Leona Lewis and her boyfriend Lou Al Chama were seen out on the London club circuit on Thursday night. They were photographed leaving ‘Dolce’ after clubbing the night away in the wee hours of dawn:

Whilst Leona looked cute as she enjoyed her free space, all that is set to change when she heads off to the United States to do more promo. She is going to be making some American TV appearances coming up in September. On September 2nd, she’ll appear on ‘Good Morning America’ (ABC). Then on the 3rd September, she’ll appear on ‘Live with Regis & Kelly’ (ABC). On 5th September, she’ll be seen on ‘Stand Up To Cancer’ and on 11th September, she’ll appear on ‘The Ellen Degeneres’ Show. Leona will also re-release her debut album ‘Spirit’ at Christmas. The new version will include extra songs that didn’t appear the first time the LP was released, as well as video’s. Leona is also celebrating selling over 3 million copies of her hit single ‘Bleeding Love’ in the US. She’s done really well in America and it could not have happened to a more deserving artist.

Rihanna and her fella Chris Brown were spotted at a Hollywood recording studio on Thursday:

Rihanna looked radiant and casual as she donned a grey pair of jogging pants, black Nike high tops, a white vest and a colorful beanie. Splash also snapped the 20-year-old as she entered The Sofitel LA hotel in Hollywood. It seems her boyfriend’s sense of style is starting to rub off on her.

Once again, the Bajan beauty was spotted wearing her favourite animated cartoon character Betty Boop (known for her over sexual appeal) on her t-shirt. She grabbed a bite to eat from Beyonce’s favourite eatery ‘Popeyes’ in North Hollywood on Friday afternoon:

She walked out of the restaurant carrying a soda and wearing tight coloured jeans and Louboutin ankle boots. This chick sure loves her some fried chicken but I thought she’d be religiously assigned to KFC since they offered her free food earlier this year.

Ashanti attended Lifetime’s television network event this week at Cowboy Lounge:

Ashanti looked great. Ashanti also performed. The dance floor was poppin from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m and reportedly, the favorite item on the menu was the buffalo sliders.

Fantasia, former Xscape singers Tiny and Kandi Burruss, Trey Songz and Lloyd were all spotted at Luckie Lounge in Atlanta over the weekend:

Wow. Life hasn’t been easy for Tiny. She’s only in her mid thirties but she looks aged by 10 years or so.

Keyshia Cole was also spotted on the Atlanta club scene this week. She was spotted at FOUR different clubs - Velvet Room, Tryst Nightclub, Club Pure and Club ESSO:

Looking good Keyshia! She was seen clubbing it up with her fellow R&B singers Tank and Ne-yo.

Robin Thicke may be considered a “blue-eyed-soul artist” but it seems it’s not enough to get the singer on the front cover of Vibe. When he confronted them about this, their response was “We don’t put white artists on our covers”. We all know that’s not true because rapper Eminem was on their cover at the height of his fame.

Check out the quotes below from his recent interview with Billboard:

“When I did a recent interview with Vibe magazine I asked, “Why can’t I get the cover? This is a magazine I love. If there’s one magazine that I’d want to be on the cover of, it’s Vibe.” Their response was they don’t have white artists on the cover; that the only white artist they’ve had on the cover was Eminem. I guess if that’s what it is, it is what it is. And I respect that because I live in a house with a black woman.”

At least he doesn’t talk the talk unlike Eminem and Justin Timberlake who have BOTH appeared on the cover of Vibe. In the past Eminem says he’s dated a black woman (Mariah Carey doesn’t count, lol) whilst Justin Timberlake proclaimed his love for a black woman (it’s rumoured he briefly dated Tatyana Ali during his early N-Sync years but that was never confirmed) when not ONE black woman has yet to come forward saying they’ve had relationships with them.

He went on to explain:

“I won’t use the word “racism”. I will say it’s a tough — but rewarding — fight. I look at Mary J. Blige, somebody who has had only a few pop hits and yet has changed culture, generated new sounds and inspired leagues of artists. She’s now a worldwide phenomenon. And it’s because of what she stood for; she never gave up. She kept making great music, pouring her heart out to people. You can’t always expect people to be as color-blind or open-minded as you want. What you can do is keep giving your heart and soul, like Bob Marley did. His music became so overwhelmingly loving; it was a relentless love in a sense. Keep beating them down with love and they can’t stop you.”

I guess they felt Eminem was too much of an advantage NOT to be featured as he was one of the biggest rap artists and he was discovered by Dr Dre after all *rolls eyes* And I remember when they had Justin Timberlake on there as well when he was promoting ‘Justified’ as well as Jennifer Lopez. So the fact that they don’t want Robin Thicke to grace their cover because of his “whiteness” is very hypocritical. Robin Thicke has more black in him than your fake-opportunist Justin Timberlake who has no respect for the BLACK legends he channels his music after.

