ADELE WINS TOP HONOURS AT 2012 BRIT AWARDS

Adele at the 2012 BRIT Awards

Not that there ever was any doubt about it, but Adele was a big Winner yet again at the 2012 BRIT Awards yesterday, winning MasterCard British Album of the Year for her 17-million-selling 21. Above this, she was awarded British Solo Female Act of the Year also, being presented this by none other than Kylie Minogue. Jokingly, Adele told Minogue, "You look stunning. I look like a Drag Queen standing next to you!".

Other Winners include: Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Foo Fighters, Emil Sandé, One Direction and more!

Click here to read a complete list of Winners.

(Photo credit: BRITS.CO.UK)

NEW MUSIC: KYLIE MINOGUE - "FINER FEELINGS (ORCHESTRAL VERSION)"

Kylie Minogue performs Finer Feelings

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of her storied Music Career, Aussie Pop Goddess Kylie Minogue released the Video to an Orchestral Version of her 1992 Track, Finer Feelngs today. Engaging Fans by having them Tweet the Hashtag #K25FANS, the Video gradually was unlocked after the online event had been shared a 25,000 times. A newly-brunette Minogue was revealed.

Slated for a release early this year, Minogue has re-recorded several of her hits to commemorate this milestone at London's historic Abbey Road Studios.

Congratulations, Kylie!  Huge Supporter.

Watch the new Video for Finer Feelings below:

KYLIE MINOGUE IN TOKYO FOR "APHRODITE - LES FOLIES TOUR"

Kylie Minogue in Tokyo - April 2011

Our dear Friend MiT is an absolute Goddess! She sent over some Photos from Kylie Minogue's first Arena Tour in Japan in over two decades at Tokyo's Makuhari Messe International Convention Complex. Arriving in Tokyo a couple days ago at Narita Airport, it is said that Minogue was v. generous with Fans in signing Autographs.

Our favourite Australian import has offered her assistance in raising some money for Japanese Disaster Relief on Friday night attending a Gala which raised over $100k for the Japanese Red Cross Society.  Amazing!

Although there were quite a number of empty seats at the venue, Minogue made it an intimate evening presenting a more scaled-down version of her Show, performing an array of Hits from her glitter-filled Repertoire.  MiT notes that the stage set-up was rather simple, equipped only with  "three sets of stairs, four dancers, no horses, no flying angels" as seen on the other stops of her Tour.  Fewer costume changes too, I'm guessing?

TAIO CRUZ FT. KYLIE MINOGUE - HIGHER (VIDEO)

Taio Cruz, Kylie Minogue and Alex Herron on the
set of Higher

At long last the scintillating pairing of Kylie Minogue and Taio Cruz has materialized in Video form! Watch their Video for Cruz's new single Higher from Director Alex Herron here.  The single for this will be released Valentine's Day 2011 overseas.  A version with Travie McCoy will be released in North America at the end of November, although we really need to have Minogue's version released here as we're still on-the-snooze about her in these parts....

(Photo credit: Alex Herron)

VIDEO PREMIERE: KYLIE MINOGUE - GET OUTTA MY WAY

The Goddess of Pop herself Kylie Minogue, has unleashed another act of ferocity, this time the video of her new single Get Outta My Way. Tired of clicking on dead links, I've found a proper official working link from EMI/Parlophone of the gorgeous work and it baffles me why North Americans just don't get her. She's received almost no airplay for first single All The Lovers from Aphrodite, and I predict a similar fate for this Stuart Price-produced gem also. Wake up Sleepyheads, you're embarrassing me!

HURTS - HAPPINESS REVIEW | LISTEN TO "STAY"

Hurts, the feverishly-tipped duo from Manchester, have been written about virtually on every influencial music blog/publication online. Finally slated for release, their debut album Happiness delivers pretty much what has been promised from leaked tracks and singles - Synthpop that is both intellectual and emotional.

They consist of singer Theo Hutchcraft and instrumentalist Adam Anderson. Being popular on Blogs though, doesn't necessarily translate to commercial success. Making and marketing an album like Happiness is a bit of a risk today. We are living in the age of the Digital Single - a song catches fire (often virally) and the public downloads it - legally of course - helping propel it to chart success. Although this is a beautiful and thoughtfully-produced collection, there are no "Singles" on it. Hurts does not make radio-friendly music, they create an emotional experience.

