American Idol alum Blake Lewis doesn’t like reality television. In fact, he admits that he doesn't watch a lot of television at all. The singer gladly makes one exception though. He is a huge fan of Bravo's Project Runway and watched all three past seasons. "It is probably the only show I've really watched in the last couple of years," he tells Arjan Writes in an interview for OutZone TV.

He even ran into last season's Project Runway winner Jeffrey Sabelia during the American Idol auditions in Hollywood. "Jeffrey walked outside by the Orpheum Theatre where I was waiting for one of the last auditions. I was like 'Yo dude, I wanted you to win! Congratulations!' He looked me up and down, and he gave me a rock sign. Very cool."

It has been a whirlwind year for the singer from Bothell, WA who made it all the way to the finals of the most recent season of American Idol. Jordin Sparks ended up taking home the big pize, but that didn't bother Lewis who emerged as the fun and funky singer with his signature beatboxing.

Their new record, titled “Red Carpet Massacre,” features a contemporary, fresh new sound that was engineering with the help of experienced hitmakers like Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and Nate "Danja" Hills.

Timbaland in particular was essential in bringing new life to Duran Duran. On songs like "Falling Down," "Skin Divers" and "Nite Runner," he applied his big beat production style to Duran Duran's stylish brand of pop rock to serve up a futuristic, hip hop infused new sound that is both hit-worthy and still possess Duran Duran's signature sense of cool and class.

"He's like Tom Ford coming into Gucci," bassist John Taylor explains in a candid interview with Arjan for OutZoneTV.com.

"We had a thing, we had a brand - Duran Duran. Everybody loves Duran Duran. But how do you get across to young people? How can you be something more than just 'we love you guys, we love your hits from the '80s' and whatever. You gotta let somebody in sometimes and let them just what they call in fashion 'refresh the brand.' Take the qualities that you're known for and give it a fucking shake up you know. [Timbaland] is not afraid of doing that."

“Red Carpet Massacre” follows 2004’s much-anticipated reunion CD “Astronaut” that featured all of the group’s original members. Even though the record didn't match the success of their glory days of the '80s and early '90s, Taylor refuses to call the record a disappointment.

He explains that even though the project lacked "confidence and focus," it did give the group the opportunity to get reacquainted.

"[With 'Astronaut'] we were just trying to get back together. We were trying to recreate some kind of magic that we once had," Taylor says. "With ‘Red Carpet Massacre’ we just had to leave the past behind and just go blindly into the present. We made a record that we are just really excited about on a whole number of levels."

Work on this new album started immediately after their last world tour finished. Record label execs liked the collection of new songs they came up with, but suggested the help of an outside producer on one or two songs. “They started throwing names at us,” Taylor remembers. “The only guy we really liked was Timbaland."

It took the group about four months to get studio time booked with him in New York. The producer had a full agenda following his success with Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake. As soon as Justin Timberlake got word of the collaboration he wanted to be a part of it as well. "That was such a crazy, fucking week in Manhattan," Taylor laughs.

Guitar player Andy Taylor missed the studio session and eventually ended up leaving the group. "By the end of the week, we got new Timbaland-produced songs and we didn’t have a guitar player anymore," Taylor says. "But what we had was a new sound. Over the next few weeks we decided to just dump the album that we had and start afresh with this new sonic architecture and continue as a quartet with a very on point production style."

The group continued working with Timbaland protégé Nate Hills. "He came to London and he worked with us for several weeks. And then we went back into the studio with Justin Timberlake at the very end, after he heard all the songs we had. He said 'I want to do another song with you, an 'Ordinary World' type ballad.' So we went back into the studio and cut one more song."

"The challenge for us was not to let it go too far. It had to be Timbaland meets Duran Duran, not Timbaland meets Simon Le Bon. Because for the most part hip-hop producers are really only used to working with a singer. So it took us quite a few days to sorta say 'No, no, no. We play our own bass.' (...) There were big adjustments we had to make, but we figured it out."

The group has always had a large contingency of gay fans, which is not surprising to Taylor. “We took our image seriously. It was not a macho presentation. It was a presentation that had its roots in glamour. And there was an ambiguity to it I suppose. The sound and the look and the subject matter all made it sort of appealing to a gay audience. It was certainly not threatening. We have an audience that a gay man or woman is going to feel comfortable in."

Duran Duran
Red Carpet Massacre
Epic Records
Available now

Kathy Griffin wasn’t joking when she talked about the Celine Dion megastore in Las Vegas during one of her stand up shows. Last week, I visited the store that is located right on Caesars Palace's glittery casino floor. I was amazed by all the clutter and stuff that was inspired by the Canadian singer, from earrings to photo frames and from fleece hoodies to play cards. Celine is serious business.

