KenEnter Blog

AMAs: Jennifer Lopez lands on her derrière after tricky dance move goes wrong

2009-11-24T01:09:00.001+07:00

It was a daring dance manoeuvre that could have gone terribly wrong - and unfortunately for Jennifer Lopez - it did.

The diva fell flat on her famous rear end while performing her new single Louboutins at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles last night.

The 40-year-old mother of two began the dramatic stunt by climbing up a human pyramid of semi-naked male dancers.

She then drew gasps from the audience when she lost her balance after jumping off a dancer's back, and landed on her derriere.

Fear in her eyes: Jennifer Lopez looked uneasy as she jumped off the shoulders of a dancer during her performance at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles last night

Down for the count: Jennifer, who chose a boxing theme for her performance, took a hit to her ego after
landing with a thud

But, ever the professional, Jennifer quickly recovered her poise and carried on with the show.

After hours of rehearsals, the slip up would have disappointed the singer, who is known to be something of a perfectionist.

But it seems that the only thing bruised was her ego, with her spokesperson assuring concerned fans that 'she's fine, totally fine.'

Jennifer's boxing themed act was just one of many high profile appearances on the night.

Rihanna returned to the AMA stage, sporting blonde hair, a skintight, white peek-a-boo bodysuit and a tattoo down the front of her neck that read Rated R, the name of her new album.

Her rendition of Wait Your Turn marked Rihanna's first U.S. performance since she pulled out of the Grammys in February after she was assaulted by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.

The Black Eyed Peas, voted favorite pop/rock band, energized the crowd when they performed two of the year's most popular hits: I Got A Feeling and Boom Boom Pow.

Janet Jackson opened the show with a medley of some of the biggest hits from her long career - all tracks that appear on her new greatest-hits collection, also called Number Ones.

Alicia Keys and Jay-Z duetted on their ode to New York City, Empire State Of Mind. Shakira was flanked by a dozen dancers in tiny black bodysuits as she sang her new single.

Kelly Clarkson performed a stripped down version of her hit Already Gone, backed by a string quartet.

Lady GaGa performed her new single Bad Romance while Whitney Houston gave an emotional performance of her track I Didn't Know My Own Strength.

The show closed with an S&M-themed, sexually charged performance by American Idol runner up Adam Lambert - which included him shoving a male dancer's face into his crotch.

Michael Jackson made history by winning four American Music Awards, but he couldn't beat Taylor Swift as the year's favourite artist and the evening's top winner.

The 19-year-old took the show's top award Sunday night, giving Jackson his only loss of the night, and giving her five trophies in all.

'Music has never been ultimately about competition,' she said as she accepted the top prize via satellite from London, where she is to perform today.

'To even be mentioned in a category with Michael Jackson, who we will miss and love forever, is an unimaginable honour.'

Jackson's trophies were accepted by his brother Jermaine, who paid tribute to his late brother by wearing glittery white glove. He thanked 'Allah for blessing my entire family' and named each of his brothers and sisters.

Rihanna wins the battle of the body suits with Lady GaGa at the American Music Awards

2009-11-24T01:08:00.000+07:00

Rihanna and Lady GaGa may not have won anything at the American Music Awards last night, but there was no missing the eccentric singers in their outlandish outfits.

Both Rihanna and GaGa stole the show with their raunchy performances in their skin-tight ensembles, which left little to the imagination.

Bajan singer Rihanna, 21, flashed the flesh in both her red carpet and on stage outfits - she arrived in a black cut-out Marchesa gown, before changing into her futuristic white catsuit with white shoulderpads, which shot lasers across the stage.

Last night's rendition of Wait Your Turn marked Rihanna's first U.S. performance since she pulled out of the Grammys in February after she was assaulted by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.

Despite being nominated in three categories, Lady GaGa went home empty-handed, but still managed to wow the audience at Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre with her performance of Bad Romance and Speechless.

As expected, the New Yorker put on a typically flamboyant show as she danced on stage in a nude bodysuit, bandages and skeleton bones attach to her torso.

Gaga, real neal Stefani Germanotta, was widely tipped to win the Breakthrough Artist award, but lost out to country music band Gloriana.

The quartet even admitted they thought GaGa was going to win, saying in their acceptance speech: 'Hands down, we thought Lady Gaga was gonna win. We just freaked out when they called our name.'

While Rihanna and GaGa had to contend with performing last night, it was teenage country singer Taylor Swift who was the big winner.

Taylor Swift Tops Even Michael Jackson at American Music Awards

2009-11-24T01:00:00.000+07:00

Kanye West might have a problem with it, but this is definitely Taylor Swift's year.

The 19-year-old twanger pocketed a leading five prizes, including the biggest, Artist of the Year, at Sunday's American Music Awards, while Michael Jackson made some history from beyond the grave.

The late King of Pop won four posthumous awards—including Favorite Pop/Rock Artist and Pop/Rock Album for his 2003 greatest-hits set, Number Ones—bringing his AMA career total to 25.

Rihanna pulled out all the sartorial stops for her first onstage appearance at an awards show since the shocking post-Grammy awards incident that left her battered and bruised

In a night when neither of the top winners was present (Jackson for obvious reasons; Swift was in London rehearsing for a show at Wembley Arena), the Los Angeles cemerony was marked by a couple of outrageous performances (thank you, Adam Lambert and Lady Gaga) and welcome comebacks by Rihanna and Whitney Houston. But in the end, the ghost of Jackson was the night's most compelling presence.

"We love you, Michael," said a sequin-glove-sporting Jermaine Jackson, who accepted the honor on his brother's behalf. "It's not just about the winnings, the awards, it's mainly the message. The message that Michael had will live on forever...and he saw good in everyone and he wanted them to do good. To start with love and let's love each other."

Sister Janet kicked things off with a medley of her hits. Even Swift, who accepted her Artist of the Year award (without interruption) live via satellite, paid tribute to Michael, who she beat.

