Avril Lavigne is taking over music awards shows. Her latest wins come from the MTV Asia Awards, which were handed out yesterday.

Lavigne lead all other artists by picking up the awards for Favorite Female Artist, Favorite Breakthrough Artist and the Style Award.

Linkin Park won for Favorite Rock Act and Favorite Video for “Pts.of.Athrty (Remix).”

Robbie Williams was named Favorite Male Artist, Blue was named Favorite Pop Act.

The event, according to the music network, saw performances by Lavigne, Robbie Williams, Missy Elliott, Matchbox Twenty, Shaggy, CoCo Lee, Nurhaliza, Stefanie Sun, Atomic Kitten, Blue, Ella, He Yao Sun, Jay Chou, j.t.L., Kyla, Kris Dayanti, Palmy, and hosts CoCo Lee and Shaggy.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) continues to make headlines everywhere, but no one could have expected this. Hilary Rosen, the CEO of the RIAA since 1998, who led the battle against Napster, has announced that she will resign at the end of this year.

Her reason for resigning: her children. “During my tenure here, the recording industry has undergone dramatic challenges and it is well positioned for future success. But I have young children and I want to devote more of my time to them,” Rosen said.

The RIAA board will search for a replacement.

The RIAA claims that CD sales have been declining for several years now, thanks to services such as Napster and Kazaa, which allow anyone with an internet connection to trade music online.

Rosen has been working for the RIAA since 1987, and was promoted to chief executive in 1998.

Rock band Pearl Jam have announced they will tour for three months beginning in April. The 48-date tour will be their first major North American tour in three years.

Before hitting North American, they will tour in February and March in Australia and Japan.

They will tour in support of their seventh studio album, “Riot Act,” which was released in November.

Tour dates:
4/1 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
4/3 – Oklahoma City, OK @ The Ford Center
4/5 – San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
4/6 – The Woodlands, TX @ Cynthia Wood Mitchell Pavilion
4/8 – New Orleans, LA @ New Orleans Arena
4/9 – Birmingham, AL @ Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex
4/11- West Palm Beach, FL @ Coral Sky Amphitheater
4/13 – Tampa, FL @ St. Pete Times Forum
4/15 – Raleigh, NC @ Alltel Pavilion Walnut Creek
4/16 – Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
4/18 – Nashville, TN @ Am South Amphitheater
4/19 – Atlanta, GA @ Hi Fi Buys Amphitheater
4/21 – Lexington, KY @ Rupp Arena
4/22 – St. Louis, MO @ Savvis Center
4/23 – Champaign, IL @ Assembly Hall
4/25 – Cleveland, OH @ Gund Arena
4/26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mellon Arena
4/28 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Union Spectrum Arena
4/29 – Albany, NY @ Pepsi Arena
4/30 – Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
5/2 – Buffalo, NY @ HSBC Arena
5/3 – University Park, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center
5/28 – Missoula, MT @ Adams Fieldhouse
5/30 – Vancouver, BC @ GM Place
6/1 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater
6/2 – Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
6/5 – San Diego, CA @ San Diego Sports Arena
6/6 – Las Vegas, NV @ Mandalay Bay Events Center
6/7 – Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion
6/9 – Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Music Center
6/10 – Little Rock, AR @ Alltel Arena
6/12 – Kansas City, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
6/13 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Mid-America Center
6/15 – Fargo, ND @ Fargo Dome
6/16 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Arena
6/18 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
6/19 – Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
6/21 – East Troy, WI @ Alpine Valley Music Theater
6/22 – Nobelsville, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center
6/24 – Columbus, OH @ Polaris Amphitheater
6/25 – Detroit, MI @ Detroit Energy Center
6/28 – Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheater
6/29 – Montreal, QC @ Bell Center
7/1 – Washington, DC @ Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge
7/2 – Boston, MA @ Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts
7/5 – Philadelphia, PA @ Tweeter Center
7/8 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
7/9 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden

R&B singer R. Kelly said he is not the man in the sex video, which is under criminal investigation. The video depicts a black man, reportedly resembling Kelly, having sex with an underage girl.

