AMAs: Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block knock our socks off


To quote Usher: Oh. My. God. The American Music Awards got a blast from boy band past tonight when the Backstreet Boys took the stage with New Kids on the Block, forming one powerful, parenthetical song title-loving group called NKOTBSB. (The two groups are slated to tour together next summer. Squee!) They sang some of their greatest hits during the well-choreographed performance: Backstreet’s “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back),” “I Want It That Way,” and “Larger Than Life,” and New Kids’ “Step By Step,” and “You Got It (The Right Stuff.)” The two groups clearly rehearsed more than any other artist who took the stage tonight, and the audience, in turn, loved it. Anyone old enough to be a child/teen/music lover of the 1990s could be seen mouthing along to most of the lyrics. (Watch the performance after the jump.)

‘Fess up: Who’s ready to buy tour tickets?

AT&T Samsung Galaxy Tab goes on sale

If you’ve been eyeing Samsung’s Galaxy Tab but holding out until AT&T decided to offer the 7-inch slate, then prepare your credit card. Sales of the tablet have kicked off on the fourth major US carrier, following Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon’s releases earlier in the month. Unfortunately, you’ll have to pay through the nose for the AT&T Tab: it’s $649.99 with no commitment.



That makes it more expensive than all of the other models, and almost $30 more than the 16GB iPad WiFi + 3G from the carrier. Data plans, meanwhile, are priced at $14.99 for 250MB or $25 for $2GB; if you’d rather just use the Galaxy Tab with WiFi, however, you’re free to since there’s no mandatory agreement.

Still, if that’s your preference then holding out for the WiFi-only Galaxy Tab that Samsung has promised seems a wiser decision: you’re paying AT&T a whole lot for a 3G modem you’ll never use. More on the Galaxy Tab here.

Nokia X2-01 takes QWERTY budget

Nokia has outed a new, very basic QWERTY phone for message-addicted users. The Nokia X2-01 runs S40 and has a 2.4-inch QVGA display, quadband GSM/EDGE and a VGA resolution camera; there’s also Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a 3.5mm headphone socket.



If that all sounds pretty basic, you’re right. Still, it has a basic price tag, as well: €80 ($110) unsubsidized when it arrives later this quarter. Full details on the spec sheet here [pdf link].

Meanwhile, Nokia’s change in naming methodology was supposed to make figuring out where new devices in their line-up fitted in more straightforward; unfortunately, it’s already at the point where the company’s official blog is having to re-explain why there are two X2-branded devices. Considering the X2-01 is seemingly labelled as the X2 on the handset itself, we’re not surprised that consumers are confused.

Dell Inspiron Duo and speaker dock up for pre-order at Microsoft Store now, no clue when they'll ship out


The Dell-Microsoft symbiotic relationship continues where it left off with the Venue Pro, as another highly desirable piece of hardware has been made available at a Microsoft Store ahead of Dell: the transforming Inspiron Duo and its JBL-powered speaker dock. That's actually in your favor this time, however, as you won't have to trek across the countryside to one of Microsoft's seven brick-and-mortar stores, but rather grab the $549 convertible at Microsoft's website, and you can even get $50 off the audio station's typical $99 price. That said, these are most definitely pre-orders we're dealing with here and there's no expected shipping date on the site, so it's hard to tell if you're actually securing yourself the first spot in that "first week of December" line. They won't charge you until it ships, though, so if you're not willing to wait for our full review to see if that slick spinning screen is up to snuff, now is probably the time.

Selina unveils left arm

Selina continues on her route to recovery since her filming accident in Shanghai more than a month ago.

With over 50% burns on her body, this journey has been a tough one for Selina as she bears the pain of changing wound dressings on a daily basis.

Father Jen revealed on his weblog that his daughter was able to unveil her left arm on Nov 19, which was a sign of her speedy recovery.

He also disclosed that Selina has been begging for another sip of Coca-Cola for comfort!

Besides her parents, Selina's fiancé Richard Chang has been by her side throughout the ordeal, giving her his full support. He has also promised her that their wedding will go according to plan.

With the love and care from her loved ones, Selina is determined to battle the pain and get well for her wedding next year.

Zhang Ziyi not back together with old flame

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi's manager has denied rumours that the star had reunited with old flame Huo Qi Shan, and revealed that she is currently not dating anyone, said Chinese media.

Rumours sparked after the couple were recently spotted watching acrobatic stunt show "The House of Dancing Water" in Macau together.