"I just want to say that music has never been ultimately about competition, and to even be mentioned in a category with Mixhael Jackson, who we'll miss and love forever, is an unumaginable honor," she said. "And I just want to say I'm sending my love to the Jackson family and Janet."

Fellow country star Keith Urban scored Country's Best Male Artist and gave a big shout-out to wife Nicole Kidman—a presenter with her Nine costar Kate Hudson, who was nearly falling out of her platinum dress.

"I just love you so much, baby. This is for you and Sunday," said Urban, who also crooned "Kiss a Girl."

And in what was the evening's biggest surprise, Nashville's Gloriana was named T-Mobile's Breakthrough Artist, selected by the viewers.

Of course, what's an AMA show without Music? And there was plenty to be had.

Backed by a gospel choir, a joyful Houston brought the house down with a performance of her new single, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength."

After a standing O, Samuel L. Jackson presented the "So Emotional" singer with the International Artist of the Year, an award given out only six times in the history of the AMAs.

Among the other highlights: Shakira got the Nokia Theatre moving with her drum-heavy new single, "Give It Up to Me;" Jay-Z and Alicia Keys paid tribute to the Big Apple with a stirring take on their "Empire State of Mind;" Mary. J. Blige offered up a classy take of "I Am;" five-time AMA winner Carrie Underwood brought some old-school burlesque to the festivities, belting out "Cowboy Cassanova;" the Black Eyed Peas delivered a futuristic one-two punch with "The E.N.D." and "Boom Boom Pow," the latter with robot dancers; and Eminem and 50 Cent teamed up for a bleep-worthy "Crack a Bottle."

Other stage hijinks included Rihanna, who took a page from Frankenstein by appearing onstage shackled in a mad scientist's laboratory to rock the house with her guitar-heavy anthem "Hard." Gaga, meanwhile, tried to out-diva Madonna with a somewhat kooky performance of "Bad Romance" that was probably more outrageous for her wardrobe than actual singing; she followed that up with the power ballad "Speechless" (her piano was literally on fire).

Even Jennifer Lopez tried to get in on the fun, coming out in boxer regalia to sing her club hit "Louboutins"—only to briefly bite the dust. (Her rep assures us that "she is fine, totally fine.")

Then there was Lambert. The glam-rock-aspiring American Idol champ closed things out with an extremely raunchy S&M act choreographed to the title cut to his new album, "For Your Entertainment," complete with an up-close-and-personal moment with a backup musician that show sources told us was definitely not rehearsed.

And capping a box-office-busting weekend at the box office, The Twilight Saga even got in on the AMA action, scoring the prize for Favorite Soundtrack for the first film.

Here's the complete list of winners at the 2009 AMAs:
Artist Of The Year: Taylor Swift
International Artist Of The Year: Whitney Houston
Favourite Pop/Rock Male Artist: Michael Jackson
Favourite Pop/Rock Female Artist: Taylor Swift
Favourite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group: The Black Eyed Peas
Favourite Pop/Rock Album: Taylor Swift - Fearless
Favourite Country Male Artist: Keith Urban
Favourite Country Female Artist: Taylor Swift
Favourite Country Band, Duo or Group: Rascal Flatts
Favourite Country Album: Taylor Swift - Fearless
Favourite Hip-Hop Male Artist: Jay-Z
Favourite Hip-Hop Album: Jay-Z - Blueprint
Favourite Soul/R&B Male Artist: Michael Jackson
Favourite Soul/R&B Female Artist: Beyonce
Favourite Soul/R&B Band, Duo or Group: The Black Eyed Peas
Favourite Soul/R&B Album: Michael Jackson - Number Ones
Favourite Soundtrack Album: Twilight
Favourite Adult Contemporary Artist: Taylor Swift
Favourite Alternative Rock Artist: Green Day
Favourite Latin Artist: Aventura
Favourite Contemporary Inspirational Artist: Mary Mary
Breakthrough Artist Of The Year: Gloriana

Some Pics

Adam Lambert Says AMA Kiss Was 'In The Moment'

2009-11-24T00:49:00.001+07:00

Singer also said that any criticism of the bit is discriminatory and shows a "double standard."

Just last week, the editor-in-chief of the gay magazine Out was lamenting that Adam Lambert's handlers were allegedly trying to ease the out-and-proud singer back into the closet a bit. While Lambert told the gay magazine to chill, he seemed intent on sending a strong message on Sunday night with his pan-sexually charged performance of the title track from his debut album, For Your Entertainment.

In addition to dragging a female dancer around by the ankles, pushing a male dancer's head into his crotch and simulating oral sex, walking a pair of male hoofers around like dogs on a leash, and furiously thrusting his hips at every opportunity, Lambert took a moment mid-song to fervently make out with (an allegedly straight) male keyboard player. After the jaw-dropping performance, Lambert told CNN that the forceful smooch was "in the moment" and was not a planned part of his routine.

Appearing to preemptively strike back at anyone who took issue with the S&M-heavy imagery of the night-closing routine for its risqué nature, Lambert said those who object are engaging in "a form of discrimination and a double standard," considering that for decades, "women performers have been pushing the envelope."

Lambert repeated that double-standard line of reasoning with Rolling Stone backstage after the show, telling the mag, "Female performers have been doing this for years — pushing the envelope about sexuality — and the minute a man does it, everybody freaks out. We're in 2009 — it's time to take risks, be a little more brave, time to open people's eyes and if it offends them, then maybe I'm not for them. My goal was not to piss people off, it was to promote freedom of expression and artistic freedom."

The singer, whose glam pop/rock debut was released on Monday (November 23), lamented that when Madonna and Britney Spears smooched at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, it was not censored, though it did take place on a cable network, not on a prime-time network television broadcast.

The West Coast broadcast of the show reportedly kept the kiss with the keyboardist in but cut out the simulated oral sex. Critical reaction to Lambert's performance was decidedly mixed, with some applauding his audaciousness and more questioning the over-the-top nature of what Entertainment Weekly described as a bit that "emphasized shock-and-awe imagery over his standard-operating vocal excellence."

