Alicia Keys has ample cause for celebration.

For, the 15-time Grammy winner has been named on TIME‘s ‘Most Influential People Of 2017’ list.

Joining the likes of Viola Davis, Chance The Rapper, and Colin Kaepernick, the 36-year-old is featured in honor of her achievements as an artist over the last year.

And, in keeping it real, we’re a bit perplexed.

Sure, she has a catalogue that will be ever-enduring; but there’s no denying that whatever influence she had over the last 12 months wasn’t enough to make folk buy her most recent album ‘HERE.’

From where we’re standing, she’d be more suitable for a salute of her infallible charity efforts or as a pioneer for social change. But musically? This year? That’s a reach and a half.

Congrats, nonetheless. Because no matter which way it’s diced or sliced, this is win for brand.

Peep the full list below…

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Pioneers

Samantha Bee
Chance the Rapper
Constance Wu
Gavin Grimm
Kirsten Green
Bob Ferguson
Ivanka Trump
Demis Hassabis
Barbara Lynch
Hamdi Ulukaya
Jared Kushner
Celina Turchi
Jordan Peele
Glenda Gray
Yuriko Koike
Conor McGregor
Riz Ahmed
Guus Velders
Tamika Mallory, Bob Bland, Carmen Perez and Linda Sarsour
Natalie Batalha, Guillem Anglada-Escudé and Michaël Gillon

Artists

Emma Stone
Colson Whitehead
Ed Sheeran
Alicia Keys
Ryan Reynolds
Donald Glover
Leslie Jones
Ben Platt
Ava DuVernay
Barry Jenkins
Margot Robbie
Sarah Paulson
James Corden
John Legend
Alessandro Michele
Kerry James Marshall
Demi Lovato

Leaders

Theresa May
Narendra Modi
Chuck Schumer
Donald Trump
Elizabeth Warren
Julian Assange
James Comey
Kim Jong Un
Reince Priebus
Xi Jinping
Rodrigo Duterte
Stephen Bannon
Theo Epstein
Tom Perez
Vladimir Putin
Wang Qishan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Sandra Day O’Connor
Pope Francis
General James Mattis
King Maha Vajiralongkorn
Juan Manuel Santos
Major General
Qasem Soleimani
Melinda Gates

Titans

Janet Yellen
LeBron James
Daniel Ek
Bernard J. Tyson
Evan Spiegel
George Church
Jean Liu
Tom Brady
James Allison
Rebekah Mercer
Jason Blum
Jeff Bezos
Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Margrethe Vestager

Icons

Simone Biles
Ashley Graham
Cindy Sherman
John Lewis
Margaret Atwood
Colin Kaepernick
Jeanette Vizguerra
Neymar
RuPaul
Raf Simons
Biram Dah Abeid
Leila de Lima
David Adjaye
Gretchen Carlson
Fatou Bensouda
Thelma Aldana
Fan Bingbing
Viola Davis
Raed Saleh
Cindy Arlette Contreras Bautista

[Source]

Your thoughts?

The MTV Video Music Awards ceremony is to return to Los Angeles this year and is bringing a grand gang of stars with it!

When?

? Guess what?! The @MTV #VMAs return to Los Angeles LIVE on August 27 at 8/7c! ? pic.twitter.com/3HiKZA9xWB

— Video Music Awards (@vmas) April 20, 2017

Performers lined up to rock this year’s ceremony are yet to be announced, but fans of a number of chart staples can expect them to use the platform to launch and support their new LPs and movie projects.

Last year’s ceremony offered performances from Ariana Grande, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Jidenna and Nick Jonas.

Your thoughts?

Kim Zolciak is officially set for a return to ‘The Real Housewives Of Atlanta.’

According to TMZ, the reality star – who was an original cast member of the Bravo smash – has inked a deal to appear on its upcoming 10th season.

Citing a production source, the report claims that despite efforts to secure Zolciak in a full-time role, her appearance will be limited due to commitments attached to her own spin-off series ‘Don’t Be Tardy.’

Perhaps as an arc of sorts, the 38-year-old was last seen making a surprise appearance on the finale of the show’s recently wrapped 9th season. She locked horns with Kenya Moore at the grand opening of the now infamous Chateau Sheree. 

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Kim signing on the dotted line makes for a number of interesting questions. Most of which center on the potential implications for other cast members.