"It (the rumours) is untrue. Zhang Ziyi currently has no boyfriend, which is why there are people starting to spin tales," said the actress' manager Ji Ling Ling on Sunday.

Zhang and Huo, the 27-year-old grandson of a wealthy Hong Kong businessman, dated for about two years before calling it quits in 2006.

Interestingly, Ji's response that Zhang "currently has no boyfriend" also implied that the actress was single and had called it quits with former fiance, Israeli multi-millionaire Vivi Nevo.

Zhang's former close friend, socialite Zhao Xinyu, told reporters earlier this year that Zhang, 30, had broken up with Nevo because the latter wanted her to sign a pre-nuptial agreement but she refused.

At the time, many doubted the truth of her claims though Ji's recent revelation suggests that there may well be a kernel of truth in Zhao's words.

Wang Xiaofei: Barbie is not pregnant

Is she or is she not pregnant?

Speculations of Barbie's pregnancy have arisen since she and Wang Xiaofei registered their marriage on Nov 16. The couple tied the knot after dating briefly for a month.

During an appearance in Shanghai with his mother, Zhang Lan, on the 19th, Xiaofei was questioned about his wife's rumoured pregnancy, after the latter was seen wearing baggy clothes and flats.

"Barbie is not pregnant, it's fate that brought us together. Thank you for the love and concern."

Besides their three wedding receptions in Beijing, Hainan Island and Taipei, Xiaofei would be bringing his bride to France for a fourth wedding.

When asked when they will be meeting the in-laws, the millionaire's mother replied that they will be heading over to Taipei in December. Zhang Lan however kept mum when asked if the couple's future plans included babies.

Justin Bieber Tops American Music Awards

Justin Bieber was named artist of the year at the 38th annual American Music Awards, held Sunday night at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

The 16-year-old teen heartthrob beat out Eminem, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry for the show's top honor.

Bieber won four statues overall -- for every category in which he was nominated. His other wins were for favorite pop-rock album for My World 2.0, breakthrough artist and favorite male pop artist.

The winners are determined by fan votes, which likely gave Bieber the edge given his young, rabid fan base.

Going into Sunday's show, Eminem and Lady Antebellum led the nominees with five each.

Eminem, a no-show who typically avoids awards shows, was named favorite male rap/hip-hop artist and also won best rap/hip-hop album for Recovery.

Elsewhere in the best album categories, Usher won the R&B/soul award for Raymond v. Raymond, while Carrie Underwood nabbed top country music album for Play On.

Shakira, another no-show, was named favorite Latin music artist. The Black Eyed Peas won best pop/rock band, duo or group.

Katy Perry Sets Off 'Firework' At AMAs (Video)

Singer sparkles during-high energy American Music Awards set on Sunday.

Katy Perry has already revealed her inspiration for her latest single, "Firework." But the pop star took the track a step further during a high-energy performance that included sparklers at the American Music Awards on Sunday (November 21).

As the number began, a children's choir crooned the chorus of the empowering tune. It was Perry, however, who really made an entrance, descending from a star suspended from the ceiling. Dressed in a furry red dress (one she later ripped off to reveal another ensemble), the "Teenage Dream" singer walked to the front of the stage as the choir dispersed and backup dancers joined her onstage. Meanwhile, backdrop screens showed a slew of fireworks as Perry's dancers shot sparklers through handheld gadgets.

The pop star ended the visual light-fest on a high note, singing the last few notes of "Firework" while her dancers lifted her high up in the air. Perry is also nominated in multiple AMA categories, including Favorite Female Artist, Favorite Album and Artist of the Year.

Here comes the superstar! Miley Cyrus makes a grand entrance at American Music Awards in a short dress and long train

Miley Cyrus won the prize for most dramatic entrance at the American Music Awards tonight. The Hannah Montana star arrived at the ceremony in a gorgeous white backless Marchesa mini dress, complete with a long train.



Teamed with Christian Louboutin 'Maralena' heels and Neil Lane jewel, the teen smiled broadly as she posed on the red carpet outside Downtown Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre. According to People, the 17-year-old singer will be performing “Love and Forgiveness” at the show tonight. It was certainly a night for fashion at the event, with several stars wearing mini dresses, despite the chilly Los Angeles temperatures.

