Monday, July 11, 2011

Preity Zinta

Preity Zinta (Hindi: प्रीति ज़िंटा, pronounced [ˈpriːt̪i ˈzɪɳʈaː]; born 31 January 1975) is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi films of Bollywood, as well as Telugu, Punjabi and English language films. After graduating with a degree in criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se in 1998 followed by a role in Soldier the same year. These performances earned her a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut, and she was later recognised for her role as a teenage single mother in Kya Kehna (2000). She subsequently played a variety of character types; her film roles along with her screen persona contributed to a change in the concept of a Hindi film heroine. Zinta received a Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 2003 for her performance in the drama Kal Ho Naa Ho. She went on to play the lead female role in two consecutive annual top-grossing films in India: the science fiction film Koi... Mil Gaya, her biggest commercial success, and the star-crossed romance Veer-Zaara, which earned her critical acclaim. She was later noted for her portrayal of independent, modern Indian women in Salaam Namaste and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, top-grossing productions in overseas markets. These accomplishments have established her as a leading actress of Hindi cinema.

Her first international film role was in the Canadian film Heaven on Earth, for which she was awarded the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress at the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival. In addition to movie acting, Zinta has written a series of columns for BBC News Online South Asia, is a television presenter, a regular stage performer, and along with ex-boyfriend Ness Wadia she is a co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Kings XI Punjab. She is known in the Indian media for publicly speaking her mind and openly expressing her opinions, and consequently has sparked the occasional controversy. These controversies include her being the only witness not to retract in court her earlier statements against the Indian mafia during the 2003 Bharat Shah case, for which she was awarded the Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Award. Zinta was born into a Hindu Rajput family from Rohru in Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh. Her father, Durganand Zinta, was an officer in the Indian Army. He died in a car accident when she was 13 years old; the accident also involved her mother, Nilprabha, who was severely injured and consequently remained bedridden for two years. Zinta called the tragic accident and her father's death a significant turning point in her life, which forced her to mature rapidly. She has two brothers; Deepankar and Manish, a year older and a year younger respectively.

Deepankar is a commissioned officer in the Indian Army, while Manish lives in California. Zinta, who describes herself as a tomboy as a child, has emphasised her father's military background as having a lasting impression on how family life was conducted. He asserted the importance of discipline and punctuality to the children. She studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary boarding school in Shimla. Although she confesses to loneliness in the boarding school, she noted that it was compensated by her finding a "... perfect set of friends" there. As a student, she developed a love for literature, particularly the works of William Shakespeare and poetry. According to Zinta, she enjoyed schoolwork and received good grades; in her free time she played sports, especially basketball. Upon graduating from the boarding school at age 18, Zinta enrolled at St Bede's College in Shimla. She graduated college with an English honours degree, and then started a graduate programme in psychology. She earned a postgraduate degree in criminal psychology, but later took up modelling. Zinta's first television commercial was for Perk chocolates, the result of a chance meeting with a director at a friend's birthday party in 1996. The director persuaded Zinta to audition for the spot, and she was selected. Afterwards, she appeared in other catalogues and commercials, including one for the soap Liril.

In 2004, Zinta joined a group of South Asian commentators for BBC News Online. She expressed joy at participating in the project, saying, "I am pretty outspoken and have my own view on every subject. So it will be a good platform for me to air my views." Her first column, "The changing face of Bollywood", published in January 2004, discussed the evolution of Bollywood in the past decade. The column became one of the site's ten most read stories of the day. In her second column, "Odds stacked against Indian women", Zinta analysed the eve teasing phenomenon in India, and criticised those who practice it. She wrote, "Incidences like these take away a woman's dignity, her space and her freedom ... why the state is so helpless in protecting the women. Why should women feel unsafe in a country which had an internationally revered woman prime minister?" The column caught the attention of readers worldwide, and she received thousands of e-mails about it. It was applauded particularly by women for its stand against abuse of Indian women. Her third column, "The darkness that all actors fear", was a more personal column and dealt with her stardom, fans, insecurity and fears as an actor. Her fourth and final column, titled "Facing death in Sri Lanka and Thailand", described her two near-death experiences in late 2004.

Zinta has taken part in several stage shows and world tours since 2001. Her first world tour, a series of concerts called Craze 2001, was performed across the U.S. alongside Anil Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Gracy Singh. The show faced early cancellation due to the 11 September 2001 attacks, and the team prepared to return to India as soon as possible. However, the shows continued successfully in Canada. In 2002, she participated in the show From India With Love in the UK, along with Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. It took place at two outdoor venues, Manchester's Old Trafford and London's Hyde Park, with over 100,000 spectators. Zinta's largest world tour was in 2004, when she joined a group of stars (Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra) in the Temptation 2004 tour. Showcased in over 22 countries across the world, it became Bollywood's most prominent international concert. In 2006, Zinta was part of the Heat 2006 world tour, along with Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley. The Unforgettable Tour (2008) saw Zinta performing with the Bachchan family and Ritesh Deshmukh in a 40-day show staged in 11 cities across North America, Europe and the Caribbean.

