M.I.A. gave the main stage at Coachella her best shot. It just didn’t work out. After a strong start, a few hiccups, and a somewhat listless finale, the Grammy-nominated new mom declared at the end of her hour-long set in the desert that “next time I’m back in the tent.” “I want to be in the sweat,” she said. M.I.A. had performed twice in smaller tents at the music festival, in its tenth year and one of the nation’s most prestigious. She noted earlier, “I really don’t know how to bring it on the main stage.” And her live show staples — climbing on speakers, dancing body-to-body with the crowd — didn’t quite fit the new digs. When she tried to bring some of the audience onstage Saturday night, security guards thwarted most fans. M.I.A. ended up on a platform above the crowd performing “Bird Flu,” and asked when it was over: “Can we get some order in the place? My baby’s waiting.” She gave birth to a son in February, a few days after the Grammys. The Killers took the main stage to close the evening. The Las Vegas-based group, who began with their most recent single “Human,” appeared far more comfortable in the setting. Wearing a black No Limit Records T-shirt, sneakers and jeans with Day-Glo green lining, M.I.A. performed songs from her two most recent albums and gave up the spotlight to Baltimore-based protege Rye Rye for a song. While she moved alongside Day-Glo-clad dancers for a lively opening number, she stood stiffly at other times behind a podium adorned with microphones as if at a news conference. Roaming into the audience with help of a piggyback ride, she finished with crowd favorite “Paper Planes,” lifted to hit status by appearances in “Pineapple Express” and “Slumdog Millionaire.” But the British-born, Sri-Lankan-bred rapper pushed back against Hollywood. She slyly referenced her status as Coachella replacement for Amy Winehouse, who canceled due to visa trouble, by singing “They tried to make me do the Oscars. I said no, no, no.” And, she noted, “I want to let you know that just ‘cuz I did the Grammys, it doesn’t mean I’ve gone all sold out.” Though she wasn’t embracing Hollywood, some of its regulars certainly wanted to be around for her. Zac Efron was seen ducking out of the fest’s VIP area in the afternoon Saturday, and Paris Hilton posed for pictures with her new boyfriend during Thievery Corporation’s popular main stage set just before M.I.A. Also performing Saturday were Joss Stone, TV On The Radio, Fleet Foxes — who apologized to fans after suffering repeated technical problems — and Travis Barker and DJ AM, who had the dance tent crowd roaring at their drum-assisted remixes of pop hits. Exact figures weren’t released but crowds at the three-day festival appear to have more than doubled the approximate 75,000 population of this community southeast of Palm Springs … Temperatures, climbing throughout the fest, were expected to hit the high 90s on Sunday, which features the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Public Enemy, My Bloody Valentine and the Cure.

Yeah, M.I.A. is best when she performs in a smaller setting. Her shows are all about the music and the energy from the crowd. With a massive sea of people dissipating the energy she tries to whip up, I can see how the performance might’ve fell a bit flat. In any event, she did her thang and prolly rightly concluded that she does better in the intimacy of the tents rather than the expansive mainstage. I hear the other performances were pretty kickass … sounds like fun. Tonight is the final night of the fest … and I’m sure all the desert folk will have a blast. David and I, on the other hand, will be making our way down to Anaheim, CA to see our second Britney Spears show :)

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

We got our hands on singer M.I.A’s new baby’s birth certificate and, as she disputed on her blog, the baby’s name is not Ickitt. That’s just ridiculous, who in their right mind would name their baby that? The real name happens to be Ikhyd. According to the document, Mathangi Maya Arulpragasam officially named her son Ikhyd Edgar Arular Bronfman, common spelling. Another interesting fact — baby faced M.I.A’s birth date is listed as 7/18/75 which makes her real age 33.

