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Chris Brown Was 'Embarrassed' To Be In Public After Rihanna Assault

11/13/2009 12:44:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

'It's something I have to live with, but it's something that I'm gonna change,' he says on BET's '106 & Park.'

In a sit-down interview before a live audience on BET's "106 & Park," Chris Brown admitted he watched Rihanna's "20/20" interview with Diane Sawyer.

"I respect her decisions and whatever she wants to say," he said. "I personally want to keep things private, but at the end of the day, it's her decision."

Throughout the sit-down, which was recorded earlier this week and aired Thursday (November 12), Brown continued to apologize for assaulting Rihanna. The singer has revealed more of his emotions in each interview. He first broke his silence with Larry King, then Hot 97's Angie Martinez, and last week with MTV News correspondent Sway during Chris Brown's Interview.

During the BET interview, Brown also discussed the isolation he feels in the aftermath of the February incident.

"I'm working on it," Brown explained. "I'm really going through it. It's not just the physical labor [aspect of my punishment]; it's the mental labor. It's things that a 19-year-old or a 20-year-old has to deal with. It's not just the room saying, 'We don't like you'; it's the world. It kind of messes with a real person. I'm a real guy. I'm not a mannequin or a robot. I'm a real dude, so that hurts."

Brown said being judged by the court of public opinion is the worst of his punishments.

When he initially appeared in public following his attack on Rihanna, Brown said he wanted to wear glasses and hide. "I didn't want people to really see me," he said. "I was nervous and embarrassed — just really standoffish."

Brown was asked to respond to a comment Rihanna made during her Sawyer interview when the "Umbrella" singer said she wanted her ex-boyfriend to not feel sorry for himself. He admitted his grief but said it's part of his rehabilitation process.

"I don't think I would be human if I didn't feel sorry for myself," Brown said. "I do feel like it was a mistake I made, and I'm embarrassed with a mistake I made. It's something I have to live with, but it's something that I'm gonna change."

AMD settlement won't blunt Intel R&D, exec says

11/13/2009 12:44:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Today's settlement of all antitrust litigation between Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. should benefit both firms -- and shouldn't hurt Intel's R&D operation, Intel CTO and senior fellow Justin Rattner told Computerworld today.

"As a legal matter, it only concerned a very small part of the company," Rattner said. "From an R&D perspective, there aren't really any changes as a result of the agreement. For the legal people at Intel, it's a big change but I don't think the rest of us will be terribly affected."

The deal, which settles both antitrust litigation and patent cross license disputes, specifies that Intel will pay rival AMD $1.25 billion. Intel also agreed to abide by a set of business practice provisions.

For its part, AMD agreed to drop all pending litigation against Intel, including an upcoming case in U.S. District Court in Delaware and two cases pending in Japan. AMD also will withdraw all of its regulatory complaints filed against Intel with government agencies around the world.

"It's good for everyone that it's over," said Martin Reynolds, an analyst at Gartner Inc. "These long-term court battles are no good for anybody. This will make AMD a more attractive target for investors and it's certainly good news for Intel."

Reynolds said the settlement could portend that Intel will reach similar deals with other court foes.

The latest antitrust suit against Intel was filed in federal court last week by the state of New York, which alleges that Intel threatened computer makers, made payoffs and engaged in a "worldwide, systematic campaign of illegal conduct." An Intel spokesman downplayed that lawsuit, contending at the time it was a repackaging of the AMD case.

Therefore, Reynolds suggested, it's likely the AMD settlement will lead to the dropping of the New York lawsuit.

"With AMD withdrawing all complaints, it's likely all these suits will dry up," he added. "It will be hard to go forward."

The settlement should provide significant benefits to Intel over the long term, Reynolds said. "The $1.25 billion is a downside [for Intel], but that's about it. Intel can stand down in gathering all this evidence. They won't be in as many courtrooms. They can let go of some of their attorneys."

The settlement could also blunt any plans by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to jump into the antitrust fray against Intel, said Rob Enderle, an analyst with the Enderle Group. The FTC had launched an antitrust investigation into Intel more than a year ago and had been expected to take some kind of antitrust action against the firm soon.

"This means AMD will stop pushing on the FTC and states to pound on Intel. And Intel will be able to focus on business and not do brand damage control, discovery, [and the like]," Enderle said. "Like Microsoft discovered, this doesn't necessarily stop New York or the FTC but it removes a lot of the momentum behind those efforts and effectively lowers their priority."

Enderle also noted that while $1.25 billion is a lot for Intel to pay out, the settlement is likely less than a court would have forced the company to pay had it lost an antitrust trial.

"I was estimating a judgment between $2 billion and $5 billion with penalties so this was a good deal from Intel and AMD needs the money," said Enderle. "[Intel] already looked guilty. This reduces the long-term impact from their actions substantially."

