Sunday November 28th, 2004
New CD's this past week:
- Allure – Chapter III
- Fantasia – Free yourself
- Julie Dexter - Conscious
Music news headlines this week:
Ruben Studdard Hospitalized For Exhaustion
American Idol winner Ruben Studdard has
been hospitalized for exhaustion,
forcing him to cancel all of this week's promotional activities and the
two Atlantic City shows he was scheduled to play with Kimberley Locke.
According to the Associated Press, Studdard was in his hometown of Alabama
on Monday night (November 22nd) when he fell ill and was taken to the
hospital. The 26-year-old singer will likely remain in the hospital
through the end of the week and is expected to undergo more tests.
Studdard was apparently feeling sick for the last two weeks.
Earlier this week, Studdard released his sophomore album, I Need An Angel.
Studdard was the second champion on Fox's American Idol.
Alicia Keys Says She’s Not Always So Serious
Alicia Keys says that if there's one thing
her fans will learn about her
in her new DVD, it's that she's a very silly person. The Diary of Alicia
Keyes - A Documentary Film is a window into what it's like in the studio,
on the road, and backstage with Keys and she's not as serious as some
might think. Keys said,"Well you'll definitely find I'm very silly. I am a
very silly person. A lot of people think that because of my music, because
of my words, the way that I write, I'm very serious. But I am very, very
silly and this DVD completely proves that theory. So I don't know if I
should be embarrassed."
60 Minutes will air an interview with Keys tonight (November 24th) on CBS
at 8:00 p.m. ET. In the interview, Keys talks about the decision to change
her name from Alicia Augello-Cook to Alicia Keys. She says, "We were
searching for a good description, you know? A description of who I am and
what I do and we came up with a whole bunch of really bad names. The worst
was -- this is bad, this is horrible -- Alicia Wild. I mean, that sounds
like a stripper."
Fantasia Says She Loved Working With Missy Elliott
On New CD
Fantasia Barrino loved every minute of
collaborating with Missy Elliot on
three tracks for the American Idol winner's debut CD, Free Yourself.
Barrino tells VH1.com, "Working with Missy Elliott was like chilling with
somebody from back home. She was really chill, we cracked jokes, she
called me country. We just had a blast. I'll work with her any day. She
knew what I went through, she knew my struggle [of being a single mom].
All the songs that [she wrote], I relate to."
Free Yourself was released yesterday (November 23rd). The first single
from the album will be "Truth Is." The video for the song was shot last
week and contains performance footage mixed with a storyline which shows
Barrino running into an old boyfriend she can't seem to forget.
Barrino tells CosmoGirl! that she got her start at the age of five in her
mom's bedroom. She says, "I used to sing 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm' in
front of my mom's mirror while wearing her high heels! Having my daughter,
Zion , only made me push harder because I wanted to be successful for her,
too." Barrino was honored by the magazine at their 5th Annual CosmoGirl!
Born to Lead Awards and is featured in the current issue.
Jermaine Jackson Getting Divorced
Jermaine Jackson has filed for a divorce
from his wife Alejandra in Los
Angeles Superior Court, Entertainment Tonight reports. The former Jackson
5 star cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split with
his wife of nine years.
The couple has two sons together -- 8-year-old Jaafar and 4-year-old
Jermajesty.
Raven Symone Says She Is Working On Two Books
Acting, singing and dancing are not Raven
Symone's only creative
endeavors; she's also writing not one, but two books. In a chat on MSN.com
last week, Symone told fans, "One of the books is a series of fictional
novels for girls. The other is going to be a guide for children and adults
who want to put their children in the entertainment business. It will have
all of my experiences in the business, what they might go through when
starting out for the first time. It is very difficult and it takes a lot
of patience." There are no details yet on when the books will be
published.
She also says she will begin working on the feature film All-American Girl
next year. Symone will play a young woman who accidentally saves the
President and becomes a national hero. She estimates the film will be out
sometime in 2006.
Symone will be performing her current single, "Backflip," at the 78th
Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which will be broadcast on NBC
beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET.
She'll also be appearing on the 21st Annual Walt Disney World Christmas
Day Parade Special on ABC at 1:00 p.m. ET