As two of the frankest acts in their fields, a Mary J. Blige and Wendy Williams interview was always going to be an “interesting” watch.
And interesting it was when the pair sat down for a chat on Williams’ talk show today.
In true “Wendy” fashion, every topic was a “hot topic”, including Blige’s drug addiction, marriage to manager Kendu Issacs, and plans for children.
Get all the way in to the insightful segment after the jump. Performances of ‘Mr Wrong’ and ‘Living Proof’ feature too.
Seems like divas are everyone’s talk. For, much like That Grape Juice, VH1 is on a quest to crown ‘the ultimate diva’ and (based on fan votes) tally up the 100 greatest women of music history. The survey comes as their second – the first saw acts Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner take the number 1 and 2 spots respectively while acts like Madonna and Billie Holiday filled out the top 10.
As with most ‘best of’ collections however, much fan uproar encouraged the music channel to redo and revamp their original listing. With 6 categories – “All Time”, “90s”, “80s”, “Pop”, “Rock”, and “Hip Hop/R&B” – VH1 is introducing a more comprehensive compilation of divas to include, unlike their original survey, more contemporary performers.
With singer acts like Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Beyonce facing off against legends Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Barbara Streisand, Madonna, and more, the results should be more than interesting. As the first of the series’ week long airing starts February 13th, fans must hurry before voting closes.
Will your fave land on top? Click here to vote!
The promo continues for Mary J. Blige‘s latest set ‘My Life II: The Journey Continues’ as evidenced by her visit to The Wendy Williams Show recently. Touching on a number of topics including her marriage (allegedly on the rocks), her former drug habit, and record sales, as ever, Williams leaves no stone unturned in the probing interview.
In what may come as one of Blige’s most revealing sit-downs to date, the Queen of Hip Hop Soul also dishes on her recent, highly publicized award snubs before blazing the stage with a performance.
Get a sneak peek at the action, due to air in full on February 2, after the jump:
Queen of Hip Hop Soul Mary J. Blige‘s unceremonious snubbing from the 2012 Academy Awards nominations has caused quite an uproar with fans and industry insiders alike. Never shy on a matter, Mary took to Twitter Tuesday to voice her own displeasure with the diss.
Despite making rounds for ‘The Living Proof’ – her acclaimed inclusion on ‘The Help’ soundtrack, Mary is still moving on the promo trail for her ‘My Life II’ set. Spotted on Bravo’s ‘Watch What Happens Live’ last night, the New York native was quizzed on a number of topics including her album, the Oscar snub, her thoughts on young R&B (Alicia Keys, Beyonce, Chris Brown, etc), and the dueling divas – Madonna and Elton John.
Fans may recall that Madonna’s ‘Masterpiece’ recently bested both Blige and John for ‘Best Original Song’ at its own 2012 ceremony. And, with Blige and John sharing mutual support and multiple duets in the past, spectators have long sought the R&B beauty’s thoughts on the longstanding Madge and Elton beef.
In this hilarious interview, you can find out the ‘No More Drama’ diva’s view on the drama after the jump:
It was Mary J. Blige fever at ‘Live With Kelly’ yesterday as the soul singer took the show in support of her new album.
Performing ‘Living Proof’, lifted from ‘The Help’ soundtrack, the songbird also played journalist for the day- helping Kelly interview Sex & The City star Cynthia Nixon.
Watch below…
‘I’m Going Down’ diva Mary J. Blige may have been bested by fellow music monarch Madonna for ‘Best Original Song’ at the Golden Globes this year, but there was hope yet as, unlike Madge, Blige had been shortlisted for a potential Academy Award nomination. Her song, ‘The Living Proof’, was a fan and critic favorite of the year and accompanied an equally moving and critically acclaimed movie ‘The Help’.
Despite insiders thinking she was a shoo-in for at least a nod, the Academy stunned spectators when it unveiled only 2 mentions for the ‘Best Original Song’ category. Much to the surprise of many, Mary was not one of them.
Taking to Twitter to express her grief about the snub, see the ‘Share My World’ singer share her thoughts below:
Music monarch Mary J. Blige has been deemed by many one of the hardest working women in show business for her continued efforts post-2005′s smash ‘The Breakthrough’. 3 albums and nearly 7 years later, the 41-year-old is still blessing fans with a bevy of performances and appearances alike. And, if her reported schedule for 2012 is anything to judge by, there’s plenty more to come.