Jay Chou Goes for True Fight in New Film

2009-11-24T00:48:00.004+07:00

Mando-pop sensation Jay Chou has went all out for the upcoming action/adventure film "The Treasure Hunter".

The singer-turned-actor has committed himself to every action scene in the film, insisting that no stand-in substitutes for him even in the most furious fight scenes.

Siu-Tung Ching, the film's kung fu director, complimented that Jay is a gifted action actor and he managed to finish each series of moves, with approprite strength, only by one take.

"The difference between me and others, is that I finish it [the action scenes] all by myself," Chou said.

"With all the protection measures nowadays, I will hardly get hurt during the filming," he added.

"The Treasure Hunter" is the third Jay Chou-starred film following his screen debut "Secret" in 2007 and basketball-themed "Kung Fu Dunk" in 2008.

Co-starring Taiwan's homegrown supermodel-actress Lin Chiling and mainland veteran actor Chen Daoming, the flick is slated for screen on December 31.

Samsung Omnia II hitting Verizon December 2nd

2009-11-24T00:48:00.003+07:00

It comes as little surprise, given that we knew a release date from sneak-peaks into the carrier’s own systems last week, but Verizon have officially announced that the Samsung Omnia II will drop come December 2nd. The Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone will be priced at $199.99 (after a wretched $100 mail-in rebate) presuming a new two-year agreement, which nets you a 3.7-inch AMOLED WVGA touchscreen, EVDO Rev.A, WiFi b/g and a 5-megapixel camera.

There’s also Samsung’s “3D cube” UI, which we’re still less than convinced by, together with Bluetooth and a microSD card slot; Samsung also gave the Omnia II its own 8GB of internal storage. The usual Verizon app suspects are on-board, which includes V CAST Music, Rhapsody support, V CAST Video-on-Demand, V CAST Song ID, visual voicemail, VZW Tones and VZ Navigator.

Perhaps more interestingly, given that screen, is the support for DivX and Xvid video files, meaning the Omnia II might make for a decent PMP replacement. So, anybody thinking of picking up this touchscreen Windows Phone as an early Christmas present?

Gillian Chung dressed as Lady Gaga, stealing limelight of birthday girl Charlene Choi

2009-11-24T00:48:00.001+07:00

Both William Chan and Charlene Choi's birthdays were on the 21st and the 22nd respectively. Charlene turned 27, while William turned 24. Their record company (EEG) especially made arrangements for a birthday party for the two which was held yesterday. The theme for the party was Rock and Roll. Ah Sa's good friend Gillian Chung appeared at the party dressed as Lady Gaga, wearing a blonde wig and a slanted leather top revealing her shoulder, she became the main focus. Birthday boy William was not weak either, as he did a mix of <Pirates of the Caribbean> and <Detroit Metal City Band> which was also a breakthrough. However, the their two rumored partners Ronald Cheng and Angelababy did not attend.

Gillian revealed that she was busy preparing for Ah Sa and William's birthday cakes therefore was running a little late. She described her costume as Lady Gaga. She also reveals that when the two were cutting their cake, coincidentally the police came in to check their IDs, but left shortly after he finished.

Birthday girl Ah Sa had on a Rock outfit, while William had smoky eyes make-up on, there were also stocking tattoos on both of his hands. He said that initially he wanted to do <Detroit Metal City Band>, but the results turned out to look more like Johnny Depp in <Pirates of the Caribbean>. Asked about if he has received Angelababy's birthday gift? William expressed that he has not. Reporters teased him saying that she should just sent herself personally to him as a gift. William laughed and said its not good because its way too big.

Joey Yung brought two gifts to the party, she reveals that gave a cap and pants for Ah Sa and William. It was said that Joey's dress code was inappropriate, did she get a penalty? She said that she got a headache and left the party after cutting the cake.

Kenny Kwan died his hair gold and put on eye liner, making him look like a demon. He boldly teased Ah Sa saying that she's reaching the stage of a middle-aged women, but he is still willing to be her listener.

Miley Cyrus Turns 17 with Surprise Party

2009-11-24T00:47:00.006+07:00

Happy Birthday, Miley!

Surrounded by friends, family and rumored boyfriend Liam Hemsworth, the singer, who turns 17 Monday, let loose with an '80s themed bash last week at New York City's Canal Room.

"The whole thing was a surprise," says a source close to Cyrus, who enjoyed a performance by the cast of Broadway's Rock of Ages and blew out candles on a custom-designed cake created by Buddy Valastro, the star of TLC's Cake Boss.

"They didn't want a girly girl cake," says Valastro, who topped off the vanilla cake with Madonna-inspired lace, a stage and accents in Cyrus's favorite color, purple. "It totally fit the theme. It was really awesome."

It's a theme Cyrus knows all too well – when she turned 15, the singer also had an ‘80s themed party in her hometown, Nashville. "She loves the '80s," her mom Tish, who planned the Nov. 18 affair, told PEOPLE. "The fashion, the big hair– she thinks it's so funky."

HTC HD2 hits O2 from free

2009-11-24T00:47:00.005+07:00

UK carrier O2 has announced that, as of today, would-be owners of the HTC HD2 will be able to drop into their nearest O2 store and pick up the Snapdragon-based Windows Phone. The launch follows rival carrier Vodafone, who released the HD2 last Thursday. The HD2 is available from free on certain monthly contracts, though you should probably expect to be tied down for at least 18 months.

At time of writing there’s no sign of the HD2 on O2’s site, so you’ll have to put on some shoes and head to the highstreet if you’re interested (or pick up the phone, but where’s the fun in that).

2009 Kohaku Uta Gassen lineup announced

2009-11-24T00:47:00.003+07:00

On Monday, NHK revealed the artist lineup for this year's Kohaku Uta Gassen. 50 acts will be performing this year, evenly split between the Red and White Teams. Eight of the artists are appearing on Kohaku for the first time, including Arashi, NYC boys, and Kaela Kimura.