?I?ve done a lot of wrong things in my life but I?m not a criminal. I?m not a monster. If people say there?s a tape of me and a minor [having sex], they?re lying,? the 33-year-old Grammy winner told Ed Gordon on BET last night in his first interview since the allegation came forth.

?You can?t believe everything you hear, and nowadays, you can?t believe everything you see,? he said, adding that he refuses to watch the video because since he says he has never had sex with a minor, it would be impossible for the man to be him.

Kelly denied any criminal wrongdoing, although without going into specifics, he did say he is going through a rough time with something.

?I?m not standing here saying I?m an angel,? he said, teary-eyed. ?I?m going through a problem in my life that I?m dealing with.?

Kelly settled two lawsuits with two separate women, both claiming that Kelly had sex with them when they were minors. He said he was pressured by his lawyers to settle because he had a promising music career going, and he did not want any negative press, even though he insists he did not have sex with either of them when they were minors. A third lawsuit is also false, he said.

Another allegation, put forward by former prot?g? Sparkle, is also without merit, he said. She claims Kelly had sex with her niece. He produced her first album, but she requested that he and another producer work on her second album. Kelly pulled out of the project, citing that since he made her first album successful, he alone could make her second album a success. He believes she is accusing him of having sex with her niece to get back at him.

As far as his career goes, Kelly said he needs to deal with the allegations before he can concentrate on music again. His wife, he said, is behind him in the ordeal.

?I?m very concerned with my career but I?m more concerned with my life. I?m a human being. This is more important that my music career.?

Kelly is seeing a reverend for guidance, and hanging out with new people.

Paulina Rubio, Mexico’s answer to Kylie Minogue, has topped this year’s list of People en Espanol’s “25 Most Beautiful” Latin entertainers. Rubio’s “Paulina” is number one on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.

“Paulina is not only beautiful and sexy, but she has that star quality that will certainly put her on the map. She is destined to be the next breakout performer,” said People en Espanol managing editor Angelo Figueroa in a statement, Billboard reports.

Enrique Iglesias and Jamie-Lynn Sigler are also on the list.

A book about America’s most ****ed up family, The Osbournes, is set to hit shelves on July 23. Bantom Books has announced that a 48-page publication called “The Osbournes Unf***ingauthorized: The completely unauthorized and unofficial guide to everything Osbourne” will provide fans with biographies, photos, and episode recaps of MTV’s most popular show.

“We have so many avid, in-house Osbourne fans, we just couldn’t resist being a part of the phenomenon that is Ozzy,” said Beverly Horowitz, Vice President and Publisher of the Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group, of which Bantam is an imprint. “Our book should satisfy those fans who just can’t seem to get enough of the Osbournes.”

Another company, Simon & Schuster, announced plans to release a paperback called “The Osbournes” in November, and a hardcover memoir in the spring of 2003. This deal is reportedly worth 3-million dollars, seeing as it is authorized.

Sony was done with her. Virgin cut her loose. What’s a pop diva to do? Mariah Carey, who has been without a label since EMI dumped her in January of this year, has agreed to a multi-album deal with Island Def Jam, a division of Universal Music.

Even though her movie and soundtrack, “Glitter,” bombed, the label was not hesitant to sign Carey, who has quite an impressive track record.

“Mariah is an international treasure and when she became a free agent, all of us at Universal saw it as a onetime opportunity since artists of her caliber seldom become available,” said Lyor Cohen, President & CEO of Island Def Jam. “Our approach moves above and beyond the concept of a standard marketing plan by seamlessly integrating a variety of elements that will allow us to be more efficient and effective in our outreach to fans. They will see Mariah in places and ways they’ve never seen before.”

Carey will release an album on her own label, which will be distributed by Island Records. Jerry Blair, who helped Carey get 15 number-one singles, will head up the team at the new label, a press release said.

“Quite simply, Mariah is the greatest singer of our time,” said Blair. “She’s an incredible songwriter, producer and businesswoman. There is no one who has a closer relationship with her fans. The landscape has forever changed in the music business. This situation creates a new template, and is the guarantor of her legacy. It is a logical progression for Mariah to have her own company working in conjunction with the world’s biggest music entity. We will take advantage of every opportunity to connect with music fans around the globe, with every available facet of media.”

