Yes, this is the 100th performance of Jennifer Hudson’s ‘Spotlight’ already, but still worth a post. The Oscar stopped by Dancing With The Stars this week to perform the track, which received the ‘uptempo-ish’ treatment. Great performance.

As Toni Braxton continues to shine on the current season of Dancing With The Stars, the mother of two has shed light on her forthcoming Atlantic Records debut.

The set which is due in stores at the top of 2009, will be preceded by a single which Braxton confirmed will be hitting airwaves next month. Most interestingly, the cut is produced by none other than Rodney ‘Darkchild’ Jerkins.

It’s great to see Toni looking ahead of Dancing With The Stars; keeping the momentum going with her new project. Definitely looking forward to this one. {Source}

Beyoncé tells the magazine that the wedding was very small and intimate, because she’s not a “traditional” woman and having it be “her day” wasn’t something she needed. Being a star and walking the red carpet has diminished the need for that over the years. “It’s been my day so many days already,” she told the magazine.

She didn’t want an engagement ring because “people put too much emphasis on that. It’s just material, and it’s just silly to me,” she said.

Instead of just getting wedding rings, the couple also got matching tattoos of the Roman numeral four on their ring fingers, so if they take off the bands for work or to go swimming, a mark of some form is still there. (The number four is special to the couple because her birthday is September 4, his birthday is December 4, and their wedding anniversary is April 4.)

“I feel that, especially now, with the Internet and paparazzi and camera phones, it’s so difficult to maintain mystery,” she told the magazine. “And that’s so important. Even in a relationship, I feel like not being that accessible is really important. If you think about Prince or Michael Jackson, or any superstars, you couldn’t see them when they got off their planes or when they got out of the pool and didn’t comb their hair. It’s great that people see we’re not perfect. But it’s almost impossible to have superstars now, because people will never get enough. And it’s not even about my music. It’s about all the things that people imagine about me in their minds. But I can’t satisfy everyone. I know that Jay and I probably do inspire people. And I appreciate people feeling proud. But this is the only way I’ve been able to stay sane, so why would I start talking now?

“[Not speaking] controls your brand,” she continued. “It controls what you want to put out there and kind of forces people to talk about what you want them to talk about.”

But then Beyoncé lets it slip that it was a joint decision with her husband to keep quiet. “We decide everything,” she told the magazine. “My word is my word. What Jay and I have is real. It’s not about interviews or getting the right photo op. It’s real.”

Interesting. After more than 10 years on the scene, nearly half of which has been spent being the ‘superstar’ we know today, it’s great to finally see the ‘real’ Beyonce let down her guard and open up a bit. All indications point to her album being a lot more personal this go round.

* Peep this behind the scenes look at the creation of Bey’s new album, as well as a sneak peek at the videos for ‘If I Were A Boy’ and ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’ – both of which were directed by Jake Nava.

Both videos are set to premiere within the coming weeks. Definitely anticipating these – especially that of ‘Single Ladies’. Looks great.

Your thoughts?

It seems Beyonce fans, haters and all that fall in-between are in for a treat today as the second of her dual releases ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’ premiered just moments ago.

One of Beyonce’s highly anticipated dual single releases had it’s world premiere on US radio just now. Produced by Toby Gad (who was produced Fergie’s ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’), the track sees Beyonce embraces a similar Pop sound to that of her worldwide smash ‘Irreplaceable’ (Sidenote: different sounding tracks, same genre). As to my thoughts on the track, I’m liking it – though it’s not really what I expected. I’m assuming the second of her dual releases, ‘Single Ladies’, will be targeted more at the Urban audience. Beyonce’s still untitled third studio album hits stores November 18th.

No doubt this one will get tongues wagging. So what are you waiting for….LOL…

Those of you who caught the season ‘finale’ of Making The Band 4 will have seen that in a dramatic climax, Diddy kicked out one member from the group. Check out the extract of an episode summary courtesy of the best Danity Kane fansite on the net – DanityKane.nu below:

Keyshia Cole announced earlier this year that she had pencilled in an end of year release for her third studio album, which comes just a year after the release of her last ‘Just Like You’. With the album, titled ‘A Different Me’, now slated for a December release, it comes as little surprise that we’re starting to hear what Keyshia will be serving up.

This new track, ‘Playa Cardz Right’, was initially featured on 2Pac’s 2006 collabo LP, yet is being given the single treatment for Keyshia’s release. Though a decent cut, I’m hoping it turns out to be little more than a buzz track – for Keyshia’s sake. With the likes of Beyonce, Ciara and Kanye release their latest efforts in the same window as her, there’s a strong likelihood Keyshia’s record could go largely unnoticed – especially with a lead track like this.