Coldplay, Led Zeppelin Album Covers Featured On New British Stamps

Album art from Pink Floyd, Blur and David Bowie also included.
By James Montgomery


Coldplay's new British stamps
Photo: Royal Mail

On Thursday (January 7), the U.K.'s Royal Mail unveiled a series of 10 new stamps, honoring the most iconic album covers of the past 40 years.

The albums featured in the new series are the Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed, Led Zeppelin's IV, David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells, The Clash's London Calling, New Order's Power, Corruption and Lies, Primal Scream's Screamadelica, Pink Floyd's The Division Bell, Blur's Parklife and — the most recent album on to make the cut — Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head.

Meant to honor "the most potent graphic images of modern times, many of which have provided a visual soundtrack to people's lives," the series is the end result of a lengthy research process by the Royal Mail, who looked through thousands of album covers by British artists before deciding on the final list. And, during a Wednesday night BBC Radio broadcast, it was revealed that the queen herself actually approved each design.

Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page — who helped design the cover for IV — was on hand to celebrate the release of the stamps and recalled the mysterious nature of the album's iconic imagery.

"Almost 40 years after the album came out, nobody knows the old man who featured on the cover, nor the artist who painted him," he said. "That sort of sums up what we wanted to achieve with the album cover, which has remained both anonymous and enigmatic at the same time."

Of course, any great honor is befitting of an equally great contest, so, on the same day the stamps were made available to the general public, Coldplay decided to give one of their Rush of Blood stamps away. In a message on their official site, the band held a contest to send one lucky fan "a letter using a Coldplay stamp, postmarked with today's issue date."

"We visited our local post office earlier today and bought some of the Coldplay stamps," the message read. "Very nice they are too."

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Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Muse Added To Grammy Show

Usher, Jaden Smith, B.o.B, Janelle Monae and Lady Antebellum will also perform on February 13.
By Gil Kaufman


Justin Bieber and Usher
Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage

While Willow Smith is the one who made music headlines with "Whip My Hair" last year, it's her brother, "Karate Kid" actor Jaden Smith, who will take the stage at the upcoming 53rd Grammy Awards in a special performance alongside Usher and Justin Bieber, with whom he collaborated on the song "Never Say Never" last summer.

The trio joins a list of new performers added to the show on Thursday (January 20) that will also include another power trifecta made up of B.o.B, Bruno Mars and Janelle Monáe, according to a press release from the Recording Academy announcing the additions to the February 13 telecast from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Also taking the stage next month will be nominees Muse and Lady Antebellum. They will join a roster of previously announced performers that includes Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Arcade Fire, Cee Lo Green and Miranda Lambert. It will be the first time on the Grammy performance stage for Bieber, B.o.B, Lambert, Mars, Monáe, Muse and Smith. Eminem, Green, Gaga, Perry, Usher and Lady Antebellum will be making return visits for the occasion.

While 11-time Grammy winner Eminem leads the pack in nominations this year (with 10 nods), Mars has seven nominations, and Gaga and Lady Antebellum are not far behind with six nods each. B.o.B has notched five, Perry and Green are each up for four, and Arcade Fire and Lambert are vying for three awards. Bieber, Muse, Usher and Monáe are each nominated for two Grammys.

No details of the collaborative performances were released, but the Grammy announcement promised a rare, never-before-seen event for the Mars, B.o.B and Monáe segment.

With the addition of Antebellum, all five Album of the Year nominees (Eminem, Arcade Fire, Gaga, Perry) are now scheduled to perform on the show. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon.

Which Grammy performance are you most looking forward to? Talk about it in the comments!

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Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez To Present At Billboard Music Awards

Joe Jonas, Matthew Morrison, more will be at the show on Sunday.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

It looks like Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez will be working on their next date night. The two teen stars have been announced as presenters at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards taking place this Sunday, Billboard.com reports.

Other big names on hand to present include Kylie Minogue, Jada Pinkett Smith, Joe Jonas, Keri Hilson, Marc Anthony, "Glee" star Matthew Morrison, Nas, Scott Weiland, Tim Allen, Travis Barker, Trey Songz and "Modern Family" star Rico Rodriguez.

Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, the Black Eyed Peas, Taio Cruz, Keith Urban and Lady Antebellum have all been tapped to perform at the show, which will air live on ABC from the Las Vegas MGM Grand.