Other notable artists include Masaharu Fukuyama, who previously appeared on Kohaku 16 years ago, and Ayaka, who will be performing on stage for the last time before she goes on hiatus.

Here's the lineup in Japanese alphabetical order. Performance order isn't known yet.

Red Team

* aiko
* Junko Akimoto
* Ayaka
* Angela Aki
* Ikimono Gakari
* Sayuri Ishikawa
* AKB48
* Ai Otsuka
* GIRL NEXT DOOR
* Miyuki Kawanaka
* Kaela Kimura
* Kumi Koda
* Natsuko Godai
* Sachiko Kobayashi
* Fuyumi Sakamoto
* Yoshimi Tendo
* DREAMS COME TRUE
* Mika Nakashima
* Mitsuko Nakamura
* Ayumi Hamasaki
* Perfume
* Ayaka Hirahara
* Nana Mizuki
* Kaori Mizumori
* Akiko Wada

White Team

* Arashi
* ALICE
* Hiroshi Itsuki
* EXILE
* NYC boys
* Saburo Kitajima
* Takeshi Kitayama
* Kobukuro
* Jero
* SMAP
* TVXQ
* TOKIO
* Hideaki Tokunaga
* Kiyoshi Hikawa
* FUNKY MONKEY BABYS
* Masaharu Fukuyama
* Akira Fuse
* flumpool
* Takashi Hosokawa
* Porno Graffiti
* Kenichi Mikawa
* Shinichi Mori
* Yusuke Kamiji
* Yuzu
* Remioromen

f(x) members diagnosed with H1N1

2009-11-24T00:47:00.001+07:00

f(x) members Amber, Krystal and Sulli have been diagnosed with Swine Flu.

On the 22nd, the three members, feeling symptoms of a cold, they went to receive examinations at the hospital and were diagnosed with Swine Flu on the 23rd.

Members Luna and Victoria, however, have not been affected and are currently healthy.

f(x) will unfortunately be canceling their attendance at the K-Pop Night concert in Shanghai, China scheduled for November 25th.

Lets wish the three members speedy recoveries!

Nicholas Tse plans to move family to China

2009-11-24T00:46:00.002+07:00

Hong Kong star Nicholas Tse has revealed plans to move his family to China for his children’s education.

Speaking with reporters at the set of his upcoming movie “The Informers”, Tse, 29, said that he was impressed with how well former actress Chingmy Yau’s daughters were doing in China and has decided to move his family there so that his kids can receive a bilingual education.

“They speak Mandarin with an authentic Beijing accent and their English with a foreign accent. It is very important to be able to master both languages, it will be very helpful for their future,” said Tse.

The actor added that he intends to send son Lucas, who is currently two years old, abroad for studies when he is older.

Tse and wife, actress Cecilia Cheung, are expecting their second child and she hopes it will be a girl. Tse, on the other hand, has no preference as long as the baby is healthy.

Once dubbed the “bad boy of Canto-pop”, marriage and fatherhood has had a huge impact on Tse. Since tying the knot with Cheung in 2006, the once-brash star has become a “workaholic” as well as a doting husband and father.

“After working hard for so many years, I’ve earned enough to keep my wife and I happy. But because we want a better life for our son, and also because my wife’s no longer acting, I have to work extra hard,” he said.

When asked how Cheung, who is three months’ pregnant, is coping with the pregnancy, Tse said she is experiencing morning sickness earlier this time round but there is no change in her appetite yet.

“Her appetite was really good when she was pregnant the first time. I was shooting the movie ‘Invisible Target’ then and in the middle of the night, she would be craving for McDonald’s and I would have to go out at 4am to buy it for her. When I got home, she would tell me she wanted to eat porridge and I would have to run out to get it and she would throw it all out after eating.

“I had to film a bus accident scene that morning even though I did not sleep the night before. No choice, if my wife needs it, I have to do it.”

Jang Geun Suk lost 7kg to film "You're beautiful"

2009-11-24T00:46:00.001+07:00

It was revealed that Jang Geun Suk have losted 7kg to film SBS Drama "You're Beautiful". Jang Geun Suk plays character 'Hwang Tae Kyung'.

On the 23rd of November, Jang Geun Suk's management company revealed (disclosed) that Jang Geun Suk jas been on a special diet regime to lose weight before the filming starts. As of the result, the actor has lost a total of 7kg.

Jang Geun Suk replied: "As an actor, we have to do stuff to fit within the character." He revealed that in order to look beautiful, he had to reveal handsomness and collarbones. "Hwang Kyung Tae is a character known to be cool and easily make friends with music. He also said that by losing weight, it also helps him get into character.

After losing weight, the actor currently weighs 60kg.

He also thanked for having an excellent acting ability to act as the "bad guy" Hwang Tae Kyung because the character Jang Geun Suk plays is currently one of the audience favorite.

SBS You're Beautiful will air its final episodes this week on Wednesday and Thursday at 21:55 till November 26.

Lady Gaga Shatters Glass, Braves Flames At American Music Awards

2009-11-23T11:52:00.003+07:00

Singer does all her own stunts during daring performance.

If you weren't aware of the fact that Lady Gaga's performances tend to be rather, well, over the top, her Sunday night (November 22) showcase at the American Music Awards certainly did the trick.

Gaga brought the audience to its feet with a fiery, fierce performance of a pair of songs from her upcoming The Fame Monster album (don't call it a reissue) that saw her dance, strut, smash and very nearly suffer third-degree burns to her lower extremities.

You know, all in a night's work.

Gaga started things off with "Bad Romance," wearing a glittering, H.R. Geiger-inspired headpiece and a nude bodysuit, flanked by six pansexual dancers who cavorted and whirled around her. She belted out the high notes, then cast the headpiece aside to get down to some herky-jerky dance moves (no doubt inspired by the "Romance" video), then collapsed to the floor while her dancers crawled behind her.

