U2/Bono asked for Russia's help in fighting AIDS

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev welcomed U2 frontman Bono to tea on Tuesday ahead of the group’s first ever Russian concert, and the Irish musician asked for Russia’s help in fighting AIDS.”Taking care of people is not just what politicians do,” self-proclaimed rock music lover Medvedev told Bono, adding that U2’s music has united generations of people.Their meeting on the sun-drenched veranda of Medvedev’s summer residence on the Black Sea comes a day before U2 take to the Moscow stage for their first ever performance in Russia.Earlier this month in Italy, U2 resumed their 360 Degree Tour following a two-month absence while Bono recovered from a back injury.

Bono, sporting his trademark sunglasses and single earring, asked Medvedev to find a Russian firm to team up for his “Red” campaign, which raises money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.Brands Nike, Microsoft, Apple and Starbucks have sold red products and donated part of the proceeds to the charity.

“Maybe you can find a Russian company, a Red Russian company, it’s your color,” Bono told Medvedev, an apparent reference to the red flags and stars used by the Soviet Union.Medvedev said he would think how Russia, which experts say has at least one million people infected with HIV, could contribute to the Red brand.

The two men also shared jokes about their tastes in music, with Bono declaring: “I come here to cross the great divide between me, a Led Zeppelin fan, and you, the Deep Purple fan.”Medvedev, who has made much fuss of his devotion to the veteran British hard rock group, chuckled but replied in English that he also counted Led Zeppelin amongst his favorites.

Bono later said in a statement that he and the Kremlin chief had also discussed corruption as a means to ending poverty.Since coming to office two years ago, Medvedev has vowed repeatedly to tackle Russia’s endemic corruption, though analysts say they have seen very little change so far.(Reuters Life!)

World Cup organizers promise a high-tech closing ceremony featuring pop star Shakira

JOHANNESBURG World Cup organizers promise a high-tech closing ceremony featuring pop star Shakira, compared to the more traditionally African ceremony which opened the tournament.Organizing committee spokesman Jermaine Craig says Sunday’s show at Soccer City will be “more youthful and a bit more technologically advanced” than the June 11 opening ceremony.

Craig says the nighttime event has “nice lighting effects and special effects planned.”The closing ceremony is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. local time, two hours before the final match kicks off.Colombian star Shakira will perform the official tournament anthem “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).” Shakira also performed the song at a June 10 World Cup concert in Soweto.(AP)

Paul Gray, the bassist for Grammy-winning metal band Slipknot, was found dead Monday in an Iowa hotel room

DES MOINES, Iowa Paul Gray, the bassist for Grammy-winning metal band Slipknot, was found dead Monday in an Iowa hotel room, police said.A hotel employee found Gray, 38, dead in a room at the Town Plaza Hotel in Urbandale, a suburb of Des Moines, police said in a statement. Foul play isn’t suspected, and an autopsy is planned for Tuesday.

Amy Sciarretto, a publicist at the band’s record company, Roadrunner Records, confirmed Gray’s death but declined further comment. Most of the band’s members grew up in the Des Moines area.Slipknot’s self-titled debut in 1999 sold more than a million copies.

Known for its grotesque masks, trashing sound and aggressive lyrics, the band won a Grammy in 2006 for best metal performance for the song “Before I Forget.” Concert industry trade publication Pollstar ranked Slipknot 18th in its Top 20 Concert Tours list in 2009.

Andy Hall, music director of Des Moines rock station Lazer 103.3, said he’d known Gray for 10 years. He described him as a talented bass player who was also one of the friendliest, most caring people he knew.

