Labels: music video, Paris Hilton, Politics, Washington

Posted by jvonblog at Thursday, October 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

So for all you South African music festival fans, some news on the first Virgin Festival. The first South African Festival has been postponed. I repeat postponed!

Virgin Festival has become somewhat of a phenomenon globally, having had huge success in the US, UK, Canada and Australia to name a few countries. So it was time to bring it to our shores. Unfortunately while many of us are winding down the year, international artists are busy with touring, promoting new albums, wanting to spend the festive season with their families or they're just physically tired. So in short the organisers weren't able to get the headlining acts they wanted. I was at a lunch with them earlier and they said they'd approached some 70 acts including the Foo Fighters, The Killers, Kanye, Coldplay, Linkin Park, AC/DC and so on and all of them said it just wasn't convenient for now. So the fest has been delayed until early next year.

Not all is lost though. Maroon 5 and One Republic will still be coming to SA in December. The venues will be different, but they'll be here and it'll still be awesome. Local stars Goldfish and The Parlotones will be the support acts. If you've booked your tickets there are three options:

1. Get fully refunded
2. Watch Maroon 5 and One Republic and get the difference of your V Fest tickets back in cash
3. Wait for VFest 2009.

It's disappointing but like the CEO of Virgin Mobile South Africa, Peter Boyd said they could've either given audiences "half a product and reduce the price of the tickets, or hang back and wait". I agree with him. The artists on the line-up so far are cool and awesome, but in my opinion there needs to be that OMG so and so are coming to SA, wow... so yeah, there you have it!

Labels: Maroon 5, music One Republic, V Fest, Virgin Festival

Posted by jvonblog at Thursday, October 30, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

It's amazing how you can be on top of the world, in the best space and place ever and one incident can ruin that all. Jennifer Hudson, who has just released her debut album, my heart, prayers and thoughts go out to you and your family. Her mother and brother were gunned down in their home on Friday, allegedly by Hudson's brother-in-law. Her nephew Julian King is now missing, and Hudson has pleaded with fans, friends and anyone to come forward with information if they know anything. In fact she's offered $100 000 to anyone who knows of his where abouts. Lets hope he comes back safe and sound.

My deepest condolences go out to the Hudson family.

Labels: Jennifer Hudson, Julian King, murder, music, news

Posted by jvonblog at Monday, October 27, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

The annual Sports Illustrated Swimwear Edition goes on sale today in South Africa. One of my favourite South African celebs is on the cover... Ms Lee-Ann Liebenberg, congratulations to you. First time in the swimwear edition, and the cover too? BRILLIANT! Go get your copy now :)
Pic courtesy of Sports Illustrated.

Labels: entertainment, Lee-Ann Liebenberg, sports, Sports Illustrated, swimwear

Posted by jvonblog at Monday, October 20, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

Sean Kingston (Me Love & Beautiful Girls singer) is in South Africa... Check out some of the Johannesburg show's highlights!

Labels: entertainment, Jason Von Berg, music, Sean Kingston, South Africa

Posted by jvonblog at Sunday, October 19, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

Guess who I'm blogging about again?? Britney Spears... in news just in the previous pop wreck is now back to her pop STAR status, climbing a massive 96 spots of the official Billboard Top 100 to the coveted NUMBER 1 position. This is the first time in almost ten years that Spears has done something like this. The last time was when she released her debut single "Baby One More Time" in January 1999. GO BRIT!!!

Labels: Billboard, Britney Spears, entertainment, number1, vonblog

Posted by jvonblog at Thursday, October 16, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

The MTV Europe Music Award Nominees are out. The awards, will be held at the 'music mecca' of the world aka Liverpool. They'll be hosted by newcomer, girl kisser :) Katy Perry. Pink, Duffy, Coldplay and Beyonce will all perform at the awards... sigh. I wanna go. I love these awards. Anyways here are the nominees:



