By Anna Jane Grossman, For The Associated Press 18 minutes ago

It’s not often that you get to meet the First Lady. But if you’re Joss Stone, a brush with American royalty at Fashion Week pales in comparison to running into — Ana Ortiz?

“I met Ana from ‘Ugly Betty!’” Stone gushed Saturday night. “I just love that show. I don’t really watch TV, but I download it and ‘Lost’ from iTunes,” she said.

Stone saw both Bush and Ortiz at the Red Dress Collection fashion show Friday, the First Lady’s healthy heart campaign.

“I saw the Bush lady,” Stone recalled Saturday evening, sitting in the front row of the Rock & Republic show, just in front of Katy Perry (singer of the not-for-corporate-radio “hit” single “Ur So Gay”).

“I care for American politics because it affects the rest of the world so much, but I just don’t really care for the Bush family,” Stone continued. “I’d actually met her before at the White House and it was like ‘Hey how are you,’ and then she was gone. I mean, to be fair, I guess she seemed like a nice enough chick, but I don’t really know.”

As far as her encounter with the catwalk goes, the 20-year-old British soul singer pulled no punches.

“I hated the modeling — it was so embarrassing!” she said. “I’d never do that again.”

___

REALITY CHECK

The Hollywood writers strike — and the resulting dearth of award show red carpets — may be driving celebrities to woo the paparazzi and rub shoulders at Fashion Week. But after months of TV reruns and reality shows, the non-actors currently dominating the airwaves were the more recognizable folk at some of the shows at Fashion Week on Saturday.

“I watch Tyson and Nikki’s show and Heidi’s show because they’re friends,” said actress Natasha Henstridge (aka the “Species” girl), referring to “Make Me A Super Model” and “Project Runway,” respectively.

Henstridge was in the front row of the Rock & Republic show, sitting on the lap of her very own reality star, 27-year-old Darius Danesh. The finalist from Pop Idol, the British predecessor of American Idol, seemed slightly miffed that an American reporter didn’t recognize him.

“I’m a platinum selling singer/songwriter in the UK who just landed the lead role in Trevor Nunn’s production of ‘Gone with the Wind,’” he said, a recitation that bore an eerie similarity to his Wikipedia bio.

But other reality stars seemed to be getting their due recognition.

Nigel Barker, the fashion photographer who weighs in at the end of every episode of “America’s Next Top Model,” got seated in the front row at the Rock & Republic show. A frenzy of photographers surrounded him earlier in the day when he arrived at the Verrier show, which wouldn’t have been so noticeable if there had been any one else getting half as much attention.

“I keep hearing that they’re going to be more celebrities at the shows this year because of the writers strike, but I honestly think that so many people are just freaked out by the strike and are staying at home,” he said. “I, on the other hand, work on a non-scripted show.”

He stopped to have his picture taken. Then the photographer asked if someone could take her picture with him. Does he get this meta-request often?

“It’s flattering to have photographers want to have their pictures with me,” Barker said. “I can only imagine it’s going to continue — we’ve just gotten picked up for (six more seasons).”

At the Sass & Bide show later in the afternoon, “Miss J” Alexander, an established model coach who is also a judge on the show, seemed less than thrilled that Barker shared the news. “I think it might kill me. I might die — really,” he said.

Alexander’s foremost advice for models present and future: “I tell them to eat! So many of them are just too skinny, and then the clothing doesn’t look good on them, and they don’t get booked.”

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THESE ARE THE GOOD OLD DAYS

By modeling standards, 33-year-old Nikki Taylor might be kindly called a “veteran” of the industry. And she’s just fine with that.

“I feel like a mom to them,” Taylor said, sitting a couple seats down from Nicky Hilton, surrounded by a gaggle of young models from her show. “I keep wanting to check up with them and say, is everyone OK? Everyone having a good time? What did you all think?” Taylor said.

Waxing nostalgic, she noted that the fashion industry hardly resembles the one she dominated in the ’90s. “Those feel to me like the good old days,” she said.

“Today, there’s just more of everything. More designers, more magazines — there’s more something for everyone. But these days, I’m happy in my role as ‘mom.’”

