andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

Chris Brown opened up about his assault on former girlfriend Rihanna during the MTV News special “Chris Brown: The Interview” on Friday (November 6), elaborating on his destructive behavior, explaining his previous apologies and describing his ongoing therapy sessions.

According to mtvnews.com, Brown told MTV News correspondent Sway that he has finally come to terms with the fact that he was capable of such violence.

“I think you’d be in denial and be totally naive not to,” he said. “And not being able to realize and own up to the fact of your own wrongs. I mean, me, I’ve come to terms with it and I’m working on it. … For that moment or whatever had me at that place, I want to erase that from what my character is. I want to be totally different from now on. I don’t want to be that person.”

“I’m confused right now as far as the public perception [of me],” he said. “Like, I think with my fans, they still love me, they support me, definitely. You have those people who will support you. So it’s kinda like 50/50 for me. I got the people that will come out and support and then the people that don’t wanna see me do anything. They basically want me in jail.”

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What better way to honor the prince?

“Michael Jackson’s This Is It” made motion picture history as the highest grossing concert film of all time. That’s not all. The two-disc companion to the movie released by Sony Music’s Epic Records makes its first week debut in the #1 spot on Canada’s Nielsen SoundScan Top 200 album chart, the U.S. Billboard Top 200 chart, as well as the Soundtrack album chart in both countries.

Sales totaled 44,441 in Canada and 373,100 units in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan, and this figure does not include significant sales from non-traditional retailers. In Canada, “This Is It” is Jackson’s first number one album since the establishment of SoundScan in 1997. With over 40,000 in first week sales, the album claims the third best sales week of 2009, trailing only behind U2 and Eminem’s releases. It’s no surprise that “This Is It” also claimed the #1 spot in 15 other countries, including Japan, France, Italy, Holland, Belgium, Turkey, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the Middle East and Colombia. It was also top-3 in the UK, Australia, Argentina, Austra, Denmark, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and Spain. Furthermore, a simultaneous #1 album and #1 documentary film as not happened since 1971 when the Rolling Stones did it with the album “Sticky Fingers” and movie “Gimme Shelter.”

Michael Jackson albums now occupy the top five spots of Billboard catalog album chart at #1, #3 and #4; his Number Ones album is this year’s best-selling overall album year to date. Michael Jackson’s accomplishments continue in Canada with eleven albums charting in Nielsen SoundScan’s Top Catalogue Albums including Thriller (Remastered), Thriller 25^th Anniversary Edition, Essential Michael Jackson, and Number Ones. Throughout his career, Michael Jackson has spent a total of 51 weeks at #1 on the Billboard album chart. Only The Beatles and Elvis Presley have spent more weeks at the top.

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Not much has been spilled regarding Lady Gagas much-anticipated appearance on the show, Gossip Girl.

According to perezhilton.com, the cast has only confirmed that she will be appearing and eluded that it will be something pretty spectacular. Lady Gaga, on the other hand, has revealed actual details about the upcoming appearance.

Gaga explained hat if she was going to do the show, she not settling for a randomly inserted musical performance.

“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. And it has nothing to do with the storyline, and then it screws everything up. I really sat down with the writers. 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.’ ”

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Rihanna spoke candidly about being assaulted by Chris Brown in her first televised interview since the February incident. She said the assault was “humiliating” and “traumatizing,” and admitted that going back to Brown shortly after it happened it was “wrong.”

According to mtvnews.com, Rihanna told Diane Sawyer that it was “embarrassing that that’s the type of person that I fell in love with.” The interview aired in part on “Good Morning America” on Thursday (November 5) and will air in full on “20/20″ Friday night. “[I was] so far in love, so unconditional that I went back. It’s humiliating to say this happened. To accept that? It’s a traumatizing experience.”

Rihanna told Sawyer that on February 8, Brown put her in a headlock twice and bit her ears and fingers. Soon after the incident, a police photo leaked, showing the singer to be badly bruised. But weeks later, she and Brown were spotted vacationing together in Miami.

“I stayed. I even went back after he beat me, which was wrong,” she admitted. “But again … I’m a human being, and people put me on a very unrealistic pedestal. And all these expectations, I’m not perfect. Also it’s pretty natural for that to be the first reaction. … It’s completely normal to go back. You start lying to yourself. The minute the physical wounds go away you want this thing to go away. This is a memory you don’t want to have ever again.”

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Rapper Jay-Z was joined onstage by rising pop phenomenon Mr. Hudson at his London show yesterday, reports nme.com.

