Black Hollywood may have shone brightest on the red carpet of tonight’s highly anticipated Golden Globe Awards.  Coming in as the 71st annual presentation of the prestigious awards gala, film and television stars like Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Zoe Saldana, and a very pregnant Kerry Washington set the Beveryly Hilton red carpet alight with their flowing designer gowns.

See more pictures below from the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler-hosted affair:

Your thoughts?

After a lengthy break on the bench, ‘TGJ Replay’ is back!

Designed much like our ‘Retro Rewind’ and ‘From the Vault’ segments, ‘Replay’ is That Grape Juice‘s newest retrospective segment – a written quest, if you will, to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday.

Unlike its ‘Rewind’ and ‘Vault’ predecessors, ‘Replay’ looks to dust off and showcase entire albums (and eras) from a library of pop and Urban pop music hits.  Today we fast backward to Queen of Hip Hop Soul Mary J. Blige‘s royal comeback album ‘The Breakthrough’. Our ode to the birthday girl (who celebrated her 43rd yesterday) awaits…

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As reported here, Tina Knowles continued the week-long celebration of her 60th birthday in New Orleans last night with a star-studded masquerade ball. With R&B’s best and brightest in the house, including daughters Beyonce and Solange, Monica, Kelly Rowland, Jennifer Hudson, and many more, the event drew quite the glare from onlookers who tried to guess who was who of the masked celebs.

Hosted at Creole restaurant Muriel’s Jackson Square in the French Quarter, the festivity reportedly cost the Knowles camp a whopping $100,000.  But, hey…you only turn 60 once right?

See more pics below:

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Ever keen to broaden our musical scope, recent months have seen That Grape Juice venture into a number of new musical landscapes including, most recently, gospel.

Spearheaded by well-received interviews with gospel singers Yolanda Adams, Hezekiah Walker, Twinkie Clark, Fred Hammond, Kierra Sheard, Dorinda Clark Cole, Israel Houghton, Marvin Sapp, Micah Stampley, Joshua Rogers, and more, TGJ is now offering readers ‘The Overflow’ – a collection of the top gospel-themed news stories from the week.

Tuck in below for the latest news on The Super Bowl, Twinkie Clark, David & Tamela Mann, newcomer Devon Baker, Tasha Cobb, and more:

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Let a number of reports tell it, the 56th annual Grammy awards will welcome an appearance by Beyonce.

So, if these reports to prove to be true, one can expect the entertainer to arrive a sizeable smile on her face, brought about the undying success of her brand new studio album, ‘Beyonce.’

Details below…

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This week’s From The Vault spotlights yet another magnificent track, courtesy of the King Of Pop himself: it’s Michael Jackson‘s ‘Stranger In Moscow’.

‘Moscow’ was the last of five singles to be released from Mike’s 1995 ‘HIStory’ album. A qualitative classic, the Jackson produced cut remains a fan favorite thanks largely to its honesty and vulnerability. Written at the height of MJ’s 93 legal drama – first as a poem then developed into a full fledged-song – ‘Moscow’ deals with isolation and solitude. The slow pace and minor-key arrangements convey that very sentiment of sadness and loneliness.

While remaining rather composed throughout the bulk of the track, the bridge sees the vocalist burst out in anger, releasing his frustration about being mistreated and misunderstood.

In the US – where Jackson’s profile wasn’t at its best following much publicized controversy – the gem only peaked in the lower tier of the Hot 100, precisely at #91, but fared much better in Europe where it ascended to #4 in the UK, #1 in Spain, and #18 in France. In Australia the song reached the 14th position of the charts and peaked at #6 in New Zealand.

The black and white Nick Brandt-directed video mirrors the track’s theme and depicts sombre-looking characters including Jackson wandering the streets while the other passersby run counter in slow-motion – which is symbolism for the song’s lyrical narrative, as is the rain at the end of the video. Impressive CGI was used as often was the case with the visual artist’s biggest videos.

When it comes to fusing music and video together, it – quite literally – doesn’t get any better than Michael Jackson. Hopefully today’s talent follow in his footsteps and internalize the importance of delivering sounds and visuals that so envelope pushing that once opened they inspire generations to come. The likes of Beyonce and Lady GaGa are – at least – trying, but the industry would benefit from more.

There’s only one King Of Pop, that much is a given. Yet, the new generation would benefit from seeing his achievements and innovations as a challenge, rather than resting on their laurels. Momentary popularity is fleeting, greatness is ever-lasting.

Your thoughts?

Now just months away from the release of his new album, the Hip Hop hero that is Future joined fiancee Ciara in Milan recently, where they posed for the killer snap placed above.

Akin to something one might expect to see in Wachowski’s ‘The Matrix’, the blacked-out pair shared the pic with the world via Ciara‘s Instagram page, just two weeks before they attend the 56th Annual Grammy Awards alongside the likes of Pharrell Williams, Lorde, Katy Perry-and if reports published this week are to be believed- Ciara‘s R&B relative Beyonce.

More below…

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Could Madonna be plotting the release of ‘Ray of Light 2.o’?

Well, if a report published by Paul Dacre‘s ‘Daily Mail’ is anything to go by, Pop’s heartbeat is doing just that this year, reportedly calling on ‘He Won’t Go‘ performer Adele to help bring her ideas to fruition.

Their report below…

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The Voice UK is back!

Having undergone a coach overhaul (which saw Jessie J and Danny O’Donoghue depart the show), the BBC1 hit welcomes Pop superstar Kylie Minogue to the judging panel alongside Kaiser Chiefs frontman Ricky Wilson for its third outing. The pair join original “coaches”  will.i.am and Tom Jones.

Currently in the “Blind Auditions” phase of the competition, you can check out episode 1’s contestant’s below…

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Rita Ora‘s branding hustle knows no bounds.

With just one album under her belt, Roc Nation‘s leading lady continues to prove a magnet for some of the world’s biggest multi-nationals.

Having already landed lucrative endorsement deals with Rimmel, DKNY, and Madonna’s Material Girl, the ‘R.I.P’ singer can now add Adidas to the ever-growing list.

The sports giant has teamed up with the Brit-bred beauty to promote their uber popular “Originals” imprint.

Details after the jump…

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Just when you thought you’d seen and heard it all.

‘If You Had My Love’ singer Jennifer Lopez may want to think hard before she poses that hitmaking question again, believes former fan Rodrigo Ruiz.  

For, in a bizarre lawsuit, Ruiz is suing Lopez for $10,000 for alleged sexual harassment, claiming the triple threat diva demanded he send her nude photos in exchange for potential romantic involvement and a record deal.

Tuck in below to read his shocking allegations:

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With digital downloads and online streams becoming two of the more dominant ingredients in the recipe of most of Billboard Hot 100 hits today, critics started to argue that topping the chart had become easier than ever to achieve.  But, despite the likes of Jay Z, Drake, and Beyonce making headlines in 2013 for moving some of the year’s most impressive numbers on Billboard 200, they have another commonality – no Hot 100 #1 singles.

In fact, they join a bevy of African American hitmakers (i.e. Alicia Keys, Kanye West, J. Cole) who delivered chart-topping albums in late 2012 or 2013 without the aid of a similarly successful single.

Even this generation’s Hot 100 queen Rihanna, whose #1 single ‘Diamonds’ was dethroned two weeks before 2013’s beginning, did not see her name stamped atop the tally [as a leading act] for a song she released this year…

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