Although we've seen the candid images of Oprah Winfrey and Jay-Z hanging around Brooklyn, Winfrey is now claiming that the rapper is her "new best friend." The influential media mogul appeared on longtime gal pal Gayle King's satellite radio show this week to chat about the two-hour interview she did with Jay-Z for O magazine. Winfrey has never been a fan of hip-hop music -- especially the thuggish, ruggish kind Jay-Z has popularized -- but after getting a whiff of his aroma, she was mesmerized. "He was so charming and delightful -- and he smelled so good," she revealed. "It's the kind of thing where you hug a guy and the scent is sort of buried in them," she continued. "When we went to the second location, I could still smell him on me it was like, 'Oh my, this is wonderful!'" Jay-Z recently launched his fragrance, Rocawear 9 IX, which is similar to Prada's male cologne. People magazine's Web site has the interview. Listen in here.
Today called her an "R&B cult goddess," and People magazine wrote, "Turning her loose is the last thing you'll want to do" The Los Angeles Times raved "Ledisi yowls like a punk-rock Tina Turner," while Newsday declared "she flits, flies and growls all over the R&B spectrum." According to a record company spokeswoman, the opus sold 10,000 copies in one day. That's a record for the New Orleans native, who started as an underground neo-soul darling. Ledisi showed up in the Big Apple this week – and showed out -- during an exclusive showcase at Le Poisson Rouge (in conjunction with WBLS). See exclusive video here. She also scored an NAACP Theatre Award nomination for her role in Reprise Theatre Company's production of 'Once on This Island' last fall. Trekking from coast to coast promoting the masterful tour de force (which features collaborations with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Raphael Saadiq, Rex Rideout and Lorenzo Johnson), Ledisi will head out west next weekend -- she's been tapped to perform during the awards ceremony on Aug. 31 at the Directors Guild of American in Hollywood.
It looks like Zac Efron isn't the only 'High School Musical' hottie ready to step out of the confines of the teenybopper business. Corbin Bleu (pictured right) is baring his all for his latest role. Well, some of it. The New York native is starring in the upcoming drama 'The Beautiful Life: TBL,' which premieres on the CW on Sept. 16. And the network is getting its viewers hot and heavy with an eye-catching ad campaign that debuted this week.Executive produced by Ashton Kutcher, the show follows the lives of young models in New York City. Bleu's character, Isaac, is a former child model who is having trouble being accepted in the profession as a adult. He has a love for music and will also get a chance to flex some muscle on the front for the show (he recorded two albums via Disney's Hollywood Records).
"I like to keep a low profile," he told BV's top celebrity blogger Jawn Murray last year during an intimate interview.
Yeah right, Corbin. After seeing him stripped down, many might beg to differ.
Joy Bryant, Anthony Mackie and Jurnee Smollett all have new gigs. Brant -- who had a break-out role in Denzel Washington's directorial debut 'The Antwone Fisher Story' -- has been tapped to be a regular on the upcoming NBC drama 'Parenthood,' which is based on the 1989 film starring Steve Martin. The Bronx-born beatuy will play Jasmine, a sexy single mom who moves back to the Bay Area to give her professional dance career a second try and to introduce her 5-year-old son, the product of a fling, to his father. The former Tommy Hilfiger spokesmodel was last seen in the Martin Lawrence movie 'Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins' and appeared in FOX's two-hour pilot for 'Virtuality,' which never became a series. Anthony Mackie has signed on for Universal's sci-fi thriller 'The Adjustment Bureau,' opposite Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. Written and directed by George Nolfi and adapted from Philip K. Dick's short story, the plot centers on a smooth-talking congressman whose political future is thrown in doubt by the arrival of a mysterious ballerina. Mackie, who recently starred in the film 'The Hurt Locker,' is currently appearing in 'The Bacchae' in New York as part of Shakespeare in the Park. According to Variety, 'The Adjustment' will shoot in New York immediately following the wrap of the play. 'Eve's Bayou' star Jurnee Smollett has been added to the cast of NBC's critically acclaimed series 'Friday Night Lights.' She will play Jess, the daughter of a onetime NFL hopeful who knows the game and helps raise her siblings with the help of her father. Smollett's previous TV credits include guest appearances on 'Grey's Anatomy,' 'House,' 'E.R.' and 'Strong Medicine.'
