Five things you need to know

FIVE things you need to know about happenings in the entertainment world this week.

Mideast Israel Madonna Hit

FIVE things you need to know about happenings in the entertainment world this week.

Madonna expresses herself

The 53-year-old Madonna has embarked on the first leg of her ninth world tour MDNA which is expected to reach all corners of the globe between now and sometime next year - including Australia, although that's yet to be officially confirmed. In Istanbul this week, she "expressed herself", wilfully flashing a nipple in one of the most viewed stories across the world.

While she's still a master of generating news coverage, she also has a setlist that Lady Gaga would kill for with Papa Don’t Preach, Hung Up, Express Yourself and new hit-in-the-making Gang Bang.

Critics hunt Snow White

One of the year's most anticipated blockbusters Snow White and the Hunstman lands in Australian cinemas next week, after opening at number one in thirty countries around the world. But critics are divided over whether the film, starring Kristen Thomas and Charlize Theron, is any good, with some praising the film's stunning visual design whiles others bemoan problems with the pacing and plot. You can judge for yourself when it opens here next Thursday.

They're The Voice

With the winner of the most popular show of the year announced on Monday, Universal is wasting no time pumping out the music. Whether it’s Rachael, Sarah, Karise or Darren, the Winner’s Single will hit iTunes after Monday’s finale and will be in stores June 21. The album will come hot on its heels on June 26. Pre-order now at www.getmusic.com.au/voicewinner 

Spotify

Are streaming music services like Spotify, now available in Australia, the biggest change to the music industry since the invention of the iPod? Will you ever need to buy an album again with around 15 million tracks available, mostly for free, on your PC? Even the premium subscription, which provides unlimited ad free access to the entire database on your mobile device, and the ability to play music offline, is only $12.99 a month. You just need to keep an eye on your data usage so you don’t end up with a million dollar bill. As long as you’re careful, Spotify (and services like it) can revolutionise the way you obtain your music.

Go Gaga in Australia

Thanks to her meat dresses, alien pods, a penchant for the outlandish and a swag of irrefutably catchy tunes, Gaga is one of the world’s most controversial and successful pop stars right now. Watch the Little Monsters come out in force as she kicks of her Born This Way Ball tour in Brisbane tonight and Saturday, before taking it around the country later in the month with dates in Sydney (June 20 -24) and Melbourne (June 27 to July 3). Tickets are still available from ticketek.com.au