Megan Fox Wants to Know Why Women Hate Her

11/13/2009 12:43:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Megan Fox is in trouble—no one wants to pay to see her act, especially women. This weekend's New York Times Magazine follows our favorite crazy-quote spewing actress and her handlers as they try to figure out why this is.

Lynn Hirschberg's profile is an interesting look at how the Transformer's actress manipulated the media (similar to one Ms. Angelina Jolie), skyrocketed to fame and is now sorta stuck.

"She created a rebellious, frankly sexual persona and talked her way into the limelight," Hirschberg writes. But that persona doesn't translate into ticket sales so her people are trying to "change the dialogue about Fox from the out-of-control sex bomb to the Fox they know, who is a homebody with a longtime boyfriend and a fondness for spending Saturday nights at Red Lobster, where she likes the cheese biscuits."

Or as Megan sums up her main problem:

"Girls think I'm a slut, and I've been in the same relationship since I was 18. The problem is, if they think you're attractive, you're either stupid or a whore or a dumb whore. The instinct among girls is to attack the jugular."

First, the slut image is her own doing, especially when her first big claim to fame was being in love with a stripper that never really existed and then all the bisexual talk. And second, that doesn't have anything to with why girls hate her.

Megan has obviously found a character to play for men's magazine interviews that works for her: "When I sit down to talk to men's magazines, there's a certain character that I play," she tells the Times. But she hasn't quite figured out how to talk to women and often comes off as contemptuous of them. She just writes all ladies off, like they're jealous of her because she's pretty and smart and sexy and confident and all women hate women anyway. Big sweeping statements like that just aren't something women are going to respond to.

But Megan is at a turning point, and she and her handlers are working on a new image that will suit her career when she doesn't have a giant robot fight movie supporting her. "I have to pull back a little bit now," Megan says at the end of the article. "I do live in a glass box. And I am on display for men to pay to look at me. And that bothers me. I don't want to live that character."

We'll just have to wait until the next round of movie press to see what character Megan does come up with.

TVXQ 2010 comeback is impossible?

11/13/2009 12:43:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Jaejoong, Junsu and Yoochun of TVXQ have yet to answer to SM Entertainment on what their final decision is.


SME revealed,

These three TVXQ members have refused to the upcoming activities as TVXQ so the TVXQ 3rd Asia Tour-Mirotic in China on the 21st is now canceled. The three say that they won't go to it. We regret to inform fans of this news. Because of this, TVXQ's image will be damaged. Not only will this affect TVXQ's Chinese promotions but it will also affect other Korean artists' promotions in China and Hallyu in general. They said to the court that they would continue with their planned activities but the concert in China that was planned in 2008, has now been turned down by them.

This press release statement continued,

We were also planning for a comeback in Korea next year. The three members have yet to reply to us about their national comeback. Because of that, their next year comeback has become impossible. We are sorry to be announcing this.

Fans will undoubtedly be more than disappointed to hear the news. This means that, even if they don't break up, the much loved boy band will be MIA for a long time. What will become of TVXQ now that we know they don't have a clear future ahead of them?

For the enterprise, Google Apps fights uphill battle with Microsoft

11/13/2009 12:42:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

The devil you already know often gets the nod

While companies are starting to seriously look at the hosted applications from Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp. -- and Google Apps is winning converts among schools and small firms -- Microsoft's incumbent status gives it a leg up, according to CIOs interviewed at the Society for Information Management (SIM) conference in Seattle this week.

Mueller Water Products Inc., for instance, is piloting Microsoft's Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS), which includes Microsoft-hosted versions of Exchange, SharePoint and other apps introduced a year ago.

"We had Google in to look at their apps," said Bob Keefe, Mueller's CIO. The Atlanta manufacturer has 5,300 employees, of which 2,200 use PCs with Windows XP and Microsoft Office. "We're really trying to keep budgets slim. To change out the whole company [to Google Apps] in this economic environment would require a lot of retraining, and that would be very costly."

Retraining costs also dissuaded the United States Tennis Association (USTA) from moving to Google Apps, according to CIO Larry Bonfante. The USTA "looked very seriously" at Google Apps last year, but ultimately stayed with the known quantity, Microsoft Office. More than half of the USTA's 750 employees and volunteers are located outside of its White Plains, N.Y. headquarters.

That hasn't stopped the USTA from shifting many of its back-end applications online, including its Exchange e-mail system, which is run by Web hosting firm USA.net, Bonfante said.

Oregon State University has a strong relationship with Google, which has donated more than $1 million to OSU's open-source lab. But OSU also recently upgraded to Exchange 2007 for its e-mail, and it remains firmly on Microsoft Office, said CIO Curt Pederson, because of Microsoft's deep educational discounts and the preference of OSU faculty members.

