Duffy and Kings of Leon were the big winners at the 2009 Brit Awards which were held at Earls Court in London, England last night bringing home a total of five awards between them. Coldplay, who were nominated for 4 awards, were the Brangelina of the awards show as they went home empty-handed. Sad. In happy news, Kylie Minogue played host to the Brits last night and, I understand, managed to do a pretty nice job … and also managed to show off 6 different outfits thruout the night … as should be expected from any respectable fashionista. Here are a few pics of some of the Brit award winners last night and some info on what went down last night:

Soul singer Duffy and US rockers King of Leon have triumphed at the Brit awards in London, taking five prizes between them in the biggest night of the year for British music. Elbow were named best British group, beating Coldplay whom they will support during a North American tour this year, while former The Jam front man Paul Weller was crowned best male solo artist. Rapper Kanye West was named best international male solo artist, Katy Perry won best international female solo artist and Iron Maiden — currently on a world tour — were crowned best British live act. Welsh singer-songwriter Duffy was close to tears as she accepted the award for best British album for “Rockferry”, the biggest selling debut album in the world last year and the winner of a Grammy earlier this month. “I can’t tell you what this means after five years, thank you so much,” the 24-year-old said. She was also named best British female solo artist and British breakthrough act, while Bernard Butler won the award for best British producer of the year for his work on “Rockferry”. Kings of Lean frontman Caleb Followill paid tribute to his British following as he received gongs for best international album for “Only by the Night” and best international group. The singer, whose band has enjoyed much greater success in Europe and Australia than in their native United States, said: “If it were not for England, Kings of Leon would not be a band… You created Kings of Leon, so good luck getting rid of us” … Pop group Girls Aloud won the award for best British single for “The Promise”, which was chosen by a live public vote on the night, prompting delighted bandmember Sarah Harding to exclaim: “It’s about time!” Girls Aloud, Duffy, Kings of Leon and boy band Take That all performed live, with Take That descending on the stage in a cloud of smoke and green lights to screams from adoring fans in the audience. Also on stage were the Pet Shop Boys, who won the Brit for outstanding contribution to music. Joined by Lady GaGa and Brandon Flowers from the Killers, they performed a medley of their best-known hits from “West End Girls” to “Always on My Mind”. Coldplay left empty-handed despite being nominated for four awards, apparently cold-shouldered by their home fans despite winning three Grammys this year.

HMMM … a shut-out for Coldplay. Could this be the beginning of the end for them? I am glad to hear that Duffy won so many awards. She is such a talent, I’m really pleased to know that real musicianship still matters at these award shows. I have yet to jump on the Kings of Leon bandwagon but I understand they are very popular with the kids these days. I might have to get their album to see what all the hubbub is about. While I wasn’t able to watch the Brit Awards myself, I did manage to watch a few of the live performances online. The Pet Shop Boys/Lady Gaga/Killers collabo was really very fun. After the jump, check out the mash-up performance of all of their biggest hits …

The 2009 British Academy Film Awards (the “UK Oscars“) were handed out at the The Royal Opera House in London, England last night and, to no one’s real surprise, Slumdog Millionaire (the awards show darling this season) took home the award for Best Film (along with 6 other awards) … beating out The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Milk and others. The good news for Benjamin Button is that the film did win two awards (Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects and Best Production Design) but Brad Pitt and his pseudo-wife Angelina Jolie went home empty handed … yet again. Here are a few photos from the red carpet arrivals last night:

Poor Brangelina … they both looked so lost on the red carpet … wandering around like that … methinks the couple may have indulged a bit too much of the bubbly in the limo ride to the awards before they hit the red carpet. Tsk Tsk. I don’t even know what to say about Goldie Hawn … she looked frightfully bad. I mean, yeesh! Penélope Cruz looked beautiful as did Freida Pinto … for the most part, the folks on the red carpet looked stunning … well, except for Goldie. Again, I say, yeesh! After the jump, check out a bunch of photos from the BAFTA press room and find out who won what at last night’s award show …

Pink reader Bat gave me the head’s up that Paula Abdul’s official website is currently streaming a new song that appears to be the first single from her upcoming new album which is due out in Summer ’09. The song is titled Boombox … which is curious, because Kylie Minogue just released a remix album titled Boombox and, wouldn’t you know it, features the very same song on the disc:

Head on over to PaulaAbdul.com to hear a short snippet of the track, which was also previewed on Paula‘s MTV cheerleader competition show Rah! which aired on MTV yesterday. Click HERE to hear one of Kylie‘s remixed versions of the track. Kylie‘s Boombox is released in OZ this week and will be released here in the US on the 27th … Paula‘s won’t come until the summer. While I am very excited that Paula is about to release a new album, I’m not really sure why she needs to release songs that have already been recorded and released by other more successful artists … or mebbe I just answered my own question.

