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 Get 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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Alicia Keys Appears On 106 & Park

Alicia Keys dropped by BET's 106 & Park to discuss her new album & gave a little insight into the project. The album, which will drop in December, is being preceded by first single "Doesn't Mean Anything" &, by the sound of it, will feature second single "Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart." Alicia's new song is giving me the same vibe as Leona's situation: She's trying to recreate the first single from her last album, but didn't quite get there. On the other hand, Alicia's music usually grows on me over time, so by the time the video comes out, I'll probably be enjoying it a lot more.

Day26 Video Premieres

Then There's You

Just Getting Started

Perfectly Blind

Here are the remaining Forever In Your Eyes videos from Day26 in all their craptastic glory. Sadly, "Then There's You" is the best of the three, but if you want a good laugh, check out the "Just Getting Started" video (which is actually the best song of the trio unfortunately). If you feel sorry for the boys, you can pick up their second album Forever In A Day today.

Cassie "Electro Love" Update

Cassie recently revealed some details about her sophomore album Electro Love from the VMA red carpet, which is currently set for release early next year. The project should see collaborations with Pharrell Williams on the track "Hide," Nicki Minaj, & Jadakiss, most likely on "Make You A Believer," as well as Akon, who is featured on her current single "Let's Get Crazy." Judging by all the leaks--with the exception of every single that's been released for the album so far, Cassie could just bring the heat with this album. The one I mentioned, "Make You A Believer," is my favorite leak so far, so check that one out if you don't think Cassie has anything to offer. I just wish the poor girl could get the album out within the two-year span it's taken to do so.

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VH1 Divas Performance Highlights

Jennifer Hudson "Spotlight"

Jennifer Hudson & Stevie Wonder "All In Love Is Fair"

Jordin Sparks "S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)"

Jordin Sparks & Martina McBride "A Broken Wing"

Kelly Clarkson "Already Gone"

Kelly Clarkson & Melissa Etheridge "Bring Me Some Water"

Leona Lewis "Happy"

Leona Lewis & Cyndi Lauper "True Colors"

India.Arie & Adele "Video"

Paula Abdul - Medley

VH1 Divas returned tonight & I thought the show was great! Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, & Leona Lewis were all featured performers & sang duets with their idols (ironic word, eh?), while host Paula Abdul opened the show with a medley of her hits & surprise guest India.Arie performed with Adele. All the girls sang their hearts out & did an incredible job! As for my favs, Jennifer did her thang up there with Stevie & I loved hearing Jordin sing "Broken Wing" again & with the original artist! Also, Kelly rocked the house when she closed the show with Melissa & Leona's "Happy" really is growing on me. I don't particularly care for Adele, but she sounded great with India.Arie, who also did an excellent job as usual. Personally, I think Paula did a great job as host, embracing her insane side & all. Legends aside, the lineup this year was darn near perfect (that is, of the artists I'm posting) & I hope VH1 brings it back next year!

Pink Performs On Jimmy Kimmel

I Don't Believe You

Funhouse

Pink continued promo for her Funhouse album & accompanying US tour with this pair of performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Now THIS is a nice set of performances! Particularly, I've been dying to hear Pink sing "I Don't Believe You" live & she did a wonderful job of it.

Adam Lambert Album Update

A few more details have emerged regarding Adam Lambert's eagerly awaited debut album, dropping November 24th. First off, producer Kevin Rudolf (of "Let It Rock" fame) described a tune he worked on with Adam as "an updated, futuristic-rock, disco-ish thing," which you already know Glambert will pull off gloriously. In addition to somewhat recently tweeting about a session with Max Martin (beyond-awesome news), Adam has written a song with Idol judge Kara DioGuardi called "Strut." Here's how he describes that one:

"I love that stuff that makes you feel sexy, puts you in a good mood," he says. "The song is supposed to be a confidence booster. The message is 'Be yourself. Let it all hang out.'"

Intriguing! I am sooo in need of my Adam Lambert fix right about now. In fact, now that the tour is over, I hope he can finish up the album & get us a single purdy soon!

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David Archuleta "Christmas From The Heart" Cover & Tracklisting

David Archuleta gets all Christmas-ified for the release of his upcoming holiday album Christmas From The Heart (October 13th). The sure-to-be-amazing set will be a must-have this Christmas. Check out which songs David decided to sing in the tracklisting below:

1. Joy To The World
2. Angels We Have Heard On High
3. O Come All Ye Faithful
4. Silent Night
5. First Noel
6. O Holy Night
7. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
8. I'll Be Home For Christmas (ft. Charice)
9. Pat A Pan
10. What Child Is This
11. Riu Riu
12. Ave Maria
13. Melodies Of Christmas

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Leona Lewis Performs "Happy" On America's Got Talent

Leona Lewis performed the first single "Happy" from her forthcoming second album Echo (November 17th) for the first time earlier tonight on the America's Got Talent finale. I have to say--& I knew it would--that hearing Leona sing this song live has me liking it more. *Ignores the fact that Simon Cowell so desperately wanted "Halo" for Leona that he settled for this second-rate tune* ... Speaking of which, is it strange to anyone else that "Happy" (& "Halo") producer Ryan Tedder's band OneRepublic releases their new album on the same day as Leona?

Whitney Houston "Million Dollar Bill" Video Premiere

"Million Dollar Bill" is one of the lead singles off Whitney Houston's new album I Look To You. This. Video. Is. Awesome! It has finally arrived & was worth the wait. Hopefully this gives the song the boost it needs. Gosh, Whitney looks great!

