Pop model Rihanna was snapped sporting a new darker do last night in Los Angeles last night, leaving many wondering if it’s a sign of what’s to come. F

or, as with all with all of Fenty’s fast food projects, a new hair colour or cut oft means one thing – a new album in a matter of months. Time, I guess, will tell.

In other news, this week saw murmurs about the 23 year old hitting the studio with…Madonna. For ol’ Madge’s sake, here’s hoping it’s not true. After all, there’s keeping up with the young’uns and then there’s scraping the barrel.

More pics via, Punch Bowl, below…

Your thoughts?

Though still in promotion for her 4th #1 album ‘4’, Beyonce also made headlines with last month’s announcement of  her starring role in the Clint Eastwood-directed ‘A Star is Born’.  Production is not set to start until the end of the year, but the burgeoning pop icon speaks regularly on the film, calling it the ‘biggest opportunity’ of her life.

In a recent Reuters report the singer sheds more light on the upcoming project.  See what else Mrs. Knowles Carter had to say about this and more after the jump:

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All of the monarchs of the music industry are resting securely on cemented thrones.  We have an undisputed Queen of Soul, King of Rock n’ Roll, King of R&B, and of course, a King of Pop.  Even though such title was initially self-proclaimed, there was no denying its delegation.  Interestingly, there is a vacancy on that list…the queen’s chair sits ostensibly empty.  And though many may vie and eye the throne, no woman has boldly professed herself as such (unlike her male counterpart).  So, it begs the question:  Who is the Queen of Pop?   While there are candidates many-a-fan would crown as such, there has been no definitively, unquestioned female pop potentate. And then…

In an age where the merit of ‘pop royalty’ is defined by fly-by-night radio hits and digital downloads, famed music magazine Rolling Stone developed an index of criteria to best crown the genre’s new queen.  For anyone who has been alive for the last three years (inhabitants of the animal kingdom included), it was a no brainer that Lady Gaga would be enthroned the genre’s reigning female monarch.  However, the list, which only included Pop’s active acts, was greeted with so much backlash it was later revised.

But, even the revision still featured Lady Gaga (a relative newcomer) above legends Mariah Carey and Celine Dion (with no mention of Janet Jackson or Whitney Houston).  While the magazine’s attempt to fill the void is applaudable, it is also laughable.  With music’s other matronly monarchs having a spate of success under their individual belts, is it really fair to say the Lady named queen would only have two albums under hers and less than 5 years in the game?

Thusly, That Grape wants to know:  what should be the criteria for determining queenship? Sales? Influence?  Awards?  If so, with so many candidates, who is the Queen[Q1] ?

That Grape Juice has chosen six leading ladies who would probably be the real contenders for the throne.  Each of the succeeding songstresses have, at minimum, 20 years experience,100 million records sold, and immeasurable influence over the industry (especially over those who decorated Rolling Stones’ list).  Did your fave make the cut?

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It seems that although she has kept mum about the various criticisms she has faced in recent months, Lady GaGa is very aware of everything that is being said about her.

So much so that she has addressed these criticisms  in an upcoming edition of ‘The Advocate‘ magazine.

Find out what Ms.Germanotta said below…

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In news that will surprise few, but delight many, Beyonce made a shock appearance on the final ever episode of ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ last night.

Following countless sightings in Chicago, the 29 year old joined fellow Hollywood elites such as Madonna and Halle Berry at the United Center to say farewell to the talk show legend, whose long-running series is coming to an end after a 25 years on air. The singer also treated fans to the first ever televised performance of new single ‘Run The World (Girls)’ – backed by a troop of dancers.

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Needless to say, Bouncy waited for the biggest stage of them all to make her live comeback. What’s more, with the visual for ‘Girls’ set to debut on American Idol tonight, followed by an appearance on this Sunday’s Billboard Awards , as well the airing of her Oprah performance next Wednesday, things are finally coming together for the Destiny’s Child diva. And not a minute too soon either. For, given ‘Girls” current iTunes standing, promotion was due weeks ago.

