Saturday, April 30, 2011

*UPDATED* Mariah Carey Gives Birth To Twins

Today, Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon's third wedding anniversary, at 12:07 PM EST, #dembabies arrived! The girl was first at 5 lbs., 3 oz. & 18 inches long; her brother was 5 lbs., 6 oz. & 19 inches long. Though the twins' names are still TBA, their birth on this special day was not planned; in fact, when Nick frantically drove Mariah to the hospital, she was calm, thinking it was another false alarm! All members of the Carey-Cannon clan are reportedly "doing great" now. A massive congratulations to Mariah & Nick on the birth of their baby boy & girl! Welcome to the lambily!

UPDATE: We have names! Mariah's daughter's name is Monroe Cannon after, of course, Marilyn Monroe. Her son's name is Moroccan Scott Cannon - Moroccan because of the 'Moroccan Room' in Mariah's apartment where Nick proposed to her & Scott because it's Nick's middle name. (Monroe has no middle name because Mariah has no middle name.) So, there you have it!

[Source, Source]

New JoJo Promo Pics + More

JoJo gets her grown woman on in this new set of promotional photos for her long-awaited third album Jumping Trains. She looks great! Look out for her lead single "The Other Chick" to drop soon. (!!!)

[Source, Source]

Jacob Lusk Performs On American Idol



Oh No Not My Baby



I'm Into Something Good (w/ James Durbin)

Jacob made it through to next week! I'm so excited to get two solo performances from him! It's the least they can do for forcing me to be subjected to James...

Billboard Update


^#1 Album #1 Single^

Queen Adele rules the Billboard 200 album chart once again with 21. Similarly, Katy Perry's "E.T." returns to the top of the Hot 100 singles chart, where The Black-Eyed Peas earn the Airplay Gainer title for, but stay @ #3 with "Just Can't Get Enough". Beyonce debuts at a respectable #33 following three days of sales for "Run The World (Girls)".

See full charts HERE

Kelly Price ft. Stokely "Not My Daddy" Video Premiere


"Not My Daddy", featuring Stokely, is the second single lifted from Kelly Price's upcoming album Kelly (May 3rd). This is quite a song & Kelly's voice just slays me, I just wish I could say that about her new album. The first three tracks were givin' it to me, but then it just fell off... :(

New Beyonce Promo Pic

Well, Beyonce... that's one way to look! As an aside, y'all really need to get on this "Run The World (Girls)" jam..!

[Source]

Jennifer Hudson Performs "I Remember Me" On Daybreak


During her promo tour in the UK, Jennifer Hudson stopped by Daybreak to perform the title track off her sophomore album I Remember Me. Excellent vocals as always!

Monica Joins The Voice

Monica has officially been announced as an advisor on the new hit singing competition The Voice. Mo will help Cee Lo coach his team of eight for the "battle" rounds, during which half of the contestants on the show will be eliminated. (Christina Aguilera has enlisted her collaborator Sia to help coach her team, which is my favorite thus far!) The Voice has a refreshing focus on talent that has been missing on that other show, so I definitely recommend it! It will continue to air at 9/8c this Tuesday on NBC before moving to 10/9c the following week (which is when Monica will make her first appearance).

[Source, Source]

Pia Toscano Performs "I'll Stand By You" On Dancing With The Stars


Earlier this week, in an effort to sabotage the debut of The Voice on NBC (to no avail!), former rivals American Idol & Dancing With The Stars joined forces to pull an unprecedented move: For the first time ever, an eliminated Idol performed on DWTS before the end of the season. That Idol, Pia Toscano, sang "I'll Stand By You" while her rumored boyfriend Mark Ballas danced. Thanks goodness for DVRs--well, the internet really--because I watched The Voice, but Pia sure has one heck of an impressive one of her own!

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Listen To Jennifer Lopez's "Love?"

