ALESHA DIXON: ‘THE BOY DOES NOTHING’ [NEW VIDEO]…..

Former Mis-Teeq singer Alesha Dixon premiered her first video ‘The Boy Does Nothing’ today. The song is taken from the 30-year-old’s forthcoming album ‘The Alesha Show’ which is scheduled to drop on Nov 17th:

No time was wasted in getting the video out. Didn’t the song impact radio on Monday? Anway, I wasn’t keen on the song at first but it has since grown on me. The video was fun and light-hearted as well. When I first posted the song this week, a few of you asked who she was. Well, she was romantically linked to Pharrell Williams a while back after she appeared in his video ‘She Likes To Move’.

♫ ALESHA DIXON: ‘THE BOY DOES NOTHING’ [OFFICIAL NEW SINGLE]…..

A full radio rip of Alesha Dixon‘s official new single ‘The Boy Does Nothing’ has hit online shores. With her last solo effort ‘Fired Up’ being shelved, the former Misteeq singer is giving the music thing another go. The Boy Does Nothing is produced by UK pop/rave/dance duo Xenomania and is the first single taken from her forthcoming album ‘The Alesha Show’. The new album will be released on Nov 17th via Asylum Records…..

The Boy Does Nothing is a funky-‘Mambo no 5’-styled pop record which criticises a boyfriend for his lack of domestic chores. The chorus is kind of catchy but the song is as corny and stale as mouldy cheese. There’s nothing really all that fresh about it. If anything, it sounds like a rejected cut from ‘Fired Up’. I don’t even know why she’s distancing herself from the house-fused R&B and Garage that Misteeq were successful with initially. It is what made her a name for herself and those are the type of songs that suit her the most. I think she should lean more towards the R&B/synth pop direction. Anyway, in more Alesha randomness, the singer celebrates her 30th birthday tomorrow.

♫ ALESHA DIXON: ‘THE BOY DOES NOTHING’

CELEB SPOTTINGS: R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT….

Last night, Amerie attended a ‘Fashion Votes’ event which was hosted by designer Nanette Lepore, actress Kerry Washington and The Creative Coalition in Los Angeles, CA:

Amerie has been on the wrong side of the fashion stakes lately so she certainly wouldn’t have got my vote, but she was looking totally fab yesterday.

Rihanna was spotted yesterday after eating dinner with her friends at her favorite restaurant, Da Silvano, in New York City:

Cute!

On June 14th, Rihanna attended a private dinner hosted by GUCCI and Joe Zee honoring the ‘Umbrella’ singer. It was held at Thompson Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills, CA:

She looked a lot better than she did in yesterday’s set of pictures. I actually think that’s a cute outfit.

Michelle Williams hit up MTV’s TRL yesterday to promote new single ‘We Break The Dawn’:

Wow. This is what you call an ultimate UPGRADE. Michelle looked absolutely bangin’ from head to toe.

Over the weekend, Leona Lewis performed at the M6 Concert in France:

I don’t like what she’s wearing either but I’m sure she did the damn thang performance-wise. The singer is set to beat troubled Amy Winehouse and a host of other big names to bag one of the most prestigious deals in pop, recording the theme tune for the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. I hope she gets it! But nothing has been made official yet.

Singer/Strictly Come Dancing winner Alesha Dixon, attended the Summer Dance Project photocall yesterday (June 16th). The 29-year-old singer is also a spokesperson for the project:

Alesha looked stunning. I love this chick.

On June 13th, The Pussycat Dolls paid a visit to FN MTV where they premiered their new video ‘When I Grow Up’:

PCD fever is about to take over.

WIREIMAGES // SPLASH // WENN

CELEB SPOTTINGS: R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT….

Kelly Rowland has been doing the business in London for the past week or so. As well as promoting new single Daylight and new album Ms Kelly: Diva Deluxe, she also officially launched St Aubyn’s Holistic Centre in the oh-so-beautiful city yesterday:

Kelly has such a cute shape, and I’ve been feeling her whole attire recently. Chick has been on her A-game lately. I still think she needs to change that hair and she’d be straight.

