andPOP - Pop Culture With Substance

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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Amy Winehouse appeared at a London court Tuesday to plead not guilty to assaulting a fan at a party last fall.

The 25-year-old soul singer was accompanied by her dad Mitch as she arrived at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court for a brief hearing.

She was charged with common assault in early March over allegations she attacked a fan who tried to take her picture at a charity ball in London on Sept. 26.

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Christian Bale had huge success at the box office this weekend – but his personal life may be falling apart.

The “Dark Knight” star is being sued for assault by his mother and sister, reports the UK Sun. Bale is said to have lashed out at his family members on Sunday at Park Lane’s Dorchester Hotel in London.

Bale faces questioning, but police are giving him the benefit of the doubt; they even held off their investigation to allow Bale to attend the huge premier of the new Batman flick.

A source told The Sun, “It was a very difficult situation but it would have been wrong to have wrecked the premiere over a complaint which we don’t yet know is founded in truth. But Mr Bale will be contacted at the earliest opportunity and be asked to provide an account of anything that happened.”

A Met Police spokesperson confirmed they had receive the allegations from Bale’s family.

Rapper M.I.A. may be moving to Montreal when her American visa expires in June.

Because her father was once a soldier in the Sri Lankan terrorist organization Tamil Tigers, she doesn’t expect her visa to be renewed.

“Basically at the moment I can choose between Montreal and London,” she told Baby Baby Baby magzine. “My mum’s like, ‘I want you here!’ I haven’t seen her in, like, forever, so I have to choose between my mum and Montreal.”

She said that she’s been making the most of her final U.S. concerts, and that Kanye West has offered to marry her to keep her in the country.

She was previously barred entrance to the States in 2006.

Vancouver-based band Hedley performed yesterday at the University of British Columbia.

Their home turf concert is part of the MTV The Leak Live tour, a series of free concerts across Canada promoting Hedley’s upcoming album, “Famous Last Words,” which will be released October 30. For those unable to attend, their first single, “She’s So Sorry,” can be heard on Hedley’s official MySpace page.

“Famous Last Words” is Hedley’s sophomore offering, following their 2005 self-titled album which earned the band platinum status, five hit singles, two Juno nominations, and the Much Music Video Award for Best Pop Video.

Charismatic and nudity-prone frontman Jacob Hoggard is confident about the new album, which was produced by former Treble Charger frontman Greig Nori. As Hoggard told MTV, “The main difference between this album and the last, was the amount of blood, sweat and tears that we put into this recording.”

Check out the rest of Hedley’s free tour at these locations:

Tomorrow: The SAIT Hangar in Calgary, AB at 12 p.m.
Friday: The UWO Talbot Bowl in London, ON at 7:30 p.m.
October 2: The Dalhousie Quad in Halifax, NS at 7 p.m.
October 4: The Concordia Loyola Downtown Campus in Montreal, QC at 5 p.m.
October 11: The Masonic Temple in Toronto, ON at 5 p.m.