In exchange for a simple tweet or Facebook post, you can listen to Jennifer Lopez's new album Love? in its entirety HERE. I love? it! #dontjudgeme

Keke Wyatt ft. Ruben Studdard "Saturday Love" Video Premiere


"Saturday Love", featuring Ruben Studdard, is the first single off Keke Wyatt's forthcoming album Unbelievable (June 14th). This is such a great pairing! I think the execution could've been a tad better, but Keke is so talented & I love Ruben.

Kim Burrell "The Love Album" Tracklisting

Kim Burrell is currently prepping for the May 17th release of her new CD The Love Album. Check out the tracklisting for the project below:

1. Let's Make It To Love
2. Sweeter
3. Love So Pure
4. Love's Holiday
5. Open Up The Door
6. Is This The Way Love Goes?
7. A Lil' More Time
8. Jesus Is A Love Song
9. Love Me In A Special Way
10. Pray For Love

I've said it once, I'll say it again: This woman's vocals are errrrthang!

[Source]

Jennifer Lopez Joins Voice Cast Of "Ice Age: Continental Drift"

The world of music & the Caffeine Patch collide! Jennifer Lopez has been announced, alongside Wanda Sykes, Aziz Ansari, & others, as part of the voice cast for "Ice Age: Continental Drift", the fourth installment in the Blue Sky franchise. J.Lo will play Shira, "a saber-toothed tiger who melts the heart of Diego" (Denis Leary), in the film, which hits theaters on July 13, 2012. That's not all though: An Ice Age Christmas special is also in the works!

[Source, Source]

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Nicole Scherzinger Performs "Black Dog" On 2011 NBA Playoffs


Nicole Scherzinger has teamed up with Jason Bonham for a performance of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" for use in promotional material for the 2011 NBA Playoffs. I wonder if there is a full-length recording of this somewhere because this is fabulous! I wish Nicole would dip a little more into the rock side of things for the upcoming US release of her debut album Killer Love.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Beyonce "Move Your Body" Video Premiere


"Move Your Body", a reworking of "Get Me Bodied" off B'Day, is Beyonce's contribution to the "Let's Move! Flash Workout" campaign to help fight childhood obesity. A collaboration with First Lady Michelle Obama & the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation, the 'flash workout' will take place on May 3rd at apparently 1:42/12:42c in the afternoon for those who wish to practice the routine & participate. (Yes, it's as confusing to me as it is to you.) You can check out Beyonce doing the dougie to the Swizzy beat in the Melina-directed clip above!

Jennifer Lopez ft. Lil' Wayne "I'm Into You" Video Preview


Here's our first look at Jennifer Lopez's glamorous & exotic video for the Lil' Wayne-featured "I'm Into You", the second single lifted from her forthcoming album Love? (May 3rd). I know we're only like three songs shy, but I wish Love? would leak already! The video, which is set to premiere on Today on May 2nd, looks like a hot one!

Nicole Scherzinger ft. 50 Cent "Right There" Behind-The-Scenes


For the first single off the U.S. release of her debut album Killer Love, Nicole Scherzinger has enlisted the assistance of 50 Cent on the standout track "Right There", for which the pair recently shot a video. I'm super excited that this has been chosen (1) as a single (2) for the U.S. & that she'll (finally) be releasing the an album here! 50 Cent? Not so much... but hey, I'll live!

Monday, April 25, 2011

R.I.P. Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes


It's hard to believe that nine years ago today, we lost Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes, an exceptionally talented rapper & a treasure to the R&B community. I thought I would share the only solo video the TLC member was ever able to produce, as it holds a special place in my heart.

Jennifer Hudson On The Graham Norton Show



"I Remember Me"



Interview

Jennifer Hudson stopped by The Graham Norton Show to perform the title track off her second album I Remember Me, which also serves as the first UK single, & received an unexpected gift in return: Her long-lost BAFTA that she won for "Dreamgirls"! Good stuff.