On Friday (May 2nd), Fergie performed at day three of Sunfest in West Palm Beach, Florida:

Rocking a sporty white outfit with black stripes, she entertained the audience with hits such as London Bridge, Clumsy, and Big Girls Don’t Cry. The 33-year-old is also launching her own line of bags – Fergie for Kipling. Sounds weird but here’s what she had to say about it: “The designs are about my high school years,” the Grammy winning singer told OK!. “There’s tie-dye, there’s Jerry Garcia, it’s groovy. That’s when I was able to just go down to Venice Beach – go with a really big bag with all my stuff in it and just walk around and just people watch.” On top of that, Fergie continues to work on her music, including a theme song for Sex and the City movie, and is preparing for her wedding to fiancé Josh Duhamel, whom she has been dating since September 2004.

Alesha Dixon presented her beach hut in the Bluewater shopping centre on May 02, 2008 at Greenhithe, England:

I’m liking the custom doll house, Alesha.

Joss Stone also attended the BAFTA/LA British Comedy Awards Presented by British Airways on May 1, 2008 in Beverly Hills, California:

Wow. She looked greeeat! And rocking shoes for once. In fact she hasn’t looked this good in quite a while.

CELEB SPOTTINGS: R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT // BEYONCE & JAY-Z’S MARRIAGE MADE OFFICIAL….

Yesterday, Leona Lewis and her boyfriend Lou Al Chama were spotted vacationing in Hawaii. The romantic trip was a short lived one as Leona had to fly back to the US to perform on tomorrow night’s American Idol. Check out Leona and her man having their cute moments:

[IMAGES REMOVED BY REQUEST]

Her man is hot. I always thought he was cute but just didn’t realise he was THAT hot until now, looking like a poor man’s David Beckham in fact. Anyway, they truly are childhood sweethearts. Good for them, and I soooo not look forwards to her American Idol performance if she’s performing Bleeding Love again. I hope they give her a different song to sing this time but knowing them, probably not. In the UK chart, her album Spirit has gone right back to the no 2 position.

Leona’s idol Mariah Carey was spotted departing her apartment in New York City yesterday afternoon.

The singer’s album is on course to sell nearly 600K but we don’t get the final figures until tomorrow. In the UK chart her album entered at no 3. I’m sure Mariah can’t wait for it to become official so she can shut up the naysayers especially those who are claiming Leona Lewis is taking her place. Mariah isn’t happy about that and insists Leona isn’t comparable to herself. She says:

“Honestly, there has been so many, ‘This is the new her,’ and I’m like, ‘OK, show me the new her. Can she come and work for me and be my double?’ And I’m not particular talking about this girl Leona, because I only heard her once and I didn’t really hear a true similarity, particularly in the style of music. It is what it is and critics have compared me to so many people who are not really singers, and they’re certainly not writers”. [SOURCE]

Touchy touchy!

Drop dead gorgeous Alesha Dixon looked flawlessly beautiful when she attended the BAFTA Television Awards at London’s Palladium, Sunday night:

The singer who won Strictly Come Dancing last year, has split up from new boyfriend Aston Villa footballer John Carew: “We went out a few times but it just didn’t work out” she tells The Sun. The article also states that she’s currently working on her new album.

Mya attended Michael Jordan‘s All-American Classic at Madison Square Garden on Saturday:

Mya is looking pretty good. Too bad her music career has taken a hike. I was pretty shocked that the reality show she appeared in: ‘Secret Talents of The Stars’ was axed after one episode. Only 4.6 million people tuned in to watch Mya put on her tap dancing shoes. Let’s hope her Broadway debut sees better luck.

