Jennifer Hudson Performs "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" In Central Park

Jennifer Hudson sang a soulful rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" in Central Park at Netflix's celebration of "The Wizard Of Oz." Bow down! Preach it, girl! Ashanti, take notes! That was incredible. Today marks the one-year anniversary of the release of J-Hud's self-titled debut album. Can't wait for album #2!

Amerie "In Love & War" Tracklisting

Amerie assured her fans today on Twitter that her upcoming album In Love & War will definitely be coming out on November 3rd, so that's a relief. R&B may not sell like hotcakes, but dangit--the fans are here & we want something! On that note, here's the tracklisting for In Love & War:

1. Tell Me You Love Me
2. Heard 'Em All
3. Dangerous
4. Higher
5. Why R U
6. Pretty Brown (ft. Trey Songz)
7. More Than Love (ft. Fabolous)
8. Swag Back
9. You're A Star (Interlude)
10. Red Eye
11. The Flowers
12. Different People
13. Dear John
14. Heard 'Em All (Remix ft. Lil' Wayne)

What can we learn from this? Well, everything we've heard/that's leaked so far made the album, as did some material--almost half--we haven't heard. As sad as it may be, that's saying something, so I'm excited for this one. I've really come to respect Amerie increasingly as more from this era leaks because she sounds good on non-Rich Harrison-produced material, something I wasn't sure she could do.

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The Caffeine Patch: Madagascar & Monsters Vs. Aliens Holiday Specials To Air

This fall on NBC, two new half-hour holiday specials from Dreamworks Animation will air. First, the Halloween-themed "Monsters Vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space" will hit your TV screens on Wednesday, October 28th, @ 8/7c. Following on Tuesday, November 17th, also @ 8/7c, will be "Merry Madagascar." There hasn't been any indication before that a "Madagascar" Christmas special (besides the Madagascar penguins' "A Christmas Caper" short from a few years back) was in the works, so I'm stoked about that! This is also looking to become a tradition, with "Shrek" & "Kung Fu Panda" (respectively) specials in the works for next year. Yay!

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New Katharine McPhee "Funny Or Die" Infomercial

Katharine McPhee, Alyson Hannigan, Emily Deschanel, Minka Kelly (why did I think she was Leighton Meester?), & Jaime King star in "THE BOOBY SCARE" o_O for Funny Or Die. Umm... Katharine's sophomore album Unbroken will be released on January 5th.

New Mariah Carey "Precious" Poster

Here's yet another, possibly the final, poster for "Precious," which will feature Mariah Carey in a unique, unglamorous role when it hits theaters on November 6th. Definitely can't help but think of Mariah with that big ol' butterfly there anyway! Make sure you get Mariah's exquisite new album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, which is out now.

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F1 ROCKS Performance Highlights

Beyonce "Crazy In Love"

The Black-Eyed Peas "Boom Boom Pow"

The Black-Eyed Peas "Pump It"

Beyonce & The Black-Eyed Peas were among the performers at F1 ROCKS recently in Singapore. Now, Imma need the Queen Bee to release that tour on DVD & make my year already. As for the Peas... don't work too hard there, will.i.am. Ya know, I actually quite prefer "Pow" to their current 13-week chart-topper.

Preview David Archuleta's "Christmas From The Heart"

A snippet of each track on David Archuleta's upcoming album Christmas From The Heart (October 13th) can be heard HERE. Simply beautiful. That's the phrase that comes to mind. Most of the songs are the classic Christmas ones & these clips make me feel like I've never heard them the way they are supposed to sound ... until Christmas From The Heart. Can't wait! P.S. David just had his wisdom teeth taken out, which I know from experience is no fun, so make sure you wish Mr. Archuleta well!

Mya On Dancing With The Stars: Week 2

After surviving the first week's double elimination, Mya returned with a vengeance this week on Dancing With The Stars. Dancing the jive, Mya lit up the dance floor & managed to keep herself in the game once again, so congrats to her! Mya has more reason to celebrate this week because her mixtape Beauty & The Streets: Vol. 1 is out now.

Ryan Leslie On Rising Icons

Ryan Leslie is the latest fresh face to be featured on BET's Rising Icons series. During the special, Ryan performed "Diamond Girl," "You're Not My Girl," new song "Never Gonna Break Up," & "How It Was Supposed To Be." This is the most I've personally seen of Ryan all at once & it's really, really cool the way he goes about his "hustle." Ryan is currently promoting the release of his sophomore album Transition on November 3rd.

Britney Spears "3" Song Premiere

Britney Spears premiered her new single "3" off The Singles Collection (November 24th) this morning & it's sizzlin'! I'm gonna have to agree with some opinions I've seen & say that "3" > "Womanizer." Not that the musical styles are necessarily the same, but this is one of those songs that feels natural for Britney (see: Blackout) as opposed to some of the stuff on Circus that seemed basically "wrapped up, packed up, ribbon wit a bow on it." Britney actually still has the ability, unlike performing, to record great music; I just hope that she slows it down a little in 2010 & gets back on track before making any more major moves because her health needs to be the top priority, especially now that she's surrounded by loved ones (at least in contrast to a few years ago). Anyway, "3" is awesome!

