Thursday, March 31, 2011

Britney Spears "I Am The Femme Fatale" Trailer


This Sunday, April 3rd, @ 9/8c on MTV, a Britney Spears special entitled "I Am The Femme Fatale" is set to premiere. Including an all-new interview with Britney, the special will chronicle the weeks leading up to the release of her seventh studio album Femme Fatale. Keep your eyes peeled for a first look at Brit's "Till The World Ends" video!

Jennifer Hudson On Ellen



"And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" (w/ Savannah Robinson)



Interview

Jennifer Hudson returned to The Ellen DeGeneres Show to perform with Ellen's latest signee Savannah Robinson, who I was all ready to trash, but the lil' girl has quite a voice! J-Hud's sophomore album I Remember Me is out now.

Rihanna Does Rolling Stone Magazine + More

I gotta hand it to her: Rihanna('s body) looks phenomenal in & on the newest issue of Rolling Stone. In addition to enjoying the view, check out her full solo commercial for the UNICEF Tap Project that she's involved in below.

[Source]

Marques Houston ft. Immature "Ghetto Angel" Video Premiere


"Ghetto Angel", featuring Immature, is the latest single lifted from Marques Houston's fifth solo album Mattress Music. I was never into Immature, so this reunion doesn't really mean anything to me.

Britney Spears On Jimmy Kimmel



"Till The World Ends"



"Hold It Against Me"



Skit w/ Jimmy Kimmel



Skit w/ Johnny Knoxville

Britney Spears repeated a pair of her lackluster performances from GMA in support of her new album Femme Fatale later that night on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, but made things a little more interesting being game for a couple of cute skits as well. I feel bad because I'm almost certain now that her complete absence of stage presence these days is due to meds she's probably taking for a mental illness that came about during those years... unfortunately, I think that means once & for all that old Britney is gone for good. :(

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Britney Spears Performs On GMA



Till The World Ends



Hold It Against Me



Big Fat Bass

New Music Tuesday: Britney Spears "Femme Fatale"

^Click To Purchase^

The robot formerly known as Britney Spears releases her seventh studio album Femme Fatale today. The insanely dance-heavy project includes the singles "Hold It Against Me" & "Till The World Ends". It's not horrible though.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Dirty Money ft. Trey Songz & Rick Ross "Your Love (Remix)" Video Premiere


"Your Love (Remix)", featuring Trey Songz & Rick Ross, is the ...I've lost count... latest single off the Dirty Money Last Train To Paris album. Today's the day for remix videos I guess lol. This song is awesome--& I don't even like half these people!

Mindless Behavior ft. Ciara, Lil' Twist, & Tyga "My Girl (Remix)" Video Premiere


Ciara kicks it with Mindless Behavior, Lil' Twist, & Tyga in the remix video for "My Girl", the first single off Mindless Behavior's upcoming debut album #1 Girl. Oh, CiCi... only you could have me getting into something like this.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

New Christina Aguilera "The Voice" Commercial & Promo Pics


As the premiere of The Voice approaches, Christina Aguilera & co. are popping up in a new TV spot ("Dirrty"!) & set of promotional photos for the show. Christina looks fantastic! I look forward to the premiere of The Voice on Tuesday, April 26th, @ 9/8c on NBC.





David Archuleta Performs National Anthem On NASCAR


David Archuleta sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the NASCAR Royal Purple 300, I believe is what it's called (lol...I have no idea what that means), yesterday. He did an excellent job!

Mandisa "What If We Were Real" Tracklisting

Mandisa is getting ready to release her third album What If We Were Real on April 5th. Check out the album's tracklisting below:

1. Stronger
2. What If We Were Real
3. These Days
4. The Truth About Me
5. Say Goodbye
6. Good Morning (ft. TobyMac)
7. Waiting For Tomorrow
8. Just Cry
9. Temporary Fills
10. Free
11. Lifeline

Should be good!

[Source]

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Album Review: Avril Lavigne "Goodbye Lullaby"

It's been a minute since Avril Lavigne dropped her last album back in 2007. Following some label drama, she's finally dropped her fourth studio album Goodbye Lullaby. A mixture of her second & third albums Under My Skin & The Best Damn Thing, respectively, Goodbye Lullaby is arguably the best display of Avril's talents thus far.

