THE #1 SONG SEVEN YEARS AGO TODAY WAS....

....Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis. Remember Leona Lewis? She won The X Factor is the UK and released this as her debut single there in 2007. It became the #1 single of 2007 there. Then in 2008 Leona's record label released her album in the US. Bleeding Love shot up the charts and hit #1 for a week, then went away for two weeks to make room for Mariah's Touch My Body, then back to #1 for another week, then gone again for a week while Lil' Wayne stepped in with Lollipop , then back again for two more weeks before ceding to Rihanna's Take A Bow. Settle down, bitch!! Anyway, the song ended up being the second biggest hit of 2008 in the US, behind Low by FloRida (basically the same song, right?) and making Leona potentially the next huge thing, with frequent comparisons to Mariah Carey. Well, that didn't happen. While she has continued with her success in her native UK and despite her debut album, Spirit, hitting #1 in the US, she has only charted one more album -- her sophomore effort Echo hit #13 in 2009 -- and two other top 40 hits in the American Hot 100 since. But, as far as one-hit wonders go, Bleeding Love is not a bad one to have under your belt. Am I right, ladies? The song has sold over 4 million digital downloads in the US alone and was the 7th most successful song on the Hot 100 from 2000 to 2009. Work, girl. Anyway, here is the #1 song from seven years ago today, Leona Lewis' Bleeding Love. Or as I like to sing it, "I keep peeing. Keep, keep peeing blood." You're welcome.

JUST BECAUSE: DANNII MINOGUE IN AUSTRALIAN INSTYLE MAGAZINE

Haven't heard from Dannii Minogue in a while, but this is worth the wait. The Aussie singer/actress/presenter and sister of Kylie is looking GORGEOUS in these new photos from Australian InStyle Magazine. Wow. Stunning. Click on the Photos to enlarge. Enjoy.

LADY GAGA PERFORMS MARRY THE NIGHT ON UK X FACTOR

Giving a headless corpse a piggy-back ride? All in a day's work for our Lady Gaga. Here is our girl performing her newest single from the monster smash album Born This Way, Marry the Night. Lookin' good, soundin' good, Gaga. Don't worry, she doesn't wear the corpse for very long. She changes into a sleek little leotard number and her hair looks great! MTN will hit radio in the US officially tomorrow. Watch below.

THE CAST OF GLEE PERFORM ON THE X FACTOR IN THE UK

Glee is not just a sensation in America, but all over the world. The X Factor, one of the UK's biggest hits, soon to debut with Simon Cowell here, has HUGE stars do performances weekly and last week it was the cast of Glee. YAY!! Watch the gang tear up a version of Don't Stop Believin' for the UK audience. Amazy! Rumors are circulating that the cast will tour the UK like they did here for Season 1. Fun! Glad to see the whole world is catching on and becoming Gleeks. Princess Lea may soon be Queen!

KYLIE MINOGUE PERFORMS BETTER THAN TODAY ON X FACTOR

Kylie Minogue gave a joyous performance of her new single, the Stuart Price produced Better Than Today on the X Factor over in the UK recently and she looks AMAZING!!!!!! I love it!! Kylie is so great and the song is too! Minogue's album Aphrodite is reportedly getting a re-issue with extra tracks, but there is no official statement on the release yet. Until then, enjoy your Kylie when you can get it. Here she is with Better Than Today.

ALEXANDRA BURKE AT SECOND WEEK AT #1 ON THE UK SINGLES CHART

One of my fave Brit pop singers, former X Factor winner Alexandra Burke, has another hit on her hand with the lead single, Start Without You, from the upcoming repackaged rerelease of her album Overcome. Hopefully this is all a hype up to a US release. This girl is FIERCE!!!! Now this song is not my fave of hers (see Bad Boys and Broken Heels for that), but it's a goodie. Check it out below.

DANNII MINOGUE SIGNS NEW RECORD DEAL

Kylie is not the only Minogue working the music biz right now. Dannii Minogue, Kylie's little sister, has reportedly inked a $1.5 million deal with Ministry of Sound, a dance label, for a new single. Dannii, who is pregnant with her first child, hasn't released any new music since 2007 when she began judging on X Factor is the UK. There are also reports Dannii will film the process of recording for a reality show. No stranger to the music scene, Dannii has racked up 12 #1 hits on the UK dance charts in her long career. She also flirted with success on the US Electro charts, hitting #17 with her Neon Nights album in 2003, and putting four singles on the Dance Charts: Who Do You Love Now? (#12) Put the Needle On It (#17) I Begin to Wonder (#9) and Don't Wanna Lose This Feeling (#8). I'm excited to see what Dannii puts out next. [source][image]

VIDEO FOR ALEXANDRA BURKE'S "ALL NIGHT LONG"

I love, love, love Alexandra Burke. Her album, Overcome, is packed with hits (I featured Bad Boys and Broken Heels on her already) and I really hope it gets a release in the States soon. Here is the video for her current single in the UK All Night Long. This girl can S-I-N-G!!! Watch and listen.