The situation is different at Sunoco Inc. The gasoline retailer is looking carefully at both Microsoft's BPOS and Google Apps for its 1,000 office workers, CIO Peter Whatnell said. The company only recently upgraded to Office 2003 at the beginning of this year.

Insurance firm Chubb Corp. has not started to test either Google or Microsoft's hosted offerings (the latter also includes the coming Web version of Office 2010.) But group CIO Jim Knight says "the whole concept appeals to me."

"Eighty percent of our employees are using 10% of the functionality of Office," he said. "So I could seriously consider Google Apps for 80% of my users, with the other 20% getting the full Office."

Zai Zai, Mark Zhao's friendship turns sour? Cai Yue Xun heartbreaks

11/13/2009 12:42:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

The fight between the two brothers, Zai Zai and Mark Zhao turns ferocious. Now with issues adding on to it like “Zai Zai accepted the movie that Mark rejected” and “Both of them behaving intimately with model, Bei Bei”. Yesterday, Zai Zai’s manager, Zhi Xiang Li furiously said, they definitely will not work with companies that use the media to speculate news; referring to Mark Zhao’s management company, Prajna.

Next week, Zai Zai will be filming “Killer,Ou Yang Pen Zhai” but news revealed that the production company contacted Mark first before contacting Zai Zai. Gary, the Producer of the production company,”Filmmall” said, Mark hadn’t enter the entertainment industry yet when they were contacting Zai Zai. After Black & White became popular and through Angie Cai’s recommendation, he wishes to meet him, have not make a decision yet.

Zai Zai’s manager said, he does not understand why people like to use Zai Zai’s fame to increase popularity. Cai Yue Xun was extremely upset when he heard this yesterday and said, ”all of the conflicts happened because of the media, situation becomes more and more scary.” He frankly said, their plan of filming Black & White has been affected: "Fulong thought we were the ones who did this but we will try our best to resolve the conflicts. We are willing to wait for Zai Zai and accommodate his schedule."

Taylor Swift: CMA Entertainer of the Year

11/13/2009 12:42:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

When you're 19 and a whole association tells you they love you, you ought to believe them.

A certain awkward moment Taylor Swift had at the 2009 VMAs turned into a distant memory when she finally got some time to herself at the 43rd Annual Country Music Association Awards, some of which came at the end of the night when she unseated four-time winner Kenny Chesney for Entertainer of the Year honors.

"I will never forget this moment because, in this moment, everything I have ever wanted has just happened to me," an emotional Swift, the first woman to win the award since Shania Twain in 1999, said before inviting the members of her band onstage to share the spotlight with her.

And all that Joe Jonas heartbreak turned out to be worth it, because her spunky sophomore effort Fearless, rife with breakup tunes, was named Album of the Year.

"This album is my diary and so, to all the people who voted for me for this, thank you for saying that you liked my diary," an over-the-moon Swift said in between performances of "Forever & Always" and "Fifteen" at the three-hour kudosfest, which prefers its acceptance speeches short and its performance segments uplifting, varied and plentiful.

Swift went 4-for-4 Wednesday, also taking home pointy crystal statues for Video of the Year for "Love Story," the sappiest tune on the otherwise adorably angry Fearless, and displacing two-time winner Carrie Underwood to win Female Vocalist of the Year.

"I just got a hug from Kris Kristofferson! I'm good!" Swift said upon accepting the latter award. "I hope you know how much this means to me...And I want to thank every single person in this room tonight for not running onstage during this speech."

Ba-dum-bump.

But with her topic-spanning SNL monologue behind her, there was really nothing for Swift to worry about tonight besides singing and winning.

Instead, the night's PSA was provided by cohosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, who warbled a rendition of that timeless classic, "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Kanye."

Paisley, who entered the evening with a leading seven nominations, banked his third consecutive win for Male Vocalist of the Year and shared the win for Event of the Year with Keith Urban for their collaboration on "Start a Band."

Darius Rucker's career-salvaging decision to turn country proved to be a sound choice: The 43-year-old former Hootie & the Blowfish frontman beat out an all-male crew that included relative spring chickens like Jake Owen and Randy Hauser to be named Best New Artist of the Year.

He thanked his wife and three kids, various other supporters and country radio for "taking a chance on a pop singer from Charleston, South Carolina."

Hey, if there's room for Kid Rock, there's room for everybody.

Those gracing the stage to sing tonight included Paisley; Underwood; Urban (Nicole Kidman looked lovely in the audience); Sugarland; Lady Antebellum, winners for Vocal Duo and Single of the Year; George Strait; Brooks & Dunn, who will be dismantling after their latest tour, with ZZ Top; Miranda Lambert; Martina McBride; and Kenny Chesney, who with Virginia boy Dave Matthews tried to remind the CMA that "I'm Alive," but...

No one heard him this year.

