Happy Birthday to Nelly

Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper, actor and entrepreneur. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album Country Grammar, the title track of which was a top ten hit. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and went on to peak at number one. Country Grammar is Nelly's best-selling album to date, selling over 8.4 million copies in the United States.

His following album, Nellyville, produced the number-one hits "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma" featuring Kelly Rowland. Other singles included "Work It" featuring Justin Timberlake, "Air Force Ones" featuring Murphy Lee and the St. Lunatics, "Pimp Juice" and "#1".
With the same-day dual release Sweat and Suit (2004) and the compilation Sweatsuit (2006), Nelly continued to generate many chart-topping hits. Sweat debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 342,000 copies in its first week. On the same week of release, Suit debuted at number one selling around 396,000 copies in its first week on the same chart. Nelly's fifth studio album, Brass Knuckles, was released on September 16, 2008 after several delays. It produced the singles "Party People" featuring Fergie, "Stepped on My J'z" featuring Jermaine Dupri and Ciara and "Body on Me" featuring Akon and Ashanti.
In 2010, Nelly released the album 5.0. The lead single, "Just a Dream", has appeared in the top ten of several singles charts and were certified platinum in the United States. The second single is "Move That Body" featuring T-Pain and Akon. "Gone" is the sequel to Nelly's 2002 worldwide number one single "Dilemma", also with Rowland, and serves as third single from Nelly's album.
He won Grammy Awards in 2003 and 2004 and had a supporting role in the 2005 remake film The Longest Yard with Adam Sandler and Chris Rock. He has two clothing lines, Vokal and Apple Bottoms. He has been referred to by Peter Shapiro as "one of the biggest stars of the new millennium", and the RIAA ranks Nelly as one of the best-selling male artists in American music history, with 21 million albums sold in the United States.On December 11, 2009, Billboard ranked Nelly the number three Top Artist of the Decade.

Singer Beryl Davis dies aged 87

British singer Beryl Davis, who sang with Frank Sinatra and Benny Goodman, has died in Los Angeles aged 87.Family spokesman Greg Purdy told the Los Angeles Times newspaper that she passed away on Friday from complications of Alzheimer's disease. Born in Plymouth, she began performing with her father, band leader Harry Davis, at the age of three.

A popular singer during World War II, she later became a star in the US, after singing on Bob Hope's radio show. Inspired by American singers, particularly Ella Fitzgerald, she toured around Europe before the war broke out, playing with Stephane Grappelli, big band leader Ted Heath and pianist George Shearing.

Her career blossomed throughout the war, thanks in part to a contract with the BBC, who broadcast up to 10 performances a week to the Armed Forces or the World Service.She was spotted by Glenn Miller and sang with his Army Air Force Band towards the end of the war. After his death, she decided to travel to America because, she said, "I wanted to meet Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Helen Forrest".

At least one of those wishes was granted when she appeared alongside Sinatra on the radio show Your Hit Parade.  Davis continued to sing into old age, her signature tune being the ballad I'll Be Seeing You, which had been popular with troops serving overseas during the war. She was married once, to Hollywood radio and TV star Peter Potter in 1948, but they eventually divorced.

Her partner of 35 years, Buck Stapleton, died in 2003. She is survived by three children a sister and two grandchildren.

Red Hot Chili Peppers play Knebworth Park in June 2012

 

 Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced details of their only UK appearances of 2012.

The Californian funk-rockers will play an open air gig at Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire, on 23 June. Anthony Kiedis and co will also perform at Sunderland's Stadium of Light on 24 June. The band returned to the UK in September to play their first British show since 2007 at Camden's Koko venue for BBC Radio 1.  Their 10th studio album, I'm With You, topped the UK's official album chart when it was released earlier this year. This month they'll head out on their first UK dates with new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. He replaced John Frusciante in 2009. After their Koko gig drummer Chad Smith told Newsbeat he felt the band had a "new, exciting energy""The people were really very responsive. We played a lot of new stuff and they seemed to enjoy it," he said. "We're just having a great time playing together right now." Tickets for the 2012 shows go on general sale on at 9am on Friday 4 November.  
 

Child artist Kieron Williamson to hold new exhibition

A child artist whose paintings last year fetched £150,000 at a gallery in Norfolk has unveiled a new art sale and exhibition.

Suleymaniye Mosque in Istanbul is one of Williamson's ventures into "foreign waters"

Nine-year-old Kieron Williamson, dubbed "Mini Monet", will exhibit 12 new landscapes at Picturecraft Gallery in Holt, from 11 to 23 November.

The oil, watercolour and pastel originals are expected to fetch between £1,000 and £15,500 each.

He has already earned enough from art to buy a house on the Norfolk Broads.

The latest paintings include scenes from Kieron's home county and abroad.

Kieron's last exhibition at the Norfolk gallery in 2010 caused a stir across the art world, with his collection of works selling out in 30 minutes.

Fans camped outside the gallery days before the sale, with people from as far away as Arizona in the US snapping up his paintings.

His last exhibition was at the Delamore Arts Festival in Devon in May, where his works sold out before the event began.
'Massive progress'

"It's lovely to see a nine-year-old boy keeping traditional landscape painting alive," said Kieron's mother, Michelle.

Kieron Williamson has already earned enough to buy a house on the Norfolk Broads