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Much to the delight of many an eager paparazzo, the stars were out in full force on Friday night for the Vanity Fair & Fisker Automotive Toast Dreamworks Pictures Golden Globes Best Drama Nominations event.

In attendance, alongside Cee Lo Green and Viola Davis  was ‘Work’ singer Ciara, who recently recovered from an injury to her foot which left her confined to a wheelchair and who is readying the release of fifth studio album under the supervision of creative master mind LA Reid.

More below courtesy of Necole Bitchie…

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Without a doubt, the arrival of Beyonce and Jay Z‘s daughter  Blue Ivy Carter  is one of the best pieces of news to arrive from the world celebrity in some time.

So, in joining the proud parents in celebrating the birth of their first child, some of their peers have taken to Twitter to congratulate the family.

Congratulatory tweets below…

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As previously reported, former Dirty Money & Danity Kane captain Dawn Richard has earned fan favor with her Brandy-esque track ‘Save Me From U (SMFU)’.  The dramatic, black-and-white clip is the first unveiled from the songstress’s forthcoming ‘GoldenHeart’.  Despite first making rounds on the net over two months ago, last week’s trailer tease certainly amped anticipation for this Ev Salomon-directed clip, now available for viewing in its entirety.

Does the ‘GoldenHeart’ hitmaker strike gold?  You decide after the jump:

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Former Danity Kane/Dirty Money doyen Dawn Richards will soon debut the video for ‘Save Me From U’ – the first offering from her solo collection ‘GoldenHeart’.  Set for a January 5th unveiling, the dark, Ev Salomon-directed clip sees Richard flex her acting skills in a dramatic, black-and-white visual.

As the ‘December Sky’ singer is definitely looking to satiate appetites of fans who lent praises to the track after its debut two months ago, get into the trailer for ‘SMFU’ after the jump:

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1996 is in many ways one of Pop culture’s most pivotal years to date.

For, aside from being the year the Spice Girl’s scored a smash hit with the single ‘Wannabe‘, it is also the year Pop icon Madonna played the role of her life, in the movie ‘Evita‘.

Based on the tragic rags to riches tale of Argentina’s First Lady Eva Peron, the movie remains one of the performer’s finest works to date.

Reportedly auditioning for the part by way of her 1994 ‘Take A Bow’ , her portrayal of Evita scored her the Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy at the 1996 Golden Globe Awards.

As well as this, it is also cited as the reason her vocal technique had considerably improved by the time she released the LP ‘Ray Of Light‘ in 1998.

Now check out a pivotal scene from the movie, which sees Madonna’s character seduce her way into the world of fame and politics that ultimately turned her into a star, below…

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The unveiling of the 2012 Grammy nominations definitely got the industry buzzing in preparation for music’s biggest night.  While Adele‘s sweeping nominations came at no surprise (though rapper Kanye West nabbed the most nods), the unceremonious snubbing of two of 2011’s biggest R&B success stories – Beyonce and Jill Scott – was met with fan uproar.  While the former’s ‘4’ did at least nab 2 nods, the ‘He Loves Me’ hitmaker wasn’t getting any love from the Academy – a surprising event given the singer’s  acclaimed tour  and first #1 album on Billboard this year.

Equally known for her unparalleled vocal stylings as much as her outspokenness, the songstress took to Twitter to voice her disappointment in the Academy’s overlooking of herself, Beyonce, and fellow R&B hitmaker Miguel (who offered his own Twitter rant).  See what they had to say after the jump:

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R&B vixen Dawn Richard staged her first solo showcase at The Roxy in Los Angeles this week. The former Danity Kane and Dirty Money member rocked the house with her own material, as well as much loved hits from her stint with both groups.

With Richard hard at work on her ‘Goldenheart’ LP, these performances are certain to heighten the ever-growing buzz.

Peep ‘Sucka For Love’ and ‘Bullet Proof’ after the jump…

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Now one of the world’s most celebrated entertainers, Pop force Beyonce has remained under the heavy eye of the media’s gaze since her debut in 1997.

From the termination of her business relationship with her father Mathew Knowles to the confirmation of the arrival of her first child with husband Jay Z, it seems very little of the Golden Globe nominee’s life goes unnoticed by her adoring public.

Now watch the ‘Happy Face‘  vocalist admit to sometimes wishing she wasn’t so famous below…

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Peruse of the Pop charts may give fans a new reason to ask ‘Where You At’ to R&B belter Jennifer Hudson.  The Dreamgirl, who seemingly saw her rise to fame happen overnight, has now found audiences sleeping on her material.  But, to doubt Hudson’s celebrity would be ill as her star in other formats seems to burn as brightly as ever with endorsement deals and silver screen appearances showing without shortage.  However, the platform that originally put the ‘Spotlight’ singer in the spotlight has found itself fading.