Across the runway, a handful of Nashville natives who’d been to Taylor’s Tennessee-based clothing store, Abbie & Jesse’s, speculated about the identity of the blonde woman with whom the model spent many of the preshow minutes chit-chatting. A passel of cameramen ‘fessed up to not knowing who the woman was either, despite snapping as many pictures of her as they could.

The girl was Katrina Bowden, the perky actress who plays the ditsy secretary Cerie on NBC’s “30 Rock” — a show of the variety that existed in earlier times: when writers were working.

The Nashville ladies, however, didn’t seem to recall the existence of the pre-strike folk known as “actors.”

“She must be one of the models on Nikki Taylor’s show,” said one. “And she is SO kissing up!”

By Katie Hasty 43 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - It's been more than 15 years since the original lineup of groundbreaking British rock act Gang of Four has released new material, but the foursome has been busy since getting back together to rerecord old tracks for 2005's "Return the Gift."

The crew has been working on and off in guitarist Andy Gill's London studio to complete a set for self-release this year.

"When we first got back together a couple years ago, doing the 'reunion' part of touring and all that, we resisted making new material. We had the fear that we weren't ready, that it had been a too long a time for people to care," bassist Dave Allen told Billboard.com. "Then we realized we had a lot of fun together — more than we thought we would."

Drummer Hugo Burnham is sitting out the sessions because of unnamed health issues. "Hugo's still involved in some ways, but it's a very personal issue that will be discussed at a later date," Allen said.

Writing began in November 2007 in Istanbul, and the group plans to reconvene on and off throughout the spring with an eye on a June album release.

"So far, (the new songs) aren't a huge departure from what we've done before," Allen said. "The biggest surprise is that we've been capable of getting back to our roots. A whole bunch that we've done sounds like 'Entertainment!'(from 1979). It's more aggressive, more angular. People might also be intrigued that (singer) Jon (King) is singing better than he ever did."

Gang of Four was as well known in the post-punk era for its funk-tinged sound as for its political lyrics. Allen said the new songs' lyrics will continue to take the "personal as politics" bent, though, as always, "we never print the issues out in black-and-white."

"I recently looked around the music landscape, and there's no one out there doing anything about issues," said Allen, who uses his Pampelmoose.com site to discuss music and post MP3s. "What I'm really getting at is that we have on our hands a global conflict."

He continued, "Rock music has lost its way. People used to be speaking out in the arts … but in the last 15 years, all the artists have become pro-everything. Rock ceded our voice to underground hip-hop, speaking out about social issues and American hegemony, but now even that's gone."

Gang of Four is without a label deal at the moment, leaving open a variety of possibilities for the release of new music.

"We might be releasing the first single or four songs for free on the Internet, or on vinyl, or both, and just see what the marketplace is like," Allen said. "We're trying to energize the base, and we know that we're dealing with an enormous group of new and younger fans."

Reuters/Billboard

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Entertainment Writer 3 minutes ago

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - It’s supposed to be top secret — but Akon is giving out a tidbit of information about the rumored ad that Michael Jackson is doing for the Super Bowl.

“We just did a commercial — it’s a Pepsi commercial. He actually involved me in it so I feel like I’m a part of that process,” Akon told The Associated Press on Friday at Maxim’s pre-Super Bowl bash.

Jackson is releasing a 25th anniversary edition of his best-selling album “Thriller” on Feb. 12, featuring acts like Akon, Kanye West and Fergie on remix editions of that historic disc’s songs.

“It’s really moreso Mike picking a lot of the acts that he liked and admired today, and kind of getting them the big songs that they like and reinventing it like it was their own,” he explained. “Everyone has their own taste of how that would have been.”

It’s been reported that an ad for the CD will be featured during the Super Bowl. But while Akon did confirm a commercial does exist, he was closed-mouthed when asked how to describe it.

“Oh, he might kill me,” Akon laughed about Jackson. “But it’s gonna be funny. You’re going to love it. He’s not even in it. But it’s crazy. I want to tell you so bad!”

Akon was a surprise performer with singer-rapper T-Pain at the Maxim event, one of dozens of soirees happening in the Phoenix area for Super Bowl week. But Akon, best known for songs like “I Wanna Love You” and “Don’t Matter,” wasn’t planning on taking part in the party madness.

“At every big event, it’s always the same excitement,” Akon said. “Right now I’m so focused … about trying to take over, I don’t focus on the party side.”