Grammy Award-winning singer and acclaimed theater actress Michelle Williams' work has paid off. BV Newswire has learned that the former Destiny's Child singer has been extended in the enormously popular West End production of 'Chicago the Musical.' As the first African American woman to play the coveted role of murderous chorus girl Roxie Hart in London, Williams has won rave reviews. "With a smooth, strong singing voice [Michelle Williams] expertly plays up Roxie's deceptively sugary nature and gives the character all the feistiness you'd expect from a member of the trio that unleashed 'Survivor' and 'Independent Women' on the world," the London Paper proclaimed. Williams will continue to shake her shimmy at the Cambridge Theatre through Sept. 12. Get a gander at her as Roxie during an intimate club performance in London. Exclusive video here.
Black Music Notes June 1
6/1/09: Minnie Riperton
A very fitting homage will be paid to late, great songbird Minnie Riperton when a new batch of the acclaimed TV One docu-series 'Unsung' hits the small screen this month. Best known for her signature ballad 'Lovin' You,' the Chicago-born singer/songwriter's career and life were cut short after a three-year battle with breast cancer in the late 1970s. After Riperton's cancer diagnosis, she went public instead of retreating, serving as a spokesperson for the American Cancer Society. . She was only 31 years old when she died at the prime of her career. 'Unsung' premieres June 7 at 8 PM ET, repeating at 11 PM, as well as Thursday, June 11 at 10 PM and Friday, June 12 at noon and midnight.
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6/1/09: Grace Jones
The one and only Grace Jones has been tapped to perform live at the 'We Love' festival in Ibiza on Aug. 9. For the first time ever, the 'Pull Up To The Bumper' singer will grace the Spanish island's celebrated summer concert series, as part of the Wall Of Sound recording company's 15th anniversary. Last year, festival organizers bought The Chemical Brothers back to the Ibiza after a ten-year hiatus. This year, they are ready for Amazing Grace, who recently released a new music project titled 'Hurricane' on the United Kingdom based label. "We are putting on a line-up to inspire and one that will take all lucky enough to be there on a journey they will never ever forget," Wall of Sound founder Mark Jones said.
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5/28/09: Chaka Khan
Fresh from a headlining gig at the 2009 St Lucia Jazz Festival, Chaka Khan is ready to take on the nation's capital. The 10-time Grammy Award winning diva will fill in for previously announce headliner Natalie Cole, who is recovering from a live saving kidney transplant surgery, at 'The 18th Annual Capital Jazz Fest' running June 5 - June 7. The 'I Feel For You' chanteuse will join a slew of noted musical acts at the lovely wooded setting of Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. According to a spokesperson for the event, the line-up includes performances by Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten, George Duke, Al Jarreau, Lalah Hathaway, Fourplay, Norman Brown, Roy Ayers, Will Downing, Kirk Whalum, Pieces of a Dream with special guest Phil Perry, Guitars & Saxes (f/ Jeff Lorber, Euge Groove, Jeff Golub and lady saxophone newcomer Jessy J) , Regina Belle, Marion Meadows and trumpeter Joey Sommerville.
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5/28/09: Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster Flash will be honored with the Living Legend award at the Urban Music Awards USA 2009, set to be held at New York City's Highline Ballroom on July 17. According to a spokesperson for the event, more than 175,000 music fans across the world have voted online for the hip hop veteran to receive the honor. "Flash is an absolute legend and he remains an inspiration to the hip hop culture all together by flying the flag from its inception to the success it has become today," said Jordan Kensington, who is the C.E.O of Invincible Group & Founder of the Urban Music Awards. Nominees for the inaugural awards show include Amy Winehouse, Rihanna, Bobby Valentino, M.I.A, Day 26, The Dream, Estelle, Kat de Luna, Akon, Kanye West, Keri Hilson, Ne-Yo and Eminem.
