Chris Brown to Perform at Grammys

Chris Brown is reportedly going to perform at this year’s Grammys. This will be Brown’s first appearance at the Grammys since his 2009 assault on then-girlfriend Rihanna during Grammy weekend.

Despite being nominated in years since, Brown has not attended the ceremony. The performance is not meant to be formally announced prior to the show.

Brown is up for three Grammys, including Best R&B Album for his 2011 opus, F.A.M.E., as well as Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for his track “Look at Me Now,” which also features Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes.

Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die” Tops U.K. Charts

Lana Del Rey’s debut album “Born To Die” debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. charts this weekend, with sales of 117,000, more than the rest of the top five combined.

“Born To Die” hit No. 1 on the iTunes album chart in 15 countries. In the U.K., Del Rey’s 117,000 opening sales included 50,000 digitally, and she’s in the singles top 40 with two tracks from the album: the title track climbed 14-9 yesterday and her debut hit “Video Games,” which debuted at No. 9 in October, jumped back 20-17, with total sales now standing at nearly 292,000 units, according to the Official Charts Company.

Last week’s No. 1, Ed Sheeran’s “+”, fell two places, but his latest single “Drunk” climbed 29-15. Guetta’s “Nothing But The Beat” improved 16-9 and Christina Perri’s “Lovestrong” 37-15, as her hit “Jar of Hearts” rebounded 37-22.

Adam Lambert to Perform with Band Queen

American Idol star Adam Lambert reportedly told the British tabloid, Daily Star, that he will be performing with the original members guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor of the pop-cult band Queen this summer. The original singer of Queen, Freddie Mercury, passed away in 1991.

“The intention is to pay tribute to Freddie and the band by singing some f—ing great songs,” he said. “It’s to keep the music alive for the fans and give it an energy that Freddie would have been proud of.”

“After the EMAs, I heard faint little slithers of a backlash from people saying: ‘You can’t replace Freddie Mercury.’ But I already knew that,” he said. “There’s no intention in my mind of replacing Freddie. That’s impossible. The way I’m choosing to view it is that it’s a great honour and one I’m in no way going to shirk … Being asked to front Queen is the best thing that can possibly happen.”

Bruce Springsteen to Perform at Grammys

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform at the 2012 Grammy Awards, joining the star-studded lineup of Adele, Paul McCartney, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj.

Springsteen announced last week the release of his new album, “Wrecking Ball,” on March 6 and his first U.S. tour with the E Street Band since the death last June of saxophonist Clarence Clemons. “We Take Care of Our Own” is the first single from the album.

Also scheduled to perform are Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, Glen Campbell, Coldplay, Rihanna, Bruno Mars and Blake Shelton.

The Grammys will be broadcast on CBS on February 12.

Katy Perry Steps Out With New Blue ‘Do

Katy Perry stepped out in Las Vegas this past weekend, making an appearance for the first time since news of her divorce was announced. This time, she is switching things up with a fresh electric-blue bob. is feeling a little less blue these days.

On Friday night, Katy hit a charity event dressed in a beaded frock, her razor-cut ‘do colored in a rich turquoise. The party at the Vegas outpost of nightspot 1OAK was hosted by GiveLove.org, an organization devoted to improving public health in Haiti.

Brand and Perry announced the end of their marriage on December 30, after 14 months together. The exes have been a keeping a rather low profile ever since.

Etta James’ Album Sales Rise 378% Following Death

On the Billboard 200 chart this past week, Etta James snagged her highest-charting album ever as “The Best of Etta James – 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection” rises from No. 162 to No. 46 with 8,000 sold (up 149% over the previous week) according to Nielsen SoundScan in a tracking week that reflected only two days of sales after her passing. Until this week, the R&B/blues legend had never gone higher than No. 68, when “At Last!” rose to that position in 1961.

For the week ending Sunday, Jan. 22, James’ overall catalog of albums sold 30,000 copies. That marks a 378% increase over the previous week, when her collected albums moved just over 6,000 units.

James also debuts on the Billboard 200 at No. 59 with the 1997 hits collection “Her Best” (7,000; up 4,226%) and re-enters at No. 96 with the aforementioned “At Last!” (5,000; up 907%).

Her famed single “At Last” was her best-selling song of the week as well. It shifted 63,000 downloads, enabling its re-entry at No. 29 on the Digital Songs chart, with a weekly gain of 1,361%. “At Last” is one of James’ 26 charting hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart — it rose to a peak of No. 47 on Feb. 11. 1961. Though she’s had higher-charting Hot 100 singles, “At Last” is arguably her signature recording — even though she wasn’t the first to sing it.

