ASHANTI COVERS ‘BLACK WOMAN’ MAGAZINE…..

R&B songstress Ashanti graces the December 2008 issue of ‘Black Woman’ magazine. In the issue, she responds to the claims that her singing career has been thrown down the gutter, amongst other things. Check out the spread below:

ASHANTI HQ

I quite like her ‘taking the rough with the smooth’ attitude. Obviously the nature of the music economy has changed so lukewarm sales don’t really represent whether the album was good or poor. It’s part of the times. I personally enjoyed ‘The Declaration’ and hope she hasn’t given up on it just yet. You can read the whole interview at the source. That said, lovely photoshoot! Thanks John for sending these over.

THAT GRAPEJUICE: ASHANTI & NE-YO INTERVIEWS….

Our next door homie Sam over at That Grapejuice has done exclusive interviews with R&B artists Ashanti and Ne-yo. Whilst Ashanti is still acting coy about her relationship with boyfriend Nelly, she clues us in about what the next single could be as well as the declining music economy which is causing the physical release of albums to deteriorate even further…..

Ne-yo on the other hand. I actually like Fruit boy. He says he aint dating and has shut down rumours that he’s beefing with Chris Brown. He says they’re close friends and even views him as a little brother (he is dating Ne-yo little “sister” after all). Anyway, the interviews are really good. Stop by and check them out.

R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT: BEYONCE, RIHANNA, CIARA, BRANDY & ASHANTI…..

Last night, Beyonce attended the Children’s Hospital Foundation Diamond Ball and Private Concert at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida:

BEYONCE WORLD

Beyonce was looking stunning in a long red gown. The singer was recognised for her charity work and was guest of honour at the glitzy Florida gala to raise money for the Miami Children’s Hospital Foundation. In recognition of all her hard work for others, Beyonce was being inducted into the centre’s Hall Of Fame. Beyonce was also entranced by the skills of seven-year-old pianist Ethan Bortnick, who was playing to thank the hospital for treating his younger brother’s heart defect.

Rihanna performed ‘Live Your Life’ with rapper T.I during his MYSPACE.COM Album Release party for ‘Paper Trail’ this weekend. The gig took place at the Key Club in Hollywood, CA:

RIHANNA DAILY

Riri looked fly in a golden leather jacket and some cool shades. Just before the gig, Rihanna was spotted with boyfriend Chris Brown (not pictured) as she departed Le Montrose Hotel in LA. The couple have been spending most of the weekend rehearsing for their upcoming tour. They are doing a tour in Australia and New Zealand which begins in late October and ends in the first half of November. This week, new dates were published on Rihanna’s official site, Rihannanow.com. It appears the extra dates are all down to the success of ticket sales. MORE CELEBS AFTER THE CUT.

Ciara attended “Young Jeezy Presents THE Presidential Affair” in Atlanta, GA this weekend:

SINCERLY CIARA

I’m not really feeling the weave, but who cares, lol. Tuesday is the day where we’ll finally get to see her new video for ‘Go Girl’…..

Brandy was spotted arriving at 100.3 The Beat in Philly on Friday where she did more promo and chilled with her fans:

Still grinding….

Ashanti has been a lil quiet lately. The singer was seen leaving her Manhattan hotel in New York City on Friday:

Cute.

R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT…..

Yesterday afternoon, Ciara was spotted with five finalists who participated in her ‘Who Inspires You?’ essay contest. They all had a blast at Six Flags in Georgia:

There was a roller coaster ride named ‘Goliath’ which was renamed ‘Fantasy Ride’ to honour and tribute the singers forthcoming album ‘Fantasy Ride’, which is set for a Dec 9th release. Ciara also played a gig at the event in which she performed new tracks from the forthcoming project. In the first pic, Ciara’s parents posed it up to give their daughter some support. I wonder what they thought about her nude photoshoot for Vibe….

On Sept 25th, Ashanti got jiggy wit it at Hennessy’s invitation-only concert in Chicago as part of its 3rd Annual Hennessy Artistry Concert Series:

Ashanti certainly was getting bold on that stage despite rocking a sexy short dress. Nelly certainly has it good that’s for sure…..

R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT…..

Yesterday, Rihanna was spotted shopping in the Le Marais neighborhood of Paris. After changing into a different get-up, she was then seen leaving Hotel Murano:

JUST JARED

The singer was in Paris to appear on a couple TV shows and the television promo mill will continue on in the UK this weekend.