In 2005, along with other Bollywood stars, Zinta performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert raising money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The following year, as an ambassador of the Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Movement, Zinta attended a blood donation camp organised by the Rotary Club of Delhi and the Godfrey Phillips Awards. She lent her support to the cause of women's empowerment and promoted blood donation. She said, "Donating blood doesn't kill one but goes on to save somebody's life .... Once blood is donated it becomes universal and might be used by anyone in need, irrespective of community, caste or region. It binds people together." In 2007, Zinta along with Rani Mukerji, donated Rs 250,000 of her winnings from Kaun Banega Crorepati to the Shimla District Red Cross Society in Himachal Pradesh. In January, Zinta visited Hisar, Haryana, where she spent a day at the army training base to boost the morale of the jawan troops. The visit was conducted for an NDTV show, Jai Jawan, on which entertainers and actors visit Indian troops. While there, she also met children with disabilities at a special school maintained by the army. In August, along with Mumbai-based artist Gurcharan Singh, Zinta painted for the cause of street children for the non-governmental organisation Khushi. In December, she joined the efforts of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to curb human trafficking in India. She spoke on behalf of awareness against the practice, the need for protection and rehabilitation for those rescued from it, and punishment for perpetrators.

Preity Zinta sexy performance

Preity Zinta looks beautiful with Hindi costume

Preity Zinta beautiful performance at singing

Preity Zinta cute smile

Abishek Bachan

Abhishek Bachchan (Hindi: अभिषेक बच्चन, born 5 February 1976 in Mumbai, Maharashtra) is an Indian actor and producer. He is the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan and is married to actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. Bachchan debuted with J.P. Dutta's Refugee (2000), but it was not until 2004 that he achieved success when he appeared in the commercially successful Dhoom and the critically acclaimed Yuva. His work in Yuva received several awards, including his first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actor category, an award he would win for the two next years as well. In 2010, he won his first National Film Award (as a producer) for Paa which won the award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. He has starred in films such as Bunty aur Babli, Guru, Sarkar and Dostana and has thereafter established himself as one of the leading actors of Bollywood. Abhishek Bachchan is the son of Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and actress Jaya Bachchan; his elder sister is Shweta Bachchan-Nanda (b. 1974). His grandfather, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a poet of Hindi literature. The original last name of his parental family is Srivastav, Bachchan being the pen name used by his grandfather. However, when his father Amitabh entered films, he did so under his father's pen name. Bachchan is of Kayastha heritage from his father's side, Bengali Kulin Brahmin from his mother's side and Punjabi Sikh from his grandmother's side. Bachchan was dyslexic as a child. He attended Jamnabai Narsee School and Bombay Scottish School in Mumbai, Modern School, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, and Aiglon College in Switzerland. He then attended Boston University.

In the year 2000, Bachchan began his career with J.P. Dutta's Refugee. The film performed moderately well at the box office and was the fifth highest grossing film of that year. Bachchan went on to do other films, including Kuch Naa Kaho and Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai, without much success. Abhishek went on to give a string of 17 poorly received films but his performances in Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003) and Mani Ratnam's Yuva (2004) proved his mettle as an actor. The same year, he starred in Dhoom his first commercial hit Earning over Rs. 55 crore ($12 million USD), the film became one of the top-grossing Indian films of 2004. In 2005, Bachchan shot to fame with four movies that did well commercially. He starred in Shaad Ali's Bunty Aur Babli opposite Rani Mukerji. The film was a critical and commercial success becoming one of the biggest hits of 2005. In July, he appeared in Sarkar was a success at the box office and was greeted very well by critics. His performance earned him another Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. His third film was Dus was a commercial success. He starred in Rohan Sippy's Bluffmaster was a moderate success. He also received his first Filmfare nomination in the Best Actor category. Bachchan's first 2006 release Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, became one of the biggest box office hits in India, earning Rs 458 million, and grossed over Rs 480 million abroad, the biggest Bollywood success of all-time in the overseas market up until then. He played the role of Rishi Talwar, a young man who lives in New York whose wife cheats on him with a family friend. His performance in the film earned him his third consecutive award for Best Supporting Actor at the Filmfare Awards. Bachchan's second release Umrao Jaan failed to do well at the box office, but his third film that year, Dhoom 2, did very well—although, as in the first Dhoom, critics noted that Hrithik Roshan, as the antagonist, stole the show. The film was generally well-received by both critics and the mass audience. It became the highest-grossing Indian film of 2006, and remains in the top ten on the list of highest-grossing Bollywood films in India.

