Look, like most blokes - and not a few women - of my acquaintance, I have absolutely no problem with Jennifer Lopez taking her clothes off in her videos. To invoke John B. Keane, there's no greater vista in all creation than that of a woman's posterior, and forsooth, the last year has been a decidedly ripe time for connoisseurs of derriere dicolletage.
The bad news is that this is a schizophrenic offering that will neither please Jennifer Lopez’s previous pop audience nor ensure her elevation to Diva status
With Kayne West setting a new standard for urban music it’s no surprise that Mr J’s comeback single has seen him lean towards a more inventive style. The minimalist combination of tribal bass drum and strong beat are terrific at conjuring up an image of a sweaty nightclub and the thrill of a chase, while the vocal interplay between LL and guest temptress Jennifer Lopez is only aided by some slutty lyrics: “You know I know you like it/Let me hit you on your Sidekick[eh?]/Because the afterparty is at my body/Meet me you’re invited”.
The MTV Europe Music Awards 2002 may have been a bit of a damp squib, but an electrifying Foo Fighters, a boards-sweeping Eminem and a nekkid Christina Aguilera prevented it from being a total washout.
She started as a model, carving out a successful career and living the celebrity lifestyle in the full glare of the cameras. With a well publicised stint on reality TV in LA behind her, she is now one of the hottest properties in British television.
At the end of another eventful year, Andrea Corr takes time out to reflect on life, death, love, health, music and her role, off-stage and on, in the family that plays together. Interview: Niall Stokes
The actor, director, novelist and husband of Uma Thurman on the thrill of being a non-specialist and the challenge presented by "the greatest adventure you can have" - being in love
An even more unfortunate entry into the thwarted-nuptials genre than any of its recent predecessors (The Runaway Bride, My Best Friend's Wedding, The Wedding Singer etc.) it is truly mind-boggling that The Wedding Planner was ever green-lighted for production, let alone how it managed to become a starring vehicle for pop-princess Lopez.
Early this month Beat 102-103 opened for business as ireland's first regional radio broadcasting station covering Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford and Tipperary. according to the beat manifesto the station is targeting the 15-34 year old age group with “an upbeat and entertaining programme schedule provided by young presenters, with the aim of giving the youth of the region a service to reflect their tastes and attitudes.
On this outing he’s accompanied by a plethora of collaborators, as if his own reputation is no longer enough to hold things together, and some work and some don’t.
Veteran agitprop folk-rocker Steve Earle talks to Peter Murphy about kicking against George Dubya, jamming in Galway and revamping Shakespeare for the 21st century.
It’s a shame, really, given her overwhelming potential, that Milian has chosen to emulate Beyoncé so pointedly, not only in appearance, but in musical bent. Ultimately, It’s About Time suffers from uncreative, cheap-sounding production; a paradox, given its almost slavish dedication to the teachings of Pharrell Williams. A scantily-clad teen popstrel is a many splendoured thing; why they insist on putting out so many stunningly mediocre records remains a mystery.
What looks like a rather finely crafted album on paper ultimately fails to materialise once heard. In today’s oversubscribed R&B circles it takes more than a six-pack and an A-list mentor to make the magic happen.
TV presenter, stand-up and all-round gifted wit and raconteur Dara O'Briain has quietly become one of the major Irish success stories in Britain over the past few years. In a rare in-depth interview, The Panel presenter here discusses stardom in the UK, The Killers, Colin Farrell, Michael Parkinson, RTE, Sinn Féin and that ringing endorsement from a certain Samuel L. Jackson. interview Tanya Sweeney photos Liam Sweeney
Positivity is their mantra, classy is their byword and their mission is to become the biggest and best pop group on the plant. With their jam in the point date looming SYLVIA PATTERSON goes on the road with DESTINY'S CHILD and hears a tale of self-empowerment, vision and that collision between cleavage and christianity
Although under constant review, the word from the U2 camp is that they are still planning to go ahead with the return visit of the Elevation tour to North America.
One of the ten most photographed people in Ireland, TV presenter Caroline Morahan isn’t just a pretty face. Fame, fashion, drugs, the Antisocial Behaviour Order and George Dubbya are all on the agenda all she pours scorn on John Walshe's ten-year plan and vetos Caroline – The Fragrance. Photography by Liam Sweeney.
EMINEM s Marshall Mathers LP has gone 12 times platinum in Ireland. He s been voted Time magazine s Man Of The Year. And, having broken through into the mainstream with the remarkable Stan , he s just been nominated for four Grammys. So why is the world suddenly falling at the feet of a venomous bottle-blonde rapper who s penned some of the most repugnant, hate-filled lyrics since the invention of the gramophone record? Peter Murphy tells one of pop music s most extraordinary stories ever
I like to think I give Japanese cinema a fair shake, but I never quite caught the bug for Masayuki Suo’s internationally successful McRom-com, Shall We Dance. As dinky male menopause yarns go, it wasn’t bad, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that had it won you over completely, it was surely the first rung of some twelve step programme to bourgeois rehabilitation and a subscription to an interior decorating magazine.
