Rihanna: Baldi Babe

Paying a visit to one of her favorite eateries, Rihanna spent Friday night (March 25) chowing down at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica, California.

The Barbadian beauty, who visited the upscale restaurant the previous weekend as well, was joined by her regular security staffer as she exited following a relaxing weekend-beginning meal.

On the career front, RiRi has been rumored to have been told to nix her North America tour plans due to low sales - but insiders say that those claims are totally false.

With the gigs seemingly on path to sellout, the 23-year-old tweeted of the tour plans, “J.Cole will be joining me to hit the road in N.America and Canada this SUMMER #LOUDtour"

Enjoy the pictures of Rihanna leaving the Giorgio Baldi restaurant after dinner in Los Angeles (March 25).

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Rihanna goes shopping for sex toys

We are starting to think that S&M might be more than just a song in the world of Rihanna as the singer was snapped leaving a sex shop called Tool Shed (nice) in Sydney. Of course, when you travel half way round the world, naturally a sex shop is first port of call.

A probably PVC clad Tool Shed spokesperson has revealed that the visit was arranged earlier in the day and the staff had to ensure no-one else was in the store to disturb RiRi while she was shopping.

However, the spoilsport wouldn’t let on what sort of merch she got her hands on while she was there. Some new outfits for the tour perhaps? The spokesperson said: 'I can't say what she did or what she bought, it's TOP secret.'

All we know is that the Umbrella singer was papped leaving with two big black bags crammed full of goodies guranteed to make your nan blush.

We just hope she didn’t demand a different toy for each day of the week before collapsing on the floor after sniffing poppers like Kate Moss did on a recent sex shop visit.

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Rihanna rocks celeb-studded NBA All-Star game (omg!)

Singer Rihanna performs during half-time of the NBA All-Star basketball game in Los Angeles, February 20, 2011. REUTERS/Danny Moloshok (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL ENTERTAINMENT)Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - With a celebrity-studded crowd looking on, Rihanna rocked the halftime show at the NBA All-Star game on her 23rd birthday.

She had some other big names helping her sing her hits Sunday, with Drake joining in on "What's My Name?" and working "happy birthday" into the lyrics. Dripping in gold chains, a red-clad Kanye West came out for "All of the Lights."

At halftime, the lights inside Staples Center went out and the video screens filled with water droplets, setting the stage for Rihanna to emerge from behind a wall singing "Umbrella."

While it was a working day for Rihanna, her fellow music stars relaxed in their seats while watching the 60th annual All-Star game.

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Rihanna, Kanye West Bring 'All Of The Lights' To All-Star Game

Hometown hero Kobe Bryant may have blistered the Eastern Conference during the first half of Sunday night's (February 20) NBA All-Star Game, but it took Rihanna , Drake, and Kanye West to bring the Los Angeles crowd to their feet, with a rollicking performance during half-time of the gala sporting event.

Wearing a jet black ensemble and flanked on either side by string instrumentalists, RiRi opened the set with an orchestral arrangement of her hit "Umbrella," before segueing into the faster tempo of "Only Girl" and "Rude Boy."

Rihanna was joined on stage for her fourth song when collaborator and rumored former paramour Drake jumped up from the audience to sing the duo's hit "What's My Name."

The rapper might have even scored the most points of the night by managing to work "Happy Birthday" into the song's lyrics for Rihanna, who was celebrating turning 23-years-old. 

But with apologies to Drake (and Chris Paul), the assist of the evening came from Kanye West, who made a surprise appearance at the Staples Center to join Rihanna in singing the pair's new single, "All Of The Lights," just one day after the release of the song's video.

Backed by three large video screens that flashed disorienting, bright colors at lightning speeds, the performance was almost a recreation of the video, in fact, particularly the section inspired by Gaspar Noe's 2009 French film "Enter the Void."

As with any All-Star game, though, all the stars weren't on stage. While Rihanna, Drake, and Kanye performed, Jay-Z, Sean Combs, and MVP of the celebrity All-Star game Justin Bieber among others sat courtside.

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Rihanna sued over S&M pop video

15 February 2011 Last updated at 14:28 GMT Rihanna was recognised at the Grammys for her Only Girl (In the World) track Pop star Rihanna is being sued by celebrity photographer David LaChapelle, who said her S&M video was "directly derived" from his pictures.

LaChapelle, who has photographed celebrities for magazines such as Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone, is suing for unspecified damages.

His case states "the music video is directly derived from and substantially similar to the LaChapelle works".

A spokeswoman for Rihanna, 22, was not immediately available for comment.

