‘X Factor’ winner Alexandra Burke has held on at the top of the UK Singles Chart (December 28) to claim the last Number One of 2008.

The singer remains top with her cover of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’. The track has also been crowned the biggest selling song of 2008, finishing ahead of the likes of Duffy and Katy Perry.

The top ten singles of 2008 were:

1. Alexandra Burke – ‘Hallelujah’
2. X Factor Finalists – ‘Hero’
3. Duffy – ‘Mercy’
4. Katy Perry – ‘I Kissed A Girl’
5. Nickelback – ‘Rockstar’
6. Estelle Ft Kanye West – ‘American Boy’
7. Kings Of Leon – ‘Sex On Fire’
8. Basshunter ft DJ Mental Theo – ‘Now You’re Gone’
9. Madonna ft Justin Timberlake – ‘4 Minutes’
10. Sam Sparro – ‘Black And Gold’

Duffy’s ‘Rockferry’ was the biggest selling album of 2008, ahead of Take That’s ‘The Circus’ and Kings Of Leon’s ‘Only By The Night’.

The top ten albums of 2008 of were:

1. Duffy - ‘Rockferry’
2. Take That – ‘The Circus’
3. Kings Of Leon – ‘Only By The Night’
4. Leona Lewis – ‘Spirit’
5. Coldplay – ‘Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends’
6. Rihanna – ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’
7. The Killers – ‘Day And Age’
8. Girls Aloud – ‘Out Of Control’
9. Pink – ‘Funhouse’
10. Scouting For Girls – ‘Scouting For Girls’

Take That meanwhile remain top of this week’s album chart, while in the singles countdown the ‘Hallelujah’ One/Two has ended with Leona Lewis rising to Number Two with ‘Run’, while Jeff Buckley has dropped to Number Seven.

The UK Top Ten singles this week are:

1. Alexandra Burke – ‘Hallelujah’
2. Leona Lewis – ‘Run’
3. Beyonce – ‘If I Were A Boy’
4. James Morrison/Nelly Furtado – ‘Broken Strings’
5. Kings Of Leon – ‘Use Somebody’
6. Take That – ‘Greatest Day’
7. Jeff Buckley – ‘Hallelujah’
8. Geraldine – ‘Once Upon A Christmas Song’
9. Katy Perry – ‘Hot ‘N’ Cold’
10. The Killers – ‘Human’

NME.com December 28th 2008

Leona Lewis has cast Chace Crawford in her new music video.The ‘Bleeding Love’ singer became good friends with the ‘Gossip Girl’ star while he was promoting the hit US TV show in London earlier this year and asked him to star alongside her in the promo for her next single ‘I Will Be’.

A source said: “Chace went to London a couple months ago for meetings and to promote ‘Gossip Girl’. He went to a party and ended up meeting Leona. They hit it off and talk every once in a while and have become fast friends.”

“A couple of weeks ago Leona called Chace and asked if he would be in her next video. He obviously said yes. He has speaking lines in the video as well as just appearing in it. It will be the most anticipated video in January.”

In the video, which the pair shot in New York last week, clean-living Leona, 23, plays a criminal who is on the run from the law and is arrested by a heavy-handed police officer.

Music-news.com December 24th 2008

Jennifer Hudson will make her first public appearance since the tragic deaths of her mother, brother and nephew at the MusiCares Person of the Year gala in February.

The 27-year-old star – who has been in hiding since mom Darnell Donerson Hudson, sibling Jason Hudson and seven-year-old nephew Julian King were shot in October – will perform a selection of Neil Diamond songs at the event, to be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Other stars to grace the stage at the concert on February 6 include Coldplay, the Foo Fighters, Josh Groban and Tim McGraw ahead of the 51st annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles’ Staples Center on February 8.

Jennifer is said to be ready to get her life and career back on track following the tragedy.

Earlier this month, she was due to shoot a rescheduled video for her new single ‘If It Isn’t Love’ – which was originally set to happen around the time of the deaths.