Nora Jones Works With Danger Mouse on New Album

Norah Jones has teamed up with super-producer Danger Mouse for her next album, “Little Broken Hearts,” the singer-songwriter’s fifth full-length, which will be released this spring on Blue Note/EMI.

Jones and Danger Mouse (real name Brian Burton) recorded the album at Burton’s Los Angeles studio last fall after Jones contributed vocals to Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi’s “Rome” project last year. “Little Broken Hearts” was entirely produced by Danger Mouse and co-written by Jones and Danger Mouse, and the pair also handled the majority of the instrumentals.

According to a press release, Jones plans to tour “extensively” in 2012, and the singer-songwriter has already announced a pair of dates: June 29 at the Kodak Hall at Eastman Theater in Rochester, N.Y., and Aug. 10 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Jones’ last full tour came in 2010, when she supported “The Fall” with a 74-date world trek.

Aretha Franklin Calls Off Engagement

Aretha Franklin has called off her engagement.

A statement released Monday by her representative said Franklin’s wedding to Willie Wilkerson wasn’t going to happen.

“Will and I have decided we were moving a little too fast, and there were a number of things that had not been thought through thoroughly. There will be no wedding at this time,” Franklin said. “We will not comment on it any further because of the very personal and sensitive nature of it. We appreciate all of the many well wishes from friends.”

It’s unclear if the pair are still romantically involved.

Franklin, 69, announced shortly after New Year’s Day that she was getting married. In an interview with The Associated Press, the jovial Queen of Soul talked about getting fitted for gowns by designers including Vera Wang and Donna Karan, and said she hoped for a summer wedding in either Miami or the Hamptons in New York state.

Franklin said the relationship was particularly strong because they had been friends first.

“We’re very compatible, and he supports me and I support him a lot, and he has given me specialized attention that I don’t think I’ve received from anyone else,” she said.

Legendary Singer Etta James Dies

Three-time Grammy winner singer Etta James, best know for her hit “At Last,” died on Friday from complications of leukemia, age 73.

James died at a hospital in Riverside, California, east of Los Angeles, said her manager and friend of some 30 years, Lupe De Leon. She would have turned 74 on Wednesday.

“She passed away this morning. She was with her husband and her sons,” said De Leon.

James was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago and had been in failing health for a number of years. Her live-in doctor said in December she was terminally ill with leukemia. James also suffered from diabetes, kidney problems and dementia and was hospitalized late in 2011 because she was struggling to breathe.

James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 but throughout her long career she diversified into mainstream blues, soul and R&B.

James’ last album, “The Dreamer,” was released in 2011. She spent the latter part of her life at home in California.

James won her first Grammy in 1995 for her album, “Mystery Lady: The Songs of Billie Holiday.” She also won Grammys in 2003 and 2005, as well as a lifetime achievement award in 2003 from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which gives out the Grammys.

She is survived by her husband, Artis Mills, two sons Donto and Sametto who played in James’ backing band, and four grandchildren.

Paris Hilton Works With Afrojack, LMFAO on New Album

Paris Hilton is hooking up with club-music producer extraordinaire Afrojack for her next record and is close to getting it done.

“I’ve been in the studio all day recording my new album. It’s completely different from my last album. I’m going with a whole new genre. I have Afrojack executive-producing the entire album. So we’ve just been coming up with the most incredible tracks,” she teased. “I was just in the studio with RedFoo the other night, so we’re going to be doing my new single with LMFAO.”

Given how ubiquitous LMFAO is these days, a Paris/LMFAO track could be the perfect combination to reintroduce the world to Paris Hilton, pop star. “I’m so excited. The music’s turning out so great and I can’t wait to release it this summer. Two nights ago [I recorded the song with LMFAO],” she said, describing the session as “awesome.” “I’ve known them since I was a little girl. We grew up together ’cause our parents are friends, so I’m just so proud of them and all their success and what they’ve done ’cause they’ve just created this whole ‘Party Rock’ brand and it’s just so awesome.”

Noting that she grew up singing in the choir and can also play violin, piano and guitar, Paris defends her choice to record another album. “I think a lot of people don’t know that music is my passion since I was a little girl,” she said. “I’m very musically talented. This is more my thing [musically on this album], more of a club scene, more dance. … The single’s done; it’s in the can. That’s probably going to be out [within] the next month or two.”

Hilton isn’t just singing for her new record — she’ll also be trying her hand at singing on the big screen when she works with “Repo! The Genetic Opera” director Darren Bousman on his next project. “I’m about to do a film with my friend Darren Bousman. He has a new musical that’s coming up called ‘The Devil’s Carnival,’ ” she said. “It’s about Hell, it’s a musical and it’s different.”

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