Suddenly, the music stopped, the crowd squealed with delight and Gaga smiled. The she grabbed her mic stand, walked over to her piano (which was encased in glass) and proceeded to smash her way inside.

Surrounded by shards of glass, she straddled the piano bench and began playing the opening refrain of the somber "Speechless," all while her piano erupted in flames. Unfazed, she kept playing as a pair of gas-mask wearing violinists (also encased in glass) added accompaniment.

As the song reached its crescendo, Gaga grabbed for a slew of bottles and, to add to each stab of the violin, she smashed them on the piano. The crowd whooped with delight.

The song ended with Gaga striking a pose, her piano still flaming, her body covered in pieces of glass. Naturally, she got a standing ovation. Amazingly, she wasn't seriously injured.

Rihanna Electrifies American Music Awards With 'Wait Your Turn' And 'Hard'

2009-11-23T11:52:00.002+07:00

It's been more than 10 months since Rihanna missed her scheduled performance at February's Grammy Awards due to her assault at the hands of then boyfriend Chris Brown. But on Sunday night (November 22) at the American Music Awards, the singer stormed back in style, working out two of the singles from her new album, Rated R, which hits stores on Monday.

In keeping with the dark vibe of the photos and videos she's released from the album so far, Rihanna's performance led off with a sci-fi themed clip featuring an ominous voiceover that intoned, "Ladies and gentlemen, for those of you who are easily frightened, we suggest you turn away now. To those of you who think they can take it, we say: Welcome to the madhouse," a seeming homage to Vincent Price's cackling narration of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video. The opening video sequence featured images of a woman strapped to a medical table with shiny instruments covering her privates, as a team of blue ghost figures implanted a series of computer chips into her body while she sprang to life, Frankenstein style.

With a silver mask removed, the figure was revealed to be Rihanna and the camera panned to the stage, where the singer was strapped into a X-shaped rigging, her arms and legs splayed as the thrum of her single "Wait Your Turn" filled the air. The lights came up and Rihanna sang the deadpan first line, "I pitch with a grenade," with one hand freed from her S&M-like device. Also in keeping with the fetish-style outfits she's been wearing lately, Rihanna was decked out in a neck-to-ankles, skin-tight white catsuit bisected by cut-out lines that revealed horizontal bits of flesh across her body, and topped off with spike-studded shoulder pads, white studded wristcuffs and a barbed-wire bracelet snaking up her right forearm.

As dancers with white shotguns swirled around and a nest of TV sets behind her displayed static, Rihanna stepped down from the cross and strutted amid towers of flames shooting up from the stage. Backed by an industrial rock group that resembled a Nine Inch Nails tribute band and holding a Freddie Mercury-style half-microphone stand, she burned into her Young Jeezy collabo, "Hard," dropping the line "the hottest sh-- in heels right here," while putting her high-heeled white vinyl boots up on a vintage TV prop as proof.

With lasers searching the air, the lights dimmed and red tracer beams shot out of the studs on her shoulder pads and the song ended with a group of backup dancers wearing plexiglass boxes on their heads over gas masks and wielding the aforementioned firearms took aim while Rihanna raised her arms in triumph and a voice warned: "Rihanna's reign ain't gonna let up."

Will Chrome OS Lead to More Powerful Win7 Netbooks?

2009-11-23T11:52:00.001+07:00

Netbooks running Windows 7 could perform better, but Microsoft won't let them. With Chrome OS coming, Redmond may lose its ability to cripple low-cost portables.

Chrome OS may lead to higher-performance netbooks, but many of them will not be running Google's next-generation operating system.

Why? Because Chrome OS could force Microsoft to stop crippling netbooks to avoid competition with more expensive notebooks.

Blame Microsoft for all those 10.1-inch screens, underpowered Atom processors, skimpy 1GB of memory, 160GB hard drives, and the not-very-good user experience on netbooks running Windows XP.

On newer netbooks, blame Redmond for Windows 7 Starter Edition. It will neither play a DVD nor join a domain. Starter Edition users also cannot customize their desktops, which lack the Aero look-and-feel. And the crippling 1GB memory limit remains.

Starter Edition has already been criticized as "too wimpy" for netbooks and a survey finds potential users do not want it on their new machines. Barely introduced, Starter Edition has already started to smell like Windows ME, which itself bears a stinch much like Windows Vista. See a pattern of much-hated operating systems here?

Microsoft has used its power to force netbook manufacturers to cripple their netbooks. This worked when Microsoft was the only game in town, but with Chrome OS due to arrive in about a year, Microsoft needs a new game plan.

Microsoft very much wants to keep netbooks from being used in corporate accounts. If it can force you and I to opt for a more expensive notebook or at least an $80 upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium, that is a win for Redmond, too.

However, by next Thanksgiving, I will be able to choose a blazing fast--to hear Google describe it--netbook running Chrome OS. It will not be able to do everything Win7 does, but it will compare favorably with Starter Edition, and would seem to be friendlier for online media.

The reason this matters to both Microsoft and users is simple: Money.

Selling a netbook for $300 does not allow manufacturers to pay Microsoft as much for the operating system the sale of a $1,000 notebook does. Thus, Microsoft has an interest in limiting netbook performance so customers will instead buy more expensive notebooks.

Users, of course, want inexpensive, powerful computers. Netbooks are popular for just that reason, but could be more popular if they weren't intentionally held back, performance-wise.

By continuing to limit netbook performance, Microsoft will force Windows 7 netbooks, essentially, to take on Google Chrome OS from a self-imposed position of weakness.

Microsoft's should allow manufacturers to create the very best Windows 7 netbooks they can, ahead of Chrome OS' arrival.

If Redmond improves netbook performance, potential Chrome customers may realize that a fully functional operating system ultimately beats one that may be fast, but is also brain dead (as in unable to run the apps users want or need).

Microsoft's limit on netbook performance is bad news for customers. If the company fails to change, Microsoft deserves whatever punishment Chrome OS can deliver. I'm betting change is in the wind.