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Marques Houston "Case Of You" Video Premiere

"Case Of You" is the fourth song lifted off Marques Houston's new album Mr. Houston. Mediocre. I do feel I need to mention that MH needs to shave that mess off his face ... I don't even wanna go into what it looks like.

New Stuff Tuesday

^Click To Purchase^

I can't believe we've made it! Today is the day Mariah Carey releases her extraordinary new album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel. The 2-disc set, which includes the singles "Obsessed" & "I Want To Know What Love Is," is pure perfection, so make sure you pick up your copy! In addition, the funny Dreamworks Animation comedy "Monsters Vs. Aliens" comes out today.

Also out...

Mya Beauty & The Streets: Mixtape Vol. 1 BUY

Marques Houston Mr. Houston BUY

Sean Kingston Tomorrow BUY

Deborah Cox, Kelly Price, & Tamia's First Interview As The Queen Project

Part 1

Part 2

Kelly Price looks AMAZING!! Alright, now that I've got that out of the way: Check out Deborah Cox, Kelly Price, & Tamia doing their first interview as the super group The Queen Project. The trio describes their group's mission, working with producer Shep Crawford (Deborah's "Nobody's Supposed To Be Here"), &, well, make sure you at least take a listen to the end of that second video because the ladies play a clip of their first single "Queen." It sounds awesome, but like 90's awesome, which is so much better than just about anything the industry has had lately! An extra large dose of soul sure is overdue. Expect the group's self-titled debut early next year.

Ciara Album Update

Mmhmm. Ciara has been hard at work in the studio recording her fourth album in LA exclusively with The-Dream & Tricky Stewart. It was revealed that the duo behind "High Price" & "Like A Surgeon" from Fantasy Ride have recorded a total of 14 songs with Ciara so far. A couple of those tracks are "Gifted" & "Speechless," the latter of which features The-Dream, who is the only guest on the as-yet-untitled album. There is a possibility that the album could come out before the year's end (yeah right), but a 2010 release is more likely. Here's how Tricky describes the project:

"This record obviously is gonna have tempo to it ... She dances & we always want to bring out what she does that other people don't."

So, I'm on the fence about this. Not a new album from CiCi, but one produced exclusively by the pair behind Mariah Carey's recent masterpiece Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel. That might sound odd to you, but how many bangers were on that album? As much as I love Ciara, she can't pull off material like that. Also, did you SEE what these two did on Fantasy Ride? Not to mention "Lover's Thing" & "Keep Dancin' On Me," which are nothing but decent filler that simply aren't going to cut it this time around. Ciara & Danja cooked up pure brilliance with "Echo" & Darkchild served up a scorcher in "Pucker Up," so I'm baffled as to why she isn't returning to them for uptempo stuff. NOW, with that said, thanks to Memoirs, I have a faith in The-Dream & Tricky that I didn't before & I must admit that I've had a good feeling about them being behind Christina Milian's Elope for quite some time now, so maybe they can pull this Ciara record off. I am reeeally looking forward to seeing her dance some mo'!

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Mariah Carey To Broadcast Vegas Concert Online

I am freaking out. Not only will Mariah Carey's new album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel be in stores when I wake up in the morning, but as a dedicated lamb, I am dying to see one of Mariah's Vegas concerts, which wasn't going to be possible... UNTIL it was announced that Mariah's concert on Saturday, October 10th, at The Palms' Pearl Theatre in Las Vegas will be shown online! Iviago is offering the opportunity to view the show for $9.95--OR, as it appears, $7.99 if you pre-order your "ticket" (lol) HERE. I betcha ALREADY know that sure as heck sounds worth it to me! However, if you can't (even though you must want to), you can tune into both Today & The View this Friday, October 2nd, to catch Mariah. So much Mariah! I love it!! Notes: I wouldn't have known about this incredible opportunity if it weren't for Mariah Daily Journal, who recently made their triumphant return. I have been visiting them for literally something like a decade, so I owe them an enormous amount of gratitute for their hard work over the years! Also, for those requesting them, untagged, full photos from Mariah's Butterfly recreation shoot (as seen above) can be viewed HERE. :)

Marques Houston "How I Do" Video Premiere

"How I Do" is the third song taken from Marques Houston's fourth solo album Mr. Houston, which is released tomorrow. The clip is really boring, which is a shame because "How I Do" is probably the best track on the album... which is a shame because Marques doesn't need autotune.

