BabeWatch: VMA Special Edition

Britney Spears

Zoe Saldana

Katie Holmes

Kelly Rowland

Beyonce with baby bump

Vanessa Hudgens

Selena Gomez

Demi Lovato

Victoria Justice

Katy Perry

And in the rear, Kim Kardashian...

Is ethnic beauty the new 'it' factor?

http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-13/living/ethnic.beauty_1_ethnic-beauty-ethnic-cultures-etcoff

Is ethnic beauty the new 'it' factor?
September 13, 2010|By Liane Membis, Special to CNN

Women who desire a more "exotic" appearance are looking to the fashion world's growing multi-culturalism for inspiration.

There was a time when the Caucasian girl-next-door looks of Christie Brinkley, Cindy Crawford and more recently Kate Moss dominated the fashion pages. Then came new fashion icons: Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce - and then Giselle, Kim Kardashian and Shakira.

More voluptuous figures, fuller lips and darker skin, features traditionally associated with women of African, Latin and Asian cultures, are "in." Over the past decade, an appreciation for ethnic beauty has been on the rise, and these natural features are becoming popular among Caucasian women who desire to look more "exotic."

Dr. Nancy Etcoff, a Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital psychologist who studies the science behind the brain and beauty, believes that the shift in our perception of beauty is a sign of the times.

"Our standards of beauty are changing and ethnic women are at the forefront today," she said. "It emulates our growing sense of cultural awareness."

Etcoff, who also authored "Survival of the Prettiest," adds: "If you study plastic surgery textbooks, the notions of an ideal feature have changed. In the 50s, the ideal look featured thinner lips, upturned noses, smaller eyes, and paler makeup," Etcoff said. "Now you see broader noses, darker skin, and larger eyelids. All these attributes suggest shifts in demographics and an appeal to a more multicultural look instead of an overly Caucasian appearance."

With companies earning over $3 billion between 2005 and 2009 in the US multi-cultural beauty market, it seems ethnic women are not just embracing the trends -- they are setting them.

"What's not to love, embrace and emulate about ethnic beauty?" said Us Weekly fashion director Sasha Charnin Morrison. "The use of curvier, more rounded figures looks refreshing."

Celebrities and the media, Etcoff said, have helped promote ethnic beauty. One trait in particular is the larger bottom.

Susan Bloomstone and Lisa Reisler, co-creators of Booty Pop panties, a form of padded underwear used to give an illusion of a larger rear, said their product was inspired by ethnic women in Hollywood, such as entertainers Beyoncé Knowles and Jennifer Lopez.

"Magazines, music, and movies have really created a window for more ethnic women to be noticed for their features," Reisler said. These women, she said, have made the larger, rounder bottom sexy.

Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Oprah Top Forbes 2010 Celebrity Power List

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1642610/20100629/lady_gaga.jhtml

Jun 29 2010
Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Oprah Top Forbes 2010 Celebrity Power List
James Cameron, Sandra Bullock, Britney and Madonna also named most powerful celebs of 2010.
Gil Kaufman

Lady Gaga has won a lot of accolades during the past year and met some pretty impressive dignitaries, but crashing the Forbes magazine annual World's Most Powerful Celebrities list puts her in some truly rarified company.

The singer, who launched her latest iteration of her never-ending Monster Ball Tour in Montreal on Monday night, debuts on the list this year at #4. She landed there thanks to high marks for her Web visibility (#1 on the list) and a $62 million haul between June 2009 and June 2010, $31 million of which came from touring (after a gross of $95 million), with much of the rest courtesy of deals with Virgin Mobile, Polaroid, Monster Cable and MAC.

Gaga joins a top 10 that is dominated by women, including the once-again #1, Oprah Winfrey, who retook her top rank thanks to $315 million in earnings after ceding it last year to Angelina Jolie (now #18). The list ranks celebs based on earnings over the previous 12 months, as well as visibility in print, TV, radio, online and social media.