Britney Spears ft. Nicki Minaj & Ke$ha "Till The World Ends (The Femme Fatale Remix)" Song Premiere


For her latest remix, Britney Spears has taken "Till The World Ends", the second single off her new album Femme Fatale, & added her upcoming tourmate Nicki Minaj & the song's writer Ke$ha to the mix. As is the case with the entirety of Femme Fatale--but to a greater degree, this song has really grown on me & now, with the remix, I'm in love! Random thought: Who thinks Ke$ha's vocals came straight off the demo?! lol

[Source]

Jennifer Hudson Performs "Feeling Good" On So You Think You Can Dance UK


Jennifer Hudson's been doing some promo in the UK recently for the release of her sophomore album I Remember Me over there & she hit up their incarnation of So You Think You Can Dance to sing her Weight Watchers anthem "Feeling Good". She killed!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

David Archuleta Performs National Anthem On Hockey


Let's see if I can't get this right: David Archuleta sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at an NHL playoff game between the Anaheim Ducks and the Nashville Predators at the Honda Center in Anaheim. I can't see why not: Who does the anthem better than him?!

Kelly Price "Kelly" Tracklisting

Kelly Price will be releasing her fifth album Kelly on May 3rd. Check out the set's tracklisting below:

1. Tired
2. And You Don't Stop
3. Not My Daddy (ft. Stokely)
4. Himaholic
5. I'm Sorry
6. The Rain
7. Vexed
8. Speechless
9. Feels So Good
10. You Don't Have To Worry
11. Lil' Sumn-Sumn
12. Get Right Or Get Left

I need more of her vocals in my life, so this is just what the doctor ordered!

[Source]

Big Boi ft. Janelle Monae "Be Still" Video Premiere


"Be Still", featuring Janelle Monae, is the latest single off Big Boi's Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty album. The amount of screen time Janelle gets, you almost wouldn't think this was his song! That's the way I like it. :)

Teedra Moses Signs To Maybach Music Group

Teedra Moses has announced her decision to sign with Rick Ross' Mayback Music Group. This has led the singer to switch her focus from releasing her serially-delayed sophomore album The Lioness to concentrating on a feature-heavy mixtape entitled Luxurious Undergrind for a summer release. Teedra will next be heard however on May 24th's MMG compilation album Selfmade. I can't complain to see a talented vocalist get a deal, so ultimately I think this is good news.

[Source]

Friday, April 22, 2011

Billboard Update


^#1 Album #1 Single^

The Foo Fighters' Wasting Light tops the Billboard 200 album chart this week, while Rihanna notches her 10th #1 on the Hot 100 singles chart with "S&M". With sales of the "S&M" remix (193K) being combined with those of the original (100K), this also counts as Britney Spears' fifth #1! Meanwhile, Kelly Rowland's Lil' Wayne-assisted "Motivation" debuted @ #55!

See full charts HERE

(Photo Credit: Wikipedia)

Jacob Lusk Performs "Dance With My Father" On American Idol


This guy is by far the most talented of the bunch! We've got to vote to keep him in the game!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, & Blake Shelton Perform "Crazy" On The Voice


The Voice judges Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green, Adam Levine, & Blake Shelton performed Cee Lo's Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" during a special preview of their upcoming show. I'm legitimately shocked at how this incredibly diverse group of people managed to sound so good together! The Voice premieres this coming Tuesday @ 9/8c on NBC & I will be watching for sure!

Preview Jennifer Lopez's "Love? (Deluxe Edition)"

Amazon has finally posted the snippets for the deluxe edition of Jennifer Lopez's upcoming album Love? (May 3rd; slightly alternate artwork above) ... HERE! The studio version of "Until It Beats No More"?! The final version of "Starting Over"?! "Charge Me Up" sounds like justification enough to buy the deluxe edition alone! No question, I'm loving it! ;)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Beyonce "Run The World (Girls)" Video Preview


Beyonce is back! Check out this video teaser for her new single "Run The World (Girls)", which hits iTunes tomorrow. I can't wait for the video!

Kelly Rowland Album Update

As we await the title &, God willing, release date for Kelly Rowland's upcoming third album, songwriter Rico Love has revealed a few new details about the project. Among the 10-12 songs that Rico has written for the album, which already include "Commander" & "Motivation", is "Love Is The Greatest", a reggae-tinged Salaam Remi production. There are so many things RIGHT about the above. Ms. Kelly, I need this album alreadyyy!!

