Green day

Childhood friends Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar,lead vocals) and Mike Dirnt (bass, vocals; born Michael Pritchard) formed their first band 'Sweet Children' when they were 14 years old in Rodeo, California. By 1989, the group had added drummer John Kiftmeyer (aka: Al Sobrante) and changed their name to Green Day after one of their songs. That year, the band independently released their first EP, 1,000 Hours, which was well received in the punk scene. The band soon signed to local independent label, Lookout! Records (run by Larry Livermore) and their debut album "39/Smooth" was also released that year. Shortly after its release, Kiftmeyer announced that he was going to college and suggested his former drum tutor Tre Cool (born Frank Edwin Wright, III) to take over as the band's permanent drummer(vocals too). Throughout the early '90s, Green Day continued to cultivate a cult following, which only gained strength with the release of their sophomore album, 1992's 'Kerplunk'.

The underground success of 'Kerplunk' led to a wave of interest from the major record labels. Eventually the band decided to sign with Reprise Records and their major label debut 'Dookie' was released in the spring of 1994. Thanks to relentless touring and somewhat surprising MTV support for initial single "Longview," Dookie became a mainstream hit. The album continued to gain momentum throughout the summer, with the second single "Basket Case" spending five weeks on the top of the American modern rock charts. At the end of the summer, the band stole the show at Woodstock '94, which helped the sales of Dookie increase. By the time the fourth single "When I Come Around" began its seven-week stay at number one in the modern rock charts in early 1995, Dookie had sold over five million copies in the US alone. Eventually this figure would top eight million records sold in America, and selling over eleven million copies internationally. Along with Dookie's commercial success, the band also received critical acclaim when they won the 1994 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance.

Green Day quickly followed Dookie with 'Insomniac' in the fall of 1995. Prior to the album's release they again hit number one again on the U.S. modern rock charts with "J.A.R.," (a tribute to their friend Jason Andrew Relva, which appears on the soundtrack to the film 'Angus'). 'Insomniac' performed well initially, entering the US charts at number two and selling over two million copies by the spring of 1996. However, none of the subsequent singles -- including the radio favourite 'Brain Stew/Jaded' -- were as popular as those from Dookie. In the spring of 1996, Green Day abruptly cancelled a European tour, claiming exhaustion. Following the cancellation, the band spent the rest of the year resting and writing new material. The end result is what many call the best album of their career: 'Nimrod'.

'Nimrod' was well received by fans and critics alike, managing to land at #10 on the Billboard charts having sold 80,000 copies in it's first week. However, Green Day's comeback single "Hitchin' A Ride" only made it to #5 on the modern rock charts despite being placed in heavy rotation on MuchMusic and MTV. In response to this the band released what is arguably their most successful single ever. Although it would not make it to number one in the mainstream charts (it's highest position was #2), "Time of Your Life" is now probably the most well known song Green Day have ever written. Featuring Billie Joe on acoustic guitar & vocals, and Petra Hayden (of That Dog) on violin, "Time Of Your Life" became the song to play in any remotely sad situation. The song was even used on the last ever episode of the hit TV show Seinfeld (the most watched finale in the history of TV). Along with Seinfeld, the song was also played during two different episodes of hit drama E.R, making it possibly the most heard song that year on television. Despite gaining the band more critical respect than they would have received with another Dookie or Insomniac, 'Nimrod' only sold about two million copies, and was seen as a commercial flop in comparison. During the 'Nimrod' era the band also vastly improved their live show and even one "Best Live Performance" at the Kerrang awards.

After nearly two years out of the media spotlight Green Day returned in late 1999 to play Neil Young's "Bridge School Benefit Concert", their first live acoustic performance. Green Day began recording their follow-up to "Nimrod" shortly after, which would eventually become "Warning:". Early in the recording process, the band decided to fire producer Scott Litt, and produce the album themselves. This would be the first time since "Kerplunk" that anyone other than Rob Cavallo had produced the band. After they finished recording, Green Day decided to do something else they hadn't done before and headlined the 2000 Vans Warped Tour. Green Day played an amazing set and brought more fans to the tour than any other year in Warped's history (their Toronto performance alone attracted 7,000 more fans than they had any other year).