[Source, thanks Bat]

Lindsay Lohan, Mischa Barton, Mary-Kate Olsen and about 1,997 other celebs made their way out to Dubai, United Arab Emirates for the official launch extravaganza for the new £1 billion luxury resort the Atlantis Palm on Palm Jumeirah Island earlier this week. The party itself cost £20 million and it really showed. Here are a few pics of some of the red carpet arrivals from the Atlantis Palm launch party and some deets on the party itself:

The credit crunch may be biting … but there was little sign of parsimony in Dubai [Thursday] night. The world’s rich and famous gathered for the most expensive private party ever thrown – costing some £20 million – to open Atlantis Palm Jumeirah, a £1 billion resort on a man-made island shaped like a palm tree in the Persian Gulf. Two thousand film stars, popstars, supermodels and billionaires were flown in from around the world for the all-expenses paid one-night party with many of them staying for four days. The highlight last night was a one-off gig by Kylie Minogue and her 113-strong dance troupe on the beach. Apart from getting a free holiday, Miss Minogue was also paid £1.5million for a 10-song 45-minute medley of her hits – which works out at some £33,333 a minute …

The gig was followed at midnight local time by a 1million-rocket firework display with 100 computer-guided rockets costing £7million which was seven times bigger than the largest display to date – for the Beijing Olympics …

They were no ordinary fireworks of course – each one being a radio-controlled 27-inch shell with an on-board microcomputer to direct its flight. The display, which was visible from space, was also filmed by a squadron of helicopters hovering at 12,000ft and beamed on giant TV HD screens on the beach. Miss Minogue, 40, arrived at the lavish party dressed in a pink and black floral chiffon gown with flowing train and her blonde hair in a curly short hairdo. Speaking on Sky News, just two hours before she was due to go on stage, an excited Kylie said: “It’s staggering. I guess more is more here and they have done a great job. My room’s very nice. It’s a different set list to the tour I’m doing at the moment. It’s an edited show especially for tonight.” The 40-year-old star remained tight-lipped about how much she was earning for her set, she said: “I can’t tell you how much pocket money I get, it goes straight in my piggy bank.” Speaking about the hotel’s potential, she added: “I think there’s a lot of people who love this kind of thing you get sun and everything you could wish for. My crew and dancers have been having a great time.” Guests included filmstars such as Robert De Niro, Charlize Theron, Denzil Washington, Mischa Barton and Lindsay Lohan, supermodels Agyness Deyn, Petra Nemcova and Yasmin Le Bon, musicans Janet Jackson, Lily Allen and Shirley Bassey, sports legends like Michael Jordan and Boris Becker and some local royalty – the Royal Family of Dubai … Oprah Winfrey bagged the most exclusive £25,000-a-night suite high up on a bridge suspended between the resort’s two towers. Yet when she pulled out, the scramble for the suite was eventually won a man many Britons may have never heard of – Shahrukh Khan – who is apparently the ‘Tom Cruise of Bollywood’ and as such the most famous filmstar in Middle East. Robert De Niro – a partner in the Nobu restaurant chain which has a site in the resort – had to make do with a £15,000 presidential suite. That left filmstars Lindsay Lohan and Charlize Theron with £10,000 a night Lost Chambers suites submerged alongside one of the world’s largest aquariums in the depths of the Atlantis resort, each with a truly jaw-dropping bedroom view of 65,000 sharks, rays and fish. No one paid for an air ticket to get there. The travel bill alone was estimated to be £3 million. Yesterday, the starry crowd spent the day riding camels, stroking dolphins and trying out the resort’s giant waterpark. A cocktail reception last night was followed by dinner on the beach, Miss Minogue’s show and they the fireworks. Though Dubai is mainly a ‘dry’ country, there was not much evidence of that at the soiree with some 1,000 bottles of Veuvre Cliquot champagne being thrown back. All of that drink was presumably needed to wash down the 1.7 metric tonnes of lobster that was eaten, 4,000 oysters, 3,000 kilos of smoked salmon and 5,000 portions of the best sushi – all prepared by 500 chefs and served by 1,000 waiters.

Ye gods! Talk about excess. It never ceases to amaze me how economic strain can take its toll on so many people thruout the world and, yet, celebs never seem to feel the pinch. Forget the millions of starving and dying people suffering each and every day, the rich and powerful live extravagant lives that most people can’t even dream of. It really sounds like a spectacular event but the amount of excess is pretty staggering. I’m not hating, I’m just … boggled. Yeah.