Robin Thicke may be considered a “blue-eyed-soul artist” but it seems it’s not enough to get the singer on the front cover of Vibe. When he confronted them about this, their response was “We don’t put white artists on our covers”. We all know that’s not true because rapper Eminem was on their cover at the height of his fame.

Check out the quotes below from his recent interview with Billboard:

“When I did a recent interview with Vibe magazine I asked, “Why can’t I get the cover? This is a magazine I love. If there’s one magazine that I’d want to be on the cover of, it’s Vibe.” Their response was they don’t have white artists on the cover; that the only white artist they’ve had on the cover was Eminem. I guess if that’s what it is, it is what it is. And I respect that because I live in a house with a black woman.”

At least he doesn’t talk the talk unlike Eminem and Justin Timberlake who have BOTH appeared on the cover of Vibe. In the past Eminem says he’s dated a black woman (Mariah Carey doesn’t count, lol) whilst Justin Timberlake proclaimed his love for a black woman (it’s rumoured he briefly dated Tatyana Ali during his early N-Sync years but that was never confirmed) when not ONE black woman has yet to come forward saying they’ve had relationships with them.

He went on to explain:

“I won’t use the word “racism”. I will say it’s a tough — but rewarding — fight. I look at Mary J. Blige, somebody who has had only a few pop hits and yet has changed culture, generated new sounds and inspired leagues of artists. She’s now a worldwide phenomenon. And it’s because of what she stood for; she never gave up. She kept making great music, pouring her heart out to people. You can’t always expect people to be as color-blind or open-minded as you want. What you can do is keep giving your heart and soul, like Bob Marley did. His music became so overwhelmingly loving; it was a relentless love in a sense. Keep beating them down with love and they can’t stop you.”

I guess they felt Eminem was too much of an advantage NOT to be featured as he was one of the biggest rap artists and he was discovered by Dr Dre after all *rolls eyes* And I remember when they had Justin Timberlake on there as well when he was promoting ‘Justified’ as well as Jennifer Lopez. So the fact that they don’t want Robin Thicke to grace their cover because of his “whiteness” is very hypocritical. Robin Thicke has more black in him than your fake-opportunist Justin Timberlake who has no respect for the BLACK legends he channels his music after.

A couple of months ago, it was confirmed that The Dream and Tricky Stewart (the duo behind Rihanna’s monster hit ‘Umbrella’) were drafted to work on Beyonce’s new album. Here’s what was said about the production process in a very recent interview:

THE-DREAM & TRICKY STEWART INTERVIEW
Posted on 30 Aug 2008 by Ewe
DJ Booth: Discuss the pressure of having to always meet and then exceed the expectations that you guys have created for yourselves with the hit records.

The-Dream: I think the pressure’s actually moreso on Trick than it is on me, because he actually understands the industry. I really don’t care. I’m already tryin’ to be great, and I’m probably three or four steps ahead of wherever you are. Trick’s job is fooling the artists that don’t really buy into the system of what we do, [that] they could be goin’ a little slower than they should be, or [who] take a little longer to get to the hit, even though he knows exactly how to get to it. Beyonce is crazy – Beyonce will get in and say, “Y’all do what y’all do – I’m gonna sing,” and it takes somebody great to do that. It takes somebody great to know that you’re just as good at your job as she is at hers. I would never go to her stage performance, and even when she was writing “Lights Out,” back in the day, and say, “This is how you do it.” I’d never do it when she’s in her element, and I’m hiring her to do a certain thing. So, when you’re hiring us, how I think of it is, you’re hiring me to do something great. That’s what I’m here to do. I’m not here to take your money and go chill on the beach and go buy a new car – I’m here to do something great. And most of the time artists don’t understand that.

Talk is cheap. I just want the single to leak so we can all hear it for ourselves. As for the album, I’m hearing Jay-Z may not appear. After a while it becomes too cliche having Jay-Z appear on all of her lead singles. It is also noted that Beyonce is part of a star-studded lineup at the 2008 Bermuda Music Festival this October including Alicia Keys. The four-day festival kicks off on October 1st at the Fairmont Southampton Beach Club.

Keri Hilson’s debut album ‘In a Perfect World’ has been pushed back by one week to October 14th. Originally, it was set to drop on September 23rd and then moved to October 7th. This now means that Keri will be going up against Ludacris‘ ‘Theater of the Mind’.

This is not looking good for Keri. We have more chance of Rihanna and Teairra Mari doing a duet together than Keri’s album seeing the light of day in 2008 OR at all for that matter. I personally think the album will end up getting shelved like Mya’s ‘Liberation’ and Amerie’s ‘Because I Love It’. I’m not even that psyched about Keri’s album as much as I was earlier on in the year. Most of her album has leaked anyway so all the songs that have leaked I added them to her mixtape that became available last year. Keri should have struck whilst the iron was hot when her featured collaboration with Timbaland’s ‘The Way I Are’ was blazing up the charts on BOTH sides of the Atlantic. The song ended Rihanna’s 10-week no 1 reign with ‘Umbrella’ last summer in the UK. As for her song ‘Return The Flavour’ that has leaked in full over the weekend, I have nothing much to add. My comments are pretty much the same as the ones when the snippet of the same song leaked some weeks back. The beat (Timbaland) is predictable and not that interesting. Anyway, why am I not surprised at this news? If you’re not Tim’s no 1 bitch (Justin Timberlake), you don’t really stand a chance. Look how wrong he did the extremely amazing Kiley Dean. I loved that chick. I play her unreleased album like no tomorrow. It was B.R.I.L.L.I.A.N.T! I hope she comes up somehow but she’ll never get the recognition and accolades she so much deserves.