This year, Dion is celebrating the final year of her impressive five-year residency in Las Vegas that formally comes to an end on December 15. Las Vegas has proven to be a fitting home for Dion. Both are over the top, slightly tacky and love to entertain the masses.

Not only did she turn from "Miss American Dream" into a single mother of two, but she is also in the middle of a fierce child custody battle, faces persistent rumors about substance abuse and deals with critics that go as far as to question her sanity. And if that wasn't enough, all of Spears' drama is captured by the prying lenses of paparazzi photographers who have made profitable careers out of documenting her every move.

But despite her trials and tribulations, the fallen pop princess has found time to work on her much-anticipated new album, titled "Blackout," which landed in stores earlier this week.

"Blackout" is the entertainer’s fifth studio album that follows 2003's smash "In The Zone." Spears teamed up with a group of crafty writers and producers who infused her music with fresh urban-pop stylings and even some electronic ingredients that, dare I say, are unexpectedly cutting-edge for a mainstream pop record.

Earlier this month, the duo got into the spirit of the season and released "Every Day Is Halloween" on their MySpace page. The track is another accomplished slice of throbbing electro that features Furey's enigmatic vocals and Napack's crafty synth production.

Dangerous Muse hit the spotlight in a major way in 2006 when they graced the coveted cover of The Advocate's annual music issue. "Sexuality isn't a label anymore. You don't think of people as gay or straight or bi," argued Napack in the article that went along with. Furey agreed and added, "There's no such thing as 'out' anymore." Their own take on sexuality created a stir among some bloggers who thought that the comments where just a way to disguise their true selves.

Wearing matching polka dot outfits, this spunky British girl trio of RiotBecki, Rosay and Gwenno took the U.K. by storm last year with their critically-acclaimed debut album "We Are The Pipettes" and their head-turning performances with Amy Winehouse and Sleater Kinney. Earlier this month, the group released their CD stateside and they will embark on a U.S. tour to showcase their happy-go-lucky tunes to new American fans.

The Pipette's retro-inspired music is best describes as Happy Days meets The Supremes meets Joan Jett. It is delicious '60s throwback pop with a rebellious attitude that fits the times that we live in now. That distinct mix of authentic melodies wrapped around contemporary lyrics makes The Pipettes' music timeless.

Their approach to music-making is simple. "We don't understand why novelty can't mean longevity," says Riotbecki in a press release."One of the purposes of the Pipettes is to be able to have countless one hit wonders, to have every song a hit single."

Annie Lennox is a woman with many different talents and interests.

Not only is she a legendary singer, songwriter and a pop icon, she is also a mother, an Oscar winner, a humanitarian and a concerned citizen of the world. On her much-anticipated new album "Songs Of Mass Destruction," she shares her concern about the state of our planet and her worries about social injustice with listeners. But no mistake about it. This is by no means a sad record. Lennox swings out, hoping and praying, using her soulful music to send out a message of compassion and equality.

You collaborated on this album with Glenn Ballard who is mostly known from his work with Alanis Morissette. What was it like to work with him?
It was a very enjoyable, creative experience. I really got on very well with Glenn, and it was fantastic every day that we worked together. It was just tremendous fun and very inspiring for both of us.

How do you approach the songwriting process. How do your songs come about?
I don't know how any of my songs come about. It is really hard to say. I work very intuitively. I usually make a start on piano and I find something that is really interesting for me, or maybe I have a keyboard and I have an interesting sound and I just start with one line and I just go on to create the song, whatever comes. There's no formula for it except that I just have to make a start.

The song "Colored Bedspread" is for me personally a stand out track with its electro-pop feel. It reminds me of a vintage Eurythmics tune.
Well, I love electro music. The Eurythmics were fairly eclectic and a lot of our influences were very diverse [coming from] a broad palette of influences. I love electro music, I think it is very exciting. There is still so many aspects and styles of music that I want to record and explore. If you listen to the album, you will hear that each song has its own particular style and many different reference points.

Ari Gold plans to take listeners on a journey this fall. In October, the handsome, openly-gay singer will release his new album "Transport Systems" that is filled with sexy and funked up R&B pop tunes that will please fans and surely make many new ones.

Making this new record was a journey for Gold as well after celebrating the success of 2004's "Space Under Sun." "On my last album, I made some inroads about being an openly-gay artist and I think it put me on the map," he tells Arjan Writes. "For this new album, I wanted to step up my game and make it sound even more tighter and better, and challenge myself when it came to songwriting, singing and production. The pressure was on."

"This record poured out of me creatively. I've made a tremendous growth," he explains. "You learn stuff every day about life and yourself. Coming to the realization that at the end of the day nobody is going to do for you what you can do for yourself was a big lesson for me. I think that's a big lesson for gay people [in general] because we have to really learn how to respect ourselves and learn how to give ourselves the accolades and the props before we can expect it from the outside."