However, Jennifer pulled out of filming the promo amid reports she was still too emotionally distressed about the murders.

Jennifer’s brother-in-law William Balfour - the estranged husband of Jennifer’s sister Julia - has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and one count of home invasion.

Music-news.com December 24th 2008

Sexier, funnier and more humble than you could ever imagine… it’s a case of Leon who? as Rhydian proves he still has the X Factor one year on from last year’s show. The muscly Welshman is set to revisit his old haunts on Saturday, with a live performance of his debut single ‘The Impossible Dream’ on the ITV show.

And as the platinum blond vocalist gets ready to catapult head first into fame, he has some showbiz pals to keep him afloat on Cloud Nine. Rhydian said: “I just met the Pussycat Dolls . I even had a little impromptu duet with Nicola  Scerzinger….She said, ‘Do you like musical theatre?’ And I said, ‘I totally like musical theatre.’”

“When she told me her favourite song is ‘Unusual Way’ from the show Nine, we just started singing it together….That was a moment! She’s obviously in a relationship with Lewis Hamilton and he’s a superstar and all that so it was absolutely comfortable.”

He added: “Although I’d love to play Bond and for her to be my Bond girl.”

The talented totty also boasts Prince Charles and Girls Aloud among his celeb chums.

Rhydian said: “..I’ve met loads of people, but there are those who are important to me that may not be A-listers…I’m a huge Ocean Colour Scene fan so meeting Simon Fowler really made me starstruck…He recorded a little song for me, an acoustic version of ‘The Circle’. It adds to the experience of this year being the best of my life…”

Rhyd, who is inspired by quasi-operatic acts including Freddy Mercury and Meatloaf,has promised there will be something on his new album for everyone. He said: “I’m not your average X Factor contestant. I just wanted to enter the show and be myself….I can’t deny I went to a good school and have a great family. For me it was all about getting my voice heard and getting Simon Cowell to show an interest in me….”

“…During the show I guess I had to work harder and I became more of a villain, initially that was quite hard to take but looking back it did me a favour because it made me interesting…Everyone needs a villain… somebody you love to hate…”

Rhydian hits shelves on November 24

SUN Newspaper, Friday 21st December 2008

Madonna and her her film director husband Guy Ritchie have divorced at London’s High Court this morning (November 21st).

Their decree nisi was posted at the Registry of the Family Division at 10am. Neither Madonna nor Ritchie attended the hearing, which was brought before District Judge Reid.

According to reports, the couple have reached a settlement in which Ritchie will not accept any of the singer’s fortune. But he his is understood to have insisted that he has shared custody of the couple’s two children - eight-year-old Rocco and adopted Malawian, David Banda. The children will spend their time between Ritchie’s home in London and Madonna’s property in New York.

The couple announced their intention to divorce last month after nearly eight years together. Neither Madonna nor Ritchie have spoken publicly about about the end of their marriage.Madonna’s publicist was unable to comment on the settlement claims when contacted.

Madonna is currently performing on her 27-date Sticky & Sweet world tour.

Gigwise.com, Friday 21st December 2008

Irish rockers U2 are to release their new album in early March 2009, it has been announced.

No Line On The Horizon is the group’s 12th studio album and their first since 2004’s How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb.

It was originally expected to be released by the end of 2008, but the band announced in September they would keep writing more tunes.

The album will be released on 2 March internationally and a day later in North America.

The band began work on the album a couple of years ago with US producer Rick Rubin, who is best known for working with Run DMC, Johnny Cash, Beastie Boys, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

However, these initial sessions were eventually shelved.

“We actually laid all that stuff to one side,” guitarist The Edge told Mojo magazine last month. “None of the Rick material went into this project. Everything has been written subsequently.”

However, the star added the band will “get back to the material we started with Rick at some point”.

Long-time collaborators Brian Eno and Danny Lanois, were drafted in, recording in Morocco, New York, London and the bands own studio in Dublin.