Beyoncé slipped up two spots to #2 this year, with $86 million in grosses thanks to a 93-date world tour, deals with Nintendo and L'Oreal and her House of Dereon fashion line. The still resurgent Britney Spears leaped from #13 to #6 this year, banking $64 million, most of it thanks to a world tour that grossed $130 million and deals with Elizabeth Arden and Candie's.

Madonna slipped seven spots down from last year's #3 ranking to #10, but at 52, she still had the fourth-highest-grossing tour of the year, which rolled up more than $138 million in gross receipts, as well as significant publishing royalties, including cash from an all-Madge episode of "Glee."

More than 30 years into their career, U2 went from zero to #7 on the list, mostly courtesy of a massive — currently mothballed — world tour that raked in more than $311 million in gross box office, as well as lucrative merchandise sales, copious radio play and a steady-selling back catalog that earned them more than $130 million.

With a $210 million payday from his #1 smash "Avatar," director James Cameron (#3) had a very good year, unlike disgraced golfer Tiger Woods, who hits #5 with $105 million in earnings amid high press rankings, mostly for his infidelity scandal. The top 10 is rounded out by Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock (#8, $56 million), who made headlines for having two hit movies, "The Proposal" and "The Blind Side," as well a divorce from ex-Jesse James. And at #9 is Johnny Depp, who banked $75 million, mostly due to his work in "Alice in Wonderland," which grossed $1 billion worldwide, making Depp the only actor to headline two billion-dollar films.

Taylor Swift made it onto the list for the first time, at #12, thanks to her status as the most-played artist on radio in 2009, multi-platinum album sales, and big endorsement deals with Sony and CoverGirl that netted her $45 million. She's just ahead of Miley Cyrus (#13), who took in a not-too-shabby $48 million. Beyoncé's other half, Jay-Z, also made a giant leap this year, jumping from #32 to #15 with a hit album, his investment in the 40/40 club chain and the Broadway show "Fela!," the New Jersey Nets, and the Blueprint 3 tour, which grossed more than $1 million per show.

Also new on the list this year are the Black Eyed Peas, who debuted at #16 thanks to a $48 million year pumped up by sponsorship deals with Target, Honda, Bacardi and Apple. Singer Pink crashed the party at #27 in her debut year, with $44 million, much of it courtesy of her smash international tour.

Other musicians on the list include: Bruce Springsteen (#17), Coldplay (#35), the Jonas Brothers (#40), Diddy (#68), Lil Wayne (#74) and Akon (#80).

"Twilight" star Robert Pattinson also makes his first appearance on the list, coming in at #50 with $17 million in earnings, followed by co-star Kristen Stewart at #66 with $12 million in earnings. The woman who started it all, "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer, hits the #59 spot with $40 million in pay thanks to the $1 billion in box office the movies have earned so far and continued strong sales of the books from the series.

Former "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell earned a spot behind Madonna at #11 with a hefty $80 million payday, while fellow "Idol" cohort Ellen DeGeneres (#23) earned $55 million from her stint on the reality show and her syndicated daily talker. "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest weighs in at #44 with $51 million from his variety of TV hosting gigs, radio show and producer credits on reality shows.

Taylor Swift and Beyonce make Grammy history

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60U0TY20100201

Taylor Swift and Beyonce make Grammy history
Dean Goodman
LOS ANGELES
Mon Feb 1, 2010

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Country-pop starlet Taylor Swift, who rocketed to stardom with ballads of teen love that she wrote on her bedroom floor, Sunday became the youngest artist to win the coveted Grammy for album of the year.

Swift, who turned 20 in December, took home four awards after being nominated eight times. She had never previously won any Grammys. Her second album, "Fearless," was the most popular release in the United States last year. U.S. sales to date stand at 5.4 million copies.

The fresh-faced singer, known for her blonde curly mane, had been expected to dominate the music industry's top awards. But she was overshadowed by R&B singer Beyonce, who won six awards including song of the year -- the most won by a female artist at a single event.

Both were eclipsed for record of the year by Tennessee rock band Kings of Leon, who were the surprise honorees for their pop-radio hit "Use Somebody."