Kelly Rowland was spotted yesterday enjoying the sunny beaches of Miami, Florida:

This chick is photographed on a Miami beach at least once every month. Anyway, she’s been promoting the re-release of her Miss Kelly CD over here in the UK. And this weekend, she’ll be putting in an appearance at the upcoming Radio One music bash at the Dubai Tennis Stadium. Kelly is also the official 2008 Ambassador for the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, which recognizes young people who are protecting themselves and their communities against HIV and AIDS. Kelly will begin work for the organization during her tour of Africa, which is scheduled to begin June 20th.

Solange and pal LaLa Vasquez were spotted partying it up in Hollywood over the weekend:

Solo has been looking mighty fly lately. I know Beyonce can’t be seen anywhere in this post BUT their marriage is official – Bey and Jay are truly married. They may not be saying jack about their wedding but their papers are confirming. The couple filed their signed wedding license Friday in Scarsdale, N.Y. I would love to see them dance around this one.

Lastly, Mel B was spotted departing Mr Chows last night:

She always has a whiffy facial expression as if someone just farted right under her nose. I think I’m going to call her Mel-E (for ‘Eatery’ because the chick LIVES at Mr Chows). Overall, she looked good.

CELEB SPOTTINGS: R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT….

Blu Cantrell was spotted in Beverly Hills over the weekend looking like a warped up lost soul. You just know her ass wanted to drink a pint of bleach after she discovered her beloved Jay-Z went and married her nemesis Beyonce:

Blu has made it no secret about her feelings towards the Jiggaman, but well, as Jay likes to brag – he has the hottest chick in the game (or trophy wife more like) whilst Blu fails to meet that target, and looking at these pics it’s easy to see why.

Looking super hip and trendy, Rihanna was spotted out and about in Los Angeles with her beloved dog Oliver (DJ), last Friday afternoon:

The Umbrella singer grabbed a bite to eat during the lunch hour at Chin Chin restaurant with her assistant and her pet pooch in tow. Shortly after that, she went to the nearest Starbucks for an iced tea and and then made a steady journey to a recording studio in Burbank. Where was her assistant pal Melissa.

Leona Lewis was spotted arriving at the KISS FM studios in Burbank for an appearance on JoJo’s Top 9 at 9 Countdown Show on Saturday, just after appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live:

Bleeding Love is doing phenomenally.

The singer was also seen departing from LAX airport on Saturday. I am totally loving those glasses:

I can see why she is always wearing long jackets. She is shaped EXACTLY like Alicia Keys. She really do have some thighs on her.

Leona and her boyfriend Lou Al-Chamaa were also spotted relaxing and enjoying the weekend together in Santa Monica:

Cute.

Pussycat Doll singer Melody Thornton was seen at the 35th birthday bash of Claudia Jordan over the weekend:

I’m really curious what PCD will come out with this summer.

Deborah Cox performed this weekend at the GLAAD Media Awards at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida:

This woman still has it and stays doing her thang. She just needs to drop an album already.

Last week, the ever so lovely Alesha Dixon attended the Galaxy British Book Awards in London:

I love this chick, though I wasn’t feeling the black frilly dress. She’s had better days.

CELEB SPOTTINGS: R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT….

Kelly Rowland, Estelle, Craig David, Alesha Dixon and others attended the Capital 95.8 Awards for Help A London Child at the Park Plaza Riverbank on March 20, 2008 in London:

So what’s going on with these artists? Kelly Rowland looked cute. Her re-released album Ms Kelly leaked a week ago but you can’t even pay me to download it for free. Estelle could have applied some lotion to her knees. I am seeing more ash than an actual ashtray. Get it together gurrl. Her single, “American Boy” is doing great on both sides of the Atlantic. The single is poised to take the #1 slot in the UK this week and her album Shine will hit stores on April 29th. She also performed the track on BBC Radio 1’s ‘Live Lounge’ recently. Craig David looked real dapper (still got a soft spot for him although he’s looking a lot more rugged and not the fresh-cut pretty boy who graced the scene 9 years ago). Apparently, Craig wants to record the theme song for the new James Bond film ‘Quantum of Solace’ but accepts that he’ll end up playing second fiddle to Amy Winehouse. The singer will also go on a World Tour in May in support of his latest album ‘Trust Me’. Alesha Dixon continues to glow despite hard times. She has a new man in her life, since she was cheated on by ex-hubby Harvey. The singer is reportedly dating Aston Villa footballer John Carew. She was also offered a presenting job to host the new Gladiators but turned it down, and is now working towards a new reality show.