Released in the fall of 2000, "Warning:" was by far Green Day's most ambitious album to date and first single "Minority" sat at the top of the Billboard Modern Rock Chart after just four weeks. Although "Warning:" contained some of the band's best songs to date (in particular the excellent third single "Waiting"), many fans didn't take too well to the band's new punk-folk sound. Although it has since been certified platinum sales status, "Warning" is arguably Green Day's least successful album. After "Warning:" the band released a greatest hits album entitled 'International Super Hits' and a b-sides compilation called "Shenanigans" as well as their first DVD 'International Supervideos" which chronicles the band's music videos thus far. The band subsequently embarked on a huge 'Greatest Hits' world tour which lead to many people believing the end was nigh for Green Day seeing as most bands only release a "Greatest Hits" albums near the end of their career.

However, these rumours soon died down when after another long hiatus the band announced that a new album was in the works. "What's It Going To Sound Like?" people wondered from all over the Green Day community. "Is it going to be another 'Warning' or are they going to go back to their Punk Rock roots?". Those questions have recently been answered with the explosive new single "American Idiot" which incidentally is also the title track to the new album. For the first time in Green Day's history, Billie Joe has let loose some great politically motivated lyrics and from what we have heard of this album already it looks like Green Day might have made the best album of their career!

In 2005, Green Day toured in England. The tour was called "Bullet in a Bible". Green Day rocked over 300,000 people. Green Day got the name "Bullet in a Bible" from a bible in a war museum that had a bullet stuck in it.

Green Day has released a single called "Working Class Hero". The song also has a video.

Phil Collins

Birth Name: Philip David Charles Collins
Born: January 30, 1951
Birth Place: London, England
Nationality: English

With a remarkable combination of middle-of-the-road appeal and talent and vision that has produced some of the better music of his time, composer-singer-drummer-actor Phil Collins has made an indelible impact on the entertainment industry. Truly one of the hardest working men in show business, he has written for and performed with two legendary and vastly different bands, found great success as a solo artist and nursed a budding acting career, all at the same time. While considering himself a drummer above all else, the musician has written some of the most memorable songs in contemporary pop music and has proven a powerful and universally recognizable singer. Because of his unfaltering dedication to his craft and his place in Genesis, one of the most influential rock bands of the day, Collins managed to win both popular success and the respect of fellow musicians, hitting the top of the pop charts while also being called upon to perform with such modern legends as Eric Clapton, Sting, Robert Plant and Quincy Jones. His musical credibility and capability have served well many a film that has procured his songwriting services.

After a short 1969 stint with the band Flaming Youth, the London-born Collins auditioned for Genesis, then an up-and-coming progressive rock band fronted by promising musical visionary Peter Gabriel. Hired as the band's drummer in 1970, he debuted on their 1971 album "Nursery Cryme". The drummer first sang lead with the moving ballad "More Fool Me" from Genesis' 1973 concept album "Selling England By the Pound". Despite the positive reaction to the track and the reality that Collins' voice was in many ways technically superior to Gabriel's, when the front man left the art-rock outfit to embark on his solo career, the remaining band members auditioned hundreds of singers unsuccessfully before finally giving Collins lead vocal duties in 1974. Genesis' first album without Gabriel was not released until two years after his departure, but Collins kept busy as drummer of the fusion jazz project Brand X, another experimental and influential combo. At varying times throughout his career, the industrious Collins managed to record with Genesis and Brand X concurrently, even while undertaking huge world tours with the former as well as working on solo material.

