Katy Perry says husband Russell Brand deported from Japan amidst tour

According to Katy Perry, her husband Russell Brand has been deported from Japan due to “priors from over ten years ago.” Just hours after publicly declaring Japan to be her favorite place in the world via her Twitter account, Perry’s tone turned darker as she revealed that “my husband just got deported from Japan. I am so. sad. I brought him all this way to show him my favorite place.” Despite her displeasure with the situation, Katy made it clear that her California Dreams tour in Japan in support of her smash hit album Teenage Dream will continue, stating that “I [love] my Japanese fans & the show #MUSTGOON no matter the daily aftershocks or husband kidnappings!” Perry has shows in Tokyo on May 23rd and May 24th. For his part, Russell Brand has yet to (as of this posting) address the issue on his own @rustyrockets Twitter account. Meanwhile Perry’s latest hits including Firework, California Gurls, E.T., and Teenage Dream continue to dominate the radio airwaves. Here’s the Beatweek interview with Katy Perry from awhile back.

Smashing Pumpkins Billy Corgan lets loose on light and darkness in rock music

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan has let loose on the state of rock music this evening via his Twitter account, sharing a prolonged stream of thought which touched on everything from music critics to the concept of light and darkness in rock music, and where he thinks it’s headed. Tweeting from a Pumpkins tour stop in Japan, here’s what Corgan had to say in its entirety:

“Critic Robert Hilburn once said of me that I had the talent, but didn’t have the disposition to lead. Wrong. I cannot lead darkness to light … Point being no one can lead darkness to light. Darkness only begets more pain. See current state of Rock and Roll for dire confirmation. … The days of death and destruction being prima matter for the rock and roll machine are over. No one is gonna do it better than the Crue! … The new Age has come, and music will serve as a standard bearer for a new way to connect in Love and Respect. I am happy to lead from Love. … Goodbye to the generations that are more happy to write about you if you are beautiful and dead…or dead of Spirit.”

Billy Corgan recently spoke with Beatweek about Smashing Pumpkins and more in our cover story interview.

iPad comes to UK, Australia, Canada, Japan on May 28th

Apple has announced May 28th as the official iPad release date for nine countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. The launch will include “all iPad models” presumably including the 3G model, and will be available for pre-order via Apple’s online stores in those countries beginning Monday May 10th. The international launch of the iPad, originally slated to have taken place earlier, was delayed due to what Apple said was higher than expected U.S. demand for the device. The sales numbers have since backed up that claim, as the company has sold more than one million iPad units in the United States alone.

Justin Bieber on the back of a milk carton

Teen pop star Justin Bieber may be all the way in Japan and soon on his way to Australia now that his native Canadian Juno awards are over, but last we checked he hasn’t gone missing entirely – you know, as in back of a milk carton missing. And yet one of Bieber’s followers on Twitter (whose own last name is also strangely listed as “Bieber”) claims to have spotted him on the back of a milk carton.

While she hasn’t provided proof, she swears to Bieber that it’s true: “OMG ure on our milk cartons at school…just thought u mite wanna kno…lol i have one sitting in my room LEGIT.”

Bieber’s response on Twitter to, uh Ms. Bieber, seems appropriate: “Am I Missing??”

Justin Bieber promises “big surprises”

On his way to making a pitstop at the Juno awards (his native Canada’s equivalent of the U.S. Grammy awards) before making his first trip to Japan and Australia, Justin Bieber was vague but boastful after entering the awards show via the red carpet. His latest Twitter posting simply reads, apparently in reference to the awards show:

oh yeah…and I got some big surprises tonight for you

To our mind this means a major on stage collaboration. Who could it be? Ludacris obviously comes to mind, but he’s tagged himself as being in Atlanta today.

Any other guesses, Bieber Nation?