Pop queen set to wow

The queen of Spanish pop music, Luz Casal, is set to wow audiences in Guangzhou in May. Trained in vocals, piano and ballet, the versatile singer is able to shift from traditional folk music to modern electronic songs.

The legendary figure shot to fame in the early 1980s. She has released 24 albums and sold more than 8 million CDs.

The three-day Beijing Blues Festival will feature more than 20 bands from Asia, the United States and Poland. Performers include Japanese guitarist Shun Kikuta, who has absorbed classic Chicago sounds, and Chinese Hao Ge, who rose to stardom for his TV performance on Xingguang Dadao.

World-renowned saxophonist Kenny G's Going Home will be performed in China this month. The musician, with global sales totaling more than 75 million albums, will play his classic Going Home and present his rendition of Chinese folk song, Jasmine.

Fans of Kenny G can become immersed in his emotional performance and see for themselves, the skills of this Grammy winner. Kenny G holds the Guinness world record of playing the saxophone for the longest time. He used a soprano saxophone to play melodies in F major for 45 minutes and 47 seconds.

His first stop in China is in Wuhan on May 11, followed by Guangzhou on May 12 and Shenzhen on May 13.

Don not blame me for Whitney Is death Bobby Brown say

Whitney Houston's ex-husband Bobby Brown struck back at claims he was responsible for getting the pop star hooked on drugs or that he somehow played a role in her cocaine-fueled death in February.

"I'm not the one that got Whitney on drugs, at all," Brown said in an interview to be aired this week on the "Today" show on U.S. television network NBC.

"I'm not the reason she's gone," he added.

Houston, 48, was found dead in a Beverly Hills hotel bathtub on February11 from what authorities called accidental drowning brought on by cocaine use and heart disease. White powder and drug paraphernalia were found in the bathroom where she died.

The singer had spoken publicly about a long battle with cocaine, marijuana and crack, particularly during her tempestuous 15-year marriage to Brown. They divorced in 2007, but some fans and members of Houston's family have blamed Brown for her untimely death.

In his first TV interview since the singer died, Brown, 43, told "Today" show host Matt Lauer that he had been off drugs for seven years and was hurt to hear that Houston had been using cocaine.

California quintet Maroon 5

Pop rockers Train returned last week with their sixth studio album "California 37," debuting at No. 4 after selling 75,000 copies, while newcomer rapper Future scored an impressive debut at No. 8 on the chart with his first album "Pluto," selling 41,000 copies.

California quintet Maroon 5 stormed the Digital Songs chart with "Payphone," their first single from their upcoming album "Overexposed."

The track, featuring rapper Wiz Khalifa, sold more than 493,000 downloads in its first week, the best-ever digital song sales week for a band, knocking last week's chart-topper Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know," to the No. 2 position.

Fun.'s "We Are Young" featuring Janelle Monae came in at No. 3 while "Boyfriend" by Justin Bieber and "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen hold steady at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively.

Beach Boys go retro

Reunited 1960s pop band The Beach Boys have released a teaser track of their first new single in two decades - a dreamy, five part-harmony throwback to their southern California surf sound called "That's Why God Made the Radio."

The song will be the first single off an album of new material on which the band has been working ahead of their 50th anniversary tour, which kicks off on Tuesday.

"It's like an accolade to the radio and what it's meant to so many people," vocalist and songwriter Mike Love said in a promotional trailer released on YouTube.

"It's our new single from our new album ... if you like harmony it's going to knock your socks off," added Al Jardine.

Original Beach Boys Jardine, Love and frontman Brian Wilson have teamed up with Bruce Johnston and David Marks for album and concert tour. Wilson's brothers Carl and Dennis, who were part of the original 1960s California line-up died in 1983 and 1998 respectively.

The new, as yet untitled album is due for release on June 5. Johnston told Billboard.com the album was "all brand new" material.

"There's a lot of what you'd hope to hear from Brian (Wilson) on there. It's not a quilt or a pot luck dinner; it's not like, 'OK, everybody show up with your songs.' It's not one of those kind of albums. There's a lot of Brian in there, and Mike (Love). It's just nice to know there is a Mike Love and a Brian Wilson still around to write together," Johnston said.

Nettwerk Music Group

She completed her degree in business, but also tried her hand at songwriting in both Chinese and English, and began performing in the Toronto area, especially Vancouver, where she caught the attention of Nettwerk Music Group, home of such stars as Sarah McLachlan and Dido.

She also sang I Only Care About You and Fix You, to pay tribute to her idols, the late Taiwan singer Teresa Teng and the British rock band Coldplay.

Joker Needs Laughter Too and Say the Words, which Qu wrote several years ago in English, were performed for the first time by Qu for a Chinese audience. Both songs will be recorded on her upcoming second album.

For Qu, Dec 21, 2012, was not the end of the world but a brand-new start, a chance to fly high.

The first two Kung Fu Panda films

Oriental DreamWorks also announced it will make the next Kung Fu Panda movie, the third installment in the series, in China for release in 2016.

The ambitious move comes after Walt Disney, another US entertainment company, last year broke ground on its planned $3.7 billion theme park in Shanghai, which is scheduled to open in 2015.

The first two Kung Fu Panda films enjoyed great success in the Chinese market, and the second film took in 470 million yuan at the box office.

Li said the company plans to release up to three films a year and its first feature-length animated film is scheduled for global release in 2017.

Established with an initial investment of $330 million, Oriental DreamWorks is owned by DreamWorks Animation SKG, producer of the original Kung Fu Panda and other animated feature films, and its Chinese partners, which include three State-owned enterprises.

They are the Shanghai-based China Media Capital, Shanghai Media Group and Shanghai Alliance Investment Ltd, one of the largest cultural exchange and cooperation programs between China and foreign countries.

The Chinese companies will hold a 55 percent stake in the new company, while DreamWorks Animation will control the rest.

Sales for Madonna Is 12th studio album

Rapper Nicki Minaj shot straight to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday with her sophomore album "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded," usurping the crown from Madonna, who suffered the biggest second week sales drop in chart history.

Sales for Madonna's 12th studio album "MDNA" fell a staggering 86.7 percent to just 48,000 copies sold this week, dropping from No. 1 to No. 8 on the chart.

The percentage drop in "MDNA" sales trumps Lady Gaga's 2011 album "Born This Way," which fell from 1.1 million copies in its opening week to 174,000 in week two, an 84 percent decline.

"Roman Reloaded" is Minaj's second album to top the chart, selling 253,000 copies in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan, despite receiving poor reviews from critics.

Madonna recently teamed up with Minaj on her Superbowl song "Give Me All Your Luvin'" and another track on the "MDNA" album, and Minaj has openly revealed her admiration for the Queen of Pop, calling Madonna one of her inspirations.

Pop darling Adele's Grammy-sweeping album "21" returns to the No. 2 spot on the chart, selling 153,000 copies in its 59th week. Total U.S. sales of the album have surpassed 8 million copies so far.

Country singer Tate Stevens wins Fox's 'X Factor'

NEW YORK (AP) — Tate Stevens, who was mentored by music exec L.A. Reid on the second season of "The X Factor," has won the Fox singing competition.

The 37-year-old country singer from Belton, Mo., beat runner-up Carly Rose Sonenclar, a 13-year-old schoolgirl from Westchester, N.Y., and teenage girl group Fifth Harmony on the finale that aired live Thursday night.

Stevens wins a $5 million recording contract.

More than 35 million votes were cast by viewers after Wednesday's performance show.

Besides Reid, judges this season included Demi Lovato, Britney Spears and series creator Simon Cowell.

Thursday's show was also the grand finale for Reid. Earlier this month, he said he wouldn't be returning to "The X Factor" next year. No replacement has been announced.

Pianist bags major award

Li Haichuan, a young assistant professor from China Conservatory of Music, won first place at the recent American Protg International Piano and Strings Competition 2012, held at Carnegie Hall in New York City.

It is the first time that a Chinese pianist has won the competition that attracted more than 500 pianists from over 20 countries and regions.

Li got his doctorate of musical arts from the University of Oklahoma in 2009. As a teacher, he coached Wang Tianran, who won the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition in 2010.

The songs are tied together with hard bass beats

Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times gave the album two out of four stars, saying it doesn't "offer much in the way of innovation," and that the iconic singer had "fallen behind...she is no longer setting the conversation in a genre she essentially invented."

The songs are tied together with hard bass beats and electro-synth tunes in uptempo dance songs like "Gang Bang" and "Girl Gone Wild," where the matriarch of modern pop music sings lyrics like "I know good girls don't misbehave, misbehave, but I'm a bad girl anyway."

"Falling Free" is one of the few tracks that change pace from the album's dance-core theme, described by Billboard's Keith Caulfield as a "gorgeous ballad." The Golden Globe-winning song "Masterpiece," from the soundtrack of Madonna's film "W.E." also stood out with its delicate acoustic guitar melody.

The singer doesn't shy away from her personal life, with lyrics such as "I tried to be your wife, diminish myself, and swallowed my life," in "I Don't Give A," featuring rapper Nicki Minaj, seen as an allusion to her former marriage with British director Guy Ritchie.

Billboard's Keith Caulfield called the album "a collection of thoroughly pumping pop tunes, some of which are slices of sheer brilliance," praising tracks such as "Gang Bang."

Alexis Petridis of British newspaper The Guardian, gave the album three out of five stars, calling it "business as usual" for the pop star.

Guitarist plucked from obscurity

From the moment Milos found a dusty old guitar missing strings in his parents' room, he became obsessed.

The 28-year-old has established himself among the most gifted young classical guitarists.

In 2010, he signed an exclusive recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon (DG). He's the only classical guitarist the prestigious label has signed in the last 20 years.

DG loves him so much that they send him all over the world to promote his debut album, Mediterraneo, which was released in China in February. He will stage his China premiere in Hong Kong on May 7.

Montenegro, a small country of 600,000 and once part of Yugoslavia, is exotic to most Chinese and might only remind us of the wars.

"When the war in Yugoslavia happened, it was very hard," Milos tells China Daily in Beijing.

"We did not have shooting on our streets in Montenegro, but we were still affected because it was all around us. I became aware when there was a shortage of goods."

Milos recalls that one evening his mother packed a green bag for his father and he realized it contained a uniform.

He had recently heard his father's good friend was killed in the war.

