Britney Spears News

Universal Music Group (UMG), the world's leading music company, announced today that it has appointed Jody Gerson as Chairman and CEO of the company's music publishing division, Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG), effective January 1, 2015.

Actor and TEEN CHOICE Award nominee Sarah Hyland ("Modern Family") is set to co-host, alongside previously announced host Tyler Posey, TEEN CHOICE 2014

New York's 2009 Drama Desk Award winner CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY is coming to San Francisco's Feinstein's at the Nikko (222 Mason Street) for two performances only - Saturday, September 20 (7 p.m.) and Sunday, September 21 (7 p.m.). Tickets for CELEBRITY AUTOBIOGRAPHY range in price from $35 - $50 and available now by calling 866.663.1063 or visiting www.ticketweb.com.

Actors Co-op announces its first show in its 2014-2015 season (and 23rd year of producing theatrical excellence in Los Angeles!) with an immersive and environmental production of the five-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical 'Whodunit,' THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, book, music and lyrics by Rupert Holmes, choreography by Julie Hall, musical direction by Jake Anthony and directed by Stephen Van Dorn. THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD will begin previews on Wednesday, September 17 and Thursday, September 18 at 8pm and will open on Friday, September 19 at 8pm and run through Sunday, October 26 at the Actors Co-op Crossley Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St. (on the campus of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood) in Hollywood.

Following two gripping Main Stage performances at Belgian super-festival Tomorrowland over the past fortnight, 25-year-old Dutch wunderkind Nicky Romero has now decided to share the magic and the madness with his absent fans, by uploading a video of his full Weekend 2 set for all to enjoy. Scroll down to watch it!

Tina Denmark, the diabolically talented tyke in the award-winning musical Ruthless! returns to New York for nine performances only to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS on September 5-6; 8; 12-13; 15; 19-20 and 22, 2014 at 7:00pm. Performances will be held at Stage 72 at The Triad (158 W 72nd St, NYC).

Under the musical direction of Mathew Frank, Whelan-Browne lets Britney's songs reveal telling stories often lost within their pop/heavily auto-tuned original versions. Familiar songs, from Out from Under, to Toxic to Lucky are suddenly interesting, and often achingly autobiographical in content.

Direct from the USA and following 1000 Las Vegas headlining shows as well as two North American concert tours, Smokey Robinson Presents Human Nature: The Motown Show will have its first London performance on Sunday 23 November 2014 at Eventim Apollo. Tickets will go on sale to the public from 9.00am on Thursday 31 July.

Model, actress and television presenter Kelly Brook has signed on with SKECHERS to appear globally in the footwear company's multi-platform marketing and social media campaigns through 2015. The British-born star will become a new face for SKECHERS women's footwear collections.

Demi Lovato, multi-platinum selling recording artist and actress, has signed on with SKECHERS, and will appear in the footwear company's global marketing and social media campaigns through 2016. Lovato, known for hit singles, 'Give Your Heart a Break', 'Heart Attack' and 'Neon Lights', will make her first official appearance in a new SKECHERS television commercial and accompanying print campaign launching this year.

The hit pop singing group One Direction recently turned down an offer to appear on the sixth and final season of the FOX musical dramedy.

Luckiest Productions presents Britney Spears: The Cabaret Written by Dean Bryant Musical Direction by Mathew Frank Brisbane Powerhouse Wednesday 13 August - Sunday 17 August.

Talent manager, Larry Rudolph, who represents and has helped launch the careers of Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus, in addition to having represented Justin Timberlake and other award-winning performers, celebrated his birthday in style at FIZZ, the lavish champagne lounge and bar at Caesars Palace, last night.

This week's SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE had a very Broadway feel to it with Josh Bergasse, the choreographer of the upcoming ON THE TOWN revival, staging a Top-20 routine to the show's anthem 'New York, New York' (the one by Bernstein, Comden, and Green, not Kander and Ebb). As we learned last week, this season's winner will earn a spot in the musical's ensemble. While some people, including @Actor_Friend, don't like this idea, remember, the last network show to give away roles on Broadway brought us Laura Osnes, so let's reserve judgment, just in case a reality show brings us more Broadway royalty this time.

