[video] Beyoncé Rings In The New Year Performing ‘Halo’ With Chris Martin

Beyoncé and Chris Martin rang in the new year at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas with a performance of Beyoncé’s smash hit ‘Halo’. Beyoncé’s voice is unbelievable! Is there anything this woman can’t do?!

Check out Beyoncé and Chris Martin performing ‘Halo’ –

[video] Taylor Swift Performs Live On BBC 2 Radio

Taylor Swift is over in London promoting her upcoming album Speak Now and she stopped by BBC 2 Radio and performed a live acoustic set that included ‘Mine’ and a cover of Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’.

‘Mine’ –

‘Viva La Vida’ –

Coldplay Shares Music Catalog With ‘Glee’

When Glee first started, no one knew how big of a hit the Fox show would become and not every artist was willing to share their music catalog with the show. After seeing what the show can do for music sales, it looks like some are changing their minds.

Ryan Murphy, creator of Glee, explains:

“At the beginning a lot of people didn’t know what we were and asked to see pages [in advance], but I refused because I didn’t want to set precedent of them having any involvement. My favorite rejection was Bryan Adams. Coldplay and Bryan Adams were really the only rejections. But Coldplay called a week ago and said, ‘We’re sorry, you can have our catalog.’”

Billboard’s Top 10 Money Makers Of The Year

Billboard has released it’s Top 40 Money Makers list and we’ve got the top 10 here for you. How does Billboard calculate these top earners? Their top-secret Money Makers formula is comprised of, among other variables, monies earned from CD and digital sales, publishing royalties and all forms of streaming. But the largest component of their formula is, without a doubt, touring, as seen by this years top money maker.

Here are the Top 10 Money Makers:

1. U2 $108,601,283
2. Bruce Springsteen $57,619,037
3. Madonna $47,237,774
4. AC/DC $43,650,466
5. Britney Spears $38,885,267
6. Pink $36,347,658
7. Jonas Brothers $33,596,576
8. Coldplay $27,326,562
9. Kenny Chesney $26,581,141
10. Metallica $25,564,234

Other notable artists worth mentioning include:

13. Beyoncé $23,658,131
15. Miley Cyrus $21,285,996
21. Taylor Swift $17,204,646
25. Kings Of Leon $14,421,763
30. Lil Wayne $12,866,174
31. Paul McCartney $12,203,170

With touring being a large component to Billboard’s formula, after selling more than 10 million albums and extending practically every leg of her tour, Lady Gaga will certainly make next year’s list.

Flo Rida “Low” Tops The List Of Most Downloaded Songs Of The Decade

“Low,” the gritty debut single from “Right Round” hitmaker Flo Rida, has been dubbed the “Most Downloaded Song of the Decade,” according to Nielsen SoundScan data.

The hip-hop-influenced dance anthem, which also features Autotune’s own T-Pain, spent ten weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 after debuting in January 2008 and has gone on to spark 5 million downloads in America.

“Just Dance” was a smash for Grammy nominee Lady Gaga in the summer of 2008, and the song has gone on to become the second most downloaded song of the 2000s. In fact, the “Eccentric One” makes a double appearance in the Nielsen Top 10; her follow-up single “Poker Face” landed in seventh place.

The Top 10 Most Downloaded Songs in the US of the 2000s (total sales in brackets):

1. Flo Rida ft. T-Pain: ‘Low’ (5,214,000)
2. Lady GaGa ft. Colby O’Donis: ‘Just Dance’ (4,690,000)
3. Jason Mraz: ‘I’m Yours’ (4,619,000)
4. Timbaland ft. One Republic: ‘Apologize’ (4,439,000)
5. Black Eyed Peas: ‘Boom Boom Pow’ (4,349,000)
6. Soulja Boy: ‘Crank That’ (4,315,000)
7. Lady Gaga: ‘Poker Face’ (4,200,000)
8. Coldplay: ‘Viva La Vida’ (4,140,000)
9. Taylor Swift: ‘Love Story’ (4,005,000)
10. Katy Perry: ‘Hot N Cold’ (3,945,000)

Jay-Z Rolls Around On Stage With Coldplay’s Chris Martin?

Jay-Z and Chris Martin are really good friends, who knew?

This weekend Jay-Z attended the Coldplay concert at the Wembley Stadium in London. Well while Chris Martin was playing the piano, Jay-Z apparently came up him and surprised him with a big hug, even to the point of rolling around on the stage for a little bit before Chris continued his concert!

One fan says, “”It was a strange moment. Everyone went wild when Jay-Z joined the boys on stage but seeing him grab Chris away from the piano and onto the floor was a bit weird to say the least.”

JENNIFER HUDSON WINS FIRST GRAMMY ; CHRIS BROWN INVESTIGATED

 

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Music Writer –

LOS ANGELES – A tearful Jennifer Hudson won her first Grammy, thanking her family “in heaven and those who are with me today” to kick off an evening already stoked with drama when police said they were investigating double nominee Chris Brown for an alleged assault on an unidentified woman.

Brown and longtime girlfriend Rihanna, each nominated and slated to perform, separately dropped out of the Grammys at the last minute and their whereabouts were not immediately known Sunday night. The victim of Brown’s alleged assault wasn’t identified, and it wasn’t immediately clear whether Rihanna’s absence was related to Brown’s.

Hudson, 27, made no direct reference to the killings of her mother, brother and nephew that kept her in seclusion until just this month. But while fighting back tears, she made it clear that her family was foremost on her mind.