The boy found happiness in music. He had displayed a natural aptitude for singing before he first wrapped his fingers around his father's old guitar.

He dreamed of being a rock star onstage while other boys ran around the playground.

Letting the good times roll in China

Cajun music and China are two things that normally don't meet in the same sentence, but a little band from Switzerland called Mama Rosin might change that.

Mama Rosin, the brainchild of guitar and banjo player Robin Girod and accordion player Cyril Yeterain, are set to bring their brand of Cajun fusion punk rock to eight different Chinese cities as part of the Francophone Festival, a music and film festival held by the French-speaking countries of Europe.

Yeterain says that Mama Rosin was very excited to come to China, especially since they were invited by the Swiss embassy. At the same time, Yeterain says that the band is unsure how they will be received in China.

"I think maybe no body knows what Cajun music is, that's what I think before meeting people, we haven't played yet, and we don't know what people will think," Yeterain says. "We had a press conference and the journalists were very curious in our instruments because they have never seen them before."

The instruments the journalists fawned over, Yeterain says, were an old-fashioned Cajun accordion, a banjo and something normally found in folk music in the US: a washboard.

Classic long players

The world's top orchestra and conductor will stage an enchanting concert in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on April 1.

The Philharmonia Orchestra and the conductor, Lorin Maazel, will play spring melodies from Mozart's violin concerto and Mahler's symphony.

For more than five decades, Maazel has been one of the world's most sought-after conductors. And the Philharmonia Orchestra is acknowledged as the UK's foremost musical pioneer.

Admirers of the three legendary Cantonese pop musicians Leslie Cheung, Danny Chan and Paul Chung can take a closer look at their inspiring journeys. Clifton Ko, a famous Hong Kong director, presents their musical in Guangzhou on March 30.

Three young rising artists from Hong Kong will take on roles as the three dead stars. About 40 songs will be played, and the director will also unveil their friendships and conflicts.

Cantopop concert

Admirers of the three legendary Cantonese pop musicians Leslie Cheung, Danny Chan and Paul Chung can take a closer look at their inspiring journeys. Clifton Ko, a famous Hong Kong director, presents their musical in Guangzhou on March 30.

Three young rising artists from Hong Kong will take on roles as the three dead stars. About 40 songs will be played, and the director will also unveil their friendships and conflicts.
Tel Aviv's innovative act Eatliz will bring its spectacular visual performances and genre-crossing music to China for the first time.

Eatliz is a female-fronted visual art rock band, known for its animated music videos. Besides its artful music, Eatliz emphasizes staging and features video art.

The world's top orchestra and conductor will stage an enchanting concert in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on April 1.

The Philharmonia Orchestra and the conductor, Lorin Maazel, will play spring melodies from Mozart's violin concerto and Mahler's symphony.

For more than five decades, Maazel has been one of the world's most sought-after conductors. And the Philharmonia Orchestra is acknowledged as the UK's foremost musical pioneer.

Critics pan charmless Spice Girls musical

Independent newspaper critic Paul Taylor said the show "only achieves the kind of deliriously silly and joyous lift-off" at its encore and blamed scriptwriter Jennifer Saunders.

"Not only does her script rarely give you that necessary gleeful sense of expectancy about where the songs are going to be shoe-horned in, but it's embarrassingly derivative of 'Mamma Mia!' and looks way past its sell-by date in its utterly surprise-free satiric swipe at X Factor."

"Viva Forever!" was the brainchild of producer Judy Craymer, whose Mamma Mia! musical based on the hits of ABBA has earned nearly $2 billion worldwide and spawned a hit movie starring Meryl Streep.

She teamed up with British comedian Saunders of "Absolutely Fabulous" fame to create a story about the central character, Viva, a sprightly teenager who, along with her friends, gets into the final stages of a TV singing contest closely resembling Britain's "The X Factor".

Adele wins three early Grammys

British soul singer Adele won three early Grammys on Sunday, including best pop solo performance for her song "Somebody Like You," in a show that began on a somber note with a prayer for late pop superstar Whitney Houston.

Adele, whose album "21" was among the smash hits of 2011, took the stage and thanked her doctors who helped her recover from recent surgery to remove a polyp from her vocal cord. "Seeing as it's a vocal performance I need to thank my doctors, I suppose, who brought my voice back," she said.

Aside from surgery, the British singer has enjoyed a stellar year. Her sophomore album "21" has sold more than 6.3 million copies in the U.S. and broken many sales records, including spending 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart.

She has thrilled fans singing about personal heartbreak in a raw, soulful manner in singles including "Rolling in the Deep," "Somebody Like You" and "Set Fire to the Rain."

Rockers Foo Fighters were the other big winners early in the show, picking up four Grammys in rock music categories and a fifth for best long form music video. Their hit "Walk" earned them best rock performance.

"This is a great honor because this record was a special record for our band. Rather than go to the best studio ... we made this one in my garage with some microphones and a tape machine," said frontman Dave Grohl. "It shows that the human element of making music is what's most important."

Chris Brown returns to Grammys

Chris Brown will perform at this Sunday's Grammy Awards for the first time since beating his then girlfriend Rihanna in 2009 on the eve of the music industry's biggest night, which threatened to derail his music career.

Rihanna also is among the stars performing live at the event, and rumors have flown among fans and celebrity watchers in recent weeks that the pair may be secretly dating again -- speculation Brown's representatives have dismissed.

Grammy organizers said on Tuesday that Brown, who has three nominations including best R&B singer for his album "F.A.M.E.", had been added to the line-up for the February 12 awards show in Los Angeles.

They said Brown will join Foo Fighters, Lil Wayne, David Guetta and deadmau 5 for a performance highlighting dance and electronica music for the first time on the Grammy Awards show stage.

Organizers said last month that Rihanna, who has four nominations including album of the year for "Loud", will sing with Coldplay on the Grammy stage.

Brown, 22, has skipped the Grammys since launching a violent attack on Rihanna in 2009, leaving her battered and bruised and Brown in the custody of police.

Brown publicly apologized, admitted to criminal assault in court. A judge sentenced him to five years probation, six months community service and anger management counseling. But his clean-cut image took a major blow.

Adele live comeback at Grammy Awards

British chart-topper Adele will make her live comeback at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in just under two weeks, after being on vocal rest since throat surgery sidelined the singer late last year.

The 23-year-old singer tweeted the news to her fans, saying "Ima be, Ima be singing at the Grammys. It's been so long I started to forget I was a singer! I can't wait, speak soon xx."

In a statement, Adele said she was "immensely proud to have been asked to perform" at music's biggest night on February 12 after a three-month hiatus on vocal rest.

It is "very exciting and of course nerve-racking, but what a way to get back into it all," she said.

The two-time Grammy winner, whose second album "21" smashed chart records around the world last year, was forced to cancel U.S. tour dates in November 2011 when she underwent microsurgery in Boston to treat a benign polyp on her vocal cords which was causing recurrent bleeding.

Appearing with her at the 54th Grammy Awards show will be top acts including Coldplay, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Paul McCartney, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift.

Adele is also expected to perform at the BRIT Awards, Britain's top music accolades, in London on February 21.

The sultry singer has been nominated for six Grammys this year -- record of the year, song of the year and best short form music video for "Rolling In The Deep," album of the year and best pop vocal album for "21" and best pop solo performance for "Someone Like You."

Taylor Swift aims at Jake Gyllenhaal on new album

Taylor Swift says her new album will be about an "absolute crash-and-burn heartbreak," prompting speculation in the media that the latest subject of her songwriting skills may be her short-lived 2010 crush on Jake Gyllenhaal.

Swift, 22, whose "Dear John" song was seen as a bitter ode to ex-boyfriend John Mayer, told Vogue magazine that she was working on her fourth album, and is currently single.

The country-pop crossover artist, who famously wears her heart on her songwriter's sleeve, said that writing about past loves is a way to ease the pain.

"There's just been this earth-shattering, not recent, but absolute crash-and-burn heartbreak and that will turn out to be what the next album is about," she told Vogue in a cover story for its February edition.

"The only way that I can feel better about myself -- pull myself out of that awful pain of losing someone -- is writing songs about it to get some sort of clarity," she said.

Swift dated "Brokeback Mountain" star Gyllenhaal for about three months in late 2010 before their much-photographed relationship ended suddenly around the Christmas holidays that year. U.S. celebrity magazines claimed that Gyllenhaal had ended the relationship because he was unhappy at the attention the couple was generating.

Swift told Vogue she did not feel like dating at the moment. "I really have this great life right now, and I'm not sad and I'm not crying this Christmas, so I am really stoked about that."

Forever young

"I don't worry about the generation gap because the new album is made for young listeners," he says. "I hope that I can sing shuang jie kun (nunchaku) when I am 60 or 70 years old."

More than 60,000 copies were sold within the first week after the album was released in Taiwan on Nov 14, featuring songs like Mine Mine, Shadow Play and the title song, Wow.

The album topped the downloads chart of China Mobile Wireless Music, but some music critics say the singer tries too hard to cater to the youth.

Previously, Chou's albums were criticized for repeating the 2005 album, November's Chopin, and it appears some fans miss the old Chou style. On the largest Chinese website devoted to movies, books and music reviews, Douban.com, Chou's new album didn't enter the Top 10 new album chart and only scored a 5.2.

His combination of traditional Chinese instruments and Western styles helped usher in the zhongguo feng - literally "Chinese-style" music.

Most of his hit songs, including Chrysanthemum Terrace and Faraway, have featured lyrics written by Vincent Fang and music composed by Chou.

Though the new songs have all been all written and composed by the pair, some listeners say there is a change and are disappointed.

Among the comments on Douban.com are: "Chou is not serious about this album," and, "We are getting old and can't understand Chou's ideas".

Chou, who has been Asia's most reliable and popular star over the past 10 years, says he is confident enough to walk his own path.

"I am getting used to criticism and suspicion. I think that they just don't get my music," he says.

"I have been experimenting and trying something new. For example, I hated electronic music before but I have it on this album because I wanted to have some fun with it. I also tried Peking Opera singing on the album, which was fun as well."

Chen returns to Vienna for new prestige concert

Chinese vocalist Chen Junhua will hold a concert with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra on Dec 20 at the Wiener Konzerthaus, one of the most prestigious music venues in Vienna.

Conducted by Shao En, the concert will also feature the Obala Koper Mixed Choir from Slovenia and Chinese tenor Fan Jingma as a guest performer.