[Source, Source]

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Kelly Price "Kelly" Cover

Look! Another gift from Amazon! It seems that whole Queen Project is unfortunately not going to work out, but instead, we are getting a new album from Kelly Price, simply titled Kelly, on May 3rd! She's released two singles from the disc so far: the Grammy-nominated "Tired" & the Stokely-assisted "Not My Daddy". This woman's voice>>> And maybe I'm reading too much into it, but... could it be that the butterfly serves as a subtle tribute to her former employer?! ;)

[Source]

Kim Burrell "The Love Album" Cover

You've seen me post Kim Burrell, Whitney Houston's favorite singer, stuff here & there in the past. Well, on May 17th, Kim will be releasing her first secular album The Love Album, the cover art for which is above. I'm so excited! This woman's voice is beyond incredible!

[Source]

Syesha Mercado "Dreams" Trailer


Now that American Idol's Syesha Mercado has finished starring in the national tour of "Dreamgirls", she has landed her first movie role in the film "Dreams". (I'm sensing a theme here...) It looks like she may even sing in the movie! "Dreams" isn't a big budget picture though, so there's no release date for it yet, but I'll keep ya posted.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Keyshia Cole "Take Me Away" Video Premiere


"Take Me Away" is the third single off Keyshia Cole's fourth album Calling All Hearts. Looks like Monica's Still Standing album cover come to life! lol I am glad this got a video though. If only all of Calling All Hearts was in the same league as this song...

Teairra Mari "Stay" Video Premiere


"Stay" is a track lifted from Teairra Mari's latest mixtape The Night Before X-Mas. The visual is what it is, but do give that mixtape a listen because the woman's music is on-point!

Estelle, David Banner, & Daley "Benz" Video Premiere + More


"Benz" is Estelle's collaboration with David Banner & Daley that will serve as a viral ad campaign for said car. Well... Estelle's part was good! In related news, check out her cool new single:

Break My Heart (ft. Rick Ross)

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Nicole Scherzinger Performs For Monkey



Poison



I Hate This Part



Stickwitu



Don't Hold Your Breath

Being that I'm American, I haven't a clue what Monkey (Orange?) is, but Nicole Scherzinger performed an acoustic set for them that features the two singles off her debut album Killer Love & a pair of PCD ballads. If you don't watch any of the Nicole stuff I've posted today, watch these! Her vocals are the best here--she's really showing off how talented she is!

Nicole Scherzinger On T4



"Don't Hold Your Breath"



Interview

Next up, we have yet another performance of "Don't Hold Your Breath" as well as a rather informative interview from Nicole via T4.

Nicole Scherzinger Performs "Don't Hold Your Breath" On Let's Dance For Comic Relief


Third is Nicole's awesome performance of her #1 hit to raise money for charity on Let's Dance For Comic Relief!

Nicole Scherzinger On Lorraine



"Don't Hold Your Breath"



Interview

Second, we have Nicole's performance of "Don't Hold Your Breath" & interview from Lorraine. Wasn't this host on Loose Women at one point or something..?

Nicole Scherzinger On 4Music Favorites



"Poison" & "I Hate This Part"



"Don't Cha" & "Don't Hold Your Breath"

So, nothing happened today & even though I'm, oh, a month behind with these, I only recently discovered all this UK promo that Nicole Scherzinger did upon releasing her debut album Killer Love there & since I hadn't seen any other blog post it, I thought I'd share some Nicole goodness with ya! First up, we have her feature on 4Music Favorites, which includes four performances--two solo hits & two PCD ones--& chatting throughout!

