Best Male R&B Artist
The Dream
Jamie Foxx
Ryan Leslie
Neyo
T-Pain

Best Female R&B Artist
Beyonce
Keyshia Cole
Keri Hilson
Jennifer Hudson
Jazmine Sullivan

Best Group
Day 26
GS Boyz
NERD
The Roots
Three 6 Mafia

Best Collaboration
Jamie Foxx ft T-Pain-Blame It
Keri Hilson ft Lil Wayne- Turnin Me ON
Jim Jones & Ron Browz ft Juelz Santana-Pop Champagne
TI ft Rihanna-Live Your Life
Yung LA ft TI & Young Dro- Aint I

Best Male Hip Hop
Lil Wayne
Rick Ross
TI
Kanye West
Young Jeezy

Best Female Hip Hop
Lil Mama
MIA
Trina

Best New Artist
Keri Hilson
Kid Cudi
Ryan Leslie
MIA
Jazmine Sullivan

Best Gospel Artist
Regina Belle
Shirley Caesar
Mary Mary
Smokie Norful
Trin I Tee 5:7

Video Of The Year
Beyonce-If I Were A Boy
Beyonce- Single Ladies
Jamie Foxx ft T-Pain-Blame It
TI ft Rihanna- Live Your Life
Kanye West-Heartless

Best Actor
Common
Idris Alba
Samuel L Jackson
Will Smith
Jamal Woolard

Best Actress
Angela Bassett
Rosario Dawson
Taraji P Henson
Jennifer Hudson
Beyonce Knowles

Best Male Athlete
Kobe Byrant
LeBron James
Reggie Bush
Dwayne Wade
Tiger Woods

Best Female Athlete
Tamika Catchings
Lisa Leslie
Candace Parker
Serena Williams
Venus Williams

MICHAEL JACKSON
KING OF POP

Kenny Ortega Announced As Show Director

(May 12th, 2009) – The streets of Hollywood are buzzing; Michael Jackson mania is in full swing 5,500 miles away from The O2 arena – the home of his historic 50 concerts this summer.

Kenny Ortega, the renowned Director, Producer, Choreographer and creative talent is hard at work collaborating with Michael Jackson in the overall design and direction for the upcoming ‘This Is It’ concert shows. Ortega previously worked on Michael Jackson’s Dangerous and HIStory tours, some of the most spectacular shows ever staged. Last week, thousands of dancers flew in from every corner of the globe including Japan, Australia, South America and Europe to audition for Jackson and Ortega – all of them were chasing their dream of winning a spot to perform on stage with their idol Michael Jackson.

Even after the selection process narrowed the competition from thousands of submissions to over five hundred top international dancers, there was still no dance space large enough in Los Angeles or New York to house the auditions. The producers ended up booking LA’s Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, part of the site where the Grammy Awards are held each year, to handle the unprecedented numbers of performers who flocked to these auditions.

Ortega, having once been in partnership with Gene Kelly, is most recently known for his work as the Director and Choreographer of Disney’s, High School Musical 1, 2 & 3. Ortega also Produced and Directed the Barbra Streisand’s Millennium concert tour and is a two time Emmy award winner for his work as Director and Choreographer of the 2002 Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremonies in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In receiving the phone call from Michael to lead the team, Ortega said, “My answer without a beat was nothing could keep me away. Collaborating with Michael on the Dangerous and HIStory tours were two of the greatest creative experiences of my life, to be invited to partner with him again is a dream come true. Working with Michael is always a true and full partnership, he is a creative mastermind, he assembles top professionals to lead his team and then inspires each and every one of us to climb to new places, break out of the box and conquer new challenges. He is the most significant artist and entertainer of our generation.”

“This Is It” is a spectacular concert experience incorporating iconic Jackson songs and choreography mixed with original new works. Ortega says, “Our show goals are to create more than a concert but a complete theatrical musical experience with a dynamic balance that features Jackson in both spectacular production and intimate settings. The stage set, choreography, costumes, lighting, effects and overall production will be of the highest standard and pushing the state of the art.” Michael is dedicated to every detail and aspect of the show working closely with his creative and talented production team. He is “tremendously excited” about sharing his stage show with hundreds of thousands of fans this summer in London.

Ortega goes on to say, “It has been over a decade since Michael and I worked on the HIStory tour together. We had been in discussion in the last couple of years about finding a new project to work on. When I got the call to join him for these concerts I was in-between gigs, catching my breath. I had just finished a World Press tour for High School Musical and was about to start a new film. In accepting the invitation I had to move a few mountains to clear my schedule, but I’m thrilled to say I’m fully on board.”

Casting is in final stages for dancers and the band. The dedication, passion and determination of these performers, who are all personally inspired by Michael Jackson brings an unprecedented intensity to the stage. Michael Jackson, The King of Pop, has influenced a generation of performers through his music, dance and stage shows impacting an art form.

