The video for Monica‘s new single ‘Everything To Me’ premiered a few moments ago. Check it out above…

Wow! I really enjoyed the cinematic /narrative-driven clip. Directed by Benny Boom, the video is perhaps Monica’s best to date; Ms. Arnold looks stunning and the storyline has a great twist at the end. It’s always refreshing when at artist hits you with a concept you wouldn’t have expected. Great video!

Tidbit: That Grape Juice had an awesome interview with Monica herself last night. Look out for it tomorrow!

What do you think of the video?

As our UK readers will know, there have been strong murmurings about Cheryl Cole calling time on her marriage to footballer Ashley Cole, after his infidelities became headline news two weeks ago. Today, the Pop star’s publicist released the following statement confirming that the power couple are indeed splitting:

“Cheryl Cole is separating from her husband Ashley Cole. Cheryl asks the media to respect her privacy during this difficult time. We have no further comment to make.”

Granted the fact the news comes as little surprise, the whole situation is rather unfortunate. Sigh…

Tidbit: Despite her questionable talent, the name ‘Cheryl Cole’ had a ring. It’ll be interesting to see if she’ll revert back to her maiden name ‘Tweedy’ for her music career. ‘Cheryl Tweedy’….hmmm.

Your thoughts?

Singing sensation Leona Lewis rocked the red carpet at the Elle Style Awards here in London town last night. The notoriously shy singer looked a picture of boldness as she struck a pose for the army of paparazzi covering the event. Work!

Your thoughts?

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Initially set for release in November last year, the Sugababes’ ironically titled new LP ‘Sweet 7’ has been pushed back yet again. Re-scheduled to hit stores on March 8th, the record has been delayed by a week and will now be released on March 15th. No reason has been given for the delay. {Source}

Really, though; what more can be said when it comes to this project? All I can say is that it’ll be really interesting to see how the album goes on to perform considering all the drama surrounding the group, as well as the money that has been pumped into this particular campaign by their label.

Your thoughts?

Rihanna sat down with MTV News to talk about her plans for her next studio project. The Bajan’s latest released, ‘Rated R’, has already been certified platinum in the US and sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. Check out an excerpt from the interview below:

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Check out this sneak peek of Monica’s ‘Everything To Me’ video. The songs stands (no pun intended) as the official first single from her ‘Still Standing’ and the clip was directed by Benny Boom. Monica’s new album hits stores on March 23rd. Looks like she’s about to ‘set it off’ on somebody in this one!

Thoughts?

Leona Lewis had a guest spot on the UK’s GMTV recently. The singer performed the 2nd single from her ‘Echo’ album, ‘I Got You’. To date, the song has peaked at #40 on the UK Singles Chart and #10 on the UK R&B chart.

Yet another pitch-perfect vocal performance from Lewis. However, there is one point that stands out about this song: why is ‘I Got You’ (or Leona Lewis for that matter) considered R&B in the UK? Certainly the track is hardly anything other than a Pop record. Had the song been released in the US, I highly doubt that it would have been any where close to the Hip-Hop/R&B charts. Interesting…

Thoughts?

Kanye West just released the music video for ‘Coldest Winter’. Nabil Elderkin directed the clip to support the song which serves as the 5th single from his ‘808s & Heartbreak’ album which was released in 2008. The LP has this far been certified platinum in the US.

West continues to show why he is one of the guiding lights of Hip-Hop. Although the graphics in the clip a reminiscent of the video game ‘World of Warcraft’, the dark display truly captures the vibe of the track. The production on this record (and the entire album for that matter) is crazy good. West is one of the few artists who knows how to use the cliche that is auto-tune to it’s full potential. Good stuff.

Thoughts?

In a rare moment of public affection, Jay-Z and Beyonce were spotted snuggling on his yacht in Miami, Florida. The duo spent the day on Saturday relaxing before Jay-Z kicked off his ‘Blueprint 3’ tour later that evening. Check out more pics below:

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Following a string of commercial chart disasters, it is being reported today that Jennifer Lopez has been dropped by long-time label Epic Records. Ouch!

The singer/actress’ manager Benny Medina is said to have confirmed the news via email to Deadline.com, asserting that the split was an amicable one; one which occurred after the 40 year old mother of two had fulfilled her contractual obligations to the label upon the release of her last single ‘Louboutins’ – which tanked terribly on the charts upon its release early this year. Lopez’s team are said to have also shot down claims that her album ‘Love?’ was already completed, insisting that it has a been at an infant stage for a while yet (despite press listening sessions, and confirmed producer credits from the likes of Danja and D Mile).

However, such suggestion of Lopez’s departure being amicable is being rubbished by some close to the project. Instead, they reveal, it was Epic who sent Lopez packing after her series of chart flops. The label are said to ‘no longer know who Lopez’s audience are any more’. Worse still, Lopez’s forthcoming LP is said to have indeed been completed and ready for release in April.

Lopez is said to be in talks with LA Reid for a move to Def Jam.

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This hardly comes as a surprise (and we actually exclusively revealed the fact not all was well with the project a while back). Despite several high-profile media appearances, Ms. Jenny From The Block just couldn’t strike it lucky with any of her new material. Which, when coming off the epic flop (pun intended) that was her 2007 effort ‘Brave’ as well as the current economy, never was going to bode well for her this go round.

In any case, it appears Ms. Marc-Anthony is pressing on and keeping it moving. The Def Jam deal doesn’t sound that far fetched either; some may recall the pics of Jennifer and her manager Benny Medina meeting with LA Reid and Rihanna earlier this month. I guess it wasn’t so much of a random gathering after all. (It would be rather wise for ol’ Jenny to look at Def Jam’s track record as of late with the likes of Janet Jackson and Amerie before signing on the dotted line).

Randomness: Should Jennifer sign to Def Jam, she’d be on the same label as old rival Mariah Carey (remember this? LMAO!). Then again, reliable word has it Mariah is on her way out from Def Jam, so maybe not?….

Your thoughts?

Check out these snaps of diva Mariah Carey and husband of two years Nick Cannon nearby their Bel Air home yesterday (courtesy of our good friend The YBF).

Ol’ Mimi is “looking so HOT Tamale”! I joke. Everyone has their ‘off days’, including our Mariah. Plus, we all know she looks great when glammed up…

Your thoughts?