Jay-Z is currently on tour in support of his new album, The Blueprint III, which took him to London’s Alexandra Palace last night. For the encore, Jay-Z sang a song off The Blueprint III, called “Young Forever,” which features Mr. Hudson. The singer joined Jay-Z onstage for the song.

Mr. Hudson’s appearance wasn’t the only surprise that the London audience got last night: they also found out they were going to be in a music video for the song. Jay-Z and Mr. Hudson used the crowd to film the video.

The crowd, once informed by Mr. Hudson that they were being filmed for the forthcoming promo, responded by holding lighters in the air and singing along while the artists and Jay-Z’s live band carried the song. ”Young Forever” closed off Jay-Z’s sold-out performance at the UK capital, which saw him play other hits including “Empire State of Mind,” “DOA (Death of Autotune)”, and “Izzo (H.O.V.A.).”

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John Mayer is back with a new album and a 2010 tour, according to the musician’s website, johnmayer.com.

Mayer’s new album, Battle Studies, is due out on Nov. 17. Mayer will then go on a tour to support the album in the Winter of 2010. Mayer has already released one single from the new album, called “Who Says.” Physical and digital presale orders for the album are being accepted until Nov. 10.

Mayer will also be playing a select few upcoming CD release concerts, including one on Nov. 24 at Toronto’s Sound Academy. This small tour also includes stops in Australia and New York.

You can see Mayer on tour in 2010 here:

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Even if they had a crystal ball, chances are they wouldn’t have seen this coming.

The two surviving members of the 90’s band Sublime have lost the rights to call themselves just that: Sublime.

According to rollingstone.com, a California judge has told the band’s surviving members, Bud Gaugh and Eric Wilson, that they cannot use the name Sublime for their band with new singer Rome for any performances, merchandise, or Internet domains. The two musicians debuted their new frontman at last week’s SmokeOut Festival in California.

Original lead singer, Bradley Nowell, died of a heroin overdose in 1996. Nowell’s estate was upset that Gaugh and Wilson were performing under the name Sublime, stating that Nowell had trademarked the name and had never intended for any band that he was not in to use it.

Gaugh and Wilson spent the last decade performing under the name, Long Beach Dub Allstars, and recently renamed the band Sublime after recruiting new frontman Rome. The band’s “We Are Sublime” Website has now been replaced with a picture of a muzzled dog with a sign around its neck that says, “Free Sublime.”

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Turntables are becoming as much a part of a touring rock band these days as a guitar or the lead singer’s skinny blue jeans. But it’s still a novelty when someone actually knows how to use them.

Kid Koala is no rookie. After four solo album all promoted with elaborate interactive tours, and opening slots for the likes of Radiohead, Bjork, RJD2, DJ Shadow and Beastie Boys (on their Hello Nasty tour, no less), the man knows his way around the booth.

By association, then, Kid Koala and The Slew was a guaranteed success from the outset, despite the outlandish nature combining his fusion-jazz turntable leanings with a hard-rock rhythm section.

Making up The Slew is Wolfmother’s rhythm section (bassist Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett), as well as Koala’s frequent collaborator Dynomite Dan (Dylan Frombach), under the studio direction of Mario Caldato Jr. (who produces the Beastie Boys).

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Former Bad Boy rapper Shyne held a press conference in Belize yesterday; his first public appearance since being released from prison and immediately detained by immigration officials for four weeks, and then deported to his native country Belize last week.

Shyne changed his name from Jamal Barrow to Moses Michael Leviy while serving a nine-year sentence after a shooting in a New York City nightclub. Sean ‘P.Diddy’ Combs was also present during the incident, but was acquitted of all charges.

Speaking to students and reports at Wesley High School in Belize city, Leviy expressed the spirituality that influenced his name change. I want to be like Moses or King David or King Solomon. Those are the guys I aspire to be like. I didn’t want to be like the kingpin on my block; I wanted to be like the guy who parted the sea, that’s why I chose that name.”

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Weezer singer Rivers Cuomo and bassist Scott Shriner are promoting a warm surprise available for purchase with a copy of their new album.

Fans can own a customized “Weezer Snuggie” with their new Raditude album, available in stores today.

The group has even made a hilarious infomercial that includes footage from the original Snuggie infomercial.

If you haven’t seen it yet, the Snuggie is a warm, robe-like blanket that is reminiscent of some sort of cult uniform.

Raditude is Weezer’s seventh studio album, and includes the hit single “I Want You To.”