American Idol contestant Jordin Sparks joined the Top 12 contestants this week on Australian Idol:

The ‘No Air’ songstress signed autographs and performed as well as spoke at Blacktown’s Westpoint on Thursday. After getting fresh with Russell Brand at the VMA’s I wonder what she has to say.

Usher and his son Usher Raymond V were spotted at a local park in Los Angeles, California on Thursday afternoon:

Awww! It was recently confirmed by PEOPLE that Usher and wife Tameka ARE in fact expecting their second child together.

Ashanti was seen signing autographs for fans after leaving the ABC studio’s on Thursday in Los Angeles:

This chick is always cackling. You gotta love her. She looked lovely.

Ashanti joined boyfriend Nelly and Akon for another live performance of ‘Body On Me’ on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ this Thursday:

Nelly’s new album ‘Brass Knuckles’ is expected to debut at No. 3 with around 80,000 copies. Wow. Record sales have been soooo bad this year.

R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT: 2008 VODAFONE LIVE MUSIC AWARDS + MORE……

Kelly Rowland is back in her beloved London last night. I knew she couldn’t stay her ass in the States after I posted pictures of her in New York last week. Apparently, the 27-year-old singer attended the 2008 Vodafone Live Music Awards in London which took place at the Carling Academy in Brixton:

Not feeling the manly get-up. I actually love man-tailored outfits, but there’s not much femininity to hers. The pants, nope, try again. You can actually draw a map on her forehead from Japan to San Francisco. Anyway, the awards will broadcast on Channel 4 this Saturday on September 20th.

Estelle and the Pussycat Dolls also attended:

Nicole looked totally fierce.

Solange performed at the Rock the Vote road trip event yesterday. In support, she was spotted rocking an Obama T-Shirt:

Both Solo and her sister were seen rocking Obama shirts in the previous weeks. November is almost here. YES WE CAN!

A CBreezyless Rihanna was spotted at LAX airport on Wednesday:

RIHANNA DAILY

She was on her way to France, where she’ll perform later today at Star Academy. She was later seen arriving at the Murano hotel in France on September 17th. After Paris, she’ll be jetting off to the UK where she’s scheduled to perform on UK breakfast show GMTV on Monday.

Ashanti was seen leaving that restaurant Mr. Chow in LA this week:

Looking cute Ashanti.

Janet Jackson stays bringing on the freak at her current ‘Rock Witchu Tour’. This time, the stop was at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday night:

The singer was seen pulling a male fan onstage as she performed an S&M act during her performance of ‘Discipline’. She kissed and caressed him in intimate places, fulfilling his every fantasy. The fan proclaimed his love for Janet before being lowered beneath the stage. If she was going to enact oral sex on stage, she could have at least picked a fine looking man, lol. Oh, and her fella JD is VERY understanding indeed.

Last week, Alicia Keys spoke at the Service Nation Summit in New York City:

ALICIA KEYS DAILY

Alicia stays on it.

ASHANTI PERFORMS WITH NELLY & AKON ON ‘JAY LENO’…..

Last night, Ashanti performed ‘Body On Me’ on ‘Tonight With Jay Leno‘ alongside boyfriend Nelly and Akon. The track is the latest new single from Nelly’s new album ‘Brass Knuckles’, out this week:

Yawn. That performance was as interesting as a funeral ceremony. And Nelly has been bringing the wackness lately. Though, I do like the song but would have liked it better had Akon not have hollered all over it with that aggravating cartoon voice. I hate his voice. Simply annoying. The duo will also perform the track tomorrow on the Ellen Degeneres show but I won’t even make another post. I’ll just add the performance to this post instead.

R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT…..

Last night, Ashanti attended the Calvin Klein Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week:

I love that lipstick colour. Just my type. She was also spotted at the Nintendo DS Spa that same day. And if you can’t get enough of Ashanti, she will be performing ‘Body On Me’ live on The Ellen DeGeneres Show along with her rapper boyfriend Nelly who’s album leaked this week (‘Brass Knuckles’ is the ONLY Nelly album I have not downloaded, and you know one sucks when you can’t get folks to download your shit for free). The show will air on Thursday, September 18th at 9am.

Yesterday, Solange Knowles performed at Luxe Lounge sponsored by The Beat 100.3 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:

Solange had to cut her concert short in order to fly back to Houston, Texas to secure her home from Hurricane Ike and to evacuate with her son Daniel.