Jordin Sparks To Guest Star On "The Suite Life On Deck"

They've done it again. Disney Channel has cast the line & caught another talented Idol alum. This time, it's Jordin Sparks & she will be guest-starring on the October 23rd episode of The Suite Life On Deck. Her episode will fittingly be titled "Crossing Jordin" & air at 8:30/7:30c that Friday evening. Can't say I'm too excited about this. Sure I'm happy for the exposure Jordin will receive, but catering these singers who have voices Disney fans obviously can't appreciate isn't something I'm bouncing off the walls about. It's not like they've bought up too many copies of Jordin's exquisite sophomore album Battlefield yet anyway.

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Amerie "In Love & War" Cover

Amerie has unveiled the cover art for her upcoming album In Love & War (November 3rd). I don't hate it, but it's pretty much nothing we haven't seen from her this era yet. That said, "Heard 'Em All" & that album sampler have me quite interested in Amerie this time around.

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Carrie Underwood "Cowboy Casanova" Video Premiere

"Cowboy Casanova" is the first single taken from Carrie Underwood's forthcoming third album Play On (November 3rd). Sure I've seen better quality video before, but this'll do. Carrie looks great in the clip & I actually like it, so much so that it got me enjoying the song more than I previously have. Don't let the title scare you off either if you're not into country (like me) because it's a good song with, of course, excellent vocals!

Preview Mario's "D.N.A."

It's looking more likely that Mario will be releasing his fourth album D.N.A. on October 13th, as snippets of each track on the project are now streaming HERE. As I mentioned before, I've heard all of these songs in full except for one & I can say that D.N.A. is gonna be a solid effort. Can't say it'll be quite as good as Go, but almost!

Brian McKnight "Evolution Of A Man" Cover

Brian McKnight is readying his new album Evolution Of A Man for an October 27th release. Check out the cover for it above. Brian's voice never ceases to amaze me, but his music isn't always the best. Hopefully Evolution will change that.

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Album Review: Mariah Carey "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel"

It's only been 17 months since Mariah Carey released her last album E=MC², so it's a treat for Mariah fans that she's doin' it 90's-style & releasing her new album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel the next year. Here's some more good news: Whether you liked her last album or not, there's something on Memoirs for you. If you liked E=MC², you fully appreciate Mariah's music & will enjoy her new album. If you didn't, Memoirs has a throwback style that focuses less on trends & more on innovation. Mariah worked almost exclusively with the production team of The-Dream & Tricky Stewart this time around & you may not realize it now, but that's a trio sent from heaven!

Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel starts out with "Betcha Gon' Know," a prologue that sets the mood very well. Mariah's personal touch lyrically on this one is particularly special. We then head straight into the album's first single "Obsessed," which demonstrates Mariah's uncanny ability to create a hit in the only real E=MC²-ish track on the album. Next up has to be my favorite song on Memoirs: "H.A.T.E.U.," or 'having a typical emotional upset.' Dare I say its brilliance is subtle, "H.A.T.E.U." features Mariah's lower & whistle registers in ways better than I ever thought possible. Then, after a few listens, throwback slow jam "Candy Bling" even gave me Butterfly vibes. Keeping with the mood, "Ribbon" hits hard & by the time "Inseparable" is playing, you'll feel like you've rediscovered real music.

When Mariah turns the tempo up a couple notches on "Standing O," the result is straight fire. The lyrics are the truth & the chorus will have your arms up in the air! Next up is "It's A Wrap," one of the best vocal showcases on the album; I promise you it's that Mariah voice we all know & love. In no small part due to the leaked demo, The-Dream's influence can be heard on "Up Out My Face," but don't let that scare you off. The attitude-driven smash shows that Mariah can do his style much better than he could ever wish to. More evidence of this theory can be found in the scorching verses of "More Than Just Friends."

I don't think this is the first time I've addressed the fact that many, including myself, tend to think when an artist is in love, the creativity put into their work tends to suffer. Well, feel free to rejoice that Mariah & Nick have found eachother because "The Impossible" is a gorgeous dedication to her boo. The song's preceding reprise & the "Angel" prelude are representative of some of Memoirs' best offerings. They create an atmosphere of beauty &, in the latter, Mariah puts that outstanding whistle register to work in the best way once again. That one leads into what is undoubtedly a highlight of the album, "Angels Cry." This is that phenomenal big ballad that we've come to expect from Mariah & only Mariah. Also, yes, that big ol' note at the end is there & will make you lose your mind. The Butterfly comparisons continue with the "Languishing" interlude, which gives me the most old school MC vibes on the album. It's heartbreakingly beautiful, especially as it brings us into Memoirs' closer, the cover "I Want To Know What Love Is." If you consider yourself someone who can appreciate an exquisite vocal offering or just a person that enjoys good music, you can't not love this.

For as long as I can remember & for a longer time than any other artist, I have loved Mariah Carey. I have heard all of her slightly different musical styles over the years, from the ballad queen to the R&B diva with originality to the pop star to the modern-day chart-topper, & I feel like the best aspects of all of them have come together alongside creativity to reveal the masterpiece that is Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel. If you like R&B, you'll like Memoirs, & if you love Mariah, you'll love it, but there's a level of brilliance & sophistication there that should you get to it, will put you in a state of bliss beyond words.

