Former DESTINY’S CHILD star KELLY ROWLAND has reportedly dumped the man who took her in as a teenager and managed her to pop stardom – former bandmate BEYONCE’s dad. The singer has parted company with Mathew Knowles following a heated row, according to website Bossip.com.

A highly-placed source in Rowland’s camp tells the website the split has been on the cards for months – because the Dilemma singer is unhappy she’s not a bigger star in America.

A spokeswoman for Bossip.com says, “We were told Kelly was really upset that she’s not better represented in the United States. She’s a big hit in Europe, but not in America.”

Publicists for Knowles and his MusicWorld organisation were unavailable for comment as WENN went to press. {Source}

Janet Jackson is having a rough time of it. She split with her second major label in less than three years after her latest album, Discipline, failed to catch fire. Her 2008 Rock Witchu Tour was plagued by postponed and canceled dates due to an unexplained illness that was later described as severe vertigo.

And now the singer has been forced to postpone her upcoming tour of Japan due to the global financial crisis. According to BBC News, Japanese concert promoter Kyodo Yokohama announced on Monday that Jackson would be postponing the five dates the singer had scheduled in Japan between February 14 and February 22 “due to the impact of [the] economic crisis.”

Jackson, 42, had planned to hit such major Japanese cities as Nagoya, Osaka and Fukuoka on the world Rock Witchu outing, which was her first major tour in nearly seven years. According to reports, the tour will be rescheduled for later this year with new dates expected to be announced in March.

The announcement comes on the heels of the recent news that Jackson’s longtime boyfriend, rapper/producer Jermaine Dupri, has left his position as the head of Island Def Jam Records’ urban music department after what he described as a troubled relationship with label boss L.A. Reid. {Source}

It kinda goes without saying that we here at That Grape Juice both love and respect Miss Jackson and her many achievements, but this is BS if I’ve ever heard it. ‘Global economic crisis’ is far from a legit reason for ‘postponing’ a tour, only to suggest new dates will be announced in March for later in the year; the financial crisis isn’t heading anywhere anytime soon -so…? I wish Janet and/or her team could get themselves sorted, as her tour, by all accounts, is a must-see. SMH…