Collins' work with Genesis began to move away from the band's original epic laden art-rock foundation and into a more radio-friendly pop/R&B inflected sound. This change grew more and more evident, and by 1981 Genesis had scored a veritable pop hit with the brass-heavy "No Reply at All" off their release "Abacab". That same year, Collins made his solo debut with the album "Face Value", featuring the haunting and timeless "In the Air Tonight". The album was a hit, and the following year's follow up "Hello, I Must Be Going" was also a success. A 1983 hit record for Genesis came next, and in 1984 Collins would pen the love theme to "Against All Odds", a composition that became a hugely successful single and garnered the songwriter an Oscar nomination and Grammy award. Soon he would release the hit album "No Jacket Required" (1985) featuring no less than four certified hit singles. That summer, the now-superstar was the only artist to play on Live Aid stages in both London and Philadelphia.

While all of this solo success certainly kept Collins busy, it didn't keep him from his original band - Genesis. 1986 saw Genesis release the chart-topping album "Invisible Touch", an unprecedented success for the band, with five of the album's eight tracks becoming top selling singles. In the five years between "Invisible Touch" and Genesis' next release, 1991's "We Can't Dance", Collins released his fourth solo album, 1989's "...But Seriously", and earnestly tried his hand at an acting career. The 1991 Genesis release and the two live albums chronicling the supporting tour released that year would be Collins' swan song with the band. His 1993 solo album "Both Sides" didn't turn out hit singles like his previous works had, but it was a notable and truly solo effort: in addition to writing and singing all of the songs, Collins also played every instrument on the album. In 1996 Collins stunned many fans by announcing his departure from Genesis after 26 years. He decided that a solo career was all he needed, plus the odd soundtrack, world tour etc., and he released another album. The album, titled "Dance Into the Light" failed to radiate much Top 40 heat, and Collins used this opportunity to try something new; indulging his lifelong dream of playing in a jazz band, he formed the Phil Collins Big Band. The project, with Collins on drums, performed standards and jazz instrumental versions of some of his biggest hits. The Phil Collins Big Band did a successful world tour in 1998, including two dates at the prestigious Montreaux Jazz Festival. All the while, Collins was working on songs for Disney's "Tarzan" (1999), an animated project that would help to firmly reinstate him on the top of the charts.

An unquestionably gifted musician, Collins first pursued an acting career, enrolling in a stage school with which his talent agent mother was affiliated. From here, he landed an uncredited extra role as a screaming fan in The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night" (1964). He abandoned acting for many years to focus on music, but those who watched Collins' stage theatrics and hammy music video performances were not surprised when he began taking small guest acting parts, notably a featured role in a 1985 episode of the impossibly hip "Miami Vice" (NBC) that came hot on the heels of the singer's chart-topping third solo effort and his amazing transcontinental Live Aid performances. In 1988, he took the lead role in the comedy caper "Buster", starring as the title thief who pulled off 1964's Great Train Robbery. Relatively short in stature and balding, Collins proved a charming and affable screen presence, with an open expressive face easy with goofy expressions. In 1989, Collins was featured in The Who's twentieth anniversary performance of their rock opera "Tommy", with an appropriately repulsive portrayal of wicked Uncle Ernie. He followed up with a featured role as a police inspector in 1991's "Hook" and next tackled drama, sporting a greased up hairdo and mustache, looking every inch the part for his role as a sleazy owner of a San Francisco bathhouse in 1993's exceptional HBO production "And the Band Played On". That same year he played a chillingly vacant-eyed insurance inspector in the Australian black comedy "Frauds" and in 1995 took on a very different project, lending his voice to a pair of polar bears in the animated children's feature "Balto".