Happiness is cohesive. From the get-go on Silver Lining, they dictate that the mood for the next little bit of a listen will be melancholy, introspective. Current single Wonderful Life, Blood Tears and Gold and Illuminated, take us back to an era when U2 didn't suck - a time when none of us would've predicted that Tears for Fears' run of chart success would one day end and Depeche Mode was still a mainstream force. Sunday is one of the few brighter moments on the album striking that magical chord of sorrowful lyrics about emotional longing and disco rhythms - odd on paper, but it has built the career of many an influencial pop star like Robyn. Stay in my opinion is the strongest track on the album - a plea for love backed by a Gospel Choir. How could one deny that?

KYLIE MINOGUE'S APHRODITE, AN INTERNATIONAL SMASH!

It's official! Kylie Minogue's latest effort Aphrodite is an international success! Debuting at the top of the European Top 100, UK and Scottish Album Charts, the album also scored Top Ten debuts in her native Australia, Austria, Belgium, Ireland, Spain, Switzerland and of course Canada among many other countries.

Debuting in the U.S. Top 20, this album is Kylie's best faring since 2002's epic Fever. And that's with hardly any promotion stateside too, mind you. Come on Kylie, enough is enough! You're long overdue for a proper visit to Canada.

Congratulations! It's about time people woke the hell up.  Pop Goddess!!

KYLIE MINOGUE APHRODITE REVIEW & GET OUTTA MY WAY PREVIEW

Repulsive. A severe disappointment. Offensive. A complete and utter bore. These are words which best describe Kylie Minogue's eleventh studio album from Parlophone/EMI. Just kidding, Peaches! tee-hee Aphrodite is so the opposite, being the most cohesive collection from her since classics Fever and Light Years, filling that inexplicable void heard on her last couple efforts. To achieve results, she pulls out the Big Guns and utilizes the AK-47 of Producers, Stuart Price on nine of Aphrodite's twelve tracks. This proves to be the best creative decision she has made since donning those short-shorts in her Spinning Around video.

First single All the Lovers we all know, is gorgeous in its perpetual state of Euphoria, but as we progress further into this electric journey, it becomes clear that the heavyweights are still in the wings including Stuart Price/Starsmith co-production Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love). The track does exactly what Whitney Houston was trying to do with Million Dollar Bill last summer, but fell short of accomplishing ultimately. Sonically perfect second single Get Outta My Way has Minogue at her catty best, telling that pesky ex (read Olivier Martinez) to do exactly what its title suggests, and seductive Cupid Boy, driven with a bit of guitar like Stars from 2008’s X is also one to keep a tab on. The album's title track is undeniable with its Marching Band beat rhythm not unlike Heart Beat Rock from that same album. Nerina Pallot-penned Better Than Today, debuted on Minogue's last World Tour, is a welcome addition to the album’s already optimistic vibe. Can’t Beat This Feeling sports proudly its House Music pedigree, giving us back a bit of that magic Spinning Around and Love at First Sight had. The true star of this track though is its abundance of Cowbell. Sorry, Kylie!

KYLIE MINOGUE PRIZE PACK GIVEAWAY AND APHRODITE FULL PREVIEW

Mr. Will-W.:Pop Maven and EMI Music Canada are teaming up to give away an exclusive Kylie Minogue Prize Pack to one lucky winner!  In celebration of Aphrodite's release (July 6, 2010), you can win a Special Edition copy of the eagerly-awaited album, plus an ultra-rare official Kylie Tote Bag.

To qualify for the win, please leave a comment with one reason why you love Kylie.  A winner will be drawn midnight July 6, 2010 and all are welcome to enter.  One entry per reader please.  Who loves you most, Peaches?  Tell me!

And while we're in the spirit of Kylie these days, don't forget to read this interview I just posted of my friend Adrian Eccleston, Kylie's Guitarist.  You can learn all about what it was like to audition for her and he gives us a clue to the all important question of whether there will be an Aphrodite World Tour.  Be excited.

INTERVIEW: GUITARIST ADRIAN ECCLESTON ON KYLIE MINOGUE AND DRAKE

Toronto has no shortage of talented musicians.  In fact, two of the hottest acts in Pop Music right now, Drake and Justin Bieber hail from this city, both having reached number one on the Billboard Hot 200 Album Chart.  Often though, we don't get to know the artists who bring us the music we pay top dollar to hear when we support the artists we love on Tour. 