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY, AP Entertainment Writer 10 minutes ago

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Paula Abdul, who has a new song with fellow “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson, blames a plane mishap for keeping her out of the musical arena for more than a decade.

“I’ve been really really blessed and fortunate and it’s really really poignant for me to come back now,” Abdul, who is one of the pre-Super Bowl performers, told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Abdul is featured on the first single off the new album from Jackson, due next month. The song is titled “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow.”

But Abdul says an emergency plane landing that caused her injury in 1992 — she calls it a “plane crash” — was a key reason why she abandoned her multiplatinum singing career (she hasn’t released a new album since 1995).

“I had four plates and fourteen cervical spinal surgeries,” Abdul told The Associated Press while she picked up items Saturday at The Retreat at Super Bowl XLII, a celebrity gifting suite. “It all happened during the time that I disappeared and no one knew where I went. For five and a half years, I went through paralsys, the worst experience, and then I came back on ‘American Idol,’ that was my first time back out there.”

Abdul decided to return to music when Jackson asked her to be one of the artists on “Randy Jackson’s Musical Club, Vol. 1.”

“Everything felt right. The song was amazing,” said Abdul, who added that she just finished a video for the song: “I’m dancing — wait to you see me,” she said. “I’m doing things that you won’t believe, that I don’t even beleive.”

She’s already started work on a new album that she expects to be released by the summer.

As for her other job, “American Idol,” Abdul claims that this season’s talent is the strongest yet.

“All the fat is trimmed, meaning that it’s prime rib the whole lot,” she said. “If we do it right and America does it right there could be a top twelve that are of the likes of Daughtry, Kelly, Carrie, I’m telling, you’re in for an amazing season.”

(This version CORRECTS Super Bowl to XLII).)

By Hillary Crosley 9 minutes ago

NEW YORK (Billboard) - In her decade-plus career, R&B artist Erykah Badu hasn't been afraid to wait long periods between projects.

But now Badu is making up for lost time. Five years since her last release, the "Worldwide Underground" EP, she is putting the finishing touches on "Nu AmErykah," a double album to be released in separate installments.

The first disc, dubbed "4th World War," arrives February 26 via Universal Motown, while the second, as yet untitled installment is tentatively slated for the summer.

Badu isn't particularly concerned about whether the extended layoff may have affected her fan base. "I don't worry about that, but the label mentions that a lot," she said. "I think if people like music, then they like music."

To be sure, the Dallas native has still posted impressive sales numbers by focusing solely on the music. Her 1997 debut, "Baduizm," has sold 2.6 million units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. A live album released that year shifted another 1.8 million, while the sales total for 2000's "Mama's Gun" stands at 1.3 million.

"Worldwide Underground" topped out at 609,000 copies. Badu freely admits that she didn't promote it. "I just didn't feel like it," she said. "I'd just had a new baby and I chose that."

Since then, she's made the occasional studio guest appearance (2002's "Brown Sugar" soundtrack, Zap Mama's "Bandi Bandi"), but has spent most of her time on the road.

"Artists don't make any money from recording," said Badu, who will be back on the road in the United States in May. "The only thing I make money from is touring. I stay on the road. I'm taking R&B where it's going."

Where Badu is going now is "Nu AmErykah." The album pushes the envelope of contemporary R&B with songs accented by finger cymbals, electronic keys and eerie, high-pitched choruses. The happy first single, "Honey," this week soared from No. 52 to No. 34 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Universal is targeting coffee shops and trendy cinemas in an effort to expand Badu's artsy niche market. "Honey" is playing before films at national indie theaters across the country, while the psychedelic "Nu AmErykah" cover art is gracing coffee-cup sleeves at an array of outlets.

Universal is also employing the burgeoning USB stick technology for the release. Fans who purchase the album in this format can access exclusive videos and Web content (including a Badu-created photo flipbook) that will be updated monthly.

And in fourth-quarter 2008, Universal hopes to extend Badu's reach with coffee drinkers by releasing a live album, "Loretta Brown," exclusively via Starbucks. Details have yet to be confirmed, and knowing Badu, they'll be decided on her own time.

"I don't always make the best decisions when it comes to timing between my records," she said. "I could be seen as a poor decision-maker when it comes to those things. But it sure feels good to me, and that's the only thing I can really go with."

Reuters/Billboard