In winning album of the year, Swift broke a record held since 1996 by Alanis Morissette, who was 21 when she won for "Jagged Little Pill," an album with decidedly more adult content.

Swift also was the first solo female country winner ever of the award, and the first female pop winner since Celine Dion won in 1997 for "Falling Into You."

"I just hope that you know how much this means to me ... that we get to take this back to Nashville," said Swift.

She also won the Grammy for best country album, and a pair of awards for her song "White Horse," female country vocal performance and best country song.

Backstage, Swift told reporters that despite her crossover success in the pop field, she still considered country music her first love.

"Country music is absolutely going to be my home because of the stories that are told within country music," she said.

She was planning to catch a flight straight after the event to Australia where she is set to play a sold-out arena tour. Her album has been certified gold or platinum in 16 international markets, her spokeswoman said.

'AMAZING NIGHT' FOR BEYONCE

Beyonce won song of the year -- a songwriters' award for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)." The anthemic hit also yielded Grammys for R&B song and female vocal performance, and Beyonce was additionally honored for contemporary R&B album with "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," traditional R&B vocal performance for her cover of "At Last" and female pop vocal performance with "Halo."

"This has been such an amazing night for me," she said after picking up the latter award.

Beyonce would have won seven awards if her husband Jay-Z had not beaten her in the rap/sung category. He ended up with three Grammys overall, taking his career haul to 10. Beyonce's career tally rose to 16, including three with her former group Destiny's Child.

Kings of Leon, long more popular internationally, finally achieved mainstream success in the United States last year with "Use Somebody." Brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill also won a pair of Grammys in the rock field for the song, taking their career haul to four.

Country combo the Zac Brown Band was named best new artist as expected. The Atlanta-based group becomes the first band to win the award since 2005.

The popular concert draw released its debut album in 2004, but did not achieve national prominence until 2008 when it released its major-label debut "The Foundation," which peaked at No. 17 on the U.S. pop chart.

The televised ceremony was packed with diverse performances, since 100 of the 109 categories were announced during a low-profile ceremony earlier in the day.

Mary J. Blige and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli earned a standing ovation for their version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water," performed as a fundraising tribute to earthquake-ravaged Haiti. The song was scheduled to go on sale at iTunes immediately afterwards.

Swift dueted with Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks for a version of the band's "Rhiannon." Two-time winner Lady Gaga performed with the almost-as-flamboyant Elton John.

"I think she proved her point tonight that she's not just a costume freak," veteran shock-rocker Alice Cooper, one of Lady Gaga's sartorial inspirations, told reporters.

(Editing by Cynthia Osterman.)

Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears Score

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/08/04/beyonce-lady-gaga-and-britney-spears-score-most-vmas-nods/

Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Britney Spears Score Most VMAs Nods
8/4/09

If MTV is trying to lure Britney Spears back onto the Video Music Awards stage — the site of so many of her triumphs, and one of her most visible crashes — they’re not being very coy about it. Ms. Spears received seven nominations for the 2009 VMAs this morning, second only to Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, who will face off for the most Moonmen with nine nods apiece. Eminem, Coldplay and Kanye West are all up for four trophies, and Green Day — who have been confirmed as performers on the September 13th’s live broadcast — nabbed two.

In an attempt to rewrite history, MTV is also revisiting a few classic videos in a contest called Best Video (That Should Have Won a Moonman). U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Name” will go up against Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” David Lee Roth’s “California Girls” and Radiohead’s “Karma Police,” among others, in that category.

Beyoncé’s nominations are all for her carefully choreographed (and oft-imitated) blockbuster video for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” while Lady Gaga’s are split between “Poker Face” and the lengthy “Paparazzi.” Spears’ nods come from her first video from Circus, “Womanizer,” and the clip for the title track. Kings of Leon, Drake and Asher Roth are all receiving their first-ever nods this year.

“I’ve been blessed this year to have ‘Single Ladies’ become a video people really connected with and responded to,” Beyoncé said in a statement. “I’ve spent so much time watching all the great versions people created all around the world. It’s beautiful to feel you touch people and bring a song to life with a video.” A montage of clips of amateurs (and some pros like Justin Timberlake) attempting the “Single Ladies” routine plays during Beyoncé’s I Am … Tour.

