Ciara continues the magazine features with this set for GQ. She’s looking all grown and sexy. She’s def made the transition from teen star to woman. It don’t seem forced or contrived either.

Credit: Crunk & Disorderly

Season 3 American Idol winner Fantasia will be making an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show. Scheduled for sometime later this month, lets hope Tasia’s appearance helps the sales of her self-titled latest album. Released this past December, Soundscan shows it to have only sold 285,000 copies in total. Not good, especially when it was one of the better albums released last year.
In Billboard chart news, Nelly Furtado has scored her 2nd #1 single on the Hot 100 Chart- ending Beyonce’s 10 week reign with Irreplaceable. Her single Say It Right jumps #2-#1 this week. Congratulations to both of them; Nelly Furtado was largely considered a one-hit wonder this time last year and people been doubting Beyonce – me included.
Whilst Jennifer Hudson continues to garner praise for her role in the Dreamgirls movie, it has just been announced that the original Effie (from the Broadway show) – Jennifer Holiday will be performing the song she made famous ‘And I Am Telling You’ on E!’s Oscar Pre-Show. I personally can’t wait for this, she is a vocal power-house and tears it down each time she performs the song. Be sure to check it out.

Kelly Rowland’s sophomore set, Miss Kelly, has been pushed back for what seems to be the 100th time. Originally (re)scheduled to drop in April, Rowland’s set will now hit the stores in June. That’s almost a full year since it was originally supposed to drop – to compete with LeToya. All I’m saying is that this album better be THA SHIT or it is curtains for this chick. She’s playing with fire anyway by still allowing Papa Knowles to ‘manage’ her. She should know that she will NEVER be prioritised over Beyonce.

In other Kelly news, her first single from Miss Kelly goes to radio at the end of the month, meaning it should leak anytime from now. It was initially rumoured to be a track called ‘Put It In’, but sources now say that it is ‘Like This’ – a track with rapper Eve.

Janet Jackson’s Choreographer and Creative Director, Gil Duldulao, has posted some interesting, yet kinda ambiguous, info on Janet on his blog. What does this mean for Janet and her career? Check it out:

i know I just rambled in the last post but Im just ready! Boo is ready! So lets say there was a shift of plans, we are ready for that next step. Whats about to come out of her is gonna be something u have never seen for from her. She is sick and tired of people telling her who she needs to be. What she needs to do. Being compared to other people. people not holding their end of the bargain. If nothing comes out of this present situation, seriously everyone-It was meant to happen. For everyone to think that there is nothing coming up after this situation, there is. So i am ready for it. and her fire is even more ready. We tired yall, of all this sh*t.

if things were to not happen, be ready. In the 10 years I have been with her, I have never seen her more focused then she is now. Her fire and hunger is a whole new thing too. think……..no virgin. new everything. promotion out of your ass. support from pop/ randb, new project, new look, new everything. best part is- she is ready and prepared.Ready to remain cause she is Janet damn Jackson. We all are prepared. So please dont think this is the end of the world. It may seem prolonged….but what you really wanted on this last project, is gonna happen this time around. And i dont mean next year. So in the end, Im prepared, Im ready for what lies ahead and Im tired of all this sh*t. YES- she is ready too.

Outta My System – Bow Wow ft. T-Pain

Cool video, nothing too special though. The track is hot but can this boy have one (hit) single without a feature on it?

Make It Rain (Remix) – Fat Joe ft. Lil’ Wayne, R.Kelly & More

Hot remix and video, but ain’t it kinda late to just be releasing this?

Minority Report – Jay Z

The song is ok but the video is kinda…boring. Dunno what else he could have done with it though. What happened to Hollywood being the 3rd Single?

Go Too Far – Jibbs ft. Melody ( From Pussy Cat Dolls)

The video is ok. Got a summer-vibe to it. Though it’s cool to see Melody doing her thing outside of PCD, I don’t like her voice on this one. We know she can BLOW, but her voice sounds weak and too digitalised here.

Golden Globe Winner and Oscar Nominee, Jennifer Hudson has made history by being only the 3rd black woman to be featured on the cover of reknown fashion magazine Vogue. The two before her being Oprah and Halle Berry.

HOWEVER

The people over at Vogue must be on that crack because this cover is terrible…really bad. The picture is unflattering and it makes me wonder whether they only featured her to capitalise on her success.

The inside pics are better though:

Grammy Award winning songstress Toni Braxton has settled her lawsuit against Barry Hankerson – her former manager and label head (of Blackground Records). Under the terms of the settlement, Toni no longer has any ties to the label or Hankerson and is free to pursue a new deal with another label. In the lawsuit – filed in January 07- Braxton alleged that Hankerson lured her away from Arista Records in 2003 by telling her that they no longer wanted her, yet telling them that she didn’t want to record for them anymore. Braxton also claims Hankerson mismanaged her first and only album for the label – Libra (which tanked upon release in 2005).
Hankerson tried to keep Braxton at Blackground by paying her an advance for a second album in December last year. Braxton returned the money and filed her suit.
Good for her! See she’s handling her own. Wonder what label she’ll sign with this time?

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