We’ve all been there. You had an outfit you liked, a project you were doing, something you worked long and hard on only to find that those around you felt that it was…uh, how to say this…a piece of crap. It’s never easy, and these type of realizations happen every day in the entertainment world, where many an artist gets excited about a new single and release and force it on folks, only to find that those same folks wouldn’t touch that mess with a 10-foot-pole, let alone their hard earned cash. Here are 10 songs these artists thought were the greatest thing since sliced bread, but got the cold shoulder too fast.

Girl On Fire – Alicia Keys

Alicia Keys released the album Girl On Fire in November of last year, and being that it’s almost March and she’s still pushing the song “Girl on Fire” on us at every opportunity, you would think the album came out last month. It’s not a terrible song, but its attempt at being the girl power anthem of the decade fell short when people started noticing that Keys was doing a whole lot of yelling as opposed to singing. A bunch of remixed versions and different ways of performing it live couldn’t make it hot, but hey, you can’t knock a girl for trying. But it’s time to stop.

I, for one, really appreciated Eve’s music back in the day. She was Hot but she didn’t rely on it. She also had something to say. So it’s good to see her back on the scene with her new song “She Bad Bad.” Check out the video of Eve all glammed up, with black nails, fur and a fedora. Homegirl still looks good.

And the song and the beat is nice, something I can definitely see women dancing to in the club. Check out the video and let us know if you’re digging this one. Are you passing on it, or playing the mess out of it?

Source: WENN

Fame is fleeting: sometimes you’re the hottest thing in Hollywood and other times you can barely get your name in tabloids. Twelve of these stars have accomplished the seemingly impossible – or at least the extremely difficult – task of reestablishing their fame after losing it. On the other hand, three of these stars have struggled to revive their careers, proving how temporary the spotlight can be.

Surprisingly, there have been many notable comebacks that deserved mention, so it was difficult to narrow this list. Check out these celebs who managed to climb to the top not once, but twice.

Image: Zap2It.com

Iyanla Vanzant seemed to have disappeared for the past few years. Back in the early 2000s she was all the rage; the advice she gave to millions of views via her self-help books, TV appearances and Inner Visions Worldwide Institute were golden. Then she had, self-admittedly, fallen off. She lost her husband, her home, her fortune. But now, she’s back. Vanzant’s new TV show, Iyanla: Fix My Life, is debuting on September 15 on OWN with much anticipation.

But can the average Jane take a break from her career and come back bigger and better? Personal and business coach Troy Davis, of Davis Consulting Group, says it can be done with a little planning and perseverance. He tells us via an online chat, that you must focus and mentally plan. “Recollection and transformation of one’s mindset from the past back into the present can lead to the future,” he advises. “Take time to gain knowledge and perspective of the new, if any, players or game changes that [have] come to surface.”

But don’t forget your old contacts, adds Al Gary of crisis management and consultancy firm Ag Industries. “Use all of your contacts. Network, network, network,” he said in a text message. “You have to make yourself visible again.” But before you reenter the scene, Gary says “make sure you have the skills still.” Davis agrees and points out you need to make your own mission statement. “Redefine your goals and create a new mission statement with objectives as well as your overall strategy.”

Now, you’re ready for your second act.

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latimes.com

Hey loves! There’s lots going on this weekend and I’m trying to keep my “ear to the street” so you all can stay informed. Let’s check in on our the celebs, shall we?

Read the rest of this entry »

Source: HelloBeautiful.com

From HelloBeautiful.com

Tweet took a hiatus from music but is back with new material to soothe the souls of her fans. It is Tweet’s voice that separates her from the crowd. The Southern Hummingbird covers Aretha Franklin’s “Day Dreaming” but adds her flare to the heart-felt track!

Look for her forthcoming album Simply Tweet due out later this year! She will be releasing new music every Tuesday, stay tuned!

Listen to the song over at HelloBeautiful.com. 

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Wonder what Eve has been up to lately?