Fellow RHOA original NeNe Leakes has been reportedly courted for a return for the show’s 10th anniversary. Yet, she has gone on record to state that she would have to be making more than frenemy Kim for it to be worth it.

So, with Zolciak effectively on-board as a “Friend Of,” it leaves the coast clear for a full-time comeback for NeNe. Although the show has been fine, if not better, without her. 

If Ms. Leakes does indeed return, will she be snatching a peach (and pay-check) from Phaedra Parks – who rumors claim is on the chopping block? Or will she be added back into the mix in a “more the merrier” capacity?

Watch this space.

Your thoughts?

Parkwood power player Beyonce has learned that she has reached an impressive milestone on Instagram this week.

What it is?

100 million accounts on the platform are now following the star’s official page extending her lead as one of Pop’s most influential purveyors on and off the net.

Where she comes on the platform’s list of users with the highest number of followers?

Want more Beyonce news?

We’ve got you covered.

Following its release on November 14th 2008, the vocalist’s third studio album ‘I Am..Sasha Fierce’ has moved over 8 million units in pure sales with help from its singles ‘If I Were a Boy’, ‘Single Ladies’ and her Lady Gaga-backed ‘Video Phone’.

Awesome!
#NowPlaying: Two Minute History.

2 Minute History: Explaining The Statement "Ronald Regan Flooded the Hood With Crack" pic.twitter.com/IPiF9tRGW8

— elexus jionde (@Lexual__) January 26, 2017

Your thoughts?

The many successes of industry icon Clive Davis have been chronicled in a new docu-movie aptly titled ‘Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives.’

Unveiled at the Tribeca Film Festival yesterday, the reveal was paired with a concert special with took place at Radio City Music Hall in NYC.

Aretha Franklin and Jennifer Hudson, whose careers Davis has been instrumental in shaping, took to the stage to perform.

Other names in the house include Tony and Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo, Dionne Warwick, Whoopi Goldberg, Barry Manilow, 

More pics below…

Your thoughts?

[Photo credit: Getty]

Will Smith is reportedly in talks to join the live action adaptation of Disney’s Aladdin!

Production on the Guy Ritchie-helmed project kicks off in the United Kingdom this summer and, should negotiations prove to be fruitful, will welcome Smith to the cast as Genie, once portrayed by the late Robin Williams.

Fans of the box office rocking Will will remember that the talks he entered with Disney to star in its forthcoming revival of Dumbo fell through after they allegedly refused to part ways with the $20 million he asked for.

The Guardian adds:

According to Sean Bailey, head of motion picture production at Disney, the film will be a “highly energized” musical. This year has already seen the studio celebrating global success for Beauty and the Beast, with the film earning over $1bn worldwide. As well as Dumbo and Aladdin, the studio also has plans to remake Mulan, Peter Pan, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid and Pocahontas.

Your thoughts?

After taking a moment away from the spotlight to become a mother, Tyra Banks is back and firing from all cylinders.

Fresh from being announced as host of ‘America’s Got Talent’ and returning to ‘America’s Next Top Model,’ the super-mogul confirmed the sequel to her much-loved TV movie ‘Life-Size.’

Taking to Twitter, the 43-year-old sent the net into a frenzy with the following news…

One word: LIFESIZE

Oops…

2 words

LIFESIZE 2

— Tyra Banks (@tyrabanks) April 19, 2017

Variety followed with additional details.

‘Life-Size 2’ has been officially commissioned by Freeform, the sister network of the Disney Channel, which along with ABC, was home to the original 2000 telepic.

The news comes after a lengthy period of negotiations and development dating back to 2015, when Banks  said of the sequel:

“There is no one else that can play Eve but me, thank you very much! I’m just joking with you, but yes, I am going to be Eve.

So what will ‘Life-Size 2’ be about?

Well, Banks will reprise her revered role as Eve – a doll that comes to life.

This go round though, she’s all grown up and magically woken to help a young woman learn to live and love again. As the story progresses, Eve herself experiences the highs and lows of real life in a narrative described by the network as a “fun, edgy, modern Christmas movie.”

Further news on the cast has yet to be divulged, however it appears Lindsay Lohan will not feature. For when asked about the story during the development stage, Banks told reporters:

“We have not talked about casting at all so I have no idea who is going to be the young person that will be the owner of Eve. We haven’t gotten to that.”

With Lohan’s role being the “young person” from 17 years ago, it’s unlikely she’s aboard. Still, anything can happen.

