By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Controversial: Rihanna's video for her new single Man Down has attracted criticism
Rihanna has defended her controversial new music video Man Down, insisting 'this is the real world'.
Taking to Twitter today the singer attacked her critics, claiming she was a 'rockstar not a parent' and saying she had 'the freedom to make art'.
Man Down attracted the wrath of the Parents Television Council, who blasted Rihanna for showing a 'cold, calculated execution of murder'.
Violent: Rihanna is seen hiding in the shadows with a gun in her hand as she seeks revenge
The video shows her taking revenge on a rapist by gunning him down in a crowded train station.
But Rihanna, herself a victim of domestic violence, disagreed with the criticism.
'I'm a 23 year old rockstar with NO KIDS! What's up with everybody wanting me to be a parent? I'm just a girl, I can only be your/our voice!' she wrote.
Revenge: Her attacker lies sprawled on the floor after Rihanna kills him
And in an apparent direct response to the PTC she added: 'Cuz we all know how difficult/embarrassing it is to communicate touchy subject matters to anyone especially our parents!
'The music industry isn't exactly Parents R Us! We have the freedom to make art, LET US! Its your job to make sure they don't turn out like US.'
The council said in a statement: 'Rihanna's personal story and status as a celebrity superstar provided a golden opportunity for the singer to send an important message to female victims of rape and domestic violence.
'Instead of telling victims they should seek help, Rihanna released a music video that gives retaliation in the form of premeditated murder the imprimatur of acceptability.'
Flashback: After starting with the murder, the video goes back to the previous day when Rihanna was carefree
Island life: The video is set in Kingston, Jamaica
Media justice group Industry Ears also criticised BET for airing the video.
'If Chris Brown shot a woman in his new video and BET premiered it, the world would stop,' Industry Ears co-founder Paul Porter said.
'Rihanna should not get a pass and BET should know better. The video is far from broadcast worthy.'
Today, a defiant Rihanna praised her fans for their support, tweeting: 'Thank you for the amazing response on ManDownVideo I love you guys, and I love that u GOT IT!!'
It's the second time in as many weeks Rihanna attracted criticism from the PTC - she was slammed for her kinky performance with Britney Spears at the Billboard Awards.
Rihanna - Man Down, click here
source :dailymail
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Sultry: Beyonce has debuted her spectacular new video for her single Run The World (Girls)
Beyonce Knowles has thrown some pretty extraordinary dance moves in her time.
But it's difficult to imagine that Riverdance star Michael Flatley would one day be a source of inspiration for the singer.
The Irish dancing phenomenon had seemingly been given a whole new lease of life when Beyonce incorporated some of the rapid leg movements and high scissor kicks into the video for her new song, Run The World (Girls).
Dance-off: Beyonce's all-female troop take on their male enemies with an impressive, energetic dance sequence reminiscent of Michael Flatley's phenomenal Irish dance show
R&B inspiration: Cast members of Riverdance look to have inspired Beyonce in her new music video
After leaving her devoted fans waiting for over a week, Beyonce, 29, has finally released the full-length version of her sizzling new music video.
A dramatic countdown on her website made sure all music industry eyes and ears were firmly on the R&B singer's hotly anticipated new offering.
But nobody would have expected Flatley's Riverdance to have worked it's way into some of the video's dazzling scenes.
Trend setter: Beyonce's moves in Run the World (Girls) will no doubt spark dance trends the world over
Fierce: The singer appears with several animals in the video
Girl Power: The single features the lyrics 'we're smart enough to make these millions, strong enough to bare the children, then get back to business'
Beyonce and her fleet of warrior Princesses were seen performing the moves in a long line, just as Flatley and his leggy Irish dance crew did in the 90s.
The video begins with scenes of Beyonce on a horse, then captured in a cage, then going into battle against a angry looking gang of men dressed in black.
Set against a mix of desert and industrial backgrounds, the singer wears a variety of dramatic clothing as she gets ready for her female revolution.
Tame that wild horse: Beyonce shows off her horse-riding skills on a stallion
Golden girl: Beyonce looks feisty in a gold dress and beehive in her new video Run The World (Girls)
But it is not until the final moments when the girls line up for their final dance-off that Flatley makes his mark.
There is no doubting Beyonce has brought some new and inspired dance moves to the table, and Riverdance fans the world over will not be able to miss the singer's attempts at Flatley-style footwork.