$125.1 Mil 'Deathly Hallows' Wins Weekend With Franchise-Best Bow


Despite mega opening for "Potter," collectively, top-10 films rung up 25% less than comparable frame last year.

The box-office wizard has outdone himself.

Warner Bros.' Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 conjured an estimated $125.1 million in domestic box office for a franchise-best bow and the eighth-best opening weekend ever.

A $61.2 million Friday, including a record $24 million from midnight performances, prompted brief speculation about an even higher weekend tally. But the action fantasy slid 37% on Saturday lacking similar midnight money, and Warners penciled in another decline for Sunday.

Carrier Threats Lead Apple to Abandon Integrated iPhone SIM Plan


The Telegraph reports today that Apple has scrapped plans for its own brand of SIM card after carriers threatened to stop subsidizing the iPhone. Theoretically, the integrated SIM could have removed carriers from the purchasing process. Sorry consumers!

The carriers were unsurprisingly pleased with themselves following the news:

A senior source at a mobile operator said: "Apple has long been trying to build closer and closer relationships and cut out the operators. But this time they have been sent back to the drawing board with their tails between their legs."

Nevertheless, rumor has it Apple is still going forward with an integrated SIM card in its next gen iPad. According to an anonymous Telegraph source, these iPads will sport subtle tweaks, like the aforementioned SIM and a redesigned mute button that replaces the locking slider on the side of the tablet.

Palm webOS 'Enyo' framework paves the way for tablets and larger phones (video)


Don't expect HP's webOS 2.0 to be tied to an HVGA screen for long -- come "early 2011," the company will introduce a number of "really interesting new form factors," including tablets and phones. That was the message driven home at Palm's Developer Day this year, according to PreCentral's Dieter Bohn, and the software that's going to make that shift possible is a little something called Enyo. Picking up where Ares left off, Enyo is a Javascript app framework with native hardware acceleration and faster (one second) app load times, but the part we think you'll be most interested in is the promise of natively scaling apps to multiple aspect ratios. HP's Scott Miles demoed it earlier this week by playing around with a tiny, single-pane portrait email application in the desktop version of Chrome... and then maximized the browser window to reveal a fully-functioning three-pane landscape layout suited for a large tablet screen. Representatives stressed that the email app was a proof of concept, but Enyo's here to stay, replacing the earlier Mojo starting in 2011 and slated to be available in early 2011 via developer SDK. Get introduced to Enyo in a video after the break, or skip ahead to that email demo at 15:55.

Kate Winslet reportedly splits from model boyfriend

Kate Winslet has split from her boyfriend.

The 'Revolutionary Road' actress - who separated from her film director husband Sam Mendes in March - has reportedly called time on her romance with male model Louis Dowler after just four months of dating.

Despite being "very grateful" to the 35-year-old hunk for allowing her to get over the breakdown of her marriage, Kate is said to have ended the relationship to "concentrate on her career and children".

A friend of the star told MailOnline: "Louis was just the tonic Kate needed after her painful split from Sam and they had a wonderful time. However, they have realised their relationship isn't working and Kate needs space to be on her own.

"She is very grateful to Louis for helping her pick her life back up after her marriage ended and they had a lot of fun together, but she felt it had come to an end and wants to concentrate on her career and children."

Prior to the split, Kate - who has a six-year-old son Joe with Sam, as well as ten-year-old Mia from her first marriage to director Jim Threapleton - had reportedly been contemplating marriage with the British model.

A pal recently said: "As far as Kate is concerned, they could go all the way together - get married, have kids. She's the happiest we've ever seen her, he really brings out a wonderful, carefree side to her that we haven't seen for years."

Capri Anderson: Charlie Sheen Grabbed My Neck

Capri Anderson was hired to escort Charlie Sheen to dinner, but the night ended with her locked in a hotel bathroom in fear for her life, she says.

"Towards the latter half of the night, it got really bad. He started yelling racial slurs," Anderson, an adult film actress, tells ABC News. "But it wasn't until he put his hands around my neck that I really thought to myself, you have gotten yourself in a bad, bad situation."

Sheen, 45, was reportedly found naked and intoxicated in the trashed New York hotel suite and taken to the hospital for the day. He later referred to the incident last month as "one bad night" blown out of proportion by the media.

But Anderson says Sheen was violent and abusive at the Plaza Hotel.

"It's not right to hurt people," she says. "It's not right to scare people. It's not right to carry on with such disregard for the people around you."

Her interviews air on Good Morning America and Nightline on Monday.

