POP | Page 9 of 32 | The New York Independent, New York City, NY

Mariah Carey a Sexy Splash in Vegas; Is She the New Liberace? (video)

Keith GirardApril 28, 2015

Mariah Carey made a grand entrance for her residency at Ceasars Palace in a dazzling display not seen since the days of Liberace during the gambling town’s golden era. Can Mariah restore the glitter that once made Las Vegas famous? Whether intended or not, she recalled the mobster origins by arriving in a pink 1930’s era roadster. Bugsy Siegel would have been proud....

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Madonna Sets Bar for Bitches With Tonight Show Performance (watch!)

Keith GirardApril 10, 2015

Madonna let all her pop wannabes know she’s still the “bitch” in the room with her rousing performance of her hit song “Bitch I’m Madonna” last night on the “Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” Diplo pitched in for the number. The Material Girl is still going strong at 56 with the release of her new album Rebel Heart. Madonna also performed her song “Holiday,” from her self-named 1983 debut album, with Fallon and The Roots using classroom instruments....

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Madonna Still Has the Face; Returns to Cosmo After 25 Years (photos!)

Keith GirardApril 7, 2015

Madonna may be approaching her golden years, but she’s still gold on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine, celebrating the fashion publication’s 50th anniversary. She last appeared on the cover 25 years ago. For the May 1990 issue, Madonna was a fresh-faced 32-year-old and the magazine was celebrating its 25th Anniversary. She wore a short flapper-girl style brunette wig and a tight white spaghetti-strapped top....

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Rihanna Reads Indiana the Riot Act Over Religious ‘Freedom’ Law (video)

Keith GirardApril 6, 2015

Rihanna ventured into the heart of Indiana for the NCAA March Madness Festival and got right to the point. Schooled the Hoosier state audience for passing the explosive Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The measure caused an uproar because it has been widely interpreted as anti-gay. The Final Four pitted the Kentucky Wildcats against the Wisconsin Badgers and the Duke Blue Devils against the Michigan State Spartans....

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Ringo Starr: One Direction Singing Boys Who Dance; Not a Band (video)

Keith GirardMarch 31, 2015

Ringo Starr, who became a rock and roll legend as drummer for The Beatles in the 1960s, has added his insights into the split between Zayn Malik and One Direction. They will survive, he says. Starr also delivered a bit of a backhand diss of the Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Niall Horan. “I don’t think it will stop the band, he said, before quizzically adding,”They’re not really a band are they? They’re singing boys who dance."...

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Zayn Malik New Single Out as More Tensions Surface Over 1D Split

Keith GirardMarch 31, 2015

Zayn Malik, who split last week from boy band One Direction, reportedly has a new single out that was posted last night on SoundCloud amid new tensions between former bandmates and his producer Naughty Boy. Malik dropped out of the band’s Southeast Asia tour almost two weeks ago, citing “stress.” He quit the band shortly afterward....

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Madonna’s Rebel Heart Proves She’s Still a Relevant Pop Queen, at 56

Keith GirardMarch 10, 2015

Madonna, who has set music trends for the past 30 years, is back with a new album Rebel Heart, a mix of what she calls “rebellious, provocative” songs and sweeter ballads. But most of all it’s a statement, at 56, that she’s still relevant. Her 13 studio album follows 2012’s release MDNA, which proved she’s still a chart topper, hitting No. 1 on the pop charts. Her latest effort is also climbing the charts and is expected to hit No. 1 by the weekend....

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Ariana Grande Goes Boom While Singing ‘Bang, Bang’ in Toronto (see!)

Keith GirardMarch 9, 2015

Ariana Grande likes to wear kitty-cat ears during concerts, but she was anything but cat-like during a concert in Toronto, Canada over the weekend. She tripped and fell on stage during a number. Grande was apparently done in by her thigh-high boots with sky-hi heels. She was performing her hit song “Bang, Bang,” her her Jessie J and Nicki Minaj collaboration. She had walked out onto a narrow catwalk leading from the main stage....

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Charli XCX Electrifies Katy Perry Prismatic Tour in Germany (watch!)

Keith GirardMarch 3, 2015

Charli XCX, the latest phemon out of the England, opened for Katy Perry in Munich, Germany last night (Mar. 2), and gave her Prismatic Tour an extra kick, which such songs as her hit “Break the Rules.” Charli, real name Charlotte Emma Aitchison, scored a breakout in the United States last summer with her No. 1 hit “Boom Clap.” The song was later added to the soundtrack to Shailene Woodley’s film, “The Fault in Our Stars.”...

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Ariana Grande Featured on Cashmere Cat’s Haunting Tune ‘Adore’ (listen!)

Keith GirardMarch 3, 2015

Ariana Grande lends her soaring vocals to a haunting new tune from Norwegian producer Cashmere Cat in an extension of a collaboration that began with her second studio album My Everything. Cashmere Cat, real name Magnus August Høiberg, is best known as a downtempo, abstract electronic music producer and DJ. In the United States, he's worked with Lana Del Rey, Jeremih, 2 Chainz, Miguel and most recently Kanye West. ...

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Singer Leslie Gore, a Voice for Teens and Early Feminism, Dies at 68

Keith GirardFebruary 16, 2015

Leslie Gore, an American singer-songwriter who withstood the British invasion in music in the 1960s and penned classic teen anthem “It’s My Party,” has died of cancer, her longtime partner said today. She was 68. Gore died Monday (Feb. 15) at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan. She was discovered by Quincy Jones and signed to Mercury where she had her first hit song "It's My Party," in 1963....

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Ariana Grande ‘One Last Time’ Video a Hollywood Screen Test? (watch!)

Keith GirardFebruary 16, 2015

Ariana Grande must have a feature movie career on her mind. Her new video for her song “One Last Time” is a high-production value short film that features her acting–acting!–in an end-of-the-world scenario. Hello, Hollywood? Although she usually performs in little cat’s ears and tiny black dresses, she gets fully into character in her latest video....

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Rihanna ‘FourFiveSeconds’ Full Video Ft. Kanye West, Paul McCartney (see!)

Keith GirardFebruary 3, 2015

Rihanna officially released her “FourFiveSeconds” video this morning (Feb. 3) featuring Kanye West and Paul McCartney and showcasing a different look to go with the decidely un-Rihanna like tune. Rihanna chose a minimalist route for the video. It’s mainly just her, half-naked, against a white backdrop. Who could ask for more? Collaborators Wests and ex-Beatle McCartney make appearances as well. Kanye sings and McCartney plays guitar....

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What the Hell Happened to Mariah Carey? Major Lip-Sync Fail (watch!)

Keith GirardFebruary 1, 2015

Mariah Carey must have had something her mind… make that a lot on her mind. She lost her concentration repeatedly while lip-synching at the 2015 Jazz and Blues Festival in Jamaica, Friday (Jan. 30), and at times looked bewildered, botching words and singing off time. It was probably her biggest performance fail yet in a recent string of embarrassing performances. Carey, age 44, or 45, (she can’t even get that right) is in the throes of an increasingly bitter break-up with husband Nick Cannon. They have two children together....

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Frank Shiner, Delayed But Never Denied, Releases New Album

WinchesterJanuary 29, 2015

Frank Shiner had a promising New York theater career until he put it on hold to raise two children with wife Suzanne. That was two decades ago. Now he’s back, doing what he loves best… singing. And, he’s finding an audience. His new single, “The Real Me,” was the No. 1 most added Adult Contemporary record on radio for the second week in a row. That puts him in the same league as Kelly Clarkson and Maroon 5....

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