Chen will perform a mixed program including symphonic vocal works, such as Farewell My Concubine, and more pop-like numbers, such as Canes around Trees. A highlight of the concert will be when Chen combines two patriotic songs, the Austrian Edelweiss and China's My Motherland and Me.

It will be the second time for Chen to perform in Vienna, after last year's Northern Shaanxi Folk Songs Concert at the Vienna Golden Hall.

Spreading the rock 'n' roll gospel

China's burgeoning music festival scene helps bridge the regional differences when it comes to understanding rock 'n' roll.

In 2010, there were more than 60 music festivals across the country, from the northern grasslands of Inner Mongolia to the southern highlands of Yunnan province.

In 2011, the growth of music festivals has continued, with more than 100 staged across the country.

In December 2011 alone, there will be three outdoor music festivals on in southern cities, including Guangdong province's Shenzhen, Fujian province's Xiamen and Yunnan.

The headliners include the "Godfather of Chinese rock 'n' roll" Cui Jian, rock singer/songwriters Zheng Jun and He Yong, and bands like Miserable Faith and Second Hand Rose.

"We believe the three music festivals will help promote rock music from the North in the southern cities," says Xu Xiaofeng, whose National Music Industry Base has been working with Beijing Beida Jade Bird Co to build a series of platforms for music festivals.

With a 250 million yuan ($39.3 million) investment, the two companies will jointly host 20 music festivals in 20 cities across China in 2012.

"Usually, a music festival gathers some big names and some new faces. But the influence of those bands doesn't last as the music festival ends after several days. What we are going to do is to make the festival longer and more lasting," says Xu, who started preparing the program over a year ago.

"We want to offer fans nonstop enjoyment other media forms, such as rock theme parks and rock music charts, will also be built up."

To cater to the regional differences, organizers will book bands and singers according to local preferences.

MTV gala seeks to localize its style

MTV will stage its Style Gala China 2011 at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing on Dec 7.

The event will feature A-listers of the music, movie, fashion and sports industries from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. This year's attendees include TV host Kevin Tsai, pop stars Jay Chou and Rene Liu, and mainland performers Sun Nan, Shang Wenjie and Zhang Jie.

MTV has been localizing in China since 1999, when it first brought its Music Awards to the country via CCTV. It has since partnered with the Shanghai Media Group to launch its Style Galas. This year is the first time it has worked with the Beijing-based station BTV.

Dong Dong, the vocalist who became a sensation for her song I'm Going to Honghe, has released her new single, How Are You, Friend?.

Written by Li Changming and Wang Lidong, and dedicated to World Hello Day on Nov 20, the new song advocates people caring more about one another.

How Are You, Friend? is a track on Dong's new album A Tour to Honghe. Honghe is a popular tourism destination in Yunnan province because of its natural beauty and ethnic culture.

The How Are You, Friend? music video was shot in Honghe and will soon be aired on CCTV's music channel.

Rihanna's 'Talk The Talk' release tops iTunes

Grammy-winning singer Rihanna may soon be headed to the top of the album charts after her latest record, "Talk That Talk" reached No. 1 on iTunes on Tuesday, one day after its release.

The singer released early teasers online as much as a week in advance, helping push the album into the top 10 on iTunes. Fans took to Twitter and Facebook to call the album Rihanna's best yet. Critical reviews, however, were mixed.

"Talk That Talk" is the sixth studio album from the 23-year-old Barbadian singer, following CDs like "Rated R" and "Loud," which have seen her steadily evolve from teen pop star to adult performer since her 2005 debut. She has earned international success over the years with singles like "Umbrella," "Rude Boy" and "What's My Name."

The 11-track "Talk That Talk" features themes of love and sexuality with a mixture of up-tempo dance tracks and reggae beats on "Where Have You Been," "Birthday Cake" and "You Da One," along with ballads "We All Want Love" and "Farewell."

Rihanna also collaborated with rapper Jay-Z -- whose Roc Nation label manages her -- on the single "Talk That Talk" and Scottish producer Calvin Harris on chart-topping dance anthem "We Found Love." The record also features a sample of British indie rock group The xx's "Intro" on single "Drunk On Love."

The singer's fans were upbeat on Twitter.

@OhMy_Kayla said, "This TALK THAT TALK album by @rihanna is by far the best one yet!!!!,, I FREAKING LOVE HER," and @gabixballa tweeted, "I've only been listening to Talk That Talk since yesterday. Lowkey @rihanna's best album ever."

Despite the positive fan reception, critics delivered mostly mixed reviews, acknowledging the singer's move toward dance music but criticizing the lyrics.

Stars shine at New Year concerts

Shenzhen TV recently announced it will stage four New Year's concerts in 2011's final months.

The performances will feature more than 30 A-listers, including mainlanders Zhang Ziyi, Na Ying, Chen Chusheng and Shang Wenjie; Mai Meng and Fei Yu-ching from Taiwan; and Sammi Cheng and Andy Hui from Hong Kong. Pianist Lang Lang will also perform. Three other "mystery guests" will take the stage, too.

The first concert was recently held in Jilin's provincial capital Changchun. The show will head to Liaoning province's Dalian city on Nov 27 and Beijing on Dec 10, with the final performance to be staged in Guangdong province's Shenzhen city on New Year's Eve.
Led by Simon Rattle, the Berlin Philharmonic opened its 2011 Asia tour with two concerts at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing on Nov 10 and Nov 11.

The program on Nov 10 included Ravel's Alborada del Gracioso and Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa's concerto for horn and orchestra Moment of Blossoming. On Nov 11, the orchestra performed Mahler's Symphony No 9, as part of a concert series staged by the National Center for the Performing Arts to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the composer's passing.

The Berlin Philharmonic also performed in Shanghai on Nov 13 and will perform in Taipei on Nov 18 and Nov 19.

Rihanna cancels second Swedish show

The 'We Found Love' singer was due to perform in the country's capital city Stockholm but a doctor deemed her unfit to perform an hour before stage time, as she had a bad case of flu.

A statement from concert promoters Live Nation said: "Unfortunately, we need to report that the concert with Rihanna tonight at the Ericsson Globe [venue] has been cancelled due to illness.

"Rihanna is exhausted and sick. Unfortunately we have once again been forced to make a difficult decision at the last minute."

The 23-year-old pop star was later transported from the hospital to her hotel, accompanied by two minders, wrapped in a big grey wool coat and looking withdrawn.

On Monday (31.10.11) Rihanna had to cancel another date in her 'Loud Tour' in Malmo after being hospitalised and placed on a drip. She posted a picture of the tube feeding into her arm on twitter with a caption reading "Sorry, Malmo!"

She also later released a statement to apologise to fans, which read: "I am sorry to everyone who was coming out to my show in Malmo, Sweden. I was so excited to perform for you all.

"It would have been a great time ... so much better than being sick with the flu, ugh! I'm really disappointed I couldn't be there."

Earlier this week, it was reported doctors had told Rihanna to curb her partying to stay healthy on the road.

Stevie Wonder headlines NYE in Vegas

LAS VEGAS  — Music legend Stevie Wonder plans to headline in Sin City on New Year's Eve, playing to a ballroom crowd at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and to thousands of revelers on the Las Vegas Strip by video.

Casino officials said the 25-time Grammy winner known for top hits including "Superstition" and "You are the Sunshine of My Life" will be its top performer one year after an exclusive grand opening bash that featured Jay-Z and Coldplay.

This year's party is slightly more accessible than last year's invite-only affair — a limited number of tickets start at $250 and include an open bar.

The New Year's Eve show caps a year of entertainment at the Cosmopolitan that featured top acts including Adele, the Flaming Lips and Deadmau5.

Wonder's concert will stream to partiers on the Las Vegas Strip, which will shut down to vehicle traffic and fill up with tourists.

Lisa Marchese, the Cosmopolitan's chief marketing officer, said Wonder has proven over several decades of performing he can appeal to audiences young and old.

In June, the former child prodigy was honored at the Apollo in New York with induction into the Legends Hall of Fame, joining Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson and Ella Fitzgerald.

But Wonder, who has seven Billboard No. 1 singles, got top billing in September at the Austin City Limits music festival, which featured dozens of acts including Coldplay, Kanye West and Arcade Fire.

"He's gotten cool again in a whole different way with a young group of people who didn't grow up with his music," Marchese said. "He's legendary, he's an impresario, he's contemporary but old school in this really unexpected way."

Mahler Is banquet

A Feast for Eyes and Ears involves a cultural dialogue transcending time and space, between Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) poet Li Bai, late-Romantic Austrian composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), contemporary Chinese composer Ye Xiaogang, and Chinese theater director Li Liuyi. Playing on Sunday at the Poly Theater, it is a project of the 14th Beijing Music Festival, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the death of Mahler. Conducted by Yang Yang, China Philharmonic Orchestra will perform Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth) and Ye's work of the same title. At the same time, under the direction of Li, a group of dancers and actors will perform against the backdrop of a video interacting with the performance.

"The performance will try to visualize the abstract images from the musical works, in the hope that we may 'see' music," says Li, who is best known for his collaborations with composer Guo Wenjing on innovative Peking Operas and a ballet adaptation of The Peony Pavilion with the National Ballet of China.

Nine performers, including ballet, contemporary and traditional Chinese dancers, as well as Peking Opera actors, will take the stage of The Song of the Earth, alongside vocalists Yuan Chenye, Xu Xiaoying, Warren Mok and Liao Changyong.

An actor, at times an alienated outsider and then a more involved character in the performance, will recite Tang Dynasty poems in both Chinese and English.

It was in 1908 that Mahler conceived The Song of the Earth, after being inspired by a compilation of translated Tang Dynasty poetry by German poet Hans Bethge.

At the time, Mahler had just resigned the artistic directorship of the Vienna Court Opera, and was suffering from his eldest daughter's death and his own congenital heart defect.

The collection of Chinese poems, depicting various stages in life, resonated with Mahler's increasing awareness of mortality, and he chose seven of them to be lyrics for The Song of the Earth, which he termed "a symphony for tenor and alto (or baritone) voice and orchestra".

Mahler's use of pentatonic scales in the third movement Of Youth (Von der Jugend) is an example of musical "Chinoiserie" - a recurring theme in European artistic styles that reflect Chinese artistic influences.