Gold doesn't mind that some people have brushed off his artistic talent and labeled him as just another pretty boy singer. "They said that about Madonna for years too. That she was just some dumb, sexy, pretty chick, so I'm good company there," he laughs, taking the criticism in stride. "[If] people would really take the time to listen to the music and listen to what I'm trying to say then I just can't believe they would still say that. If they still want to hate then the only other I can think of is just that it is a jealousy thing."

"Transport Systems" is inspired by the singer's fascination with "progression, movement, transformation and transportation" that serve as metaphors for the social issues he sings about. He discusses topics like gay relationships, the meth epidemic, gender identity and human rights. "I write about a lot of different things. I like songs that are about having fun, but then there's a more serious side to my music as well," Gold says. He laughs, "Gay people are multi-faceted. We're not all interior designers who want to make straight people look better.

One of the standout tracks on his disc is "Mr Mistress" on which the singer addresses the down low phenomenon. "The song is written from the perspective of a gay man who finds out that the man who he is having an affair with is married with kids, explains the singer. "It is really an empowerment song. It is written in the first person, so me singing it was sort of like me saying 'I don't wanna deal with all that drama and all that mess. I don't wanna destroy somebody's family (. . .), especially when there's children involved."

"I think gay people deserve better for ourselves. A lot of us spent so much time in the closet struggling to be proud of who we are so why would we want to put ourselves back into a situation where we have to lie or keep someone else's secret for them?"

A lot of the stories in Gold's song come from real-life stories he absorbed around him. "(. . .) I think I'm a good listener. Even from an early age when I was in elementary school or high school, my parents used to always call me the school psychologist because I would have all the girls calling me, keeping me up at all hours of the night over the phone telling me their problems and I would sit there and listen."

The theme of the entire disc culminates on the track "Transport Me" that he worked on with producer Steve Skinner (Celine Dion, Jewel, Diana Ross). In the song, the singer imagines being transported to another place and another time where there are no limitations to the concepts of gender, sexuality and race. "Take me someplace where the core of me isn’t up for debate," he sings. "The system is not working. This system is flawed."

Gold adds that he is particularly proud of the lyrics in the song "Good Relationship" that is a pretty "harsh and revealing" song about his own personal issues and psychology. "I really laid it out there on the line," he confided. "That song also speaks about [the relationships between gay men] and the kinds of issues that come up and what we deal with."

He segues into the song he recorded with out musician Dave Koz, titled "Love Wasn't Built In A Day," which is about the hope and the step by step nature of lasting relationships.

"That's really what this album is all about. Forward movement and moving past the pain and past these injuries that we have experienced."

Ari Gold
Transport Systems
Gold 18 Records
In stores October 2

Just Jack's "Overtones" is by far one of the most noteworthy new records of the year. Jack is a London-based MC who mixes his distinct talk-sung vocals with shimmering pop, disco, soul and funk. The CD is the follow up to his indie debut “The Outer Marker” that was released in 2003.

None other than Kylie Minogue duets with Jack on "I Talk Too Much," a collaboration exclusively cut for the U.S. release of "Overtones."

Kaskade grew up in Chicago where he first got into dance music listening to Frankie Knuckles spin at Club Medusas. After moving to Salt Lake City, he funded his studies at the University of Utah by starting his own record store and DJing at a local radio station. After he moved to San Fransisco, he landed a gig as A&R Manager for indie dance label OM Records, which was the perfect opportunity for Raddon to get his own demos heard. Under his Kaskade moniker, he released his first album "It's You It's Me" in 2003 and his breakthrough effort "In The Moment" in 2004. Time to sit down with Kaskade and quiz him about his latest effort.

Why did you decide to do a remix compilation?
When I do an artist album, people get 12 or 13 tracks that I wrote and produced. This album was a great opportunity for me to show the DJ side of me. I find that in the DJ world sometimes the music gets a bit lost. People like to hear the music in the mix. So I approached the label and I said I want to do a mix CD because I'm getting so many requests from people for certain remixes.

How did you select the tracks?
When I'm doing a mix CD, I like to send out emails to friends of mine who are producers and ask them for their upfront music. I also look in my DJ bag to see what I'm playing in the clubs. In the studio, I figure out what tracks fit together. I just think about what I would want to hear in the car, in the bedroom or when I'm getting ready to go out. In the end, it really represents what does well for me in the club.

What is it about your style that appeals to people you think?
It's interesting. People that go out like to hear dance and electronic music but they also like to hear music that is recognizable; older songs that have been mashed up or hits that have been remixed. So that's what I always include in my sets. When I'm on the road, I play a lot of my own music almost to the point that it seems self-serving, but I find that if I don't do that people get upset. They also want to hear my own tracks.