“This is a big blow, not only to the community of Des Moines but fans of metal at large, worldwide,” Hall said. “It’s a devastating loss. Paul was a wonderful human being.”The station was planning to broadcast an hour-long tribute to Gray on Monday night.(AP)

Shakira takes fight to Arizona’s streets 01 may 2010

Opposition to Arizona’s new “show us your papers” law, which would require legal U.S. immigrants to carry documentation with them at all times or be arrested, isn’t limited to the political field. First, late night host David Letterman lampooned the with, suggesting that it could be summed with with the phrase “You don’t look like you’re from around here.” And now Shakira has entered the fray, albeit in a much more serious manner. The Columbian singer  out that she herself could be “could be detained and arrested and taken away” while walking the streets of Arizona, and has met with local leaders who share her concern as well as local families who say they’ll be afraid to avail themselves of law enforcement, even in times of emergencies, for fear of being arrested themselves despite legal status. The Arizona law has led to national outrage and widespread protests among those who oppose the law and equate it to legalized racism.pointeIn other Shakira news, the singer recently performed her new single “Gypsy” on American Idol, with country trio Rascal Flatts as her backing band.

Shakira Speaks Out Against Arizona Immigration Law, : You're Violating Human Rights

The She Wolf is on the prowl, and she’s set her sights on Arizona.In response to that state’s incomprehensible new immigration law – which allows the police to ask for the identification of anyone suspected of being an illegal alien – Shakira is going on the attack.She’s headed to to Arizona today to get involved in the issue, telling Ryan Seacrest on the radio this morning:”As a Latina, I’m very concerned how this law can impact working Hispanic families. I think that being detained in the street just because of the color of your skin is just wrong, and it’s a violation of human and civil rights.”From the American Idol stage to the rights-violating streets of Arizona, Shakira is everywhere this week!The Colombian-born singer, who is as charitable as celebrities get, will hold a press conference with Phoenix mayor Phil Gordon this week.

Like her truth-telling hips, we hope Shakira gives it to the lawmakers straight. After all, Arizona has actually made it legal for cops to make like Nazis and order: Show me your papers.”They’re really willing to enforce the law even though they know it’s going crush the dreams of so many immigrants who would like to have a shot at the American dream like so many minorities have in the past in this country,” Shakira said, continuing:”We all know that America has been forged by the dreams of those people and by their passion and by their contribution to the economy by working really hard, and that’s what Latinos do in this country, is work tirelessly.

“I wasn’t born in this country, and I know what a great country this is. It depends greatly on creating union, not division, and I think this law will create chaos and create division instead of progress and union, and I don’t think it’s fair.”We’d love to see anyone argue with that.

WATCH SHAKIRA’S IMPRESSIVE INTERVIEW BELOW.

http://www.youtube.com/v/ORFQD-avN-8&rel=0&fs=1

50 Cent's want to remove the tattoos

50 Cent’s many tattoos have always been a part of the rapper’s image. He’s displayed them prominently on album covers and in magazines throughout his career. But the ink that made him stand out in the music world isn’t serving him so well now that 50 Cent the rapper is becoming 50 Cent the rapper-actor. So Curtis Jackson (his real name) has begun the process of removing many of them with costly laser procedures.People reports that Jackson removed some of his iconic arm tattoos, saying that not only were they limiting the roles he could play, but that having them covered up for films was getting to be a pain.”[Laser removal] cuts down on the amount of time I have to spend in makeup covering them up,” says the actor. Jackson has roles in several upcoming films, including Twelve with Chace Crawford (out later this year), 2011’s Things Fall Apart, and The Dance, a boxing film costarring Nicolas Cage.Last November, Jackson made it clear that he values sleep over body art, saying that covering the ink in the makeup chair often required him to show up on set four hours before the other actors. And even when the ink is covered up, some rigorous roles won’t withstand the industry’s heaviest makeup. Jackson said of his role in The Dance, which is now in development, “When you’re a fighter, you’re sweating, [and] with a whole bunch of make-up on and stuff like that, it doesn’t look real to me.”

But fans of 50 Cent’s most unique tattoo – the giant “50 Cent” on his back – shouldn’t fret: That one is here to stay. “I can’t take that off,” he says. (Lucky for him, a back tattoo is usually pretty easy to hide under clothing.)Meanwhile, another famously tattooed celebrity is still using her body as a canvas, makeup-chair hours notwithstanding. On the cover of the latest Entertainment Weekly, Angelina Jolie displays what appears to be a new tattoo – the underlining of text on the back of her neck. (The text, which is not new, reads: “know your rights”.)

