RUBEN STUDDARD MARRIES GIRLFRIEND » Ruben Studdard may be a “free agent” right now as far as his music career is concerned, but that didn’t stop the 29-year-old American Idol winner from tying the knot with fiancé Surata Zuri McCants. The couple exchanged vows in front of friends and family last Friday at Canterbury United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Studdard had 20 groomsmen by his side. The two met back in 2006 at a CD signing at a Wal-Mart in Atlanta. Struck by her beauty, the singer followed her to the toy aisle and proceeded to ask for her number.
Usher performing “In This Club” as the opener for the 2008 BET Awards, which aired last night live from Los Angeles.
The 2008 BET Awards went down last night, and while there were a few lackluster performances (Usher’s being one of them), there were a few memorable, surprising, and exciting moments. One being Alicia Keys’ performance when she brought out SWV, En Vogue, and TLC! Another notable performance of the evening was Ne-Yo’s, where he showed us he can hang with the big dogs when it comes to his dance moves - he even brought out the Jabbawockees (winners of MTV’s America’s Dance Crew). Chris Brown did his thing as well, and surprised everyone when he brought out Ciara. Did Rihanna approve of this beforehand? I’m curious to know. And speaking of Rihanna, did anyone else notice how far she’s come along, as far as her live vocals? I was really impressed when she performed Take A Bow! And last, but most certainly not least, on my list of the best performances of the night, Lil’ Wayne! He kind of scared me towards the end of the show because it seemed like he wasn’t going to come out. The show was already running 15 or 20 minutes over when he was introduced. But he did come out, and he showed us exactly how and why he has sold nearly 1,500,000 copies of Tha Carter: III so far! He started out with Got Money (feat. T-Pain), paid homage to Static Major (R.I.P.) with Lollipop, and ended off his performance with A Millie. He had the whole crowd hyped, and ended off the show perfectly.
While the 2008 BET Awards did have its good moments, much of the show left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. I expected a lot more from Usher. His performance was probably the most hyped up (pre-show), and ended up being one of the absolute worst of the night. While I love Keyshia Cole’s Heaven Sent, she really needs to work on her live vocals … and her stage presence. She had a lot of energy, she just didn’t know how to keep it all together. She looked like she was doing too much to me.
In my opinion, the 2007 BET Awards were much better. The performances, the overall show, and oh yeah … the host! Who the hell approved of D.L. Hughley being the host of this year’s show? I hope they received a pink slip in their box this morning. BRING MO’NIQUE BACK!!!
Follow the break for nearly 50 photos from all of last night’s performances CONTINUE READING
Alicia Keys, Jill Scott, and Mary J. Blige cover Essence Magazine for their annual “Black Music Month” issue. Each collector’s edition cover has the caption “Black Women Rule!” on it. In the issue all three ladies talk to Essence Editor Regina R. Robertson about how they’ve managed to stay relevant for so long in their careers as well as their success and longevity. Keep reading to see all three covers and to read some of the interview
#1: Why did Allure hide Jill Scott behind a bush, but left Gabrielle Union out in the field?
#2: Does Jermaine Dupri use a booster seat when he drives?
#3: Why is Madonna’s new album shitting on “Discipline” and it hasn’t even been released yet?
#4: Why is “Don’t talk to me, you know better than that!” [Jay-Z] so damn funny?
#5: Why did Wesley Snipes get 3 years in prison, and those racist ass cops who murdered a black man for no apparent reason didn’t spend one day behind bars? All Wesley did was not pay the government. Those idiots filled an un-armed person with 50 bullets! Am I the only one who feels this way?
Actress Gabrielle Union and actress/singer Jill Scott are among the 5 celebrities chosen to appear “tastefully nude” in the May 2008 issue of Allure Magazine. The point of the photo spread is to celebrate various shapes of the female body.
“Nobody ever celebrates women whose bodies are bigger than a size 8. But here I am, naked in a magazine at size 16. I hope that I can be an inspiration to all women. We’re all beautiful, each and every one of us,” Jill Scott said.
Click below for the full pics and to read what Gabrielle Union had to say about the shoot!
PHOTOS BY: SCOTT GRIES & FRANK MICELLOTA FOR GETTY IMAGES
Black Hollywood showed up and showed out at the first ever BET Honors, which were held in Washington D.C. Saturday night. The ladies glammed it up on the red carpet, and the fellas got their GQ on. Honorees included R&B star Alicia Keys and supermodel Tyra Banks, Time Warner board chairman Richard D. Parsons and Princeton professor Cornel West. “For me, I’m just a girl still from Harlem, and here I am,” Keys said. “It’s a tremendous feeling to do what you love and for people to love what you do. … People are honoring me for doing what my heart tells me to do, (and that is) so fulfilling.” Actor Blair Underwood presented Keys’ award, while her musical idol, Stevie Wonder, performed a special rendition of of “As” especially for her. John Legend, Wyclef Jean, Gladys Knight, Brian McKnight, Jill Scott and Raheem DeVaughn also performed. The show is set to air sometime in February. Check your local listings for more details. CONTINUE READING
The cast of Tyler Perry’s latest movie, “Why Did I Get Married?”, paid a visit to BET’s 106 & Park last Thursday (Oct. 11) to discuss their roles in the movie. Jill Scott, Janet Jackson, and of course Tyler Perry himself, all showed up. The movie hit theaters nationwide this past Friday, and so far, while I haven’t had the chance to see it myself, I’m hearing nothing but good things about it. According to BLOOMBERG, the movie grossed at over $21 million and is currently the #1 movie in North America (US & Canada)! Definitely a good look…
Here are some photos from the LA premiere of Tyler Perry’s latest film, “Why Did I Get Married?” If you haven’t checked out the cast’s appearance on The Oprah Show, make sure you hit up THAT GRAPE JUICE to peep the youtube vids. Check out the raminaining photos from the premiere after the cut. CONTINUE READING
