Who better to unveil the 2011 American Music Award nominations than unlikely duo Pitbull and Nicki Minaj?  Both have seen considerable rises in their respective rap careers and have lent (or been lent) helping hands across multiple musical denominations – from pop to country.  Now, the two have the potential to add more notches to their growing accolades as they both have been nominated.

Speaking with our friends over at AttaGirl during the event, the Young Money rapstress talked about her AMA nominations as well as briefly chatting about her  forthcoming album and scorching duet with pint-sized pop star Willow Smith.

Find out what she said after the jump:

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Shortly after ‘Bittersweet’ belter Fantasia took to The Wendy Williams Show to clear up rumors concerning her removal from the lead role of the forthcoming feature film ‘Mahalia’, producers of the show join the songstress in denying such claims.

Production on the film, based on an adaptation of the 1993 book ‘Got to Tell It: Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel’, was allegedly halted due to news surfacing of Fantasia’s relationship with boyfriend Antwaun Cook (and the pregnancy announcement that followed).

Now, the movie’s production company – Double Dutch Productions – is slamming rumors they say were brought forth by an unauthorized party.  See their statement after the jump:

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With their battle at the 2011 American Music Awards forthcoming, it seems the competition is already heating up on the charts.  For chart titan Adele, the premiere of the ‘Someone Like You’ visual two weeks ago undoubtedly assisted its (re-)ascension to the top spot.  The cut, the latest lifted from her multiplatinum ’21’ LP, moved ‘Moves Like Jagger’ from its previous reign – checking Christina Aguilera and co. into the #2 spot for the third week in a row.

Rihanna, on the other hand, is finding herself getting two steps closer to dethroning the soulful songstress as ‘We Found Love’ rises from 9-7 in its second week on charts.  And, with its accompany visual’s upcoming release, the song will assuredly get the boost it needs to get into the top 5 (if not top the tally).

Otherwise, the charts saw little movement with David Guetta and Usher‘s ‘Without You’ remaining at #8 for a second week and chart titan Lady Gaga‘s ‘You & I’ rebounding to round out the top 10 at #10.

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…and white in these glossy photos snapped for the November issue of Elle magazine.  The Hip Hop Soul queen, who is readying fans for the premiere of her ’25/8′ visual on October 17th, is seen looking ever-regal (and ever-youthful) in the shots donning a fur coat and ditching her signature blonde-do for a darker number.

In the feature interview, Blige touched on a number of topics ranging from being bitten by the acting bug to her upcoming album ‘My Life II’ (November 21st):

“I can’t save every man and woman on planet earth; I’m not God. Let’s be clear on that, Mary says with a laugh. ” What I am is a vessel and a friend. what I’m here for is to walk outside and have someone say ‘wow, this song got me through this when I was going through this’ and then lay the story on me.”

More shots from the shoot after the jump:

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Sure to serve as a much needed ratings boost for the show, hot shots of Rihanna‘s guest appearance on the X Factor USA surfaced online just moments ago.

Snapped in the company of her boss and X Factor judge LA Reid as well as  members of his Boys category, the Nivea spokeswoman is  reported to take to the show’s  stage in coming weeks to perform a cut lifted from her album ‘Talk That Talk‘.

One more image below…

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Nicole Scherzinger has spent the last few months judging the talent of others on the X Factor USA. However, the Pop trier is still attempting to break ground solo ground Stateside, following a slow response from the US audience.

Taking her cause to Good Morning America today, the 32 year old served up a rousing rendition of ‘Don’t Hold Your Breath’ – a cut from her ‘Killer Love’ LP.

Check out Ms. Scherzinger in action below…

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Today’s definition of a superstar is, for many, hard to measure. Indeed, for some, the term denotes one who is widely respected in their field. While for others, it’s those who snag the most column inches.

Helping clear the cloud is respected industry outlet Forbes, who use solid metrics – such as annual income – to push through any such ambiguity.

Today, the publication revealed the 2011 list of Entertainment’s Highest Earning Women (2010 – 2011).

Find out who made the list (and, perhaps most interestingly, who didn’t) after the jump…

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Peep Kelly Rowland embracing her inner-diva in this outlandish new promo shot. So many flavours of fierce!

In other Ms. Kelly news, the singer is gearing up for the International release of her 3rd studio album ‘Here I Am’.

Due in November, Rowland tells That Grape Juice that the revised version of the LP will have a dancier focus, sharing some material from the original with newly recorded tracks. A performance of the project’s lead single ‘Down For Whatever’ is set to be staged on the UK incarnation of the X Factor, on which she serves as a judge.

For now, you can check out the 30 year old’s sizzling new video for Stateside single ‘Lay It On Me’ by clicking here.

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Much to the contempt of many of Lil Wayne‘s naysayers, he has risen to become one of  entertainment’s elite characters, responsible for birthing the careers of cash cows Nicki Minaj and Drake.

Both signed to his Young Money Entertainment imprint, the last two years has seen the pair join Wayne to become three of Pop’s highest selling acts.

All three of them surpassing the commercial efforts of their respective rivals in recent months.

Now find out why Drake feels that both Rappers have reached icon status and why this inspires  him to ‘step it up’, below…

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With not long to go till the release of Jojo‘s upcoming album, ‘Jumping Trains‘ , the 20 year old vocalist took the KTLA 5 stage today to perform its lead single ‘Disaster‘ in a bid to boost awareness for the project.

Peep Ms. ‘Too Little Too Late‘ do her thing below…

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With a fan base that spans a wide range of demographics, recent years  have seen Hip Hop maestra Nicki Minaj enjoy a number of documented close encounters with many of her supporters.

Now watch what happened when the song bird walked out onto ‘The Ellen Show’ stage to meet two of her younger ‘Barbz‘ ,who recently rose to You Tube fame with a cover of her Billboard smash ‘Super Bass‘.

Footage below…

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Recently gracing small screens with his contribution to the video for Kelly Rowland‘s Lay It On Me‘, Big Sean is no stranger to sharing camera time with some of music’s loveliest ladies.

Now, in what will be sure to put a smile on the faces of much of his fan base, the GOOD Music Rapper has revealed that Pop princess Nicki Minaj is to star in his upcoming clip for the remix in support of his single ‘Dance (A$$)‘.

More information below…

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