Brit Awards 2011 winners include Arcade Fire, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and Plan B

         
            Brit Awards 2011 winners Arcade Fire won trophies for best international group and best 
            international album.

Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire stole the show at Britain's answer to the Grammys on Tuesday, grabbing two awards at a revamped event aimed at better reflecting the changing face of the music industry.

Arcade Fire, surprise winners of a Grammy this month and still regarded by many as an underground act, won awards for best international group and best international album for their critically acclaimed LP 'The Suburbs' at the BRIT awards.

"We're called Arcade Fire -- check it out on Google," the band's lead singer Win Butler said. The event, long written off by critics as an industry back-scratching event, featured blistering acoustic performances by UK singer Adele and folk act Mumford & Sons but also gave the usual nod to mainstream artists such as Rihanna and man band Take That.

Rapid changes in the way audiences listen to and buy music in recent years have forced a rethink at the heart of the industry, giving a bigger platform to home-grown talents which rise to the top without huge major label investment.

Mumford & Sons received the coveted album of the year award for 'Sigh No More', beating Take That and Tinie Tempah in a shock choice for an event that tends to reward sales over quality.

        

         Justin Bieber won the international breakthrough award. 

The audience, stuffed with music industry executives, artists and hangers on, also enjoyed an explosive medley from Tempah, arguably the last year's most memorable mainstream artist, who grabbed two awards on the night.

In the running for four gongs, the south London rapper, responsible for tracks such as 'Pass Out', received the breakthrough and best single awards.

Rapper Plan B grabbed best male artist, surprising critics who had expected a clean sweep for Tempah.

Plan B's album, 'The Defamation of Strickland Banks', has been a slow burning success story, catapulting him from underground rapper to radio star over the last 12 months.

Man band Take That, who opened the show with a troop of dancers dressed as riot police in a nod to recent student protests over higher tuition fees, won best British group.

Rihanna took best international female artist and Canadian teen sensation Justin Bieber won the international breakthrough award.

Jessie J, the latest British pop artist to hit number one, won the critics' choice award while Cee Lo Green grabbed best international male solo artist and closed the ceremony with a fireworks-enhanced performance of his hit single 'Forget you'.

Rihanna and Ciara get into war of words on Twitter after slams on E! Fashion Police

        
          Rihanna, left and Ciara, right, got into a cyber catfight on Twitter on Friday night. They later made up.

Rihanna and Ciara got into a no-holds-barred Twitter throw down.

The two pop divas-and former flames of Chris Brown -- got into a war of words after Ciara took a hit at the Barbados beauty on E!'s Fashion Police on Friday.

"I ran into her recently at a party. She wasn't the nicest," the 25-year-old recounted of Rihanna to Joan Rivers. "It's crazy because I've always loved and respected what she's done in fashion... It wasn't the most pleasant run-in."

Rihanna, 22, got wind of her remarks and took to Twitter, sniping "My bad Ci, did I forget to tip you?," later adding "U gangsta huh?"

Ciara fought back on Twitter, posting "Trust me Rihanna you don't want to see me on or off the stage," to which the Disurbia singer replied "Good luck with booking that stage u speak of."

Eventually, the catfight become too much for Rihanna, and she decided to extend an olive branch.

"Ciara baby, I love you girl!" she tweeted. "You hurt my feelings real bad on TV! I'm heartbroken! That's why I retaliated this way! So sorry! Let's make up."

Ciara accepted the offer.

"Rhi, u know its always been love since day 1! Doing shows and everything," she wrote. "You threw me off in that party! Apology accepted. Let's chat in person."

Kelly reflects on fashion disaster

                               

Kelly Osbourne may have landed a role on Fashion Police but she's happy to admit her own fashion failures.

The presenter and reality star will be reporting live from the red carpet at the Oscars this Sunday, commenting on the outfits of the stars.

Remembering one of her own worst get-ups, she said: "I think one of my worst was... I was drunk and I went to the Carl Davis party, and at the time, I thought I looked great, but then when I woke up the next morning, I was like, 'oh my God why did I do that? I had this big wig on... in a pink dress and a big bow and the best part of it is in all the pictures I'm smiling, like I look like I'm the s**t, like, and it's just the worst thing ever!"

Kelly added that she enjoyed working with her Fashion Police colleagues Joan and Melissa Rivers.

"Working with Joan and Melissa is so great for me because I've only ever worked with my family and my mum and my mum is my manager and getting to see and be a part of, now, the Rivers family, it's great. They are mother and daughter and you know, I've never seen [them] fight," she said.

:: Live From The Red Carpet: The 2011 Academy Awards is on 27 February at 11pm and Fashion Police: The 2011 Academy Awards is on Tuesday 1 March at 8pm on E!

Dior Suspends Top Designer After Report of Altercation

                                     
                                   John Galliano, the design director for the 
                                               French fashion house Dior, was accused 
                                               of making an anti-Semitic remark during a 
                                               fight at a bar in Paris.
    
                                    
                                                Some of John Galliano’s designs were
                                                featured during Fashion Week in Paris 
                                                in January.


PARIS — The fashion house Christian Dior said on Friday that it had suspended its design director, John Galliano, after he was accused of making an anti-Semitic slur during a drunken tussle at a Paris bar.“Christian Dior has an unequivocal zero-tolerance policy regarding anti-Semitism and racism,” the chairman and chief executive of Christian Dior Couture, Sidney Toledano, said in a statement. The statement said Mr. Galliano, 50, had been suspended pending the conclusion of a police investigation into the incident.

Dior’s ready-to-wear autumn-winter collection is slated to be shown in Paris next week.

Mr. Galliano’s own label, John Galliano, has its show scheduled for March 6.

His lawyer, Stéphane Zerbib, contested the claims on Friday. “There was never the slightest comment of a racist or anti-Semitic connotation,” Mr. Zerbib said in a telephone interview.

The police detained Mr. Galliano at La Perle, a trendy bar in the Marais district of Paris, at about 9 p.m. Thursday, a police official said.

Brought to the police station for questioning on charges of “light violent acts” and “insults of anti-Semitic nature,” Mr. Galliano had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal driving limit, the police official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity in keeping with police regulations.

Mr. Galliano was released from police custody late Thursday and accompanied to his home.

A longtime Paris resident, Mr. Galliano has been design director at Dior, part of the LVMH luxury goods empire controlled by the French billionaire, Bernard Arnault, since 1997. LVMH did not respond to calls seeking comment.

Known as a flamboyant showman, he is responsible for the company’s haute couture and ready-to-wear collections.

Employees at La Perle, near Mr. Galliano’s home and where the designer was sometimes a patron, were tight-lipped about the altercation.

“We don’t know anything,” one employee said, declining to give his name. “At least, we’re not saying anything.”