“I first would like to thank God who has brought me through,” said Hudson, also an Oscar winner, as she accepted her award from Whitney Houston.

Hudson later performed “You Pulled Me Through,” a dramatic song about overcoming deep despair, with the lyrics: “When I was drowning, when I was so confused, you, you pulled me through.” As she sang the last note, she looked directly into the camera and dissolved into tears once again.

While Hudson’s emotion was front and center, drama unfolded behind the scenes when police said just 90 minutes before the show began that they were investigating the 19-year old Brown. His performance was subsequently removed from the show, though it was unclear if he bowed out or was dropped.

Then, minutes before U2 opened the telecast by zipping through its new single, the Recording Academy said Rihanna had scratched her performance as well. The couple could be seen sitting together at a Grammy pre-party the night before in Los Angeles.

According to the police report, Brown and a woman were in a vehicle in the ritzy neighborhood of Hancock Park when they began to argue around 12:30 a.m. Sunday. Brown stopped the car and both got out, whereupon the argument escalated, the report said.

The woman, who had visible injuries when police arrived, identified Brown as her attacker, but he had left the scene, the report said.

The absences of both performers put a huge hole in the Grammy telecast, but the Recording Academy found able replacements in Justin Timberlake, Al Green, Boyz II Men and Keith Urban as they all sang Green’s classic hit, “Let’s Stay Together.” No mention was made on the broadcast about the switch.

With all the drama going on onstage and behind the scenes, the awards seemed almost like an afterthought — but the awards went on all the same. Coldplay, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, and Lil Wayne each won three apiece — Coldplay’s win included song of the year for “Viva La Vida.”

“We’ve never had so many Grammys in our life,” said lead singer Chris Martin, perhaps so excited he got confused (they had already won four over the years). “We feel so grateful to be here. I’m going to tear up.”

British singer Adele was also teary, as she beat the Jonas Brothers, Lady Antebellum, Jazmine Sullivan and fellow Brit singer Duffy to nab best new artist. It was her second award of the evening.

“Thank you so much. I’m going to cry. I want to thank my manager, my mom, she’s in London. And Duffy I love you. I think you’re amazing. Jonas Brothers, I love you as well,” she said, saying the last part with a devilish look, eliciting laughter.

It was Adele’s second award; she earlier won for best female pop vocal.

Lil Wayne was the nominations leader with eight, and won best rap solo performance for “A Milli,” rap song for “Lollipop” and rap/sung collaboration for “Swagga Like Us,” an all-star song featuring Jay-Z, T.I. and Kanye West.

But the prolific rapper won’t be going home with eight trophies; he was competing against himself in two categories that he won and lost another. He still has a chance to win the evening’s top prize, album of the year, for his best-selling disc “Tha Carter III.”

Plant and Krauss, also nominated for album of the year for their collaboration “Raising Sand,” took home an award for country collaborations with vocals and contemporary folk/Americana album. They later won a third for pop collaboration with vocals.

___

AP reporters Natalie Rotman, Beth Harris and Jacob Adelman contributed to this story.

2009 GRAMMY NOMINEES

Here is the official list of the 2009 Grammy Award nominees:

Record Of The Year
Chasing Pavements – Adele
Viva La Vida – Coldplay
Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis
Paper Planes M.I.A
Please Read The Letter Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Album Of The Year
Viva La Vida – Coldplay
Tha Carter III – Lil Wayne
Year Of The Gentleman – Ne-Yo
Raising Sand – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
In Rainbows – Radiohead

Song Of The Year
American Boy – William Adams, Keith Harris, Josh Lopez, Caleb Speir, John Stephens, Estelle Swaray & Kanye West, songwriters
Chasing Pavements – Adele Adkins, songwriter
I’m Yours – Jason Mraz, songwriter
Love Song – Sara Bareilles, songwriter
Viva La Vida – Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters

Best New Artist
Adele
Duffy
Jonas Brothers
Lady Antebellum
Jazmine Sullivan

Best Pop Vocal Album
Detours – Cheryl Crow
Rockferry – Duffy
Long Road Out Of Eden – Eagles
Spirit – Leona Lewis
Covers – James Taylor

Best Rock Album
Viva La Vida – Coldplay
Rock n Roll Jesus – Kid Rock
Only By The Night – Kings of Leon
Death Magnetic – Metallica
Consolers of the Lonely – The Raconteurs

Best Dance Recording
Harder Better Faster Stronger – Daft Punk
Ready For The Floor – Hot Chip
Just Dance – Lady Gaga & Colby O’Donis
Give It 2 Me – Madonna
Disturbia – Rihanna
Black & Gold – Sam Sparro

Best R&B Album
Love & Life – Eric Benet
Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA – Boyz II Men
Lay It Down – Al Green
Jennifer Hudson – Jennifer Hudson
The Way I See It – Raphael Saadiq

Best Contemporary R&B Album
Growing Pains – Mary J Blidge
Back of my lac’ – J Holiday
First Love – Karina
Year Of The Gentleman – Ne-Yo
Fearless -Jazmine Sullivan

Best Rap Album
American Gangster – Jay Z
Tha Carter III – Lil Wayne
The Cool – Lupe Fiasco
Nas – Nas
Paper Trail – T.I.

Best Country Album
That Lonesome Song – Jamey Johnson
Sleepless Nights – Patty Loveless
Troubador – George Strait
Around The Bend – Randy Travis
Heaven, Heartache And the Power Of Love – Trisha Yearwood

For a full list of nominees, visit the Official Grammy Website