When asked what the album sounds like The Edge said: “It’s a record of two halves. One half is songs that came virtually fully-formed out of sessions we did with Brian and Danny.”

“Then the other half is material we’ve kicked around a while and went through the usual cycle of versions and incarnations.”

“It sounds like a U2 album but it doesn’t sound like anything we’ve done before and it doesn’t really sound like anything that’s happening at the moment.”

The group’s last record sold more than 9m copies worldwide, and picked up eight Grammy awards, including album of the year and best rock song for lead single Vertigo.

BBC Entertainment December 19th 2008

Chris Martin today admitted that Coldplay’s 2000 single Shiver was a “blatant” Jeff Buckley rip-off.

And the frontman said that it wasn’t even very good.

Speaking to Chris Moyles on his BBC Radio 1 show today, Martin said:

“It’s a blatant Jeff Buckley attempt.”

“Not quite as good, that’s what I think. We were 21 and he was very much a hero, and as with those things it tends to filter through.”

He also admitted that the band’s London gigs at the O2 Arena on Sunday and Monday could have been better.

After admitting he was notoriously difficult to please, he told Moyles he gave the concerts “a three out of ten”, a score which was “good for me”.

Music-news.com December 19th 2008

Jermaine Dupri has gone to his JD’s World blog to knock down rumors about him and girlfriend Janet Jackson.

“No she is not pregnant and yes we’re still together,” he wrote Thursday in a message “to all the Janet fans.”

Dupri, 36, professes, “It baffles me how y’all let these blog and magazines control your lifes.” That, he explains, is why he created the blog “so whenever (you) hear s— about me you can come right here and get the truth.”

He notes that Jackson, 42, is a “very private person” and jokes “the only reason you see her as much as you do on my YouTube vLog is because me. LOL.”

“But I hear y’all and your questions,” he says. “So here you have it.”

People.com December 19th 2008

Guy Ritchie has banned Madonna from staying at his mansion over Christmas.

While Guy, 40, is desperate to be with his children on Christmas Day (25.12.08), he will not allow his estranged wife to stay at Ashcombe House, the country estate they used to share.

A source told Britain’s The Sun newspaper: “Guy is desperate to see the children on Christmas Day and was OK with them all spending the day at Ashcombe.”

“He was even willing to have Madonna there and try to be civilised for the sake of the children. But having her stay over was just too much. There are too many sad memories.”

The pair – who were granted a decree nisi, the first stage of their divorce, in November - have been arguing over where the three children they raise will spend the festive period for weeks.

Although Guy always wanted a traditional British Christmas, the ‘RocknRolla’ director was willing to do whatever it took to see Lourdes, 12, Rocco, eight and David Banda, three.

The source added: “Guy said he would do anything she wants - fly to America if needs be - to spend the day with the kids, just as long as it doesn’t involve him and Madonna spending the night under the same roof.”

“But the plan was for the children to come to England and that’s what Madonna still wants. It’s a mess. They’re trying to come to some sort of solution but they just can’t agree on anything.”

Although details of the couple’s divorce have not been finalised, two statements from Madonna’s representative revealed Guy would receive between £39 million and £60 million in cash and property – including the Ashcombe House estate and the couple’s Punch Bowl pub in London – as part of his settlement.

However, later in the week Madonna and Guy denied all settlement figures released about the divorce.

BANG Showbiz December 19th 2008

Mike Skinner has begun work on the final album from The Streets.

Posting on his MySpace blog, the rapper-producer revealed that he is writing songs for his collective’s fifth album, which he has previously told NME.COM will be the last under that name.

Revealing he is having a mixing board custom made for him, Skinner wrote that he will not be able to begin recording until he takes delivery of his new equipment next month, so is concentrating on lyric writing.

“I’ve got four songs,” he declared. “Not sure whether they’re up to album standard so instead of the usual process of total A&R confusion I will post some on tinterweb at random.”

He added: “And when The Streets lighter turns blue [the lighter logo is green on current album 'Everything Is Borrowed'] next year we’re on the last album.”

NME.com December 19th 2008