In 2007, Bachchan starred in Mani Ratnam's Guru. The film was a commercial success and his performance was acclaimed by critics and audiences, earning him his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. His next release of that year, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, failed to do well in India but did better overseas, especially in the UK. In 2008 he co-starred with wife Aishwarya Rai and father Amitabh Bachchan in Ram Gopal Verma's Sarkar Raj, the sequel of Sarkar. His next film Drona was critically and commercially a failure. Later the same year he starred in Karan Johar's romantic comedy Dostana opposite John Abraham and Priyanka Chopra. Bachchan and Abraham star as two men who pretend to be gay, so that they can rent an apartment from an older lady, and later fall in love with the same girl, who is the woman's niece. The film was a moderate success. In 2009, Abhishek appeared in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Delhi-6. The film opened to mixed reviews and received a poor financial profit. In the same year, Bachchan produced the Hindi film Paa for AB Corp. Ltd. The film is based on a rare genetic condition known as progeria and places emphasis on a father-son relationship. Abhishek played the father of his real-life father Amitabh, with Vidya Balan playing the mother. The film received positive reviews and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. In January 2010, Bachchan hosted a game show for Colors titled National Bingo Night. The debut episode fetched a 3.5 in the TV ratings. In 2010, he starred as the villain in Mani Ratnam's Raavan, alongside his wife Aishwarya. Rediff said the film had "great performances", but the film was generally a critical and commercial failure. In the same year, he appeared in Ashutosh Gowariker's Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey.

In the summer of 2008, Bachchan, his wife, his father, and actors Preity Zinta, Ritesh Deshmukh, and Madhuri Dixit starred in the "Unforgettable World Tour" stage production. The first leg covered the USA, Canada, Trinidad, and London, England. Bachchan is also involved in the functional and administrative operations of his father's company, originally known as ABCL, and rechristened as AB Corp. Ltd. That company, along with Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., developed the Unforgettable production. In 2011, Bachchan has promoted awareness of drug abuse in India as part of a citizen education campaign. The actor launched the Awareness Day race, which celebrated the silver jubilee of the country's Narcotics Control Bureau. In October 2002, at Amitabh Bachchan's 60th birthday celebration, Abhishek Bachchan and actress Karisma Kapoor announced their engagement. The engagement was called off in January 2003. Bachchan and actress Aishwarya Rai announced their engagement on 14 January 2007. The couple was married on 20 April 2007, according to traditional Hindu rites of the South Indian Bunt community, to which Rai belongs. Token North Indian and Bengali ceremonies were also performed. The wedding took place in a private ceremony at the Bachchan residence, Prateeksha, in Juhu, Mumbai, but was heavily covered by the entertainment media. The couple appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on 28 September 2009.

Abishek Bachan handsome performance

Abishek Bachan cool pose with shiny sunglasses

Abishek Bachan cool performance

Abishek Bachan cute pink shirt

Kharisma Kapoor

Karisma Kapoor (Hindi: करिश्मा कपूर, born 25 June 1974), often informally referred to as Lolo, is an Indian actress who made her debut in 1991, and appears in Bollywood films. During her career, she has been part of many commercially and critically successful films, Raja Hindustani being the most notable of them, as it was her biggest commercial success, and won Kapoor her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She won another Filmfare Award and a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Dil To Pagal Hai (1997). She surprised critics and audiences with her performances in films such as Fiza (2000) and Zubeidaa (2001), for which she earned Best Actress and Best Actress (Critics) trophies at Filmfare. Since 2003, Kapoor has been less active in cinema.Kapoor was born in Mumbai to Randhir Kapoor, an actor popular during the 1970s and 80s, and actress Babita. She is the granddaughter of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor, great-granddaughter of actor Prithviraj Kapoor, sister of actress Kareena Kapoor and niece of actor Rishi Kapoor. Kapoor studied at the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai until grade six. Kapoor made her debut in the 1991 movie Prem Qaidi, which was a semi-hit. Although most of her multiple releases from 1992-1996 failed to do well at the box office, she had some success with films like Jigar (1992), Anari (1993), Raja Babu (1994), Coolie No. 1 (1995), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996) and Jeet (1996). In 1996, Kapoor played the female lead in Dharmesh Darshan's Raja Hindustani opposite Aamir Khan. The movie was the highest grossing film of the year and she won her first Filmfare Best Actress Award. The following year, she won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award and the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Yash Chopra's super-hit, Dil To Pagal Hai opposite Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit.

