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Former American Idol Winner Fantasia had to answer a lot of tough questions this week. Fantasia is scheduled to star as Gospel Great Mahalia Jackson in a big screen movie bio. Fantasia says no contracts have been signed. She was told the investors ran out of money, so she thinks the project is on hold. Reports came out last week producers of the Mahalia project and family members were upset with Fantasia because she is pregnant by a married man. They also claimed she lied about her pregnancy claiming she told them she was gaining weight for the role and not pregnant. Who is telling the truth here? Will this movie ever get made? Fantasia is due at the end of the year. She is not happy with the recent reports about the movie project and questions about her relationship with a married man (Antwaun Cook). This has been a difficult pregnancy for Fantasia.
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Who leaked Diddy’s personal info? The rapper and media mogul is working with authorities to find out who leaked his personal information from his Black American Express Card. His personal numbers and financial information were listed on a website. Whoever did it had to be close to him……. maybe a mad babymomma? Hmmmmmmmmmm!
The re-launch of the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) has been slow. Oprah has returned to TV along with a new addition: The Rosie O’Donnell Show. Both shows debuted to disappointing ratings.
Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton are teaming up for the movie Joyful Noise. The movie also stars KeKe Palmer and Courtney B. Vance and opens in theatres January 13th.
Alicia Keys will be doing the music for the new Broadway production Stick Fly, which debuts later this year.
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Ron Isley says he is looking forward to reteaming with R Kelly for Ron’s next project. Kelly is already working on his own project. Kelly’s CD Black Panties is coming out next year. Kelly says this CD will be very sexy and explicit.
Singer Roberta Flack is getting ready to release a new music project after eight years. The CD, featuring Beatles classics, comes out in February.
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Singer Kenny Lattimore recently opened up about his upcoming divorce from Singer Chante Moore. Lattimore says it is a private matter and that he is not gay, responding to rumors about his sexuality. He says he wishes it would have worked out, but they have a son and will always have a bond.
Mel B wants to lose the baby weight. The former Spice Girl and babymomma of Eddie Murphy recently had a baby girl with her husband Stephen Belafonte. Mel says she wants to lose some weight. She now weighs 165 and wants to get down to 132 with the help of Jenny Craig. Mel B is going to be the spokesperson for their overseas campaign.
Producer/Composer Nile Rodgers of Chic fame has finished his book, and the release date has been moved up. The book, Le Freak: An Upside Down Story Of Family, Disco And Destiny, is coming out October 18th. It will detail his music career and his battle with cancer. Rodgers has worked with Diana Ross, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Madonna and Sister Sledge.
John Legend is now a television producer. Legend is producing a family comedy for NBC called Mixed Blessings.
While Lady Gaga herself (real name: Stefani Joanne Germanotta) is the artist and creative mind behind Lady Gaga Inc., her lesser-known manager, Troy Carter, is leading the enterprise’s digital strategy. He’s using a unique strategy involving a broad range of online tools to “keep the Gaga machine in overdrive,” the New York Times reports.
The combination of Gaga’s star power and his aggressive deal making have made her the first Twitter user to reach 10 million followers (more than Justin Bieber or President Obama), and her Facebook page has 36 million fans. She’s even begun promotional deals with Google, Zynga and Gilt.
“Troy and Gaga are doing things with communications and fan relationships that we haven’t really seen before,” Gary Briggs, a vice president at Google who worked with Lady Gaga’s team on her recent TV commercial for Chrome, told the New York Times.
Carter has worked with the star for more than four years, during which time the Internet has become increasingly important in music management. “There was a time when radio stations wouldn’t play Gaga’s music because it was considered dance,” Carter said. “Outside of live performances, the Internet became our primary tool to help people discover her music.”
He represents an emerging group of Hollywood managers, actors, musicians and other industry players who are spending more time in Silicon Valley as technology upends the way people consume content. His own venture, Backplane, is attracting capital from prominent backers. Lady Gaga, who has acted as an informal consultant, is a major shareholder, with a 20 percent stake.
Carter has come a long way from lugging crates of records for D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince (he met Will Smith in his hometown, West Philadelphia, in the late 1980s) to carrying the popularity and online presence of one of the world’s biggest stars. And while he may prefer to remain behind the scenes, bridging technology and music for the “Gaga machine,” it’s obvious that her career isn’t the only one “in overdrive” as a result of his talent.
Singer Phoebe Snow died this week. The 60-year old singer was best known for the songs Poetry Man and Never Letting Go. Snow suffered a brain hemorrhage in January 2010 and never recovered. Snow sang the theme for the first season of the TV show A Different World, and was the voice behind many commercials. Snow put her career on hold when her daughter, Valerie Rose Laub, was born disabled. Snow was told her daughter wouldn’t live long, but Valerie lived to be 3-years old and died in 2007.
It seemed like it was taking forever to happen, but today, Saturday, April 30, 2011 Mariah Carey delivered two babies, a son and daughter.
Mariah, 42, gave birth at 12:07 p.m., according to People.com.
The grand and glorious event happened in Los Angeles on the same day as the couple’s wedding anniversary.
Carey’s rep confirmed that the couple’s baby girl was first to arrive, weighing 5 lbs., 3 oz. (18 inches long), followed by their baby boy, weighing 5 lbs., 6 oz. (19 inches long).
One more fact: the spokeswoman also said Carey’s single ‘We Belong Together’ was the music playing after the twins arrived. However, at EUR press time, the babies’ names had not been released.
Congrats and Blessings to Mariah and Nick!
Rihanna is hitting them hard with her No. 1 hit single this week, “What’s My Name.”
In fact, her achievement is so tremendous that she is the first female solo artist to hit five number one singles in consecutive years. The only other person who has reached this height is Elvis Presley.