Well, E-V-E has teamed up to star in a documentary in conjunction with Reebok Classics and Complex, and in the process of doing comeback performances around Philly (at Kung Fu Necktie to be specific), she stopped at her alma mater, Martin Luther King, Jr. High School and kicked it with her young fans. With DMX coming back out, Lil Kim on tour, and Eve now getting back to being focused on music and making moves, it’s about to feel like the early ’00s (aka, Millennium) all over again! Check out all the colorful photos of the former first lady of Ruff Ryders as she meets the kids, prepares for performances, and rocks 54-11s. And you can see more over at Hip-Hop Wired.

*Reaches to play “Who’s That Girl”…*

See more photos HERE.

Photos courtesy of Reebok.

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*Waits for the bandwagon fans to start running back*

If you ever doubted that D’Angelo would get back into tip-top shape, both musically and physically, kick yourself. In his first real magazine spread since he last did press for the Voodoo album, D’Angelo is looking as he should: a little older, but a lot of fine. Despite the shocking mugshots we were exposed to after his run-ins with the law over the last few years (my corneas still burn), these few images today of the man behind the neo-soul music we bumped so hard are definitely pleasing to the eye. Thanks GQ!

The singer gets all suit and tie fresh on us for the shoot, and even gives us a bit of that wonderful gaze (and those lips!) that we like to see. I could do without the cigarette in the first shot, but it’s not something I would kick him out of the bed for (as long as he didn’t bring the cigarette into the bed…). As you can tell, I’m glad he’s looking delicious, but I’m more glad to hear the new music he plans to drop soon. His few features on songs with folks like Common and Q-Tip, as well as his own song “I Found My Smile Again” during his reclusive period were nice, but I need an album, boo! Until we can get that in stores, don’t forget that D will be a headliner at this year’s Essence Fest, so you’ll have a chance to see this brown sugar in real time and jam like it’s 1995 again. Pick up the June issue of GQ to get your fix of this beautiful man, and find out what he has to say about the music industry, and how the “Untitled (How Does It Feel?)” video hurt him as a musician. Here’s a quick excerpt courtesy of the illustrious men’s magazine that is GQ:

“One time I got mad when a female threw money at me onstage, and that made me feel like f-cked-up, and I threw the money back at her. I was like, ‘I’m not a stripper.’”

On the last day of the eight-month tour, Questlove says D’Angelo told him, “Yo, man, I cannot wait until this f-cking tour is over. I’m going to go in the woods, drink some hooch, grow a beard, and get fat.” Questlove thought he was joking. “I was like, ‘You’re a funny guy.’ And then it started to happen.That’s how much he wanted to distance himself.”

Source: Gregory Harris/GQ

Source: Gregory Harris/GQ

What do you think of D’Angelo’s look? Still got it or no thanks?

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Source: prince.org

If you were sleeping on the announced performers for this year’s Essence Music Festival, or were looking for an excuse to go, we just might have found your reason, ladies. One of our all-time favorite crooners, D’Angelo, was just announced as part of the lineup of performers for the legendary annual festival. D’Angelo’s performance on the stage in New Orleans will be his first big performance in the States in many years, though he has been performing for folks overseas as part of his comeback. He will perform on the festival’s opening night, Friday, July 6. That day is clearly going to be a big one for ’90s music fans, because SWV will also be hitting the stage!

And if D doesn’t get your blood warm, you can always check out Trey Songz, who was also just added to the lineup and is slated to perform on the same night. I don’t know about you, but I’m trying to hit up this festival big time now. Mary J Blige, D’Angelo, SWV, Kevin Hart, and Aretha Franklin throughout the whole weekend? Go ahead and start planning you guys! Check out the rest of the headliners for the festival over at Essence, and go ahead and start going through your old D’Angelo CDs, because I’m sure you’re as excited as we are.

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allhiphop.com

For an artist at their peak, the shine is brighter than the rays of summer. But the sun always sets. That hasn’t stopped some of our favorite R&B stars from attempting encores to put them back in the spotlight. Let’s take a look at some recent comebacks to the game by those who step to the mic and say that they never really left.