extra interview:

SOTD...

The eternal diva that is Cher is celebrating her 67th birthday today!

May seems to be the month of the divas. Yesterday, Grace Jones celebrated her 65th birthday and on May 16th Janet Jackson turned 47. Sandra turned 50 (!) on May 18th and of course Kylie Minogue will celebrate her 45th birthday on  May 28th!




But let's get back to Cher and the Song Of The Day.

"Strong Enough"  was released on February 19th 1999 as the second single from her massive album Believe. An instant favorite of mine, the song became a big hit in Europe (#1 in Denmark, #3 in Germany and France, #5 in the UK etc). It did however not do as well in the US where it peaked at #57, although it did of course become a #1 hit on the Dance Chart!

The diva has told us that her brand new single will be out in June and that her first album since 2001 will be out in the first week of September!

She compared her forthcoming 26th LP to 1998's Believe. "It's about being fabulous.Truthfully, I'm not a huge Cher fan and I've said this many times, but I think this is the best album I've ever done.The songs are so brilliant. I got so lucky. The closest thing to this album I think is the Believe album."

She mentioned that her duet with Lady Gaga is "on the line" as to whether it will make the final cut on the collection, adding: "Lady GaGa may not want to be on the album". It was recently reported that Cher has collaborated with Scissor Sisters singer Jake Shears on the record.

Now, with the endless delays and false starts one most take this info with a grain of salt. But one thing is for sure: Cher is still very much around!

Happy birthday to Cher and all the other divas that celebrate their birthdays this month. They have all proven to be strong enough indeed!

Hurrah!...

Janet Jackson has revealed that she is working on new music. The singer is currently celebrating the 20th anniversary of her fourth album janet, released on May 18, 1993.

In April, unconfirmed reports were saying that Janet intended to retire from the entertainment industry, moving to the Middle East with new husband Wissam Al Mana. However, she told Billboard: "I am working on a new project now. We are creating the concept and initial thoughts on the music. I am excited about the direction we are taking. I don't want to rush it… I don't want to put a time constraint on the creative process."

Speaking about her 1993 album turning 20, Jackson expressed: "I can't believe it is already 20 years! I always write my music based on what is going on in my life at the time. I wanted to allow people in... I want my fans to really know me. The janet album was sexual, and I was beginning to really discover that side of me."

Newcomers like Kendrick Lamar and How to Dress Well are referencing Jackson’s songs in their own music (Lamar’s “Poetic Justice”, How to Dress Well’s version of “Again”). Janet commented: “I have listened to the music that is out there and I love Kendrick’s ‘Poetic Justice,’” Jackson said. “There are artists, true performers that have come before me who have been a big inspiration to me. I hope I do the same for others.”

I am thrilled about this! I have been listening a lot to Miss Jackson lately and I can't wait for new stuff from her! You can see Billboard's track by track review of the classic janet album here

3 For One...

Madonna was at the Billboard Music Awards last night!






She won three awards (everything she was nominated for):

Top Touring Artist

Madonna — WINNER

Coldplay

Lady Gaga

Bruce Springsteen

Roger Waters

Top Dance Artist

Madonna — WINNER

David Guetta

Calvin Harris

Skrillex

Swedish House Mafia

Top Dance Album

Madonna // MDNA — WINNER

David Guetta // Nothing But the Beat

Deadmau5 // Album Title Goes Here

LMFAO // Sorry for Party Rocking

Skrillex // Bangarang





Press room:









Backstage:

Backstage interview:



And here is a longer teaser for the upcoming broadcast of the MDNA Tour:



And finally: Madonna's speech!

Bitter Teardrops...

Another Eurovision is over. And as expected, that mindless crowd pleaser from Denmark won.

I was disappointed (although not entirely surprised) over how badly Ireland and UK did. The voting was a bit of a bore (there was never really a question that Denmark would win - even long before the show), the opening was terribly tacky and the overall look of the contest this year made me think we were back in the 90s. Thank god for the host, at least she was hilarious!

Bonnie Tyler, who sang for the UK released a message after the show:

The Eurovision experience has been fantastic. I got the feelings tonight that I got at the Grammy awards. I’m sure a lot of people will be disappointed on my behalf but I have really enjoyed my Eurovision experience. I did the best that I could with a great song, I don’t feel down, I’m quite relaxed — and ready to party!

The songs and singers at the top I really liked – Denmark, Norway, Azerbaijan. They totally deserve to be up there. Of course I’d have liked to bring it home for the UK, but it has been a night to remember.

I would particularly like to thank my fans and supporters for their good wishes, enthusiasm and votes and hope that they will continue to stick with me.

Then of course there were the unintentionally hilarious moments as well. The completely classless Cascada from Germany, the very tacky entries from Romania and Belarus, the wind and fog machines used by Georgia, the awful lyrics from Lithuania, the Prozac overdosed group from Malta - the list goes on. But of course it all adds to the fun!

Out of the songs that finished in the Top 10 my favorites were The Netherlands and Norway. Here is a look at some of my favorites/tacky entries this year. I did feel that the selection of songs this year was very weak though...

Oh well, bring on the 2014 show!

 



The DVD will be out on June 14th.