TVXQ will appear together in Japan

2009-11-23T11:51:00.002+07:00

TVXQ/DBSK is going to appear on Japanese television with all five members together. It will be their first public appearance together in almost 3 months, since they have not been seen together after their Osaka concert which happened on August 30th.

They will appear on Nihon TV's "Best Hit Music Award 2009" on coming 26th and Fuji TV's "FNS Music Award" on December 2nd. They are also planning on attending NHK's "Red White Kohaku" and "Japan Record Awards". Members will soon part for Japan in order to plan their schedules for these end of year ceremonies.

Although Jaejoong, Yoochun and Junsu are legally independent of SM Entertainment now, they are still bound to AVEX, their Japanese management. As long as their contract with AVEX stands, they are to carry on with their Japanese schedules. Will they really appear as one TVXQ on these shows, and will there be any performances?

New Moon Top Weekend Box Office: "Yes, Off Course"

2009-11-23T11:51:00.001+07:00

It was big. It was bigger than expected. It was record-setting. But more on the new Sandra Bullock movie later.

New Moon will close out its remarkable debut weekend with an estimated $140.7 million, its studio reported today.

"I dare say in all the office pools, I don't think anyone had near this top gross," Summit Entertainment distribution president Richie Fay said.

The towering take makes the Twilight sequel the third-biggest opener in Hollywood history. Or, to put it in a way that will appease vampire-dismissing superhero boosters: Yes, The Dark Knight's opening-weekend mark is safe; and, yes, Spider-Man 3's second-place slot is secure.

But, get over your spandex-supporting selves because New Moon sucked up its own share of records:

• Biggest November opening ever, flying past Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire's $102.7 million;

• Biggest opening two-day gross ever ($115.9 million Friday-Saturday), edging The Dark Knight's $114.8 million start;

• And all the previously reported rest: Biggest opening day ever ($67.2 milion); biggest single day ever (ditto); biggest midnight showing ever ($26.3 million).

About the only thing New Moon didn't do was, yes, claim the opening-weekend crown.

Even though New Moon made more money in its first two days than The Dark Knight and Spider-Man 3, the superhero movies scored bigger Sundays. Per Summit's projections, New Moon will gross $24.8 million today, versus The Dark Knight's $43.6 million Sunday and Spider-Man 3's $39.9 million Sunday.

At this point, it's worth taking a step back, and remembering that prior to Friday's eye-popping midnight take, nobody was calling for New Moon to even make a serious run at The Dark Knight. "I don't think we ever thought we could break their record," Fay said.

Some more New Moon factoids:

• The Twilight franchise is growing on guys. The first movie's opening weekend audience was comprised of about 17-18 percent males; New Moon's XY-contingent hit 20 percent. Said Fay: "This time around, the young boys figured out it's not too bad to be dragged along by their dates to see this movie."

• As expected, teens and tweens did not alone make New Moon. Half the audience was over age 21.

• As expected, movie reviews were meaningless. The film's critic-driven Rotten Tomatoes score was a lowly 29 percent; its audience-driven Cinema Score grade was a lofty A-minus.

• Internationally, New Moon grossed $118.1 million, bringing its three-day, worldwide total to $258 million.

• New Moon is already the 15th top-grossing movie of the year. Of that group, it is one of only five movies to not cost at least $100 million.

• New Moon covered its $50 million budget by Friday night.

As for the franchise's future, Eclipse, the third Twilight movie, is set to be released next June. Breaking Dawn, the fourth Twilight movie, will be released… Or announced… Well, when exactly?

"We are negotiating with Stephenie Meyer the best we can," Fay said, "and we're well along."

Does the exec think the franchise author will take a look at this weekend's New Moon grosses, and say, "So, now what are you going to pay me?"

Fay laughed. Then he said, "We feel fairly confident we can get this done."

Elsewhere, in non-New Moon box-office news (and, yes, there was some):

• The Blind Side, aka the new Bullock movie, was its own kind of big, with the football weepy grossing $34.5 million, the most ever for a sports drama, per Box Office Mojo stats. And, yes, that includes every Rocky movie ever made.

• Even more impressive, The Blind Side was the biggest-opening Bullock movie ever, topping even the star's summer hit, The Proposal.

• No, Planet 51 didn't cost a bajillion dollars like some CGI comedies, but it did cost a reported $60 million, and it didn't come close to impressing with a fourth-place, $12.6 million debut.

• Impressing is what Precious ($11 million; $21.4 million overall) keeps doing. Theater for theater, the Oscar hopeful made more money than any Top 10 film, save New Moon.

• Penélope Cruz's Broken Embraces ($107,597 at two theaters) and Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox ($199,142 at four theaters) were actually both bigger than New Moon—in per-screen average.

• Michael Jackson's This Is It ($1.6 million; $70.2 million overall) slipped from the Top 10 after a three-weekend stay, which isn't bad considering it was only supposed to play two weekends.

• Also departing the Top 10: the superhuman Paranormal Activity ($1.4 million; $106.1 million overall); and, the super-dud The Box ($505,000; $14.5 million overall, per Box Office Mojo).

Here's a look at the weekend's top-grossing films based on Friday-Sunday estimates as compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. The Twilight Saga: New Moon, $140.7 million
2. The Blind Side, $34.5 million
3. 2012, $26.5 million
4. Planet 51, $12.6 million
5. Disney's A Christmas Carol, $12.2 million
6. Precious, $11 million
7. The Men Who Stare at Goats, $2.8 million
8. Couples Retreat, $2 million
9. The Fourth Kind, $1.7 million
10. Law Abiding Citizen, $1.6 million

DaS lowest times : no will to eat

2009-11-23T11:50:00.004+07:00

People say, life is like a roller coaster, Xu Xi Yuan (DaS) the actress who just brightly succeeded in a movie which box-office made more than 100 Millions Yuan, is standing on the top of her career and recollecting her past, she once experienced her career's and life's lowest points, her frail heart, went through its darkest, in the end she got anorexia, everyday not feeling hunger at all... But her love life was totally the opposite, she loved passionately, not minding what others might say, even when she broke up, she still looked at it positively, she is one who can take it up and put it down !