The video quickly jumps forward to see Beyonce as the leader of her own all-female gang, which is quickly followed by a string of dazzling costume changes and eye-popping dance moves.
Queen of the world: Beyonce surveys her kingdom in a stunning white couture gown
She came, she conquered: Beyonce looks triumphant after her revolution leaves a trail of destruction behind
Last week, Beyonce revealed the title of her new album, Four, for the first time and admitted the number held a special meaning for her, because it was the date of her wedding anniversary.
She explained her fondess for the number four because she celebrates her birthday on September 4 and her wedding anniversary with rapper/producer Jay-Z on April 4.
She told New magazine: 'We all have special numbers in our lives, and four is that for me. It's the day I was born. My mother's birthday, and a lot of my friends' birthdays, are on the fourth. April 4 is my wedding date.'
Taking a stand: Beyonce, who changes costume several times, strikes powerful poses throughout the video
Beyonce admitted Run the World (Girls), which has been criticised by some for her aggressive lyrics, was 'riskier' than her usual sound
She told Billboard: 'I just heard the track and loved that it was so different: it felt a bit African, a bit electronic and futuristic. It reminded me of what I love, which is mixing different cultures and eras - things that typically don't go together - to create a new sound.
Special: Beyonce has named the album '4' - a number special to her as it is her birthday and wedding dates
'I can never be safe; I always try and go against the grain. As soon as I accomplish one thing, I just set a higher goal. That's how I've gotten to where I am.'
Beyonce admitted she was inspired by a mix of old and new artists for her forthcoming album, including British singer Adele and Afrobeat artist Fela Kuti.
She explained: 'I also found a lot of inspiration in '90s R&B, Earth, Wind & Fire, DeBarge, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie... I listened to a lot of Jackson 5 and New Edition, but also Adele, Florence + the Machine, and Prince. Add in my hip-hop influences, and you can hear how broad it is.'
'I always try and go against the grain': Beyonce admitted her new album is riskier than previous recordings
During the interview, she also revealed she hadn't hired anyone to replace her father Mathew Knowles as her manager after they parted ways professionally in April.
She said: 'I believe that parents prepare their kids for the moment that they're on their own: at this point, I'm taking everything my dad and my mother have taught me, and I'm able to do things my way.
'We were at a point where we'd learned so much from each other, and now it's exciting for me to do this on my own and hire my own team. I've started managing myself.'
The full interview is in the new issue of Billboard magazine, on sale now.
Silver siren: Beyonce sings in front of a burning car - which she also did in the Crazy In Love and Diva videos
source: dailymail
By GEORGINA LITTLEJOHN and JODY THOMPSON
Eerie entrance: Lady Gaga emerges from a gold coffin wearing a fake pregnancy bump as she starts her headlining set at Radio 1's Big Weekend yesterday
Just when you thought Lady Gaga couldn't out-bizarre herself any further, she goes and steps the weird-o-meter up another notch.
And for those attending Radio 1's Big Weekend, they got to see just how far the pop star would go in the name of her 'art' - and her morbid fascination.
Gaga was the headliner on the main stage at the festival in Carlisle this weekend, and after keeping her fans waiting, was carried on stage in a gold coffin.
Greetings, my little monsters: Gaga models her trademark hand claw before grabbing her crotch and launching into her set
The singer then emerged from the casket clad in black PVC and rubber, sporting a fake pregnancy bump.
Rubbing it up and down with her hand, she launched into her single Born This Way, her tardiness soon forgotten by the 20,000 excitable fans.
She then ripped off the PVC bump to reveal a rubber crop top as she launched into a mash-up of her other hit songs, Telephone, Poker Face and Alejandro.
Heavy load: Gaga rests on her piano stool as she finishes her song
She then treated the crowd to Bad Romance and after a quick change into leather hot pants and a bra, she continued her set with Just Dance and Judas.
And she told the crowd that she had been asked by the BBC to curb her bad language during her set.
She said: 'They left me a nice note on my mirror, saying, "Radio 1 has kindly requested that there be no cursing during your set".
Bump-be-gone: Gaga is free to dance again as she flaunts her toned midriff
'I can try. I can try to wash my mouth out,' but then almost immediately she swore into her microphone.
The festival also saw saw performances from the likes of Nicole Scherzinger, Black Eyed Peas, Foo Fighters, My Chemical Romance and Jessie J.
And the bizarre never ends for Gaga as the day before her performance, she left her London hotel wearing a rather kinky hat featuring leather studded horns.