Here's the complete list of winners from the 2009 CMA Awards:

Entertainer of the Year: Taylor Swift
Album of the Year: Fearless, Taylor Swift
Male Vocalist of the Year: Brad Paisley
Female Vocalist of the Year: Taylor Swift
Single of the Year: "I Run to You," Lady Antebellum
Song of the Year: "In Color," Jamey Johnson (with cowriters Lee Thomas Miller and James Otto)
Music Video of the Year: "Love Story," Taylor Swift
Vocal Group of the Year: Lady Antebellum
Vocal Duo of the Year: Sugarland
Best New Artist of the Year: Darius Rucker
Musician of the Year: Mac McAnally
Event of the Year: "Start a Band," Brad Paisley and Keith Urban

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 said to break sales records

11/13/2009 12:41:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , 0 Comments

So much for the supposedly unbreakable first-day sales record set last year by Grand Theft Auto IV.

On Thursday, Activision said that its brand-new Call of Duty 2: Modern Warfare, which hit store shelves on Tuesday, had "shattered" the previous record for opening-day sales by an entertainment property, earning $310 million in North America and the U.K. alone. That equates to 4.7 million copies of the new game sold in those regions, and, if true, would eclipse the previous first-day sales record of $310 million globally, which GTA IV set in May of 2008.

Given that GTA IV had nearly doubled the previous record of $170 million, set by Halo 3, I wondered at the time whether its new mark was unassailable. Clearly, the new Call of Duty has answered that question, and loudly.

Now, we have to ask once again whether there could be another challenger for the crown. It would be foolish, it seems, to conclude that there won't be, given the dominance of franchises like Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Grand Theft Auto itself, and, of course, Call of Duty.

A bigger question could be: Why do we care? That's especially true given how frequently these mega-records are broken. Still, it's hard not to get worked up about what it means for a single video game title to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars in a single 24-hour period, particularly while we're still mired in a fairly deep recession.

There are all kinds of arguments to be made about why video games do well in tough economic times, and I've trotted a number of them out in this space. But most games don't come anywhere near selling $310 million worth of product in their entire lifetime, let alone on their first day, so Activision--and its Infinity Ward studio, which actually developed the new Call of Duty--seem entitled to a little bit of attention.

But at the rate these records are falling, I'm going to have to start thinking twice every time a new game sends me one of these announcements about breaking records. Sooner or later, it's not going to be all that noteworthy, no matter how much money is earned in a single day. Until then, though, watch this space for word on which game will be next in line for the throne.

Taeyang releases full “Wedding Dress” track and music video

11/13/2009 12:41:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

I'm sure that as soon as you saw the ending to Where U At's music video, you were going ecstatic for Wedding Dress and now it is here!


Wedding Dress has been confirmed as the song Taeyang will promote and after hearing it, I'm more than excited to see this one live.

After hearing the song, you won't know which one to be more excited for, the music video or the comeback stage. But one thing is for sure, it's definitely going to dominate the charts like G-Dragon did.

It isn't just Park Bom that's wearing a wedding dress. The beautiful lady in white will definitely have the fan girls jealous.

Taeyang impresses again with his vocal abilities and shows us he is ready to take the music scene by storm. How will his fans wait till 2010 for his full length album?

Check out the MV!

Lady Gaga’s Gossip Girl Performance

11/13/2009 12:41:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

So far, "Gossip Girl" castmembers have given only vague details about what fans should expect from Lady Gaga's appearance on the show. But finally, Gaga herself was willing to give us the scoop on her November 16 cameo and why she decided to do it.

"First of all, my sister's a huge fan, and she's 17 years old. So when I called her and said 'Gossip Girl' wants to put my whole new album on the show and have me perform, she was like 'Oh my God, you have to do it. It's an amazing show,' " Gaga told MTV News. "And I'd seen it. It's a great show."

Of course, Gaga didn't want her time on the show to be a stereotypically awkward musical-guest appearance on a TV show. She wanted it done the Gaga way. "I hate TV series performances, because they kind of come in out of nowhere, and everyone's, like, really into the story, and then all of a sudden somebody breaks into song," she said. "And it has nothing to do with the storyline, and then it screws everything up."

Rather than showing up on the set for the day, Gaga met with the writers and producers first to make sure she was doing a performance that she felt comfortable with.

"I really sat down with the writers," she said. "I was like, 'Look, I want to do this, and the reason I want to do this is because I am trying to say something that is not mainstream in a mainstream capacity. So, if I can say it on your show, that would be, like, a real coup d'état for me as a performance artist.' "

The result sounds like an elaborate music video. "I am the narrator behind what is going on with the characters and make the song part of the moment," she explained about the "crazy performance-art piece." "We used these ladders, and I'm falling off ladders. Ladders are kind of a monster symbol about bad luck. And I have this 35-foot-long dress on and these X's, very gothic-inspired. It was great. They let me do whatever the hell I wanted. It was amazing."