[Source]

Previously we’ve seen smokin’ hawt images from the official 2009 calendars of both David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo and today we get to see some hotness from the amazing Kylie Minogue. Here is the cover of her new 2009 official calendar:

As a bona fide Kylie fan, I know that this calendar is a MUST HAVE. I’m fairly certain that Kylie fans around the world are gonna want to get their hands on this baby … especially after they see the beautiful pics inside. After the jump, check out a few of the photos that are included in Kylie‘s new 2009 official calendar …

It looks like Kylie Minogue has finally moved on from her break-up with actor Olivier Martinez and has found a handsome new gent to keep her warm and cozy. Here are a couple pics of Kylie lookin’ all coupley with Spanish model Andres Velencoso at the Fendi ‘O’ Party which took place at Le Milliardaire Club in Paris, France Saturday night (the event was a birthday celebration for Dita von Teese). If you ask me, they look very much together in these pics:

SHE still walks her ex-boyfriend’s pooch but it looks like Kylie Minogue has found herself a new lap dog in her love life – and he’s a sexy Spanish supermodel to boot. The pop princess has been single since splitting with French actor Olivier Martinez last year. But she has found a cosy place to party in Martinez’s home town of Paris, right in the arms of an attentive younger man, Andres Velencoso. The 30-year-old from Barcelona, who has lucrative contracts with Chanel, Lacoste and Emporio Armani, was introduced to Minogue, 40, at a Fendi party thrown for the birthday of burlesque artist Dita Von Teese. The chemistry between Minogue and her Spanish friend as they cuddled on a couch over drinks reportedly had Paris Fashion Week crowds captivated. A visibly giggly Minogue agreed to pose for photos with the Martinez lookalike. “It was Dita’s party but Kylie was definitely the star of the show,” one onlooker said. “She was turning heads and people were asking about the guy she was sitting with. They certainly made a stunning-looking pair.” But whether love is written in their stars is debatable. Velencoso recently told OK! magazine he found it difficult to date given the international demands of his job.

HMMM … this Andres fellow does look an awful lot like Olivier Martinez, so mebbe Kylie hasn’t totally gotten over him just yet. In any event, it’s great to see Kylie lookin’ this happy nuzzled up to a new man. She’s been single for far too long, she really deserves to find happiness with someone … and if this sexy Spaniard is that special someone, then I wholly approve. As I mentioned, Velencoso is a model and you can see some of his work HERE (psst! he’s in his undies so you may want to take a look). They make a really cute couple … I guess we’ll know soon enough if any sort of relationship will actually spring from any of this.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Well now, what have we here … Miss Kylie Minogue has gone and gotten herself a surprising whole new look these days. Just last weekend, Kylie was spotted enjoying a night out with her friend and collaborator Jake Shears (of Scissor Sisters) lookin’ her usual cute self …

… the friends enjoyed dinner at Nobu in the Mayfair district of London, England Friday night but then got the hankering to get herself a bit of a make-over. After the jump, check out Kylie‘s longer, darker locks …

Kylie Minogue has released her new music video for her song The One, the 5th video from her most recent album X. The vid has a very 1950′s glam look about it … here are a few screencaps:

The One is actually one of my fave tracks off her new album and I think the vid suits the song very well. After the jump, check out the video in full …

Woot! Finally! Last night I was able to enjoy my first Kylie Minogue concert live and in person. After 20 years of being a fan and after seeing every concert she’s ever performed on DVD or, back in the day, bootlegged VHS (usually from Japan), last night was at long last my chance to see Kylie on stage with my own eyes. I was very surprised how good our seats were … I bought them online many months ago when they went on sale here in the UK and had forgotten that I managed to score center section floor seats — the show was pretty phenomenal … I am not comparing it to any other Kylie Concert that I’ve ever seen before on video because, after all, this was my first time — and one’s first time is always special ;)

Because today is a travel day (and because it’s Sunday), I won’t be able to work up a usual weekend day post. We have to leave our hotel in about an hour so I don’t have much time to post much this lovely AM. So … I am posting a bunch of my pics from last night’s KylieX2008 show and will do my best to try and post a bit more before the day is over. Irregardless, David and I will be in Paris, France by tomorrow morning so I will be back with a usual full day post.

Kylie Minogue played the first of her 7 (yes, 7) scheduled dates at the O2 Arena last night …

… and here is a taste of the show in pictures. After the jump, check out a few of the 500+ pics that I took last night and a full setlist of the night’s performance …

Welp … London has been lovely, let me tell you but as I mentioned yesterday … David and I haven’t been able to see very much of it thus far. After we finished work yesterday, it was too late to catch an early dinner so we had to catch a late dinner. We found a great sushi place near our hotel and had a very nice meal. Afterwards, we did a bit of walking in the Theater district near Trafalgar Square and popped into a pub called The Bear & Staff for a couple of pints. We spent the rest of the late night just walking around, taking in bits of the city as we went along.

I’ve been working all morning and will be wrapping up soon, David is out strolling about town so — we’re doing our best to enjoy what we can. We leave for Paris tomorrow night so it looks like our English exposure will be very limited. Even still, we are very much looking forward to tonight … for the first time, at long last, I will finally be able to see Kylie Minogue live and in concert!!!

I can’t even express my excitement … I will do my best to give a full report, hopefully with loads of pics!!!

Not sure what the plan for tonight is … we may try and attend the last party at G-A-Y tonight but we fear it may be too much of a madhouse to get in. In any event, we’ll do our best to have the best time we can. I’m already planning my next trip to Londontown … this visit will be far too short to adequately be able to enjoy the city.