“I’m incredibly happy,” said the singer, who is already in the process of recording her new album. “It’s a tremendous and unprecedented opportunity to be working in tandem with Doug [Morris, Chairman and CEO of the Universal Music Group], Lyor and Jimmy [Iovine, Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M], and to have the benefit of their powerful international forces led by Jorgen Larsen. They have collectively helped redefine pop music and I am excited to be part of their family.”

Carey was also in discussions with Warner Music and Clive Davis’ J Records, but opted to sign with Island Def Jam, which hosts such artists as Jay-Z, Ashanti, and Sum 41.

The album she is working on will feature contributions from producers Jermaine Dupri, DJ Quik, and 7 Aurelius, according to MTV.

Carey will make about $7.5 million an album and will make a minimum of three albums under her new yet-to-be-named label, the AP reports.

After reaching platinum status overseas and holding the number-one position on the UK album charts, Blue is ready to conquer North America. While bands like Westlife and Human Nature were unable to reach the success they had hoped for in North America, the four boys of Blue insist they are ready for the challenge.

Check out our interview with Blue to find out why they think they can make it, what questions they get asked the most, and which member does celebrity impersonations. Plus, watch for a special performance and much more.

The interview is in video format and requires that you have RealPlayer or RealOne Player. If you do not have it please visit Real.com.

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Legendary rock group The Rolling Stones made a grand entrance by blimp, to a press conference in New York’s Van Cortland Park this afternoon. Details of their 2002-2003 World Tour were announced, which begins September 5 in Boston, before wrapping up in Europe late next year.

The first 32 dates were announced, which sees the group going to stadiums, arenas, and clubs. Three different venue productions and set lists will be created.

“It’s a bit of a challenge, since we’re used to playing big places,” singer Mick Jagger said, according to Billboard. “But I think it’s going to be fun.”

The Stones will rehearse in Toronto, as they have been accustomed to in previous years.

Rolling Stones tour dates:
Sept. 5: Boston (CMGI Field)
Sept. 8: Boston (Orpheum Theater)
Sept. 10: Chicago (United Center)
Sept. 13: Chicago (Comiskey Park)
Sept. 16: Chicago (Aragon Ballroom)
Sept. 18: Philadelphia (Veterans Stadium)
Sept. 22: Philadelphia (Tower Theater)
Sept. 26: New York (Madison Square Garden)
Sept. 28: East Rutherford, N.J. (Giants Stadium)
Sept. 30: New York (Roseland Ballroom)
Oct. 4: Washington, D.C. (Fed Ex Field)
Oct. 12: Detroit (Ford Field)
Oct. 14: Cleveland (Gund Arena)
Oct. 16: Toronto (Air Canada Center)
Oct. 18: Toronto (Sky Dome)
Oct. 20: Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide Arena)
Oct. 22: Sunrise, Fla. (National Car Rental Center)
Oct. 23: Miami (American Airlines Arena)
Oct. 26: Atlanta (Turner Field)
Oct. 31: Los Angeles (Staples Center)
Nov. 2: Los Angeles (Edison Field)
Nov. 4: Los Angeles (Wiltern Theater)
Nov. 8: San Francisco (Pac Bell Park)
Nov. 14: San Diego (Sports Arena)
Nov. 23: San Antonio (SBC Center)
Nov. 25: Nashville (Gaylord Entertainment Center)
Nov. 29: Las Vegas (TBA)
Jan. 8: Montreal (Molson Center)
Jan. 10: Pittsburgh (Mellon Arena)
Jan. 25: Houston (Reliant Stadium
Jan. 30: Phoenix (America West Arena)
Feb. 1: Denver (Pepsi Center)

R. Kelly will speak out for the first time about recent allegations that he slept with underage girls, and a videotape that shows him having sex with a teenager. The R&B singer will be interviewed by Ed Gordon, Wednesday at 11:30 PM ET, on BET Tonight.

“His people contacted us and said Mr. Kelly wanted to talk to us without restriction about the allegations,” said Gordon. “It is important that we all avoid a rush to judgment during this very difficult period in his life while allowing him the benefit of the proverbial telling of his side of the story.”