For people not familiar with your music, how would you describe it?
I make epic, emotional dance music. There's always an epic flavor to it, but it is more organic than what is currently out there. It is funny that a lot people listen to my music and they say 'oh this is dance music?' and I say of course. Dance music can have melody too! If people like Justin Timberlake or Nelly Furtado come to me for a remix they like the fact that I'm a songwriter as well and they want to hear a different spin on their song. It sort of an entry level dance sound. I started playing in small cocktail bars but now I play huge crowds and my thing has always been to keep the sound small and soulful but adding an epic flavor to it.

The DJ landscape is incredibly competitive. How do you stay fresh?
I don't feel that. I have carved out my own sound I think. I'm not like Paul van Dyk or DJs like that. You have that whole group of DJs and they all are the number one DJ in the world. I have never aligned myself with that. I do my own thing.

You have been very successful with your own artist albums. Are you not itching to write your own music again and work with vocalists?
I'm always itching. I just enjoy writing music. I'm actually in the studio right now, locked away. I'm always working on stuff and hopefully some new music is coming out early next year.

Are you a classically trained songwriter?
Not at all. I am actually a trained singer.

I have never heard you sing on any of your songs!
That's because I'm my own worst critic. I'm not that good [Laughs]

When I saw you spin in town, I think half of the room was filled with your gay fans.
I love it! I love that they come out to support me. I love playing gay clubs. They get so into the music. It's a blast. Totally. It's cool that I write music that appeals to them too.

You recently produced a great remix of Timberlake's "LoveStoned." How do you go about making a remix?
Actually, the lyrics and vocals are very important to me as a starting point. If I can just hear the acapella, I can imagine the song in my head and how I would have produced it. I like to come in with a blank slate if possible.

A lot of your mixes are not easy to get and a lot of people share them online. Does it help you or hurt you?
Five years ago, it hurt me and I wanted people to stop because it is stealing. Now, I still think it needs to stop but I'm much more aware that it has helped me too. I played a huge room in Asia for example, and I know I didn't sell a lot of records there but the the crowd was singing along to the music. How can that be? That's because they're sharing the music. I wish the distribution was more worldwide and people could get it legally.

Junior Senior are two shiny happy people.

Time to have a chat with the openly-gay Jeppe Laursen to talk about the album and more. (Jeppe is pictured on the right in the photo.)

There are, however, plenty of singers who have no problem being openly gay in their personal and professional life. Three of them are emerging from the crop and are worth keeping you eye (and ears) on.

Ari Gold is one of New York's most prominent gay pop singers. With his good looks and smooth, sultry vocals, he has built a reputation as one of the gay community's most prominent heartthrobs.

Gold is gearing up to release his third album on October 2. The disc, titled "Transport Systems,” was inspired by the concepts of movement and progression, transportation and transformation.

Watching the show, I wondered what a “My Life On The D-List” music compilation would sound like? In other words, if the series would have a soundtrack with tunes inspired by the show, what would be the playlist?

Knowing that Kathy is a big pop culture connoisseur, it should include a heavy dose of hits, evergreen tunes, plus some campy classics to please her biggest fans, the gays.

So here it goes -- “My Life On The D List” -- music inspired by the TV Series:

With all the noise and bad publicity surrounding the release of her album, folks might just forget to take a good listen and find out that “My December” is actually a very satisfying pop-rock effort. Kelly awakens her inner Pat Benatar and goes at it. Have a listen to her gut-wrenching new single “Sober” that features some of her most accomplished songwriting to date. “Nothing’s real/Until you let go completely/So here I go/With all my thoughts/I’ve been saving.” She croons. It’s a must-hear.

Listen to Kelly Clarkson “Sober” [Windows] [Real]

Here's a brief run-down of what to look out for:

Madonna (London)
The Queen of Pop will be taking the stage in London on Saturday. After her incredibly successful show at Live8 in 2005, I'm sure Madge was eager to return and show the world her capabilities as a live performer. She closes the London show, and her set list is rumored to include "Hey You," "Ray Of Light," "La Isla Bonita" and "Hung Up." Excuse me? "La Isla Bonita"? I kid you not. "Hey You" is Madonna's version of a protest song that she penned together with Pharell Williams and was inspired by the global concert series. The song is mediocre at best, but hey, it's the message that counts.

Melissa Etheridge (New York)
This lesbian icon knows how to rock an anthem. Etheridge wrote the compelling”I Need To Wake Up" for Al Gore's documentary An Inconvenient Truth. The song impressed many and took home the award for Best Original Song Written For A Motion Picture at this year's Academy Awards ceremony. It makes sense for her to perform this song at this concert, hopefully with a few guest musicians. If you have never seen or heard the song, you can watch it here.