LFO Lead Singer Rich Cronin Dies At 35

LFO (Rich Cronin center)

Rich Cronin, lead singer of the 90’s boy band LFO, has died of cancer.

TMZ reports that the singer died this afternoon (September 8) after suffering a stroke. He was 35 years old.

Rich was first diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in 2005 after experiencing exhaustion and extreme headaches. He went into remission in 2006 after undergoing chemo.

LFO is mostly known for their late 90’s smash single, Summer Girls. They went on to release the single, Girl On TV. The video for the song featured actress and Rich’s former girlfriend, Jennifer Love Hewitt.

American Idol’s Allison Iraheta And Jive Records Part Ways

Allison Iraheta - Wireimage

American Idol season 8’s 4th place finisher, Allison Iraheta, and her recording home, Jive Records, have officially parted ways. The split was confirmed this morning (September 8) via a record label representative.

Rumors of Allison’s departure from Jive Records began to swirl when fans noticed her images and information was plucked from the record label’s homepage. While Allison is no longer with Jive Records she remains signed to 19 Recordings, according to Entertainment Weekly. 19 Recordings is the label attached to Idol’s producers, 19 Entertainment.

During Allison’s time on Jive Records, she released her debut album, Just Like You. The album, released in November of 2009, has sold modestly. It debuted at No. 35 on the Billboard 200 in its first week of release, selling 32,000 copies.

Allison is currently on tour with Adam Lambert on his hugely successful Glam Nation Tour.

Rihanna Is Red Hot (And Naked) On “Only Girl (In The World)” Single Cover

Rihanna - Only Girl (click to enlarge)

The sound of Rihanna’s new album is different from her dark and gritty Rated R era, but her shtick for her single covers is the same: look hot, get naked.

A red hot, red-haired Rihanna gets naked in a field holding a red dress on the cover of her new single “Only Girl (In The World).”

The single, produced by Norwegian duo Stargate, made its radio and internet debut Tuesday (September 7) to mostly rave reviews. We find it quite yummy, like a quick trip back to her Good Girl Gone Bad era, but we hope some of the artistic growth Rihanna made on Rated R continues.

“Only Girl” leads Rihanna fifth studio album, Loud, in stores, according to sources, in November.

Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” Ends Eminem And Rihanna Billboard Hot 100 Reign

Katy Perry

Eminem relinquished his Billboard 200 albums chart crown when to Katy Perry last week when she released her sophomore album, Teenage Dream, and now he’ll have to do the same on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Katy’s new single, “Teenage Dream,” will knock Eminem’s “Love The Way You Lie” featuring Rihanna from No. 1 after a seven-week reign when the chart is updated tomorrow, Billboard.com reports.

“Teenage Dream” is Katy’s second No. 1 single from her sophomore album. She spent six weeks at No. 1 with “California Gurls” featuring Snoop Dogg before Eminem and Rihanna bumped her from the top spot.

New Video: Chris Brown & Twista Get Their Ron Jeremy On In “Make A Movie”

Chris Brown in Twista's "Make A Movie"

A mansion in the valley, girls, guys, bedrooms and film cameras. Sounds like a recipe of the adult film variety in Chris Brown and Twista’s new video, “Make A Movie,” the first single from the Chicago rapper’s new album, The Perfect Storm.

The clip, helmed by captivating director Colin Tilley, doesn’t require a script, the sexy R&B star notes, or too much imagination. As the seductive track insists, there’s a mission in place, and a movie to be made… but not so fast. The visual isn’t as literal as the song suggests.

While the video doesn’t venture too far into the pseudo-porn realm most R&B acts (including Breezy’s hot and racy “No Bullsh*t”) have found themselves exploring as of late, we couldn’t help but notice while we were enjoying swoon-worthy, adult Breezy (and others *may have been* enjoying a Don-looking Twista), their female co-stars seemed to get more of a kick out of each other than either one. How girl-on-girl of them!

Lights, cameras, action—this “film” has something for everybody. Check it out!

Video: Lady Gaga Breaks Up Fight Between Little Monsters At Washington DC Concert

A fight in Washington DC? How appropriate. But the battle didn’t happen in the White House, it was actually in the audience at Lady Gaga’s Monster Ball concert last night (September 7) at DC’s Verizon Center.

Gaga had to break out her “Mother Monster” claws to break up a fight between two little monsters that started during a performance of Gaga’s “Monster,” and because concert-goers are so into sharing, the footage is available for everyone to see on YouTube.

