Legendary producer Quincy Jones assembled over 80 artists at in Los Angeles last night to record the 2010 version of ‘We Are The World’ in support of Haiti. The session, which has been spear-headed by Jones and Lionel Richie, who together with the late, great Michael Jackson fronted the original 25 years ago, was recorded at the Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood – the same place the 1985 version was recorded in. Look out for the track’s debut during the Winter Olympics later this month.

Stars who recorded during the session for the new version included:

Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Kanye West, Celine Dion, Lil Wayne, Barbra Strisand, Wyclef, Pink, Gladys Knight, Justin Bieber Akon, Snoop Dogg, Mya, Brandy, Robin Thicke, Tyrese, Trey Songz, Jamie Foxx, Toni Braxton, Kid Cudi, LL Cool J, Keri Hilson, will.i.am, Nicole Scherzinger, among others.

Interestingly, though Michael Jackson’s original vocals will not feature, the Jackson family will have a presence on the track; with Janet Jackson confirmed to record and submit her vocals remotely, and some members of Jackson trio 3T also present during the session.

Tidbits: It’s also been reported that Lady GaGa will be featuring on the track in some capacity. Like most, though, I am wondering where Beyonce is…

In any case, check  whole lot of pics from the session after the jump…

(more…)

The 82nd annual Oscar Award nominees were announced within the hour, and Lee Daniel’s critically acclaimed ‘Precious’ has scooped nominations in the several major categories!

*Comedienne and talk-show host Mo’Nique is nominated for Best Supporting Actress

*Lead, Gaboruey Sidibe – who played ‘Precious’ – is up for Best Actress

*The movie’s director Lee Daniels has been nominated for Best Director

‘Precious’ is also up for Best Picture

————————————————————-

As one of the most potent pieces of cinematography I’ve seen in a long while, I most definitely feel the nominations are very much deserved (as are their potential wins). Tune in to the show on March 7th to see how ‘Precious’ fares…

Your thoughts?

Sam

1) Monster – Lady GaGa

2) My Ring – Toni Braxton

3) Say It – Ne-Yo

4) Rude Boy – Rihanna

5) For The Lovers – Whitney Houston

Trent

1) On To The Next One – Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz

2) Poker Face – Lady GaGa

3) Bad Romance – Lady GaGa

4) The Roof – Mariah Carey

5) If Only You Knew – Patti Labelle

What are Your Top 5 Songs of The Moment?

As reported earlier, an extensive list of celebrities came together to cover REM’s classic ‘Everybody Hurts’. Now the track which features stars including Mariah Carey, Leona Lewis, Susan Boyle, Cheryl Cole, Kylie Minogue and JLS, to name a few, has finally surfaced. The single will be available for download on February 8th with all proceeds benefiting Haiti. {Source}

This is a beautiful remake. All of the singers included have their own unique qualities and that added so many different colours and textures to the recording that it did not have before. However, there were two artists on the track that sounded somewhat similar; Leona Lewis and Mariah Carey. Their voices have a very similar ‘air’ and definitely work well together. Little by little I hope they are getting closer to recording a duet because I sense it would be nothing less than spectacular.

Hit or Miss?

The first single from Fantasia’s highly anticipated forthcoming studio album has emerged. The track, entitled ‘Even Angels’, was produced by The Stereotypes, and will be performed on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ tomorrow. Fantasia’s new album hits stores later this year.

It looks like Fantasia took a page from the Mariah Carey playbook with this one.  In fact, this sounds a lot like something Carey and Bryan-Michael Cox would have put forward. Either way, it’s a brilliant song. Her breathy vocals work wonderfully over the production, displaying passion yet restraint. This song may definitely be the radio hit that she has been looking to capture with her new LP.

Sdiebar: I’ still excited to hear ‘Move On Me’!

Hit or Miss?

Rihanna sat down with DJ Skee on 102.7 KISS FM recently. The model discussed several topics including working with Jay-Z and Bono, who she thinks is the better rapper between Jay and Kanye as well as her role as an industry “trendsetter”. Rihanna also revealed her admiration for Ke$ha who she calls “the new ‘it’ girl of the industry”.

I doubt anyone is surprised that Rihanna is a fan of Ke$ha. Both ladies have put forward similar, club–ready tracks and are definitely ‘it’ girls of the moment. The real talking point of this interview was when she addressed her role as a “trendsetter”. It’s great to see that she admits to drawing “inspiration” from others because her entire style seems “inspired” by Fefe Dobson and Kelis.

Thoughts?

The BET Honors 2010 aired in the US a few hours ago. This year’s show honoured Whitney Houston for her historical achievements in music, as well as Queen Latifah, Diddy (for his business success), and other non-entertainment figures.

Check out the night’s performances below, which included live showings from the likes of Jennifer Hudson, Mary. Blige, StevieWonder, Trey Songz, Jazmine Sullivan, Patti Labelle, Ryan Leslie, India Arie and Kim Burrell.

As you’ll see Jennifer Hudson and Kim Burrell shut it all the way down! Awesome!

Jennifer Hudson – I Will Always Love You

(more…)

L.A. Reid held a post-Grammy party last evening. The Island Def Jam mogul celebrated with some of music’s biggest names at the event which was hosted by Jay-Z at  Cecconi’s restaurant in Los Angeles. Peep more pics below:

(more…)

Popular model Rihanna made a guest appearance on ‘The Ellen Degeneres Show’ recently. The young star performed to of her biggest hits, ‘Hard’ and ‘Please Don’t Stop The Music‘. Rihanna took home 2 Grammy Awards at last evenings ceremony for her part in Jay-Z and Kanye West’s ‘Run This Town’.

While vocally offensive as usual, Rihanna delivered two rather enjoyable performances. She certainly had a lot of fun on Ellen’s stage and looked beautiful as ever. There is no denying that Rihanna is definitely a treat to look at; making it easy to understand why Covergirl has been immensely successful with her ad campaign. Congrats to Rihanna on her Grammy wins. Check out the second performance below:

(more…)

Lady GaGa has just been added to the all-star lineup that has become the remake of Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie’s classic ‘We Are The World’. The song is being revamped by Richie, Quincy Jones and RedOne to celebrate it’s 25th anniversary and benefit the nation of Haiti. Among the 100+ artists included on the track are Jennifer Hudson, Toni Braxton, Usher, Jason Mraz, Akon, Carlos Santana, Enrique Iglesias and Trey Songz. {Source}

It seems that the music world is pulling out all the stops! With this project as well as the Simon Cowell-orchestrated remake of REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’ in the UK, we can expect to hear some of the biggest voices in entertainment unite on the airwaves. I’m eager to hear what they come up with.

Sidebar: I’m happy to see Trey Songz stepping up to sing about something other than sex for once.

Thoughts?

R&B stars Kelly Rowland and Brandy glammed it up at the Universal Motown Rebublic  Group’s Grammy after-party last night at the W  Los Angeles hotel. I guess it pretty much confirms where Ms. Kelly has signed her new record deal.

With Brandy having departed from Epic Records last year, one has to wonder if she’s joining her pal at Universal Motown. In any case, peep more pics after the jump…

(more…)

Superstar Beyonce struts to the stage to give a show-stopping performance at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, which took place at Los Angeles’ Staples Center just hours ago. The 28 year old diva made history after winning 6 awards in one night, making her the first woman to achieve the feat in Grammy history!

Check out more pics from the industry’s most prestigious ceremony below, which include snaps of Rihanna, Jay-Z, Michael Jackson‘s children – who accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award for their late father, Lady GaGa, Britney Spears, Maxwell, Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, and Pink.

(more…)