Horn this way: Gaga wore leather studded hat with horns as she left her London hotel to head to Carlisle
Approach with caution: One of the star's fans appears to lean forward for a kiss - while being careful not to get kebabbed by the horns and studs
Festival girls: Jessie J and Fergie and her Black Eyed Peas also performed at the festival
Rock stars: Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance and Foo Fighter's frontman Dave Grohl rocked the 20,000-strong crowd
source: dailymail
By JODY THOMPSON
On song: Blue performed a blinder at the Eurovision Song Contest in Dusseldorf, Germany, tonight and managed not to go home with 'nil points'
Half of winning Azerbaijan duo Elle and Nikki is mother-of-two from London
Blue and Jedward were both relieved not to both be going home with 'nul points' after doing themselves rather proud in the Eurovision Song Contest tonight.
British boyband Blue landed a maximum 12 points from Bulgaria and scored highly from Italy and Russia to go to the top of the leader board early on - and even squeezed an 'un point' from France.
They had put in a brilliant performance of their song I Can, which was written by band members Lee Ryan and Duncan James.
However, the runaway winner was Azerbaijan duo Ell and Nikki with their powerful ballad Running Scared - thought the UK can claim a little of the success, as Nikki is a mother-of-two currently living in north London.
High hopes: Blue started off strongly in the voting but slowly started to tail off to slip down the leader board again having topped it at one point
Sterling effort: Blue's Lee Ryan, left, and Simon Webbe, right, gave it their all and kept Britain in the top half of the leader board all night
Real name Nigar Jamal, the married 30-year-old mother of two daughters seemed almost overcome with emotion and she performed the song for a second time with singing partner Eldar Gasimov - the Ell of their duo.
Blue meanwhile, who also comprises Antony Costa and Simon Webbe, are among the most successful British artists ever to take part in Eurovision, and were second favourites to win.
Enthusiastic: Irish entry Jedward put in an energetic performance of their Europop track Lipstick - which landed them top marks from British voters, who weren't allowed to vote for their own entry Blue
Hands up: But Jedward's performance wasn't enough and they were somewhat trounced by Azerbaijan who walked off with the spoils
They had strong competition from Irish rivals and X Factor losers Jedward (aka John and Edward Grimes) who were also tipped to do well in the show.
Jedward's threat with their high-energy bubblegum track Lipstick however faded in the early stages of the voting.
But then The One Show's Alex Jones announced that the UK had voted Jedward their top song with 12 points - and they overtook Blue on the leaderboard.
Pride of Eurovision: Nikki, of Ell and Nikki, thanked everyone who had voted them this year's winner with their song Running Scared
Winners: Azerbaijan's Ell and Nikki with the Eurovision Song Contest trophy and a large bunch of flowers 
Tuneful: The pair performed their winning ballad Running Scared once more after being declared winners
More strong voting for the twins saw Ireland then riding towards the top of the leaderboard as the rest of the Eurovision countries kept voting - with Blue rather fading away.
Tonight's contest was being watched by an estimated global audience of more than 125 million who enjoyed typically bonkers performances from the likes of Moldova, whose performance featured massive conical hats and a girl on a unicycle blowing a trumpet.
In the live broadcast tonight, Graham Norton was providing the suitably wry commentary on BBC1.
Typical Eurovision: Moldova had one of the craziest acts on the night with an act featuring huge conical hats and a trumpet-playing girl on a unicycle
Manic Moldova: Unicycling woman playing a trumpet just out of shot
Norton, who took over from the famously irreverent Sir Terry Wogan two years ago, approached the event as a massive Eurovision fan.
There have been widespread accusations of tactical block voting and anti-UK sentiment in wake of the Iraq war in recent years, leaving the UK in last place three times in the past ten years - including last year when Josh Dubovie came last with That Sounds good To Me.
Top half: Ireland paid tribute to their entry Jedward - but only gave the UK entry a paltry six points
World stage: The huge Eurovision set in Dusseldorf, which was watched tonight by an estimated 125million around the globe
In 2003, tuneless duo Jemini landed Britain its first ever ‘nul points’.
However, it's not yet known if Blue will fulfill the pledge they made to the Daily Mail ahead of the competition - that they would emigrate if they failed to won...
Eldar & Nigar - Eurovision 2011, Azerbaijan - Running Scared Official Music Video
source: dailymail
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