OneRepublic "Waking Up" Cover

OneRepublic has revealed the cover art for their sophomore album Waking Up, which will be released on November 17th. Umm, ok. Well, I do like colors! Of course, it is the music that counts anyway.

LaKisha Jones Gives Birth To Girl

LaKisha Jones tweeted the news that she has given birth to a baby girl. It is her second daughter, but first child with now-husband Larry Davis. It appears that all went well with baby Ava LaRynn, so congrats to LaKisha & family for their new addition!

Priscilla Renea Performs "Rockabye Baby" On SOHH

The fabulous Priscilla Renea performed her new song "Rockabye Baby" off her upcoming debut album Jukebox (October 20th) exclusively for SOHH. If haven't heard the studio version, click HERE. This got me excited..! Flawless! How did she not get tongue tied? Just.. wow.

Tiffany Evans In The Studio

Tiffany Evans, in all her red-haired glory, posted a video of herself during a studio session recently. A clip of new music is played & she is SANGin' as we all know she can. It sounds good. As long as the new album is a mix of uptempos & ballads, I'll be on cloud nine!

Amerie "In Love & War" Album Sampler

Amerie has offered us a Prelude To In Love & War album sampler, which you can listen to HERE. I'll post the tracklisting below, but everything has leaked in full with the exception of "Higher," which is exactly where that song was taking me! Listening to this gets me more excited for November 3rd to arrive & for Amerie to return to us because she truly is a talent with something unique to offer.

1. Higher (Snippet)

2. Heard 'Em All

3. Tell Me You Love Me (Snippet)

4. Why R U

5. Pretty Brown (ft. Trey Songz) (Snippet)

6. Red Eye (Snippet)

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Kelly Clarkson Performs On Jimmy Kimmel

Already Gone

My Life Would Suck Without You

Oh, look! Kelly Clarkson performed a set in LA that was taped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! Wonder if any of my readers were there... Anyway, Kelly can sing for days, huh? I particularly liked, during "Already Gone," how the arrangement started sounding a bit more like the album version because I'm pretty much over that acoustic one; the song just has a different life with the original production. Like Jimmy said, Kelly's new album All I Ever Wanted is available now.

Marques Houston "Mr. Houston" Tracklisting

Marques Houston's non-anticipated fourth solo album Mr. Houston drops September 29th. Information is hard to come across for this release, but I've managed to find its tracklisting:

1. I Love Her (ft. Jim Jones)
2. Body
3. How I Do
4. Express Lane
5. Case Of You
6. Stranger
7. Say My Name
8. Letter
9. Sexy Young Girl
10. Date
11. Beautiful Woman

Unsurprisingly, "Sunset" didn't make the cut, so I'm worried that Mr. Houston will lack anything original or interesting. I mention information being hard to come by because even though I tweeted Marques about it myself (because I figured the artist of all people would want it fixed), Amazon's listing for the album hasn't been updated in ages--it says the album came out in August & can be "shipped in 12 to 14 days." (Good luck with that one!) Something tells me Marques might wanna roll out some of those nine videos he supposedly has left waiting on the sideline pretty soon...

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Rihanna Album Update

As of late, Rihanna has been recording her fourth album & a few collaborators were confirmed over VMA weekend. One, who has been rumored for a while, is All-American Rejects frontman Tyson Ritter. Another, Akon, is looking to "lighten her up," while Ne-Yo has other plans for RiRi:

"Expect an edgier, almost angrier Rihanna on this one."

Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about! The "Breakin' Dishes" Rihanna is the one that does it for me. I'm on the fence about the AAR influence on the new record, but I won't knock it till I try it. That is, unless she releases a "Take A Bow" sequel as the first single.

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Sean Kingston On Yahoo! Music

"Face Drop"

"Fire Burning"

"Beautiful Girls"

Interview

Sean Kingston performed a set of tunes on & sat down for an interview with Yahoo! Music in support of his upcoming sophomore album Tomorrow (September 22nd). I can't believe Sean's day is about to finally arrive! Tomorrow is a solid effort & it's especially good for the kind of album that it is. More power to this talented youngster.

Jennifer Lopez Album Update

Jennifer Lopez is currently working on her next album, which will be the follow-up to one of my favorites from her, 2007's Brave. It was announced over the weekend that Jenny recently shot a video for the Pharrell Williams-produced "Lola" featuring Pitbull. Hopefully this is a sign that we'll be getting the single relatively soon. I'm more excited about Pharrell than Pitbull, but it's J.Lo & that's all that matters! I'm glad she was able to become a mother, but with January 22nd's "The Back-Up Plan" also coming up, Jennifer is making her way back on the scene & I couldn't be more excited!

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Melanie Fiona Performs "Give It To Me Right" On Wendy Williams

Melanie Fiona performed "Give It To Me Right," the first single taken from her forthcoming debut album The Bridge (October 13th), on The Wendy Williams Show recently. Another excellent showing no doubt, but I can't help wondering why she's still pushing this single, as it appears that the song may not have flown over all that well. There's no reason to panic though because Melanie has plenty of potential singles to choose from!