I want you to introduce you to a friend of mine, Adrian Eccleston. This interview has been long in the making with his grueling schedule - balancing a relationship, family, friends, touring and studio work - but alas it is here. I first met Eccleston through his multi-talented older brother Robin, whom I have worked together with for many years on my own projects.  Adrian and I have also collaborated together on a few tracks together.  It is no mystery that he is perhaps the city's greatest Guitarist, but what makes him rise above the surface of  the deep talent pool is his presence.  His signature Dreadlocks are unmistakable.  Regardless who he is supporting, eyes just migrate towards him. 

KYLIE ON BLACKBOOK

Nick Haramis who brought us that fantastic write-up on Naomi Watts on BlackBook has written another winner.  The subject of his latest write-up, Kylie Minogue.  My beloved Minogue is poised to release Aphrodite in three weeks' time and sat down with Haramis in an interview at New York City's Greenwich Hotel, about perception of her image, Madonna comparisons, her new album and what went wrong with her last album X.

On X, Minogue believes "That album had some great moments on it, but, as a whole, it wasn’t cohesive. I think people wanted to hear something with more gravitas considering what I’d just been through, but the most personal songs I’d written, like ‘Ruffle My Feathers,’ didn’t end up on the album. That one was about cancer...".

NEW MUSIC: KYLIE MINOGUE - APHRODITE ALBUM MEGAMIX

With anticipation heating up for Kylie Minogue's Aphrodite album, we are treated here to a studio version Megamix of selections from the album.  Minogue performed at New York City's Splash Night Club on Friday night, debuting this medley of songs and the screams were so loud that even she had to cover her own ears.

In this exact order, the songs are as follows: Get Outta My Way, Cupid Boy, Can’t Beat the Feeling, Too Much, Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love) and Aphrodite. And this Goddess is dead-set on fun and seduction, with an emphasis on the fun part based on these clips. A return to the Light Years and Fever era. Just in case you need a reminder, July 6, 2010 is the big release date.

KYLIE STUNS AT amfAR INSPIRATION GALA

Kylie Minogue hosted The Inspiration Gala to benefit amfAR at New York City's The Public Library. The event was a celebration of Men's Style and the foundation was founded by celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor for AIDS awareness.  Among the guests in attendance last night were Ricky Martin, Kenneth Cole and Jean-Paul Gaultier, all pictured above.  And yes, that undisputedly sexy number she is pictured in above was designed by Gaultier himself who also oversaw designs for her recent Worldwide Tour. The event featured a special performance by Cyndi Lauper, who will be appearing at Toronto Pride early next month also.  (Photo credit: Associated Press)

VIDEO PREMIERE: KYLIE MINOGUE - ALL THE LOVERS

It's celebrated February 9th in Brazil. In New York City, it's celebrated traditionally at Times Square on August 7th.  National Underwear Day, that is.  But Kylie Minogue and director Joseph Kahn are celebrating with their own twist on the occasion June 1, 2010 - the official international premiere date of their All The Lovers video.  Luckily for international time zone differences, our friends overseas have already leaked the glory for our Hungry Eyes a la Eric Carmen ...circa Dirty Dancing OST.

Watch these couples of all orientations and Kylie make Body Art with their gorgeous selves, setting your monitor on fire, fire, fire.

And yes - don't forget to check out my Mash-up of Kylie's All The Lovers vs. The Dream Academy's Life in a Northern Town here.  You'll love it.

NEW MUSIC: MR. WILL-W. - NORTHERN LOVERS (KYLIE MINOGUE ALL THE LOVERS VS. THE DREAM ACADEMY LIFE IN A NORTHERN TOWN MASH-UP)

Somewhere between obsessing about Celebrities all day and having an 8 to 4 career, lies the fledgling Pop Star within me. I got together with my long-time collaborator and had some fun in the studio the other day and we re-worked Kylie Minogue's phenomenal new single All The Lovers, with one of my favourite songs of all time, Life in a Northern Town, by The Dream Academy.

Now here's an interesting Kylie connection. Robin Eccleston who recorded and mixed these additional vocals, is the elder brother of Adrian Eccleston, Kylie's touring guitarist for her last World Tour.

