Rihanna’s success continues to soar as Kanye West finally confirms the line up for the US and Canadian leg of his forthcoming Glow in the Dark Tour.

The official Kanye West blog announced this week that the gigs will feature the young Barbadian R&B sensation alongside not only West but N.E.R.D. and Lupe Fiasco.

The live shows are expected to showcase new material from West, Lupe and N.E.R.D.’s Pharrell Williams as hip hop supergroup Child Rebel Soldier (CRS).

Lupe Fiasco has previously talked of plans to release a CRS album in late 2008 as a follow up to ‘Us Placers’ their debut collaboration that featured a sample from Thom Yorke’s track ‘Eraser’.

This star studded billing is sure to delight US and Canadian fans and promises to provide some spectacular performances.

Snoop Dogg who has a hugely successful reality TV show running on our screens at the moment is trying to have his ban on ever the entering the UK quashed.

It seems that in 2006 his entourage had a mass brawl when some of his team were not allowed into the VIP lounge at Heathrow Airport. Hmm this all sounds very US rap star to me. Snoop was then arrested and spent the night in the dog house, sorry I mean jail and was released the following morning. So the Home Office unsurprisingly didn’t take very kindly to this kind of behaviour and he was banned from ever entering the UK again.

Now Orange, the giant mobile phone company who commissioned him to star in their Orange Cinema Advert want him to be at the launch in London, but it seems no amount of sniffing round the Home Office is going to work to get him a Visa to enter the UK. Orange have even written a letter to the Home Office on his behalf but it looks like this Dog might have had his day in the UK!!!

I still love the Dawg and think his reality show rocks but this should be a lesson to all those would be rapper gangsters - it ain’t big and it ain’t clever!

If you want to snizzle your nizzle check out some classic Snoop vids here…

One problem with having once been in a boy band called ‘New Kids on the Block’ is that when you decide to reunite after a 14 year break ……. your name doesn’t really work anymore.

Although for many of us the news that ‘New Kids on the Block’ are planning to reform is happy news indeed, once you start reading the details and realize that most of the group are knocking on 40, it does become quite amusing.

Rumors are rife that the once young lads from Boston are planning to make a comeback. Their website, previously dormant for many years, has been reactivated and People Magazine has reported that an official announcement on the groups return is imminent.

New Kids on the Block, forerunners to the likes of the Backstreet Boys and N Sync, were hugely successful in the late eighties and early nineties, selling more than 70 million albums worldwide during their 10 years together.

As yet there is no confirmation that all five original band members have signed up for the re-union. Brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Danny Wood and Donnie Wahlberg have all had reasonably successful solo careers since the group split in 1994.

Lets hope the old New Kids do a Take That and return with grown up credible material, a successful world tour and a band name for …. ‘Men in their late 30’s who have been around the block a few times’ ……

The 2008 Grammys are set to showcase some inspired collaborations to fully celebrate the 50th anniversay of the prestigious music awards.

Aretha Franklin and Mary J Blige will head up a special gospel segment to include great talent from the gospel music genre including the Clark Sisters; and Israel And New Breed.

The Foo Fighters are to perform with 20 unsigned talented musicians in a special orchestra arranged by special guest conductor John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin fame.

But the highlight of the show is certain to be the pairing of new young R&B sensation Rhianna with 80’s funk marvels: Morris Day and The Time.

Best known for their memorable smile inducing performance in Prince’s 80’s hit film Purple Rain, The Time will reunite for the evening to perform with the young Barbadian superstar.

Morris Day’s website states that Morris Day & The Time ….. generate infectious music and riveting performances that inspires the audience to get up and move ….. which all old school 80’s funk enthusiasts can confirm is no exaggeration. All you young Rihanna fans are in for a real treat on 10 February.

Off on off on….it seems Britney and her Pap lover are back together after the shortest split in history. Her Manager Osama Lufti had claimed that she had filed a restraining on the Brummie born Paparazzi whilst he had been in the UK at a family funeral.

But the latest is that Ghalib has now gone on record by being quoted saying ‘We managed to spend a long time together, away from the media,’ in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in the US when he was accused of profiting from his troubled young star. He also said ‘A lot of people perceive to know or understand her, she’s the most photographed woman in the world,’ adding that “if you take time to scratch the surface, then you can understand how amazing she is.’

