superbowl-anthem-best-thatgrapejuice

With Super Bowl 50 merely a day away, all eyes (and ears) are on Lady Gaga as she gears up to open the extravaganza with the the US National Anthem (‘The Star Spangled Banner’).

Over the years, the song has become notorious for its ability to both catapult and crush careers.

Which renditions should Gaga be Googling?

Join us after the jump as we countdown our Top 5 Super Bowl ‘Star Spangled Banner’ Performances.

Did your favorite make the list? (more…)

sunset-beach-that-grape-juice-2016

Welcome to ‘Retro Rewind’, the TGJ original feature carved out to take our faithful readers on a journey to TV and Film’s glorious past.

Today, we make our way to 1997 to celebrate the arrival of the short-lived soap opera ‘Sunset Beach.’

Following his success with the hit TV shows ‘Charlie’s Angels’, ‘Dynasty’ and ‘Beverly Hills 90210‘, the television producer Aaron Spelling set out to restore interest in NBC‘s daytime programming and draw younger audiences towards it.

The result? ‘Sunset Beach‘, a soap opera following the dramatic lives of people living on the coast of California.

Armed with characters whose back stories weaved in and out of each other’s decades before the show’s premiere on January 6th 1997, the series enthralled viewers with  its compelling (and often unrealistic) tales of betrayal (see Olivia, Caitlin & Cole), class and crime (Virginia‘s desperation to protect her son from the dangers of South Central LA) and the supernatural (Annie‘s frequent trips to Hell.)

Oh…and pregnancies by way of turkey basters.

The plug was pulled on the series in 1999 but not before it would turn make household names out of Eddy Cibrian, Sarah Buxton and its African-American cast Sherri Saum, Jason Winston George and Dominique Jennings.

Ready to take that journey?

High drama at ‘Sunset’ below…

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rihanan-tidal-anti-thatgrapejuice

Rihanna‘s power as an album seller may remain as questionable as ever, yet following a turbo-charged launch, she continues to prove herself as a potent singles shifter with latest effort ‘Work.’

Serviced as the ‘ANTI’ album’s fourth “lead” single, the Drake assisted number is racing up the charts and is on-course to become the Barbadian beauty’s next big hit.

Scenes for its accompanying video were reportedly shot long before its premiere, yet additional dance cuts were shot this past week.

Omnipresent on social media, Rih took to Snapchat today to tease and titillate with clips from the visual.

Check it out below…

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lady-gaga-superbowl2-thatgrapejuice

Beyond the Halftime Show, Sunday’s Super Bowl 50 will be a must-see attraction for music fans thanks to Lady Gaga.

The superstar singer’s comeback campaign will see her kick off festivities with a spirited showing of the US National Anthem.

As history has shown, performing the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ on such a grand stage has immortalised some careers, while T.K.O’ing others.

Speaking with the NFL Network today, Mother Monster opened up about the honor of being asked to perform and revealed that she’s drawing inspiration from Whitney Houston‘s iconic showing.

See her full length interview below, as well as a preview of what folk can expect…

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beyonce-nfl-thatgrapejuice

Beyonce hasn’t sat down for a traditional interview in almost three years; but with buzz to build for her Super Bowl performance with Coldplay on Sunday night, the singer has shattered the silence.

Aptly, it was for a feature on CBS’ network special – The Super Bowl’s Greatest Halftime Shows.

Watch below as Queen Bey spills on her 2013 spectacle and takes the masses behind the scenes to see the ‘Formation’ of the extravaganza.

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naacp-image-awards-2016-thatgrapejuice

Last night, the NAACP Image Awards 2016 aired live on TVOne.

The annual extravaganza, which celebrates the successes of people of color, was this year was hosted by ‘Black-ish’ star Anthony Anderson. 

Achievements by performers in film and TV were spotlighted yesterday, with previous awards presented on February 4th for accomplishments in music, literature and animation.

The likes of Michael B. Jordan, Jill Scott, and ‘Empire’ landed a number of wins. Check out full list of winners for the 47th annual NAACP Image Awards below…

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kmichelle-2016-thatgrapejuice

K. Michelle is playing no games as she continues to parlay her reality fame into a viable recording career.

This year, the R&B star will release her third studio album and, fresh from debuting its lead single ‘Not A Little Bit’ last month she has unveiled the project’s official title and cover.

At one point, she teased that the LP had been christened ‘I’m Not White But I Hope You Like It.’

However, she’s clearly changed her mind.

Find out what the project has been named below…

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jlo-shades-of-blue-thatgrapejuice

It’s jubilation time Jennifer Lopez.

For, the dynamite diva’s new NBC series ‘Shades of Blue’ has received an order for second season.

Details below…

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Tiffany Pollard has been evicted from the ‘Celebrity Big Brother.’

Full story  below…

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thatgrapejuice usher u got it bad

Readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.

So, as our retrospective features ‘From the Vault’ and ‘TGJ Replay’  allow us the chance to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday of one artist, our newest feature Chart Rewind – a variation of our current Retro Rewind assay – accedes salutes to an entire era of music history.

This week we’ll rewind to the third #1 hit of R&B vet Usher‘s career – ‘U Got It Bad.’ The second single lifted from his ‘8701’ album, the tune’s ascension to the summit of the Hot 100 marked the first time in his career he nabbed consecutive #1 hits (both from one album). Skyrocketing to the top of the tally in late 2001, the song was briefly toppled by rockers Nickelback before resuming its grip on the position for 5 consecutive weeks (6 weeks overall).

A lasting fan favorite of Ush’s, the tune’s accompanying video – featuring then-girlfriend Chilli (of TLC) – is remembered most for its famous rain dance sequence (impressive choreography the crooner has recreated on stage time and time again).  Tuck in below to relive ‘Bad’ and see which of its chart co-tenants you remember most from this week in 2002:

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orange-is-the-new-black-that-grape-juice-2016

Despite the criticism thrown at its widely panned third season ‘Orange is the New Black‘ has learned that is to remain on Netflix…for a very long time.

Good news below…

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A decade after ‘Dreamgirls’ dominated at the box office, the legendary musical is heading back to the stage…this time with ‘Glee’ star Amber Riley.

The show, which first debuted in 1981 (and won six Tony Awards), is being given new life in London’s West End.

Full story below…

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