Mario "D.N.A." Tracklisting

Mario is currently scheduled to release his fourth album D.N.A. on November 3rd because either he hates us (doubt it) or his label dislikes him (that's more like it). In any case, here is the album's tracklisting:

1. Break Up (ft. Gucci Mane & Sean Garrett)
2. Been Thinking About You
3. Get Out
4. Soundtrack To My Broken Heart
5. Starlight
6. Stranded
7. Ooh Baby
8. Before She Said Hi (ft. Big Sean)
9. I Choose You
10. Don't Walk Away
11. I Miss My Friend
12. The Hardest Moment

For those keeping score, this entire album was already on the internet by the time this tracklisting was sequenced. Would that be my ideal situation? Absolutely not. However, I've decided not to stress too much about it, mainly because all of this material is quality. In fact, Mario has had so many leaked tracks that I've been so busy trying to keep up that I haven't overplayed any of them. Sure, I love me some "Promise Land" & "Stuttering"--& Mr. Barrett's verging on residing in the doghouse for disregarding that Brandy track "Boom In It"--but I have them already, so who cares if they make the album or not?! (Don't worry--I'll still be supporting D.N.A. ... & so should you!)

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Ruben Studdard "I'm A Fighter" Song Premiere

Ruben Studdard has co-written & recorded "I'm A Fighter" as the new spokesman for Be Sickle Smart. You can stream it HERE. Ruben's soulful voice is a perfect fit for the track. If you like what you hear & want more Ruben, his latest album Love IS is out now.

Whitney Houston On Oprah

"I Didn't Know My Own Strength"



Interview (Pt. 1)



Interview (Pt. 2)
Whitney Houston kicked off the premiere week of Oprah with a two-day interview & a performance, as requested by Oprah herself, of "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" off Whitney's "come-through" album I Look To You. Wow! Heavy. That interview was very revealing, rather shocking, & easily historic. I won't spill too much here though; it definitely speaks for itself. As for the performance, check it for sure because Whitney sounds far, far better than she did on GMA. An excellent showing indeed! If nothing else, all of this will help you really appreciate the wonderful gift that it is to have Whitney back.

Mariah Carey Recreates Debut Album Cover

After

Mariah Carey is trying to make her stans, myself included, have a Mimi overdose. In the latest of Mariah's stone-groove-smash-hit-wonder series of classic photo recreations, she has reshot her self-titled debut album cover. Looooove it!! Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel drops September 29th--only two weeks away!

Before

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Jay-Z, Rihanna, & Kanye West Perform "Run This Town" On The Jay Leno Show + More

On Monday night's premiere of The Jay Leno Show, Jay-Z, Rihanna, & Kanye West were there to perform their single "Run This Town." I tried to enjoy this one, as the song is just pure radio food imo, & I thought it was alright. Meanwhile, Kanye West made a formal apology on the show to Taylor Swift for the previous night's debacle. Personally, although I agree that he was in the wrong, Kanye simply made a stupid, most likely drunken decision to express his (*cough* correct *cough*) opinion at the wrong place & time & he's now apologized multiple times for it, so I think we can put it behind us. Nonetheless, his chat with Jay is below:

Pink Performs "Please Don't Leave Me" On Today

Pink performed "Please Don't Leave Me," (apparently..?) the latest single off her newest album Funhouse, after a short interview--now practically infamous for its Kanye West references--on the Today show following her appearance at the VMAs on Sunday. She did a killer job! My question is this: If this is the single she is pushing, why didn't she perform it instead on Sunday? Not to mention there's a video for "Funhouse" ... but I guess it's simply an international single. Ah well. I bet her tour would be amazing!

The Caffeine Patch: Toy Story 3 Teaser Poster

They aren't kidding about that 'teaser' business either. Here is "Toy Story 3'"s official teaser poster & guess what? It's all they need anyway! Opening June 18th, 2010, is "Toy Story 3" AKA the reason I will be living in my local theater that day.

Katharine McPhee "Say Goodbye" Song Premiere

Katharine McPhee unleashed another track, "Say Goodbye," off her sophomore album Unbroken on iTunes today (you can download it HERE). This is the song Katharine performed on CSI: NY last season & it's beautiful! I like this kinda stuff from her. Unfortunately, whatever she has to offer this second time around will have to wait until next year because Unbroken has been pushed back to January 5th, 2010. *Sigh*

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Michael Jackson's This Is It Trailer

The full trailer for "Michael Jackson's This Is It" premiered tonight & it's a must-see. This looks incredible, but also very emotional. I can't imagine leaving the theater after watching this & seeing a single dry eye. "Michael Jackson's This Is It" begins its two-week engagement nationwide on October 28th.

The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Recap

Michael Jackson Tribute



Beyonce - Medley



Pink "Sober"



Jay-Z ft. Alicia Keys "Empire State Of Mind"
Don't get it twisted: The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards were about Janet Jackson's tribute to Michael Jackson. Following an incredible dance tribute set to a medley of Michael's biggest hits, "Scream" started up & everyone knew it was about to go down. It was almost too much for me to take when Janet busted through that glass. She was setting that stage on fire anyway, but when she started doing her dance with Michael on the screen, I almost collapsed. Ms. Jackson, you did brilliantly tonight & we respect & thank you for a job well done. Later on in the show, Beyonce took to the stage to perform what started out to be a slow version of "Sweet Dreams" & ended up being the "Single Ladies" performance to end all "SL" performances! She did a great job as well. Also, Pink somehow managed to sing "Sober" while flying through the air for her entire set. Kudos to her for that alone, but also for some excellent entertainment! Lastly, Jay-Z & Alicia Keys (& Lil' Mama?! LOL) closed out the show with "Empire State Of Mind." What a vocal showing from Alicia! I was very impressed.

