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Adam YauchA number of celebrities have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to Adam Yauch.

The Beastie Boys co-founder - also known as MCA - passed away this morning after battling cancer in his parotid gland and a lymph node since 2009, and Justin Timberlake is just one of a number of celebrities who took to twitter to pay tribute to him. "Crushed to hear the news of Adam Yauch's passing. A true pioneer of art. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones.#RIPMCA (sic)" he wrote.

The Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am wrote, "1 of my favorite hiphop groups...hiphop raised a lot of us & now we have to wake up because are hero's are dying too young (sic)."

Run DMC'S Reverend Run was equally distraught, writing, "R I P Adam... I'm devastated. Praying for Adam Yauch's family from the legendary Beastie Boys. Youll be missed!" while Snoop Dogg Tweeted, "RIP MCA U are a Legend and a pioneer. #BeastieBoys4life (sic)."

(FYI - You can also follow Albumista on Twitter.)


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Ke$ha and Justin Bieber at the GrammysKesha wants to work with Justin Bieber. The "Blow" hitmaker admires the young pop superstar and thinks a duet between them would be great. Kesha has a very eclectic music taste and can imagine herself just as easily recording with legendary Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.

"The range of artists I want to work with is so vast, it's bizarre. I would love to have Keith Richards on the record. I would sure as hell like to do a collaboration with Bieber and at the same time do a song with the Flaming Lips. If someone is a real artist, you can't confine them to a particular genre. It's my mission to make it all make sense somehow."

The 25-year-old singer is very proud of the success she has achieved so far in her career, but although she has topped charts all over the globe she still feels like the "dirty little sister" of the biggest pop stars: "I do feel like there are the pop stars of the world and then I'm like their dirty little sister, running around with s**t on my face in combat boots because I can't walk in heels."

Click to continue reading Kesha Wants to Work with Justin Bieber, Keith Richards


Alanis MorissetteAlanis Morissette "can't remember" a lot of recording her new album.

The "Ironic" hitmaker - who became a mother for the first time in December 2010 when son Ever Imre was born - worked on Havoc And Bright Lights while she was still nursing her baby and found it fun to combine both, though she has few memories of the period.

"To be honest I wrote it post-partum the whole few months after my son was born, so I barely remember the process. It was in our home, and we built a makeshift studio in what is now the playroom because I'm an attachment parent, so I wanted to be able to breastfeed. So it was literally in and out of this room, writing with Guy Sigsworth, recording, being a mom, back and forth in my house. I barely remember it and I wouldn't say I was letting loose, but I was having fun."

Click to continue reading Alanis Morissette Forgot Recording


21 and Thriller albums

Adele's 21 has now outsold Michael Jackson's Thriller in the UK.

The "Rolling In The Deep" hitmaker's second album - which was released in January 2011 - has sold 4,274,300 copies in Britain, more than 500 more than the late singer's 1982 classic record, meaning it is now the fifth best-selling album of all time in the UK. "To add to her many landmark records, Adele's achievement in overtaking Thriller in the all-time sales list is truly remarkable. Thriller has long been recognized as one of the most iconic albums of all time - there is now no doubt that 21 can be spoken of in the same breath," said Official Charts Company's managing director Martin Talbot.

Click to continue reading Adele Outsells Michael Jackson


Adam YauchBeastie Boys co-founder Adam Yauch has died. The 47-year-old rapper - who was diagnosed with a cancerous parotid gland and a lymph node in 2009 for which he underwent surgery and radiation therapy -passed away this morning.

Adam - who was also known by his stage name MCA - founded the group with Kate Schellenbach, John Berry, and Michael Diamond (Mike D) in 1979 with Berry leaving in 1983 to be replaced by Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock). The Beastie Boys have not performed live since the summer of 2009, and the rapper's illness prevented the group from appearing in music videos for their album "Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2."

MCA didn't attend the Beastie Boys' induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two weeks ago where Ad-Rock and Mike D accepted the accolade but they read out a letter he had written. "I'd like to dedicate this to my brothers Adam and Mike," he wrote. "They walked the globe with me. It's also for anyone who has ever been touched by our band. This induction is as much ours as it is yours."