1. ROCK OUT:
30 Seconds To Mars
Linkin Park
Metallica
Paramore
Slipnot

2. ULTIMATE URBAN
Alicia Keys
Beyonce
Chris Brown
Kanye West
Lil Wayne

3. ACT OF 2008
Amy Winehouse
Britney Spears
Coldplay
Leona Lewis
Rihanna

4. NEW ACT
Duffy
Jonas Brothers
Katy Perry
Miley Cyrus
OneRepublic

5. BEST ACT EVER
Britney Spears
Christina Aguilera
Green Day
Rick Astley
Tokio Hotel
U2

6. MOST ADDICTIVE TRACK
Coldplay- 'Viva La Vida'
Duffy- 'Mercy'
Katy Perry- 'I Kissed A Girl'
Kid Rock- 'All Summer Long'
Pink- 'So What'

7. HEADLINER
Foo Fighters
Linkin Park
Metallica
The Cure
Tokio Hotel

8. BEST ALBUM
Alicia Keys- 'As I Am'
Britney Spears- 'Blackout'
Coldplay- 'Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends'
Duffy- 'Rockferry'
Leona Lewis- 'Spirit'

BEST AFRICAN ACT still to come... my predictions? South Africa's In-Cha will be nominated alongside Asa. Well those are just two of my predictions, the rest I have no idea.

I must admit I'm a bit surprised by some of these nominees. Amy 'Crackhead" Winehouse has done nothing but show the world how completely addicted to drugs she is. Don't get me wrong, she is so talented but the album's been out for a while now and she walked away with an award last year. I would've thought Rihanna and Ne-Yo would crack more and at least one nomination respectively. Beyonce has just released two new tracks, but her album isn't out and she hasn't done anything but marry her boo Jay Z this year. She'll be performing I'm sure. Now onto Katy Perry... that song is annoying now, it's old but damn was it big. If she doesn't win then I'll be surprised. Coldplay, Duffy and Leona Lewis all deserve to be there so good on them. I love these awards... I was privileged enough to go to the awards in Munich last year. If I had my way, I'd go be on the plane to Liverpool tonight... ANYONE OFFERING??????

Labels: Beyone, Coldplay, Duffy, Katy Perry, Leona Lewis, MTV Europe Music Awards, music, Pink, Rihanna

Posted by jvonblog at Wednesday, October 15, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

New seasons, new looks and of course new albums and music... It's been a while since she's been big on the music scene, so naturally she's bouncing back. You might be asking how does someone like Beyonce bounce back? Well she does it like this; she releases two tracks back to back onto radio and tv and of course online. Here are the videos for you:

FIRST SONG- IF I WERE A BOY



SECOND SONG- SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT)



Oh B, oh B... you rock! What do y'all think about the new videos? I like the first one If I were a boy, nice song, interesting lyrics and the black and white effect in the video is just awesome. Second song is cool, it'll be a hit. It's got that "Check Up On It" feel to it- you know the one she dances around in a pink number? Yeah well that one. Just on a side, I'd love to shoot music videos... now back to reality. It's interesting how these artists go for the dancing around on a black and white stage. The video I'm referring to is Justin Timberlake's "My Love" vid with TI. It's not like it's a bad thing, just an interesting observation :)

Lemme know your thoughts on Beyonce's new tracks and dont forget the new album's out in November

Labels: Beyonce, new music, videos

Posted by jvonblog at Tuesday, October 14, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

Here it is... Britney's new video. Not only is the song awesome, she's looking so hot and this is the Britney we're all used to. Check it out:

Labels: Britney Spears, entertainment, music video, Womanizer

Posted by jvonblog at Monday, October 13, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

The MAMA's are coming, quick and fast and what would the awards be, without the biggest names in the music industry being nominated... so without further ado; the nominees are:

BEST FEMALE
Wahu (Kenya)
Asa (Nigeria)
Dama Do Bling (Mozambique)
Sasha (Nigeria)
Zonke (South Africa)

BEST MALE
Jua Cali (Kenya)
2Face (Nigeria)
D’Banj (Nigeria)
DJ Cleo (South Africa)
HHP (South Africa)

BEST LIVE PERFORMER
Samini (Ghana)
D’Banj (Nigeria)
P-Square (Nigeria)
Cassette (South Africa)
Jozi (South Africa)

BEST GROUP
P-Square (Nigeria)
Freshly Ground (South Africa)
Jozi (South Africa)
The Parlotones (South Africa)
East African Bashment Crew (Uganda)