Kapoor took a year break from films in 1998. Her diminutive comeback in 1999 proved to be good as she took part in the year's most successful films. Kapoor starred in four absolute hits. David Dhawan's comedy Biwi No.1 opposite Salman Khan became the biggest hit of the year. She proved to have success with comedy films, as David Dhawan's another film Haseena Maan Jaayegi did fairly well at the box office. Kapoor also collaborated for the first time with the Rajshri Productions banner with Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United which also resulted in a hit. Her last release, Jaanwar opposite Akshay Kumar, was another box office hit, making her the most successful actress of the year. In 2000, she won her second Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in Khalid Mohammed's Fiza. Her performance in the film was much appreciated as she surprised the audiences and the critics showing great emotional range and depth. She also achieved critical acclaim for her role in the film, Zubeidaa (2001), which garnered her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. Her performance in Shakti - The Power (2002) was highly appreciated and earned her many nominations in the Best Actress category. In 2003, she played the leading role in the television series Karishma: A Miracle of Destiny. After her film, Baaz: A Bird In Danger which also released in 2003, she took a sabbatical from full time acting for three years. Her most recent release was the delayed film, Mere Jeevan Saathi (2006) in which she played a negative role. In October 2008, alongside actor Arjun Rampal and director/choreographer Farah Khan, Kapoor began judging the dance show Nach Baliye 4. In 2011, she officially announced she is returning to movies in a Vikram Bhatt's next, a 3D film titled Dangerous Ishq. Karisma was engaged to Abhishek Bachchan. The engagement was announced in October 2002 on the 60th birthday of Abhishek's father, Amitabh Bachchan. Four months later in February 2003, they split up. On 29 September 2003, she married industrialist Sanjay Kapur, CEO of Sixt India. In typical Kapoor tradition, Karisma was married at the home of her grandfather (the late Raj Kapoor): R K Cottage. They opted for an hour-long Sikh wedding ceremony. The couple's daughter Samaira was born on 11 March 2005. After the birth of her daughter, there was considerable rift between her and her husband. The couple has subsequently patched-up. She gave birth to their second child, son Kiaan Raj Kapoor on 12 March 2010.

Kharisma Kapoor beautiful elegant performance

Kharisma Kapoor elegant performance with soft make up

Kharisma Kapoor beautiful pose

Kharisma Kapoor sexy pose

Kharisma Kapoor cool pose

Kharisma Kapoor long curly hairstyle

Kharisma Kapoor cute pose

Lady Gaga "The Edge Of Glory" Song

"The Edge of Glory" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Lady Gaga, taken from her second studio album Born This Way (2011). The song was released digitally on May 9, 2011, and was added to mainstream radio playlists in the United States on May 17, 2011. Alongside with "Hair", it was originally released as one of two promotional singles before the release of Born This Way. Following the success of the song in digital outlets worldwide, it was announced that it would serve as the album's third official single. "The Edge of Glory" features production from Lady Gaga, Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow. Recording sessions for the song took place at The Living Room Studios in Oslo, Norway and Germano Studios in New York City. "The Edge of Glory" is a dance song that speaks of the very last moments of living on Earth. According to Gaga, lyrical inspiration came from the death of her grandfather, who died in September 2010.

The melody of the song resembles much of the musical works of Bruce Springsteen, and contains several qualities similar to that of electro rock and synthpop musical works. It is notable for the incorporation of a saxophone solo, performed by saxophonist Clarence Clemons, who was a prominent member of The E Street Band shortly before his death. Contemporary critics praised "The Edge of Glory", with many deeming the song as an album highlight. Much of the praise went to the song's chorus and the musical production. Critics also complimented Gaga's vocals, describing it as "soulful". The song charted on the top-ten in several major music markets, including Canada, Belgium, Norway, Spain, and New Zealand. In the United States, it debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Gaga's tenth consecutive top-ten single in the United States.


Lady Gaga "The Edge Of Glory" Song

A music video for the song was filmed in late May, co-directed by Gaga and the Haus of Gaga. The video is notably simplistic in contrast to much of Gaga's previous work. Such dramatic differences include the lack of intricate choreography, lack of back-up dancers, and the use of only one outfit designed by Versace. Critics commended the simplicity of the video, while several music critics went on to compare the music video of "The Edge of Glory" with the works of Michael Jackson and Madonna, notably "Billie Jean" and "Papa Don't Preach", respectively. "The Edge of Glory" was written by Lady Gaga, Fernando Garibay and DJ White Shadow, and it was produced by Gaga and Garibay. The origins of the song first came about in January 2011, when Gaga teased the fans with a preview of the lyrics. Stephen Hill, the Music Programming VP of BET, later followed suit in regards to the song in the form of a tweet. Hill regarded the song as "crazy" and "phenomenal" when first heard. More information in regards to "The Edge of Glory" was revealed by Gaga, in an interview with Google. She stated that the song is "about your last moment on earth, the moment of truth, the moment before you leave earth." In the same interview Gaga stated that she wrote "The Edge of Glory" after the death of her grandfather.

The resulting video is considerably more simplistic than Gaga's previous work. Her wardrobe throughout the entire video primarily consists of only one outfit which was designed by Versace, and only adding a few accessories depending on where she was in the video. Also notable is the absence of back-up dancers, elaborate choreography, or a symbolic plot: components that have all been predominant in Gaga's other music videos. Aside from Gaga herself, Clarence Clemons is the only other person to appear in the video. It begins with Lady Gaga slowly appearing from behind a building on a deserted street corner in New York City, while a bright pink smoke obscures the city background. When the first verse of the song begins, Gaga emerges from a bright pink-lit window of an apartment onto the fire escape while smoke begins to billow out of the window. The video is mostly interchanging shots of Gaga dancing and singing on the street, on the fire escape, and on the steps in front of the apartment building with Clarence Clemons. Near the end of the video, after Clemons's saxophone solo, Gaga crouches in front of the building's steps and kisses the sidewalk. The video concludes with Gaga reentering the window into her smokey apartment.