In conjunction with racking up nominations (including a possible Oscar nod) for her addition to ‘The Help’ soundtrack ‘The Living Proof’, Blige is returning to the big screen with the Tom Cruise-fronted musical ‘Rock of Ages‘ as well as to record shelves with ‘My Life II: The Journey Continues Act 2′.
Still very much on the promo path for ‘Act I’, however, the songstress took to Billboard’s ‘Press Pass’ to answer fan questions and give more details on the critically acclaimed album (her 10th). Interestingly dishing on the topic of radio airplay with her latest offerings and more, see Blige and sponsor American Express reunite for this informative Q&A session after the jump:
‘No More Drama’ diva Mary J. Blige may be no stranger to inspiring awe through her soul stirring performances, but as evidenced by these photos, even some of Hollywood’s heaviest hitters are still star struck by the 9-time Grammy winner.
Rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood’s elite at the Sundance Film Festival recently, the Queen of Hip Hop soul was one of many in attendance at the star-studded event yesterday. One particular Grammy-winning starlet was reportedly anxious to have a photo opp with Blige and if this pic is anything to go by, it was written all over her face.
Get into more of this set of MJB and Billboard titan Taylor Swift below (thanks to Rap-Up):
The collection of photos surface days after it was announced Miss Blige is set to play co-host to Kelly Ripa on the (formerly branded) ‘Regis & Kelly’ show Tuesday, January 24th.
‘Stay With Me’ singer Ne-Yo has certainly stayed low-key as of late months after swapping mixtape plans with the preparation of a full LP. Despite generating moderate buzz for his Trey Songz-assisted single ‘The Way You Move’, the R&B crooner has remained fairly mute on the musical tip since the under-performance of 2010′s ‘Libra Scale’.
Albeit reportedly readying his return to radio later this year, Ne-Yo starts off his 2012 with his cinematic debut in the George Lucas-directed ‘Red Tails’. The semi-biographical film, boasting an all-star cast featuring Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding, Jr., sees the crooner take flight in new ways as the group have joined to depict the famous story of the Tuskeegee Airmen.
Already jetting up the promotional trail for ‘Tails’, last night saw the singer drop by Jimmy Kimmel Live to give fans a few sneak peeks of the film. Also, chatting it up with BET, watch this clip and find out what Ne-Yo had to say about divas Beyonce, Celine Dion, and Mary J. Blige after the jump:
Looks like ‘Lucky Star’ singer Madonna‘s 2012 is already starting off on the right note. Despite mixed reviews for her directorial effort ‘W.E.’, Madge’s musical contribution to the film, ‘Masterpiece’, nabbed ‘Best Original Song’ at tonight’s Golden Globe ceremony (but the film later lost ‘Best Original Score’). Going head to head with fellow music monarch Mary J. Blige, for ‘The Living Proof’ from ‘The Help’, the win marks Madonna’s second Golden Globe – the first being for ‘Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical’ in the 1996 musical ‘Evita’.
Reportedly putting the finishing touches on her forthcoming album ‘MDNA’, this victory certainly highlights a week that has seen her Madgesty in headlines for less flattering circumstances (see: digs at Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson). Fans of the diva will next see her on ‘The Tonight Show’ with Jay Leno continuing her promo rounds for the movie and upcoming album.
Until then get into this video of her acceptance speech and red carpet pics:
R&B royal Mary J. Blige lived up to her regal billing as she arrived at the Golden Globe Awards 2012 in Los Angeles a few moments ago.
The singer, who turned 41 this week, shone on the red carpet – notably one of the only artists to make an appearance at the high-profile event.
By no means a coincidence, her presence at the show coincides with her continued foray into the world of acting. Peep, the Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul talk to That Grape Juice about her latest movie ‘Rock of Ages’ below…
She might be celebrating her 41st birthday today, but seems the Queen of Hip Hop Soul has decided to gift her fans instead. As is now well known, ‘I’m The One’ co-stars Mary J. Blige and Drake reteamed for ‘Mr. Wrong’ – the second official lift from her 10th studio album ‘My Life II: The Journey Continues’. While fans were used to seeing the music monarch take to the stage without the Torontoian’s assistance performing the song, they responded with mixed reviews when he was noticeably absent from the song’s accompanying visual.
Now, in a bid to give ‘Mr. Wrong’ the right treatment, the ‘Headlines’ rapper can now be seen making a cameo in the reboot of the beloved slow jam’s video. Was Drizzy the missing piece from this puzzle?
You decide after the jump:
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