Rating: 5/5 Stars

In Theaters Now...

Grade: A

I had the opportunity to catch "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" & if there's one thing Tyler Perry doesn't know how to do, it's disappoint. Taraji, MJB, Madea, oh my! Taraji P. Henson & co. were great. Mary J. Blige actually sang twice during the movie, so that was a very nice touch.

Mariah Carey Recreates "Glitter" Photoshoot

This time, Mariah Carey has recreated her Glitter-era photoshoot from 2001. This was one of the most exciting times for me as a Mariah fan. I eagerly anticipated the movie/soundtrack project & to this day, I love both of them. I won't try to convince you to watch the movie again, but throw those preconceived notions away & pull out Mariah's Glitter album the next time you get a chance because you will be pleasantly surprised. That album is fiyah! Ballads like "Lead The Way" & "Never Too Far" from it will blow your mind. Visually, Mariah was on-point during this era as well (see: the "Loverboy" & "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" videos). She looked phenomenal then & she looks marvelous now! Mariah ceases to amaze me with the way she manages to get me more excited than the last every time she goes to drop a new album. In a sea of followers, Mariah continues to create incredible music that pushes the boundaries. God bless you, Mariah Carey! Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel is only three days away!

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Sean Kingston Performs "Face Drop" On Dancing With The Stars

Sean Kingston performed the second single "Face Drop" off his new album Tomorrow on Dancing With The Stars earlier this week. I like this song.

Listen To Mariah Carey's "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel"

For those who haven't heard it already, HERE's a link to legally stream Mariah Carey's upcoming album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel (September 29th). My review is coming soon, but here's a preview (as if the songs of the moment list wasn't hint enough): Easily the best album of the year. What are you waiting for?! Note: The tracklisting is kinda funked up, so HERE's my post of it for a reference.

Keri Hilson Performs On BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge

Energy

Supernova (Mr. Hudson Cover)

Keri Hilson continued her UK promo tour with a stop at BBC's Radio 1 Live Lounge, which always turns out some great performances. In addition to singing her new overseas single "Energy," Keri covered Mr. Hudson's "Supernova." I thought she did a great job of it, though I don't believe I've heard the original. Nonetheless, Miss Keri Baby's debut album In A Perfect World... is out now.

India.Arie Performs "He Heals Me" On Conan

India.Arie dropped by the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien to perform "He Heals Me," a Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics cut, & did a magnificent job of it. She really did sound amazing & you already know I love that album!

Melanie Fiona "It Kills Me" Video Premiere

"It Kills Me" is the second stateside single off Melanie Fiona's forthcoming debut album The Bridge (November 3rd). For this new one, Melanie slows things down with the help of actor Adam Rodriguez. A powerful video for a powerful song!

Alicia Keys Album Update

Alicia Keys has announced details regarding her upcoming fourth studio album. The album will be titled The Element Of Freedom & is set to be released on December 1st, which is also World AIDS Day. In the same interview, Alicia also mentioned that there are no collaborations at this point on Element. I'm perfectly content with an Alicia album of just her own creativity. Strangely, her first single "Doesn't Mean Anything" hasn't done much damage on iTunes, sitting at #62 since its release on Tuesday. (In comparison, Carrie Underwood's "Cowboy Casanova" sits at #3 after the same amount of time & Kris Allen has made his way to #29 with his new single "Live Like We're Dying" that was only released Friday.) Then again, considering her album sales for As I Am, maybe people are doing the smart thing & waiting for the CD to be released because they know they're gonna want all her songs anyway!

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Keri Hilson Performs "Energy" On GMTV

Following a chat on the couch, Keri Hilson took the GMTV stage to perform her new UK single "Energy" off In A Perfect World.... I'm so glad "Energy" has been given a second chance across the pond! I have loved the song since I first heard it & was bummed when it didn't do much damage here in the US.

Christina Aguilera "From Hunger To Hope" PSA

Christina Aguilera is doing her part in the fight against hunger by starring in the new From Hunger To Hope public service announcement. In the clip, Christina sings her mega-hit "Beautiful." Cool ad.

Alejandro Sanz ft. Alicia Keys "Looking For Paradise" Video Premiere

Alicia Keys lends her vocals to "Looking For Paradise," the first single taken from Spanish artist Alejandro Sanz's forthcoming album Paraiso Express (November 10th). The two trade lyrics in both English & Spanish & the result is ... as awkward as that might sound. Alicia does look very gorgeous & fresh in the clip though. Please just tell me this Alejandro fella used to have a better voice...

*UPDATED* Leona Lewis "Echo" Update

Here's a scooplet regarding Leona Lewis' upcoming sophomore album Echo (November 17th). In a new article, it is revealed that Leona has recorded "more uptempo, dance songs" for this album, including one titled "Outta My Head" with Max Martin. This is great news! Leona can sing her booty off on a ballad for sure, but 12 of 'em makes for a rather boring album. I'm especially excited to hear that Ms. Lewis has been collaborating with Max, or Mr. Uptempo himself! I hope their work ends up being hot. I'm reading over this list of upcoming releases & Echo might just be the one I'm most looking forward to this fall (besides Mariah, of course!), so I hope it doesn't disappoint!

