Blog Posts by Joseph Brannigan Lynch

Axl Rose isn't looking anything like the lithe rock star he was at the height of his fame. When Guns N' Roses played at the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil this week, the 49-year-old sole original member cut a figure that was a far cry from the lean and mean body that made him a hard rock pin-up in the late '80s.

Garbed in a bulging yellow raincoat, Rose obscured his puffy face with sunglasses and a black hat. In response to an inquiry about his apparent weight gain, a rep for Rose said: "You are the first to mention this. If anything, it might be his time off from touring."

After coming onstage two hours late, the tardy Rose voiced his concerns
to the audience about prancing around a rain-soaked stage, thereby
excusing himself from too much physical exertion. "I'm going to try to focus on singing rather than running around like an
idiot. I'm better at being an idiot. We want everybody to be careful." Contrary to his stated goal, Rose struggled to keep time with his
backing band even

The daughter of the late Kurt Cobain and the capricious Courtney Love, Frances Bean Cobain has always lived a distinctly unique life from that of your typical American teen. For instance, while most 19-year-olds are focused on college, entering the workforce or seeing the world, ReaEstalker reports this rock 'n roll heiress just purchased a $1,825,000 home near Hollywood.

Located in a quiet Los Angeles canyon, the Spanish-style house was built in the 1930s and boasts four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a fireplace and a generous backyard patio accessible through French doors on the building's first floor. What more could a teenager ask for?

It's hard to say how much time Frances Bean will actually be spending at her $1.8 million residence. The born-into-celebrity teen reportedly attends Bard College, a small liberal arts university in upstate New York: so unless she's planning on bicoastal jetting between classes and study sessions at home, it's unlikely she'll be spending

This Saturday, Nirvana's "Nevermind" -- the landmark album that brought alternative music crashing into the mainstream -- celebrates its 20th anniversary. If it's hard to believe it's been two decades since Kurt Cobain, his cardigan and his crew challenged the idea of what a pop star could be, it's equally surprising to realize Cobain's only child, Frances Bean Cobain, is already 19 years old.

Born August 18, 1992, to Kurt and his wife and fellow grunge rocker Courtney Love, Frances Bean's name was a tribute to the singer/guitarist of an obscure Scottish rock band the couple adored (Frances McKee of the Vaselines) as well as stemming from Kurt's impression that his daughter looked like a "kidney bean" in ultrasounds.

No longer resembling a kidney bean -- but eerily evoking both of her famous parents simultaneously -- the rock 'n' roll daughter is just beginning to step into the limelight as a model. Her piercing eyes, striking dark looks and tattooed back were highlighted in a recent

With the news that British R&B star and tabloid target Amy Winehouse has died from as yet undisclosed causes, two things are clear: the music world lost one of its most passionately soulful voices, and this is a tragedy that has surprised no one. Winehouse's struggles with drugs and alcohol were often in the public eye and even addressed in her own music, like her best-known hit "Rehab."

Throughout her colorful, troubled life, Winehouse fought many demons: addiction, an eating disorder, and a particularly tumultuous love life. 

Her struggles to stay sober

Although she first broke through to international audiences with a song that found her saying "no, no, no" to her record company's claims that she belonged in rehab, it didn't take long for fans to realize she did have a problem with alcohol abuse, frequently appearing in what appeared to be a drunken state while onstage (one time she exited the stage to vomit) and during TV appearances. Hospitalizations, allegedly related to drug

After 28 years of living with KISS singer Gene Simmons, it seems like Shannon Tweed -- former model and mother of his two children -- might have finally had enough. During the couple's appearance on The Joy Behar Show, the rocker made a comment that seemed to seriously irk his lady. At that point, it appears Tweed decided she couldn't stand her longtime partner another moment, so she got up and left the studio.

[Video courtesy "The Joy Behar Show"]

And while speaking to Kathie Lee and Hoda on "Today," Tweed mercilessly skewered the Kiss bassist every chance she had. And when asked specifically about their future, Tweed said, "It's not looking great."

Their palpable tension seemingly stems from an incident depicted on the last episode of "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" where Tweed confronts her longtime lover with a photo of two ladies hanging on his arms that was posted on TMZ. Of course, it's wasn't just the one photo that did it: Simmons has claimed to have slept with literally

Leave it to Lady Gaga to make sure the 2010 MTV VMA Awards got off to a fashion-forward start-the new Queen of Pop brought a new look to the red carpet and, of course, a touch of political controversy.

The inimitable Lady Gaga arrived in a dress by the late Alexander McQueen: the flowing regal gown wrapped her body in royal shades of gold, dark reds and deep greens. The whole look brought to mind a medieval monarch -- only most ancient queens didn't wear metallic golden feathers on their heads that looked like a Mohawk crossed with a Trojan helmet of war.

Naturally, like any royalty worth her weight in gold, Gaga arrived with military protectors. In Gaga's case, her Ladyship was flanked by servicemen and servicewomen who had been discharged from the military for refusing to go along with the US' controversial "don't ask, don't tell" policy. Gaga even directly dissed the policy in her red carpet interview and vocalized her support for SDN.org, a 17-year-old organization formed in

Southern rapper Birdman is showing off the kind of toy a few million dollars can buy: the Bugatti Veyron. The European sports car is not only one of the most expensive things you can buy on four wheels, but it's also the fastest street car on the planet.

Birdman, who goes by his real name, Bryan Williams, when he's doing business as the CEO of Cash Money Records, is making sure everyone knows about his $2.1 million mode of transportation, too. The Dirty South rapper and his crew snapped some shots of the all-red sports car while holding a business card that reads "I am expensive," a statement which would be pretty hard to argue with, given the car's estimated $300,000 annual upkeep costs.

Dressed in an all-red Adidas hoodie and track pants to match his Bugatti's veneer, Birdman and co. also filmed the delivery of the car for edification of the Internet community. The video also shows off all the luxury car's bells and whistles - including an adjustable spoiler and an ignition key

Michael Bublé is sporting some unexpected jewelry: an engagement ring. The 34-year-old crooner showed off his "man-gagement ring" at a concert last night, explaining that pre-wedding man-bands are traditional in Argentina, his fiancée's home country.

"The boy also wears the engagement ring (in Argentina)," Bublé said, displaying the silver band. "That's what she tells me anyway."

Bublé met his Argentine flame after a 2008 performance in Buenos Aires. The head of his record label wanted to introduce the Canadian singer to "Argentina's most famous actress," said one of Bublé's friends, People reports. "When he met her, he said it was love at first sight."

Luisana Loreley Lopilato de la Torre - the star of one of Argentina's most popular soap operas - soon started dating Bublé. It was only a year after meeting her that the "Home" singer proposed to Lopilato, now 23.

[Photos: Michael Bublé takes the stage] 

Although his 2007 album was titled "Call Me Irresponsible," Bublé's proposal