Adam is survived by his wife, Dechen Wengdu, and their daughter, Losel.


Will.i.am at the London Royal College of ArtWill.i.am has called for the music industry to better embrace technology. The Black Eyed Peas boss believes record labels should look to the success of Apple's iTunes and invest more money into using digital advances to further their market and prevent further decline in the ailing industry.

"The music industry never had an appreciation for technology. We're going to work out how to make money once we marry music and science. Apple is worth $800 billion now - the music industry far less. Music helped define what that company is, but they made all the money," he said, speaking at London's Royal College of Art's Innovation Night last night.

The "I Gotta Feeling" hitmaker later admitted he had had fun at the event and was pleased to get the chance to express his opinion. "I had fun... I'm glad you got to see that side of me... this is how I think & talk every minute of the day outside of music. I like future talk," he wrote on his Twitter.

(FYI - You can also follow Albumista on Twitter.)


Johnny Depp and Marilyn MansonMarilyn Manson and Johnny Depp found covering "You're So Vain" "amusing."

The rocker and the actor have collaborated on a version of Carly Simon's classic song - which features as bonus material on the "Beautiful People" hitmaker's new album Born Villain - and Manson thinks the track is a perfect representation of how people think of himself and his pal, who plays drums and guitar on the recording.

"We started jamming - I don't even like to use that word because I think it sounds too musical and I consider myself to be more of a problem-maker than a musician. We ended up thinking, what could we do that would be really amusing to both of us because of what people think about us? 'You're So Vain' really says it all," he explained.

Marilyn Manson's last two albums, Eat Me, Drink Me and The High End of Low, received disappointing reviews and poor sales, and the singer admits he went through a "confusing" time but is now confident with himself again.

Click to continue reading Marilyn Manson Amused by Johnny Depp Track


GarbageGarbage were "miserable" at the height of their success.

The "Stupid Girl" group - who went on a brief hiatus in 2003 followed by a longer break in 2005 - felt "engulfed" by their record company and hated being pushed to selling as many records as possible as they found it detrimental to their creativity.

"It was miserable. We got engulfed. When we first started out, we were signed to an indie label. We had a lot of freedom. Then we got sold like a commodity to a record label that did not give a flying f**k about our music or our career or us as people. And it was a nightmare. We didn't care if we weren't the biggest band in the world! But to this record label, if you're not the biggest band in the world, then you're worthless," singer Shirley Manson recalled.

The group - which also includes Duke Erikson, Steve Marker and Butch Vig - eventually began fighting among themselves as the pressure grew. "We got caught up in that corporate expectation, and it was sickening. It robbed us all of joy, and as a result we all turned in on each other. And our disappointments and our frustrations we foisted upon ourselves," Shirley added.


Kevin RichardsonKevin Richardson is rejoining the Backstreet Boys. The 40-year-old singer departed the group in 2006, but is now planning to get back with his bandmates Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Nick Carter and Brian Littrell to record new music in London this summer.

Nick announced the plans on-stage over the weekend saying, "We're coming back to London in July for three weeks to record our new album. It's been a long time since we've been played on some radio stations and we want all our fans to make pickets and start a protest outside these stations to get them to play our songs."

Discussing Kevin's return, a source told the Daily Star, "Kevin missed the rest of the guys, who he counts as brothers as well as bandmates, and felt now was the right time to return."

The Backstreet Boys are currently touring with New Kids on the Block as part of supergroup NKOTBSB and Donnie Wahlberg recently revealed they were keen to go on another global run of shows in the future.

Click to continue reading Kevin Richardson Rejoining Backstreet Boys


Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath will play a one-off UK homecoming gig in Birmingham next month. The "Paranoid" rockers will perform at the O2 Academy in the city - home to singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward - on May 19 in preparation for their headline performance at this year's Download Festival in Leicestershire over the weekend of June 8-10.

The performance is expected to be the group's first since they reformed with their original line-up last year, and they are likely to play new material from their forthcoming ninth studio album - which will be their first since 1978's Never Say Die - at the concert.

Click to continue reading Black Sabbath Announce Homecoming Gig


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