Windows Mobile smartphone sales plunge 20% in Q3

11/13/2009 12:40:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments

Decline occurs despite overall smartphone growth

Sales of smartphones running the Window Mobile operating system declined 20% in the third quarter at the same time that total smartphone sales surged 13%, according to an analysis of newly released sales data from Gartner Inc. Sales of smartphones running the Window Mobile operating system declined by 20% in the the third quarter at the same time that smartphone sales with all operating systems surged 13%, according to an analysis of newly released sales data from Gartner Inc.

The fact that Windows Mobile sales declined may not be a surprise, but the size of the decline is. The third quarter ended before an upgraded operating system, Windows Mobile 6.5, began shipping in October, too late to have an effect on sales figures.

But even sales of version 6.5 look lackluster.

Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi, asked by e-mail today if Windows Mobile will get a boost in the fourth quarter from the new Windows Mobile 6.5, responded: "No, not really ... you might see enough traction that might stabilize the decline."

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer criticized Windows Mobile in late September, saying that Microsoft had "screwed up with Windows Mobile." The company had recently reorganized the Windows Mobile team in advance of the 6.5 release and next year's 7.0 release.

Several industry analysts have questioned whether Windows Mobile will last beyond version 7.0.

They have explained their pessimism by noting that the operating system has been in the market far longer than the popular Apple Inc. iPhone but is still fourth in global rankings for smartphones. Some say that Microsoft might want to focus more on its Office applications as a money maker, rather than Windows Mobile.

Windows Mobile runs on dozens of different cell phones and smartphones by several device manufacturers. Only 3.2 million smartphone units running the OS were sold in the third quarter, Gartner said, down 20% from the 4.05 million phones sold in the third quarter of 2008.

As such, Windows Mobile had 7.9% of the total smartphone OS market in the third quarter, out of a total of 41 million smartphones sold to end users, Gartner said. Symbian, the OS used by Nokia devices, finished first with 44.6%, while Research in Motion's BlackBerry OS finished second with 20.8%, and the iPhone finished third with 17.1%.

Phones running Google's Android operating system began appearing on only a few smartphone models, including the G1, by the third quarter and sold 1.4 million devices, giving it a 3.5% share, Gartner said.

Android is expected to gain steady ground in the fourth quarter and speed up in 2010 with several manufacturers offering dozens of different models. The Motorola Droid, which launched last Friday with Verizon Wireless, runs Android 2.0.

Gartner in September forecast that by 2012, Android will have 18% of the smartphone market with 94 million units sold, zipping upward into the second spot behind Symbian, with BlackBerry in third, the iPhone in fourth and Windows Mobile ranking fifth.

Gartner explained the phenomenal gains its expects for Android as stemming from the influence of Google applications and services and the open nature of Android. Some other analysts, including those at ABI Research Inc., have significantly lower forecasts for Android in 2012 than Gartner, although they still see strong Android growth.

Gartner's Milanesi noted that while Android is an open OS, it will be far from uniform on all devices, even though the Android OS share data will be reported by Gartner together as the data for Windows Mobile is. Manufacturers want to differentiate themselves within the Android platform, sometimes with software services and layers, she said.

For example, HTC has launched its "Sense" user interface with Android while Motorola has announced Motoblur, its Web-based service, on the Cliq device using Android. Meanwhile, Motorola's Droid smartphone, which runs Android, does not include Motoblur, even though some analysts and reviewers said it should, to make managing contact information easier.

Charmaine Sheh used laughter to communicate with Kevin Cheng

11/13/2009 12:40:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments



Charmaine Sheh attended the "螢．光學美纖Velasmoothpro" event. There were female models wearing bikini's at the scene demonstrating how to use the machines. Charmaine praised the models having great figures. The reporter asked if she would have breast enlargements? She smiled and said that she feels okay with her body. (Would she dress up like the models?) "So many people looking, I don't think it's good. But taking pictures is Okay". (Wearing a bikini in a series?) "If it is a requirement for the series and has good effects I would consider it".

The reporter mentioned the reports of her and Kevin Cheng having no communication while being at the TVB sales presentation event. She stated that they laughed happily, just that she would not have a converstaion with him on stage. "In the series we are a couple and we don't mind promoting together". (Do you keep in touch?) "We are friends". She also revealed that currently she has increased confidence in winning the TV Queen award".

"Idol" champ Allen's CD reflects life on the road

11/13/2009 12:39:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

"American Idol" champion Kris Allen, who once traveled the world on church missionary trips, took an equally wayfaring approach to record his new album, working in studios across the United States.

"Name a big city and I probably recorded a song there," Allen told Reuters ahead of the self-titled "Kris Allen" release on November 17.

The album, Allen's first since winning top-rated TV signing show "American Idol," was mostly written and produced while he toured the U.S. this past summer with "Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert and the other 10 finalists from the show.