Anyone can vote for the general VMAs categories starting today at the VMAs’ official Website. Voting for Best New Artist — where Lady Gaga faces off against Drake, Kid Cudi, Asher Roth and 3OH!3 — will continue during the live show on the 13th.

Video of the Year
Beyoncé - “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Lady Gaga - “Poker Face”
Eminem - “We Made You”
Kanye West - “Love Lockdown”
Britney Spears - “Womanizer”

Best New Artist
Lady Gaga - “Poker Face”
Drake - “Best I Ever Had”
3OH!3 - “Don’t Trust Me”
Kid Cudi - “Day N’ Nite”
Asher Roth - “I Love College”

Best Male Video
Eminem - “We Made You”
Kanye West - “Love Lockdown”
Jay-Z - “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”
T.I. feat. Rihanna - “Live Your Life”
Ne-Yo - “Miss Independent”

Best Female Video
Katy Perry - “Hot n Cold”
Beyoncé - “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Kelly Clarkson - “My Life Would Suck Without You”
Lady Gaga - “Poker Face”
Taylor Swift - “You Belong With Me”
Pink - “So What”

Best Hip-Hop Video
Eminem - “We Made You”
Kanye West - “Love Lockdown”
Jay-Z - “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)”
Asher Roth - “I Love College”
Flo Rida - “Right Round”

Best Pop Video
Beyoncé - “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Lady Gaga - “Poker Face”
Britney Spears - “Womanizer”
Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester - “Good Girls Go Bad”
Wisin y Yandel - “Abusadora”

Best Rock Video
Coldplay - “Viva la Vida”
Kings of Leon - “Use Somebody”
Green Day - “21 Guns”
Fall Out Boy - “I Don’t Care”
Paramore - “Decode”

Best Choreography
Beyoncé - “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Britney Spears - “Circus”
Ciara feat. Justin Timberlake - “Love Sex Magic”
AR Rahman & Pussy Cat Dolls feat. Nicole Scherzinger - “Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)”
Kristinia DeBarge - “Goodbye”

Best Direction
Beyoncé - “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Lady Gaga - “Paparazzi”
Green Day - “21 Guns”
Cobra Starship feat. Leighton Meester - “Good Girls Go Bad”
Britney Spears - “Circus”

Best Editing
Beyoncé - “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Britney Spears - “Circus”
Miley Cyrus - “7 Things”
Coldplay - “Viva la Vida”
Lady Gaga - “Paparazzi”

Best Special Effects
Beyoncé - “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Gnarls Barkely - “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul”
Lady Gaga - “Paparazzi”
Eminem - “We Made You”
Kanye West feat. Mr Hudson - “Paranoid”

Best Cinematography
Beyoncé - “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Coldplay - “Viva la Vida”
Lady Gaga - “Paparazzi”
Green Day - “21 Guns”
Britney Spears - “Circus”

Best Art Direction
Beyoncé - “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”
Britney Spears - “Circus”
Lady Gaga - “Paparazzi”
Gnarls Barkley - “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul”
Coldplay - “Viva la Vida”

Breakthrough Video
Death Cab for Cutie - “Grapevine Fires”
Gnarls Barkely - “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul”
Cold War Kids - “I’ve Seen Enough”
Anjulie - “Boom”
Chairlift - “Evident Utensil”
Bat for Lashes - “Daniel”
Major Lazer - “Hold the Line”
Passion Pit - “The Reeling”
Matt & Kim - “Lessons Learned”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - “Heads Will Roll”

Best Video (That Should Have Won a Moonman)
U2 - “Where the Streets Have No Name”
Dr. Dre - “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang”
Beastie Boys - “Sabotage”
Björk - “Human Behavior”
Radiohead - “Karma Police”
George Michael - “Freedom”
Foo Fighters - “Everlong”
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - “Into the Great Wide Open”
OK Go - “Here It Goes Again”
David Lee Roth - “California Girls”