Escapades in sound from DJ Spooky

He should know. The Washington DC-born Renaissance man is a universally renowned storyteller who first created a splash in the mid-1990s with influential work on Illbient music - an experimental form of hip hop that fuses digital media and soundscapes. The DJ, VJ, composer, multimedia artist, writer, scholar and music professor has collaborated with diverse personalities including Yoko Ono, Kronos Quartet and Steve Reich, as well as Chinese musicians DJ Wordy, Min Xiaofen and Jing Zhou.

In 2004, he unveiled DJ Spooky: Rebirth of a Nation, commissioned by New York City's Lincoln Center Festival; after acclaimed performances, it was released as a film in 2009. The seminal work is DJ mix applied to cinema with D. W. Griffith's 1915 black and white film Birth of a Nation providing thought-provoking imagery for a multisensory experience.

Rebirth of a Nation has previously performed at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Athen's Acropolis and London's Tate Modern. The two shows in Hong Kong follow a DJ workshop, seminar and master class held in late September and early October.

"Film is a tool which is an extension of economic and political processes," says DJ Spooky. "Film speaks to all people. We respond to images in a different way than sound. With Rebirth of a Nation, I wanted to figure out some ways to get people thinking about DJ'ing images and figuring out the ways in which stories have evolved over the past 100 years. My motto for this project is director as DJ.

"Birth of a Nation was the first film to really tap the emotional logic behind how people perceive 'the other'. With the rise of 'black faces' and the minstrel show, we saw a century rise of the entertainment-military-industrial complex.

"I wanted to figure out a way to look at the film through the prism of conflict and perception: We live in an information economy and film is a kind of information. That means it can and should be changed. That's why I wanted to remix it."

Red bright and true

Wearing a casual white T-shirt paired with navy blue jeans and trendy sneakers, pianist Li Yundi looks every bit a Mando pop star. The 29-year-old is a star, a huge celebrity, but moves in very different musical circles within the world of classical performance. Last month he launched his new album Red Piano, the first in which he focuses only on Chinese folk music masterpieces.

Li says the recording is a milestone turning point in his musical career. After years of playing Western classical music Red Piano reveals the young man's desire to look for new inspiration by returning to his own cultural roots.

"I hope Red Piano opens a new gateway for music lovers in the West. They may better understand the folk features of Chinese music and it may spark their interest to know more about China, the place where I come from," Li says.

Li knows the power of music and its global reach. "Music is the best communication tool that does not need language and can bring people from different cultures together. My new album is an opportunity to win glory for Chinese music."

Li also knows about the glory of music.

When Li was just 18 he walked onto the international stage and was rocketed to fame when he won the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2000. He became the youngest winner of this prestigious prize.

After the victory, Li studied in Hanover, Germany, with Israeli classical pianist Arie Vardi. Since then Li has dedicated himself to the works of Chopin, and proved himself a stunningly talented pianist with his masterly techniques and wondrous colorings of many Chopin recitals.

"I prefer Chopin's elegant and artistic music style and admire his persistent spirit of musical creation. I want to capture the inner world of Chopin and also ponder my own feelings when I play his music."

Adele cancels US dates due to vocal hemorrhage

British singer-songwriter Adele is canceling the remainder of her sold out U.S. tour due to a hemorrhage in her vocal chord, her record label said on Tuesday.

The Grammy-winning singer pulled out of 10 dates, starting with Atlantic City in New Jersey on October 7 and finishing with three gigs in Texas two weeks later, on the back of her bestselling album "21" that has produced hits such as "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You."

"I have absolutely no choice but to recuperate properly and fully, or I risk damaging my voice forever," the 23-year-old singer said in a statement on her website. "I have great confidence in believing you know how much this upsets me, how seriously I take it and how truly devastated and annoyed I am by this."

Adele was already forced to postpone several U.S. dates earlier this year due to vocal chord issues and was finishing up a tour in Britain when her illness reappeared and she decided to cancel the remaining U.S. dates, said a statement by Columbia Records.

"My voice is weak and I need to build it back up. I'm gonna be starting up vocal rehab as soon as, and start building my overall stamina in my voice, body and mind," the singer said. "I will be back and I'm gonna smash the ball out the park once I'm touring again. I apologize from the bottom of my heart, sincerely I do."

Rock and Roll Hall unveils nominees for 2012

Trailblazing women in rock such as Joan Jett and Heart's Wilson sisters, as well as iconic rappers the Beastie Boys were among 15 music acts nominated on Tuesday for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

"From vocal groups to hip-hop, from singer-songwriters to hard rocking artists, this group represents the spirit of what we celebrate at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," president and chief executive Joel Peresman, said in a statement.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, whose "I Love Rock N' Roll" became an anthem of the musical genre fame, and "Crazy on You" singers Heart, led by Ann Wilson and her sister Nancy Wilson, are both first-time nominees.

They are joined by rockers Guns N' Roses, The Cure, The Small Faces/The Faces and R&B artists The Spinners, Rufus with Chaka Khan, bluesman Freddie King and 1980s rappers Eric B. & Rakim among those nominated to the Hall for the first time.

Repeat nominees who failed to make it into the institution in previous years were the Beastie Boys, funk rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers and War, as well as disco-era songstress Donna Summer and 1960s artists Donovan and Laura Nyro.

The 27th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place in Cleveland on April 14.

Acts are eligible for induction 25 years after their first release. This list of nominees all put out first albums in, or prior to, 1986. Inductees will be decided by 500 voters who include previous inductees and record industry insiders.

Days prior to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, the institution will celebrate the grand opening of it's new Library and Archive -- the world's largest collection of materials dedicated to rock 'n' roll.

Mick Jagger dances to keep fit

The 68-year-old Rolling Stones frontman keeps fit for the sake of his career, but insists he has no specific diet or exercise regime as he thinks training too hard would be bad for him.

He said: "I have very good genes and I don't put on weight. I still have a drink. I am not a fanatic about being in the gym for hours or pounding the pavements as that's detrimental.

"If you are not doing shows then you have to keep up a certain level of fitness or there's no going back. Five times a week you have to do half an hour biking or in the gym.

"But dancing is really good and more fun than being in a gym. I go out clubbing."

Even if Mick - who has been dating designer L'Wren Scott since 2001 - finds himself in a place where he is unable to go out, he makes the most of where he is and is happy to dance alone at home.

The father-of-seven added in an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper: "If you are in the country with nowhere to go, you just clear the furniture away and have a dance. That's as good for you as going out to the gym and working out on a bike.

"You put the music on, blast out a few of your favourite tunes and have half an hour dancing. But no stopping.

"You do have to take the missus out as well, of course."

R and B singer Vesta Williams found dead in Calif

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Big-voiced R&B diva Vesta Williams, perhaps best-known for her 1980s hits "Don't Blow A Good Thing" and "Congratulations," has been found dead of a possible drug overdose in a Southern California hotel room, coroner's investigators said Friday. She was 53.

Williams was found dead at 6:15 p.m. Thursday in an El Segundo hotel room, Los Angeles County coroner's Capt. John Kades (KAY'-dihs) said.

An autopsy will determine the cause of death. A toxicology examination will take six weeks to be completed, Kades said.

Born Mary Vesta Williams on Dec. 1, 1957, to a disc jockey in Coshocton, Ohio, she had hits with "Once Bitten Twice Shy," "Sweet, Sweet Love" and the torch song "Congratulations," where she emotionally bids goodbye to her ex, about to marry someone else, on his wedding day.

Williams also appeared in movies and on television.

She was a saloon singer in the Mario Van Peebles movie "Posse" and she had a recurring role on the television situation comedy "Sister, Sister," playing actress Jackee Harry's best friend Monica.

Harry tweeted her condolences: "...just received truly devastating news: R&B great, and my friend of many yrs, Vesta Williams ((at)vesta4u), has passed away. (hash)RIPVesta"

Williams diminutive frame belied her powerful, soulful pipes. Her initial success in the music industry came as a background singer for artists ranging from Chaka Khan, Anita Baker and Sting. But she would eventually establish her career with release of her first album, "Vesta," in 1986.

Over the years, she had hits including "Once Bitten Twice Shy," "Sweet, Sweet Love" and her signature torch song "Congratulations."

Fresh air

Feel the love for guitarist, singer and songwriter Graham Russell and vocalist Russell Hitchcock as they return to The Venetian for their third concert as Air Supply.

The multi-platinum award winning Australian crooners, who defined 1980s love ballads, was the first group to tour Chinese mainland.

Their harmonies soar stronger than ever, capturing new audiences with their distinctive soft rock easy sound.With Thanksgiving just around the corner, it's time for turkey, trimmings and a taste of Old Blue Eyes.

Nothing brings back Frank Sinatra and the glory days when the Rat Pack ruled quite like Pete Moore's Martini Nation Big Band Deluxe. Billed as lounge and swing with a rock 'n' roll twist, vocalist Moore is joined by a 10-piece band featuring pianist Joao Mascarenhas, drummer Cameron Reid and others.

Orchestra brings both history and music appreciation

 Young musicians, aged 18 to 25 from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan have been asked to take part in a concert series commemorating an important moment in Chinese history.

So, for the past two weeks, starting Aug 7, the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra has joined the Central Conservatory of Music's chorus, for concerts in Macao, Taipei, Shanghai, Wuhan, Nanjing, and, for the finale, Beijing's Forbidden City Concert Hall the night of Aug 19 - all for the 100th anniversary of China's Xinhai Revolution of 1911.

These included an opera piece, Song of Eternal Lament, adapted by musician Zhou Ye, the Song of Fate, of Brahms, and Dvorak's Symphony No 9 (From the New World).

This was in fact the debut of the operatic Song of Eternal Lament, which was originally created in 1932, by Huang Zi, one of the most important Chinese composers of that time.

Huang was responding to the 'Sept 18 Incident' of 1931, when Japanese forces occupied northeastern China in the first stage of their invasion of China. He used the opera to express both his anger over the war and love of the motherland, through a tale of the Tangminghuang emperor, of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).

Jimson Hoi Kin Wa, president of the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra Assoc, described the reason behind the recent event, "We share a period of important history that's hardly known by youngsters these days. The music acts as a bridge to let them learn more about the history of that period.

"We're honored to be a part of this meaningful tour and were careful with our music selection, considering well-known songs and some Chinese operas to fit the celebration."