Now it sounds like Adnan is loving his new found fame and if I was to be so bold seems to be comparing Britney with Diana, Princess Of Wales after all she was famously known as ‘the most photographed woman in the world.’ So is Britney the US’s Princess? Whatever it all smells distinctly fishy to me. Maybe he’s not profitting from her but he’s going to make a name for himself regardless and maybe that is what he was after all along? Stardom is more attractive than hard cash for the celeb hungry culture we live in these days anyway. Hard cash is just an added bonus to the fame for some.

Amusingly, Adnan managed to crash into a non paparazzi motorcyclist minding his own business yesterday whilst behind the wheel of Britney’s white Mercedes.

Whatever the deal this, this is set to run and run.

The Arctic Monkeys are refusing to attend the Brit Awards which has left the organisers dismayed because they had hoped that the Arctic Monkeys would perform on the night. The Sheffield band are said to be unhappy to be up against Take That the Manchester come back kings in a number of awards including Best Group, Single and Album awards.

Take That who are tipped to sweep the board at the show already clashed with the Arctic boys at the Q Awards in 2006, when Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys called Gary Barlow and the boys a “load of b*******.”

There is definitely a lack of indie bands at this years Brits and perhaps this is a reflection on what the Brit’s seems to stand for these days. Is it just me or does it seem that every year the Brits seems to concentrate on a band and then offer up all the awards to them. After all the Brit’s are in the main nominated by a group of music insiders and not the general public so perhaps this is the reason why.

Whatever the case the Arctic Monkeys are not huge fans of awards ceremonies in any case but I am guessing the organisers want the Arctic boys there regardless. There is talk that Paul McCartney who will be picking up a Lifetime Achievement Award might tempt them to come along.

If certain recent reports are true, then Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson is set to add some real Hollywood glamour to this year’s Brit Awards.

Not only is the young actress due to present an award at the 2008 ceremony, there is a good chance that she might also sing at the event to be held at London’s Earls Court on 20th February.

Known for brilliant performances in films such as Lost in Translation and The Black Dahlia, Johansson is currently recording an album of Tom Waits covers with Rhino Records in the US.

“Scarlett has tentatively agreed to sing and is definitely presenting a Brit”, a ceremony insider has told the UK’s Sunday Mirror. “It would be a real treat.” they added.

If her singing talents are as good as her acting then the Brit Awards audience will certainly will be in for a treat.

Another Brit school X pupil Adele goes straight to Number 2 with her first release ‘Chasing Pavements’

Adele who is hotly tipped for the top in 2008 has left the likes of Britney Spears ad Rihanna to eat her dust when her single went straight into the number two slot this week. Adele, 19 whose debut album is not due out until next week has already won Brit Awards Critics Choice prize and was named the Sound of 2008 after topping a BBC poll.

I have already been on my soapbox about the Brit school X pupils who seem to be everywhere at the moment so I will be purchasing her album without fail so I can find out what all the fuss is about.

Find out more about Adele here…

Diddy who is infamous for his wild parties has hit the showbiz headlines today for all the wrong reasons. It seems that all the celebs are flocking to his wild house parties at the Sundance Festival but he is rapidly becoming enemy number one with his neighbours. The neighbours are complaining that his security team are parking cars on their road blocking uninvited guests access to his party but at the same blocking the neighbours access to their properties as well.

I know I wouldn’t be too happy about that but I might be sweetened up with an invite to the party myself! Everyone has a price!!

A suspect photo has sparked rumours that reality tv star Brody Jenner got close and personal with Paris Hilton during a party at LAX in Las Vegas on new years eve.

Jenner appears desperate to deny the incident and has told People.com “I swear to God I’ve never kissed Paris ever in my life. We’re friends but never, never ever, ever was it a romantic thing, ever”

Brody, famous for appearing in MTV’s hit tv show The Hills, is possibly keen to squash the gossip because of a new love in his life “I’ve never made out with Paris Hilton so that’s false. False rumours.” He said. “I’m not allowed to talk about it but yes I do have a girlfriend and no her name is not Lauren Conrad.”

Brody attended the LAX party wearing a grey t-shirt and a white baseball cap. A photo now doing the rounds shows a man in the same attire at the same party in a somewhat uncompromising position with the celebrity heiress.

“I would love to see proof of us kissing because that’s never happened. I swear.” Jenner protests. Well just jump on the internet and see for yourself Brody. ……..