andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

What do Beyoncé Knowles, Gwen Stefani, Pussycat Dolls and now Avril Lavigne all have in common?

Besides performing to millions of fans at sold-out concerts (Avril not so much recently), all of the artists have faced troubled in Malaysia. According to E! News, this conservative country imposes dress rules and conduct codes on performers, including no jumping, shouting, hugging or kissing on stage.

Last week, the Malaysian government scrapped Lavigne’s concert for being “too sexy.” However, the government has now given Lavigne the go-ahead for her August 29th show.

“The Best Damn Thing” singer had promoters assure the performance would not corrupt the mainly-Muslim country’s youth or disrupt its Independence Day celebration on Aug 31.

“In giving the approval, the cabinet also instructed the (arts and cultural) ministry to monitor the concert to ensure that the performances do not clash with the Malaysian culture and values,” the Arts and Culture Minister Mohamad Shafie Apdal told Bernama, a Malaysian news agency.

But the 23-year-old singer told MTV, “They tend to, you know, sometimes not want Western artists in their country,” she continued. “I respect that, but at the same time, you know, there’s people that listen to music there and want to see their idols and stuff, so it’s all good: been approved by the government and [I'm] going to go put on a show and have fun.”

Two of the hottest Canadian acts cleaned up at this year’s Europe Music Awards on Thursday. Nelly Furtado and Avril Lavigne went to Munich with high hopes, and left with all the glory.

Lavigne’s summer sensation “Girlfriend” was awarded the Most Addicting Track of 2007, and the artist herself took home best Solo Artist of the year. Likewise, Frutado’s compilation of club bangers and soulful ballads “Loose” took home the very prestigious album of the year.

However, the real spectacle of the night was everyone’s favourite addict Amy Winehouse. Judging by her MTV Artist’s Choice win, saying ‘no, no, no’ to rehab turned out to be a smart career choice after all. Winehouse accepted her award with a meager “Thanks,” before reappearing back on stage to perform for the fans. The singer’s shaky, distracted rendition of her single “Back to Black” rivaled Britney’s train wreck performance of “Gimmie More” earlier this year.

Muse, Justice and Rihanna also took home some awards throughout the night, as well as Linkin Park winning Best Band.

Singer DERYCK WHIBLEY has defended wife AVRIL LAVIGNE’s temper, insisting she is misrepresented in the media.

The Sum 41 frontman, who married the Complicated pop punk in July 2006, says his wife is kind-hearted and not as angry as people think.

He says, “It’s a funny misconception with her.

“People always think she’s really angry and she’s really mad and she really hates everyone, and doesn’t care about anything, when the thing she cares about most is her fans and her music.” (LJ/WNWCNB/JC)

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

AVRIL LAVIGNE has credited marriage to fellow Canadian DERYCK WHIBLEY for turning her into a more mature, calmer person.

Lavigne, 22, and Whibley, 26, tied the knot last June and she insists the relationship has had a positive influence on her.

She explains, “I have a strong personality. (But) I don’t fight people anymore. I’m more mature and I just don’t think fighting is good.”

But Lavigne insists getting married hasn’t completely tamed her wild ways: “I still have my boyfriend-bashing songs!”

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

Pop rocker AVRIL LAVIGNE laughs when she looks back at her earlier ‘grunge’ years – because they remind her how much she has grown up.

The SK8ER BOI hitmaker, 22, has swapped her skater persona for a more sophisticated image and cringes at the way she used to behave.

She says, “When I look back now all I can think is, ‘God, I was such a s**t’. I was such a tomboy, running around, getting in fights, hanging out with guys.

“In all my interviews I would have my head down and moodily just grunt an answer.

“I look back and laugh now as I realize how much I’ve grown up. But that was my style back then, that was me.”

(c) 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All global rights reserved. No unauthorized copying or re-distributing permitted.

For her film debut, Avril Lavigne spent a long time behind a microphone in a recording studio- big stretch, right?

But she wasn’t filming scenes. She was recording her lines, because the singer lends her speaking voice to a character in Over the Hedge, which opens today.

Lavigne plays Heather the possum.

Director Tim Johnson said Lavigne was very nervous at first, but that she quickly became more comfortable.

“She told us, ‘I’ve never done this, I really want it to be successful, tell me anything you need me to do. Why don’t you give me a line, how would you read that line,’” Johnson told andPOP.

“Then 15 minutes into the first session, we were talking about it and she said, ‘I think Heather would do it this way.’ She was totally invested in the character and had fun with it.”

Johnson said he had no idea what to expect from a singer who had never acted before.

“The challenge with her was making her feel comfortable. Whether it’s Avril and it’s your first time or Bruce Willis (who plays RJ the raccoon) and you’ve done animated film before, it’s very intimidating to just rely on your voice. As Wanda Sykes (Stella the skunk) put it, we took away all her weapons ? her body language, glare, and sharp look.”

Over the Hedge also stars Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Williams Shatner, Nick Nolte and Eugene Levy.

Lavigne will actually appear in two upcoming films ? Fast Food Nation and The Flock, both scheduled for release later this year.

It’s a nice day for a pop-punk wedding.

Avril Lavigne is engaged to Sum 41 front man Deryck Whibley according to Us Weekly.

Lavigne, 20, and Whibley, 25, have been dating for a year and had been friends before that. The couple reportedly bought a home together in Los Angeles last year.

Us Weekly says that Whibley proposed to Lavigne over the weekend while Lavigne was finishing the European part of her tour.

Publicists from the couple confirmed the engagement.

Rumours about the couple flourished in September when Whibley appeared to be proposing to Lavigne in full view of photographers. It was revealed as a hoax with Whibley apparently wanting to show how easy it is to mislead the media.