NEW MUSIC: KYLIE MINOGUE - ALL THE LOVERS

I absolutely have no faith in myself being objective when it comes to this single, so I will let you know what others in The Twitterverse are saying about Kylie Minogue’s euphoric first single All the Lovers from forthcoming Aphrodite album.

@ryannreyes 81 plays on Kylie's All The Lovers today since 3pm. That's just for today.

@ademwithane I just want to go outside, get up on my roof, boombox in hand and absolute blare All The Lovers as I sob uncontrollably.

@fabtasticmusic Reaction? I cried, slammed fists on floor in a fit of excitement, been in a glorious pain, and almost combusted in glitter..

@mookiekylie OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG KYLIE!! all the lovers is AMAZING!!! nearly made me cry :D:D:D Ill play it alot in Canada 4 u X Monica

@popjustice I LOVE KYLIE

PAPARAZZI CAMP OUT AT KYLIE MINOGUE VIDEO SHOOT

Straight from director Joseph Kahn's Twitter page, here's a behind the scenes look at Kylie Minogue's new music video All The Lovers, just shot in Los Angeles.  Minogue claims to be in aching pain today on her Twitter page, while Kahn is still in awe at how gorgeous she is in person.  Paparazzi camped out at the video set yesterday to which Kahn replied on his Twitter page, "Paparazzi need to chill out".

I'm absolutely with Mike from PopTrashAddicts in that I am glad to see her sexing it up once again and having fun with it.  It seems that with her last couple efforts, she was veering further and further away from what won her fan base back with her big 2000 smash, Light Years.  She has been opting for a bit more edginess and artistry, when at the end of the day what Minogue fans like me want, is campy fun.  I'm certain this video will be a Glamography of gorgeousness, although the pinnacle of the director's career in my opinion, is still Britney Spear's Toxic video. 

(Photo credit: Joseph Kahn)

NEW MUSIC: OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN FT. SUE SYLVESTER - PHYSICAL (GLEE)

Scream.  Too ridiculously good. One thing I cannot deny about this season of Glee is that the story lines continue to be lacking, but the musical component of it all is better than ever. 

Meant to be used as a weapon of humiliation, the kids of Glee dug up an old video of Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) and Olivia Newton-John performing a super-hot rendition of her 1981 hit Physical.  But the results were anything but humiliating.  The video they shot not only camped it up, but also sexed it up with some hunky torso-bearing dancers who didn't seem to mind being objectified, while the two vocalists got twirled and lifted.  I love the all the fixings they added to the track from the tastefully auto-tuned bits to the updated bassline.  Everything.

As a friendly reminder, if it weren't for the massive success of this hit single, we might not know who Kylie Minogue is today.  Newton-John paved the way and carved a blueprint for Australia's finest export. 

Check out Physical by Olivia Newton-John ft. Sue Sylvester below in full (audio content owned by Sony Music):

KYLIE GOES GRΣΣK FOR NEW ALBUM COVER

Yes, I'd love some Tzatziki Sauce with that.  Kylie Minogue goes GrΣΣk for this just-released album cover for eleventh studio album Aphrodite, to be released via EMI on July 5th (Europe) and 6th (Canada).  Hopefully our friends in the U.S. won't have to wait months afterwards again for this one.

Minogue definitely knows her market and there is nothing remotely heterosexual about this cover at all.  Love it! 

Aphrodite's first single All the Lovers will be released one week prior to the album.  Visit Minogue's official website for a 30 second clip of the track.

NEW MUSIC - HELPING HAITI: EVERYBODY HURTS 2010

Equally as star-studded as the forthcoming We Are The World remake, Simon Cowell has put together a stellar line-up of artists for this charity cover of REM's 1993 hit Everybody Hurts.  All proceeds from digital and CD sales will be going to aid Haiti.

Among those featured on this version are Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue, Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Susan Boyle, James Blunt, Leona Lewis, Jon Bon Jovi, Mika, Michael Bublé and many, many more of our favourites.  

The Everybody Hurts single will be released on February 16, 2010.  Although already great, it would've given it that extra punch to have all the artists together at the end in a series of big repeated choruses, don't you think?

Listen to Everybody Hurts by Various Artists Helping Haiti (courtesy of Sony Music) in full below: