While it’s pretty much been common knowledge that all has not been well in the Pussycat Dolls camp for sometime now, the fine details of the apparent reality of the situation are starting to emerge.

We reported a few weeks back that member Melody has seemingly been ousted from the group. Well, today member Kimberly confirms the report as well as revealing that she too has been booted from the 5-piece – citing her and Melody’s frustrations at the preferential treatment lead Nicole Scherzinger was receiving over the other ladies. Check out the excerpts from her interview with in today’s News of the World’s Dan Wotten:

Long-time members KIMBERLY WYATT and MELODY THORNTON are about to be sacked – and more could follow.

The pair have paid the price for clashing with top doll NICOLE SCHERZINGER and are set to be replaced by much tamer kitties.

But today in an eXSclusive interview, feisty Kimberly reveals she wants set up a rival band with all the Dolls – apart from Nicole.

She told me she’d got sick of the special diva treatment given to Nicole, girlfriend of F1 driver Lewis Hamilton.

She said: “I’ve been a Pussycat Doll for longer. She was one of the last to join.

“But we’d have to share a dressing room while Nicole would have her own.

“We’d be on the tour bus together but she wouldn’t come on and would get her own transport. I’m closer with the other girls because of the system that was in place.”

But it wasn’t just the buses which riled Kimberly – she was also fed up with never getting to show off her vocal talent.

She said: “It’s not true at all that only one of us can sing. Everyone in the group has a beautiful voice. We just weren’t showcased as much.”

Kimberly is now a judge on the brilliant new reality show Got To Dance, which airs tonight at 6pm on Sky1 and Sky1 HD.

I can reveal the shock changes to the Dolls will be announced once Nicole has done some solo work. Kimberly is already discussing a rival project with Melody and the other members JESSICA SUTTA and ASHLEY ROBERTS.

She explained: “When it was made aware to me there would be changes in the group I didn’t agree with it. I love the girls so much. That was my family.

“So I hope to continue the movement. I’m taking my future into my own hands.

“We are looking at ways to keep working together. We all want to. But when we do that we’re not allowed to call ourselves the Pussycat Dolls.”

Although Kimberly has not told her nemesis about her rival band plans, she said: “Right now there is a lot of controversy. I haven’t spoken to Nicole about it. She’s full speed ahead with her career.

“I always knew this sort of change was to come so there’s nothing to be bitter about.

As much as some may seem this as Kimberly being ‘messy’, I’m glad she’s not holding her tongue – yet remaining classy with what she says and how she says it. All their personal drama aside, it’s quite clear to see that Dolls’ creator Robin Antin‘s desire to emulate the ever-changing line-up formula the Pussycat Doll stage show has with a real-life Pop group just won’t work.

It really comes across as changes are also being made to the group’s line-up because their last LP (‘Doll Domination’) tanked. Yet surely, changing actual members isn’t the way forward. If anyone in their team actually hit up the blogs etc (IMO the best focus groups a label could wish for), then they’d see the public’s boredom with the group is less to do with the members in it, rather the explicit focus on one particular member. Though PCD are a more Pop collective, most girl groups (and most certainly the more successful ones) may start off with a sole singer, yet the parts become more spread out over time (see: Destiny’s Child). It’s called progression; perhaps Robin and co should look it up.

Your thoughts?

Holding true to our promise of keeping things fresh here at That Grape Juice (v.2.0 baby!), we bring you ‘Cover Star’. Completing our current feature-list (From The Vault, Original Articles etc), Cover Star will each week showcase regular folk’s rendition of your favourite tracks. Recent history has shown the web to be the place to discover new talent – talent which is undeniably out there in abundance. So what better way to give shine to undiscovered talent than on your favourite site and mine – That Grape Juice!

This week’s Cover Star is 21 year old waitress/retail sales associate Erin Paula. The Los Angeles resident turns in a fantastic rendition of Alicia Keys’ recent smash ‘Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart’: Check it out:

A tough song to sing, Ms. Erin certainly held her own on this one. Loving the power and tone of her voice. Great performance!

For more on Erin Paula, check out her Youtube page

Your thoughts?

The video for the Sugababes latest single ‘Wear My Kiss’, from their serially delayed ‘Sweet 7’ LP premiered today on T4.

Where to begin?! Clearly their label (Island Records) are still pumping plenty £££ into this project, if this video is anything to go by. In as much as it pains to say, this is probably the group’s best video to date – and yes, I’m taking into account all line-ups. That said, I can’t help but feel the grandeur (see: special effects etc) was almost too much for the ladies. Amelle, though looking quite stunning, didn’t exude much ‘umph’, while Heidi…yeah. Jade’s laugh-out-loud hair aside, Ms. Ewen nailed it in this clip! From the sass in her delivery of the choreography to her simultaneous  meshing with and overshadowing of the other two members.

Oh, and the song isn’t half bad either.

‘Sweet 7’ hits stores March 8th.

What do you think of the song / video?

Hip-Hop mistress Lil Kim was spotted in New York City yesterday. The Queen B made an appearance at ‘The Return of the Queen of Hip-Hop’ at the M2 Ultra Lounge while taking a break from recording her next studio album. Check out more pics of the rapper below:

What do you think of the pics?

New material from Omarion surfaced today. The heavily auto-tuned track, entitled ‘Sweet Hangover’, was produced by, you guessed it, T-Pain. Omarion’s ‘Ollusion’ LP hits stores on January 12th.

With the melody in the chorus and the cliche that has become the use of auto-tune, this song sounds remarkably similar to T-Pain’s ‘Buy You A Drink’. Though it is quite catchy and radio-friendly, I must admit that I am disappointed that Omarion did not provide the “fresh” sound that he promised with this album. Having listened to the entire LP, this track actually serves as one of its best songs. As an artist who is yet to establish himself as a major sales force on the charts, with the exception of ‘Ice Box’, it seems that Omarion has once again dropped the ball.

Hit or Miss?

As we indicated earlier this week, Rihanna’s camp has selected ‘Rude Boy’ as the next single from her ‘Rated R’ LP. Well, just a short while ago, the artwork for the single was released. AllAccess reports that ‘Rude Boy’ will officially impact radio on February 9th.

This is basically an alternate version of one of the shots in the ‘Rated R’ cover art (seen here). Nonetheless, it works well with the ‘sex sells’ theme that her label has been pushing lately. As one of the better songs on the album, I hope that her team is able to provide a strong video for the record like they did with ‘Hard’ and ‘Russian Roulette’, and avoid creating a toilet-worthy clip like ‘Wait Your Turn’.

Thoughts?

While currently in the studio preparing for the release of her new studio album, Keyshia Cole has released a statement explaining the issues surrounding her relationship with her family. In the release, provided via Freddy O, the songstress notes that she has severed all communication with her family. Read the full statement below:

“To all my friends and fans – It’s time that I clear the air.  It’s not a secret that I haven’t been in contact with my mother Frankie, and my sisters Neffe and Elite and I never wanted to air out our differences to the public.   While I won’t go into detail here I find it necessary to let you guys know I decided to stop communication with them because I was at a point in my life where I needed serenity and peace to move forward. Please know I love my family very much but it was time to let it go.  You guys are a witness to a lot of what was happening from watching on air and online.   Now that I am becoming a mom my passion for having a loving and peaceful home for my child is my #1 priority. It’s very important to both Daniel and I.  My plate is very full; I have a new baby coming, we are planning our wedding and I am working in the studio on a new album that I am close to completing.  The stress that my family is giving me with their constant false reports is not healthy and it’s not what I need at this time in my life.   Please understand that there are only a few people that can officially confirm or deny anything that’s happening in my life and that’s me, Daniel, and my publicist, Tresa Sanders.  And my girl Monica never lies.”
Love Your Girl,

KC

This action demonstrates that Cole is one of the few media savvy artists to have emerged in recent years. Rather than continuing to fuel the chaos, she has expertly explained her views and displayed sound professionalism. Regarding her Monica comment, the latter reported on Twitter page earlier this week that Cole is expecting a baby boy. Therefore it seems that Monica is indeed correct. Congrats to Cole!

Thoughts?

Beyonce has triggered a media frenzy after her New Year’s Eve performance in St. Barts. The fierce one was reported to have performed for Moutassim Bilal “Hannibal” Gaddafi, a member of the notorious Gaddafi family, a group widely known for violence against women and dictatorship. However, Beyonce’s camp released the following statement denying the claims:

The party in St. Bart’s on New Year’s Eve, with Beyoncé in performance, was hosted by Muatsim-Billah Gaddafi, not his brother Moutassim Bilal “Hannibal” Gaddafi, as reported in the press.