Starting to get noticed since "Connected", DaS slowly expanded to the big screen, accepting one movie after the other, and even succeeded with her first comedy "Forbidden City Cop" to become a 100 Million box-office female star. With the help of luck, her road into the big screen world was really smooth, DaS stated that she was also very surprised herself, from the success of "Forbidden City Cop", there really were a lot of scripts asking for her, and her acting opportunities dramatically increased.

Acting as a role with a personality opposed to hers

But, holding onto the moto "You'll never know if you don't try", DaS likes to challenge herself with personalities opposite to her, chosing roles that would surprise the audience, like her participation in Jonh Woo's new movie, being her first experience as a vilain. She's acting as a cold-blooded and heartless woman and will have many fight and kill scenes even action scene with international star Michelle Yeoh, making DaS at the same time anxious and expectant. To be able to cope with all those action scenes, DaS had been training a lot lately at home, reinforcing her legs and arms muscles, and learning swords skills with a master. She, who is very experienced in yoga, said about herself that she was very flexible, even joked : " With my sister, we often take the horse pose and chat while lifting our legs up; so I knew about it already, and had less kung fu to learn. I will give it my all learning everything I need to know, and doing everything the best possible, when the time comes, we will only use a stunt if the action scenes are really bad, but the director can also cut them off, no need to fight la ! "

DaS frankly expressed that she is at the summit of her carreer, so for the time being, she'll focus on developping in the Big Screen, leaving hosting and other things on hold.

Troubles because she strongly wanted to express herself

On the outside, DaS seem multi talented, singing, movies, TV dramas, hosting, endorsement, even being an author, : she touches at everything, but behind all that success, DaS had once been through her career and life lowest pits. She stated that it all came from a too strong sense of justice, everytime she used to encounter an injustice, she'll voice it up and seeing all the bystanders around her doing nothing made her feel the world was different from what she imagined, that's why she had once wanted to be a policewoman, it was really overreacted.

DaS said that everytime she was unhappy, her brain would come like to a dead end, often forgetting to eat, even to sleep, her sister used to force her to close her eyes. She says " I used to forget that there was something called "eating" in life, at that time, we couldn't do music, and even though we had some shows to host, but it was a really low pit, I was not used yet to handle the turns that life would take, it had nothing to do with things being smooth or not, it was as if a devil appeared in my heart, making me see everything the bad way, forgetting how it used to be. (Did you have anorexia ? ) Yes, I lost 12Kg in one go, never feeling hungry" Luckily, with the help of her family and friends, DaS could slowly go back to normal.

No fate knowing people outside the entertainment industry

About love, DaS past lover were all from the enteertainment industry, about that fact, she came to the conclusion that the people she knows is a very restricted circle, apart from her work and her family, she has no way to meet people out of those two areas She joked " People often ask me if I like to date co workers ? I think me not having a broad circle of friends is also a matter destiny, and people tell me to go out more often to meet new people out of the show business, but I won't change myself for something like that."

DaS revealed that in the past, going out with co-workers didn't put any pressure on her, it became a habit for her to be discussed about, tagged and photographed, she who puts love above everything else thinks that when you are in love, there's no need to hide it, but after cooling down, recollecting what happened in the past, she feels that it's really freaky, thinking that she had lots of guts ! DaS says " Was too transparent, I thought over it, in the future, if an opportunity coomes up, I may be more low keyed, because letting people staring at you, looking at your every gestures, is something that make people uneasy. I'm a very peaceful person, so when arriving to a state when you can't continue to go out together, no need to end it hurtfully. We all work in the same sphere, we might meet again, so having a friendly attittude will make everyone happier"

Deep sisterly love : love to say nonsense the most

Since debuting as singers to hosting entertainment news, DaS and her sister Dee Xu Xi Di (Xia S) had been linked together like siamese twins. Thinking back about the little things that happened when they hosted together, DaS can't help but shake her head saying : "I used to be very wild, daring to say anything, not afraid to get scolded at. When we were walking on the streets, there used to be people behind always scolding us. We loved to say nonsense, really stupid things, we were used to that style, then the audience slowly accepted us, thinking we were hilarious ! "

Once, 8 years ago, XiaoS was on the show crying her eyes out, asking the audience to help her look for her sister, DaS laughs and says " At that time we were broadcaasting Live everyday, so whatever was happening, we had to go on and host. That day, I don't really remember but maybe I got into a fight with my sister, when I was outside, everyone seeing me told me "Your sis is looking for you !" making the whole thing such a big deal ! "

Lady Gaga: Best New Artist-eligible?

2009-11-23T11:50:00.003+07:00

Grammy president on Lady Gaga: Rule change could make her eligible for Best New Artist

The window hasn’t completely shut on Lady Gaga’s chances for a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist, Grammy president Neil Portnow revealed to EW on the American Music Awards red carpet tonight. While Variety reported last week that Gaga is ineligible for the prize because her hit “Just Dance” was already nominated for Best Dance Recording last year, we asked Portnow if the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences might consider a rule change to let the year’s biggest breakout act compete for the prestigious prize. “Yes,” Portnow said. “The awards and nominations committee meets to review the rules every year. We change the rules frequently. We recognize that situation is not perfect, and we are looking at ways to figure it out.”

Has Twitter peaked?

2009-11-23T11:50:00.001+07:00

I was just sending a tweet about some excellent chicken livers I'd eaten when I espied some information that made my acid perform a refluctive motion.

According to eMarketer, three different digital actuaries declared that Twitter traffic has performed a slight plummet.

While comScore suggested a drop of 8.1 percent in October and Compete estimated 2.1 percent, while Nielsen, that apogee of accuracy, declared a 27.8 percent decline between September and October.