Entertainment Weekly described the video as a "one-woman ‘80s revue" and expressed surprise at the "relatively small, but perhaps more intimate, scope of [Gaga's] vision". They considered that the video contained references to Michael Jackson and Madonna and concluded that "all the references in “The Edge of Glory” are so overt, there’s no way it could be shameless cribbing. It has to be a winking homage to the artists, songs, and videos that meant a lot to Gaga growing up—like a college-student who brings his action figures to his dorm." MTV News compared the video to "Papa Don't Preach" and "Billie Jean," and complimented the simplicity of the video, opposed to her previous ones. "Edge' is little more than five-and-a-half minutes of classic pop, brimming with imagery, style (and moves) that could've been lifted from millions of videos in the pop heyday of the 1980s." MTV also made similarities between the video and the musicals Rent and West Side Story.

Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave the video a positive review, calling it a "visual triumph," with "breathtaking" art direction, and a "gray-blue-black color palette carefully calibrated by Gaga's vibrant lipstick and nail polish, a red painted stripe on the curb, and the gold of her jewelry and the studs on her leather, not to mention Clarence Clemons's brass." The video was compared to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel," Janet Jackson's "When I Think of You," and "The Pleasure Principle," as well as Crimes of Passion, all iconic 1980s videos and films. He did, however, criticize Gaga's "half-convincing" lip-synching, which "adds to the proceedings' deliberate air of artifice." Sarah Anne Hughes of The Washington Post called the video "shockingly simple...a solo Gaga dances up and down a fire escape and a city street. And that’s pretty much it. No egg. No meat dress. No live birth to a gold liquid."

Rolling Stone gave a mixed review of the video, calling the song "over-the-top" with a "lackluster" and "understated" video. The magazine complimented the 1980s visual feel to the video, but criticized that "there's not much more to the video [besides from the 1980s, New York scenery], which spends far too much time lingering on shots of Gaga dancing around on a fire escape and prancing down the street." Clarence Clemons's limited role in the video was also criticized, especially since "Gaga and her fans clearly love Clemons." Peter Robinson of Popjustice gave the video a negative review, stating that it was "complete shit" and that "we just need to accept that Gaga has released an awful video." Dose magazine's Leah Collins was more neutral in her review, questioning if Gaga was simply "swooning with nostalgia for other pop culture nuggets that have featured the same NYC backdrop of fire escapes and brown-stone steps" or just attempting to "be saving a metric buttload on the budget."

Lady Gaga "Judas" Song

"Judas" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga, taken from her second studio album Born This Way (2011). The song was released worldwide on April 15, 2011, four days ahead of its scheduled release, by Interscope Records. Written and produced by Lady Gaga and RedOne, "Judas" is a dance song that speaks of a woman in love with a man who betrayed her. The song also embodies all the incidents that have haunted Gaga in the past, thus its core meaning referring to things that are bad and inescapable for her. Gaga further explained that the song was also about honoring one's inner darkness in order to bring themselves into the light, "You have to look into what’s haunting you and need to learn to forgive yourself in order to move on." "Judas" has a similar sound to Gaga's previous singles like "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", and "Alejandro", and contains three distinct hooks and a break down, influenced by house music.

The breakdown also contains influences of tribal-techno music and dubstep. Gaga explained that the lines spoken during the breakdown talks about her being beyond the ability to redeem herself, in terms of the traditional views of what a woman is supposed to be. The artwork for the single was designed by Gaga in Microsoft Word and features a black background with the word "Judas" written in red capital letters. After designing the cover, Gaga took a picture of it with her cell phone, to add further texture. Critics noted similarity between "Judas" and "Bad Romance", but praised the musical production of the song, complimenting its energy and the robotic break down. "Judas" initially had a strong sales opening, but eventually was less successful commercially in comparison to Gaga's previous singles. The song reached the top-ten of the charts in most major music markets, but failed to attain the top position in any of them. It only reached the top of the charts in South Korea and the Hot Dance Club Songs chart of Billboard, in the United States.


Lady Gaga "Judas" Song

A music video for the song was filmed in early April, co-directed by Gaga and Laurieann Gibson and co-starring Norman Reedus. It included a Biblical storyline where Reedus played Judas Iscariot and Gaga played Mary Magdalene. The video portrayed them as modern day missionaries going to Jerusalem. It included the Biblical story of Judas betraying Jesus, and ended with Gaga as Magdalene getting stoned to death. Prior to its release, the Catholic League condemned Gaga for the alleged use of religious imagery and her role in the video. However, critics in general praised the video for its overall delivery and did not find anything offending about it. The video has been noted for its artistic and cultural references, such as to Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, the symbolic Eye of Horus, and several films, such as The Wild One and Romeo + Juliet, amongst others. Gaga has performed "Judas" on a number of television shows, including The Graham Norton Show, Saturday Night Live, Good Morning America's "Summer Concert Series", as well as the French X Factor.