Steve Jobs to launch iPad newspaper with Rupert Murdoch?

Will they both appear on stage, Steve Jobs in a suit, Rupert Murdoch in Levi's and a black turtleneck?

This magical image might, um, flash before your eyes when you hear that Apple is reportedly helping Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. launch a new--is there another word for newspaper these days?--news entity exclusively for the iPad.

Women's Wear Daily offers a report that this iPad-o-newsthingy, which has been in covert development for several months, will be called "The Daily." It will, apparently, have as its pulsating spirit "a tabloid sensibility with a broadsheet intelligence."

Oh, and there is a price for this melange of the tabloid heart with a broadsheet mind. A ticklingly enticing 99 cents a week.

The Daily will, apparently not enjoy such dated concepts as a print edition or even a Web edition. Instead it will be beamed straight to the iPad (or Galaxy, if you can afford one) from News Corp.'s high pod somewhere in Manhanttan.

Sony Ericsson CEO suggests February reveal, perhaps the PlayStation Phone?


Plausible deniability seems to be Sony's strategy when it comes to the PlayStation Phone, and that apparently goes for Sony Ericsson as well -- once again, without actually confirming the existence of the Android-based gaming handset, its manufacturer is hinting strongly at an impending reveal. "There's a lot of smoke, and I tell you there must be a fire somewhere," CEO Bert Nordberg told the Wall Street Journal, adding that some sort of new Sony Ericsson product will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress this Februrary. While that particular item could easily be the 4.3-inch Anzu slate rather than a PlayStation slider phone, the chief executive didn't seem to shy away from video games in a series of additional quotes. "I haven't dug into that history, but the future might be brighter," he said when asked why the company didn't make a PlayStation Phone years ago, and later suggested that gaming might be the ticket to help SE diversify its offerings. "Sony is of course a very strong brand, and why shouldn't we use that?" he asked the Journal. We can't think of a single compelling reason, Mr. Nordberg. Bring on the games.

Jolin Tsai's manager and mentor Sam Chen wins out against Jolin's bad album sales lawsuit

If you're not familiar with Sam Chen, that's okay. He's not really a household name to Mandopop fans in the west, but over in East Asia, the current Warner Music Greater China chairman and Jolin Tsai's mentor often gets himself in the news more often than even the artists signed under him. Sam's back in the news again, but it's probably a good idea to give a crash course of what happened first. Brace yourself, because it's a bit messy.

So back in 2008, when Jolin Tsai was still an artist under Sam's previous music label EMI Music Taiwan (now called Gold Typhoon), the pop idol released an English album called Love Exercise. For those of you keeping track at home, this release coincides between studio albums Agent J (2007) and Butterfly (2009). The entirely English album itself, whose title can come across as a dirty Japanese AV movie title, was actually well-noted for its English covers such as "Let's Get the Party Started" and "Lady Marmalade", but the album eventually ended up bombing in sales despite Jolin's relatively excellent command of the English language (yes, we're looking right at you, Show Luo).

'Harry Potter' leaps to $125.1M opening weekend


“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1” opened with $125.1 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, a record for the Warner Bros. series about the boy wizard.

The opening was the sixth-best of all time, behind Warner Bros.’ “The Dark Knight,” which took in $158.4 million in 2008, researcher Hollywood.com Box-Office said today in an e- mailed statement.

The “Potter” films, Hollywood’s top-grossing franchise, will end in July with the release of “Deathly Hallows -- Part 2.” The first seven, based on the books by J.K. Rowling, all opened at No. 1, with 2005’s “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” as the previous best debut with $102.7 million, according to researcher Box Office Mojo.

With the final installment, the “Potter” series is expected to generate $7.5 billion in worldwide ticket sales, Warner Bros. Chief Executive Officer Barry Meyer said on a September conference call.

The first six “Harry Potter” films generated $5.44 billion in worldwide sales, according to Box Office Mojo. The “Star Wars” films have grossed $4.48 billion, with the “James Bond” franchise producing $3.03 billion. The numbers aren’t adjusted for inflation.

Rail-thin Kate Bosworth slips into a dainty doily dress for her film premiere

Floral and lace is usually a combination reserved for decorative doilies, but last night Kate Bosworth managed to make it work on the red carpet.

The 27-year-old actress wore the very feminine knee-length white dress with white Christian Louboutin shoes for the premiere of her new movie, The Warrior's Way in Hollywood.