Brandy & Ray J "A Family Business" Cover & Tracklisting

On June 21st, Brandy & the rest of the Norwood clan will be releasing their A Family Business album/soundtrack to their hit show. The tracklisting for the disappointing project is below:

1. Family Business (AKA Family Business Theme) - Brandy, Ray J, Willie, & Sonja Norwood
2. Turnin' Me On - Ray J
3. Talk To Me - Brandy, Ray J, & Willie Norwood Sr.
4. My Family - Sy'rai & Rain Smith
5. Lifeguard - Brandy
6. Ready To Roll - Ray J (ft. TKO)
7. Sonja, Sonia, Sonya - Willie Norwood Sr.
8. Gone - Tosha Scott
9. I Don't Care - Brandy
10. Home Grown - Willie Norwood Sr.
11. Epilogue - Sonja Norwood

The good news is that we get the "I Don't Care" track from Brandy that we were expecting, but that's 'bout it. To be perfectly honest, I would be fine if the majority of the tracks featured all of them a la "Talk To Me", but all we get are two solo Brandy tracks (one of which leaked ages ago) & just two more that even include Brandy out of a total of 11?! I couldn't care less about Ray J... I thought Sy'rai wasn't a part of the show... & who the heck is Tosha Scott?! You can pre-order your physical &/or digital copies of the album HERE & I would *almost* buy the CD, but that's an awfully small amount of Brandy for $14...

Toni Braxton "Kontrol" Magazine Cover

Toni Braxton & her sisters try to out-fierce one another on the cover of the latest issue of Kontrol. Of course, Toni came up victorious, even if I don't looove her hair quite that short. I caught the premiere of Braxton Family Values & it's pretty entertaining--Tamar is trippin'! Toni better quit playin' with those tweets though, talkin' about leaving music..!

[Source]

Kelly Clarkson & Rihanna Perform On American Idol



Kelly Clarkson & Jason Aldean "Don't You Wanna Stay"



Rihanna "California King Bed"

Kelly Clarkson & Rihanna were both present at this week's American Idol results show. Kelly returned to remind America why girls make better winners perform her duet with Jason Aldean, which Rihanna gave a surprisingly good vocal performance of her new single.

Jacob Lusk Performs "Bridge Over Troubled Water" On American Idol

Billboard Update

^#1 Album #1 Single^

Adele returns to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart with 21, while Mandisa's What If We Were Real debuts @ #66. Katy Perry maintains atop the Hot 100 singles chart with "E.T.", where Britney Spears' "Till The World Ends" reaches a new high (13-8).

See full charts HERE

Friday, April 15, 2011

Britney Spears "Dance Till The World Ends" Video Premiere


Here's that 'dance'-centric version of Britney Spears' "Till The World Ends" video. It's obviously underwhelming, but not more so than you'd expect. Brit's latest album Femme Fatale is out now.

Jennifer Lopez Does People Magazine

Jennifer Lopez has been named World's Most Beautiful Woman by People. I couldn't agree more! Check out her gorgeous cover shoot & pick up her forthcoming LP LOVE? when it drops on May 3rd.


Jennifer Lopez "I'm Into You" Behind-The-Scenes


Here's some on-location footage of Jennifer Lopez on the set of her new video for "I'm Into You", the second single off her upcoming album LOVE? (May 3rd). Once you get to the shots of Jennifer taking pictures with fans & just of locations, it gets boring, but before then, at least in my case, I get the feeling that this is gonna be one hot video!

Pia Toscano On Ellen



"All In Love Is Fair"



Interview

At Ellen's request, Pia Toscano paid a visit to The Ellen DeGeneres Show to discuss her shocking Idol elimination & show off that incredible voice! Stick it to 'em, Jimmy... I'm waiting on that single!

2011 Billboard Music Award Nominees Announced

Rihanna leads the pack of nominees for this year's newly revived Billboard Music Awards with a whopping 18 nominations. Usher didn't do too shabby himself with 10 nods. Nicki Minaj & The Black-Eyed Peas each picked up four, while Monica & Alicia Keys scored a pair each as well. Set to perform are Rihanna & The Black-Eyed Peas. (Jennifer Lopez had been previously announced, but her name is curiously missing from the official Billboard releases at this time unfortunately.) To see a full list of nominees, click HERE & tune into the 2011 Billboard Music Awards on Sunday, May 22nd, @ 8/7c on ABC.