Her agents and management firm made the decision to confirm the private performance. The annual party had a long history of booking internationally known artists both American and foreign for events around the world, including Cannes.

Past performers in St. Bart’s have included Timbaland, Enrique Iglesias and Mariah Carey. Guests at this year’s party included singer Usher, former BET CEO Bob Johnson, actress Lindsay Lohan and music industry vets, Russell Simmons, Kevin Liles and L.A. Reid. {Source}

It seems that this is just another case of the media trying to twist events in an effort encourage readership. Interestingly, when Mariah Carey performed at the same event at last year for $1 million, the media had no qualms about it. Either way, by performing for the Gaddafi clan, Beyonce is in no way showing support for their motives. Does a defense attorney support rape if he represents a rapist in court? Hardly.

Thoughts?

Lady GaGa made an appearance at the ‘2010 International Consumer Electronics Show’ at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas yesterday. The international Pop sensation has been named Creative Director for a specialty line of Polaroid Imaging products and introduced her own line of headphones, ‘Hearbeats by Lady GaGa’. Check out more images of the singer and her hair below:

What do you think of GaGa’s look?

Neo-Soul diva Jill Scott is preparing to release a new studio album this year. The record, entitled ‘The Light Of The Sun’, serves as the 4th installment of t her critically acclaimed ‘Words And Sounds’ series. According to Soul Culture, the singer’s LP will hit stores in Spring/Summer.

As one of the most technically skilled singers to emerge in the last decade, to say that I am eager to hear this record would be an understatement. In addition to her lyrical prowess, Scott’s expansive vocal range and power ranks her in the same league as Lauryn Hill, in my opinion. Moreover, ‘The Real Thing’ was undoubtedly a  modern classic, as many of the singles from the project still enjoy heavy rotation on the R&B formats. ‘The Light Of The Sun’ is definitely one to which I look forward.

Thoughts?

Young entertainer Chris Brown took these new promotional shots for MTV recently. The singer is expected to release ‘Pass Out’ as the next single from his commercially underwhelming ‘Graffiti’ LP. Peep more shots below:

What do you think of the pics?

Turn on your television set and this is what you’ll see: a variety of female Urban performers adorned in the latest fashions, tossing their hips and belting for their audiences. However, if you look pass the glitz and the glamour, you will notice that they almost all look the same – light-skinned, slim built women, wearing the an assortment of weaves and wigs. What you are in fact witnessing is the mold of the ideal woman in the music industry.

For decades, women of colour have been forced to adopt the styles and appearance of their Caucasian counterparts in an effort to achieve mainstream appeal. Acts such as Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald were adorned with wigs and blush in their early careers; arguably forced to adjust their looks to be more marketable to US mass media audiences. In fact, Diana Ross rose to a position of prominence, not just because of her talent and music, but also as a result of her light skin and Caucasian features.

That trend continues to this day, with artists such as Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys and Beyonce dominating the airwaves while their darker contemporaries are struggling to access the mainstream audience. Kelly Rowland, for instance, enjoys chart-topping success in countries such as UK, where skin tone is no longer regarded as a definitive factor  in artists’  success. Yet regardless of how well or not she’s been promoted, she’s yet to have an impact as a solo act in the US, a fact arguably attributable to her complexion.  Quite notably, few dark-skinned African-American performers have been able to ascend to the top of the charts, with Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige providing rare examples of such cases. This despite there being a wealth of talent among artists from all races, hues and complexions.

Interestingly, the colour paradigm is considered  a key attribute of Rihanna’s marketing campaign. Her light eyes, high cheek bones, fair skin and all-round more ‘exotic’ look have supposedly allowed her to capture her Covergirl campaign. Indeed, Beyonce faced severe criticism when her L’Oreal ads featured photoshopped images of the singer, making her seem several shades lighter than her natural complexion.

Hence, it is clear that, as far as success in the US music industry is concerned, light is indeed considered ‘right’. As long as the ideals and politics governing skin colour remain active, darker-skinned artists will continue to find themselves pigeonholed on the R&B formats, without garnering mainstream appeal. That is unless they are willing to purchase lace front wigs and bleach their skin in an attempt to capture it or, more ideally, the industry finally experiences a major change for the better.

Do you think that skin colour is a major factor in the

music industry?