WENN

 The Real Housewives of Atlanta is known for its over the top drama, fancy gay hair stylists and larger than life cast. Kim Zolciak, the show’s resident white woman and most notable character (next to NeNe) is now gone after moving into (and losing)  her “dream” home, getting married, and lying about  the duration of her pregnancy. Sadly, there’s no more vanilla in the RHOA coffee, but just in case Andy and them wanna add a little milk back in, here are 15 replacements who would fit right in.

While Wale was somewhere talking to MTV about why he didn’t appreciate Kelly Clarkson’s comments about Miguel and his performance at the Grammys on February 10 (“Miguel, I don’t know who the hell you are, but we need to sing together. I mean, good God. That was the sexiest damn thing I’ve ever seen.”), Miguel was somewhere NOT tripping, and in fact, hobnobbing with his idols and soaking in the success of his Grammy night. Billboard magazine crowned him the Breakout Star of the whole star-studded evening after he captured everyone’s attention and admiration with his stripped down performance of “Adorn” with Wiz Khalifa. It was so well-received that sales for the single were at their highest thanks to a 229 percent increase. Plus, he won best R&B song for the track.

Billboard caught up with the singer a few days later to speak on how his performance in the aisle came to life (which some thought was a downgrade *cough* Wale *cough*), breaking down whether he did or didn’t work with Beyoncé recently, touring with Alicia Keys soon, and why his popular song “P**y is Mine” from Kaleidoscope Dream had his girlfriend giving the side eye. Here are a few highlights:

When asked about how his last-minute performance came to life and how he ended up in the aisles and not on the stage, and he says that in the end, his performance placement was genius:

“A week-and-a-half out we knew that we could perform. I wanted to make an intimate thing but I had a bigger vision about the crowd. I got to tip my hat to [telecast producer] Ken Ehrlich-he really had the vision. I did want it to be a stripped-down performance, and it really was genius of him to put us in the aisle.”

He also discussed how “Adorn” almost became a deep cut on his EP last year, until his A&R said he should release it as a single:

“In late 2011 I was like, “I’m going to put out a series of micro EPs.” I just knew I wanted to put out free music and make it very quality vs. quantity, very personal. Make the whole thing a personal creative process from the artwork to the painting to the design to the production and writing-just for the people who discover music like I do online or my favorite blogs. We put out the first one at the top of February of 2012, and “Adorn” was on that and it got quite a buzz. It got a great response and Mark Pitts, my A&R, was convinced that it should be a single and I was excited, but I was like, “Are you sure this could work?” He was like, “Man, that s**t is going to kill.” And he was right.”

Out of all the love songs and jams on Kaleidoscope Dream, Miguel was asked what influence his girlfriend had on them, and what she thought of ‘em. One song in particular didn’t necessarily light her fire off the top, but the meaning behind it is pretty beautiful:

“P**y Is Mine” was not her favorite song. That whole song was freestyle. What makes it interesting is the juxtaposition of ego and vulnerability. It’s kind of rolled in this vulnerability, wanting to claim it — “Tell me that it’s mine” — but it’s also out of this vulnerable need: “I want to feel I’m the only one in this moment.” I’ve really been there. It felt like such an honest moment.”

Lastly, Miguel opened up about the rumor that he was working with Beyoncéon her next album after he snapped a pic with the singer and put it on his Instagram. While that time in the studio together never really happened, he would love it:

Have I worked with Beyonce? [laughs] I was really nervous to ask her, that was all, I just asked her to take a photo with me and she was really sweet about it. That’s all I can say. I’ve honestly never worked with Beyonce. It would be awesome, though, I would love that.

Check out the full interview at Billboard.com and pick up the newest issue to run your fingers through it.

Source: WENN, Johnny Louis

During Sunday night’s airing of the Grammy Awards, eyebrows raised as Kelly Clarkson mounted the stage to accept her award for Best Pop Vocal Album and delivered a rather awkward acceptance speech that many considered to be slighting to R&B vocalist, Miguel.

“Miguel, I don’t know who the hell you are, but we need to sing together. I mean, good God. That was the se*iest damn thing I’ve ever seen,” Clarkson said, refferring to Miguel’s sultry performance of hit single “Adorn”.