Also, it was previous reported that Benjamin Brewer is the father of M.I.A.’s baby but the father’s name on the birth certificate is listed as Benjamin Bronfman. It’s pretty interesting that M.I.A. made such a big deal about the erroneous reports of her baby’s name when the kid’s real name is very similar to those erroneous reports and prolly sounds very similar. It prolly would’ve been much less of a big deal if she had just made the announcement herself :) In any event, love and congrats goes out — again — to the happy parents on the birth of their new baby Ikhyd.

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We’re big fans of M.I.A. at the Latina offices. BIG fans. We love her so much, we even thought her outfit at the Grammys was awesome. So we just had to share the news when we found out the name of her baby son with fiance Benjamin Brewer. He was born February 11, just days after M.I.A.’s Grammy performance, and his name—which we have to admit, has left us scratching our heads—is… Ickitt. Yes, you read right. The boy’s name is Ickitt. And as a result, Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam takes the cake for coming up with the most original celeb baby name ever. Did you expect anything less? Congrats, M.I.A.!

Well … to be honest, I kinda expected that M.I.A. would choose a more unique name rather than a traditional name like John or Joe. As far as I can tell from my limited research, I don’t think that Ickitt shares his name with anyone else which is prolly what M.I.A. was going for. In any event, Much Lurve and Congratulations goes out to M.I.A. and daddy Benjamin Brewer Bronfman on the expansion of their family. Welcome to the world, Ickitt!

UPDATE: M.I.A. has updated her official My Space blog with a post refuting that she named her son Ickitt … she writes:

BABY NAME!

MY BABY IS NOT CALLED ICKITT, PICKIT OR LICKIT THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL THE HOLLYWOOD PRESS. HES A BABY , HE DONT NEED PRESS! I DIDNT RELEASE THE BABY NAME BECAUSE I DIDNT THINK IT WAS NEWS!!!! BUT I WILL BE BACK WITH SOMETHING NEWS WORTHY SOON , TILL THEN GO PICK ON APPLE, SATCHEL AND MOON UNIT. LOTS OF LOVE STICKIT!!

LOL … you gotta love this chick! She rules … and I’m happy to know that her beautiful baby boy will not go thru a life with a name that rhymes with kick it ;) I hope we do learn the baby’s name eventually … but when Mama M.I.A. is ready :)

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I just woke up when i recieved this baby picture from Maya of her newborn son…. He is Handsoommmeee!!.. I Need to teach him how to make PoundedYam and get Straight A’s in School like Me!!! Love from Maya Ben and I Y H K D! Welcome to the World!

Look at all of that hair!! I have to confess, I was born with this much hair on my head, too … so hopefully the little darling will grow up to be as handsome as me ;) But seriously, if this little guy even gets a hint of his mother’s beauty, he’s gonna be a stunner. I cannot wait to hear what M.I.A. decided to name her baby boy but I am glad that we get to see what he looks like. So cute!!!

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HitFix has learned from two independent sources that Hip-Hop artist M.I.A., who impressed many across the world by performing while pregnant on Sunday’s Grammy Awards ceremony on her due date, has given birth. HitFix has reached out to Interscope Records for a comment, but has not recieved word at publication date. So, it is unclear whether M.I.A. has delievered boy or a girl, but more importantly: Will she make her scheduled Oscar appearance? Best known for her hit “Paper Planes,” the UK rapper, and singer, who was born Maya Arulpragasam, is an Oscar nominee this year for her collaboration with A.R. Rahman on the “Slumdog Millionaire” Best Original Song nominee “O Saya.” M.I.A. had planned to perform at the ceremony in a mixmash medley that will also feature “Slumdog’s” other nominee, “Jai Ho” and “Down to Earth” from “WALL-E.” “Earth” songwriter Peter Gabriel made news earlier this week by bowing out of the production when he protested the short time his composition was getting in the show. A collective response of: “Who is Peter Gabriel?” was heard from coast to coast from under 30-year-old moviegoers at the announcement. If M.I.A. decides not to perform — and don’t put it past her to try — who will replace her in the show? Crazy ass Lil’ Kim? Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah (also slated to appear during another show segment) or Eve? Could MC Lyte be making a comeback? Or, perhaps the Academy will trek Ms. Dynamite or Lady Sovereign over from the U.K.? Or, maybe underexposed M.I.A. buddy Kayne West will take a shot at it? One thing is for sure, don’t count on double threat and Lonely Island collaborator Natalie Portman. She’s busy.