[Source]

Jennifer Hudson Performs On Dancing With The Stars


Jennifer Hudson visited Dancing With The Stars earlier this week to perform "Don't Look Down" & "Feeling Good" off her new album I Remember Me. You GON' 'head & kill it! Especially on the latter... even though I like the former better lol.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Mariah Carey Does OK! UK Magazine

This one, kind of, uh... speaks for itself.

Wynter Gordon Performs "Dirty Talk" On 2011 NewNowNext Awards


Wynter Gordon performed her #1 single "Dirty Talk" off her forthcoming debut album With The Music I Die at the 2011 NewNowNext Awards recently. I don't think I've ever seen her perform (in HQ) before... not incredible, but decent! Love her.

Estelle "All Of Me" Update + More

For her third attempt at kickstarting her upcoming album All Of Me, Estelle will be releasing the Rick Ross-assisted, Don Cannon-produced single "Break My Heart" on Monday. Cross your fingers! And, busy producer Jerry Wonda has also put in work on All Of Me, so hopefully we'll get to hear what they came up with sooner than later. In addition, um, check this out (& look out for more on Tuesday):


[Source, Source]

Mya "K.I.S.S." Trailer + More


Check out this trailer for Mya's sixth studio album K.I.S.S., which shows her recording the title track with producer Chuck Harmony. The song sounds great & I would say that I can't wait to hear the new album, but it has leaked, so now I just have to get around to listening to it! K.I.S.S., which a song entitled "Sorry" now been added to the tracklisting for, hits stores in Japan on April 20th.

[Source]

Alicia Keys "Songs In A Minor (10th Anniversary Edition)" Details

On June 28th, Alicia Keys will be releasing 2-disc deluxe & 3-disc collector's versions of her debut album songs in A minor in honor of the 10th anniversary of its release. In addition to special packaging, both editions of the album will include the following six additional tracks:
  • A Woman's Worth (Remix ft. Nas)
  • Juiciest (Mixtape Version)
  • Fallin' ("Ali" Soundtrack Version)
  • Typewriter
  • If I Was Your Woman (Funky Demo)
  • Butterflyz (The Drumline Mix)

Also included in the collector's edition will be an all-new documentary on the album featuring interviews with Alicia & her collaborators. The documentary sounds somewhat interesting, but not the $18 extra dollars they are charging on her website to pre-order it interesting! Luckily, they will be airing a *special* on songs in A minor around the time of release on BET. As for the extra music, I'm not really stan enough to care all that much myself, but it's a pretty neat package for those who do! Check out this video teaser if you're more of a visual learner:

[Source]

Monday, April 11, 2011

Pia Toscano On Regis & Kelly + More



"All In Love Is Fair"



Interview

The incomparable Pia Toscano gave a phenomenal performance of "All In Love Is Fair" (but not in Idol world!) & chatted a bit on Live With Regis & Kelly this morning. Also, check out Pia hanging with Rickey Minor & the band on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno on Friday night below. 19 better get their ish together & let Jimmy & co. sign this chick--it ain't their fault y'all let her go! Plus, it's about more than the stupid show! We're talking someone's career vs. a singing competition that people won't be able to remember the contestants' names from two months from now! #TeamInterscope

Rihanna ft. Britney Spears "S&M (Remix)" Song Premiere

Two of today's biggest pop stars collide on the 'MAJAH Rihmix' to Rihanna's "S&M", originally off her latest album Loud. The original version is so, well, LOUD that it could stand a remix, but Britney Spears(' nostrils) doesn't really do it for me here. Sadly, it simply points out that, deceiving as it may be, "S&M" takes more vocal ability than Britney has to offer. (Not that Britney needs it, per say, to be successful... or, not that she did need it...) Nonetheless, it's still always cool when two forces in the industry come together.

[Source]

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Gwen Stefani, Nicki Minaj, & Jennifer Hudson Do Elle Magazine





Elle's music issue features Gwen Stefani on three different covers as well as Nicki Minaj & Jennifer Hudson on their own covers, although I couldn't find the actual cover for the latter, so check out her shot below in addition to Nicki's entire shoot. Lots of #winning going on here!