While Collins was a capable and likable actor, he proved, from his hit love theme for "Against All Odds" to his moving song score for Disney's "Tarzan", that his most notable work in film made the most of his musical gifts. While he failed to score an Academy Award (losing to Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You"), the track has proven more enduring than the film itself. As a vocalist, Collins dueted with Marilyn Martin with the Stephen Bishop penned 1985 hit "Separate Lives" from "White Nights". His next project, 1988's "Buster" spawned two hit songs, the original "Two Hearts" (which netted him a second Oscar nod) and a cover of the 1960s syrupy "Groovy Kind of Love". He was reportedly apprehensive about taking on the song score of "Tarzan", faced with the task of writing in a storytelling style. His lyrical technique was always more free-associative than intellectualized, the songwriter admitting that even his oft-analyzed hit "In the Air Tonight" was not really meant to be about anything at all. Working closely for over two years alongside producers and animators, the perfectionist did countless drafts and rewrites, and ended up with five inspired compositions for the Disney film. The use of music in "Tarzan" went in a different direction than the studio's past animated features, instead of the character's singing the songs, Collins acted almost as a narrator, with the songs as background accompaniment and the lyrics serving to forward the story lines. The film's touching lullaby "You'll Be In My Heart" lived up to the Disney standard for memorable theme songs, becoming a summer hit single and showing certain potential to live on in popular consciousness. Phil Collins went on to receive two Academy Awards for Tarzan - Best Film Score and Most Original Song for "You'll Be In My Heart". He then co-wrote the Score for the next Disney Release - "Brother Bear" as well as contributed 5 new songs to the Soundtrack.

Jennifer Lopez

Actress and pop singer Jennifer Lopez gave birth to twins early Friday (Feb. 22, 2008), a boy and a girl.

The twins are the first children for Lopez and the fourth and fifth for her husband, salsa star Marc Anthony.

"Jennifer and Marc are delighted, thrilled and over the moon," Lopez's manager told People magazine.

The twins were born at about 12:45 a.m. on Long Island, New York, a five pound seven ounce baby girl followed about 10 minutes later by a six pound baby boy.

Lopez had finally confirmed Nov. 7 that she was expecting.

After months a speculation and coy hints, the entertainer made the announcement during a concert in Miami.

"Marc and I are expecting," said J.Lo during the last stop on a joint North American concert tour with Anthony.

After the announcement, Anthony shrugged his shoulders, caressed his wife's stomach, then leaned over and kissed her belly.

"I didn't know she was going to talk," he told the crowd. The two were married in 2004.

Born July 24, 1969, in Castle Hill "Bronx," New York , Lopez began her career as a dancer, appearing in stage musicals and various music videos. In 1990, she won a national competition and earned a spot dancing on the popular Fox comedy television series, "In Living Color," as one of the "Fly Girls." A series of small acting jobs followed, including parts in two more series and a TV movie, Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7, in 1993. Lopez's first feature film was the critically acclaimed Mi Familia, or My Family, in 1995. She also appeared in Money Train (1995), opposite Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson, and in Jack (1996), directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Robin Williams.

Lopez's first big break came in 1997, when she was chosen to play the title role in Selena, a biopic of the Tejano pop singer Selena Quintillana Perez, who was killed by a crazed fan in 1995. She earned widespread praise for her performance, including a Golden Globe nomination, and became the highest-paid Latina actress in history with her paycheck of $1 million. That same year, Lopez starred in the forgettable Anaconda and in Blood and Wine, opposite Jack Nicholson. Her role as federal marshal Karen Sisco in Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight, a film based on the Elmore Leonard novel and co-starring George Clooney, further enhanced her image as a bankable movie star.

Lopez's musical career also began to take off, as she released her debut Latin pop album, On the 6 in June 1999. The album, fueled by the success of her hit single, "If You Had My Love," went platinum within two weeks, making Lopez—along with Ricky Martin—one of the most influential examples of the growing Latin cultural influence in pop music.

Early in 2000, Lopez was nominated for Best Dance Performance for her second hit single "Waiting for Tonight," but lost the award to veteran diva Cher . In the summer of 2000, she starred in the science fiction-thriller The Cell, in which she plays a child psychologist helping to track a terrifying serial killer. The same year, she starred in Enough, a portrayal of spousal abuse.

The popularity of the multi-talented Lopez reached new heights in early 2001, when her album, J. Lo debuted at No. 1 on the pop charts, while her film, the romantic comedy The Wedding Planner, shot to the top spot at the box office in its first week of release. In December 2002, she performed another one-two punch with the release of the record This Is Me ... Then and a starring role in the comedy Maid in Manhattan, which was a box office hit, if not a critical one. In 2003, she co-starred with Ben Affleck in the box office bomb, Gigli. Other projects included Jersey Girl (also with Affleck) and An Unfinished Life, in which she played a single mom taken in by her father-in-law played by Robert Redford. She also starred opposite Richard Gere in Shall We Dance?, a remake of the top-grossing Japanese flick.