But the elegant long-sleeved outfit was almost too big for her tiny size zero frame.

There was no sign of the actress's boyfriend, True Blood star Alexander Skarsgard.

The two have been on and off since they first started dating at the start of the year, and rekindled their romance earlier this month.

Malin Akerman replaces Lindsay Lohan, will burn up screen as Linda Lovelace in 'Inferno'


Though a rep for Inferno director Matthew Wilder told us that the actress replacing Lindsay Lohan as Linda Lovelace would not be announced until Monday, the helmer has appeared to confirm via his Facebook page that Watchmen star Malin Akerman will star in the film. Deadline also reported that Akerman was a lock for the role last night, since “producers loved [her].” The swap might appear somewhat surprising — the 32-year-old comedic actress seems a far cry from the 24-year-old former Disney star — the move makes sense for Akerman, who has been flexing her muscles on the indie circuit as of late in films like The Bang Bang Club and Happythankyoumoreplease. (And the actress is no stranger to on-screen raunch — just check out her Watchmen sex scene.) Akerman’s reps have yet to respond to calls for comment.

Joey Yung boils blood performing a 3P (threesome)


NOKIA JOEY YUNG NUMBER 6 CONCERT kicked off the night before at HK Coliseum. Joey showed her Pop Queen status as she did hot singing and dancing throughout the night, instantly making the audience very high. Plus, Joey changed into several different costumes, very sexy and hot. When performing the song Snake, Joey took off her white fur coat, only having a sexy underwear and fishnet stockings on. She had a seductive look as she did close skin contact dancing with 12 other male and female dancers. Joey clamped on a male and female dancer doing 3P (threesome) actions. Female on the top, male on the bottom, the dancers' hands were often scrolling all over Joey's body. The female dancer then knelt down facing the lower half of Joey's body near her sensitive areas for hot actions, making audience blood boil in excitement.

Ah Sa receives a kiss from William in front of 500 fans, covers her face embarrassed


Charlene's recently released album has fully received positive critiques and has even achieved platinum sales. Along with these great results, Charlene held an album autograph session with over 500 fans who arrived on location to receive autographs and show their support, in addition to presenting Charlene with a birthday cake and an environmentally friendly rose board to celebrate Charlene's 10th year in the showbiz. Ever since Charlene and William have admitted to their relationship, it even became a topic at the event. A pair of penguin stuffed animals were given to Charlene, wishing for her to be sweet and happy. When it was time to play interactive games, a little boy and girl were invited to come up on stage to wrap a bouqet of flowers with Charlene. The event host requested for the little boy to give a kiss to Charlene, but when Ah Sa found out the boy's name was William, Charlene laughed and embarrassed, covered her face. However afterwards, Ah Sa generously said: "I don't mind, it's nothing, the name William is so common."

Louis Koo no time to do physical therapy after foot surgery

Yesterday Louis Koo attended an opening ceremony for Mirror Of Wanhua Stage's Winter Dreams and was asked about the recent action taken by the government to strike at the housing market. Louis felt that the measure this time is 'spicy' enough, but he's only focused on buying low price properties, so does not affect him much. As a luxury home owner, is he worried the measure will affect the price of his house? He said: "It's hard to estimate, last time it didn't cool down, hopefully this time it will. I basically bought the house to live in, rarely using it for investments, I can consider it as a long term investment. I only bought one house to live in, and the one I lived in previously hasn't been sold yet, that's why the public thinks I have so many properties. The current housing prices in HK really are expensive, the money I earn really is from sweat and blood. Within these 1-2 years, I will be cautious and won't be investing."

Louis' ligament foot injury still has not fully recovered yet, he expressed that after the surgery, the fastest recovery will be before Lunar New Year. However, his schedule is lined up until the end of next year and he has to rush to finish shooting the Lunar New Year film, so has not had time for physical therapy, he said: "Doctor said at the current stage, it is the most dangerous because can easily break, so even if I'm really tired after work, I will still take some time off to jog for physical therapy in order to avoid muscle atrophy." Louis also expressed that he'll attend Miriam Yeung's wedding, but has not decided on the wedding gift. Has he considered to re-enact the passionate kiss that happened at her concert as a gift? He said: "Not good! Leave that for her husband to do!"

Source: Mingpao
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU

powered by Blogger | WordPress by Newwpthemes | Converted by BloggerTheme