The video opens with a motorcycle gang cruising down a freeway, wearing studded leather jackets. The motorcycle gang are the Twelve Apostles that Jesus is said to have, including Judas. Gaga as Mary Magdalene clutches onto a Jesus-like figure (Rick Gonzalez) who wears a golden crown of thorns. Among the riders is Judas, who crosses Gaga's bike as she looks meaningfully towards him. The gang passes under a flyover, when the song starts. They reach their rustic hideout called "Electric Chapel" where Gaga dances wearing a red sarong and a bikini top with crosses covering her nipple. Gaga's character watches curiously as the wily Judas enters the biker club and immediately gets involved in a brawl. While trying to protect Jesus from the fights she attempts to warn him about his apostle's impending betrayal, but becomes hypnotized by Judas' allure. The storyline is interspersed with choreographed dance sequences and close-ups of Gaga with stark imagery, including artistic eye make-up, which was compared to the Egyptian Eye of Horus.

Her flowing blonde hair is accented by a red bandana, blue leather top and puffy white dress in different parts of the clip. The blue top worn by Gaga displays the "Sacred Heart", a depiction of what Jesus is said to have revealed as a symbol of his love for humanity. During the second verses, Gaga points towards Peter during the line "Build a house", and towards herself during "Or sink a dead body". After the second chorus, in a climatic sequence, the singer holds a gun up to Judas' mouth, and a stick of red lipstick bursts out and smears his lips. The scene portrays Gaga's choice to refuse to shoot Judas through the heart. As the breakdown ends, the music stops and Gaga is seen in a bathtub with Jesus and Judas, washing their feet and cleaning it with her hair. The sequence is interspersed with Gaga standing lonely on a rock as waves engulf her, the scene being reminiscent of artist Sandro Botticelli's The Birth of Venus and Jesus marching towards his fatal destiny.

The music restarts and Judas is shown pouring beer in the bathtub. Next Jesus is shown standing on a stage, surrounded by his supporters, the setting being inspired by scaffoldings present around newly constructed buildings in New York. Gaga kneels in front of Jesus and tries to explain something to him, but he places his palm on her head as Judas looks on. After Judas delivers the fateful kiss upon Jesus' cheeks, marking him for his death, Gaga falls on the ground with a silent, anguished cry. The video ends with the death of neither Judas nor Jesus, but of Gaga as she's stoned to death by the crowd. On April 17, 2011, Gaga performed "Judas" at a nightclub called Kennedy Lounge, in Tampa, Florida, after her Monster Ball show in the city's St. Pete Times Forum. Gaga performed "Judas" live on television for the first time on Ellen on April 28, 2011. She was accompanied by a string of male dancers, wearing black monk-like garments, by her side.

The song was performed as a dance-filled number, with Gaga singing the lines while wearing a blue latex ensemble. According to James Dinh from MTV, the "choreography [of the performance] seemingly more difficult than in her usual performances, the singer showcased her best high-energy moves." As the music came to a close, she struck a pose before planting a kiss on the cheek of DeGeneres, who playfully replicated her stance. At the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Gaga sang the song for French television show Le Grand Journal. Wearing a gold-embellished ensemble, a red hood and a black-and-white hairstyle, Gaga performed an energetic version of the song accompanied by her male dancers, on a stage in front of the Mediterranean Sea. She explained to host Michel Denisot that the inspiration behind her look was the religious imagery and fashion portrayed in the "Judas" music video. "I've been wearing very romantic, very biblical arrangements, and I always throw in some punk rock for good measure," Gaga added.

Shakira "Rabiosa (English Version)" Song ft. Pitbull

"Rabiosa" (English: "Rabid") is a song by Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira featuring rappers Pitbull and El Cata. It was released as the third single from her third bilingual and seventh studio album, entitled Sale el Sol. Two versions of the song were recorded, one in English, that features vocals from rapper Pitbull, and one in Spanish that features vocals from El Cata. "Rabiosa" entered the top ten of the Spanish Singles Chart, charted within French Singles Chart and the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, and received positive reviews from American critics such as Billboard. The music video for the song was shot in late April in Barcelona, Spain. "Rabiosa" was originally written and performed by El Cata on his first album "El Malo", as with another track on Sale el Sol, "Loca". Musically, "Rabiosa" is a Merenrap/Dancehall reggae song with Latin and rap influences. Shakira recorded the song in the summer of 2010 in the Dominican Republic with Pitbull and El Cata.

The trio wrote and produced it, along with Dizzee Rascal. There are two different versions (as in the cases of "Loca" & "Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)"). The original English language version features Pitbull and includes some Spanish lines, while the Spanish version features El Cata and was released as a single in Spain, South America, Mexico and France. The lyrics are both sung and spoken in English as well as in Spanish, ending with Code-switching, a type of phrasing that combines both Spanish and English words and expressions ("Bite me en la boca"). Due to digital downloads, the song debuted at number 25 in the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (equivalent of #125 in the Billboard Hot 100) in the United States, prior to the album's release. Thus made Rabiosa become Shakira's fifteenth song to enter the Hot 100 (including the Bubbling under extension) in the history. The next week it fell off the chart, losing over 10,000 sales. After half a year, "Rabiosa" re-enter two Billboard surveys: Hot Latin Tracks, peaking at number twenty-three and Latin Pop Airplay, where it peaked within the top twenty.


