Beyonce Was 2010's Highest Paid Musician
Rhythm and blues star Beyonce was the highest paid musician of 2010. The singer earned $87 million, which puts her in the Number 9 spot on Forbes' list of Hollywood's 20 Highest Earners of 2010. Britney Spears ranks at Number 13 with$ 64 million earned during the past year. Lady Gaga follows at Number 14 with $62 million and Madonna came in at Number 15 by earning $58 million. Also in the Top 20 is Miley Cyrus, who ranked at Number 18 with $48 million and Taylor Swift, who's at Number 19 with $45 million. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey tops the list with $315 million earned in 2010.
Parton to Receive Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
The Recording Academy will present its 2011 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Awards to Country legend Dolly Parton, the Juilliard String Quartet, the Kingston Trio, gospel legend George Beverly Shea, the Ramones, jazz drummer Roy Haynes and British actress Julie Andrews. They'll receive their honors on February 12, one day before the 53rd annual Grammy Awards take place in Los Angeles.
TLC's Chili Launches Season 2 of Reality Show
TLC member Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas launches the second season of her VH1 reality show "What Chilli Wants" on January 2. The series follows her quest to find the man of her dreams. Guest stars on last year's first season included Justin Timberlake, Taylor Swift, Missy Elliot, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. and TLC member Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins. This year marks the 20th anniversary of TLC, which recorded such hits as "Waterfalls," "No Scrubs" and "Unpretty." Thomas says she and Watkins plan to do "something special for our fans all over in the States. We just want to map out different places to go and have our 20-year anniversary performances."
Abdul Returns to TV with 'Live To Dance'
Paula Abdul returns to television this week. The former "American Idol" judge is launching her new CBS reality show, "Live To Dance," on January 4. Dancers of any age or genre compete for $500,000. Joining Abdul in the judges seats are Kimberly Wyatt, formerly a member of The Pussycat Dolls, and choreographer Travis Payne.
Paltrow's Country Strong Hits Theaters
On January 7, Country Strong opens in theaters nationwide. The movie, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Country singer Tim McGraw, tells the story of "a rising young singer-songwriter who becomes involved with a fallen country singer (played by Paltrow). As they embark on a career resurrection tour with her husband and manager (played by McGraw) and a beauty queen-turned-singer, romantic entanglements and old demons threaten to derail them all." Paltrow sings three songs on the film's soundtrack. The title track was a minor hit on the Country chart. Paltrow's husband, Coldplay singer Chris Martin, wrote "Me and Tennessee," a duet sung by Paltrow and McGraw. Country stars Sara Evans, Hank Williams Jr., Lee Ann Womack, Ronnie Dunn, Chris Young, Patty Loveless, Faith Hill and Trace Adkins are also featured on the soundtrack.
Elton John Becomes a Dad
Elton John and his partner David Furnish became parents on Christmas Day. Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John was born to a surrogate in California. A joint statement from Furnish and John says, "We are overwhelmed with happiness and joy at this very special moment. Zachary is healthy and doing really well, and we are very proud and happy parents."
Morissette Becomes a Mom
Alanis Morissette also gave birth to her first child on December 25. She and husband Mario "Souleye" Treadway named their baby boy Ever Imre Morissette-Treadway. And, Country star Dierks Bentley and his wife Cassidy welcomed their second daughter on Christmas Day. Jordan Catherine Bentley joins two-year-old sister Evalyn Day.
New Album Releases January 4:
"Breathless" by Schiller
"Peace Love Ukulele" by Jake Shimabukuro
"Journal of Ardency" by Class Actress
"Triangulation" by Scuba
"Faster" soundtrack
"The Illusionist" soundtrack
Look Who's Going On Tour!
Bon Jovi had the Number One tour of 2010. According to Billboard Boxscore, which tabulated artists' total gross earnings from November 22, 2009 through November 20, 2010, Bon Jovi's 69 sold out shows brought in more than $146,500,000. Rounding out the Top 10 tours are U2, AC/DC, Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas, James Taylor & Carole King, the Eagles, Metallica, the Dave Matthews Band and Paul McCartney.
Awards Presentations/Winners:
The 2011 People's Choice Awards will be presented on January 5 in Los Angeles. Katy Perry leads this year's contenders with five nominations. They include Favorite Female Artist, Favorite Pop Artist, Favorite Song for "California Gurls," Favorite Music Video for "Teenage Dream" and Favorite Web Celeb. Other top nominees in the music categories include Eminem and Lady Gaga with four mentions each. The People's Choice Awards also honor celebrities in film and television.