Hoi went on to comment by saying, "It was also a great experience for the young members of the orchestra and for me to travel and perform in these cities, bringing musical enjoyment to local audiences and communicating in the universal language of music."

Rock Hall to honor Aretha Franklin with series

NEW YORK — Aretha Franklin is already a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but this fall, she'll be honored by the hall once again, as part of its American Music Masters series.

The Queen of Soul will be the subject of a week-long celebration by the hall and Case Western Reserve University. It kicks off Oct. 31, includes an all-day symposium and ends with an all-star tribute concert on Nov. 5. Performers for that show have yet to be announced.

In a statement released Tuesday, the 69-year-old Franklin said she was "thrilled and delighted" to be honored and planned to take part in the festivities.

Franklin returned to the concert scene this year after surgery for an undisclosed condition.

Past honorees include Bessie Smith, Les Paul, Janis Joplin and Woody Guthrie.

Rapper Machine Gun Kelly charged amid flash mob at mall

Cleveland rapper Machine Gun Kelly was cited with disorderly conduct after he was accused of refusing to get down from a food court table during a flash mob he organized at a suburban mall, police said on Sunday.

Police in Strongsville, Ohio, received a tip on Saturday of a possible flash mob planned for 5 p.m. local time by the rapper, who recently signed a recording deal with rap mogul Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' music label.

As the event began, mall management asked a group of people including the rapper not to stand on a table located next to a second-floor railing, according to a statement issued by police.

The 21-year-old rapper, whose real name is Richard C. Baker, and two others who failed to comply were removed from the mall, police said. They were charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct and released.

Video footage posted online shows the event drew a large crowd. Some chanted "MGK! MGK!" as the heavily tattooed rapper tussled with officers.

"If havin fun with my fans and bringin the rage back to my hometown means I have to be arrested...then keep pullin the cuffs out," read a message posted on the rapper's Twitter account.

Hand of God guides rock singer Is new album

His skin-fit purple jeans, black T-shirt, that hangs loosely on his strong frame, leather bracelets, and huge finger ring scream the rebellious spirit of a rock singer. But when Vanness Wu begins to talk about his new pop-rock album, C'est La V, his first in three years, he is seriousness personified.

"The title of the album borrows from the French phrase 'c'est la vie', which means 'such is life'. My name has a 'v', which is pronounced the same as 'vie'. So the title is meant to say 'this is Vanness, this is me'," he explains.

The old Wu, a handsome, arrogant playboy, is still coming to terms with the new Wu, earnest and modest.

"It took me three years to finish this album, but it feels like 10 years - of growing and maturing," says the 32-year-old American-born-Chinese singer.
My family is my top priority. I am now a happy mother and wife," she says. "No matter how glamorous I look on stage, I am an ordinary mother who reads bedtime stories to her children and cooks for them."

As to the new singers, she says that she is not afraid of or worried about the competition, but concedes the music market has changed dramatically.

"When I turn on the TV and watch singing programs, I am shocked by today's young singers, who are not just good singers, but can also dance and play various instruments. But so what?" she says.

"I am getting old and I can't carry off dazzling costumes or dance fiercely. All I have is my voice. I don't worry about my career because it's already there. All I want to do now is enjoy life, be myself and follow my feelings."

Sinatra estate steps to plate in Dodgers Chapter 11

The estate of Frank Sinatra, a long-time Los Angeles Dodgers fan, has joined four other season ticket holders to ask a bankruptcy judge for an official say in the baseball team's future.

Nancy, Frank Jr. and Tina Sinatra and the other ticket holders are seeking recognition as an official committee to advocate on behalf of Dodger fans who generally blame team owner Frank McCourt for its financial problems.

They did not specify their concerns or motives in a filing with the Delaware bankruptcy court. But an official committee would speak on behalf of all season ticket holders, and would have some or all of its expenses for lawyers and advisers paid by the Dodgers.

The family of the singer known for such standards as "My Way" and "New York, New York" and for acting in films such as "From Here to Eternity" has held season tickets since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles from Brooklyn, New York for the 1958 season, according to court documents.

"The season ticket holders are the voice of all fans and therefore deserve a seat at the table," said Anthony Sabino, a law professor at Tobin College of Business at St. John's University. "One could even say they are the lifeblood of a franchise."

In a statement, the Dodgers said there is no need for an official committee of ticket holders because their interests "will not be affected by the Chapter 11 cases."

Bankrupt companies generally work hard to get the support of official committees in order to successfully reorganize.

Sinatra, who died in 1998, was known for dropping by the team's clubhouse.

From evergreen to the latest hits

Not many people in China know David Foster as a performer, but they are familiar with the songs he wrote and the stars he discovered.

The Canadian composer, music producer and arranger will make his debut in Shanghai, with a concert named David Foster and His Friends.

The show will take place at Shanghai Grand Stage on Nov 13, featuring veteran singers such as Chaka Khan, Peter Cetera and Babyface (Kenneth Brian Edmonds).

Foster, 63, was the producer and arranger of I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston, and composer of Tell Him, the duet by Celine Dion and Barbra Streisand. So many singers and performers have worked with Foster that he has been recognized as an integral part of the music industry since the 1990s.

He has won 16 Grammy Awards, and been nominated 47 times. He was also nominated three times for the Oscar for best original song and won the Golden Globe award for The Prayer (sung by Andrea Bocelli and Dion) from the movie Quest for Camelot.

Still, Foster says: "I don't know what to expect in Shanghai, whether they know anything about my music, whether they will be excited or disappointed by it."

One of the most famous stars discovered by Foster was Dion. Foster used to travel hundreds of miles to hear her sing in Montreal, a young woman of 19, speaking no English and singing in French.

From Murrieta to Beijing

Though the band didn't anticipate success so soon, they keep moving forward and are now about to play their first concerts in China, two nights in Beijing and Shanghai.

"We kind of found out at the last minute that we were being added to the bill, and so we took the opportunity. I didn't know the rock show was still happening, so we're just happy to be playing," says Tyler Glenn, the lead vocalist and keyboardist.

For the 75-minute shows, the band will perform 15 songs, including the hit song Animal and some new tunes. They promise a gig full of energy.

"It's such an eye-opening opportunity, to see that our music travels to places we didn't think it would get to," says Glenn in an interview with China Daily.

Not so long ago, Glenn and Chris Allen, the band co-founder and guitarist, who are in their late 20s, attended Coachella Festival as fans. But in April they were part of the lineup, with big names like Arcade Fire, Kanye West and Duran Duran.

Their dream started in Murrieta, California, where their fathers worked together. Named after the sign that sits atop the US hamburger chain In and Out, the two started making music as Neon Trees in 2005.

"We had a joke that 'Neon Punk Trees' would be a cool band name. So we kind of went from there, the joke always stayed and eventually led us using it for the band," Glenn recalls.

When they moved to Utah, they met drummer Elaine Bradley and bassist Branden Campbell.

Their big break came when they played on The Killers' national tour. Their fan base grew by opening for the band, 30 Seconds to Mars.

McCartney recalls fear after 9/11 helps heal with music

LOS ANGELES - Paul McCartney on Thursday recalled the shock and fear that engulfed New York in the aftermath of the Sept 11 attacks and what he called the magical power of music in helping to heal those wounds.

Speaking ahead of the television broadcast of his 9/11 documentary The Love We Make, the former Beatle said that the concert he helped organize after the attacks was one of the most worthwhile moments of his career.

Shot in black and white, The Love We Make chronicles McCartney's personal journey in the devastated city immediately after the attacks on the World Trade Center, and preparations for the Concert for 9/11 six weeks later.

It will be broadcast on cable channel Showtime on Sept 10 as part of a slew of US television programs marking the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

"The whole mood of the world, of America and New York had changed. There was fear in the air and I had never experienced that in New York," McCartney said.

He added that he organized the concert in a bid to help New York let out the fear.

"We were emerging from the fearfulness of the immediate impact, and now you were seeing the emotion releasing through music it's one of the reasons I am in music."

"It was a great feeling. We actually felt like we were doing a bit of good," he said.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, McCartney was in New York on a plane on the tarmac, which was grounded when hijacked planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers. He spent the next few days stranded on Long Island and immediately came up with the idea of staging a concert for the city.

Macao recruits ambassadors for int music festival

MACAO -- Macao's Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) is recruiting for the first time so-called "Music Festival Ambassadors" for its annual Macao International Music Festival, which is set to kick off in October, the Macao Post Daily reported on Tuesday.

The newspaper quoted a statement by the Bureau as saying that the "ambassadors" campaign was aimed at "enriching the musical knowledge and enhancing the artistic qualities of selected entrants" through different training schemes.

The training period will run from September to October and all Macao ID card holders aged at least 16 may have the chance to participate in it. Those selected as "Music Festival Ambassadors" will provide different services at exhibitions held during the event, introduce residents and tourists to the festival's history and provide information about the festival as a whole.

In addition, the "Ambassadors" may have the opportunity to participate in arts exchange activities and visit various arts and cultural facilities in "neighboring regions in an attempt to broaden their horizons and enrich their knowledge in arts and culture", according to the statement.

The Macao International Music Festival, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, will take place from October 7 to November 5, featuring nearly two dozen programs covering a wide range of music including folk, pop, fusion, jazz.

Composer, Pulitzer winner Carter dies in NY at 103

Classical composer Elliott Carter, whose challenging, rhythmically complex works earned him widespread admiration and two Pulitzer Prizes, died Monday at age 103.

His music publishing company, Boosey & Hawkes, called him an "iconic American composer." It didn't give the cause of his death.

In a 1992 Associated Press interview, Carter described his works as "music that asks to be listened to in a concentrated way and listened to with a great deal of attention."

"It's not music that makes an overt theatrical effect," he said then, "but it assumes the listener is listening to sounds and making some sense out of them."

The complex way the instruments interact in his compositions created drama for listeners who made the effort to understand them, but it made them difficult for orchestras to learn. He said he tried to give each of the musicians individuality within the context of a comprehensible whole.

"This seems to me a very dramatic thing in a democratic society," he said.

While little known to the general public, he was long respected by an inner circle of critics and musicians. In 2002, The New York Times said his string quartets were among "the most difficult music ever conceived," and it hailed their "volatile emotions, delicacy and even, in places, plucky humor."