Yesterday in Beverly Hills, Usher and his wife Tameka were seen going into a specialty boutique store called Bottega Veneta:

Why do they always look so agitated? Usher really needs to start fixing his face forreal otherwise it will start to crack. The singer was also spotted on the set of his new video, this past weekend, for his no 1 smash hit single Love In The Club (far right).

On Tuesday, Monica was spotted in Atlanta with her fiance Rocko Da Don and their oldest son Rodney at his CD signing. Monica was at DTLR to support her man in promoting his debut album Self Made:

[PICTURE SOURCE: SANDRAROSE.COM]

Her three month old son baby Romelo was there for the ride (not pictured) but he was in the good company of family. Monica’s little boy is growing up to be really handsome. On the music front, Monica’s new album is gearing for an August release with a single out by June. She has finished the album and has worked with Polow Da Don, Missy, Brian Cox and many others.

Meanwhile, Ray-J was spotted at Club XES In St. Louis:

I can’t stand him.

Keyshia Cole is feautured inTrina’s upcoming new video for I Gotta Thang For You and here are a few screen caps of Keyshia specifically. The video was shot in Miami, Florida:

Keyshia looked in top notch form. I am loving the black hair. I know I keep stressing this but the transformation has been wonderful. The singer is hard at work on her third studio album. The project is scheduled for a Christmas release and it will feature contributions from and Polow Da Don, Scott Storch, Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins & Theron ‘Neff-U’ Feemster amongst others.

Fergie performs at the 2008 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in Houston, Texas, March 19th:

She wasn’t looking so pregnant in these pictures, but I can still see a slight bump underneath her white shirt (her stomach is usually washboard flat) and her face had pregnancy written all over it but in time we’ll see.

Day 26 appeared on TRL yesterday to do some promotion for their album:

Their album will be released next week. The RETAIL leaked today. I’ve downloaded but will listen to it later.

CELEB SPOTTINGS: R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT….

Rihanna sure was doing the rounds on her visitation to Paris, France. Yesterday, she attended the John Galliano Fall-Winter Paris Fashion Show, Saturday, March 1. The Umbrella singer was in Paris for the Fashion Week attending various designers’ fall-winter shows.

Rihanna looked stunning in a stylish silver grey trench coat over her short black dress that had a plunging neckline. I’ve even fallen in love with her grey pumps, ALTHOUGH I probably would NOT have worn them with that outfit. But nevertheless, Rihanna has become an overnight fashion icon and a delight to the eye of many fashion designers.

Rihanna (and actress Jessica Alba) attended the Fendi Store Opening in Paris on Feb 29th. She was also spotted leaving the Cesare Paciotti store in Paris on the same day after indulging in a bit of shopping (middle picture) and in the last set of pictures, she was seen attending the opening of the Fendi store party in Paris, France – again on the same day:

The singer also treated fashionistas and A-listers (Kanye West and his fiancee, Vivicia Fox, the Olsen twins, etc) to a 20-minute performance at crystal jeweller Swarovski’s new collection.

Here are some pics from the performance:

Rihanna wore an outfit exclusively made for her by Swarovski and sang a selection of songs including smash hit singles SOS and Umbrella.

Alicia Keys took time out from her European tour for ‘As I Am’ by attending the BET TV launch party in London yesterday:

She looked HAWT from head to toe. Her whole outfit, I am loving it! Go get ’em Alicia! Also, she didn’t just attend but she actually performed a slew of songs from her multi-platinum selling album ‘As I Am’ which appears to be doing extremely well on both sides of the Atlantic.