UPDATE: So, a bit of discouraging news. Leona's work with Timbaland will not be included on Echo. Hopefully that just means she saved room for even hotter material!

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Melanie Fiona "Bang Bang" Video Premiere

"Bang Bang" is the second single overseas for Melanie Fiona's debut album The Bridge, which comes out in the US on November 3rd. This song is an awesome one & it definitely received the proper video treatment. Melanie looks & sounds amazing, so if you haven't discovered her yet, be my guest!

Billboard Update

^#1 Album #1 Single^

Jay-Z's The Blueprint 3 begins its second frame atop the Billboard 200 album chart this week, where thanks to Oprah, Whitney Houston sees a 77% increase in sales (156,000) of I Look To You, which, after three weeks, has achieved gold status with total sales of 548,000 copies. Yay! On the Hot 100 singles chart, The Black-Eyed Peas reign for a thirteenth week with "I Gotta Feeling," besting their previous stint on top. 'I gotta feeling' about this, alright--& it's not a good one. What does give me a pretty good feeling is the news that Mariah Carey's "I Want To Know What Love Is" debuts at #66 this week. Meanwhile, Jay-Z jumps 50-5 with his Alicia Keys-assisted "Empire State Of Mind," which, following the VMAs, has earned itself the week's Digital Gainer title; he also holds the Airplay Gainer title this week with the Rihanna- & Kanye West-featured "Run This Town" at #2. Finally, it brings me pleasure to report the return of Toni Braxton to the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at #96 with her new single "Yesterday."

See full charts HERE.

*UPDATED* Ashanti On The Early Show

Ashanti promoted her "Wizard Of Oz" tribute recording of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" (available now for digital download) with a performance on The Early Show. She actually did a great job. Very nice.

UPDATE: Here's her interview from the show:

Mary J. Blige Performs "Stronger" On Letterman

Mary J. Blige sang her heart out on the Late Show with David Letterman earlier tonight with a performance of "Stronger." That's raw talent right there. Don't ever underappreciate it! I look forward to MJB's new album Stronger (November 24th).

Amerie "Heard 'Em All" Video Premiere

"Heard 'Em All" is the second single taken from Amerie's forthcoming album In Love & War (November 3rd). The Anthony Mandler-directed clip kinda looks like a Rihanna video--except people would be wondering where she got those moves from! I like the video, though it does seem a slightly odd fit for the bouncy club banger, but the song is hot & hey, "Amerie's back!"

New Jordin Sparks "Got Milk?" Ad

Look who just keeps rolling these things out. Jordin Sparks wants you to have strong bones (dangit!) &, subsequently, is wondering if you've Got Milk? While you're at Walmart picking some up, I'm sure Jordin wouldn't mind if you grabbed her sophomore album Battlefield either!

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Ciara "Mama I Want To Sing" Trailer

Finally, we have some footage of Ciara's movie "Mama I Want To Sing" with this new trailer for the film. I'm looking as forward to it as ever, but there's still no release date, so who knows when we'll see it. Meanwhile (although Ciara seems to have no interest in promoting it herself), CiCi's third album Fantasy Ride is available now.

Michael Jackson To Be Featured On 'This Is It' Soundtrack

"This Is It," the title track from the new film "Michael Jackson's This Is It," by Michael himself (with his brothers singing background) will be released on October 12th. It will be the lead single off the movie's two-disc soundtrack of music inspired by the film, which is due October 27th. Two versions of the song will be included on the soundtrack's first disc, which will have the studio versions of Michael's hits in the order in which they are featured in the film. The second disc will include "previously unreleased versions of more Jackson hits" in addition to the previously unheard spoken word poem "Planet Earth." It'll sure be interesting to see what the tracklisting looks like for this. Fingers crossed, though I doubt there will be any more "new" Michael material on the soundtrack, but just to hear "This Is It," which was surely recorded for use in his London concerts, should be incredible. "Michael Jackson's This Is It" will hit theaters for a two-week engagement on Wednesday, October 28th.

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Christina Aguilera "By Night" Commercial

In the new commercial for Christina Aguilera's latest fragrance "By Night," she seems to have created a sequel of sorts to the spot for her self-titled one a couple perfumes back. iLike. Of course, stuff like this is the reason we aren't getting that new album, isn't it..?