As for the awards themselves, Beyonce did manage to (rightfully, yet ironically) take home the Video Of The Year moonman for "Single Ladies" & was absolutely the class act of the night. The video also won the awards for Best Choreography (duh!!) & Best Editing. Other winners included Britney Spears' "Womanizer" for Best Pop Video & T.I. & Rihanna's "Live Your Life" for Best Male Video. Click HERE for a full list of (otherwise crappy) winners.

David Archuleta Performs "America The Beautiful" On US Open

David Archuleta sang "America The Beautiful" at the US Open ... & oo, did he ever. Gorgeous! Very pretty. Something about his voice set to an image of the American flag just fits. If that wasn't enough, David's Christmas album Christmas From The Heart comes out October 13th.

*UPDATED* Wanna See Kelly Clarkson Live For FREE?

Kelly Clarkson is performing live in Los Angeles on September 14th as a part of the Samsung Summer Krush concert series, which is designed to provide attendees with private concerts and FREE tickets. If you are interesting in attending, click the Samsung logo below to register. (Promotion Code: LA2) This is a great opportunity to see an amazing artist, so I'd go for it!

UPDATE: In addition, you have the chance to WIN a pair of Priority access tickets to the concert! Just throw me an e-mail @ vmarspirate08@gmail.com with your name & the subject "Kelly Clarkson Giveaway" to enter. A winner will be chosen Sunday night, so get those entries in quick!

The Black-Eyed Peas Perform On NFL Kickoff

I Gotta Feeling

Boom Boom Pow

The Black-Eyed Peas kicked off the new NFL season with their pair of #1 smashes from their new album The E.N.D. Really & truly, I'm happy for them. They've had tremendous success this year & it's nice to see someone have that in today's music industry.

Mariah Carey & Usher's Latest Macy's Commercial

Among an all-star cast, Mariah Carey & Usher star in their latest commercial for Macy's. Wish Mimi had gotten more screen time, but it's for a good cause, so it's all good lol.

Answer The Call Concert Performance Highlights

Beyonce "Diva"

Jay-Z, Rihanna, & Kanye West "Run This Town"

Jay-Z & Mary J. Blige "Can't Knock The Hustle"

In support of his new album The Blueprint 3, Jay-Z hosted Answer The Call, a 9/11 charity concert at Madison Square Garden. Among the many guests, his wife Beyonce turned out a sizzling performance of "Diva." That's what I've been waiting to see! Also, Rihanna made her first post-Chris Beatdown stage appearance alongside Jay & Kanye West for their new single "Run This Town." If both Jay (I don't how Beyonce puts up with him...) & that song didn't irk the crap outta me, I would've enjoyed their performance more. RiRi did seem to be enjoying herself though! Mary J. Blige was there as well & rocked out hard up there next to Jay as well as during her own performance of "The One," which gets cut off at the end of that video, which makes me sad. (What's with all these videos being cut short lately? Especially with MJB?!) All-in-all, it was a nice gesture on behalf of New Yorker Jay-Z ... I would just like to have seen him do it without an album dropping the same week.

Mary J. Blige On GMA

"Stronger"

Interview

Mary J. Blige kicked off Good Morning America's Fall Concert Series with a performance of "Stronger," the title track off her November 24th album. She also chatted about the "More Than A Game" documentary the song is being used in, her Essence cover, & her feature film debut in Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself." Sing it, Mary! I hate that the video cuts off (it's the only one on the net...), but she did pretty well.

*UPDATED* Dondria In The Studio

The latest episode of JD's "Living The Life" YouTube series features Dondria returning to the studio. In the clip, Dondria can be heard recording the new song "Can't Do This Anymore." Sounds good as always. Now, JD, I have a bone to pick with you. At the beginning of the video, just when we think we're gonna get some news (about the first single), you get sidetracked & don't tell us! AH! (jkjk) Anyway, I've no clue how long we'll be waiting for her debut album Dondria Vs. Phatfffat. =/

UPDATE: Here's more footage of Dondria recording the same song, which starts around mark 2:18:

Toni Braxton "Yesterday" Song Premiere

She's taken her good ol' time, but Toni Braxton's back! She officially returns with "Yesterday," the first single off her upcoming album, which is set for release in February 2010. Forgive me for this, but Toni sure knows how to put the 'YES' in "Yesterday!" I've always loved her, but she's really bringing it with this song. She looks great too! I'm thrilled for what's to come.

Leona Lewis "Cosmopolitan UK" Magazine Cover

Leona Lewis is glowing on the October cover of the UK edition of Cosmopolitan. Her new single "Happy" was a little underwhelming, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm dying to hear her sophomore album Echo, which drops November 17th.

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Keri Hilson "Slow Dance" Video Premiere

"Slow Dance" is the latest single off Keri Hilson's debut album In A Perfect World.... The Chris Robinson-directed video features cameos from Monica, Melody Thornton, Omarion, Chris Beatdown, & Polow Da Don. I think the video is pretty sexy. I like it. As for the song, especially because it's so ancient that King Tut was groovin' to it back in the day, I just wish Miss Keri had chosen a certain Keyshia Cole/Trina collabo as the next single instead.

Christina Milian Pregnant

Newlyweds Christina Milian & The-Dream are expecting. It will be the first child for Christina, who has expressed interest in starting a family before, as well as for the couple, though The-Dream already became a father with ex-wife Nivea. Regarding the news, a source stated, "The pregnancy was a surprise, but they were getting married regardless." *Takes deep breath* Maybeit'sselfishofme,butIwishtheywould'veplannedonreleasingChristina'snextalbumElopebeforethis.Imean,it'snotlikethesethingscan'tbeprevented. In any case, I'm sure this new baby will make Christina very happy, so congrats to the two of them.