Janis was in tears as she examined the flowers

The singer's mother, Janis, was in tears as she examined the flowers, candles, vodka bottles, flags, drawings and handwritten cards left by neighbors, fans and well-wishers. Many of the offerings expressed the same sentiment: "What a waste."

"I'll remember her as a troubled soul," said fan Ethna Rouse, who brought her 4-year-old son to leave a bouquet. "Like many artists in the world — they are tortured souls, and that's where the talent comes from."

The singer had battled her demons in public, too often making headlines for erratic behavior, destructive relationships and abortive performances.

But she was remembered fondly by her neighbors in Camden, the creative but gritty neighborhood where she lived on and off for years.

"She was too young to die and too talented, and too beautiful," said Peggy Conlon, landlady of the Dublin Castle pub, where Winehouse occasionally stopped for a drink. "She's sorely missed by everyone, not one person had a bad word to say about that kid."

Last month, Winehouse canceled her European comeback tour after she swayed and slurred her way through barely recognizable songs in her first show in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. Booed and jeered off stage, she flew home and her management said she would take time off to recover.

Her last public appearance came three days before her death, when she briefly joined her goddaughter, singer Dionne Bromfield, on stage at The Roundhouse in Camden, near her home.

Winehouse autopsy inconclusive parents thank fans

LONDON — An autopsy on singer Amy Winehouse Monday failed to determine what killed the 27-year-old star, leaving fans and family with a weeks-long wait for the results of toxicology tests.

Winehouse's devastated parents visited mourners outside her north London home to thank them for their support, ahead of a private family funeral that could be held as early as Tuesday.

The singer, who had struggled with drug and alcohol abuse for years, was found dead Saturday at home by a member of her security team, who called an ambulance. It arrived too late to save her.

The Metropolitan Police said Monday that a forensic post mortem "did not establish a formal cause of death and we await the results of further toxicology tests." Those are expected to take two to four weeks.

An inquest into the singer's death was opened and adjourned at London's St. Pancras Coroner's Court. During the two-minute hearing, an official read out the name, birth date and address of Winehouse, described as "a divorced lady living at Camden Square NW1."

"She was a singer songwriter at the time of her death and was identified by her family here at St. Pancras this morning," said coroner's officer Sharon Duff.

Duff said the scene of Winehouse's death "was investigated by police and determined non-suspicious."

In Britain, inquests are held to establish the facts whenever someone dies violently or in unexplained circumstances. Assistant Deputy Coroner Suzanne Greenaway said Winehouse's inquest would resume on Oct. 26.

A Minute With Rapper RZA putting on Iron Fists for new movie

Rapper and music producer RZA is best known as the leader of the hip-hop group the Wu-Tang Clan which also includes such popular members as Method Man, Ghostface Killah and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard.

RZA branched out into film, taking on small acting roles and scoring music, including the soundtrack for Quentin Tarantino's "Kill Bill: Vol. 1".

Now, nearly a decade later, 43-year-old RZA has combined his childhood love of martial arts movies to co-write with Eli Roth the feature film "The Man With the Iron Fists," which he also directs and acts in the title role.

Shot on location in China, and co-starring Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu, Iron Fists is set during the 19th century and sees several groups of warriors and assassins descend on a village in search of gold. The quiet and unassuming local blacksmith (RZA) ends up being the village defender.

RZA, whose real name is Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, sat down with Reuters in Hollywood to talk about the film and the future of the Wu-Tang Clan.

Sweet sounds return

Faye Wong is undoubtedly the queen of pop music in most Chinese people's minds. But if they have listened to the music of Irish band The Cranberries, they would realize their queen is not quite a genius. When Wong's career started in Hong Kong in 1994, her cover of The Cranberries' song Dreams made people see her as a pioneering singer. Her imitation of lead female vocalist Dolores O'Riordan's silky voice, feverish high pitch and willowy whisper, as well as the cropped haircut, blew into the Chinese pop music industry like a fresh breeze. The recording immediately distinguished Wong from other female singers.

The Cranberries have influenced other Chinese musicians apart from Wong, such as songwriters Dou Wei, who is Wong's former husband, and singers Mavis Fan and Candy Lo. The Super Girl winner Li Yuchun also covered their song Zombie on her 2005 talent show.

"We have listened to Faye Wong's singing and it's certainly flattering," says Noel Hogan, a founder and guitarist of The Cranberries.

"We saw an interview of a young band on TV the other day. It's surprising that they mentioned our band and called us their idols. We were just doing our own thing, you know."

Although The Cranberries have taken some years off, it seems as if they have never been away. Ten years after the release of their last album, The Cranberries, perhaps the most innovative and popular Irish bands of the 1990s, are back on the road, playing in stadiums, releasing a new CD, and coming to the mainland for the first time.

Lil Wayne and Paris Hilton bond over jail

In the April issue of Interview Magazine, the bad boy rapper and party-girl heiress bonded over their love for music, clubs, and freedom after jail.

Miss Hilton and the "Lollipop" singer chatted via phone during which time they broke the ice while conversing about their time in the slammer.

"There were times when it was pretty tough to be by yourself, and to have no television, no nothing. That was kind of tough," said Wayne of his one-month stint in solitary confinement, after being caught with an MP3 at Rikers Island last year.

Hilton, who served 23 days in prison in 2007 after violating her probation for repeatedly driving on a suspended license and ignoring court orders, empathized, "I know how you feel. It's the best feeling in the world when you come out."

Paris and Wayne are currently each working on their music careers. They even exchanged phone numbers for a future collaboration."That would be the sickest thing," said Hilton, who hopes to release her second album this summer.

Jersey Shore finale its highest rated yet

LOS ANGELES  - "Jersey Shore" isn't slowing down.

MTV's hit reality show delivered its highest-rated season finale yet on Thursday night, drawing a 7.3 rating in the 12-to-34 demographic, up 20 percent from the Season 2 finale.

About 7.6 million total viewers tuned in to the telecast. "Jersey Shore"'s third season is the top TV show of the year in the 12-to-34 demographic.

Season to date, "Jersey Shore" is up 35 percent from its second season average (7.7 vs. 5.7) in the demographic and a whopping 196 percent from its first season (7.7 vs. 2.6).

Immediately following, "The Hard Times of R.J. Berger"'s second season debut drew a 3.2 rating in the demo (up 19 percent from the series premiere), with 3.1 million total viewers tuning in.

"R.J. Berger" continues in its normal time slot beginning Monday at 10 p.m.

We Found Love tops chart in milestone for Rihanna

Rihanna's single "We Found Love" on Thursday held the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for the eighth straight week, making it the singer's longest-running No. 1 single of her career.

The Barbadian chanteuse's single overtook Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," which stayed at No. 1 for seven weeks earlier this year, and beat her previous top-selling singles, 2007's "Umbrella" and 2010's "Love The Way You Lie" featuring Eminem.

"We Found Love" is the lead single from Rihanna's sixth studio album "Talk That Talk," and the singer will wrap her last concert on her "Loud" tour in London on Thursday.

LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It," notched a seventh week at No. 2 on the singles chart, while Bruno Mars' "It Will Rain" held steady at No. 3, Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" climbed to No. 4 and Katy Perry's "One That Got Away" rounded out the top five.
"We are thrilled to have such a hauntingly beautiful companion album taking shape," said Joe Drake, co-COO of Lionsgate.

Swift and The Civil Wars' collaborated together on the single "Safe and Sound," which was released on iTunes on Friday and topped the iTunes songs chart.

"The Hunger Games," starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson, is based on the young adult series of novels, and tells the story of teenage boys and girls fighting to the death on a nationally televised event in a country called Panem, built on the remains of North America.

Lady Gaga crushes rivals in 2011 music earnings

Lady Gaga towered over other female musicians in 2011, heading a list of top earning women with an estimated $90 million in income, according to a Forbes.com survey released on Wednesday.

The "Born This Way" singer and performance artist made more than double her nearest rival -- country/pop artist Taylor Swift -- thanks to multiple endorsement deals and an estimated $1.3 million nightly gross ticket sales from her concert tour.

Swift earned about $45 million, thanks to her hit album "Speak Now", perfume line, and other deals, just ahead of "Teenage Dream" singer Katy Perry with $44 million.

Forbes.com drew up its list from data on pre-tax income compiled through record sales, touring data and interviews with music lawyers, managers and concert promoters.

Beyonce's 2011 income dipped to an estimated $35 million, mostly because of her relatively small amount of touring this year, but her new album "4", fashion line, and two fragrances helped to put her in 4th place.

Rihanna rounded out the top 5, earning an estimated $29 million from sales of her album "Loud", and endorsements from cosmetics company CoverGirl.

Rolling Stones play $20 surprise gig

Fans said the small space created an optimal setting for the show which kicked off with "Route 66" and ended with "Brown Sugar".

"We were right next to them, we could see them perfectly," said one French fan who gave his name as Gianni. "It was a very small room and they were running all over the stage...they seemed really happy."

Some got an additional perk after the show, as Jagger signed autographs before being whisked away in a black Mercedes sedan.

Earlier this month, the band announced they would perform four concerts at large arenas - two in London and two near New York - to celebrate their 50th anniversary. Their last world tour ended in 2007.

But fans have complained about high ticket prices, which range from 95 pounds ($150) to as much as 950 pounds for a "VIP hospitality" seat. Tickets have been offered online for several thousands pounds each, British media has reported.

The Paris music scene has been awash with rumours that the Stones will also play to bankers invited by Paris-based investment house Carmignac Gestion at a theatre in the heart of Paris on Monday.

In recent years, Carmignac has recruited former Velvet Underground frontman Lou Reed and British rocker Rod Stewart to play similar gigs, usually to an exclusive audience.

Carmignac sent out mystery invitations giving the date and location of what it called "the biggest secret event of the year" without identifying the performer. The investment house has declined to comment.

On Thursday, the band banned mobile phones, cameras, video equipment and recording devices from those going into the gig.

MTV gala seeks to localize its style

MTV will stage its Style Gala China 2011 at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing on Dec 7.

The event will feature A-listers of the music, movie, fashion and sports industries from the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. This year's attendees include TV host Kevin Tsai, pop stars Jay Chou and Rene Liu, and mainland performers Sun Nan, Shang Wenjie and Zhang Jie.

MTV has been localizing in China since 1999, when it first brought its Music Awards to the country via CCTV. It has since partnered with the Shanghai Media Group to launch its Style Galas. This year is the first time it has worked with the Beijing-based station BTV.