The singer actually knocked 22-year-old singer Matt Cardle’s “When We Collide” from No.1 to No. 2 after sitting nice in that spot for three weeks straight.
After MC Hammer came out with his “diss” record and video for Jay-Z, the Hip-Hop mogul decided it was time to respond.
He spoke with BBC Radio 1?s DJ Semtex for an interview that will be airing on Friday. The rapper claims he didn’t think what he spit on Kanye’s track would be so controversial.
“I didn’t know that was on the table for discussion. I didn’t know I was the first person to ever say that. Am I? I’m not, am I? I know I’ve heard that before, I didn’t think I was the first one to say it,” said Mr. Carter. “He took it the wrong way, I didn’t know it was on the table for discussion. And I didn’t know that I said anything wrong!”
Hov added that sometimes people don’t quite understand his lyrics and take what he says too personal.
“I think that when I say things, people believe me so much that they take it a different way. It’s not rap anymore at that point. Now, it’s a personal attack,” he stated. He also shared that he only respect Hammer and has only good words to say about the rap pioneer in his upcoming book, “Decoded.”
“I said some great things about him in the book I have coming out. I really said some really nice things. He’s going to be embarrassed, I said some really great things about him in the book and about people’s perception of him and how he’s from East Oakland.”
So was Hammer overreacting? Or was this beef really a publicity stunt for him? Hmm …
Aretha Franklin has canceled all concert dates and personal appearances through May on the orders of her doctors, the singer’s spokeswoman said Thursday.
The news came on the heels of her announcement that Franklin had been released over the weekend from a Detroit hospital following a brief stay. Publicist Tracey Jordan said Tuesday Franklin was “resting comfortably at home, but is anxious to get back on the road to perform for her countless fans around the world.”
Jordan still won’t reveal the exact nature of 68-year-old Franklin’s ailment.
“Her doctors have required her” to cancel the appearances, Jordan told The Associated Press without further details.
It’s been a tumultuous several months for the Queen of Soul, whose hits include “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Chain of Fools” and her signature song, “Respect.”
Her adult son, Eddie, was beaten by three men at a Detroit gas station in September. And a month earlier, she broke ribs in a fall, causing her to miss two free concerts in New York.
One of the shows now being canceled is a Christmas concert scheduled for Detroit’s Fox Theatre on Dec. 9. Theater operator Olympia Entertainment said the show was being called off “due to medical reasons.”
SIDEBAR – I hope you went and got that stomach surgery, to help your health, and lose weight.
The music world is mourning the loss of Music Industry Giant Dick Griffey. The 66-year old Griffey founded S.O.L.A.R. Records, The Sound Of Los Angeles. That label spun out of the Soul Train Records label he owned with one time partner Don Cornelius. Griffey was the original talent booker for the Soul Train TV show. In the 70’s and 80’s, S.O.L.A.R. Records dominated the charts with their artists The Whispers, Midnight Starr, Calloway, Shalamar (Jody Watley/Jeffrey Daniels/Howard Hewett), Dynasty, Lakeside, The Deele (L.A. & Babyface) and Klymaxx. Griffey was married to Singer Carrie Lucas. She had the hit duets with The Whispers Just A Memory and Hello Stranger. Griffey had been sick for a while, and he passed last week after quadruple bypass surgery. Griffey leaves to mourn his wife, four kids and six grandchildren
The Queen Of Soul is furious at her son’s girlfriend. Two weeks ago, Franklin’s 52-year old son Eddie was beaten up in Detroit. Franklin had to be hospitalized and have his jaw wired shut. Franklin won’t talk about what happened, but his girlfriend did. She said Franklin was attacked by two men and one woman at a gas station. She says she later dropped him off at the hospital. The Queen Of Soul wouldn’t go into detail, but she says her son was not attacked at a gas station. She went on to say her son has nothing to hide, and this will remain a private matter. In 2002, Aretha’s son was cleared in an investigation of an arson fire at one of her mansions.
Summer was one of disco’s biggest stars and also had a huge influence on the synth pop and dance music scenes.
Her family said they were “at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy”.
Stars including Kylie Minogue, Sir Elton John and Mary J Blige have paid tribute.
R&B singer Blige said on Twitter that Summer was “truly a game changer”, while producer Quincy Jones said her voice “was the heartbeat and soundtrack of a decade”.
Minogue described her as “one of my earliest musical inspirations”, while Dionne Warwick said she was sad to lose a great performer and “dear friend”.
Summer, who was reported to have had cancer, had been living in Florida with her husband Bruce Sudano.
A statement from her family said: “Early this morning, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith.
“While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can’t express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time.”
Elton John said Summer was more than the “queen of disco”, adding: “Her records sound as good today as they ever did.
“That she has never been inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame is a total disgrace especially when I see the second-rate talent that has been inducted.”
Duran Duran keyboardist Nick Rhodes said: “It’s extremely rare that you hear one song that completely changes the way you perceive music. I Feel Love achieved that.”
Singer Marc Almond recalled how Summer’s work with Italian synthesiser pioneer Giorgio Moroder had “changed the face of music and changed my life”.
“I Feel Love was a truly original and barrier breaking record, and Now I Need You and Working The Midnight Shift are simply some of the best euphoric electronic tracks ever,” he said.
BBC Radio 2 presenter Paul Gambaccini said I Feel Love was “one of the key records in the history of electronic dance music and will always be recognised as such”.
Summer grew up in Boston and started singing in her church’s gospel choir before starting to perform in stage musicals.
It was her work with the Moroder that led to her pop breakthrough with Love To Love You Baby in 1975 – the first of 29 UK top 40 singles.