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Mariah Carey Recreates "Butterfly" Photoshoot

AAHHH!!!! Mariah Carey has recreated her iconic Butterfly album photoshoot in what is apparently becoming a theme to promote her upcoming album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel (September 29th). I LOVE them!! I'm actually listening to the Memoirs snippets again right now & they're great too (still)! I love me some Mariah. :)

Whitney Houston "I Look To You" Video Premiere

"I Look To You" is one of the lead singles taken from Whitney Houston's new album I Look To You. I'll tell ya, that's four minutes of goosebumps right there. For me, it's the first time it literally *feels* really good to have her back. This has been a rollercoaster of a year in music so far, but Whitney has definitely provided quite a peak.

Imogen Heap Performs With Shlomo & The Vocal Orchestra

Check out this awesome improv performance Imogen Heap participated in with Shlomo & The Vocal Orchestra at Glastonbury not too long ago. Very cool! Imogen's incredible new album Ellipse is out now.

*UPDATED* Preview Mariah Carey's "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel"

We finally have 30-second snippets for all 17 tracks on Mariah Carey's forthcoming album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel (September 29th). Yes! That's what I'm talkin' about. Memoirs is gonna be outstanding.

UPDATE: I'm aware that the video is down now, but whether or not you were able to catch those snippets, HERE are some all-new ones! Definitely check them out. 16 days...

Mary J. Blige "Essence" Magazine Cover

Mary J. Blige is on the cover of Essence magazine's October issue, but that's not the only place you can find MJB. Her new movie "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" opens tomorrow; her new video for "The One," the lead single off her upcoming album Stronger (November 24th), is out now; & the title track from her new album "Stronger" is available now as well. Get it, Mary!

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Billboard Update

^#1 Album #1 Single^

For the first time in over 15 years, Whitney Houston tops the Billboard 200 album chart. Her new album I Look To You gave Whitney her best sales week ever by shifting 305,000 copies in its debut week. Most definitely a comeback worthy of the ultimate diva! The Black-Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" is still #1 on the Hot 100 singles chart, but that's not actually the chart's big news this week. Mariah Carey moves 11-7 with "Obsessed" in its ninth week, giving Mariah her 27th top ten hit on the chart. That puts her in fifth place alongside Elton John & Janet Jackson for the most top tens in history. Also, Beyonce "becomes the fifth female in Hot 100 history to place six songs from one album within the top 40," as "Sweet Dreams" goes 46-39. Lastly, Whitney Houston is also making her mark on the singles chart. Her new album's title track "I Look To You" jumps 98-70, giving her the highest position she's had on the chart in nine years, while "Million Dollar Bill" debuts at #100.

See full charts HERE.

New Jordin Sparks "Got Milk?" Ad

Here's another new Got Milk? ad featuring Jordin Sparks. This one's good as well. Jordin's second album Battlefield is in stores now.

Ashlee Simpson "Redbook" Magazine Cover

To promote her new series Melrose Place, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz shares the latest cover of Redbook with Alicia Silverstone & Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights). Kinda wish she had gone a little less with the eye makeup because it makes her look like she has a pair of black eyes next to the others, but Ashlee looks pretty great overall.

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Ellen DeGeneres Becomes Fourth Judge On American Idol + More

At a premiere week episode taping for her talk show, Ellen DeGeneres announced that she has been hired as American Idol's permanent fourth judge. The news surprised me at first too because, yes, she doesn't really have any music industry knowledge to bring to the table, but the more I thought about what she said (see: above) about basically being the voice of the people, it made more sense to me. I already adore Ellen anyway, so if there is anybody I would accept as a fourth judge on the show, it's her. (For the curious ones who don't wanna watch the video, Ellen is sticking with her talk show also, so no worries there.) In related news, before Ellen arrives on the panel post-auditions, a series of guest judges will serve in the spot left vacant by Paula, several of which have now been announced. In addition to the previously mentioned Mary J. Blige, Avril Lavigne will appear as well as Shania Twain, Katy Perry, Neil Patrick Harris, Joe Jonas, & Victoria Beckham. Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm looking forward to all of this!

P.S. Happy Veronica Mars Day! 9.09.09!!

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Jordin Sparks "S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)" Video Premiere + More

"S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)" is the second single off Jordin Sparks' sophomore album Battlefield. This is Jordin's best video so far. She looks especially amazing here! If you're interested, the exclusive premiere of this video was held HERE today & they have a behind-the-scenes/interview clip. I hope this one is a big hit for her!

Janet Jackson Does Harper's Bazaar Magazine

Janet Jackson covers the newsstand & subscriber versions of Harper's Bazaar's latest issue, respectively. In the issue, Janet gives her first interview since her brother passed away. You can read that HERE & I recommend it; it's very touching. Despite her recent troubles, Janet sure looks great in these shots! I'm really looking forward to seeing her on the VMAs on Sunday.

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Jordin Sparks On Arthur Ashe Kids' Day

"S.O.S. (Let The Music Play)"

"Battlefield"

Interview

Jordin Sparks recently performed her Battlefield singles for Arthur Ashe Kids' Day. The best part of these performances? Jordin's hair! I love it. She did sound great though. Oh, & she could go without some of those backup singers *cough* Leah LaBelle *cough*. (It's nothing personal really, I just wanna hear Jordin...)

