Manoj Tiwari's Music sells like hot cakes

Once upon a time, Bhojpuri superstar Manoj Tiwari was only known for his music, and now, due to time constraints, he is able to make just one or two albums every year. It is reported that more than 1 lakh (100 thousand) copies of his last album Hey Mahadev have been sold already.

With this album, Manoj has finally selected a new music company to promote his songs. It is perhaps the first time since 1996, that Manoj has decided to release his album with any company other than T-series. This new company also plans to purchase music rights for many Bhojpuri films.

"This album is very close to my heart, as it is about praying to Lord Shiva in the holy month of Sawan... millions of devotees attend the Shravani Mela in Deoghar every year to worship lord Shiva. The songs are full of energy, and are being widely appreciated by the audience," said Manoj Tiwari.

Songs like Chhoda bhang ke gola baba pepsi piyal kara and tanik nandi ke deen araam naino car aail ba are already poplar among masses. There are eight songs in this album, which are written by Shyam Dehati and composed by Madhukar Anand. Video of the album was picturised at Varanasi.

Jacko's death second biggest Internet story of the Century

Pop singer Michael Jackson's death is officially the second biggest internet news story of the 21st century, according to figures published.

Only Barack Obama's election to the White House eclipsed the King of Pop's dramatic passing away.

According to a news daily, in the 72 hours after his death, Jackson, 50, generated twice as much web news than in the same period after coalition troops entered Iraq.

Other top stories he left standing included last year's Beijing Olympics, Hurricane Katrina, the death of Pope John Paul II and the Indonesian tsunami disaster.

His death has also leapt to the ninth biggest story in global print media since the start of 2000.

The Global Language Monitor, which recorded trends in word usage of the top 5,000 print and electronic media sites carried out the research worldwide.

The analysis tracked news stories within the first 72 hours after the event.

Madonna is the 'highest earning Musician'

Madonna has pipped Celine Dion and Beyonce Knowles to top the world's highest earning musicians list.

According to America's Forbes magazine, the Queen of Pop earned a staggering $110 million from June 2008 to June 2009 due to her Sticky & Sweet world tour.

Dion bagged the second spot with $100 million in the same time period followed by Beyonce, who raked in 87 million, reports Contactmusic.

Wrapping up the top five were rocker Bruce Springsteen and country star Kenny Chesney, who grossed $70 million and $65 million respectively.

The top 10 list
1. Madonna $110 million
2. Celine Dion $100 million
3. Beyonce Knowles $87 million
4. Bruce Springsteen $70 million
5. Kenny Chesney $65 million
6. (tie) Coldplay $60 million
6. (tie) Rascal Flatts $60 million
6. (tie) AC DC $60 million
9. The Eagles $55 million
10. Toby Keith $52 million

Kris Allen's 'Idol' win Chalked up to likability

Kris Allen's "American Idol" win over presumed front-runner Adam Lambert was a triumph of quiet likability and not as unexpected as some fans imagined, some pop culture experts said on Thursday.

Lambert, 27, was widely considered the favorite going into this week's two-part finale, in large part because of consistent praise from the show's four judges.

Arkansas student Allen, 23, looked shocked when he was announced the winner on Wednesday after almost 100 million votes were cast for the two finalists.

But Time magazine critic James Poniewozik said in a blog post that the TV singing competition favors contestants who embody a story, and for that reason he expected a win by Allen.

"Over the season, he grew in stage presence and seeming confidence, creating a narrative of a sweet guy next door blossoming before our eyes," Poniewozik wrote.

In a New York Times article titled "'American Idol': The Triumph of Soft Rock," writer Jon Caramanica said Allen's "innocuousness proved to be no liability."

Caramanica said Allen will likely produce an album that could get regular play on cable channel VH1.

"In other words, the new soft rock, a post-Coldplay movement that most tastemakers ignore but remains relevant to broad swaths of the country," he wrote.

With his usual bluntness, "Idol" judge Simon Cowell talked Allen down a notch the day after his win.

"If you allow America to vote, you live with the vote," Cowell said on "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest's Los Angeles morning radio show.

"I wouldn't have said he was the best singer in the competition though. I think he's like a little puppy dog," said Cowell, who had clearly favored the more showy Lambert.

Allen and Lambert have heaped praise on each other since the finale.

"I feel like he deserves this as much as I do," Allen said backstage after his win on Wednesday.

Musical theater actor Lambert told reporters Allen won "because he's a great artist."

While much was made in the media of the possibility that some voters were influenced by Lambert's showy style, stagy performances and pictures circulated online of him kissing a man, Caramanica wrote in the New York Times that the runner-up is "an old fashioned song-and-dance man."

"If Mr. Lambert was hiding something, it wasn't his sexual preference -- it was his conservatism," Caramanica wrote. "If only he'd have let America see the real him."