The Arkansas native recorded songs in Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Milwaukee and other cities.

"It was pretty crazy, and kind of weird switching your mind from tour mode to writing and recording mode," he said.

The 24-year-old Allen was the center of a carousel of songwriters who included "Idol" alumnus Chris Daughtry and Joe King of rock band The Fray, but Allen was instrumental in penning nine of the record's 12 tracks.

One single, "Live Like We're Dying," was released in September and is currently ranked 39th in airplay on radio stations playing Top 40 music, said tracking firm Mediabase.

"It's got a really jumpy chorus that I feel people can really get into, turn the windows down in their car and sing along with it," he said.

When Allen was still a college student in 2007, he made a low budget, self-released album called "Brand New Shoes," but he said making his latest EP through 19 Recordings, a record company run by "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller, was a completely different experience.

Allen had the luxury of time, for one thing, unlike when he booked the studio himself on his first album and had only a few days to record. This time, he also included exotic instruments, including a sitar, and experimented with different styles, from pop to the blues.

Allen's "Idol" fans will recognize his cover version of rap star Kanye West's song "Heartless," which Allen performed on the show and also recorded for the album. Another track, "Red Guitar," predates Allen's "Idol" run and is the only song on the album he wrote on his own.

Before joining "American Idol," Allen traveled widely on church missionary trips, touching down in such countries as Thailand and Mozambique. Even though he said his faith is important to him, he has no plans to release an album of Christian songs.

As for the future, the singer said he hopes to go back on the road -- on an international tour.

"I have always wanted to go to Australia," he said. "I've been to a lot of places, but I never have been there."

2NE1’s solo concert unlikely to happen

11/13/2009 12:39:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Girl group 2NE1's year-end concert has been cancelled over a lack of songs to perform, according to their producer on Thursday.


Yang Hyun-suk wrote on the official website of his agency YG Entertainment that 2NE1 will not be able to hold their concert which was scheduled for December 30 and 31.

"We had even managed to borrow a concert venue despite tough competition for it, so we too are sorry to see this happen but we will focus on making a good album for now," Yang apologized.

He added, however, that the four-member group are "preparing a surprise show" set for November 20 but will not disclose the details until a day before the event.

2NE1 took the music industry by storm immediately following their debut in July, sweeping charts with their singles "Lollipop", "Fire" and "I Don't Care" and are preparing to release a full-length album early next year.

Samsung Behold II hits T-Mobile on November 18th, unboxed today (now with video!)

11/13/2009 12:39:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments



Dubbing itself the "multimedia powerhouse" for T-Mobile's expansive Android lineup, the Samsung Behold II has just been confirmed for that rumored November 18th launch on T-Mobile (still no word on price, though we're hearing a predictable $200). The slate-style touchscreen handset has a 3.2-inch AMOLED display, and puts it to good use with a hearty skinning job on the part of Samsung, porting in most (but not all) of its TouchWiz UI -- unfortunately for us, that silly cube menu made the cut. Underneath is Android 1.5, and what seems to be a pretty standard processor.

Hardware-wise there's really nothing to complain about on this phone. It's heavy, relatively thin (not iPhone-thin, but just fine), with solid materials and wonderfully tactile face buttons. The screen is everything you'd expect out of an AMOLED display, though high-resolution phones like the Droid dampen that enthusiasm somewhat. One wonderful Samsung addition to the traditional Android experience is a "real" camera button on the side, which can even register half-presses for focus. For someone who doesn't want a physical keyboard, but doesn't want their handset to feel like a toy (sorry, myTouch) there's plenty to love. However, we're more concerned about the software side of things. We're not morally opposed to Samsung adding in TouchWiz, but we are afraid of anything that has the potential to slow down the OS, and on first glance we'd say it's notably less responsive than stock Android. We'll of course be going further in-depth to see just how usable this iteration is, but let us just put this out on the table: a virtual 3D cube to launch media apps is no way "intuitive," "helpful" or "cool." OK, maybe it's kind of cool, but seriously Samsung, stop it. Check out our unboxing below.

Louis Koo and DaS to join Disney, playing magic little gourd

11/13/2009 12:38:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , 0 Comments

Louis Koo and DaS will cooperate again, it's sure that their rumors will once again spread non-stop.

For the past year, the movies that Louis has been leading in had gathered good ratings and selling. He accepted movies after movies, and can be said as very popular (豬籠入水?). He cooperated with Taiwanese actress Xu Xi Yuan (DaS) and they got love rumors while filming "Connected". Eventhough both denied, they still agreed to cooperate again and again together. But everytime they appeared on functions together, they both avoided contact , making the rumors go on..

Recently, fun Ren Zhao (the reporter) got tipped that Louis and DaS will cooperate once again after their "Forbidden city cop" movie. They will join the movie that Disney is investing 40 Millions in "Magic gourd"(attempted name), making people suppose that Louis had recommended his rumored girlfriend DaS to the producers for the lead female role. It's sure that their rumors will once again reappear.