Michael Jackson's This Is It Poster

Check it out! The official poster for "Michael Jackson's This Is It" has been unveiled. The two-week engagement begins October 28th & you already know it's gonna be [insert word here that means better than words can say].

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Dirty Money ft. The Notorious B.I.G. "Angels" Video Premiere

"Angels," featuring The Notorious B.I.G., is the first single off Dirty Money's forthcoming album Last Train To Paris (November 24th). The Hype Williams-directed clip is all epic-y & what-not & I know I'm not the only one who has a hard time taking Diddy seriously in a scenario like this. Nonetheless, it is kinda cool & I like the song. I wish Dawn & Kaleena had been in more of it, but I honestly wasn't expecting them to be in much of it anyway. I really think the trio is gonna bring it with their album!

Christina Milian & The-Dream Get Married

Lovebirds Christina Milian & The-Dream have tied the knot. The couple 'eloped' in Las Vegas last Friday, September 4th. Apparently, the ceremony was the first of three, as the pair will have a formal wedding in Rome soon. They are also planning on renewing their vows on their one-year anniversary in front of family & friends who aren't able to make the trip to Italy. I must admit, I didn't/don't really buy them as a couple, but if it's the real thing (which is typically the case when I think it's not... lol), then congratulations!

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*UPDATED* The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Update

MTV confirms that Janet Jackson is set to open the 2009 VMAs with a tribute to her late brother Michael Jackson. It is rumored that the performance will be a dance tribute "featuring 20 backup dancers." So, THAT's enough to keep me glued to the TV on Sunday. Also, Alicia Keys will reportedly take the stage with Jay-Z for "Empire State Of Mind," joining previously announced performers like Beyonce & Pink. Besides that opening number, I won't be expecting too much, but it should be a pretty good show. The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards will go down this Sunday, September 13th, @ 9/8c.

UPDATE: Check out this stellar new VMA promo in honor of MJ--

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Priscilla Renea "Dollhouse" Video Premiere

"Dollhouse" is the first single taken from Priscilla Renea's upcoming debut album Jukebox (October 20th). Here it is! This video was directed by Rich Lee, whom I really like. It also doesn't hurt that the song has the same name (though a 100% different look) as the best show on television! ;)

VH1 Divas Update

As you can see in this newly released promo poster, Jennifer Hudson & Jordin Sparks were both recently added to the VH1 Divas lineup. Special guest performers on the Paula Abdul-hosted program will be Sheryl Crow, Martina McBride, Cyndi Lauper, & Melissa Etheridge, while Toni Braxton will also be there as one of the many presenters. Considering they have now doubled my reasons to watch, I'm getting rather excited about this show. I realize that it may be Mariah/Whitney/Celine-less, but with the reintroduction of the Divas event, VH1 is trying to present the new generation of chicks at the top of their game & I can respect that, especially because there are so many talented young women out there now who deserve recognition (& they're doing a pretty good job of it--4 out of 6 ain't bad). VH1 Divas will air Thursday, September 17th, @ 9/8c.

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Priscilla Renea Performs "Dollhouse" On YouTube Music Tuesday

Priscilla Renea is another talented YouTube-singer-turned-recording-artist who is set to release her debut album Jukebox on October 20th. Above, you can watch her sing an acoustic version of her first single "Dollhouse" for YouTube Music Tuesday, which is actually being dedicated to her for the premiere of the "Dollhouse" video, but since embedding was disabled, I can't post it until another video shows up. Till then, you can watch it HERE. I really love this song! If you can't wait until next month to get her album, she has already released an EP titled Hello My Apple, which is available on iTunes HERE.

Destiny's Child "Heart" Song Premiere

No, they aren't getting back together. Nonetheless, this leak made me very excited. The Scott Storch-produced "Heart," most likely recorded circa 2004 during the Destiny Fulfilled sessions, is a pretty good leftover from the group. Just to hear them all on the same track again--& especially with it being previously unreleased--is really cool.

Sean Kingston Performs On Today

"Face Drop"

"Fire Burning" + Interview

"Beautiful Girls (ft. Ben E. King)"

Sean Kingston appeared on the Today show & sang a few songs, mostly from his upcoming album Tomorrow, which drops on the 22nd AKA still not for a couple of weeks. Sean did a great job though & his surprise guest on "Beautiful Girls" was very cool. Ya gotta admit, though they may not be too deep, Sean writing all his material makes for an awfully talented 19-year-old.

Jordin Sparks "Got Milk?" Ad

The lovely Jordin Sparks has become the latest celeb to endorse the Got Milk? campaign. Very nice shot. Jordin's excellent new album Battlefield is out now!

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The Black-Eyed Peas Perform On Isle Of MTV

Meet Me Halfway

I Gotta Feeling

Let's Get It Started

Pump It

The Black-Eyed Peas recently performed a set on Isle Of MTV, which took place in a location that I could not point out on a map, in support of their latest album The E.N.D. So, I decided something. I decided that I wasn't going to dwell on the fact that they gave me a headache jumping & yelling into their microphones the whole time. Or the fact that their singles just keep getting worse. Or that Taboo made me more than a little nauseous by feeling the need to rid himself of that obnoxious dead weight known as a shirt during the last performance. Nope--not gonna dwell on it.