Britney Spears To Release "The Singles Collection"

On November 24th, after 10 years in the music industry, Britney Spears will release The Singles Collection, which is set to feature the new song "3." Produced by Max Martin, "3" hits radio on Tuesday, September 29th. As for The Singles Collection, it will come in two editions: an ultimate fan box set & a standard edition. While the standard edition will include 17 hits along with "3," the ultimate fan box set is a whole other monster. It will consist of a separate slip sleeve case for all of Britney's 29 singles (including "3") with original artwork that'll also include a b-side with or remix of each featured song. Additionally, a DVD with all of Britney's videos in chronological order & a photo-filled booklet with "fun facts about each track" will be thrown in. Yes, the box set sounds cool. No, I won't be able to afford it. Is this necessary at this point? No. Does it irk me a bit? Yes. Why, after Britney's only released two albums since her last greatest hits package--one of which she didn't even promote, is this coming out NOW?! Greatest Hits: My Prerogative was a really nice set & after four hit-filled albums, it made sense, especially with a DVD full of hot videos showing Brit at the top of her game. Now we're supposed to shell out oodles of $$$ (during a recession!) for the "Piece Of Me" & "Circus" videos, ONE new song, & some pretty packaging? I'm WAY more interested in these Las Vegas concert/filming in 3D/ABC special rumors!

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Sean Kingston Performs "Fire Burning" On Wendy Williams

Sean Kingston stopped by The Wendy Williams Show to perform the hit single "Fire Burning" off his sophomore album Tomorrow, which hit stores ... yesterday. Poor Sean. He works hard to create a solid album--even gets a hit single--but is only supposed to sell an estimated 15-18K. I'll admit that they've given a halfway decent push for "Face Drop" so far, with the video & all, but maybe they still would've been better off just releasing the album when "Fire Burning" was burning up the charts. I keep saying this two-single thing isn't gonna help... if people aren't big fans & you want them to buy the album, they'll only get it when it's hot, not two months old.

Imogen Heap Collaborates With Mika + More

On Mika's new album The Boy Who Knew Too Much that was released this week, he has a collaboration with the one & only Imogen Heap. It's track nine on the set & is called "By The Time." It's great, so if you wanna hear it, you can find it HERE. In related news, Imogen has actually managed to find her way into the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 chart via newcomer Jason DeRulo. His single "Whatcha Say" samples Heap's own "Hide & Seek" & is an interesting, catchy interpretation, so check that out HERE. Lastly, I couldn't have an Imogen post without informing you that your life will not be complete until you go buy her new album Ellipse!

Monica "Still Standing" Update

Oh Twitter, how I love thee. Monica (@MonicaMyLife) revealed several tidbits recently via the social networking site. First up is the fact that her fifth album Still Standing will be released in December. The project should include a song called "Believing In Me," a personal track produced by Stargate. Now, before you go assuming this is simply an update on Mo's next album, think again! Her reality show, also titled Still Standing, is set to premiere on October 27th @ 10/9c on BET (following the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards). However, if that's not soon enough for ya, you can catch Monica on the premiere of The Mo'Nique Show, also on BET, on October 5th (she filmed her episode today). Phew! I sure am glad Monica is back. With Mariah about to drop--& Mario--it appears that we might just have some REAL music on the market, peeps!

Mya On Dancing With The Stars: Week 1

Miss Mya took to the dance floor during premiere week of the ninth season of Dancing With The Stars. It may be coming from an untrained eye, but I completely agree with that judge--Mya looked outstanding! Here's to Mya having a long run on the show! On the music front, her new mixtape Beauty & The Streets: Vol. 1 comes out September 29th.

Ashanti "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" Song Premiere

In honor of the 70th anniversary of "The Wizard Of Oz," Ashanti has released her version of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow." Sure it makes sense since she performed in "The Wiz" earlier this year--& it's not bad--but I think I'll stick with Katharine McPhee's version. If this is your cup of tea, you can purchase the song HERE.

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New Beyonce "Samantha Thavasa" Ad

Here's Beyonce's latest Tokyo billboard for handbag designer Samantha Thavasa. Mickey! Umm, I Am... Sasha Fierce is still out.

Melanie Fiona On SWR3 New Pop Festival

"Give It To Me Right," "Monday Morning," & "Ay Yo"

Unplugged: "Bang Bang" & "Give It To Me Right"

Interview

Well ain't this a treat. At the SWR3 New Pop Festival in Germany recently, Melanie Fiona performed both a concert & an unplugged set & also sat down for an interesting interview with a host pulling double duty language-wise. As always, Melanie sounded fantastic. I really like that arrangement of "Monday Morning!" By the way, I found it fascinating how excited the host got everytime he got to introduce--or even mention--Ms. Fiona's guitarist Wayne lol. Anyway, Melanie's debut album The Bridge is finally set to drop on October 13th.

Teairra Mari "At That Point" Tracklisting

Teairra Mari might finally release her sophomore album At That Point in November. Should the CD come out, here's an idea of what you might find on it:

1. I Know It's You

2. Holla

3. Sponsor (ft. Gucci Mane)

4. Cause A Scene (ft. Flo Rida)

5. Diamonds (ft. Kanye West)

6. Find My Way Back

7. Hunt 4 U (ft. Pleasure P)

8. Automatic (ft. Nicki Minaj)

9. Lights Go Down

10. Might Get Lucky

11. Emergency

12. Operator

13. Built 4 This

"Sponsor," Teairra's rumored new single, & tracks 9-12 have yet to hit the net, so that's something to look forward to. As for the other songs, I'm pretty excited they've made the album because, to put it simply, they're hot! This girl has really taken what appears to be a run-of-the-mill project & turned it into something quite special.