♫ Keri Hilson: Return The Favor (Official Full Version)

Kelly Rowland is back in the UK again, where she appeared on UK music show T-Mobile Transmission. She performed with Irish band The Script where they duetted on Stevie Wonder’s classic ‘Part Time Lover’:

Kelly was really getting into the performance. In parts, vocals were a bit off but overall, it was a good performance. Thanx for the vid Mileka.

Kelly Rowland is back in the UK again, where she appeared on UK music show T-Mobile Transmission. She performed with Irish band The Script where they duetted on Stevie Wonder’s classic ‘Part Time Lover’:

Kelly was really getting into the performance. In parts, vocals were a bit off but overall, it was a good performance. Thanx for the vid Mileka.

The Pussycat Dolls performed their latest single ‘When I Grow Up’ at NYC’s Rockefeller Plaza earlier today on the ‘Today’ show:

That was kind of dry and was no different from the previous performances we’ve seen of this track. I’m getting sick and tired of it to be honest. I’m also sick and tired of Nicole hogging the stage.

Okay, so Nicole is seen as the group’s selling power, which is funny considering that she couldn’t sell herself as a solo act.

All in all, I would love to see another PCD lead the stage and vocals, for once.

The Pussycat Dolls performed their latest single ‘When I Grow Up’ at NYC’s Rockefeller Plaza earlier today on the ‘Today’ show:

That was kind of dry and was no different from the previous performances we’ve seen of this track. I’m getting sick and tired of it to be honest. I’m also sick and tired of Nicole hogging the stage.

Okay, so Nicole is seen as the group’s selling power, which is funny considering that she couldn’t sell herself as a solo act.

All in all, I would love to see another PCD lead the stage and vocals, for once.

I could go on and on about the endless list of accomplishments surrounding the legendary Michael Jackson. For 45 years, MJ has entertained and wowed the world with his world class music and performances. MJ grew up in front of the camera’s and has never stopped. Even now he’s inspiring the fresh new younger generation of artists such as Usher, Justin Timberlake and Chris Brown. And of course I made sure to arouse myself by finding the sexiest Michael picture I could find, a picture that would no doubt have had a leverage of females dropping their panties:

Michael’s constant face changes and dangerous obsession with plastic surgery has been as much talk as his music and fantastic live performances which is really sad because he should be remembered for the awesome music and dance routines that had folks passing out back in the day. But this tribute is not to trash his looks, but to remember Michael Jackson as the world class legend he is today - the man who was the first to bring concept to a music video. Decades after he is long gone Michael Jackson will forever be talked about and I feel privileged to encounter Michael Jackson, not only in my childhood but in this lifetime. Check out the tribute video after the cut. You can also read an exclusive interview that Michael did yesterday with Good Morning America where he speaks on how it feels to be 50 YEARS OLD!!!!!

MJ TRIBUTE

A brand new Pussycat Dolls song lifted from the recording sessions of their forthcoming album ‘Doll Domination’ leaked yesterday. The song is called ‘Whatchu Think About That’ and features Missy. You can check the song after the jump.

As to what I think of the song, I think it’s quite hot, lol. There’s something about the quirky pop song that’s got me drawn but in all honesty, this really isn’t a bad track and shits all over their new song with R. Kelly.

And Missy’s verse also added a nice touch to the song as well. Is it as infectious as leading single ‘When I Grow Up’? Certainly not. Am I checking for a brand new PCD album? Not really, but I’ll definitely take a listen once it becomes present.

And I’m liking how Nicole isn’t the only one to dominate the track vocally. It certainly makes a nice change.

♫ PUSSYCAT DOLLS FEAT MISSY: WHATCHA THINK ABOUT THAT

Jennifer Hudson performed ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at the 2008 Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field in Denver, CO, last night:

She was propositioned to sing the track by Senator Barack Obama who accepted the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination. As for the performance, all I have to say is her vocal prowess was very good, but by far, not her best performance. I’ve heard her sound better on American Idol, and the nerves were CLEARLY visible.

Throughout her churchy-rendition of the US National Anthem, she epitomized poise and grace with solid vocal delivery. A bit shaky and pitchy in some area’s but she picked herself up in the end and blasted out some great notes.

Not a world class performance (sorry, just keeping it real) but she did a good job. The 26-year-old Oscar winner is set to release her self-titled debut album on Sept 30th.