Avril Lavigne "Elle Canada" Magazine Cover

Avril Lavigne recently posed for the cover of her home country version of Elle magazine. I'm really looking forward to Avril's fourth album, which is set to be released on November 17th.

Kelly Rowland Performs "When Love Takes Over" On THE DOME 51

Kelly Rowland joined David Guetta once again to perform their hit single "When Love Takes Over" at THE DOME 51 event in Germany. We get it already. The song did well. Kelly, how are we ever gonna get that third album if you're always performing this song & never recording?--Uh, did I just say that? Sorry...

Melanie Fiona Performs "It Kills Me" On NRJ Live Session

Another performance from Melanie Fiona's NRJ Live Session has surfaced of "It Kills Me," the new single off her debut album The Bridge (September 22nd). Appropriately enough, she killed it! This is most definitely the kinda song the airwaves need right about now. Whether or not they know it, unfortunately, I do not know.

New Leona Lewis Promo Pic + More

Check out the first official promotional photo for Leona Lewis' sophomore album Echo (November 17th). Would've preferred they not cut off her forehead, but I like it! I'm anxious to hear Leona's new single "Happy," which will be released digitally on September 15th. She should bring it!

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Ryan Leslie "You're Not My Girl" Video Premiere

"You're Not My Girl" is the first single off Ryan Leslie's forthcoming second album Transition (October 13th). It's pretty exciting that we'll be getting another new album from Ryan before the year's end. As far as this song & video go, they're both alright. They aren't great, but they aren't bad either.

Mariah Carey "Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel" Tracklisting

We're only 25 days out from the release of Mariah Carey's new album Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel (September 29th) & finally, we have the album's tracklisting. Check out the breakdown of the 2-disc set below:

Disc 1
1. Betcha Gon' Know (the prologue)
2. Obsessed
3. H.A.T.E.U.
4. Candy Bling
5. Ribbon
6. Inseparable
7. Standing O
8. It's A Wrap
9. Up Out My Face
10. Up Out My Face (the reprise)
11. More Than Just Friends
12. The Impossible
13. The Impossible (the reprise)
14. Angel (the prelude)
15. Angels Cry
16. Languishing (the interlude)
17. I Want To Know What Love Is

Disc 2
1. Obsessed (Cahill Radio Mix)
2. Obsessed (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Radio Edit)
3. Obsessed (Jump Smokers Radio Edit)
4. Obsessed (Friscia and Lamboy Radio Mix)
5. Obsessed (Video)
6. Obsessed (Remix Video)

If you don't mind me fanboy-ing momentarily, this is like a dream come true! First of all, I love that there's a little more to love in between some of the tracks. I'm one of those people that always wants a little something extra, especially with Mariah because I tend to play & play & play her albums. Also, the second disc is perfect for someone like me who is--yes, I'm going there--obsessed with "Obsessed!" I think it lends itself great to remixes & considering the song is still sitting at its current peak & its airplay is only rising, I don't think I'm the only one who digs the song. Now, "100%" didn't make the final cut (nor did the Timbaland production), but that just makes it more likely that it'll be used in "Precious." Mariah is giving us every reason to embrace her Memoirs, especially with this excellent new single, so you already know I'll be at the store on the 29th!

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OneRepublic Album Update

"All The Right Moves," single cover to the left, is the first single taken from OneRepublic's upcoming sophomore album Waking Up. The album is set to feature 10 or 11 tracks, as the band assures us it will have "ZERO filler." A few more song titles include "Secrets," "Waking Up," "Fear," "Good Life," & "Everybody Loves Me," a portion of which can be heard HERE in a promo for the ABC series Castle. Here's how singer Ryan Tedder described Waking Up in a recent MySpace blog:

This album will have a ton more tempo and upbeat stuff than the last album- alot more edgier stuff as well....but fear not- it wouldn't be a OneRepublic album without some moody melodic mid's and of course we snuck in a ballad.... but we're definitely not aiming to reproduce or chase album 1 or any of it's singles.

I liked some of the songs on OneRepublic's debut & Ryan is one heck of a producer, so I'm anxious to hear what they've cooked up, especially knowing that they'll have more uptempo material this time around.

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Keri Hilson & R. Kelly Perform "Number One" On Jimmy Kimmel

Earlier tonight, Keri Hilson joined R. Kelly for a performance of their song "Number One" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! R. Keri gave a swaggerific showing & Ms. Hilson was looking particularly fine. I've gotta be honest though: This is not a very good song. Note to artists: If you want R&B music to sell, you have to make good music.

Billboard Update

^#1 Album #1 Single^

Colbie Caillat's Breakthrough enters this week's Billboard 200 album chart at the top spot. Imogen Heap sold 48,000 copies of her new album Ellipse to debut at #5, easily her highest sales week & chart position (her last album never went higher than #145) ever, while Ellipse also manages to top the Digital Albums chart. LeToya's Lady Love didn't fair too well, coming in at #12, though it does top the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The Black-Eyed Peas log a tenth week atop the Hot 100 singles chart with "I Gotta Feeling," making them only the fourth act in history to spend at least 10 weeks at #1 with multiple titles. People... it's not even that great of a song.

"Obsessed" Watch

TW: #11 - LW: #11 - Peak: #11 - Week: #8

See full charts HERE.

(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Esmee Denters "Admit It" Video Premiere

"Admit It" is the second single (I'm assuming in the Netherlands) off Esmee Denters' debut album Outta Here, which has yet to be released in the US. The video's cool for what it is. I like the song too, just not as much as "Outta Here."