Like 50 Cent, Jolie (who is currently promoting her new movie, Salt) is no stranger to changing her mind about supposedly permanent body ink. Jolie altered an upper-arm tribute to her ex-husband Billy Bob Thornton after the two split up. Jolie’s arm now displays the map coordinates of where each of her six children were born.

Shakira and South African band Freshlyground has been chosen as the official World Cup anthem

JOHANNESBURG  A song by Colombian pop star Shakira and South African band Freshlyground has been chosen as the official World Cup anthem.The song, “Time for Africa,” is expected to be released to radio stations across the world next week and will be available for download beginning April 26.

Shakira and Cape Town’s Freshlyground will perform the song at the World Cup kickoff concert in Soweto on June 10, and at the tournament’s opening ceremony and before the July 11 final.Freshlyground made the announcement Friday.(AP)

http://www.youtube.com/v/7GRk52yRXYY&rel=0&fs=1

Whitney Houston was suddenly rushed to the hospital. As a result, the concert is supposed to start today in Paris

PARIS Whitney Houston was suddenly rushed to the hospital. As a result, the concert is supposed to start today in Paris, pending.46-year-old singer was treated at a hospital in the City of Paris, France, because there was interference with the nose and throat.

A popular singer in the 1980s and 1990s with the song I Will Always Love You, was scheduled to hold a concert in Paris. But canceled at the last moment.One member of the tour, as quoted by AFP on Wednesday (7/4/2010), states, or some kind rhinopharyngitis Whitney suffered from upper respiratory disorders. Primarily affects the nose and throat.From the disease, the United States pop diva was supposed to postpone the second concert took place on Thursday tomorrow at the City of Manchester, England.

Media preach women born in New Jersey, August 9, 1963 was treated at the American Hospital in Neuilly on the outskirts of Paris. These hospitals often be subscribed French celebrities.Tour titled ‘Nothing but Love’ is actually very important. This concert marks the return of Whitney to the world of entertainment. This world tour has been started since last year.

RIHANNA wants to get married

RIHANNA wants to get married!Insiders say the Rude Boy hitmaker is keen to make her romance with beau Matt Kemp official.“Rihanna is head over heels in love with Matt,” a source said.

“She has told friends she’d love to marry him. She’d be so happy if he got down on one knee and popped the question.”Matt, the source adds, “was just what Ri needed to help her get over Chris Brown.”It was recently claimed that the superstar singer 22, has been forced to beef up her personal security after a male fan allegedly sent her saucy letters.

“Matt has asked Rihanna’s team to be extra cautious since she was sent two very steamy letters,” a source told Britain’s Daily Star newspaper.“Her friends are also concerned about the situation. They spent ages talking about it when they dined at the Spanish Kitchen in West Hollywood last week.“They are really worried things with this guy are going to get out of hand.”

USHER insists he’s in no rush to remarry

USHER insists he’s in no rush to remarry.The Pop Ya Collar hitmaker  who has two sons with ex-wife Tameka Foster — says he plans to take his time finding another partner.“I want to hold my horses, I’m 31 et me just take my time,” the singer said during an interview on US TV show Good Morning America.

“I have two beautiful children, and managing the process of it, I want to be comfortable — I’m not rushing, you know, to get old, I’m young.”The star said the constant media attention took a toll on the marriage.“I’m pretty sure it did,” he admitted. “To have my life as heavily scrutinised as it is, and people to have their opinions, you know, everybody’s going to have one and unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do about it.“It was one of the most sincere occurrences in my life. Unfortunately, it just did not work out and we’ve moved on to be very happy.

“I didn’t become an artist to hide out. Anonymity is something that goes out the window when you decide that you want to be an entertainer.“I just hope that my kids will be passionate young men, that they will believe in something and stick to it until it is finished.”