Other R&B folk who attended the Calvin Klein Spring 2009 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week included Danity Kane‘s Dawn and boyfriend Q (Day26) as well as Tiffany Evans, Mario, Letoya Luckett and Maxwell:

Maxwell use to be soooo fine, but now I wouldn’t even look twice. Maybe he’s not aging well but he’s only in his 30’s. Ya wanna know who is looking hot with age? Eric Benet. I just got done listening to his new album ‘Love & Life’ and it’s really good! I knew I’d enjoy it because I enjoyed his last album and the one before that. I dig his music. Look out for several of my album reviews over the weekend. Anyway as for Letoya, at one time I was able to say she was just as pretty as Beyonce when they first came out but not any mo. Shame…..

Check out two more pics of Rihanna and Chris Brown on the set of his new movie ‘Bone Deep’ on Wednesday afternoon:

RIHANNA DAILY

Hmmmm, Rihanna got her brother Rajad all up in her man’s bidness. Cute lil family affair.

Having spent most of her days in London and Paris, Kelly Rowland is now back in the United States. She was spotted in Midtown Manhattan last night dining at Nobu:

Looking good Kelly!

R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT: CONDE NAST MEDIA GROUP’S 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF ‘FASHION ROCKS’…..

It was an R&B haven at last night’s ‘Conde Nast Media Group’s 5th Aniversary of Fashion Rocks!’ And many of them came out to perform. There were even a couple of tribute performers on the night. Beyonce did a tribute to the legendary singer Etta James, and performing ‘Just Stand Up’ with other female musicians:

The blonde wig was all part of the tribute. But she eventually ditched it when she performed with former N-Sync singer Justin Timberlake and rocked a disco-inspired all-in-one outfit. During her Etta tribute she showed off her absolutely stunning engagement ring given to her by now-hubby Jay-Z (click on the last pic). All I have to say is damn. She could feed half of Africa with that alone. Money at its finest.

Beyonce kicked it with her father Matthew Knowles and Justin Timberlake backstage:

Justin is such a cornball but I be damned if I don’t anticipate his next album, because you just know he’ll bring the heat.

Solange Knowles also performed at the event looking all kinds of weird:

I’m pretty sure she rocked it out though, as she launched into her lastest single ‘Sandcastle Disco’.

Chris Brown attended and performed too:

He performed latest single ‘Forever’ but it looked like he did another Michael Jackson tribute. My guess is, he squeezed in ‘Thriller’ somewhere. Wouldn’t be at all surprising since MJ turned 50 last week.

Brandy didn’t perform but it didn’t stop her from enjoying the prestigious event and kicking it with our boy Chris:

Looking cute, Brandy.

Chris’s girlfriend Rihanna also attended and performed at the event rocking an interesting peacock inspired costume:

She performed latest smash ‘Disturbia’. She also performed Madonna’s classic hit ‘Vogue’, which suits lil miss stylish to a tee. It looked like she went all out for the performance but pictures can be very deceiving….

Mary J Blige posed it up with Ms Disturbia and performed with Kid Rock:

As much as I like Rihanna, maybe she’d like to opt for a different hairstyle because well, you know…..

Keyshia Cole showed up:

Looking hot. This chick sure has come far….

Mariah Carey also looked nice as she took to the stage to perform a couple of songs from her latest album:

She impressed me during her stint on ‘Just Stand Up’, after watching it again. And did I say she looked nice?

The Pussycat Dolls performed as well:

They performed latest hit single ‘When I Grow Up’. I am starting to tire of this track already….

Ashanti and Ciara kicked it:

Looking good ladies!

Fergie also performed whilst Leona Lewis and actor-turned singer Terence Howard showed up:

All in all, last night seemed like a pretty hot night. Look out for when I post the performances next week. The show airs on Sept 9th…..

‘JUST STAND UP’ PERFORMANCE @ FASHION ROCKS…..

Beyonce, Keyshia Cole, Leona Lewis, Fergie, Ciara, Mariah Carey, Mary J Blige, Rihanna, Carrie Underwood, Miley Cyrus, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, and Nicole Scherzinger performed ‘Just Stand Up’, the worldwide charity single benefiting Stand Up To Cancer not too long ago. The performance aired tonight on the ‘Stand Up to Cancer’ telethon which aired simultaneously on ABC, CBS and NBC. Watch the live performance of all the ladies on stage singing ‘Just Stand Up’ below:

It was a decent performance I guess. I liked Carrie and Beyonce’s parts the best. Nicole Sherzinger wasn’t originally listed as a performer but she did okay with the limited time she was given. Ciara may as well not have been up there. Now for the negative, Beyonce’s wig was a big no-no. What was she thinking? The official backstage picture is after the cut.