Sometimes jukebox musicals need to stay in the jukebox. There are some exceptions where it works. When it's a good review like “Smokey Joe's Café” or when there's a fun book like “Mamma Mia”. But when you take the songs of a classic rock band (such as Queen) and jam them into a completely contrived and nonsensical, thread thin plot the result (as with “We Will Rock You” currently at the 5th Avenue Theatre) is a barely entertaining mish mash of songs that left me less entertained and more embarrassed for those involved. Now I love me some Queen. I'm a little too young to have been aware of them in their hay day but like many others discovered them after their run as their enduring songs continue to live on. Which is why I feel they deserve better than the show they got. A show where we're in a not so distant future and people live their lives online (not so different from now) and because of this, rock and roll has been outlawed. (And there's the main plot hole because what's on the Internet but lots and lots of music.) So when a hunky idealistic dreamer, Galileo (Brian Justin Crum) who keeps hearing the lyrics from long dead rockers meets another outcast Scaramouche (Ruby Lewis), the two set out to escape the clutches of the all powerful Killer Queen (Jacqueline B. Arnold) and find other rebels who want to bring back rock. And how will they do this? Um, play music. Yeah, that's ultimately what drives the bad guys away, music. But then we've had music through out the whole show including from the bad guys. See, plot hole. And if this ridiculous story filled with so much bad, one repeated joke (how many times can we mention that the male leader of the rebels goes by the name Britney Spears?), sitcom humor and clunky exposition laden dialog from book writer Ben Elton weren't bad enough, but then they take these wonderful Queen songs and force them into the narrative often times changing the lyrics to try and make them fit. For example, they take the title song from the movie “Flash Gordon” and bastardize it so it's now all about giving the captured rebels electro shock therapy. Or how about Killer Queen singing “Fat Bottomed Girls” because, well I'm still not certain why she was singing it other than to check that iconic tune off the list. Did no one listen to the lyrics of the songs while trying to write the show? They're all quite narrative to begin with. And Elton couldn't come up with a story that fit in with those narratives? I mean he's even got characters names Galileo and Scaramouche but “Bohemian Rhapsody” (the thing all the bohemian rockers are striving for in the story by the way) isn't even performed until the end of the show as an after thought encore. The cast does what they can. In fact they amp their energy and intent up to about a 17 in order to try and give this story some punch. Crum and Lewis certainly have incredible voices worthy of Freddie Mercury and they completely shred any numbers given to them. Arnold too has a gorgeous voice but doesn't seem as invested in playing the villain in this over the top melodrama. But I have to mention Ryan Knowles who not only lent some incredible pipes to his numbers but some delicious comedic timing and heart to his character making him completely “ROCK”. But even the infectious energy of this amazing cast can't polish away the stench of this turd try as they may. The show is a somewhat fun ride but ultimately weighed down with such a horrible book and bastardized songs that it just feels insulting. Queen deserves better and smarter as do audiences, which is why I give “We Will Rock You” a NAH with my three letter rating system. Others may have enjoyed it but I just found it not worth the effort. “We Will Rock You” performs at the 5th Avenue Theatre through July 13th. For tickets or information contact the 5th Avenue box office at 206-625-1900 or visit them online at www.5thavenue.org.

Nia Sanchez, the newly crowned Miss USA 2014, will host National Lollipop Day benefiting The Shade Tree at Sugar Factory Town Square on Sunday, July 20.

Season 12 of ELLEN premieres September 12th, and host Ellen DeGeneres knows just the song to get viewers in the mood for the show's return.

Critically acclaimed choreographer and chuthis. Artistic Director Peter Chu returns to Vancouver for an artistic residency at The Cultch, July 2 to 12, 2014. Chu will begin creation on an original full-length work - a solo project inspired by Las Vegas lounge acts of the 1960's, which will enjoy its US premiere in Las Vegas in 2015.

RAYMOND WEIL, luxury Swiss watchmaker today presented International superstar Pharrell Williams with the RAYMOND WEIL International artist Award at the annual Nordoff Robbins O2 Silver Clef event, held at The Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, London.

Christina Bianco is best known for her cover of 'Let It Go' that went viral at the height of Frozen frenzy. In the video, she impersonates everyone from Barbra to Celine from Bernadette to Alanis and at her show titled 'Diva Moments' at Rockwell on Sunday, June 29th , she brought those divas and more to a packed house of enthusiastic fans.