1. "Black Star": This intro/jingle, if you will, for her fragrance of the same name is pleasant enough.

2. "What The Hell": The album's first single & one of the pop-ier songs on it, this uptempo is incredibly infectious & definitely one of her better singles. 5/5

3. "Push": One of the more stripped-down tracks on the album, it's a slightly less-polished, but still great display of her vocals. 4.5/5

4. "Wish You Were Here": As was "What The Hell", this song was produced by Max Martin, who, whether she likes it or not, is her musical soulmate. This midtempo is at least one of, if not my absolute favorite song(s) on the album. 5/5

5. "Smile": This uptempo, Max Martin-produced pop song finds Avril on top of her game. 5/5

6. "Stop Standing There": Avril's just jamming on this one & I'll gladly enjoy the ride. 4.5/5

7. "I Love You": Two words: Max Martin. What can I say? 4.5/5

8. "Everybody Hurts": Another solid track. I love her vocals at the end! 4/5

9. "Not Enough": This song is gorgeous, especially the chorus. 4.5/5

10. "4 Real": I actually don't love the chorus on this one, but it's alright & the verses make up for it anyway. 4/5

11. "Darlin'": Only Avril could get away with singing a song that she wrote when she was 15. 4/5

12. "Remember When": I appreciate the piano at the beginning. I also love how the song builds as it goes along & the way Avril sounds on this one. 4.5/5

13. "Goodbye": Another great example of what makes this album so good: Avril's voice shining through simply beautiful music.... & the strings at the end are everything! 4.5/5

That's not to say, of course, that Avril doesn't shine with big music behind her. I mean, the extended version of "Alice" that is included here as a "hidden" track (even though it's listed on the back cover of the CD...) is not only a perfect example of that, but something that I really needed too! That's probably my only complaint about the album--that she was trying so hard to avoid the uber-pop that was found in "Girlfriend" that she didn't even give us much in the way of "Alice"-esque material. That said, Goodbye Lullaby had me noticing Avril's outstanding vocal talents more than ever before--even though my personal favorite album of hers remains the slightly more consistent Under My Skin, Goodbye Lullaby coming in a close second. This album is the kind of no-frills, truly good music that is missing in today's industry.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Jennifer Hudson On Leno



"Where You At"



Interview

Friday's Tonight Show With Jay Leno was all about Jennifer Hudson! She was the night's first guest, which resulted in a highly entertaining interview. Then, she brought the show back from commercial by jamming out with her former Idol band leader Rickey Minor before hitting the stage to give an incredible performance of the first single off her new album I Remember Me. Jennifer, you make me so happy.

Billboard Update

^#1 Album #1 Single^

Adele's 21 returns to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart :), while Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" refuses to budge from atop the Hot 100 singles chart :(. Rihanna earns the Airplay Gainer title again with "S&M" (4-3) & The Black-Eyed Peas' "Just Can't Get Enough" jumps 22-5, earning the Digital Gainer title (198,000, +143%), following last week's performance on American Idol.

See full charts HERE

Idol Review: Top 11



Jennifer Hudson "Where You At"



Jacob Lusk "You're All I Need To Get By"



Pia Toscano "All In Love Is Fair"

Jacob & Pia are in such a different league than their fellow contestants, it's ridiculous. Quickly, I'll say that in the case of Casey, America spoke & the judges should've listened. Thia does nothing for me; same goes for Haley. Lauren is never gonna pick anything right & Stefano has GOT to stop over-singing (Thank you for reading my mind, Jennifer!). Scotty sounds the same every week & while that will get him pretty far, I hope America realizes that he does not deserve to win (he'll be fine, I promise). Paul? Terrible. James? Terrible. Naima? Bad singing + bad dancing does NOT make for a good performance. You show 'em how it's done, J-Hud!

Mindless Behavior ft. Ciara, Lil' Twist, & Tyga "My Girl (Remix)" Behind-The-Scenes


Ciara has lent her talents to B2K: Justin Bieber'd Mindless Behavior's remix of their single "My Girl". Watch her lean wit it, rock wit it with the boys above. The amount of love I have for Ciara is unhealthy.