UK singer Jamelia also hit up the event as well:

She looked cute.

Other black UK singers that attended included Lemar, Alesha Dixon AND Estelle (along with her sister). US Soul singer Musiq Soulchild was there as well:

About the event, BET International Inc was given a license to broadcast in the United Kingdom in May 2007 by Ofcom. BET UK is the first international version of the channel. The channel launched on Wednesday 27th February 2008 and is currently on Sky Digital Channel 209. BET UK shows a mix of content from the main BET channel and locally produced shows.

On Feb 29th, Leona Lewis performed on stage during the 58th San Remo Music Festival in San Remo in Italy:

She just got back from the UK after her trip to South Africa and now she’s in Italy. Then she’ll be flying back to the UK again to promote her two singles Footprints In The Sand/Better In Time. And it’s likely she’ll be jetting back to the United States to promote her smash hit album Spirit which will also be released April 8th.

Earlier this week, Teyanna and Estelle hit up TRL:

Both of them have singles to promote. Estelle was on there to promote her Kanye-featured single American Boy whilst Teyanna has a new single out called Google Me. Is it me or is Pharrell trying to create a carbon copy of his former girlfriend/Harlem bred protege Kelis?

ALESHA DIXON: FIRED UP [ALBUM REVIEW]….

Alesha Dixon’s first solo album Fired Up was released in Japan on February 20th 2008 and through the Japanese i-tunes store, the album leaked. Singles ‘Lipstick’ and ‘Knockdown’ performed so badly on the UK charts that her album suffered quite a few pushbacks before being shelved completely. The album as a whole has a different feel from the traditional R&B that Alesha’s group Misteeq put out in the height of their popularity. The project is assisted by producers Johnny Douglas, Brian Higgins, electro whizz-kid Richard X and indie giant Paul Epworth. Alesha appears to have ditched the contemporary R&B for a more rectro, hip-pop, rockier, funk-filled sound. The album as a whole is energetic, funky and bristles with feel-good charisma. There’s also a couple of reggae/dancehall inspired songs and Alesha makes the nice transition from singing back to a bit of MCing which she was well notorious for.

Lipstick which is a production by pop maestro Johnny Douglas (Kylie, Sugababes, Rachel Stevens) is risky yet gutsy for a lead single because it is so unlike Alesha to put out a record like this. With buzzy synths and twangy guitar riffs, Lipstick is a mishmash of rock and pop, but packs attitude. Fired Up, which is the title track is a Johnny Douglas production. I like it because it’s old skool and has a James Brown type vibe. It’s funky with live instrumentation and very energetic. Hypnotik is vintage fun with that 80’s appeal. It was a nice way to open up the album. I am thinking if she released this first, maybe the response would have been different. She also puts her MCing skills to good use for the first time on the album.

4 U I Will is a dusky pop ballad with soft grooves, which is the unreleased track that now became an official digital single on sites like iTunes. I will admit that this song isn’t to my liking but she pulls it off. The reggae-tinged ‘Knockdown’ was suppose to be Alesha’s chart Saviour but the song just didn’t come through. Listening to the other songs on Fired Up just makes me realise how much of weak contender the song really was. Superficial is similar to Fired Up with live instrumental that packs grit and edge. Ting-A-Ling is the the most reminiscent of Misteeq’s old sound. It is a mixture of garage, R&B and reggae and has lots of mass radio appeal but it’s dance-y 2-step music. She also divulges her reggae side some more on Lil’ Bit of Loving.

Tracks like Free and Voodoo are complete U-Turns musically and maybe one of her most closeted. The beat to Free is very catchy and the chorus is sung in a very stylish and cool way. She’s experimenting with her musical direction and that’s a good thing but she switched up completely. The song is definitely a grower but it’s very mature and has a very fresh feel at the time of its production. I feel the same way about Everybody Wants To Change. It sounds extremely fresh and funky with its drum & bass rhythm. Let It Go packs that giddy hip-pop feel with the salsa backdrop. Turn It Up is a feisty upbeat track which pays homage to the dancefloor whilst Everywhere I Go is an infectious pop/R&B number with riveting horns that makes it all the more dance friendly.

