Billboard Bits: Taylor Swift Canoodles with Jake Gyllenhaal, Coldplay Puts ... - Billboard

Billboard Bits serves up the best bite-sized nuggets of music news and gossip.

Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal Spotted Apple Picking

Taylor Swift has been spotted around New York City with actor Jake Gyllenhaal. The two spent the past weekend (Oct. 23-24) apple picking in Hopewell Junction, N.Y., where they were caught canoodling between the trees. The couple is rumored to have been dating for only two to three weeks now, but neither have decided to "Speak Now" to confirm or deny reports. (Us Weekly)

Coldplay Most Likely to Put Insomniacs to Sleep, Survey Says

If you suffer from insomnia, try a warm glass of... Coldplay. The rock group topped a recent survey conducted by Travelodge that ranked music most likely to help people fall asleep. If Coldplay doesn't do the trick, the survey found that Michael Buble and Snow Patrol produced the next best snooze-worthy tunes. The list also included melodic and calming acts like Jack Johnson, Alicia Keys and Taylor Swift. ( Travelodge via NME)

Kanye West and Jay-Z Collaboration Goes from EP to Full-Length

The recording project between Kanye West and Jay-Z will now be turned into a full-length album, titled "Watch The Throne." "We're going to the South of France at the end of the month to just record new ideas. But we'll probably be done with the album in a day," West said, regarding the collaboration. (MTV) 

Girl Talk Readies New Album for End of Year Release

Girl Talk, aka mash-up DJ Greg Gillis, recently revealed in an interview that his next album is on track for release by the end of 2010. The currently untitled album will feature samples from Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Black Sabbath and Supergrass, to name a few. "It's definitely in the same ballpark as 'Feed the Animals,' but the production's more complex and there's more of a variety in the source material," said Gillis. (Pitchfork)

T.I. Dropped by Remy Martin Cognac

After being dropped by Axe last week, T.I. has also been dropped by Remy Martin Cognac. A spokesperson for Remy Martin said that the company has severed ties with the rapper, but they hope he will "devote his energy to staying the course." (Rap Radar)

J.Lo's Twins Model for Gucci

Jennifer Lopez took her twins, Max and Emme, to the beach to model for the new Gucci children's line. J.Lo said that Emme is the budding fashionista, already picking out her own outfits, while Max is resistant to getting dressed at all. Gucci is making a donation to the UNICEF Schools for Africa initiative in honor of the launch, which encouraged J.Lo to sign on. "It's exactly why I'm excited to be a part of this," Lopez said. "Now there are two Gucci spokesbabies for a beautiful cause!" (Popeater)

Keith Richards to Release Solo Retrospective Album

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is set to release his first-ever solo album, titled "Vintage Vinos," on Nov. 2. The album will include remastered hits from out-of-print albums from the '80s and '90s, as well as unreleased original tracks. 

(Reporting by Jillian Mapes, Walter Frazier, Megan Vick and Emma Gaedeke)

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News - <b>Taylor Swift</b>, Jake Gyllenhaal Go Apple Picking - Celebrity <b>...</b>

Saturday Night Live wasn't Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal's first outing together this past weekend.

The two were spotted Saturday at the Fishkill Farms in Hopewell Junction, N.Y, where they toured fall foliage and went apple-picking, reports the new Us Weekly (on newsstands Wednesday).

PHOTOS: Unlikely celeb duos

"They were walking through the trees, having fun together," says a local. "They looked happy."

Adds the witness, "Some of the customers tried to take a photo of them, but they were hiding from them in the trees. They drove through the orchard and bought the apples on the way out." (Gyllenhaal, 29, paid the $3 tab.)

PHOTOS: Couples who've had serious age differences

It was just the first stop of a romantic Big Apple weekend, which included a trip to a SNL taping and Sunday brunch in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood, as UsMagazine.com reported Monday.

Says a source, "The relationship is very new, maybe two or three weeks old. I’m not sure who pursued whom — but they’re both into it."

Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly, Play Celebrity Fantasy League to win amazing prizes

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Exclusive: Yahoo Courts Former News Corp. Digital Exec Ross Levinsohn As U.S. Head

Kara Swisher, On Tuesday October 26, 2010, 3:11 pm EDT

He’s baaaaaack.

Former Fox Interactive Media President Ross Levinsohn, that is, who is the top candidate to replace Hilary Schneider as Yahoo’s U.S. head, according to several sources close to the situation.

While the deal is not completely struck, sources said Levinsohn is very close to taking the job.

Sources added that if he does, he is likely to remain living in Los Angeles, where he has long been located.

The move is a bold one for Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz, who desperately needs to bring in major Internet talent to the company.

Yahoo has been rocked by management turmoil–especially in the media and advertising unit–and also by troubling weakness in revenue growth and innovative spark.

Levinsohn, one of the more colorful of Web personalities, certainly has the spark.

Levinsohn is currently an investor at Fuse Capital, which funds digital media and communications start-ups.

But sources said he has been itching to get back to a big company with scale in the digital media business and has been interested in Yahoo for some months.

At Yahoo, presumably, he will have purview over what Schneider did (and perhaps more), including the Silicon Valley Internet giant’s powerful media properties and its large advertising sales force in the U.S.