Shakira "Rabiosa (English Version)" Song ft. Pitbull

After a month of airing on the radios all over the country, the Spanish version of "Rabiosa" (featuring El Cata) reached number 57 in the French Airplay Chart, out of 250 positions. The following week, the song debuted at number 94 in the French Singles Chart, because of the strong digital selling in the week ending March 27. The same week it rose to number 51 in the Airplay Chart. In the French Singles Chart, "Rabiosa" peaked, so far, at number eighteen, after reaching the top twenty in its second full month in the survey. In the Ultratip Chart from Wallonia, Belgium, the song debuted inside the top 50, at number 47 and reached the top twenty, as it peaked at number-twenty. It then entered the top forty of the Ultratop Wallonia official chart. In Spain, the song debuted at number twenty-three inside the Spanish Singles Chart, becoming that week's second best debut, after Lady Gaga's "Judas". The next week, "Rabiosa" climbed to number-six, being the greatest gainer.

It then moved further to number-five to reach the top three the next week and finally set its peak to date at number-two. It defended the peak position for two other weeks. In Portugal the song peaked within the top forty of the Airplay Chart. In the Italian Singles Chart, the song debuted at number twenty-nine and it peaked at number seven. In Switzerland it became an airplay hit and debuted at number twenty-eight and then moved to number twenty-six to latter peak at number twenty-four within the Swiss Singles Chart. In Germany it is reported to have debuted at number forty-four within the Media AG charts, though this fact wasn't confirmed thus far. Within the Youth Airplay Chart, the song peaked at number-eight in that country. In Austria the song debuted at number thirty-six and moved to number twenty-one the next week. In Sweden, the song debuted at number forty-eight to fall off the chart the following week. "Rabiosa" has also entered the charts in Argentina, Colombia, Chile and Mexico and received airplay in Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine and Turkey.

The video starts with a man opening the gate to a party inside a house for Shakira. We then see a scene depicting people partying, a couple kissing (pushing the camera away from them) and a man smoking, exhaling his smoke in Shakira's direction as she makes her way through the corridor. After walking down a staircase she finally reaches the house's basement, where people are throwing confetti and party-string towards the camera while Shakira makes her way towards a guy with whom she starts to flirt. The video cuts repeatedly to shots of Shakira, with long blonde hair, pole-dancing in a dark room filled with bright lights. She continues flirting with the guy, who pushes her into a dry bathtub filled with coloured plastic balls and teasingly throws more in her direction. In the final scenes, we see her ending her pole dancing in a leg split, paying an homage to her 2009 music video She Wolf which took part in a golden cage, and in the ending scene we see her crowd surfing away.

Shakira with her cover "Rabiosa"

Shakira performance at her video clip "Rabiosa"

Beyonce "Best Thing I Never Had" Song

"Best Thing I Never Had" is a song by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles taken from her fourth studio album, 4 (2011). It was released on June 1, 2011, through Columbia Records as the second single from the album. "Best Thing I Never Had" was written by Patrick "J. Que" Smith and co-written and produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Symbolyc One, Caleb McCambell, Atonio Dixon, Knowles and Shea Taylor. An R&B-pop ballad, "Best Thing I Never Had" has lyrics about revenge and karma. Not wanting to end up broken-hearted, the female protagonist relates that she feels happy to have parted from her love interest who did not recognize the potential of leading a happy life beside her. Critical response towards "Best Thing I Never Had" was generally positive with several music critics noting that its theme as well as its musical style bear resemblance to Knowles' own 2006 single, "Irreplaceable". Knowles' vocals and the lyrical content of the song were also complimented. It is presently impacting on charts worldwide.

"Best Thing I Never Had" was written by Knowles with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Patrick "J. Que" Smith, and was produced by Symbolyc One. A private listening party for Knowles' fourth studio album was held on May 12, 2011. Knowles offered a select group of fans a preview of five songs from her fourth studio album as well as the official video for the lead single "Run the World (Girls)". On that occasion, "Best Thing I Never Had" was one among the five songs previewed. On May 1, 2011, a song titled "End of Time" leaked as a demo while the full demo of the song, featuring Knowles professing her everlasting love to her love interest, leaked online on May 20, 2011, watermarked with the tag "internal use only". Several websites, including MTV News started reporting that it might serve as a potential follow up to the lead single, "Run the World". However, these speculations were soon overshadowed by the release of an exclusive US promotional single, "1+1" on May 25, 2011. In early June 2011, Columbia Records reported that "1+1" would however not be sent for airplay, with "Best Thing I Never Had" favored as the second single from 4, following "Run the World".


