to do an image like thsi one here:

http://www.jennyspage.net/designs/11_jenny.jpg

Or if they don't let you direct link the image then the whgole tutorial with the image on is here:

http://www.jennyspage.net/ps_linestretch.html

I don't mean the linestretch thing though. I mean like the background, the bit behind Alicia Keys - it's really pretty. I bet it's some really difficult merge of different techniques but I'm all for a challenge - anyone know where I can find tutorials to teach me how to do this kind of thing?

the background looks like a bunch of letters of velvet font on different layers merged together eg. overlay or screen. I'm pretty sure that's all there is to it :)

you use brushes and some effects like motion blur, layers too