Although many didn’t think much of the singer’s comments, others found them highly offensive and slighting to Miguel. While Miguel has yet to come out to express whether or not he felt shafted by Kelly’s comments, friend and peer Wale had a few words to say about the comments.

“I didn’t like the Kelly Clarkson back-handed comments to Miguel. I didn’t like that at all. I just feel like our urban music is belittled, a little bit. Not trying to offend nobody on the committee, but for a record as big as ‘Adorn,’ and it to not be presented as a real performance onstage; it was almost like a segue to an award. Again, I don’t want to offend anybody on the committee, but that wasn’t a very good representation of our music because ‘Adorn’ is gonna be around for the next 30 years,” Wale expressed to MTV following the awards.

What makes Kelly’s comment even more interesting is that she and Miguel are actually label mates over at RCA Records.

Check out Clarkson’s full acceptance speech on the next page. Is Wale being sensitive or does he have a point?

Source: AP Images

I usually never watch the Grammys and honestly wasn’t planning on doing so last night. But when my friend asked me if I was going to participate in the festivities at brunch, I decided since I was avoiding the cold, to check it out. The show itself had high and low moments. It wasn’t fabulous but it certainly wasn’t the most boring thing I’ve seen. So, whether you missed it or want to relive it, check out the most memorable moments. The asterisks represent high points of the night.

According to USA Today:

American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe says he’s “shocked” by a proposed lawsuit from nine past contestants claiming racial motivations for their public disqualifications from the show.

New York attorney James Freeman has filed a letter with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission seeking to sue the show. Freeman claims the show violates California employment law, which forbids employers from questioning potential employees about their arrest histories.”

An article in Fox News provides a more detailed look at each one of these nine ex-Idol hopefuls, including the following: Corey Clark from season two, who was disqualified after it was discovered that he had previously been arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery on four police officers and his sister; Jaered Andrews, also from season two, who was removed from the show after the discovery of an assault charge; And twin brothers Terrell and Derrell Brittenum of season five, who were axed from the show after it was discovered that they had been arrested and charged with identity theft.

While the Fox News article asserts that the proposed discrimination case against the producers will be hard legally to prove for a variety of reasons, I found the accusations of race-bias intriguing because Idol seems like an equal opportunity reality show. Folks spanning various skin colors, genders and sexual orientations have not only been popular, but have actually won the show. Then again, I admittedly haven’t watched the show since the season after Fantasia won – even then I can’t tell you who won. However, last year, Melissa McEwan, writing for Alternet, too raised the question if Idol had a race and gender problem. According to the Alternet piece, among all the contestants to be eliminated first in the finals of the 2011 season of Idol were women of color. Furthermore, as noted by McEwan, a woman of color hasn’t won a season of Idol since Jordin Sparks took season six. McEwan speculates that the show’s target demographic leans heavily towards contestants with Southern roots, and it might explain the racial imbalance on the show, however, there is no getting around the fact that the show treats contestants differently by gender, “encouraging creativity among the boys and conformity among the girls.”

Last week, I decided to tune into the first Idol show in a number of seasons. I think the last time that I had actually watched Idol with interest is when that Sanjaya kid trolled America. But like most people I know, if I do happen upon it, I’m only watching for the auditions, and even then, I’m only making it an episode or two. However, I will say that this supposed beef between Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj has sparked my interest. And while somewhat entertaining, it is clear from the three episodes I’ve seen that their little squabble is not going to be enough to carry the entire show – well, maybe for a season. I certainly am interested to see how Minaj and Carey will relate to each other during the live shows. However, their tension is not enough to warrant a return for next season. As far as I am concerned, Idol issues go far beyond what a Minaj and Carey beef can fix. I don’t know if it is just a matter of it being racial or sexist, but I can tell you that I have watched Idol judges pass through mediocre singers audition after audition and then basically lie to the cameras about them being the “best voice I think we heard all day.”