It’s amazing that one bad single choice can destroy someone’s music career. There are a lot of good tracks on Fired Up that were single-worthy. But at times I felt that she was trying to imitate a musical sound that simply wasn’t hers which gives some of the music a sense of pseudo rhythm.

Rating: 2.5/5

Alesha at last Wednesday’s Brit Awards:

CELEB SPOTTINGS: R&B SINGERS OUT & ABOUT ….

This week, Amerie was spotted out with T-Pain at Senior VP of Universal Music Group’s, Karen Kwak’s birthday party in New York City:

Struggling to put out her album ‘Because I Love It’ stateside, what better person to hook up with than the ‘collaborate with Mr Vocoder and you’ll get an instant hit’ T-Pain? I mean, she’s been rather quite on the music front dare I say, and it’s been eons since her video ‘Crush’ was shot. This was supposedly the next UK single but I have no idea what’s going on with that. Besides, who told Amerie that shade looks good on her? It makes her look years older. Okay, so she’ll be 30 this year but still. I really wonder if Amerie’s European-released album ‘Because I Love It’ will see the light of day in the US. Really.

The gorgeous Alesha Dixon was spotted at The South Bank Show Awards at The Dorchester Hotel in London yesterday:

She looks amazing. Ever since winning Strictly Come Dancing, her career has been on the up lately. I was reading her interview with OK! magazine at WH Smith today. She’s been bombarded to model for high store chains, she’s recording for a new album and she has a reality show in the works. Hmmm, what was her ex-hubby Harvey thinking when he cheated on her with her best friend Javine? Definitely a step-down.

Mel B was spotted out with her hubby a couple of days ago:

Mel B is reported to be planning a lavish second wedding to husband Stephen Belafonte. Good luck to her.

On Monday, she was also seen with her 2 daughters arriving at Heathrow airport for the Spice Girls tour:

Cute family. I’m happy Angel hasn’t taken after Eddie Murphy but the mother. Phoenix Chi is definitely a mini-me of her mama. Both girls take after mama. Her daughters are precious.

Yesterday, Britney Spears was spotted at the outdoor Century City Mall in LA showing off her tata’s and nipples in a ghost-like see through top:

Something is seriously wrong with this girl but we’ve known that eons ago. She seems to enjoy exposing herself. We probably know Britney’s body parts more than she does.

Check out this lovely new photoshoot of Leona Lewis:

They were taken by Dave Hogan. She looks pretty. I love her hair straight like that. I just hope she doesn’t feel obligated to get a nose job.

Kelly Rowland posed it up at the Instyle Best Beauty Buys Awards 2008 held at Sketch on January 29, 2008 in London:

Kelly disgusts me. Check out the second picture. That is definitely hair underneath her armpits. No blurring, nothing. Clear as a transparent glass window. If her armpits look like that I dread to think what down below looks like too. Shame on you Kelly. Tutt, tutt. You’re a celebrity attending celebrity events. My homie Sam from That Grape Juice also got to interview Kelly last Friday so be sure to check that one out. It’s a good read.

The $400 million dollar woman, Raven Symone attended the Hollywood premiere of “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins”:

She is such a pretty girl, but it looked like she was attending somebody’s funeral. She could have added a little bit of colour to the outfit. As for the nose contouring, it could have been blended in a bit better. Overall, I love this chick.

Yesterday, Kat DeLuna attended the Launch Party for the new Blackberry Pearl 8130 Smartphone:

She looks OFF, as usual. And what the hell happened to her second single ‘Am I Dreaming?’ I could have sworn I saw the video caps to that video months ago. Did her album ‘9 Lives’ perform that badly that they’re deciding not to plug any more singles? Oh well.