In any case, the movie will air on Freeform in December 2018 and forms part of the network’s popular ’25 Days of Christmas’ programming slate.

Ever of her entrepreneurial hustle, Banks will also serve as executive producer on ‘Life-Size 2.’ Cha-Ching!

Your thoughts?

With industry friends Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Rita Ora, and Jamie Foxx on board, R&B bad boy Chris Brown is said to be giving his fans life by bringing an in depth look at his to big screens across the country.

From his humble beginnings in Virginia to stages across the world, the candid documentary – ‘Welcome To My Life’ – is due to hit theaters in June and will feature a tell-all sit down with the embattled star.

Will the personalized view at the stageblazer help curtail the mounting negative press against him from recent months?  See the trailer inside and tell us your thoughts:

(more…)

Lana Del Rey, The Weeknd and Max Martin teamed up for a creative cause recently when they joined forces to hatch the song ‘Lust for Life’.

Standing as the title track for Rey’s new album the number touched down via Mistajam’s BBC Radio One show recently and leads the way for the set which is yet to nab a release date.

Then, we dance on the H of the Hollywood sign, yeah
‘Til we run out of breath, gotta dance ’til we die (duwop, duwop)
My boyfriend’s back, and he’s cooler than ever (shuwop, shuwop)
There’s no more night, blue skies forever

Listen below…

‘Cause we’re the masters of our own fate
We’re the captains of our own souls
There’s no way for us to come away
‘Cause boy we’re gold, boy we’re gold
And I was like…

Your thoughts?

If you live in a major city you’ve probably encountered many a celebrity making their way through town on their way to work and play.

What happens if you don’t?

You come to the new TGJ feature ‘Celebs about Town’ which sees us churn out details about where your favourite people were the night before, and when and why they were there.

Waiting below? India Arie, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Brown and more!

The couple dined shortly after going public with their relationship which blossoms months after Lopez pulled the plug on her time with the entertainer Drake.

Rodriguez, a baseball player, is worth a reported $300 million and like Lopez was raised in New York City before becoming a household name by way of wins scored in his field.

Unfamiliar with his work?

Watch him in action below….

Lopez wasn’t the only one with business in Florida this month. For, Chris Brown finds himself in alligator-invested legal water following his alleged assault of a photographer.

As reported here, Brown was caught punching said photographer on camera (allegedly)  at a Tampa nightclub and parting ways with the venue long before he was scheduled to.

The club is now asking the singer to cough up the $30,000 they paid him to appear at the club as they believe he started the fight and had no good reason to split earlier than he was supposed to.

If he doesn’t return the cash he may have another lawsuit on his hands.

Let’s head over to New York.

There, the professional athlete and rising star Sterling Shepard attended the NFLxFIT Visual System Design Contest at The Museum at FIT to celebrate the marriage of sports and fashion.

Unfamiliar with the contest?

The National Football League (NFL) and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) partnered more than eight months ago to challenge students minoring in Creative Technology to reimagine all of the NFL team identities, including artwork and graphics inspired by the teams’ logos and fan cultures. The new graphic elements and branding treatments will be used on NFL merchandise.

Shepard, who is romantically tied to Chanel Iman, was signed by the Giants for $5.94 million in 2016 and plays alongside Odell Beckham Jr.

?

A post shared by Sterling Shepard (@sterl_shep3) on Oct 6, 2016 at 6:59pm PDT

Your thoughts?

It’s here!

Nicki Minaj reunites with her Young Money comrades Drake and Lil Wayne in the video for ‘No Frauds.’

Premiering merely moments ago, the clip is the latest in a long list of visuals offered up by Onika of late. All of which pave the lane to her much anticipated fourth studio album, due later this year.

The regrouping of Minaj, Drizzy, and Wayne comes after years of “doing their own thing” amidst personal dramas (see: Meek Mill feud) and professional implosions (Weezy and Birdman).

With the band back together, can their newest number climb higher than its #14 peak on the Hot 100?

Watch its accompanying visual below and let us know…

Your thoughts?

Serena Williams has scored many wins in her illustrious life, but her latest has a more personal touch.

For, the tennis superstar has announced that she is expecting a child!

Confirmation came courtesy of the 23 time Grand Slam winner, who revealed she is 20-weeks along in a Snapchat post:

The baby will be the first for the 35-year-old and fiance, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.

Huge congrats to Serena and Alexis!

Your thoughts?