Your thoughts?

As if you couldn’t tell, Christina Aguilera has been on a gruelling promotional schedule for her hit NBC show ‘The Voice’ as of late.

Things came to a head for the diva this morning during a tense interview on the ‘Today Show’. For following questions about the usual topics, host Matt Lauer proceded to grill the singer on her recent arrest, divorce, and family’s supposed attempts at staging an intervention.

Given Aguilera’s much documented ‘attitude’, this certainly makes for an interesting watch. Check out how she responded after the jump…

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It’s definitely an exciting time for music lovers this year, especially for fans of their beloved female performers.  Not in a long while have so many high profile ladies released their musical offerings in tandem, causing both competition and scrutiny to be immense.  It almost harkens back to a time when icons such as Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, and Madonna all competed for that top spot.

While the past year has been an active period for female stars such as Ke$ha, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez and Katy Perry, the eyes of many glared longingly towards 2011. A year which would see Pop’s heavy-hitters Britney Spears, Lady GaGa, and Beyoncé vie -in tandem- for the pole position.  It goes without saying that ‘singers’ in the vein of the Rihanna’s and co seem to pop up every year on the Pop music spectrum; yet, no three ladies have amounted the success or of a following as these ladies.

With the release of Britney’s ‘Femme Fatale’ this March, along with the impending releases of GaGa’s ‘Born This Way’ and Beyoncé’s new album, it definitely leaves the question:  Thusfar, who has brought it?!

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Susan Boyle isn’t the only British singer who has been conquering charts around the world in recent months. R&B/Soul singer Adele has now accomplished what no other artist has ever done.

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And people thought that they still hated each other. Christina Aguilera made the surprising decision to reach out to Britney Spears on Twitter just minutes ago to congratulate her fellow Pop star on the release of her new album, ‘Femme Fatale’.

Aguilera and Spears were involved in a longtime feud following constant media comparisons during the peak of their careers in early 2000s. The tension climaxed after the duo performed alongside Madonna at the 2003 MTV VMAs where Aguilera accused Spears of using her controversial kiss with the icon as publicity for her ‘In The Zone’ LP.

Spears jokingly responded to her peer’s claims on ‘TRL’ days later by highlighting the fact that Aguilera kissed Madonna as well and was simply jealous. See what Aguilera tweeted to Spears below:

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Having trouble sleeping? Then take a dose of Britney Spears’ performances on ‘Good Morning America’. The shameless lip-syncer’s appearance on the show aired today, just in time to promote her recently released ‘Femme Fatale’ album.

Check out Spears strutting across the stage to the beats of ‘Hold It Against Me’, ‘Big Fat Bass’ and ‘Till The World Ends’ below:

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This week’s ‘From The Vault is guaranteed to wake you up! Originally performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1969, ‘Proud Mary’ was famously covered by Ike & Tina Turner in 1971. This live version of the song was performed by Tina in the later 1980’s, years after her divorce from her abuse husband in 1978.

Tina’s influence on the current generation of entertainers is undeniable. Melanie Fiona, Fantasia and even Janet Jackson have taken a page out of the book that she wrote. Of course, Tina’s most notable fan is Beyonce who emulates the icon in her stage shows, vocal performances and videos.

Sadly, all artists aren’t as passionate about developing their craft by studying the greats in the manner that Beyonce has done with Tina. For example, Rihanna claims to be a big fan of acts including Destiny’s Child, Mariah Carey and Madonna but it is unlikely that they would claim credit for her off-key squeals or lazy choreography. The again, she does seem to have mastered Mariah’s ‘Honey’ 2-step routine.

Thoughts?

The highly-anticipated video for Lady GaGa‘s international smash hit ‘Born This Way’ premiered only moments ago on VEVO. Check out the Nick Knight-directed and Laurie Ann Gibson-choreographed directed visual below:

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