R&B star Alicia Keys has been added to the list of performers at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards. The Grammy Award winning singer is slated to perform her new single ‘No One’ at the Las Vegas event. Keys joins previously announced performers 50 Cent, Kanye West, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Common, Nelly Furtado, Akon, Soulja Boy, T-Pain and Cee-Lo (of Gnarls Barkley). {Source}
Though Alicia always delivers with her performances, I can’t say I’m too hyped about this one. I like ‘No One’, but can’t help but feel she could have come a bit harder than she did with that track. Still, with the line-up kinda lacking any performers of real interest, Alicia is good addition.

Any thoughts?
With any news of Kelly Rowland’s project becoming scarcer by the day, it’s good to know things are moving ahead (albeit very slowly). It has been confirmed that Kelly’s video for ‘Ghetto’, due next week Monday (September 10th), will premiere on BET’s ‘making the video’ show, Access Granted – not 106 & Park as first reported. Be sure to keep it locked on That Grape Juice on Monday for the vid.

In the meanwhile, check out the vid (kinda low quality) for Kelly’s ESPN collabo with 50 Cent and Perry Farrell:

The song is a mess, but Kelly was getting it in the video. I doubt her album sales will pick up, so promo like this – and getting her name out there in general – is her best bet.

Your thoughts?

Many of you will probably remember Dawn Robinson as the lead singer from 90’s girl group EnVogue, as well as Lucy Pearl. It turns out she has fallen on hard times (both career wise and financially) since being ousted from both groups. Now married and hoping to make a comeback, Robinson has filmed a reality series with her singer husband, Dre, ‘Come Back & Come Up’. The show will document her attempts at relaunching her music career, as well as Dre’s experiences breaking into the industry. They have apparently approached BET and TV One about airing the show. Check out the trailer below:

This looks pretty interesting and makes a change to all the overplayed reality shows out at the moment. I’ve always had the impression that Dawn was the victim of her own ego, hence explaining why her career is in the pits. Still, I’m a fan of her undeniable talent and will definitely be tuning in whenever the show airs.

Your thoughts?

As some of you may already know, Usher married his controversial girlfriend Tameka Foster in a star-studded ceremony in Atlanta this past weekend. Attendees included Jermaine Dupri and Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Benny Medina. Usher’s mother, Jonetta Patton – who is reported to disapprove of the union – was not present; although she did attend the couple’s civil ceremony last month. Check out more pics of the wedding below:


Though Usher needs to fix up with the way he has been treating his fans as of late, I am kinda happy for him. Goldigger, b*tch or whatever, Tameka seems to be the ‘one’ he’s fallen for. So congratulations to them both.

What do you think of the pics?

The video for Jennifer Lopez’s new single ‘Do It Well’ debuted today on Yahoo Launch. Though directed by the critically acclaimed David LaChapelle (Christina’s ‘Dirrty’, Gwen’s ‘Rich Girl’ etc), the video doesn’t live up to either his or Jennifer’s past efforts. The main issue here is that the song and video concept don’t match…at all. As I type, I still don’t have the slightest idea what the vid was supposed to be about; it just seemed like she was randomly punching guys out. Also, I was expecting Jennifer to bring ‘it’ with the choreography, yet she didn’t deliver. A good song ruined by a sub-par video; she definitely dropped the ball with this one.

What do you think of the video?

Here at That Grape Juice, we like to keep our eye out for the latest music-related happenings. Today Apple unveiled a new line of iPod’s; the iPod Touch, iPod Classic and a revamped iPod Nano – all of which will be available for purchase at the end of this month. Check out details of each model below:

iPod Touch
* Touch Screen Interface
* 3.5 Inch Widescreen Display
* Video Playback
* Wi-Fi – enables Web Surfing, Video Streams (Youtube) etc
* Built In iTunes Music Store – allows for download of tracks ‘on-the go’
* Comes in two capacities – 8GB ($299) and 16GB ($399)

iPod Classic
* Formerly known as ‘Ipod Video’
* Revamped Design and New Interface
* Longer Battery Life – 30 Hours Audio / 6 Hours Video
* Comes in two capacities – 80GB ($249) and 160GB ($349)

iPod Nano
* Revamped Design
* Video Playback
* Improved Battery Life – 24 Hour for Audio / 5 Hours for Video
* Comes in two capacities – 4GB ($149) and 8GB ($199)

Though I’ll probably end up buying one of these, I’m kinda disappointed. Having nearly reached the full capacity of my 30GB iPod Video, I was looking to upgrade to a something much better than a mere upgrade (iPod Classic). The iPod Touch is calling me lol, but the disk space is a joke (all those features and only 8GB/16GB to work with). Still, I’m sure they’ll sell well.