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Amerie "Heard 'Em All": Behind-The-Scenes

Some making-of footage of Amerie's video for "Heard 'Em All," the second single from her upcoming album In Love & War (November 3rd), has emerged. Choreography! Yes!! Where has that ish been?! This thing looks really good. I do hope the song catches on though, but considering it's what the people like to hear from Amerie (see: "1 Thing"), I think it has a fighting chance!

Kris Allen Album Update

Today, Kris Allen debuted his first single "Live Like We're Dying" (stream below) on Z100. It's an interesting choice, but I think it will do well for him. Honestly, the single, which should be available on iTunes this Friday, is better than I thought it would be as far as it catering to my taste in music. Anyway, Kris mentioned in an interview earlier today that his favorite song off his upcoming album, which will be released on November 17th, is called "I Need To Know." (Let's hope it sounds nothing like the Marc Anthony song of the same name that I can now not get out of my head.) As far as collaborators go, Kris has worked with Alex Band, former lead singer of The Calling (known for "Wherever You Will Go"), & is scheduled to go in the studio with Kevin Rudolf, who recently worked with Adam Lambert, next month. That's all good & everything, but I have a bone to pick with Mr. @KrisAllen4Real. While searching for news for this article, I read a tweet from Kris that said his wearing Adam Lambert's jacket on the final night of the Idol tour was HIS idea. Umm, I don't think so! The night before that show, Kris had a Twitter party & I asked him when he was gonna wear Adam's jacket ... & guess who wore what the very next day?! Mhm. :)

Live Like We're Dying

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Esmee Denters Performs On NRJ In The Park

Admit It

Outta Here

Esmee Denters performed the two singles off her debut album Outta Here, which doesn't drop in the US until next year, on NRJ In The Park in Belgium recently. I can't figure out why they're waiting so long when 1) Esmee is doing a ton of promo right now that is generating buzz & 2) the whole darn thing is already online. Maybe she'll record more songs?!

Jordin Sparks "Road To Paradise" Song Premiere

Jordin Sparks has contributed the new song "Road To Paradise" to the upcoming, umm, "Tinker Bell & The Lost Treasure" soundtrack (September 22nd). The track is good enough, though it is more Disney, rather than album, material.

Keri Hilson Performs "Slow Dance" On Fallon

Keri Hilson sang her latest single "Slow Dance" off In A Perfect World... with The Roots on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on Friday. Miss Keri put that natural sexy of hers to work & pulled off a sizzlin' performance!

Marques Houston "Sex, Lies & MH" Mixtape

Marques Houston has unleashed a new mixtape called Sex, Lies & MH ahead of the forthcoming release of his fourth solo album Mr. Houston (September 29th) & frankly, it's better than the album! Definitely check out his "Slow Dance" remix, which can be done by visiting the blog's Twitter. Here's the mixtape's tracklisting:

1. Need A Bigger Bag (ft. Micka Mexican & Fabolous)
2. Lights, Camera, Action
3. Slow Dance (w/ Keri Hilson)
4. Won't Tell Ya Man (ft. Young Rome)
5. Slow Grind
6. On 2 Da Next Chick
7. The Interlude (ft. Omarion)
8. Naked Part II
9. Finish Line (ft. Young Rome & K. Smith)
10. That's When You're The Prettiest (ft. Rich Rick)
11. Holla At Me (w/ Milla J)
12. Train Lover

Ryan Leslie, Ne-Yo, & Fabolous To Form Super Group

Yes, another one! Seemingly despite the fact that Ryan Leslie is set to release his sophomore album Transition on November 3rd, Ryan has announced that he plans to join up with Ne-Yo & Fabolous to form a new group. Their album, however, probably won't be out for a while because it sounds like it's just in the early stages:

"It's about conceptualizing," Ryan added about how the LP will shape up. "It's not gonna be a project that's thrown together. It's gonna be a real roundtable, & we're gonna talk about really putting something in the atmosphere that contributes something that's never been done before."

I'm really only a fan of Ryan out of these three--& not a huge one at that--but I've heard some of the things these guys have cooked up while collaborating with one another in the past, so this most definitely has the potential to be great. Stay tuned!

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Mary J. Blige & Melanie Fiona Collaborate With KRS-One & Buckshot

On the recently released KRS-One & Buckshot album Survival Skills, an R&B legend & newcomer serve up some very nice features. First up, Mary J. Blige injects some soul into "The Way I Live," which can be heard HERE. Also, alongside Naledge, Melanie Fiona assists on the closer "Past Present Future," which can be heard HERE. The hooks on both tracks are killer!