BEST ALTERNATIVE
Buraka Som Sistema (Portugal)
Goldfish (South Africa)
Seether (South Africa)
The Parlotones (South Africa)
Coldplay (UK)

BEST HIP-HOP
9ice (Nigeria)
HHP (South Africa)
Professor Jay (Tanzania)
Lil Wayne (USA)
The Game (USA)

BEST R&B
P-Square (Nigeria)
Akon (Senegal / USA)
Loyiso (South Africa)
Alicia Keys (USA)
Rihanna (USA)

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Asa (Nigeria)
D’Banj (Nigeria)
P-Square (Nigeria)
HHP (South Africa)
Seether (South Africa)

BEST NEW ACT
Kwaw Kese (Ghana)
Wahu (Kenya)
9ice (Nigeria)
Naeto C (Nigeria)
Da L.E.S. (South Africa)

BEST VIDEO
Movaizhaleine (Gabon) – Nous
Ikechukwu (Nigeria) – Wind Am Well
P-Square (Nigeria) – Roll It
Freshlyground (South Africa) – Pot Belly
Pro Kid (South Africa) – Uthini Ngo Pro

The winners of the MTV Africa Music Awards with Zain will be unveiled at The Velodrome, Abuja, on Saturday, 22 November 2008. Remember if you want your favourite to win, you have to vote, so go to mama.mtvbase.com.

Labels: Africa, MAMAs, MTV, music, nominations, voting

Posted by jvonblog at Wednesday, October 08, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

Jennifer Hudson is somebody I would love to meet, interview, share a coffee date with. This talented young lady is high up on my list of inspirational people and this is why:

- She's a virgo, like me. We rock :)
- She, at 27, has an Oscar, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and a SAG award for her brilliant performance in Dreamgirls. Hudson played Effie White is the feature film, alongside beautiful Beyonce, funnyman Eddie Murphy and Oscar winner Jamie Foxx. Have you seen this movie? I own a copy... I don't usually enjoy musicals, but this one was brilliant.
- She might not have won American Idol back in 2003, but damn that doesn't matter. Jennifer has just released her self-title debut album. Now I don't have a copy yet, it hasn't arrived on South African shores yet, but the first single Spotlight is fantastic. I love it, she looks beautiful and Ne-Yo wrote it... recipe for success. I also love the chorus lyrics:
Well, I don't like Living under your spotlight Just because you think I might find somebody worthy Oh, I don't like Living under your spotlight Baby, if you treat me right You won't have to worry

The context of the song might differ from my experience, but nobody likes to live in somebody else's spotlight... something I can relate to now. Here's a promo vid for y'all to look at:




Now more about the album. It's a sixteen track album and the star has worked with get this, Ne-Yo, Timbaland, Robin Thicke and Stargate to name a few. It was released last week and I haven't found any info on how sales are going, but it will be interesting to see how sales go this week. The reason I say that is because when Oprah invites you onto her show to discuss a new movie and your album, you know you're doing something right and with Oprah's pull, things tend to escalate in a positive way!!! I also reckon there'll be a few Grammy nominations coming her way. Here's to hoping, I love this lady and as soon as I get my hands on the album, I'll give y'all a break down of all the tracks... Oh congratulations to Ms Hudson too, she just recently got engaged :)

I also bought Ne-Yo's new album yesterday. Year of the Gentleman. Brilliant, fantastic and worthwhile! go get it!

Labels: Dreamgirls, Jennifer Hudson, music, Oscar, spotlight

Posted by jvonblog at Sunday, October 05, 2008 | Permalink | Comments

This video is a perfect example of why I respect celebrities... well many of them. The US elections are just weeks away and well it's going to be massive, time for change. Now I've posted videos previously of artists, actors etc all pledging their support for Obama. This video is neutral, unless I missed something... but it's encouraging all Americans to register to vote. South Africans need to do the same, I'm going to make it my goal to mobilise our celebs for next year's election!

What are your thoughts on this? ie Celebs using their star power and encouraging fellow citizens to vote? Holler

Labels: Barack Obama, celebrities, change, US Elections

Posted by jvonblog at Thursday, October 02, 2008 | Permalink | Comments