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5/21/09: Jay-Z
Despite stepping down from his Def Jam presidency in late 2007, hip hop mogul Jay-Z has finally left the label as an artist. Rumors started surfacing online that the platinum-selling lyricist, who owed the label one last album, brought himself out of his contract for $5 million. "I can honestly say, working with Doug Morris and LA Reid has been a unique and fulfilling experience and I respect them immensely," he revealed to hip hop site Rap Radar. "I've been in the family for almost my entire career. Doug and I spoke directly and had one of the most unique 'negotiations' ever...I thank him for allowing me to be a completely independent artist. Not every artist can say they own or are given the opportunity to own all of their music."
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5/19/09: Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige recently expanded her brand by signing with The William Morris Agency. According to Variety, the diversified entertainment agency, which also represents Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Kanye West, and Prince (to name a few), will assist the Queen of Hip Hop Soul in all areas of her career including the expansion of her entertainment company, Matriarch Entertainment. This fall the Queen of Hip Hop Soul will make her feature film debut in Tyler Perry's 'I Can Do Bad All by Myself,' scheduled to hit theaters September 11. She can be heard in the trailers for the Oprah Winfrey-presented drama 'Precious,' due out in November.
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5/19/09: The Dream
Following in the veins of fellow hip hop stars DMX and Tupac Shakur, singer-songwriter The Dream is planning on releasing his second album of 2009 entitled, 'Love King.' The R&B crooner, who recently released his certified gold album 'Love vs. Money' in March, revealed to Billboard magazine that he already has seven songs in the can and expects the album to hit stores in December. "I have to pace myself 'cause there's so much time between here and then," he said, "but the seven records I do have are timeless records. Whether they come out now or later it's not really going to matter what kind of records they are." In between recording sessions for 'Love King,' fans can now catch The Dream on tour with Keyshia Cole.
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5/19/09: The Whispers
After releasing classic hits such as 'In The Mood' and 'Rock Steady,'R&B stalwarts The Whispers are set to release their first gospel album on Kingdom Records. Grammy Award-winning gospel star Fred Hammond is expected to produce a bulk of the tracks. "We've been wanting to do this for ten years," explained founding member Nick Caldwell. "God has been really, really good to the Whispers. He was looking out for us even when we were ignoring Him. He allowed us to live long enough to do this inspirational CD that we want to use to inspire people to get closer to God." The as-yet-untitled anticipated album is tentatively scheduled for release later this year.
5/19/09: Mariah Carey
On May 23, Mariah Carey is set to perform a one-hour set at the opening of the most expensive resort in Europe, The Mardan. Carey alongside legendary British soul singer Tom Jones will reportedly be paid £1 million each to perform at the exclusive £926 million Turkey development, which features five acres of fresh water swimming pools and a sunken aquarium. Actress Sharon Stone and Paul McCartney are among the many guests invited to the 560 room hotel opening.
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5/19/09: Will Downing
Overcoming his bout with the muscle disorder Polymyositis, Will Downing has set the stage to release is latest musical offering, 'Classique.' The balladeer's 14th album and second Peak Records project features his signature baritone vocals over 10 smooth-sensual tracks. Vocalist Phil Perry joins the 'After Tonight' singer for Marvin Gaye penned 'Baby I'm for Real.' Other album highlights include 'Love Suggestions,' 'More Time,' 'Something Special' and Barry White's classic hit 'I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby.' 'Classique' hit stores June 16.
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By: jeff and carol on 8/25/2009 2:04AM
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By: ooiobaae on 9/01/2009 8:21AM
I BET bk put this O- j z interview in motion. O dont like rap bc much of the current crop IS CRAP. From what I read she talks about the foundation/ mentorship program that his Mom runs (w his $) in Marcy Projects.
There were cameras filming, so I wonder if O will show it on her show? Will she promote j z's Bluprint 3 cd?...I doubt it.
More & more Im seeing bk/sean as a power couple, a marriage of convenience.
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