Actually, "Magic" movie comes from famous chinese children books writer Zhang tian Yi "The Secret of the Magic Gourd" and had been had been adapted into movie starring Gigi Leung. Now, Louis will cooperate with DaS and Charlene Choi aiming for the whole South East of Asia market. The movie is expected to start shooting next April and will be directed by Patrick LEUNG Pak-Kin.

Because Disney is very strict, they all signed a contract for secrecy, and won't reveal anything related to the movie. But it seems that this movie will include many special effects so the investors already raised the budget. And it's also the first time for Louis to lead in this type of movie so this movie will definitely surprise everyone for sure !

Carrie Prejean accuses Larry King of being 'inapproprate' and then fails to walk off his set

11/13/2009 12:38:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments


You know that video that's going viral today -- trending on Google and Twitter, thanks in to large part to celebrity blogger Perez Hilton -- of Carrie Prejean calling Larry King "inappropriate" on his talk show last night and threatening to leave?

We'd like to call it "inappropriate" too. And maybe even throw a "misleading" for good measure. In the entertaining three-minute clip, Prejean becomes agitated when King repeatedly asks her why she dropped her claims of libel, slander, and religious discrimination against the Miss USA pageant. TMZ has reported that Prejean decided to strike a deal only after the lawyer for the pageant revealed a homemade sex tape of a 17-year-old Prejean.

King wasn't asking about the particulars of the settlement, just why she settled, mind you. But Prejean repeatedly called him "inappropriate," took off her microphone, and appeared to want to leave. She never really owned that moment, we should add. She fumbled, looked around the room, and stayed sitting in the chair, even though she had removed her mike.

And then after the commercial break -- which you don't see on the clip that hit cyberspace last night -- Prejean is still in her seat. She didn't go anywhere. There was still her new book, "Still Standing" to promote. So she forgave King for his other violation -- Prejean's publicist had set some rules: no phone calls and King had turned to his phone lines when she refused to answer his "inappropriate" questions.

The air was cleared, King apologized saying his producers didn't warn him of the no-calls rules, and King got to the new matter at hand: Prejean's future.

The following is an excerpt from that portion of the conversation:

King: What are you going to do next?

Prejean: Oh, my gosh. I'm just so excited to be, you know, promoting this book. I'm so excited to be an author now. It's really great that -- I'm 22 years old, and I think that I've accomplished so much. And I think that there is definitely a message out there to spread to young women and that is, you know, never do anything that you wouldn't want your biggest fans to see or, you know, never do anything that, heaven forbid, your dad would see.

So I think that there's definitely a message out there to spread to young women, to just be careful of what they do. And you can definitely learn from my mistakes.

King: So you have some regrets?

Prejean: Excuse me?

King: You have some regrets?

Prejean: Well, obviously the choices I made when I was a teenager, you know, that doesn't reflect who I am today. So yes, there were mistakes in my life. And no one's perfect. And I'm definitely owning up to those mistakes. As far as the pageant goes, no, I have no regrets.

Does Larry? We've asked him for a comment. We'll report if he appropriately gets back to us.

King doesn't want to comment, but he tweeted a link to his interview, so it doesn't seem he's got any remorse. On that note, King's spokesperson points out that the reason King was so confused when Prejean yet again accused him of being "inappropriate" for taking calls from viewers -- which he does every night -- is that there were no preconditions to the interview. Prejean was making that up, King's spokesperson said. And now it seems Prejean has been caught in another fib by TMZ.

Medicine from Joe Chen is very effective; Roy Chiu recovered quickly from his illness

11/13/2009 12:38:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Rumored couple Joe Chen and Roy Chiu are now filming He Xiu Qiong's "Jia Qi Ru Meng" and though they pretend to "distant" themselves on set, it is rumored that when Roy fell sick, Joe, very caringly, secretly gave him some medicine. The amazing thing is that after Roy consumed the medicine given by Joe, perhaps due to the power of love, he immediately had a great recovery form his illness.

When reporters questioned Roy's assistant regarding this matter, the assistant admitted that Joe did give Roy medicine but he emphasized that it was just a normal interaction between friends. "Joe bought the medicine in China earlier on when she was sick. Roy's probably hasn't adjusted to the new environment. Its just a coincidence."

It is understood that Joe and Roy started to have rumors after they accepted "Jia Qi Ru Meng" and are afraid that people will feel that they're just trying to stir up news for the drama. Yesterday, the producer He Xiu Qiong said that the two of them appear to be very distant on set and no one even bothered to ask them if the rumor is true. They're all putting all their efforts into filming.

