Album art from Pink Floyd, Blur and David Bowie also included.
By James Montgomery
<P>On Thursday (January 7), the U.K.'s Royal Mail unveiled a series of 10 new stamps, honoring the most iconic album covers of the past 40 years. The albums featured in the new series are the Rolling Stones' <i>Let It Bleed,</i> Led Zeppelin's <i>IV,</i> David Bowie's <i>The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars,</i> Mike Oldfield's <i>Tubular Bells,</i> The Clash's <i>London Calling,</i> New Order's <i>Power, Corruption and Lies,</i> Primal Scream's <i>Screamadelica,</i> Pink Floyd's <i>The Division Bell,</i> Blur's <i>Parklife</i> and — the most recent album on to make the cut — Coldplay's <i>A Rush of Blood to the Head.</i> Meant to honor "the most potent graphic images of modern times, many of which have provided a visual soundtrack to people's lives," the series is the end result of a lengthy research process by the Royal Mail, who looked through thousands of album covers by British artists before deciding on the final list. And, during a Wednesday night BBC Radio broadcast, it was revealed that the queen herself actually approved each design. Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page — who helped design the cover for <i>IV</i> — was on hand to celebrate the release of the stamps and recalled the mysterious nature of the album's iconic imagery. "Almost 40 years after the album came out, nobody knows the old man who featured on the cover, nor the artist who painted him," he said. "That sort of sums up what we wanted to achieve with the album cover, which has remained both anonymous and enigmatic at the same time." Of course, any great honor is befitting of an equally great contest, so, on the same day the stamps were made available to the general public, Coldplay decided to give one of their <i>Rush of Blood</i> stamps away. In a message on their official site, the band held a contest to send one lucky fan "a letter using a Coldplay stamp, postmarked with today's issue date." "We visited our local post office earlier today and bought some of the Coldplay stamps," the message read. "Very nice they are too."</p>
Related Photos Related ArtistsCatherine Bell Chandra West Charisma Carpenter Charli Baltimore Charlies Angels Charlize Theron Chelsea Handler Cheryl Burke China Chow Chloë Sevigny
'It's nice being able to tell the truth,' Lovato says of Unbroken and her 'Stay Strong' documentary, which debuts tonight at 10 p.m. on MTV.
By Jocelyn Vena
Demi Lovato
Photo: Universal Music Group
Demi Lovato is no stranger to being honest about her ups and downs. When she dropped Unbroken last fall, several of the cuts, including the album's staggering lead single, "Skyscraper," seemed to reflect on her own personal journey.
Recorded after she left a treatment center in 2011, the album was full of not only girl-power anthems, but also reflective ballads about the struggles of loving both yourself and others.
"The album I wanted to keep upbeat and uplifting; I didn't want to come out with this depressing album. I think it's important that I kept a lot of my heart open on the album because I talked about my personal issues," she told MTV News about the release before tonight's premiere of her MTV documentary, "Stay Strong," which also touches on many of her personal issues and trying her best to put her life back together after entering rehab in October 2010. "But I also had some fun dance songs on there for people to enjoy," she added about the album.
Whereas some pop stars tend to shy away from their own lives on their albums, Lovato fully embraced the joys and the sorrows of her life. "I think it's nice being able to tell the truth and being able to really talk about these issues rather than hiding it and not talking about it and sharing it," she added. "So I think I enjoy it more than anything I'd done before when I was trying to hide everything." The album's next single is "Give Your Heart a Break."
Lovato is set to welcome fans into her life when "Stay Strong" debuts tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV followed by a live Q&A with the star during "The After Show" at 11 p.m. ET/PT.
"I've just been working at it a day at a time and have been trying to continue to fight my hardest," she told us about still dealing with her problems in the public eye. "And I've had my ups and downs, and I'm still trying, but overall it's been a really great journey, and I'm thankful for everything that I've been through."
Don't miss "Demi Lovato: Stay Strong," debuting tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV.
Related Videos Related ArtistsAna Ivanovi Ana Paula Lemes Ananda Lewis Angela Marcello Angelina Jolie Anna Faris Anna Friel Anna Kournikova Anna Paquin AnnaLynne McCord
Carol Grow Carrie Underwood Cat Power Catherine Bell Chandra West Charisma Carpenter Charli Baltimore Charlies Angels Charlize Theron Chelsea Handler
The pregnant Jersey Shore star is engaged to her baby daddy! See more stars who are planning to tie the knot
Camilla Belle Carla Campbell Carla Gugino Carmen Electra Carol Grow Carrie Underwood Cat Power Catherine Bell Chandra West Charisma Carpenter
Amanda Bynes Amanda Detmer Amanda Marcum Amanda Peet Amanda Righetti Amanda Swisten Amber Arbucci Amber Brkich Amber Heard Amber Valletta
Amerie Amy Cobb Amy Smart Ana Beatriz Barros Ana Hickmann Ana Ivanovi Ana Paula Lemes Ananda Lewis Angela Marcello Angelina Jolie
Carmen Electra Carol Grow Carrie Underwood Cat Power Catherine Bell Chandra West Charisma Carpenter Charli Baltimore Charlies Angels Charlize Theron
'Over the last decade, March has been a hotbed for animated releases,' industry analyst tells MTV News.
By Kevin P. Sullivan
A scene from "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax"
Photo: Universal Studios
Taylor Swift can now add "box-office champion" to her list of accolades. "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax" scored huge numbers at theaters this weekend, ending up with an outstanding $70.7 million take and the biggest weekend of 2012 so far.
Dr. Seuss' little environmentalist surpassed all expectations on the way to its record-breaking bow; the film also contributed to a solid weekend on the whole, with ticket revenues up 27 percent from the same period last year.
With stars like Swift, Zac Efron, Ed Helms and Danny DeVito populating the cast, "The Lorax" not only had the benefit of being the first big-budget family release of the year, but also one with major stars.
Jeff Bock, senior box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations, told MTV News that March has recently been a month made for strong animated openings, so the success of "The Lorax" isn't exactly shocking.
"Over the last decade or so, March has been a veritable hotbed for animated releases. In fact, six of the top 10 March debuts have been 'toons," Bock said. "Universal certainly had already been witness to the success of 'Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!' which went on to gross over $150-plus million after a March 2008 rollout. So is this a surprise? Not really."
The success of "The Lorax" could potentially bode well for the rest of 2012's box-office prospects, especially with such big releases slated for the rest of the year. "The box-office surge of March should continue, as 2012 is packed with promise," Bock said. "The real question is whether or not summer will live up to expectations; those four months can make or break the entire year. With the triple threat of 'The Avengers,' 'The Amazing Spider-Man' and 'The Dark Knight Rises,' I certainly like our chances."
Check out everything we've got on "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax."
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
Related VideosFoxy Brown Freida Pinto FSU Cowgirls Gabrielle Union Garcelle Beauvais Genelle Frenoy Georgianna Robertson Georgina Grenville Gina Carano Gina Gershon