It’s likely Yahoo will hire a major ad sales exec to work under Levinsohn, and sources said the company has been in contact with several prominent execs to fill the slot left open after the March departure of Joanne Bradford to Demand Media.

Besides Schneider, also among the recent departures in the unit Levinsohn would run: VP of Media Jimmy Pitaro, who went to Disney, and Audience head David Ko, who moved to social gaming phenom Zynga.

Until now, Levinsohn is best known for his stint running digital operations for News Corp.’s then FIM unit.

It was at FIM that he rose to prominence after he bought MySpace, the social networking site that was once the hottest property on the Web.

At the time, Levinsohn and other execs also struck a gigantically lucrative advertising search deal with Google that garnered MySpace huge revenues.

After leaving News Corp. after repeated clashes with MySpace co-founder and CEO Chris DeWolfe, he partnered with former AOL CEO Jon Miller in another investment company, Velocity Capital.

Ironically, both Miller and Levinsohn were the top choices of billionaire shareholder activist Carl Icahn as the execs he wanted to run Yahoo when he was agitating for change there a few years back in the midst of the failed takeover attempt by Microsoft.

When reached today, Miller–who now is the Chief Digital Officer of News Corp.–declined to comment on his former associate.

But he said: “If Yahoo is so lucky to get Ross, it would be great, because he is one of few people who understands all media.”

Indeed, Levinsohn is better known as a dealmaker and media exec than as a sales expert, although he did manage digital advertising properties at FIM.

Previous to FIM, Levinsohn ran Fox Sports Interactive Media. He has also worked at the AltaVista Network–an early search pioneer–CBS Sportsline and Time Warner’s pay cable giant HBO. In addition, according to his bio at Fuse, he also worked at Saatchi and Saatchi and in sports management and marketing at ProServ and Lapin and Rose Communications.

Yahoo declined to comment about the possible appointment of Levinsohn.

(And let’s hope Yahoo–especially the hip-shooting Bartz–doesn’t announce his arrival by also unfairly kicking former execs in the media and advertising unit in the teeth, as has been cloddishly done already on the down low.)

BoomTown has contacted Levinsohn via email and phone and has not heard back from the typically voluble exec.

But you can enjoy his stylings here, in an interview I did with him in 2007:

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<b>Taylor Swift</b>: Family Photo Silliness | Celebrity-gossip.net

Posted Wednesday April 27, 2011 6:25 PM GMT

She may be one of the top recording artists in the world, but Taylor Swift is also quite the character, as evidenced by a new family photo that has been released.

In the shot, the “Should’ve Said No” songstress is wearing a milkmaid getup while her 19-year-old brother Austin sports a German lederhosen/tunic top ensemble.

Along with the photo, Taylor posted, “I finally got to see my brother and give him his birthday present - this outfit I bought in Germany.”

Miss Swift took Austin as her date to the People’s Choice Awards back in January, following her breakup with Jake Gyllenhaal.

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What Do You Think Of Taylor Swift's Glittery Get-Up On NBC's 'Today Show ... - Hollywood Life

Taylor Swift opted for yet another glittery ensemble for her Oct. 26 performance on NBC’s Today Show, where she played some fan faves for a wild crowd. Between her dress and her equally shimmery guitar, we could barely tell whether we were looking at at Tay-Swift or a walking disco ball! The girly-girl look is awesome most of the time, but maybe this is a bit of system overload for daytime.

When someone says “Taylor Swift,” the star’s princess persona always comes to mind — from her draping, reflective Kaufman Franco gown at the 2009 VMAs, to her Romeo and Juliet-esque “Love Story” music video. Everything about her screams rainbows and butterflies, but not even in a bizarre Mariah Carey way. After all, it’s Tay-Swift’s image that has solidified her as a tween queen, almost as much as her catchy tunes!

What do you think, Hollywoodlifers? Did you love Taylor’s latest sparkly number, or was it a little too much this early in the morning?

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Jake Gyllenhaal and <b>Taylor Swift</b> Spotted Together | PopEater.com

Taylor Swift's recent single 'Dear John' made it clear to the world that she's over reported ex John Mayer, but it failed to mention that the singer's got a brand new man. Swift was spotted in New York over the weekend attending a 'Saturday Night Live' taping with rumored beau Jake Gyllenhaal.

PEOPLE reports that Swift and Gyllenhaal arrived together to the show -- hosted by 'Easy A' star Emma Stone -- but were cautious about acting like a couple.

The following day, the pair were spotted again having brunch and exploring the Brooklyn neighborhood of Park Slope.

Swift's third studio album, 'Speak Now,' drops tomorrow.

<b>Taylor Swift's</b> Album Sales Will Be HUGE, According To Predictions <b>...</b>

Filed under: Music Minute > Taylor Swift

Not that we're surprised!

As Taylor Swift's new album Speak Now is released, initial sale projections can be described as "huge" and "exploding." She is expected to sell around 800,000 to 900,000 copies.

OMG! Especially impressive these days!

Tags: sales, speak now

Posted: October 26, 2010 at 8:20 pm

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