Big nominees for the night include Rihanna (with a whopping 18 nods), Eminem, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Justin Bieber. Bieber, Taylor Swift, Eminem, Rihanna and Gaga all face off for the night's big honor of Top Artist. As for the Top New Artist category, Bieber will be up against Taio Cruz, Ke$ha, Bruno Mars and Nicki Minaj.

Beyoncé will be honored with the Billboard Millennium Award as she amps up to drop her forthcoming album 4. Billboard named Beyoncé their Woman of the Year in October 2009 and Top Female Artist of the Decade in December 2009. This year, she will be honored for her work both as a solo artist and as a founding member of Destiny's Child.

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Britney Spears Says She'd Love To Tour With Usher

In her 'Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale' special, she calls the 'OMG' singer 'really hot right now.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway


Sway Calloway and Britney Spears
Photo: MTV News & Docs

What do Britney Spears and Usher have in common? Well, they are both global superstars with a back catalogue of tunes that have kept fans dancing for a really long time and they both recently hooked up with will.i.am for tracks on their latest releases (the Black Eyed Peas mastermind worked on the pop vixen's Femme Fatale tune "Big Fat Bass"). And, if Spears has her way, she and the "OMG" singer could be hitting the road together.

When Spears sat down to talk with Sway Calloway for her "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale" special — airing Sunday (April 3) at 9 p.m. ET on MTV — the singer revealed that Usher is first on her list of artists she'd like to join her on tour.

"Oh, I'm so excited. I'm really excited about going on tour, very," she explained about her forthcoming summer trek, which happens to have a spot open on the bill now that Enrique Iglesias has pulled out of the gig. "I think Usher's really great right now. I think he's really hot right now. That would be cool [to tour with him]."

The North American road trip is expected to kick off June 17 in Sacramento, California, and will run for 26 dates, winding up on August 13 in Toronto. More details will be announced soon.

The "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale" special is a mixture of behind-the-scenes footage of the singer as she wraps up production on her album, which dropped this week, as well as an inside look at her life and fans. In addition, those who couldn't make Spears' recent nightclub show in Las Vegas will get to see her as she takes the stage in her latest pop incarnation.

Don't miss "Britney Spears: I Am the Femme Fatale," airing Sunday (April 3) at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.

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Justin Bieber Responds To Marg Helgenberger Calling Him 'A Brat'

'It's kinda lame when someone you met briefly comments on you,' he tweeted after 'CSI' star's interview.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber on "CSI"
Photo: CBS

Justin Bieber apparently reads what people say about him. On Monday (May 9), he took to Twitter to react to comments by "CSI" star Marg Helgenberger, who called him a "brat."

"I probably shouldn't say this, but he was kind of a brat," Helgenberger said in an interview with French radio show Le Grand Direct des Medias on Friday when asked about the teen phenom's time on the set.

She continued, offering specific examples from when Bieber filmed guest appearances on "CSI." "He locked one of the producers in a closet," she said. "And he put his fist through a cake that was on the craft services table."

Bieber's response? "It's kinda lame when someone you met briefly and never worked with comments on you. I will continue to wish them luck and be kind. #killemwithkindness," he wrote. "Even last week they had me scolded on a plane in the news because i wasnt in my seat fast enough. She was right and i sat down. That's news? I know who i am and sometimes people r just going 2 say what they want. Keep ur head up and be the man ur mama raised. #killemwithkindness.

"Rumors are just that ... rumors," Bieber continued. "In the end if you just be kind and be yourself people will know who you are. That goes for anyone i think. as for now ... we are in the JUNGLE!! Dont spread gossip and dont spread rumors about others ... im a kid and i know that. #respect."

He then tweeted a link to a video clip of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" from "The Lion King."

Reps for both Bieber and "CSI" had not responded to MTV News' request for comment by press time.

MTV News spoke to "CSI" producer Carol Mendelsohn last year, after Bieber had taped his first appearance on the show. (He appeared again earlier this year.) She had only kind words about the actor.

"I thought that he did a really good job. We only had Justin for a day, for 10 and a half hours, and he had a lot of work crammed into those 10 and a half hours," she said, adding, "It's hard for any accomplished, mature actor to come on the set and fall right into character and do your work, so kudos to Justin."

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