Who Sang It Better? Beyonce Vs. Cassie

That title sounds like a joke, I know. Still, Jay-Z has both his wife Beyonce & Cassie singing the hook on two different versions of the same song, "Venus Vs. Mars," which is featured on his new album The Blueprint 3 (September 11th). Word is, Beyonce has replaced Cassie on the album version, yet Cassie is the one credited in the album booklet. Obviously, due to the content of the lyrics, Beyonce is the choice that makes more sense. Now, I don't know what's wrong with me, but I *gulp* kinda like Cassie better on the part. In my defense, even though Beyonce has the best voice of the two, Cassie's strength is being a hook singer.

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Sean Kingston "Face Drop" Video Premiere

"Face Drop" is the second single taken from Sean Kingston's upcoming sophomore effort Tomorrow (September 22nd). I like the song because the lyrics actually mean something, but I LoVe the video! How could I not when Lil' Sean is all over it?

Syesha Mercado Performs National Anthem On Baseball

Back in April, Syesha Mercado sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at an Anaheim Angels baseball game, but I hadn't seen the performance until Syesha added it to her YouTube channel today, so I had to share. I love me some Syesha!

Whitney Houston On GMA

"Million Dollar Bill"

"I Look To You"

"My Love Is Your Love"

"I'm Every Woman"

Interview

Whitney Houston's awaited concert on Good Morning America in support of her new album I Look To You aired this morning. While I'm not gonna pretend that her voice is what it used to be, there were a number of factors that contributed to how she sounded & even still, it could've been worse! For me, the best part of Whitney's showing was how excited she looked to be on stage performing in front of her many (& I mean MANY!) fans once again. It was also touching to see how emotional it was for her to sing for her mother & enjoyable it was for her to perform with her daughter as well.

Dirty Money "Angels" Video Preview + More

Diddy, former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard, & singer/songwriter Kalenna make up the group Dirty Money. A sneak peek at the video for their first single "Angels" can be found above & you've no doubt heard about the album Last Train To Paris, which is due November 24th, by now. If you haven't heard "Angels," you can do so HERE, while a promo club track, "Love Come Down," has just been released & can be heard HERE. I'm pretty excited about Dirty Money, I must admit. I could care less about Diddy though--my main interest is in Dawn. I mean... "Falls Away," "If I Could?" C'mon! I'm pretty optimistic about this musical experiment.

Beyonce Performs At 2009 Essence Music Festival

TVOne aired their 2009 Essence Music Festival highlights special on Sunday & I don't have the channel, so I don't know how much they showed, but this new performance from Beyonce is the only one that has surfaced online. Luckily though, we have yet to see her medley of "If I Were A Boy" & Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" in HQ. Beyonce did a really great job with this & I love the new life it gives the I Am... Sasha Fierce track.

Album Review: Whitney Houston "I Look To You"

It's been seven years & Whitney Houston is back. Her new CD I Look To You is a collection of singers' songs, & rightfully so. Basically, the whole world wants to know whether or not Whitney still has it, so let's uncover the answer!

The album starts out with "Million Dollar Bill," a song she worked with Alicia Keys on. This gives the best example on the project of what Whitney's place is in the industry today, mainly because it sounds like something Alicia might've done herself & Ms. Keys is probably the current artist most comparable to Whitney herself. For me, the fact that the song sounds a little too Alicia takes away from it a bit, but it's still pretty good. "Nothin' But Love" is slightly-better-than-average album filler, while the cool "Call You Tonight" is a little better. Our first big ballad arrives in the title track "I Look To You" & is probably my favorite one. R. Kelly, who wrote the song, sure seems to know his way around penning one. It displays Ms. Houston's voice as well as any track here & the result is not too shabby. The oober-powerful big notes aren't quite there like they used to be, but the tone pretty much is & she can still out-sing just about everyone else in the industry today.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the Akon-assisted "Like I Never Left" when it leaked & it still doesn't do much for me. I don't hate it though; it does offer a different vibe than is found elsewhere on the album. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Whitney's version of "A Song For You." She sounded phenomenal during the slow introduction & as comfortable as ever when the beat came in. Another ballad comes in the form of the Diane Warren-penned "I Didn't Know My Own Strength." You can't really sing along to this one, which makes it harder to embrace, but Whitney does sound great once again. I've gone back & forth with the lack of choir on the song as opposed to the leaked version & I can only say that they both have something nice to offer.

Another decent album filler can be found in "Worth It," but don't worry: your tracklisting isn't out of order. The next track is in fact supposed to be titled "For The Lovers" & it just so happens to be better than the preceding one. The more-or-less uptempo song is probably what you might call the most radio-friendly on the album & it's actually one of my favorites. Before you roll your eyes though, Whitney didn't go too far with the "current" sound because it still sounds like her. Up next is "I Got You," another result of Whitney's work with Akon, & maybe it's because I hadn't heard this track or the one previous to it before the album came out, but I really like this one too. It has a nice groove to it. When it comes to the closer, I feel like I'm the minority because I am quite a fan of the R. Kelly slow jam "Salute." It's a good, if not spectacular, display of vocals, but its best feature is that it's just a good song.

I Look To You is not only a solid balance of ballads & midtempos, but it most likely offers up what the classic Whitney fan is hoping to receive. I really liked that the slow stuff was there, but that it was spread out so that the album didn't get too boring. Some songs were better than others, but at the end of the day, Whitney's is the voice coming through the speakers & it's just as irresistible as ever.

Rating: 4/5 Stars