Lopez was briefly married, in 1997, to Ojani Noa, a model and actor. She then had a lengthy and widely publicized relationship with rapper Sean "Puffy" Combs. In December 1999, Combs and Lopez were allegedly involved in a shooting incident outside a New York City nightclub, in which three people were injured. Combs was later charged with gun possession and bribery, as prosecutors claimed he offered his driver, Wardel Fenderson, $50,000 to say that the loaded gun police found at the scene of the crime was Fenderson's. He was acquitted of all charges, but Combs confirmed in mid-February that he and Lopez had separated.

Usher Biography

Name : Usher

Birth date : 14 October 1978

Birth place : Chattanooga, Tennessee

Birth Name : Usher Raymond IV

Height : 5' 11

Nationality : American

Profession : Actor, musician

Styles : Contemporary R&B, Club/Dance, Urban

Best Known As : The R&B crooner of the hit `You Make Me Wanna..`

Usher was spotted by a LaFace record executive at a talent show in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, and after that it took no time for his career to take off. The 14-year-old auditioned for LaFace Records co-founder L.A. Reid, who signed the gospel choir boy to a recording contract. Raymond was introduced to the world simply as "Usher," and released his debut album of the same name in 1994, which featured co-executive producer Sean "Puffy" Combs. The first single, "Think of You," gained Usher notoriety and reached gold status. From that initial exposure, Usher was approached to do other projects. In 1995, he recorded a national holiday jingle for Coca-Cola. He also joined several top male R&B vocalists to form Black Men United for the single "You Will Know," featured on the Jason's Lyric soundtrack. He also teamed with teen singing sensation Monica for a duet remake of Lattimore's "Let's Straighten It Out." After graduating from high school, Usher graduated as well to his sophomore release, My Way, in 1997. In an attempt to display his maturity and songwriting abilities, Usher co-wrote six of the nine songs and enlisted the help of producers Jermaine Dupri, Babyface, and, again, Sean "Puffy" Combs. The album's first single, "You Make Me Wanna," re-established Usher as one of R&B's hottest artists, and also made him a crossover sensation; it topped the R&B charts for 11 weeks, hit number two pop, and eventually went double platinum. Both of the follow-up singles, "Nice & Slow" and "My Way," also went platinum; the former stayed at number one on the R&B charts for eight weeks and became his first number one pop single. In the meantime, Usher launched an acting career, appearing in the 1998 horror spoof The Faculty and the 1999 urban high-school drama Light It Up. To tide fans over, he issued a concert recording titled simply Live in 1999. Usher returned with his third proper album, All About U, toward the end of 2000. His third album, 8701, (2001) moved Usher from a teen pop star to a sultry R&B singer.

Christina Aguilera

Name : Christina Aguilera

Date of birth : 18 December 1980

Place of birth : Staten Island, New York, USA

Birth name : Christina Maria Aguilera

Nickname : Chrissy

Height : 5' 2½

Christina Aguilera Detailed Biography

Christina Maria Aguilera (born December 18, 1980) is an American pop singer and ex-Mouseketeer who rose to fame in the late 1990s with her debut hit song Genie in a Bottle.

She was born in Staten Island, New York, USA.

Her first song recorded was in Japan, but she only caught the attention of Americans when she released the song reflection for the Disney animated production of Mulan. The video clip featured a young Christina with a bob hair cut, who did not know what was ahead of her young career.

Catering to the fresh pop sound that was popular of the era, her career is still going strong in the year 2002, although her image has become increasingly sexual.

In the year 2000 she emphasized her Latino heritage, following the Latino trend of the time, by releasing her first Latin album, Mi Reflejo. At this time she claimed to have been learning Spanish.