No other news outlets are reporting this information, except for the LA Times which is citing this report as its source. That being said, it’s prolly very likely that M.I.A. did finally become a M.A.M.A. and give birth. I am dying to know if she had a boy or a girl … and I really cannot wait to find out what she named it. Something tells me that a creative artist like M.I.A. is bound to come up with a name even more interesting that Zuma Nesta Rock or Bronx Mowgli. Stay tuned.

UPDATE: THIS site claims that M.I.A. gave birth to a baby boy on Thursday February 12. No official confirmation or name of the baby has been made available yet.

UPDATE 2: M.I.A. has posted the good news of her baby BOY’s birth on her official My Space profile today. Here is the full text of her announcement:

HAPPY VALENTINES!

AND MY BABY BOY SAYZ HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay! She sounds so happy and so excited, I’m thrilled for her!!! Congrats! I cannot wait to see what the little darling looks like :)

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Normally, I’m not a big fan of the crazy-colored lipstick but the colors really work on M.I.A., I think. She’s already so beautiful that I think the vivid colors really compliment the way she looks … normally, I am very unimpressed with hipster chic that tries too hard (multicolored nail polish, ironic ’80’s sunglasses, etc.) but, again, M.I.A. really has a way of makin’ the absurdity work:

I really love these pics … and I’m really happy to know that M.I.A. is not planning on retiring from music. I’m equally thrilled that she is going to be a mommy soon … she’s gonna be a rad mom, for sure. Let’s just hope that she doesn’t decide to give her kid a wacky baby name like some other famous folks, yes?

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British artist M.I.A. finally put rumors to rest when she confirmed on Saturday that she is pregnant with her first child. “I’m creating a baby,” the singer, 31, told Pitchfork Media. The news came on top of the success of her single “Paper Planes.” “When I found out I was pregnant and ‘Paper Planes’ was in the iTunes top 10, it seemed like the whole world was reshuffled in one week, and all my plans went out the window,” the artist said. “I’ve got two kids, that’s what it feels like. And that’s the lesson – you can’t make plans.” She and fiancé Ben Brewer, lead singer and guitarist of The Exit, did not reveal when the baby is due or the gender, but they made sure their fans knew they are serious about having a child. “I got engaged first, then I got pregnant, kids,” M.I.A. said. The singer also told Pitchfork she’s recording some tracks for her new album, a follow up to 2008’s Kala. But before she gets started on any new projects, she has to go on a different kind of tour. “I have to do the rounds – go see my family and show them the belly.”

Yeah, while this info isn’t really news, especially considering how big her bump has grown, I do appreciate all the extra info that M.I.A. dishes in this new interview. Glad to see that she didn’t put the cart before the horse and decided to get engaged before deciding to start a family. I am also thrilled to know that M.I.A. has already begun work on her next album … I was very worried when she announced her retirement from making music last June. Now I’m all excited for her two new projects … her new baby and her new album :)

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Since 1978, Diesel has been producing (in my opinion) the most consistently cool fashions around. Year after year, season after season, Diesel has been designing and producing the hippest fashions, the coolest accessories and the best jeans around. While other fashion houses may have more caché, I find that Diesel manages to put out very cutting-edge fashions that are relatively inexpensive (at least, compared to the higher-priced fashion houses). I’ve been a Diesel fan for years and rarely ever go anywhere without wearing at least one piece from Diesel. But, I digress … last night’s Rock & Roll Circus soiree in NY was a balls-out shindig that really did bring out all the coolest kids in town. The concert was broadcast live online and performers included Chaka Kahn, Franz Ferdinand, T.I., Pharrell, Hot Chip and the always amazing M.I.A. — who also inadvertantly made an announcement while she performed on stage. She is pregs, y’all! After the jump, check out a few pics of M.I.A.’s very prominent baby bump …

Even while very pregs, M.I.A. still manages to bring the heat in her live performances. I had no idea that she was with child but I am very much looking forward to seeing her become a mom. Can you think of a cooler mother than M.I.A.? That kid is gonna be dope. In any event, Anniversary Lurve goes out to Diesel today! Here’s to at least another 30 years of fashion innovation and outright coolness.