PAULA ABDUL SET TO MAKE A MILLION

Paula Abdul may not be on American Idol anymore, but offers are still coming her way. According to TMZ, ABC has offered the Straight Up singer a $1 million development deal if she appears on Dancing with the Stars. ABC has apparently been after Abdul forevs to be on Dancing withe Hasbeens and the deal would not keep her from being on Simon Cowell's The X Factor. Paula will have to make a quick desision though because ABC wants her on DWTS thi sseason, which is staring in March. Simon and Paula have already met about X Factor and it's probably a done deal. She may actually be FOREVER your girl Although her "girl" period ended about 30 years ago. Yea for Paula! [source][image]

SIMON COWELL STARTS RECRUITING X FACTOR JUDGES

Simon is keeping it familiar when it comes to looking for judges on his new, US version of X Factor. Cowell is in discussion with both Paula Abdul, his former co-judge on American Idol, and Cheryl Cole, the UK pop star and judge on the UK version of X Factor. The judges on X Factor have a more active role in the process, mentoring the talent themselves through the course of the competition. I wonder how Paula will like sharing the spotlight with the much younger, glamorous and less drunk-all-the-time Cole. I am sure Cheryl will use this exposure to launch her singing career in the US, and SHOULD! Her album is bangin' and deserves some love over here. [source]

SIMON COWELL LEAVING AMERICAN IDOL

Simon Cowell confirmed in a surprise appearance at the Television Critics Association tour that the new season of American Idol, which begins tonight night on Fox, will be his final one. More interestingly, Cowell is preparing to bring his UK show The X Factor over to Fox in 2011. He will be exec-producing and appearing as a judge on the show. Even though the shows are not exactly the same, will you watch the one WITH Simon or without? When the crowd asked Cowell about his plans for his replacement on Idol he stated, “I’m going to suggest Ryan (Seacrest), because he can have another job, he can present the show and judge the show. He just jumps off the stage, into the judge’s chair, and back again. He added,“I don’t know who’s going to do it. I think there are a lot of people who want to do the job now, that’s where it’s different from years ago. What’s important is to get somebody who knows what they’re talking about. That’s the most important thing about these shows.” Simon expressed confidence that Idol will be go on without him despite a poll finding that 60% of Americans said they wouldn't watch without him. X Factor has no age limit and groups can participate, making it different than Idol, but slightly more like America's Got Talent. Cowell like the difference. “Susan Boyle is the biggest example of why I like doing shows with an upper age range,” Cowell said of the now-famous SuBo from Britain’s Got Talent. “She has become the biggest selling recording artist. It’s an incredible story. Hopefully on The X Factor we’re going to meet the American version of Susan." When asked what else they will be looking for on The X Factor, Simon says, “right now, who has the biggest ‘X Factor’ in the world? Lady Gaga. She’s the most influential artist in the world. I would love to find somebody like that.” Simon was also asked if professional hot mess Paula Abdul might be joining the X Factor. “I adore Paula,” Cowell said. “Whatever happens, I will be working with her in some capacity, because I miss her.” Should be interesting to see how these two shows play off each other. They are both on Fox, so there's plenty of room for both to succeed. How much will having Simon make a difference? Who knows. Do you care?

ALEXANDRA BURKE'S NEW VIDEO FOR BROKEN OT HEELS

HOT HOT HOT!! I love Alexandra Burke, last year's winner of X Factor in the UK and her first single, Bad Boys, was smokin'. Now comes the follow up, the soops sassy Broken Heels. A female anthem that is gonna blow you away. Check it out!!!

JANET JACKSON ON X FACTOR

Here is Janet's performance on X Factor. Love her.

LADY GAGA ON X FACTOR

Check out the totes brill Lady Gaga on Britain's X Factor. She's the shizz!

STING IS NOT A FAN OF SINGING COMPETITION SHOWS

Sting went OFF on some of the most successful shows on television recently. The former Police frontman is not having any of this "televised karaoke" and says it's filled with talentless wannabes. He says, "I am sorry but none of those kids are going to go anywhere, and I say that sadly. They are humiliated when they get sent off. How appalling for a young person to feel that rejection. It is a soap opera which has nothing to do with music. In fact, it has put music back decades. Television is very cynical." Right, because when you walk into a record label there's NEVER any rejection!!! You are treated with only respect. NOT! He even goes off on the judges of the X Factor saying,"The X Factor is a preposterous show and you have judges who have no recognisable talent apart from self-promotion, advising them what to wear and how to look. It is appalling." WOW! Somebody woke up on the wrong side of his record sales this morning. Obviously there are some untalented people involved with these shows, but there are also your Leona Lewises and Kelly Clarksons who go on to great success. So maybe Sting is just sucking on some bitter pills. He's still hot though.[source]

LEONA LEWIS PERFORMS ON X FACTOR

Leona Lewis won the X Factor in 2006 and now she has gone back to perform her new single, Happy. Her voice is pretty great, excellent actually, but the song is not my favorite (and is not doing well on the Hot 100, only getting as far as #50). The performance vocally is stunning, and it's nice to see someone just stand and command a stage for a change instead of relying on all the bells and whistles to distract from talent. Here's Leona Lewis with Happy.

OOPS I DID IT AGAIN....BADLY

HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL!! These twinky twins from the X Factor over in the UK have made Britney Spears sound like Barbra Streisand! John and Edward Grimes are under the impression they know how to sing and dance. I beg to differ. Bless them for gaying it up. I feel like The Incredible Hulk compared to these two! Anyhooses, they farted their way through a rendition of Britney's Oops..I Did It Again and....well......see for youserlf. Maybe they have a future in fetish porn. I hope so, cuz OH MY LAWD!!!