Fans first saw Hudson make her way through the ranks of American Idol with fellow belter Fantasia.  The latter walked away with the crown, but Hudson (later) walked away with the gold.  Her 2006 film debut in ‘Dreamgirls’, opposite Pop megastar Beyonce, and 2008 self titled debut album lifted the Idol alum to dizzying heights of decoration (Oscar, Golden Globe, Grammy).  But, as Hudson’s headlines fluctuated from chart toppers to personal tragedies and triumphs (that later led to an extended break from the public eye), every year of her absence still saw her active on the big screen but not Billboard (‘Sex and the City’, ‘Secret Life of Bees’, and ‘Fragments’).  Of course, only leaving fans that much more anxious (and angry) for new material from the Chicagoan songbird.

3 years after her first tread on charts, the singer returned with ‘I Remember Me’ led by the ballad ‘Where You At’.  With stiff competition from R&B comeback kid Chris Brown, Hudson’s promotional promenade left no stone unturned, hitting (what seemed like) every major hotspot available at the time.  It seemed to pay off.  With no single in sight on Billboard’s Hot 100 upper half, the singer still managed to move 165k her first week.  However, fans quickly forgot ‘I Remember Me’.  And with watch for its follow-up single ‘No One Gonna Love You’ fading due to everlasting press for the singer’s Weight Watching, ‘Remember Me’ was ironically minimized to a distant memory.

So, what is the problem?  As Brandy, Mya, and many other R&B divas can attest, extended breaks in an ever-changing Pop landscape doesn’t lend many favors.  But, many will argue Hudson’s entire package (look and sound) have improved since her debut effort.  On the other hand, with Electro-Pop still being the dominating force in the industry, is there just not a place for R&B acts who curtail choreography and a troop of background dancers bumping to a beat?  Or, though Hudson’s promo schedule saw no shortage of stops (even months after its release), was there just too much promotion of the wrong single? Material not up to scratch?

We want you to weigh in:  Jennifer Hudson – Product or Promotion?  What’s to blame?

Your thoughts?

All of the monarchs of the music industry are resting securely on cemented thrones.  We have an undisputed Queen of Soul, King of Rock n’ Roll, King of R&B, and of course, a King of Pop.  Even though such title was initially self-proclaimed, there was no denying its delegation.  Interestingly, there is a vacancy on that list…the queen’s chair sits ostensibly empty.  And though many may vie and eye the throne, no woman has boldly professed herself as such (unlike her male counterpart).  So, it begs the question:  Who is the Queen of Pop?   While there are candidates many-a-fan would crown as such, there has been no definitively, unquestioned female pop potentate. And then…

In an age where the merit of ‘pop royalty’ is defined by fly-by-night radio hits and digital downloads, famed music magazine Rolling Stone developed an index of criteria to best crown the genre’s new queen.  For anyone who has been alive for the last three years (inhabitants of the animal kingdom included), it was a no brainer that Lady Gaga would be enthroned the genre’s reigning female monarch.  However, the list, which only included Pop’s active acts, was greeted with so much backlash it was later revised.

But, even the revision still featured Lady Gaga (a relative newcomer) above legends Mariah Carey and Celine Dion (with no mention of Janet Jackson or Whitney Houston).  While the magazine’s attempt to fill the void is applaudable, it is also laughable.  With music’s other matronly monarchs having a spate of success under their individual belts, is it really fair to say the Lady named queen would only have two albums under hers and less than 5 years in the game?

Thusly, That Grape wants to know:  what should be the criteria for determining queenship? Sales? Influence?  Awards?  If so, with so many candidates, who is the Queen[Q1] ?

That Grape Juice has chosen six leading ladies who would probably be the real contenders for the throne.  Each of the succeeding songstresses have, at minimum, 20 years experience,100 million records sold, and immeasurable influence over the industry (especially over those who decorated Rolling Stones’ list).  Did your fave make the cut?

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Certainly the Queen of putting the fear in fierce, it seems there is no stopping Beyonce‘s mission to score high first week sales for album ‘4’ in the UK.

For just one day after her mind blowing showing at The Glastonbury Festival, the Golden Globe award nominee served fans in the city of London with a showing of epic proportions.

Check some of the footage below…

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Saturday Night Live was all an Lady GaGa affair tonight. For, as well as taking to the stage, the 25 year old featured in not one, but two of the show’s trademark skits.

Both co-starring host Justin Timberlake, the digital shorts see GaGa first don a wine bottle ensemble to sing hits from Flo Rida and co; while the other sees her, Timberlake, and Andy Samberg hilariously propose a threesome (…)

All the action after the jump…

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