[Photo credit: Splash News, Wireimage]

MIA has spoken out about her comments onstage at Bonnaroo in June, when she told the audience that the slot was her last gig ever. The Brooklyn-based Sri Lankan said “It was my last ever show. And it still is. I stopped touring after that and I didn’t want to make music again. I was quite happy to just leave it all behind. I was happy with what I had achieved.” As previously reported, the rapper cancelled her summer tour of the UK, and while onstage at Bonnaroo said “This is my last show, and I’m glad I’m spending it with all my hippies.” But it seems she’s finding it hard to stay away from music, and is currently planning her new record after enjoying massive success with her song ‘Paper Planes’ in the US. “With the success of ‘Paper Planes’, there’s pull for me to make another record. Even my mum believes in me more” she told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s a nice encouragement. But I was planning my life as a fishing woman on the outskirts of Cambodia. That’s a joke.” She also says if she had permanently quit the music business, that a foray into the film world was likely to have been her next step. “I think I would have gone and made a film. As an artist you want to play around with mediums and see if you can get the point across in a different way. I wanted to stay an outsider and prolong the process of getting accepted.”

Praise sweet baby Jebus, this is great news. M.I.A. is one of those artists who is far too creative to stop making her art. She is just so talented, it would’ve been a damn shame if she had decided to stop making music altogether. This is really great news, I’m glad to hear that we can expect to hear more from her in the future (that being said, I hope she does make a foray into film in addition to making more music, I think she’d do well in that arena as well). I suppose a movie like Pineapple Express (which used her brilliant song Paper Planes to promote the movie and shoot the track into the public consciousness) does have its merits. Wee!

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“This is my last show,” the rapper M.I.A. announced from the stage of That Tent, “and I’m glad I’m spending it with all my hippies.” If, as she announced at least three times, it was M.I.A.’s last gig ever, she went out with a boom. The seismic riffs of her songs, which sound like they’re made on the world’s cheapest equipment, puffed bass notes at everyone’s chest, and M.I.A. was all of her interlocking selves: fighter, lover, immigrant, instigator, party girl. Wearing an outfit that included shiny streamers as tails, she shook every part of her body sooner or later, yelping her hooks and spitting out her rhymes, dense with allusions and snappy enough for slogans. She brought “girls” and then “boys” onstage, surrounding herself with happy dancers, and brought the Nigerian rapper African Boy onstage for her encores, rapping about how immigrants have to hustle. For her finale, “Paper Planes,” the audience that spilled far outside the tent pumped fists happily at the gunshot sounds that are also one of the song’s hooks. “Thanks for coming to my last gig,” she said, amid noise that continued well after she was gone.

Now, I simply refuse to believe that yesterday’s performance at Bonnaroo was M.I.A.’s final performance ever — whether I’m in denial or part of me just can’t believe that she would stop putting on the live performances that she seems to love so much, I just refuse to accept it. That being said … if she really did just peace out on live performances, I PRAY that doesn’t mean that she will stop making music altogether … cuz, I’ll just flip my shizz. M.I.A. has to be one of the most electric and inventive music makers around right now and it would be a travesty if she stopped making music after only 2 albums. I’m hoping that she was either just playing around yesterday or she misspoke. Time will tell if M.I.A. the musician is really dunzo for good … I hope she was just messin’ around.

[Photo credit: Wireimage, Source]