skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Lady Gaga underwent an HIV test during a break on her Monster Ball Tour - and has urged her fans to look after their sexual health. The Poker Face hit-maker visited a gynecologist in New York on her day off, insisting her busy schedule often prevents her from having screenings.
Gaga tells MarieClaire.com, "I had an HIV test two days ago - and it's not because I'm taking off my clothes every night with a different man. When I'm on the road, I forget about taking care of my body."
"I don't go to the doctor as regularly as if I were in one place all the time. So I woke up and thought, 'Oh, I'm home in New York. I'm going to see my gyno and I'm getting an HIV test.'"
And she's stressing the importance of regular check-ups to her legions of devotees: "You put that condom in your purse and save your own f**king life."
A spokesperson for tennis Rafael Nadal has brushed off rumors the athlete is romancing pop star Shakira following a series of meetings between the pair.
The Colombian singer's nine-year romance with investment banker Antonio de la Rua has been under scrutiny in recent months as speculation mounts over her relationship with Nadal. Last March, Shakira reportedly cozied up to Nadal in Miami, Florida after watching the athlete qualify for the Miami Masters. The pair was also spotted dining at a hotel in Barcelona, Spain before shooting a video together in the city late last week.
However, Nadal's spokesperson, Benito Perez-Barbadillo, is adamant the pair is not involved romantically - insisting that he, Nadal's manager Carlos Costa, and video director Jaume de Laiguana were also at the restaurant.
He tells the New York Post, "We were all there, and Shakira only came when we'd finished the main course to have something to drink, accompanied by her manager, Ceci Kurzman, and Jaume. It was a dinner organized with the director to brief Rafa on what was expected from him in the video."
A spokesperson for Shakira declined to comment.
R&B star Brandy has a new man in her life - rapper Flo Rida. The singer was spotted with the "Right Round" hitmaker in Las Vegas last week after the pair spent some cozy moments together in December at the Y100 concert in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
A source tells In Touch magazine, "They are definitely hooking up."
Brandy has previously dated producer Robert Smith, with whom she has a child, and basketball player Quentin Richardson.
Rapper Lil Wayne has given up his thirst for promethazine-codeine syrup ahead of his upcoming 12-month jail stint, but insists he'll always be hooked on marijuana.
The hip-hop star has long been associated with the cough syrup-type drink he once dubbed 'drank' - but he claims he no longer uses the liquid to get high.
He tells Rolling Stone magazine, "I haven't f--ked with that in a long time," insisting he quit in May 2009.
But there's one high he'll never give up: "I smoke weed all day. I'm a very successful addict. And a smart one. And a very charismatic one."
The "Lollipop" hitmaker is set to begin his jail sentence on weapons charges next week.
Kanye West has revealed he is currently in the studio recording new material.
Speaking on his Kanyeuniversecity.com blog, West hinted that he'll be taking a further step away from rap on the album, and likened himself to a "true poet".
"I'm so happy to be back in the studio making new music. I will bring you the best I have to offer with the same dedication that Kobe [Bryant, LA Lakers' shooting guard] has on the court," he wrote.
He added: "It's funny how so many rappers get worse as their careers stretch out, but true poets get better. We will follow in the footsteps of Maya Angelou, Gill Scott-Heron and Nina Simone.
Their work improved with time. They documented what was happening in culture. That is our responsibility as the modern day artists and poets."
West, who's last album '808s & Heartbreak' was released in 2008, added that he wants to bring a sense of realism to the new material.
Rapper Lil Wayne is to make one more final public appearance before he begins a year behind bars - he has signed on to be part of the SOS Save OurSelves - Help For Haiti benefit on Friday night.
Sunday night's Grammy Awards performance with Drake and Eminem was expected to be the rap star's last before he's sentenced on gun charges in New York next week.
But he'll team up with Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Pharrell Williams, Chris Brown, Wyclef Jean and other stars from the worlds of hip-hop and R&B for the latest celebrity fundraiser for the earthquake survivors of Haiti.
The Miami, Florida concert will raise money for CARE, Project Medishare, Yele Haiti and Children's Safe Drinking Water.
Queen Latifah will host the event
The charity anthem "We Are the World" has been rerecorded by 80 artists who came together in the same Hollywood studio where the original was cut 25 years ago.Pink, Natalie Cole, Kanye West, Jennifer Hudson, Celine Dion, Brian Wilson and others stood shoulder-to-shoulder on risers at Henson Recording studios Monday night to raise money for Haiti earthquake relief.
"This one, the enthusiasm, I've never seen anything like it," said Lionel Richie, who wrote the original with Michael Jackson and oversaw the new version with music mogul Quincy Jones, 76.
Jones, who produced the 1985 anthem, announced last week that he planned to redo the song to benefit recovery efforts after the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti on Jan. 12.
"We Are the World — 25 for Haiti" will premiere this month during coverage of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics on NBC, according to a release from promoter AEG Live.
On Monday, stars converged on Studio A in the afternoon and stayed several hours. Richie and Jones worked with a select number of soloists, including Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, later into the night.
At one point during a break, the musicians broke out into an a cappella version of "Lean on Me," a classic moment jump-started by singer Melanie Fiona leaning on another artist because her feet were tired.
Gesturing with her hands, and shifting her headphones from ear to ear, Barbra Streisand recorded her solo over and over, completely absorbed in the recording process and stopping only to correct her pitch.
Later, a who's who of rappers, including Snoop Dogg, LL Cool J and Wyclef Jean, recorded an interlude written by Black Eyed Peas frontman and producer will.i.am.
Rapper Lil Wayne said he was blessed to record the tune but was surprised when told he would do Bob Dylan's part from the original.
"I don't know how to sing," he said with a smile.
Asked how the earthquake had affected him, he said he had Haitian friends in Miami who lost relatives in the disaster.
The original "We Are the World" thundered up the charts when it was released in March 1985.
An unprecedented number of top pop musicians gathered at A&M the night of Jan. 28, 1985, following the American Music Awards, to record the tune. The song featured 45 American superstars, including Jackson, Richie, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen and Cyndi Lauper.
The record raised more than $30 million for USA for Africa, a nonprofit organization the singers founded to fund hunger relief in Africa.
None of the original performers returned Monday because none were asked, said Randy Phillips, chief executive of AEG Live and also Richie's manager.
"This is about a new generation mixed with an old generation," Phillips said.
Proceeds initially are to go to the newly formed charity We Are the World Foundation LLC, and then be distributed to Haiti.
Some top music names were either unavailable or chose not to rerecord the original, Phillips said. Taylor Swift's touring schedule kept her from joining, and Beyonce had returned to New York with husband Jay-Z, he said. Janet Jackson, who was out of town, will contribute vocals remotely, he said.
Filmed by Oscar-winning screenwriter and director Paul Haggis, the event was shot using 3-D cameras, a futuristic twist from the 1985 version. A few people dressed in head-to-toe green stood next to the celebrities as place holders so viewers would eventually be able to insert themselves into the star crowd, Jones said.
Josh Groban, flush from doing his high-flying solo, said: "I can only hope this can have the impact the original has had."