Beyonce "Best Thing I Never Had" Song

On May 27, 2011, Pittsburgh radio station 96.1 Kiss FM reportedly received an email from Knowles' management, informing them about the follow-up to the lead single, "Run the World (Girls)" from 4, will be "Best Thing I Never Had" and that it would premiere on radio on Wednesday June 1, 2011. As reported, the single debuted on US radio stations on the announced date at morning at 8 (EST). It was digitally released in the United States on June 1, 2011. The single's cover artwork was photographed by German artist Ellen von Unwerth, and shows Knowles posing in a bathroom in front of a mirror. She is holding a tube of red lipstick, which was used to write "King B" on the mirror. Knowles is wearing a "tight-fitting dress"."Best Thing I Never Had" is a midtempo pop and R&B ballad with influences of gospel music. According to the sheet music published by EMI Music Publishing, "Best Thing I Never Had" is set in common time with a moderate tempo of 100 beats per minute, and is written in the key of G♭ major. The introduction follows the chord progression of G♭–C♭–E♭m–D♭, while the verses follow E♭m–G♭sus4–G♭–E♭m–D♭6–G♭sus4–G♭. Its theme and musical style has been compared to Knowles' previous releases like "Irreplaceable" (2006) and "If I Were a Boy" (2008).

The song's instrumentation consists mostly of a piano melody intro and outro, with some layered female vocals providing background support to Knowles' singing. As stated by Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly, "Best Thing I Never Had" seems to have partly borrowed form Celine Dion's "That’s The Way It Is" (1999), and from Bruce Hornsby's "The Way It Is" (1986). Caryn Ganz of Yahoo! Music commented that the song bears resemblance to Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" (2000) paired with Ryan Tedder's signature thump beat. James Dinh of MTV News added that "Best Thing I Never Had" sounds like a song people will hear during a Broadway musical. He attributed this to the fact that Knowles collaborated with the band from Fela! for a couple of days to gain inspiration from the play's subject, Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, Fela Kuti.

Kyle Anderson of Entertainment Weekly noted the moderate chart performance of Knowles' previous single, "Run the World (Girls)", before adding: "'Best Thing I Never Had' feels like the kind of crossover hit that will help 4 join the rest of Beyoncé's discography in multiplatinum land." Still making reference to the former single, Anderson added that "Best Thing I Never Had" finds Knowles mining the same kind of "girl-power imagery as she did on 'Run the World (Girls)', but there is something more direct and honest about the lyrics on the new single (perhaps it's the instant greatness of the line, 'When I think of the time I almost loved you / You showed your ass and I saw the real you')." Noting its similarities to Knowles previous singles, "Irreplaceable" and "If I Were a Boy", Gerrick D. Kennedy of The Los Angeles Times quipped that Knowles certainly knows "how to dump a man in style." Both James Dinh of MTV News and Robbie Daw of Idolator felt that the song has a "radio-friendly appeal and catchy chorus." Leah Collins of Canadian Dose Magazine wrote: "'Irreplaceable', 'Independent Women', 'If I Were a Boy', we could go on [...] Beyoncé had long since proven she could write a song for all the ladies. Songs that could deliver a shot of self-esteem. Beyoncé's newest single, 'Best Thing I Never Had' takes us back to those not-so-far-off days."

"Best Thing I Never Had" debuted at number 84 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart issue dated June 18, 2011. "Best Thing I Never Had" entered at number 53 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it was the highest debut of that week. The following week, the single rose to number 75 on the Hot 100 chart. It has since reached number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. For the week ending June 18, 2011, "Best Thing I Never Had" debuted at the top spot of the South Korea Gaon International Chart with digital sales of 85,742 copies. The following week, it maintained it number one position selling twice as much, transitioning into 174,773 digital copies. Before the song's official release in the United Kingdom, it debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the UK R&B Chart on July 4, 2011, selling 51,365 copies that week. Music Week's Alan Jones attributed the high sales to a performance of the song by Knowles at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival on June 26, 2011. "Best Thing I Never Had" is Knowles sixteenth Top 10 hit in the United Kingdom.

The music video begins with Knowles preparing herself for her wedding ceremony. She is in her boudoir and she is decked in a lacy corset and a lingerie combo, complete with garters. As the song begins, Knowles looks towards the camera directing the words at the viewer, while affirming the subject of the song that she was the best he ever had. From there, the video moves to Knowles playing with a tiara, a veil and lots of tulle on a bed, to various stages of getting dressed. In-between there is a quick cut to old video footage of a young Knowles and her former high school boyfriend, at their senior-prom night in 1998. As Knowles and her boyfriend dances, he becomes interested in another girl, leaving Knowles alone on the dance floor. The video then returns back to the present scene, showing Knowles in her final preparations before she walks down the aisle on her wedding day. Interlaced shot show her singing at sunset atop a grassy hill, in a white gown, followed by the walk down the aisle and the exchange of vows. A final shot shows her former lover at the prom deep in thought, with his prom king crown sitting askew on his head. In contrast, Knowles and her newly-wed husband is seen celebrating at a happy and well-attended reception. The groom removes the bride's garter with his teeth and then they start dancing with their younger family members. The final shot features Knowles looking into the camera, with a look of total satisfaction and happiness. She then walks off confidently, to re-join her wedding party and new husband, and then the screen fades to black.