He Xiu Qiong also revealed that Joe and Roy have tacit understanding with each other. Filming has began for 2 weeks already but for the first 10 days, the two of them had no scenes toether. However, two day ago, there was a scene of the male saving the female and both of them were emotionally engrossed. He Xiu Qiong has already filmed numerous romance dramas but she still kept praising them as "True emotions were shown."

He Xiu Qiong praised Joe Chen to be a very professional actress and also revealed that in the past, they have considered her for some other Qiong Yao dramas. "But Qiong Yao's dramas will take very long to film. Joe's in high demand, we had to discuss this drama for almost a year before we finally got her."

Flash 10.1 for Palm WebOS to come in the first half of 2010

11/13/2009 12:37:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Announced by Adobe at the beginning of October, Flash 10.1 for mobile will be available for Palm’s WebOS smartphones starting the first half of 2010.


At least that’s what Adobe says to WebOS users who are currently trying to access Flash-based content on their handsets.

And in case you’re wondering, there’s still no word on when Apple’s iPhone will get Flash support. However, it would be somewhat funny if WebOS (which has been around for less than a year) gets Flash support before the iPhone does.

Until now, Palm announced only two WebOS devices – the Pre and the Pixi – but we’ll probably see more of them next year.

Hiro upholding his promise to protect Ayaka

11/13/2009 12:37:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , 0 Comments

Mizushima Hiro and Ayaka, holding hands as they commute to hospital

"I want to protect her."

Having faith in each other, they hold on to each others hand steadily. Even as their secret leaked out, the two of them faced up to the public squarely and now they are getting over the hurdle of her illness together with determination.

In April this year, Mizushima Hiro (25) and Ayaka (21) held a press conference to reveal their marriage. In tears, Ayaka revealed that she had the autoimmune disorder Basedow's Disease. Hiro stated this as the reason for their speedy marriage after less than a year of dating.

Half a year has passed by since then. The two of them are often seen together at a hospital in Tokyo specializing in thyroid gland disorder. Ayaka, who is planning a break in her career by the end of the year to concentrate on medical treatment, visits the hospital at fixed intervals. Even with his busy schedule filming for Fuji TV's drama 'Tokyo DOGS', Hiro makes time for her. After every treatment session that lasts for about an hour, he will grasp his wife's hand tightly as they leave the hospital together, just as he had promised to 'protect' her.

Michael Jackson's This Is It Moonwalks Past $200M

11/13/2009 12:36:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , 0 Comments

Michael Jackson's This Is It has made HIStory at the box office.

The behind-the-scenes concert documentary chronicling what would undoubtedly have been one of the biggest comebacks in musical history has rung up $200 million in worldwide ticket receipts.

The milestone solidifies This Is It's standing as the king of all concert films. With $61 million in domestic receipts and more than $140 million internationally, the critically acclaimed Jackson tribute/goodbye has handily dethroned Miley Cyrus' Best of Both Worlds 3-D movie, which accounted for $65 million in its U.S.-only release.

This Is It has done its biggest business abroad, most notably in Japan, where it earned $27.2 million. In the U.K., where the concert would have been staged, the film bagged $14.3 million; France and Germany accounted for $12.1 million in sales; Australia, $7.2 million.

Sony Pictures, which paid $60 million to win a bidding war to distribute the film, originally planned a two-week theatrical run for This Is It. But with the cash rolling in and the companion soundtrack dominating the charts, the show goes on.

Like the man said, don't stop till you get enough.

Ah Sa steps into 6 inch heels, willing to sacrifice her life for beauty

11/13/2009 12:36:00 PM kenmouse , Posted in , , , , , 0 Comments

The other day Charlene Choi (Ah Sa) had on 6 inch stilt-like high heels. When asked if she was worried she'd end up like Joey Yung and develop lower backbone and knee problems from wearing high heels, Ah Sa laughed and replied that due to her short body height there's nothing she can do; if you want to be beautiful you'll have to make sacrifices.

Flying solo during the fight for awards, just wants to be the [Only One]

In the past music award ceremonies (Ah Sa) would participate as Twins in the group categories, this year is Ah Sa's first time participating in the solo female singer category. When asked if she's going to invite Ah Gil to accompany and cheer for her at the award ceremonies, she replied that she's been working alone throughout the past year so she won't request for Ah Gil's accompaniment. As for whether she has confidence she'll snatch the female singer awards, Ah Sa said her confidence in the future comes naturally. She also said she doesn't need to be number one, as long as she's the [Only One] then that's enough. Was she referring to herself being Ronald Cheng's only one? Ah Sa laughed without replying.

Ah Sa is anticipating her return with Ah Gil as Twins and battling the awards ceremonies again, (she) believes that she'll only be able to fulfil that in 2011. In reference to the fact that Ah Gil will be 30 years old in 2011 and whether Twins' image would be appropriate if they continued performing Ah Sa replied, "People's ages are certainly going to get older and older".

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