My Girl (Remix ft. Ciara, Lil' Twist, & Tyga)

New Mya Promo Pic

Mya gets cute (which isn't too hard for her...) in this new promotional photo for her upcoming album K.I.S.S., which has had its Japanese release postponed a couple of weeks to April 20th. To be quite honest, I don't know how they're going to distribute a CD in Japan right now.

Keri Hilson ft. Chris Brown "One Night Stand" Video Premiere


"One Night Stand", featuring Chris Brown, is the fourth single off Keri Hilson's sophomore album No Boys Allowed. Director Colin Tilley has done it again! Aside from his work visually however, the video doesn't do much for me, although I did think the part where they dance together was kinda cool. I also like that "I Want You" was included. It's definitely not the single I would've chosen, but if, through ignorance, Chris is actually able to get people to buy music these days, Keri might as well profit off of it!

Kelis Performs With Duran Duran



The Man Who Stole A Leopard



Come Undone

Kelis joined Duran Duran at their recent Unstaged concert on YouTube for two songs. Rather awful sounds (by no fault of Kelis') accompanied by very weird visuals... Kelis is actually featured on the studio version of "The Man Who Stole A Leopard" from Duran Duran's new album All You Need Is Now, so if you wish, listen to that below:

The Man Who Stole A Leopard (ft. Kelis)

Lil' Mama ft. Mishon "Dough Boy" Video Premiere


Lil' Mama has premiered this new Mishon-assisted video for "Dough Boy". I don't know if it's the first single off a new album or what, but she surprisingly delivers! Lil' Mama is sooo my guilty pleasure lol.

Friday, March 25, 2011

New Britney Spears Promo Pics

Here are some newly surfaced Britney Spears promotional photos as well as the rest of the shoot for her new album that I have yet to post in one capacity or another. Femme Fatale drops March 29th--that's next week!--you ready?!


Jennifer Hudson On 106 & Park



"Where You At"



"Angel"



"Gone"



"Spotlight" & "I Remember Me"



Interview

Jennifer Hudson was featured on 106 & Park when she dropped by the show this week, performing her #1 video & (mostly) other new songs off her second album I Remember Me. What is there to say but incredible?! I have to mention though that "Angel" is quickly becoming my jam!

LaToya London Joins Urban Punk

LaToya London, part of the diva trifecta of American Idol's season three that also included Fantasia & Jennifer Hudson, is taking a different route than her Idol counterparts by joining Urban Punk, a duo that also includes producer H20. If you listen to their first two songs below & you're like me, you might find the name a bit misleading: a little urban & no punk, but rather a lot more electro-pop. Basically, it sounds like something that the radio would play these days--except better.

Around The World


Twisted


Thursday, March 24, 2011

Rip The Runway Performance Highlights



Keri Hilson "Pretty Girl Rock"



Melanie Fiona "Change The Record"

Keri Hilson & Melanie Fiona were on hand to give performances at this year's Rip The Runway event on BET. Keri performed her hit "Pretty Girl Rock", while Melanie sang a new song entitled "Change The Record" that we haven't heard before, but it's not moving me yet.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

New Jennifer Lopez Promo Pic + More

Via iTunes, Jennifer Lopez has announced the countdown leading up to the release of her upcoming album Love? on its new date, May 3rd. The announcement was accompanied by this new promotional photo as well as the Spanish version of "On The Floor" ("Ven A Bailar"). The schedule for digital single releases is as follows:
  • April 5th: I'm Into You (ft. Lil' Wayne)
  • April 19th: Papi
  • April 26th: Love?

Well, cool beans! I think I can manage waiting the extra two weeks for the album if we're gonna get all these songs first. :)

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Jennifer Hudson On The View



"Where You At"



Interview

In addition to another outstanding performance of the lead single off her new album I Remember Me, Jennifer Hudson brought out her adooorable son during her interview on The View this morning. He's so cute! On a related note, J-Hud's promo game sure is on-point!

New Music Tuesday

^Click To Purchase^

Today brings us a pair of releases from talents both originally introduced to us via American Idol! First up is Jennifer Hudson's sophomore album I Remember Me, which features the powerful first single "Where You At". Target's got a deluxe edition, now, so y'all go pick that'n up, ya hear?! Also, we have Adam Lambert's Glam Nation Live, the CD/DVD package of his first headlining tour. I wasn't able to see it live, so I'm especially thankful that I still have the chance to experience what I'm sure will be quite the spectacle!