Will you be buying any of the new iPod’s?
With their September 11th chart battle rapidly approaching, both 50 Cent and Kanye West appear on the cover of October’s issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Some say it’s all a publicity stunt to allow better sales for both. Whatever the case, there’s no doubt that this has snowballed into what will undeniably be one of the biggest days on the music calender. So…

Whose album will you buy come September 11th: 50 or Kanye?
The cover for Jennifer Lopez’s forthcoming album ‘Brave’ has surfaced, courtesy of JLofan.com. Put simply, it’s a mess. I’m surprised she decided to go with this, as it looks like a real bad Photoshop attempt. The songs I’ve heard from the CD so far haven’t conveyed any particular theme of the album, so this cheap 80’s disco nonsense cannot be justified. Here’s hoping the music is better than the cover.

What do you think of the cover?

R&B star Usher appeared on the Season 5 premiere of the Ellen Degeneres show yesterday (September 4th). The ‘Yeah’ singer discussed a number of things including his controversial marriage to Tameka Raymond (which is how he introduced her) and their child – due toward the end of the year. He also plugged his new fragrance line ‘Usher He/She’.

He really seems to have found ‘the one’ in Tameka and I can’t hate on him for that. Though, with all the media scrutiny and his momma’s disapproval, it’ll be interesting to see how long this lasts. On a side note, I’m kinda surprised he didn’t plug his upcoming album – it is still slated for a November release, right?

What do you think of the interview?

Justin Timberlake’s ‘FutureSex/LoveShow’ concert aired yesterday on HBO. Filmed on August 16th in New York’s Madison Square Garden, the show was said to be pretty good. Check out a few videos from the concert below:

My Love

Like I Love You

Click here to watch more of the concert

Though I think Justin is very overrated, he did pretty good.

What do you think of the performances?

In news that will no doubt infuriate R. Kelly’s critics, the start of the singer’s trial has been delayed once again. The long-awaited trial was set to begin on September 17th, but now has no definitive start date. Check out the MTV News report below:

Just one month ago, it looked like the wait was over — but a Chicago judge decided on Tuesday (September 4) that the child-pornography criminal case against R. Kelly, which has been pending for five years, will not be going to trial on September 17 after all.

Judge Vincent Gaughan had previously scheduled the trial date at a hearing on August 1, but changed his mind at a status hearing Tuesday, after taking into consideration that the lead prosecutor, Shauna Boliker, who recently gave birth, would not be able to proceed per her doctor’s orders. Boliker, the chief of Illinois’ Cook County Sex Crimes Division, had previously gone right back to work after the births of her two other children.

Per a gag order, neither side was permitted to comment on this new delay, the latest in a long series of postponements. The pre-trial phase alone has lasted longer than other celebrity trials, or even other child-pornography trials, which usually begin with a year or two of charges being filed. Many of the delays have been medical in nature, such as when Kelly needed emergency surgery for a burst appendix in February, and when Judge Gaughan fell off a ladder, causing multiple fractures, last summer.

This is beyond a joke now. Guilty or not, I’m guessing this trial will never see the light of day.

Any thoughts?

According to TMZ, Oscar winning actress Halle Berry is three months pregnant. The 41 year old star was recently set to begin filming movie ‘Tulia’, however Lionsgate Films have reportedly pushed back filming due to the pregnancy. It will be the first child for the ‘Monster’s Ball’ actress and her partner model Gabriel Aubrey.

*Update* Halle has confirmed the news in a statement to Access Hollywood
Considering Halle has been ‘pregnant’ about 20 times already, it’s great news to hear that this time it’s actually true. Hopefully Janet, Vivica and the other 40-somethings will take note. Time don’t wait for no one…

Your thoughts?
**