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.”

Pop punk AVRIL LAVIGNE will add comic book character to her resume this week when she becomes the imaginary friend of a disaffected teenager in a new graphic novel series.

The COMPLICATED singer has been recreated as an animated heroine in Del Rey Manga’s new comic book AVRIL LAVIGNE’S MAKE 5 WISHES.

The pop star is the creative consultant for the two-book series, in which her animated character appears to a teen called HANA, who is struggling to come to terms with her troubled life and avoid the temptations of a demon she met on the Internet.

Lavigne says, “I know that many of my fans read manga, and I’m really excited to be involved in creating stories I know they will enjoy.”

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

Quick-tempered AVRIL LAVIGNE has stopped fighting after realizing she went too far with one persistent pest.

The newly-married pop star admits she’s more likely to walk away from trouble than to get physical after she left one “loser” on his knees.

She recalls “I remember being in Toronto and walking into a CD store, and some guy with spiky hair was all, ‘Hey, Avril!’ and then started lippin’ at me.

“I was like, ‘OK, this is embarrassing, I’m just going to leave.’ So I’m walking down the street, and the guy comes out of the store, still yelling.

“I turn around, f**kin’ grab him and go, ‘What?’ And I f**kin’ knee him in the balls, throw him down, and his f**kin’ punk girlfriend comes over and goes, ‘What the f**k are you doing?’

“It was like they totally didn’t expect me to do anything, because I’m just this girl on TV or whatever. I’m not proud of that. I think it’s funny, but I wouldn’t do it now.

“I don’t fight people anymore, I’m more mature now, and I just don’t think fighting is good.”

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