The Caffeine Patch: New Cars 2 Poster

Here's the latest poster for "Cars 2", displaying the gorgeousness we've all come to know & love from Pixar. "Cars 2" makes its way into theaters in 3D on June 24th!

[Source]

Jennifer Hudson On GMA



"Where You At"



Interview

Jennifer Hudson visited Good Morning America yesterday on the promo trail for her new album I Remember Me to perform two songs, one being "Believe" (which I can't embed, so click the link to watch it), & sit down for a quick chat. The woman's voice is truly remarkable, especially these days, & I so admire her attitude after all the ups & downs she's gone through. Role model material right here, baby!

Christina Aguilera "The Voice" Commercial


Christina Aguilera, along with fellow (previously announced) judges Cee Lo Green & Adam Levine as well as host Carson Daly & fourth judge Blake Shelton, are featured in this new TV spot for The Voice that better describes what makes this singing competition unique. I can't wait to watch! The Voice premieres on Tuesday, April 26th, @ 9/8c on NBC.

Avril Lavigne "Goodbye Lullaby" Track-By-Track


Avril Lavigne discusses the majority of the tracks on her new album Goodbye Lullaby in this track-by-track. These things are always cool.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Jennifer Hudson Performs On V103 Soul Session


Jennifer Hudson hit up Atlanta recently to perform a set for V103's Soul Sessions. Singing songs both new, off her sophomore album I Remember Me that drops tomorrow, & old, J-Hud impressed as she always does, but the most interesting part is that her fellow American Idol contestant & friend George Huff was a background singer! Look out for a cool moment between the two during "Angel". The setlist for the performance, which begins at the 17-minute mark of the video above, is below:

Gone
I Got This
Angel
Believe
Spotlight
Where You At
And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going

Billboard Update

^#1 Album #1 Single^

Lupe Fiasco's Lasers tops the latest Billboard 200 album chart, where Avril Lavigne debuts @ #4 with Goodbye Lullaby following first-week sales of 87,000 copies. On the Hot 100 singles chart, Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" reigns... because people are stupid. Despite falling 3-4, Rihanna holds the Airplay Gainer title with "S&M", while Britney Spears earns her 10th top 10 hit in "Till The World Ends", which jumps 20-9 following its first full week of digital availability (158,000, +36%). Also, Avril Lavigne's "Wish You Were Here" debuts @ #99.

See full charts HERE

(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Idol Review: Top 12



The Black-Eyed Peas "Just Can't Get Enough"



Jacob Lusk "Alone"

Better late than never, I always say! (Last) Wednesday's show started off rather crapily (I declare 'crapily' a word. #dealwiththat) with Naima choosing a song completely out of her element, Paul being Paul, & Thia karaoke-ing it up once again. Then, James was bad--even for James, Haley chose Whitney Houston for some God-forsaken reason, & Stefano, like many of his fellow contestants, continued his streak of awful song choices. Finally, Pia came to save the day with her soaring vocals on a mediocre tune. Scotty was his typical lame self, while Casey was especially terrible. Lauren has such potential, but if she keeps choosing obvious songs that she sounds oh-so-karaoke on..! Jacob closed the show with the week's best performance. I'm bummed (though not surprised) that Karen went home. Sure she didn't pick the best songs, but neither have the majority of these peeps & she was one of the most talented--& so sweet! It's a shame America couldn't see that & was instead blinded by what was entertaining in the moment (AKA people you'll never hear from again after May).

New Avril Lavigne Promo Pics

Check out the latest set of Avril Lavigne promotional photos from this Goodbye Lullaby era. Very nice!

[Source]

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Nicole Scherzinger Performs On Danse Avec Les Stars


Nicole Scherzinger performed a medley of PCD's "When I Grow Up" & her very own UK #1(!) single "Don't Hold Your Breath" on the French version of, whataya know, Dancing With The Stars. Nicole has twice the cause to celebrate, as the release of her debut album Killer Love in the UK is tomorrow!