It seems that these figures, blessedly inconsistent as they are, are not taking account of all the third-party and mobile methods of keeping everyone up with your eating, drinking, reading, philosophizing and socializing.

But is it also possible that some people will simply never participate in the Twitter phenomenon, finding it either annoying, uncool, or even too much effort?

With Twitter intent on becoming more businesslike (why does the word 'more' seem slightly redundant here?), 2010 seems destined to be the year that the microblogging service becomes either de rigueur or dazed and confused.

Will Twitter become a permanent habit or a disappearing, perhaps even elitist, fad? I'll tweet Nostradamus and ask him.

You didn't know Nostradamus is on Twitter? Where have you been?

BoA’s 7th album is cancelled

2009-11-23T11:49:00.004+07:00

It has been less than two weeks since we reported that BoA will be involved in producing her 7th album. However, it seems like it will be difficult to listen to any tracks from her 7th album anytime soon.

Fans all over the world are puzzled and shocked by e-mails from CDJapan, one of the many Japanese retailers of her upcoming album.

The e-mail reads:

"Dear XX,

I'm sending you this email to let you know that we just received an update
from the Avex informing us that the release of the CD below will be
cancelled, unfortunately.

UNTITLED [CD+DVD / Jacket A]
BoA
Release Date: 2010/01/13
Catalog Number: AVCD-23970

No details about the reason for cancellation has been provided.

At this time, there is no indication to show whether or not it might be
released at a later time in the future.

Therefore, it needed to be cancelled from your order **************.

Please write back to this email in case our assistance is needed.

Thank you so much for shopping at CDJapan.

CDJapan"

According to the e-mail, BoA's 7th Japanese album has been cancelled without even an indication of its release on a later date. Does this mean that we may never hear tracks BoA, herself, co-produced?

SM Entertainment seriously needs to make a come back. First, the TVXQ controversy, and now the cancellation of BoA's album? Maybe this rumored boy-band will mark SM's comeback into the limelight.

See More Levi Johnston Playgirl Pics!

2009-11-23T11:49:00.003+07:00

Two new sexy shots from Levi Johnston's Playgirl shoot hit the Web Saturday, and show the 19-year-old Wasilla, Alaska, dad sprawled out giving his best bedroom eyes -- but he's not totally nude.

There are 25 photos in the full Playgirl.com set -- available with a paid subscription -- with more images to be released later this week. All but six are shot in black and white.

On Tuesday, the first of Johnston's shots for the skin mag was released, showing him posing in a steamy shower.

Though Johnston -- whose son, Tripp, with Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, was born last December -- was expected to go full frontal during the shoot, a rep for Playgirl tells Usmagazine.com it never happened.

"Although Playgirl is ecstatic with the footage of the Levi Johnston shoot, and viewers are going to be pleased and surprised, Levi did not go completely full frontal, as was suggested by his camp a few weeks ago," Playgirl rep Daniel Nardicio told Us.

Johnston, 19, said on CBS' Early Show, "We don't want no bad boy image. I don't want to be looked at as someone who is getting naked for fame."

Johnston previously told Us, "I just get naked; that's what I do." But on the Early Show, he said, "I am not going to just get out there and get naked. I think when people see [the Playgirl spread], it's not going to be like what they think."

Modern Warfare 2 hits 10 million units sold

2009-11-23T11:49:00.001+07:00

VGChartz reported last week that around 8.6 million units of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 were sold in the first week (five days of sales) after selling around 6.4 million units on the first day. As many should have predicted from this ratio of day one to week one sales, week two saw an enormous dropoff of around 80%. This puts week two sales at around 1.7 million units - more than many games sell in their first week - and takes total sales to date over 10 million units in just twelve days of release.

With five weeks of the year left, VGChartz estimates that total sales for 2009 should hit around 14.5 million units by December 31st and should position Modern Warfare 2 as the number 1 seller on PS3 and number 2 on Xbox 360 (behind Halo 3) - with just 7 weeks of sales.

Zaizai hairs out to copy "Ah Jia"

2009-11-23T11:48:00.004+07:00

"Zaizai" Vic Zhou Yu Min refused a New Year's Eve apparition that would have earned him about 5 Millions NTD to dedicate himself for the movie "Love you for 10.000 years", two nights ago, our newspaper spotted him with "chubby version of Bianca Bai" 加藤侑紀(Yuki Gato) filming together at the WuRi distillery, his look in this movie as a rocker also got exposed, bearded and with a hedgehog head, it is very different from his usual clean and handsome Idol look, from afar, he looked like Van Fan's "Ah Jia" from "Cape N°7".

Beard, hedgehog head, complete copy of "Ah Jia"

Zaizai in "Love You For 10.000 years" will act as a spiritless rocker, his look was quite rough. Very late two nights ago, we spotted him filming at a distillery, bearded, with a hedgehog head holding a guitar case, and wearing old torn jeans, a very "rocker" look ; as he got out of the break room, to start working, from afar, we could swear it was Van Fan's "Ah Jia" getting out from "Cape N°7 " ready to act in the sequel.

New movie will be a comedy, wants to become Taiwanese Stephen Chow

"Love" movie plot is about "a japanese girl who comes to Taiwan to work and a Taiwanese rocker..." the movie's female lead, 加藤侑紀(Yuki Gato) has also the same feeling as Chie Tanaka from "Cape N° 7" ; however "Love" movie will be a comedy, Zaizai coincidentally had the dream to become "Taiwanese Stephen Chow", he said he really wanted to act in a comedy, preferably with senseless humor like Chow's. Looks like when Zaizai said he wanted to be an "elite cowboy", the next thing was a comic.

Using the same room, not playing big shot

Zaizai first filmed in the distillery with the female lead, but because Yuki looked like a bigger Bianca Bai, many people mistook her for Bianca. Even though the two are in love in the movie, as soon as he heard "Cut" Zaizai immediatly jerked away, if not talking with the support cast, then he'd go to the break room. We also discovered that Zaizai and all the other cast members were using the same room, he did not for a seperate one, being very easygoing.