Fridae

Queer or Not: Missy Elliott Answers the Question

I love the way some Dutch reporters conduct interviews. They are direct, not always politically correct and accept no bullcrap answers. Check out a 3-minute video of an interview a Dutch MTV television reporter had with Missy Elliott in Amsterdam recently. The video starts out with the female reporter complaining about the fact that Missy is eight hours late for the interview. After Missy's performance at the Heineken Music Hall she finally agrees to do the interview with the music channel. Pissed off and on fire, the MTV interviewer strikes back and asks Missy about her inability to keep an appointment, her weight issues and the hip hop star's sexual orientation. [Source]

Watch interview with Missy Elliott on MTV Netherlands

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Video Premiere: Sugababes "Red Dress"
Brit pop trio Sugababes performed their first UK gig since the arrival of new member Amelle Berrabah at London's G-A-Y nightclub this past Saturday. It was a clever move to introduce Amelle to the group's core gay fan base first. Amelle replaced Mutya Buena and joined bandmates Keisha Buchanan and Heidi Range on stage to perform the band's new single "Red Dress" that is released as a single in the UK today.

The group will also re-release their album "Taller In More Ways" later this month that includes three re-recorded tracks and two brand-new songs that feature Amelle's vocals.

The B-side of the "Red Dress" single is the much-hyped cover of Arctic Monkeys' "I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor." "Red Dress" remixes are produced by Cagedbaby and Dennis Christopher.(Click here and here to download Sugababes' new single at 7Digital.)

Watch The Sugababes "Red Dress" [wmv]

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Free Download: The Czars "I Am The Man"
The Czars' frontman John Grant knows melancholy like no other. The group's upcoming album "Goodbye" is an impressive collection of moody songwriting and electronic soul balladry that takes its cues from jazz, indie rock and synth pop. After it was released in the U.K. in 2004, the record will finally hit stores stateside next Tuesday on the Bella Union label.

The group got their start when Grant and bassist Chris Pearson met in Denver, CO and bonded over a love for Kraftwerk, Nina Simone and Tom Waits. They gathered four other musicians and put out their debut "Moodswing" in 1995 that led to a few other critically-acclaimed releases. The Czars also developed a gay & lesbian following after they scored the soundtrack to the film "I'd Rather Be Gone" that was an official selection of the 2001 San Fransisco Gay & Lesbian Movie Festival.

The song "I Am The Man" is one of my favorite songs from "Goodbye." It is one of those songs that grow on you after repeated play. The song makes you feel sad and happy at the same time with Grant's immaculate songwriting that packages his feelings of disappointment in a wrapper of hope and optimism. The result is pure sonic bliss that orchestrates a delicate symphony of emotions.

Download The Czars "I Am The Man" [mp3]

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Madonna to Perform at Coachella, Unconfirmed Tour Dates
This news is breaking fast. Madonna will be perfoming on April 30 at the Coachella Music Festival in the Sahara tent. This is the first time the superstar will appear at a music festival. Get your tickets now. Also performing: Depeche Mode, Imogen Heap, The Infadels and many other Arjan Writes favorites. The seventh annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival will be held at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, CA on April 29 and April 30.

From the formal WBR press release: "After months of rumors, Madonna has confirmed she will perform April 30 at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. The artist will appear backed by a live band in the festival's dance and electronica-oriented Sahara Tent, which has been headlined in past years by Kraftwerk, Underworld and Fatboy Slim, among others. "I've never performed at a festival," Madonna says, "and I'm especially excited about playing at Coachella before I start my own tour."

That trek is expected to begin in May and visit much smaller venues than the artist has frequented in the past. It comes in support of Madonna's 2005 album Confessions on a Dance Floor; which has sold 1.29 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Madonna joins recent additions Daft Punk and Massive Attack on the bill for Coachella, which will be headlined on April 29 by Depeche Mode and April 30 by Tool."

RUMORS: Coachella is a confirmed tour date. Other Madonna tour dates and cities are discussed and rumored about.