“Stop the music!” Gaga yelled when she noticed the scuffle. “Stop fighting! Do not fight at this show!”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just don’t want you to fight. This is all about love and unity and happiness, not fighting…Only fake monster fighting.”

To cut the tension, Gaga turned the focus away from the fight and back onto herself with a scream-inducing question: “Do you think I’m sexy?” Peacekeepers are way sexy.

See the video above and read a great review of the show from our friends at Bark + Bite here.

Robyn Says Singing “Hyperballad” For Bjork Was “Nerve-Racking”

Robyn, Bjork - youtube

Performing a cover of a beloved artist’s song is hard enough, but performing in front of the artist? Terrifying. Just ask Swedish pop chanteuse Robyn who performed a cover of Bjork’s “Hyperballad” in front of Bjork herself at the 2010 Polar Music Prize last week, where the Icelandic star was being honored.

“I was so nervous, of course,” Robyn told NeonLimelight.com in a telephone interview. “I mean, you ask yourself why you even said yes to doing something like that because it’s so nerve-racking to perform the song of the artist in front of the artist.” But Robyn did say yes, and the result was a beautifully sparkling, more electro-pop take on the song.

So, how did Bjork like it? According to Robyn, it received Bjork’s stamp of approval. “She really liked it,” she told us. “She came up to me afterwards and said hi and that she loved the arrangement. She seemed pretty moved by the whole evening. That was great.”

As for meeting Bjork, Robyn didn’t find that experience nearly as off-putting. “You could tell immediately that she’s a very real person. It felt very natural, but performing ["Hyperballad"] in front of her? Yeah. That was very nerve-racking.”

Robyn is currently supporting the release of her new album, Body Talk Pt. 2, in stores now.

Usher Announces Dates For North American ‘OMG’ Tour

Usher - Wireimage

Get ready to say OMG. Usher is hitting the road this fall.

The Grammy-winning R&B showman has announced dates for his trek of North America, dubbed the ‘OMG Tour.’

The tour will kick off in Seattle, WA at the Key Arena on November 10, before hitting major markets like Los Angeles’ Staples Center on November 18, the Phillips Arena in his hometown of Atlanta, GA on December 5, Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 13, and wrap in Hartford, CT December 18 at the XL Center.

Tickets for the OMG tour, in support of Usher’s latest releases, Raymond V Raymond and Versus, will begin going on sale on September 17.

No word on who will be hitting the stage as opening act. At one point, R&B star Chris Brown was rumored to be on the tour, but talks have since fallen through.

See OMG tour dates, according to the press release, below:

New Video: Bruno Mars – Just The Way You Are

Bruno Mars - MTV

Bruno Mars loves his lady just the way she is and he’s out to let her know it in the video for his debut single, Just The Way You Are.

In the clip, Bruno uses the tape from inside an old school audio cassette to paint a picture of all the things he loves about his leading lady. Although she is smoking hot, she doesn’t seem to think so but a little reassurance–and a loving serenade– from Bruno goes a long way.

Just The Way You Are leads Bruno Mars’ debut album, Doo-wops And Hooligans. The set is due in stores October 5th.

New Music: 9-Year-Old Willow Smith Sets The ‘Net On Fire With “Whip My Hair”

Willow Smith - Bauer Griffin

Well, this pretty much came out of nowhere, but we’re pretty glad it did!

The uber-stylish spawn of Will Smith and his actor wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, 9-year-old Willow Smith, unleashed a beast of a record on the internet yesterday in the form of her debut single “Whip My Hair.”

The track is mood music for all the kiddies heading back to school and brushing off their haters and that super hard math tests with a sassy whip of their hair.

Funny enough, “Whip My Hair” is also ear candy for those who are twice, even three times Willow’s age who want a song with a hard beat, catchy hook, and expletive-free lyrics to work out or hit their dougie to. The minute the song opens with Willow singing “I whip my hair back and forth,” you’re hooked.

Willow has already earned comparisons to pop dominator Rihanna for their similar leather-and-lace, girly yet edgy style. Is it a coincidence that “Whip My Hair” dropped the very same day Rihanna released her new single, “Only Girl (In The World)“? Eh. Who knows. But RiRi might have herself some adorable, pint-sized (friendly) competition.

Willow Smith – Whip My Hair [click here to listen]