This week with rehearsals in full swing the impossible has become possible as details to this complex and dramatic show are being put together. And when moments get intense and exciting in rehearsals an age-old British tradition has been adopted – a tea break!

Ortega adds, “I go to work each day with a huge sense of joy just knowing what is in-store. Michael, the team and I will hash out a creative idea, we’re ready to implement it and Michael will say let’s sleep on it. The next day he is back in studio raising the bar to the next level and pushing us further for greater dynamic results.”

Randy Phillips, President & CEO of AEG Live, commented, “The unprecedented demand for these shows turned a normal public on sale into a cultural phenomenon and pushed the boundaries by which we measure success. Michael and Kenny are creating an escapist adventure that will take the audience on an entertainment experience only imagined in dreams or big budget motion pictures. This is the perfect pairing on unique creative talents with the greatest repertoire in contemporary music.”

Ortega concludes, “I am looking forward to the creative days ahead as we build a Michael Jackson experience like no other, and to ultimately arriving at The O2 – a magnificent venue and a worldly place. I am thrilled to be a part of the team that once again is bringing Michael Jackson, the greatest entertainer of our generation, back to the stage and into the light and love of his devoted fans.”

By the end of the 50 concerts, 1 million fans will have witnessed one of the greatest musical events in history. This will be the last chance to see the King of Pop in London in what will be a historic stage show, and once in a lifetime concert experience – this really is it!

Note To Editors – One of the world’s most popular entertainers, Michael Jackson has sold over 750 million units worldwide and is one of the very few artists to be inducted twice into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Guinness Book of World Records has recognised Michael Jackson as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time and Thriller as The Biggest Selling Album of All Time. Jackson won 13 Grammy Awards and received the American Music Award’s Artist of the Century Award.

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” 50 concerts sold out in a matter of hours on March 13th smashing box office records.

I seriously can not wait for the first show to kick off. More over, I can’t wait until August when the show I’ll be attending takes place (where I’ll sitting in the first, center block – A2!). As a fan of MJ since childhood, and having never seen him perform before (although I was in the house at the World Music Awards 2006, but we won’t count that!), to say I’m hyped to see the show is an understatement.

RIHANNA has become the latest star caught up in a nude photo scandal after salacious snapshots allegedly featuring the singer were posted online on Friday (08May09).

Rihanna’s face can clearly be seen in shots that show the Umbrella singer stripping provocatively for the camera, but other photos show only segments of a woman’s naked body.

The most incriminating full-length shot appears to feature the sexy star partially clothed taking a photograph of herself in the mirror of a large hotel suite bathroom. The messages ‘I love you’ and ‘I miss you’ are written on the mirror.

The girl in the photo definitely looks like Rihanna, but the subject’s face is covered by a BlackBerry phone camera.

The seven pictures led to websites like Imagehaven.net almost crashing as fans stormed the Internet looking for the scandalous photos, which reports suggest were taken at The London hotel in West Hollywood, where Rihanna once stayed with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.

The new photos come just days after Rihanna made her first public appearance following an alleged fight with Brown in Los Angeles on the eve of the Grammy Awards in February (09).

The R&B star performed briefly alongside Kanye West at the Costume Institute Gala in New York on Monday (04May09).

Brown still faces jail time if he’s found guilty of allegedly beating his then-girlfriend and threatening to kill her during the fight. {Source}

WOOOOOWWWWW!!! This week has actually been nuts with all the celebrity ta-ta’s and va-jay-jay’s being seen across the net! Rihanna is the last person I’d expect to see this from; why, I don’t know…I just wouldn’t expect it. That said, it’s interesting that it’s the non-singing singers that this has been happening to. I really didn’t want to bring her name in this, but you wouldn’t see this from a Beyonce for example. Being so high-profile, taking such pics to begin with is always gonna be risque. SMH…

Beyoncé has announced that she is considering taking a two-year career break.

The ‘Halo’ singer admitted that she is keen to have an extended holiday once she completes her current tour.

“My priorities are slowly changing. So after this tour I might be tired and want to take two years off. I’ve worked hard enough to be able to do that. I’m in a very good place,” she told Marie Claire.

The former Destiny’s Child star revealed that she is conscious about scheduling time with her husband Jay-Z.

“We try to sync our calendars. I started working on my tour a year ago just to make sure that I had time at home,” she said.

“Any other woman who has to go to work and pick up the kids and make dinner – that’s way harder than what I have to do. At least I can say I’m taking two weeks off and really take two weeks off.”

Beyoncé recently dismissed speculation that she is planning to start a family soon. {Source}

In as much as Bouncy could do with a break, I doubt her work-a-holic nature would allow for it. Then again, too much exposure is never a good thing, so…