Jennifer Lopez "Love?" Update

As we wait for the arrival of Jennifer Lopez's new album Love? on April 19th (or probably later), more details about the project are emerging. An interesting collaborator has come up in the form of Lady Gaga, who wrote & produced--along with RedOne--two tracks for the LP, including the recently leaked "Invading My Mind" (listen below), which I happen to really like. In addition, the album's second single will likely be the Lil' Wayne-featured "I'm Into You". I'm liking the hint of a return to her urban roots! Also, there's talk of a Spanish version of Love? to be followed by another full-length Spanish album & a greatest hits package, even a world tour... ya, ya. We'll see how all that pans out if she waits until May/all the "On The Floor" buzz has ceased to release Love? & being overshadowed by the Idol finale, it flops...

Invading My Mind

Jennifer Hudson Appears On 20/20


On Friday, Jennifer Hudson was interviewed for a feature on 20/20, where she discussed her unusual road to fame. It's one of many upcoming appearances we can except from J-Hud as she promotes the release of her sophomore album I Remember Me this Tuesday.

Teairra Mari In The Studio


Check out Teairra Mari recording her new single "That's All Me" in the studio with Rico Love, who is executive-producing her upcoming sophomore album. Teairra & Rico have EXCELLENT chemistry, so I'm psyched that they're working together again for her forthcoming project!

New Toni Braxton "Braxton Family Values" Promo Pic

Don't forget to catch Toni Braxton & co. on Braxton Family Values when it premieres on Sunday, April 12th, @ 9/8c on WE!

Chipmunk ft. Keri Hilson "In The Air" Behind-The-Scenes


For the latest single off his upcoming sophomore album Transition, which drops April 18th in the UK, British rapper Chipmunk tapped Keri Hilson to collaborate with him on "In The Air", for which they recently shot a video in LA. You can listen to the new single from Chipmunk, who's previously collaborated with Esmee Denters, in full below. You know how I feel about British rappers... :)

In The Air (ft. Keri Hilson)

Thursday, March 17, 2011

The Black-Eyed Peas "Just Can't Get Enough" Video Premiere


"Just Can't Get Enough" is the second single lifted from The Black-Eyed Peas' latest album The Beginning. All I'll say is that as time goes by, these images will likely become much more special than the Peas had ever imagined.

Rihanna x UNICEF Tap Project

Rihanna is one of a number of celebrities who have joined forces with UNICEF for their Tap Project, which, oddly enough, will find the celebs bottling up tap water from their respective homes for a lucky entrant who makes a donation to provide clean water to those in need to win. Hey, it's all for a good cause, right? See the commercial for the campaign below & RiRi's print ad above.

Avril Lavigne Performs On Jimmy Kimmel



Push



What The Hell

Avril Lavigne fixed what I didn't care for from her last performance of "What The Hell" on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Her "Push" performance was slightly rougher than the Walmart one though... & honey, I know it's what you want your second single off Goodbye Lullaby to be, but the people have spoken & we want "Wish You Were Here"!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Nicole Scherzinger "Killer Love" Photoshoot


The UK release of Nicole Scherzinger's debut album Killer Love is a mere six days away (& it still hasn't leeeaked!!! UGH), but in the meantime, check out this footage of her photoshoot for the album. Nothing too special, but ya really don't need fancy gimmicks with a chick as hot as Nicole! I neeeed to hear that album!!

Avril Lavigne Performs "What The Hell" On Leno


Avril Lavigne finally did some promo on TV for her new album Goodbye Lullaby by performing its lead single "What The Hell" on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. It was fun, but now, after watching her Walmart Soundcheck interview, I'm painfully aware of just how much her voice is covered up by the instruments...

Sean Kingston ft. Tory Lanez "The One" Video Premiere


"The One", featuring Tory Lanez, is the latest track lifted from Sean Kingston's King Of Kingz mixtape.

Listen To New Albums From Jennifer Hudson & Avril Lavigne



AOL Music is hosting a week-early listening party for Jennifer Hudson's forthcoming sophomore album I Remember Me (March 22nd) this week. Click HERE to listen to the album, which is gonna have to grow on me. In addition, Avril Lavigne's excellent new album Goodbye Lullaby is currently streaming in full HERE.

Rihanna Does Vogue Magazine

Rihanna dons the latest cover of Vogue, an honor previously earned by only a select few African American women. I think her body looks good, but I just cannot get onboard with that hair! Plus, aside from the first shot below, this really isn't one of her best shoots... I mean, that armpit shot? Really?! Anywho, her latest album Loud is out now.