Music news of 2010

Katy Perry Praises Lady Gaga, Ke$ha In Maxim

The 'Firework' singer reveals, 'I've known Ke$ha forever. She's actually in the 'I Kissed a Girl' video.'
By Jocelyn Vena

Katy Perry on the December 2010 cover of <i>Maxim</i>
Photo: Maxim

Everyone knows that Katy Perry is besties with Rihanna, so it might not be too surprising that Perry has only the kindest words for fellow female pop contemporaries Ke$ha and Lady Gaga, even if she has been critical of one of those women's artistic choices in the past.

"I love what Gaga is doing, and I love what Ke$ha is doing," Perry says in Maxim's new issue, for which she also serves as the cover girl. "I've known Ke$ha forever. She's actually in the 'I Kissed a Girl' video."

But, Perry isn't just dishing on her fellow lady celebrities, she's also showing some love for the fellas, one of whom she married in the fall. "I've said Justin Bieber [was my celebrity crush] quite a few times, but I think I'm over it now. I think it's probably safe to say I married my celebrity crush," the singer shares about husband Russell Brand. "Don't barf on this magazine."

Earlier this year, Perry was chosen to top Maxim's 2010 Hot 100 list, and she admits that the honor has really given her cred all over the place.

"It's a worldwide thing — the rest of the world makes it their standard," she says. "It's one of the questions they ask me in all interviews now, even in places where Maxim doesn't exist. I'll go to Timbuktu, and they'll be like, 'You're the #1 hottest,' and I'm like, 'Maxim said so, but thank you so much for saying so in Timbuktu.' "

So, what does Perry think makes ladies sexy? A fun-loving attitude, obviously.

"The way she presents herself and the air she has about her. You can feel her power and her confidence," Perry explains. "Also, the way she uses her ability to communicate, her brain and personality. I think that's really sexy because you all know the hottest woman can be the biggest bitch, and that's not cool."

Still riding high on the success of her Teenage Dream album, Perry shows no signs of slowing down, with a 2011 tour and a role in the "Smurfs" film on the way.

"You know, I wasn't allowed to watch 'Smurfs' growing up, ever. I grew up in a sheltered household, and my parents would keep us from certain things they thought were too much for us and our eyes," she recently told MTV News regarding her role as Smurfette. " 'Smurfs' had what my parents said was a lot of sorcery and magic."

Keira Knightley Kelly Brook Kelly Carlson Kelly Clarkson Kelly Hu

Usher 'Got A Good Laugh' From Fan Kicking Him In The Face

'It looked worse than it actually was,' the 'OMG' singer laughs about accidental blow during concert serenade.
By Mawuse Ziegbe

Usher
Photo: Jordan Strauss/ Getty Images

Usher's club-rattling jam "OMG" may "kill it every night" according to tourmate Miguel, but when the Atlanta crooner hit Madison Square Garden earlier this week, he was almost taken out by a clumsy fan.

When the singer touched down in New York on Monday, he indulged a super amped fan's fantasy by pulling her onstage for an intimate flirty serenade of "Trading Places." As Usher and the concertgoer got cozy on a recliner, she swiveled around to face the crooner — knocking him squarely in his mug with her foot. She began apologizing profusely as Usher briefly paused to collect himself. But the superstar took the strike in stride, quipping, "We play rough in the bed. We kick each other in the face and all type of good stuff."

Although Usher brushed off the blow, the moment did make an impression on him.

"In all my years, this is one of the most interesting experiences. I got a kick out of it!" he told Us Weekly. The singer assured fans that the knock wasn't that bad. "It looked worse than it actually was. My audience and I got a good laugh."

As for the fan, the "DJ Got Us Fallin' In Love" star maintained everything is all good on that front too. "Wherever you are baby, don't feel bad," Usher said. "No hard feelings."

As Miguel has noted, Usher isn't one dwell on drama, whether it's cranking out another hit album or weathering an unexpected hit from a fan.

"He's such a tremendous example of perseverance and determination," Miguel recently told MTV News. "I was there throughout this album, so I've seen the adversity that he's had to overcome perception-wise."

What do you think of Usher's response to getting knocked in the head by a fan? Tell us in the comments!

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Usher

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1654395/20101215/usher.jhtml

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Photos | The 2011 Grammy Nominations Concert

The 2011 Grammy Nominations Concert

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Lady Gaga 'Excited' As Fame Monster Named Top-Selling 2010 Album

Gaga beats out Eminem and Justin Bieber on year-end worldwide chart.
By Jocelyn Vena

Lady Gaga
Photo: Gabriel Bouys/ Getty Images

Lady Gaga certainly had a massive 2010 and she's ending it with another chart accomplishment. The singer's The Fame Monster has topped the 2010 United World Chart, a list compiled by German website Media Traffic that tallies worldwide album sales collected from a variety of international sources.

The Mother Monster landed at the top of the chart after her little monsters around the globe bought a total of 5.8 million copies of her massive album. And Gaga is extremely grateful for the achievement.

"THE FAME MONSTER was named the best-selling album of 2010!" she wrote on Twitter. "I'm so excited for the future, believe + work hard, you will achieve your dreams."

But, Gaga wasn't the only artist garnering big global albums sales this year. Coming in at a close second on the chart was Eminem. The rapper sold 5.7 million copies of his Recovery album. And landing in third place is Justin Bieber, whose combined sales of My World and My World 2.0 totaled 5.6 million.

Gaga's monster year also landed her at #14 on Forbes magazine's 2010 list of top-earning stars. The singer pulled in a whopping $62 million from music sales, concerts and other income sources.

To close out her eventful 2010, Lady Gaga will make a big announcement come this New Year's Eve. Over the holiday weekend, she tweeted that she'd be sharing with her fans some news about her 2011 album release, Born This Way.

"Merry Christmas little monsters! I love you with all my heart," she wrote. "My gift to you is a BORN THIS WAY announcement Midnight on NEW YEARS EVE. -MM."

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