Dong Dong, the vocalist who became a sensation for her song I'm Going to Honghe, has released her new single, How Are You, Friend?.

Written by Li Changming and Wang Lidong, and dedicated to World Hello Day on Nov 20, the new song advocates people caring more about one another.

How Are You, Friend? is a track on Dong's new album A Tour to Honghe. Honghe is a popular tourism destination in Yunnan province because of its natural beauty and ethnic culture.

The How Are You, Friend? music video was shot in Honghe and will soon be aired on CCTV's music channel.

Rihanna Is Talk The Talk release tops iTunes

Grammy-winning singer Rihanna may soon be headed to the top of the album charts after her latest record, "Talk That Talk" reached No. 1 on iTunes on Tuesday, one day after its release.

The singer released early teasers online as much as a week in advance, helping push the album into the top 10 on iTunes. Fans took to Twitter and Facebook to call the album Rihanna's best yet. Critical reviews, however, were mixed.

"Talk That Talk" is the sixth studio album from the 23-year-old Barbadian singer, following CDs like "Rated R" and "Loud," which have seen her steadily evolve from teen pop star to adult performer since her 2005 debut. She has earned international success over the years with singles like "Umbrella," "Rude Boy" and "What's My Name."

The 11-track "Talk That Talk" features themes of love and sexuality with a mixture of up-tempo dance tracks and reggae beats on "Where Have You Been," "Birthday Cake" and "You Da One," along with ballads "We All Want Love" and "Farewell."

Rihanna also collaborated with rapper Jay-Z -- whose Roc Nation label manages her -- on the single "Talk That Talk" and Scottish producer Calvin Harris on chart-topping dance anthem "We Found Love." The record also features a sample of British indie rock group The xx's "Intro" on single "Drunk On Love."

Christopher Doyle goes to Hollywood

Christopher Doyle, dubbed as the best photographer in Asia, went to Hollywood, Los Angeles from Oct 20-21, to shoot a music video for Uta, the winner of singing competition Rock The Web.

Doyle, six-time Hong Kong Film Awards winner, designed several looks for Uta to use in what will be her first music video, including a ballet dress and a witch's black dress. He explained there is no logic to his inspiration and claimed the strength in Uta's single, Original Painting, gave him confidence, saying he felt like "I can do anything".

Christopher Doyle is confident that in a few weeks, Uta's music will be shared with the genral public. He thinks it will gain wide approval with audienced. Doyle describes the singer as dependable and earnest, saying that she has only just begun to show her inner potential.

The filming of the music video wrapped on Oct 23. The song is produced by Avril Lavigne's production team, The Matrix.

Justin Bieber Is Mistletoe debuts at No 1

Teen sensation Justin Bieber received a sweet kiss from fans on Wednesday when his album "Under the Mistletoe" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, edging out new entries from rapper Wale and country singer Miranda Lambert.

The album of festive singles sold just over 210,000 copies in its first week and is Bieber's third album to debut at No. 1, following "My World 2.0" and "Never Say Never: The Remixes," from his documentary, "Never Say Never."

Bieber, 17, who is currently fighting claims that he fathered a baby with a California woman after a brief backstage encounter last year, thanked his fans for supporting him on Twitter earlier this week and released an animated video for the single "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town."

"So this past week and even today every rumor and lie about me possible has been coming out in the press. Just need to ignore it ... my fans have been there for me" tweeted Bieber.

The album, which features collaborations with Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, Usher, The Band Perry and Boys II Men, also broke the record for the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut at the top position in the history of the Billboard 200 chart, reported Billboard.com.

"Under the Mistletoe" beat rapper Wale's "Ambition," which sold 164,000 copies in its first week and landed at No. 2. Country singer Miranda Lambert's "Four The Record" debuted at No. 3 while "Britain's Got Talent" alumni Susan Boyle entered the charts at No. 4 with her third album, "Someone To Watch Over Me," forcing Adele's mega-hit "21" to slip to No. 5.

British indie band Florence + The Machine entered the charts at No. 6 with their highly anticipated second album, "Ceremonials," while Coldplay's fifth album, "Mylo Xyloto" fell to No. 7 from last week's top position.

Swift paints love Red in new album

Country-pop star Taylor Swift has won over a legion of devoted fans in the past six years with her raw, honest lyrics of romance and heartbreak.

Now, at the grand age of 22, the five-time Grammy winner is says her new record "Red", to be released on Monday, "the most adventurous album I've ever made".

"'Red' is really kind of diary entries of the last two years of my life," Swift told reporter in a telephone interview.

"There were beginnings and ends and there were ups and downs, and lessons that I learned and then had to learn all over again the exact same way ... the ups and downs of the whole experience of falling in love and being let down and letting go and starting over," she said.

"Red", Swift's follow-up to her 2010 best-seller "Speak Now", sees the singer-songwriter collaborate with the likes of British singer Ed Sheeran and pop music producer Max Martin.

The catchy pop-infused lead single "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" was an instant hit when it was released in September, becoming Billboard's most-downloaded first week digital single.

Akon touching down

Akon's hard-edged hip-hop and catchy dance floor hits are on the menu for his first Chinese mainland tour, on Nov 4 at Beijing's Mastercard Center, Nov 5 at Shanghai's Mercedes Benz Arena and Nov 7 at Guangzhou Stadium.

The multi-platinum superstar, who is the boss and broker of Lady Gaga, will bring his hit songs including Mr Lonely, Right Now, Beautiful and Oh Africa, which he sang for the World Cup in South Africa 2010.

"We had a show set up a few years ago and had to cancel for some reasons, but I am excited to finally get the chance to visit China and be able to perform. I hope that I have time to explore," the 38-year-old singer-songwriter says in an e-mail interview.

As a songwriter and producer with his own record label, Akon has influenced the music industry behind the scenes by working with many of the world's biggest names, from Lady Gaga to Justin Bieber and Eminem.

He is credited with 45 Billboard Hot 100 songs since he first rose to prominence in 2004 with the release of Locked Up and has six Grammy nominations, an American Music Award for favorite male R&B artist and four World Music Awards. The prolific artist also made it onto Forbes' 2011 list of hip-hop top earners.

Akon says that balancing his roles as a boss and a singer is the core to win in the market. In order to stay fresh, he listens to "everything but what I do". Traveling also has given him plenty of inspiration.

Escapades in sound from DJ Spooky

He should know. The Washington DC-born Renaissance man is a universally renowned storyteller who first created a splash in the mid-1990s with influential work on Illbient music - an experimental form of hip hop that fuses digital media and soundscapes. The DJ, VJ, composer, multimedia artist, writer, scholar and music professor has collaborated with diverse personalities including Yoko Ono, Kronos Quartet and Steve Reich, as well as Chinese musicians DJ Wordy, Min Xiaofen and Jing Zhou.

In 2004, he unveiled DJ Spooky: Rebirth of a Nation, commissioned by New York City's Lincoln Center Festival; after acclaimed performances, it was released as a film in 2009. The seminal work is DJ mix applied to cinema with D. W. Griffith's 1915 black and white film Birth of a Nation providing thought-provoking imagery for a multisensory experience.

Rebirth of a Nation has previously performed at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Athen's Acropolis and London's Tate Modern. The two shows in Hong Kong follow a DJ workshop, seminar and master class held in late September and early October.

"Film is a tool which is an extension of economic and political processes," says DJ Spooky. "Film speaks to all people. We respond to images in a different way than sound. With Rebirth of a Nation, I wanted to figure out some ways to get people thinking about DJ'ing images and figuring out the ways in which stories have evolved over the past 100 years. My motto for this project is director as DJ.

Capturing sounds of yesterday

An era came to the end for post '70s and '80s in China when Sony announced it would stop producing Walkman audio cassettes last year. With little memory of the long-playing record, that generation's initial memory of music was connected with this little black cassette tape.

With over 2,500 of them, a special exhibition held inside a shopping mall is full of nostalgia. At one corner of the mall, a 35-year-old father surnamed Lou is teaching his 6-year-old boy Lou Zeyu how to use the old-fashioned cassette player.

"He has never seen a cassette tape or its player before," says Lou. "They're so exposed to the digital. I especially brought him here to see what was my way of enjoying music before.

"I refer it as 'the memory of nine yuan and 80 cents', as it cost that much to get a cassette tape when I was my son's age," says Lou. "Without any prejudice or discrimination, I simply think because of digital devices' convenience, the excitement and fun of getting the music have been lost. Now people can download songs from the Internet without paying a penny - when I was little, I had to save pocket money for weeks for one tape."

Twenty-nine-year-old Jin Mingchen is a super fan of collecting vintage cassette tapes.

Sting can not wait to turn 60

The musician reaches the landmark age on Oct 2, 2011 and rather than be worried about reaching his seventh decade he can't wait.

Sting - who is married to 57-year-old producer Trudie Styler, with whom he has four children - said: "I had the most fun in the previous decade, between 50 and 60. So I'm anticipating that the next one will be even better. I mean, why not?"

The Police star insists he isn't worried about his own mortality and has learnt to appreciate since accepting it is "finite".

He explained: "When you reach a certain age, you realise that life is finite. You can be depressed by that, or you can say, 'I'm going to appreciate every minute to its maximum potential.' "

The 'Message In A Bottle' singer's parents both died from cancer in their 50s and he accepts this had a profound effect on his opinion of death.

He added in an interview with the USA Today newspaper: "I've always been a bit saturnine, a serious person. An older person than I was in years. Perhaps that's why I'm not feeling particularly strange about reaching 60."

Rock and Roll Hall unveils nominees for 2012

Trailblazing women in rock such as Joan Jett and Heart's Wilson sisters, as well as iconic rappers the Beastie Boys were among 15 music acts nominated on Tuesday for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

"From vocal groups to hip-hop, from singer-songwriters to hard rocking artists, this group represents the spirit of what we celebrate at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame," president and chief executive Joel Peresman, said in a statement.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, whose "I Love Rock N' Roll" became an anthem of the musical genre fame, and "Crazy on You" singers Heart, led by Ann Wilson and her sister Nancy Wilson, are both first-time nominees.

They are joined by rockers Guns N' Roses, The Cure, The Small Faces/The Faces and R&B artists The Spinners, Rufus with Chaka Khan, bluesman Freddie King and 1980s rappers Eric B. & Rakim among those nominated to the Hall for the first time.