By the year 2002, however, her previously heralded vocals were much overlooked as she began to change her fresh, youthful image into that of a highly sexualized woman with hip-hop and porn-star influences. The video for her 2002 single Dirrty featured her writhing with members of both sexes including a female-only shower scene in which she was wearing only a thong and a bra. She claimed that releasing her first song had consequently catagorised her into the clean, squeaky, pop tart range and was not her. She added that she felt suffocated, and deliberately escaped from the media to return later on as herself, and expressing her voice.

The Dirrty video also made the news when the government of Thailand banned the video from national television, because a pair of posters that appear in the background of the boxing ring advertise, in Thai language, the sex tourism and underage girls of Thailand. The producers and director of the video claimed to be ignorant of the meaning of the posters. She is currently banned from entering Thailand as it offended the Thai people.

Her 2nd official English speaking album, Stripped, was ranked one of the worst albums to have been released by many charts, but fans beg to differ. Stripped features many interludes, one before the track, Infatuation, which features her speaking fluent Spanish.

Aguilera's voice has been complemented with brilliance several times, and even in comparison to diva, Mariah Carey.

Britney Spears

Britney Spears will be bankrupt soon if she lives beyond her mean.
Britney Spears is hospitalised and is advised to be in rehab.
Britney Spears caused trouble with papparazi.
Britney Spears divorced K-Fed and paid a big sum of alimony.
Britney Spears behaves like a Comedian nowdays.
Britney Spears look dull by being bald.
Britney Spears is truly mad as she appeared talking to herself in front of the mirror most of the time.
Britney Spears used to be a sex symbol.
Britney Spears lost her virginity at 12 or 14?
Britney Spears tried to attempt suicide twice!

Born on 2nd December 1981, Kentwood, Louisiana, USA. One of the last teenage superstars of the millennium, Spears enjoyed her breakthrough success at the end of 1998. She appeared in local dance revues and church choirs as a young girl, and at the age of eight auditioned for The Mickey Mouse Club. Although she was too young to join the series, a producer on the show gave her an introduction to a New York agent. She subsequently spent three summers at the Professional Performing Arts School Center. She appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions as a child actor, including Ruthless (1991). She returned to the [ Walt ] Disney Channel for a spot on The Mickey Mouse Club, where she was featured for two years between the ages of 11 and 13. She began to audition for pop bands in the New York area, her demo tapes eventually landing on the desk of Jive Records' Jeff Fenster. ''Her vocal ability and commercial appeal caught me right away,'' he recalls. She was expensively groomed by Jive, who put her in the studio with Eric Foster White (producer and writer for Boyzone, Whitney Houston and others). They employed top R&B writer Max Martin (of Backstreet Boys fame) to produce her debut single, ''... Baby, One More Time'', and an album of the same title. They also set up a promotional free phone number where fans could listen to Spears' music and interviews throughout the summer of 1998. She toured American venues for a series of concerts sponsored by US teen magazines, eventually joining 'N Sync on tour. The careful planning paid off when her debut album and single went on to top the American charts at the start of 1999. The album and single enjoyed similar success in the UK and Europe. The ballad ''Sometimes'' and the funky ''(You Drive Me) Crazy'' were also substantial transatlantic hits. ''Born To Make You Happy'' topped the UK charts in January 2000. The demand for new Spears material was satisfied when her sophomore set, Oops! ... I Did It Again, was released in May. The album contained the expected quota of well-produced, expertly crafted pop songs alongside a risible cover version of (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.

Name : Britney Spears

Real Name : Britney Jean Spears

Nick Name : Bit-Bit, Brit, Pinkey

Date Of Birth : December 2, 1981

Place Of Birth : Kentwood, Louisiana, USA

Sign : Sagittarius

Height : 5'4''

Residence : New York and Kentwood

Hair : Brown

Brown : Eye

Father : Jamie Spears

Mother : Lynne Spears

Fan Mail : Britney Fan Club

P.O. Box 250

Osyka, MS 39657

USA