I’m not saying that these people can’t carry a tune, but carrying a tune is all that they can do. The typical Idol singer has little range and they tend to all sound the same. They are pleasant in sound but not all that inspiring. What’s missing from Idol nowadays is the real singers. You know, the ones with the heavy voices, who know how to do runs and riffs properly and can hit all the notes in Jennifer Holiday’s “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”? The singers whose voices give goosebumps and reach you to the depth of your soul. I’m not only talking about the Fantasias and the Ruben Studdards, but the Clay Aikens, Carrie Underwoods and Kelly Clarksons too. I’m talking about the powerhouse singers, who wake up early Sunday morning just so that they can tear it up at their storefront Baptist churches, or what Simon Cowell would call “good ole’ fashion belters.” A singing competition without those kind of big voices cannot be taken seriously.

In this regard, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were definitely some filtering and selective-ness at work behind the scenes. If demographics are important, as the Alternet article suggests, then perhaps Idol might be more willing to tailor its finalists to meet the audience’s standards of image, values and personality. And unfortunately, in our culture, images – be it the potential for being racist, sexist or some other way exclusionary – tends to overshadow talent. It’s the reason why Martha Wash has one of the most famous voices, but not as recognizable of a face. And as I suspect, it is the reason why Idol keeps producing season after season these homogeneous non-singers who are a little bit country with a penchant for acoustic guitars and boring contemporary pop-top 40 hits.

In a way, you can’t blame them: having a powerhouse singer amidst a bunch of middling singers is not all that interesting to watch. It’s like, duh, this person is destined to win so why even bother with the competition? Well, unless of course something is off in the voting. I remember feeling that way when Jennifer Hudson, who clearly could blow, was unceremoniously booted from the program by an obviously tone-deaf America. Ironically, the other contestants in the bottom three, alongside Hudson, consisted of two other black women. Clearly, American Idol is a popularity contest. And unfortunately in America, it is still perfectly fashionable in popularity contests to be both racist and sexist.

Beyonce singing the national anthem at today’s 57th Presidential Inauguration for Barack Obama. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Beyonce, James Taylor, and Kelly Clarkson have just taken the stage during today’s inaugural ceremony. Besides the great honor of taking part in this tremendous event, there is another reason artists are eager to perform at a presidential inauguration. According to Billboard, artists who perform at the event may see an increase in record sales.

That’s what happened last time for Beyonce when the singer made a surprise appearance four years ago at President Barack Obama’s Neighborhood Ball. It “became arguably the most talked-about musical moment of the inauguration festivities,” notes the magazine. The performance was broadcast on ABC and watched by 12.6 million U.S. TV viewers, according to Nielsen. Beyonce sang a cover of Etta James’ “At Last.”

Sales of Beyonce’s already-released cover version shot up. Video clips of the performance went viral on YouTube. And earned a 1,318 percent sales gain, according to Nielsen SoundScan. “The tune sold 31,000 downloads that week — up from just 2,000 the week previous,” writes Billboard.

So this year, Beyonce, who performed at the Ceremonial Swearing-In Ceremony, could get another sales boost, as could the other inauguration performers Clarkson and Taylor whose performances will be broadcast. (She’ll get another shot in the arm from her Super Bowl performance next month.) Maybe even the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir will see a boost in buzz!

After much anticipation, VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul aired last night with an amazing lineup of performers paying tribute to the cities that put soul music on the map, like Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, and Memphis.

Jill Scott, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Jessie J, Florence + The Machine, Kelly Clarkson, Erykah Badu, Ledisi, Chaka Khan, and more were in the building paying homage to great cities, great music, and British soul diva Amy Winehouse.

Check out a recap of some of the most talked about performances below and tell us which were your favorites and which you weren’t feeling.

J Hud, Kelly Clarkson, and Mary J. Blige opened the show with spins on some of their classic songs like  “Real Love,” “Since You’ve Been Gone,” and “Spotlight.”

Nas introduced the performers for the Amy Winehouse tribute, calling Amy his “soul sister” and admitting that her song “Me and Mr. Jones” was about him. That was the most charming part of the tribute as the other singers didn’t quite hit the mark in their renditions of “Back to Black” and “You Know I’m No Good.”

J Hud sang “Night of Your Life” in her solo set, but Twitter’s seemed to find her guilty of jacking someone else’s style as the usually stationary singer pulled out a few moves in her Beyonce-esque dress.

Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and Black Thought shared the stage remixing “You Got Me.”