Repeat nominees who failed to make it into the institution in previous years were the Beastie Boys, funk rockers Red Hot Chili Peppers and War, as well as disco-era songstress Donna Summer and 1960s artists Donovan and Laura Nyro.

The 27th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place in Cleveland on April 14.

Rolling Stones release new single

Doom and Gloom is one of two new songs on their upcoming greatest hits album "GRRR!", which hits shelves on November 12, and there was a sense of relief among critics that the track sounded like the Stones of old.

"Received music industry wisdom has it that new Rolling Stones material exists purely to flog compilation albums or tour tickets," wrote Dan Silver in the Mirror tabloid.

"It's with some relief that we report it's actually rather good," he added in a three-out-of-five star review.

Neil McCormick of the Daily Telegraph also gave Doom and Gloom three stars, saying it was "business as usual" for the band and drawing comparisons between the song and the "basement rock" of their acclaimed 1972 album "Exile on Main Street".

Both critics argued that the song's weakest point was lead singer Mick Jagger's vocals.

"The best bit is when he stops singing and starts blowing," said McCormick of the harmonica interlude.

Silver praised the "nicotine-stained chords" of Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards on guitars and Charlie Watts's "customary magic" on the drums, but added:

"If there's a weak link here then it's actually Jagger, who honks and caterwauls over the track like one of his own tribute artists. His extended enunciation is excruciating - almost to the point of parody in places."

Pete Wentz dating mystery brunette

Pete Wentz is dating a mystery brunette.

The former Fall Out Boy rocker – who split from wife Ashlee Simpson in February – stepped out with his two-year-old son Bronx and his leggy new lady to visit a Los Angeles playground.

A source told E! News: "She's a model and it's a new relationship. They're taking things slowly but he obviously thinks highly of her to introduce her to Bronx."

The couple were pictured holding hands in the park and he also took her on a date to Katsuya Hollywood restaurant on Sept 19 where he set about impressing her by ordering the most expensive bottle of sake spirit on the menu.

Pete, 32, also cryptically tweeted earlier this week: "You always get to make the decision to be a bright light in someone's life or enhancing their own darkness. Don't complain when you pick wrong."

Ashlee, 26, has also showed she is moving on from the marriage this week, appearing at the Emmy awards with 'Boardwalk Empire' actor Vincent Piazza, where the couple gave a very public display of affection.

Composing China inspires international composers

Five international composers - Kalevi Aho, Michael Gordon, Robin Holloway, Augusta Read Thomas and Sebastian Currier -are touring the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an and the provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou from Sept 11 to 23 to learn about China's natural beauty and cultural heritage.

Commissioned by the National Center for the Performing Arts of China (NCPA) and a number of other international organizations, they will compose musical works after being inspired by their trip to China. The works are due in August 2012 and will be performed at two concerts, titled Composing China in October 2012 at NCPA.

Since its founding in 2007, the center has commissioned music works from a number of Chinese composers, such as Ye Xiaogang and Guo Wenjing. Composing China is an effort by the center to build an international repertory themed on China.

Music Special: Orchestra brings both history and music appreciation

Young musicians, aged 18 to 25 from the mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan have been asked to take part in a concert series commemorating an important moment in Chinese history.

So, for the past two weeks, starting Aug 7, the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra has joined the Central Conservatory of Music's chorus, for concerts in Macao, Taipei, Shanghai, Wuhan, Nanjing, and, for the finale, Beijing's Forbidden City Concert Hall the night of Aug 19 - all for the 100th anniversary of China's Xinhai Revolution of 1911.

These included an opera piece, Song of Eternal Lament, adapted by musician Zhou Ye, the Song of Fate, of Brahms, and Dvorak's Symphony No 9 (From the New World).

This was in fact the debut of the operatic Song of Eternal Lament, which was originally created in 1932, by Huang Zi, one of the most important Chinese composers of that time.

Huang was responding to the 'Sept 18 Incident' of 1931, when Japanese forces occupied northeastern China in the first stage of their invasion of China. He used the opera to express both his anger over the war and love of the motherland, through a tale of the Tangminghuang emperor, of the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907).

Jimson Hoi Kin Wa, president of the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra Assoc, described the reason behind the recent event, "We share a period of important history that's hardly known by youngsters these days. The music acts as a bridge to let them learn more about the history of that period.

"We're honored to be a part of this meaningful tour and were careful with our music selection, considering well-known songs and some Chinese operas to fit the celebration."

Uygur sounds, Beijing flavor at late-summer music festival

He then ushered two beautiful Uygur girls on stage, who clapped and twirled their long pink and purple skirts, to the accompaniment of traditional Uygur instruments such as the hand drum, besides Askar's guitar.

"I have been here in Beijing for 21 years. Although my Mandarin is still poor, I love the city," says the rocker, who started making music in the 1980s.

Askar was performing at the Funhill Changyang Music Festival 2011, held at the Riverfront Park, Changyang Town of Fangshan district, from Aug 26 to 28 - his first outdoor festival gig in a while.

Askar says he was drawn to the festival's variety of genres - pop and rock to jazz and electronic music.

A total of 38 singers and groups shared two stages for the three-day event. Veteran singers from Taiwan, including Julie Su and Chief Chao, made a rare appearance, much to the delight of the audience.

Alternative rock band, Your Favorite Enemies, and Japan punk group, Smash Up, were among the international lineups.

The festival took a bold move of introducing jazz, and organizers say it was aimed at breaking the stranglehold of rock music on outdoor music festivals.

Local rock hero Wang Feng closed the event with his trademark coarse voice and nearly 10 of his rock hits.

Despite rains, the first day of the festival pulled in an enthusiastic crowd of more than 20,000, who stayed till the very end.

The theme of this year's music festival was Beijing Fan'er, or the flavor of Beijing. Several photo exhibitions at the venue were focused on local Beijing culture, and many stalls selling typical Beijing snacks were set up.

'Chicago' is Broadway's 4th longest-running show

NEW YORK — The threat of Hurricane Irene didn't stop the cast and crew of the musical "Chicago" from celebrating a Broadway milestone Friday night with cake and a very big knife.

At a small backstage party at intermission, the show marked its 6,137th performance — tying "A Chorus Line" for the fourth longest-running show in Broadway history.

A loud cheer went up when Christopher Sieber, who stars as Billy Flynn, toasted the cast with non-alcoholic sparkling wine in the wardrobe room at the Ambassador Theatre.

Bebe Neuwirth, who played Velma Kelly back when the revival began its near-15-year streak, then plunged a large knife into a vanilla sheet cake decorated with a classic "Chicago" image of a sexy murderess.

"Nice, Bebe, nice!" roared a member of the ensemble. Then Neuwirth, Sieber, Charlotte d'Amboise (a veteran Roxie Hart) and Nikka Graff Lanzarone, the current Velma, cut slices of the cake and passed them around on blood red plates with red plastic forks.

The next performance of the John Kander and Fred Ebb musical will give it sole possession of the fourth-place spot. Because of Irene, that performance has been pushed back to Monday night.

Jay-Z goes back to his roots at Brooklyn stadium launch

Rap superstar Jay-Z returned to his home borough for a sold-out concert on Friday night to open Brooklyn's new basketball stadium.

The rapper who grew up just two miles away from the new Barclays Center arena - now the home court of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team - talked about how far he had come in a show sprinkled with emotional speeches.

"I've been on many stages all around the world and nothing feels like tonight," Jay-Z told the cheering audience.

"I'm really overwhelmed by the moment," he said as he described his humble beginnings in Marcy Houses, a Brooklyn public housing project he noted was just 15 minutes away from the arena. "I can't believe that this day has come."

Jay-Z, who raps about the time he spent as a drug dealer, released his first album in 1996. He is now one of the most successful rappers in the world, owns a minority stake in the Nets and has businesses including a clothing label.

He encouraged members of the packed crowd to have their own stab at success.

"I believe everybody in the world is born with genius level talent ... Apply yourself to whatever you're genius at and you can do anything in the world," he said.

It was the first of eight Jay-Z concerts planned for the venue in the arena's first week.

Jay-Z sported the team's jersey and hat as he sang recent hits like Empire State of Mind and returned to his highly acclaimed debut album Reasonable Doubt.

Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood to host CMA Awards

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood will co-host the 45th annual Country Music Association Awards on November 9, sharing the duty for the fourth time, they said on Monday.

The two made the announcement via Facebook from the set of their new video, "Remind Me."

The CMA Awards, which annually are among the highest honors for country singers, will be handed out at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, and will be broadcast live by ABC.

"We wanted to take a minute to share some very exciting news," Underwood said in the announcement that was available on YouTube. "The CMA has asked Brad and me back to host the CMA Awards in November."

Paisley had also tweeted earlier that he and Underwood were shooting the video, and photos from both that tweet and the CMA announcement showed them on an undisclosed beach.

"Can you believe that?" asked Paisley, who won the CMA Entertainer of the Year award last year. "I can't wait to do it again."

CMA chief executive Steve Moore said both Underwood and Paisley "have the unique qualities of humor, talent, credibility and natural rapport that makes them a hit with fans and the industry audience."

The awards show honors country music's biggest stars from the previous year, with some of the genre's best-known singers handing out 12 awards including Entertainer of the Year, Male and Female Vocalist of the Year, and Album of the Year.

NBC renews 'The Voice' for more seasons

NBC said on Tuesday it had ordered two more seasons of its hit TV singing contest "The Voice" for the spring and fall of 2013.

"This pickup will assure the many dedicated ‘Voice' fans that this innovative show will continue to bring some of the most talented new voices to the world's attention through all of next year," NBC entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said in a statement.

"The Voice", which debuted as a spring show in 2011, moved to a twice a year cycle earlier this month, where it is watched by more than 12 million Americans and has drawn bigger audiences than Fox television's revamped "The X Factor".

NBC, which is majority-owned by Comcast, announced last week that singers Shakira and Usher will take the places of celebrity judges Cee Lo Green and Christina Aguilera when the show returns in the spring of 2013.

"The Voice" has proved one of the brightest lights in NBC's struggling programming schedule as the network seeks to lift itself out of its bottom place among the four leading U.S. free to air broadcasters.

As the 2012-13 TV season officially kicked off on Monday with new and returning shows on all networks, "The Voice" was the top show of the night among the 18-49 demographic most prized by advertisers, according to Nielsen data.