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Sean Kingston "My Time" Mixtape

Prior to the September 22nd release of his sophomore album Tomorrow, Sean Kingston has dropped a mixtape entitled My Time. Check out the tracklisting below & visit the blog's Twitter to get it!

Watch "Behind The Music: Pink"

VH1 continues bringing back their classic shows (which makes them awesome) with this episode of Behind The Music featuring Pink. It's a very interesting watch & I highly recommend it! Pink's latest album Funhouse is out now.

Mariah Carey On Oprah

"I Want To Know What Love Is"

Interview (Pt. 1)

Interview (Pt. 2)

Mariah Carey visited Oprah live in New York City on Friday, where she performed "I Want To Know What Love Is" for the first time on TV & sat down for her first-ever interview with husband Nick Cannon. Of course, Mariah & Oprah had to discuss their new movie "Precious" as well, which works out well for us because they show an extended clip of Mariah's part in the film. As for her performance, Mariah really did sound amazing & I'm so very glad! It was also cool that Nick joined in the fun because you can kinda tell why she loves him. Oh, & did I mention that those two guys WISH they were Mariah's biggest fans..? Nonetheless, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel drops September 29th & I'm sorry Island Def Jam, but it needs to leak yesterday.

The 2009 ALMA Awards Recap

David Archuleta "Contigo En La Distancia"

Sean Kingston "Fire Burning"

The 2009 ALMA Awards were on last night & David Archuleta owned the show. He blew the roof off the joint with his performance of "Contigo En La Distancia" & even won an award for Rising Male Star, so congratulations to David for that! Now, after I finished watching his performance (& subsequently picked my jaw up off the floor), I shouted WOW! Of course, that didn't nearly do Archie's masterful vocal justice, so I decided something: We should come up with a word exclusively for David Archuleta (because it can only describe him anyway) that means amazing/awesome/outstanding/fantastic/incredible, but better. Archuriffic?! I dunno.. that's what I need you guys for! Anyway, I have actually heard Christina Aguilera sing that song on the one & only Spanish album I have lol, so I know it's one for only the strongest of singers & Mr. Archuleta proved once again tonight that he belongs right up there with the best of 'em. Sean Kingston also performed a latin-inspired version of "Fire Burning" & after the show, tweeted about meeting David. Very cool!

Toni Braxton, Jordin Sparks, JoJo, & More "If You Dream" Song Premiere

Toni Braxton, Jordin Sparks, & JoJo join forces with Tank, Omarion, Faith Evans, Tyrese, Tamar Braxton, Steve Russell, & Charlie Wilson for "If You Dream," an all-star song featured (alongside Mary J. Blige's "Stronger") on the "More Than A Game" soundtrack, which will be released on September 29th. This is a really nice inspirational collaboration & should fit with the film like a glove.

Billboard Update

^#1 Album #1 Single^

Jay-Z finds himself on top of the Billboard 200 album chart this week with The Blueprint 3. The Black-Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" logs a 12th frame atop the Hot 100 singles chart this week, equaling its predecessor & giving the Peas their very first Digital Gainer title between the two tracks. Also, Jay-Z & Alicia Keys debut at #50 with "Empire State Of Mind" on the chart.

See full charts HERE.

(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Deborah Cox, Kelly Price, & Tamia Form Super Group

R&B divas Deborah Cox, Kelly Price, & Tamia are joining together to form a group with the working name TDK. The trio are currently recording an album together entitled The Queen Project, which is slated for release in early 2010 & set to be preceded by the song "Queen." They also plan on logging studio time with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Raphael Saadiq, & R. Kelly in the near future & are even filming their sessions for a possible reality show. This is incredible news! Just last year, Deborah released a great album titled The Promise, & while I'm a fan of Kelly, I've never really gotten into Tamia, but I bet these ladies cook up some wonderful music for us. There sure are a number of soulful ladies I can think of that I would love to see resurface in a situation like this (Shanice, I'm lookin' at you).

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Oprah's 24th Season Kickoff Party Performance Highlights

Jennifer Hudson - Medley

The Black-Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling"

The Black-Eyed Peas "Meet Me Halfway"

So, I was mistaken because I thought these performances were gonna be part of Oprah's Thursday episode during her premiere week (silly me to think that the season actually started with the season premiere...), but they were actually aired the Thursday prior. With that said, definitely check them out! Jennifer Hudson killed it vocally with a medley of "Best Of My Love" & "I'm Every Woman" (which reminds me how AmAzInG Vonzell's performances of the two songs were), but you HAVE to watch The Black-Eyed Peas' performance of "I Gotta Feeling" featuring a flash mob of over 20,000 people! Yes, Oprah: Very cool indeed.

Leona Lewis "Dreams" Book Cover

Leona Lewis' autobiography "Dreams" is being released on October 15th. The book will be filled "with exclusive behind-the-scenes photographs." This is a really cool item for any Leona fan & great promotion for her upcoming sophomore album Echo (November 17th).

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