The video for S&M has been banned in some countries due to its sexual content.

LaChappelle said Rihanna has appropriated eight of his images into the video, including one where she is shown in profile against a blue background with a sweet on her tongue.

The case states that Rihanna's video copied the "composition, total concept, feel, tone, mood, theme, colours, props, settings, decors wardrobe and lighting" of his work.

Rihanna won the best dance recording Grammy award on Sunday for her track, Only Girl (In the World).

Last month she set a new record as the first female solo artist in UK chart history to achieve number one singles in five consecutive years.

LaChappelle is one of the fashion industry's most respected fashion photographers.

His subjects include Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Chris Rock, Madonna and Naomi Campbell.

He has also directed music videos and stage shows.

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Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Jay-Z Win Early Grammy Awards

The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony has not even officially begun, but with over 100 categories being recognized this year — from Best New Artist to Best Improvised Jazz Solo — there's simply not enough time to squeeze everything into the three-hour telecast.

That's why a slew of awards have already been handed out. Preshow winners include Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Bruno Mars, the Black Keys and more.

Gaga, who is nominated in six categories, now has a Best Female Pop Vocal Performance win for "Bad Romance," after besting Beyoncé ("Halo") and Katy Perry ("Teenage Dream"). But the pop star, who became the talk of the red carpet when she showed up encased in a huge, translucent egg, also fell short in two early categories: Her duet with Beyoncé, "Telephone," lost out for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals to Herbie Hancock, Pink and friends' "Imagine," while Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)" nabbed Best Dance Recording over Gaga's "Dance in the Dark."

The win for Rihanna marks an auspicious return to the Grammys ahead of her upcoming performance with Drake and Eminem. Yet she, too, has already fallen short in a few categories: Jay-Z and Alicia Keys took home both Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Empire State of Mind," twice beating out RiRi and Em's "Love the Way You Lie." Jay also picked up a win for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, along with Swizz Beatz, for "On to the Next One."

In the Rock categories, the Black Keys garnered a win for Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals ("Tighten Up"), prevailing over the likes of Arcade Fire ("Ready to Start") and Kings of Leon ("Radioactive").

In the world of pop, Bruno Mars came out on top for Male Pop Vocal Performance ("Just the Way You Are"), defeating Michael Jackson ("This Is It"), John Mayer ("Half of My Heart") and others.

For the Grammy Awards winners list, analysis, interviews, fashion and more, stick with MTV News during the big show and beyond.

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Justin Bieber, Rihanna And Others Tweet About Pre-Grammy Activities

The Grammys are going down Sunday night, but in the days beforehand, many of the stars up for hardware have been tweeting about their antics. Some missives were related to the big show, others were just in good, clean superstar fun.

Cee Lo, who is up for four mini gramophones — including Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Urban/Alternative Performance and Best Short Form Music Video — tweeted on Friday about getting a luxurious lift from one of his megastar pals in order to arrive at his destination in timely fashion.

"Yo yall might not believe me but steven Spielberg is letting my use his private jet to get to san diego on time!" the Lady Killer wrote. "Its nice to have friends."

Grammy newbie Justin Bieber, who is in the running for two awards, including the coveted Best New Artist trophy, is also spending the weekend celebrating the release of his documentary, "Justin Bieber: Never Say Never." The teen sensation also decided to add the element of surprise to his 3-D flick by dropping in on some lucky moviegoers.

"About to surprise another theatre with the crew!!" he wrote. "U support us so we support u. Thank U! Let's shock the world #NSN3D."

Indie darlings Arcade Fire also unleashed a surprise on their fans Friday night by playing a last-minute, 500-ticket secret show. The collective, which is up for trophies like Album of the Year and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals, worked well-worn hits and insta-classics and even got a legendary street artist to helm the wheels of steel, tweeting on Friday afternoon, "Shepard Fairey will be DJ'ing before set tonight in LA."

Rihanna, on the other hand, apparently spent her Saturday helming her own low-key shindig. The songstress, who will hit the stage and whose Eminem collabo "Love the Way You Lie" is vying for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song, replied to a fan who asked her what's up, saying that she's "just shakin my ass in the mirror." The singer also conceded to some pre-show jitters.

"I CAN'T STOP thinking about tomorrow!!!" she replied to another fan. "#AnxietyF--------!!!!!!!"

Don't miss "Snooki & Sway: Live From the Grammys," a red-carpet live stream kicking off Sunday at 6 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And stick with us all Grammy night for coverage of the red carpet, the show, the afterparties and beyond!

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