Rihanna and Maroon 5 FNMTV performances and pictures!

There's just one place you can find the hottest new music videos, exclusive live performances and the most talked about artists: FNMTV Premieres. Each and every Friday night, all summer long.

Hosted by Pete Wentz, FNMTV Premieres will unveil brand new music videos for the first time ever. Expect performances and guest appearances by everyone who matters in music. It's gonna be one hot FNMTV summer!

Last Wednesday Rihanna and Maroon 5 were the hottest performances! Together they sang "If I Never See Your Face Again", and Rihanna also sang "Take A Bow". Both performances showed two sides of Rihanna, soft/vulnerable (Take A Bow), and edgy/fierce (If I Never See Your Face Again). Enjoy the videos below!

Ashanti - Yahoo Smash Hits Performances

Ashanti performed for Yahoo's Pepsi Smash series. She discussed the concept behind "The Way That I Love You", and the video. For those of you who thought the song was about Nelly, sorry to disappoint you, it isn't. Ashanti looks beautiful and fierce in her Pepsi Smash performance. She's a great performer, and her voice is simply perfect! Enjoy the videos of "The Way That I Love You", "Girlfriend", "So Over You" and pictures below!

Coldplay - Today Show Performances

Coldplay's new album Viva La Vida is out and sold 721,000 copies this week, which debuted the album number 1 on the Billboard charts. Coldplay performed Viva La Vida, Clocks, Lost, My Place, and 42. Watch the videos below!

Colplay will start touring in the United States in July, then will move on to Japan and Europe. Buy your tickets for their US concerts at Live Nation.

14/07/08: Los Angeles, CA
15/07/08: Los Angeles, CA
18/07/08: San Jose, CA
19/07/08: Las Vegas, NV
22/07/08: Chicago, IL
23/07/08: Chicago, IL
25/07/08: Philadelphia, PA
27/07/08: Pemberton, BC
29/07/08: Montreal, QC
30/07/08: Toronto, ON
02/08/08: Hartford, CT
03/08/08: Washington, DC
04/08/08: Boston, MA
09/08/08: Osaka
10/08/08: Tokyo
01/09/08: Strasbourg
02/09/08: Mannheim
04/09/08: Lyon
06/09/08: Barcelona
07/09/08: Madrid
09/09/08: Paris
10/09/08: Paris

Leona Lewis - Nelson Mandela Concert

Leona Lewis performed for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday concert in London yesterday. Offering up a solid performance at the Hyde Park venue, Leona was there to support for Mandela and his global AIDS campaign, 46664.

Proceeds from the event will go to the 46664 charity, which is currently campaigning to raise awareness of the severity of the disease.

Watch a video of Leona's performance of "Bleeding Love", and a few words from her after getting off stage.

Amy Winehouse - Nelson Mandela Concert

Despite her recent health problems, Amy Winehouse performed at Nelson Mandela's birthday concert held in Hyde Park.

While her appearance at the Nelson Mandela birthday concert was uncertain, Amy Winehouse made it to the rehearsal on Friday afternoon.

During the concert, she made her first appearance together with the rest of the performers to sing "Happy Birthday" to Nelson Mandela.

After the first two hours of the show, she took the stage to perform “Rehab” and "Valerie".

She then came back out at the final act of the concert to join Jerry Dammers in singing the Specials' song Free Nelson Mandela, together with the rockers from Queen.

Usher Wants To Play Marvin Gaye

Usher wants to play the leading role in a biopic of legendary singer Marvin Gaye.

He's no stranger to this role as he already played Marvin Gaye once before during a guest-appearance on U.S. television show American Dreams. He is now desperate to portray Gaye in a movie version of his life story.

He says, “I want to be the person who tells the story of Marvin Gaye because I understand the conflict he had as a man.”

It doesn't seem that he'll be the chosen one for this amazing role, there already is a film about Marvin Gaye’s life in production which stars Jesse L. Martin in the lead role.

Who would you prefer to see in a Marvin Gaye biopic?

American Idol - Season 8 Auditions!

It feels like David Cook was barely crowned the American Idol of season 7, that AI is already planning on casting their new group of young and aspiring singers! The three musketeers (Paula, Randy, and Simon) will once again go on the road on the search for the new American Idol! Let's keep our fingers crossed for a better set of contestants.

Thursday, July 17
San Francisco, CA
The Cow Palace

Monday, July 21
Louisville, KY
Freedom Hall

Friday, July 25
Phoenix, AZ
Jobing.com Arena

Tuesday, July 29
Salt Lake City, UT
EnergySolutions Arena

Saturday, August 2
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Coliseo de Puerto Rico

Friday, August 8
Kansas City, MO
Sprint Center

Wednesday, August 13
Jacksonville, FL
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena

Tuesday, August 19
East Rutherford, NJ
IZOD Center at the Meadowlands

Here is specific information for the San Francisco auditions:

WHO: Men and women 16-28 years old as of July 15, 2008, who are

eligible to work in the U.S. Some restrictions apply – please visit americanidol.com for specific information.

WHERE: The Cow Palace

2600 Geneva Ave.

Daly City, CA 94014

WHEN: Thursday, July 17

HOW: Wristbands will be distributed from 7:00 AM on Tuesday, July 15 until 8:00 AM on Thursday, July 17. Auditioners will not be permitted to camp out; therefore, once they obtain their wristbands, they will be asked to return to the Cow Palace on Thursday, July 17.

New Artist - Algebra!

Kedar Entertainment's newest Neo-Soul artist, Algebra, has the formula for musical greatness. With the release of her debut album, Purpose, this rising star showcases stunning musical prowess through depth, heart, and a style all her own.

Check out her single, "Run & Hide"

ALGEBRA BIO

Ironically there are no textbooks or classroom instructions that could help one balance the equations of Kedar Massenburg's newest protégé, ALGEBRA. The Atlanta native insists that one can only discover her sonically. As an R&B solo artist with such a simple solution, when mainstream success seems to be more about the right hair, nails and make -up, ALGEBRA’S debut album PURPOSE is the perfect curriculum for breathing life back in to a genre overwrought by factory made clones.

No stranger to performing, ALGEBRA has been lending her melodic voice to projects by Monica and Bilal for years. However, singing for other artists was about as out of character for her as having someone write songs for her. "Even when someone else wrote a song specifically for me, I felt like I was still being a background singer for myself”.

As the music scene in Atlanta became the hot bed of popular music, ALGEBRA taught herself to play guitar and performed regularly at open mics. This pivotal point in her career afforded her the time to develop her writing and performance skills even further without the harness of a prescribed format. "Soon you learn not to care what others think, you learn to perform for you. I would come back week after week and I learned to perform for balance and for freedom. I was becoming alive”.

This organic approach permeates her music. ALGEBRA can easily be pop, rock, rap funk or crunk, yet she can breathe ballads effortlessly. Collaborating with award-winning songwriter and producer Brian Michael Cox on "What Happened" quickly proved to be a true showcase of her brilliance. This soulful ballad is delivered so honestly and with such vulnerability that it sounds like it could be her autobiography. A song filled with PURPOSE.

ALGEBRA’S definitive voice and identity is one of full disclosure. "I don't want to be boxed," she asserts. The litmus test of what she would create lies in being relatable and in offering complete truth in every word she sings. On the song “At This Time" she pours her heart out, placing herself on display to someone whom she has waited a long time to unite with citing descriptive and colorful lyrics, “My arms brag to each other bout how you feel/From conversations I know what they feel is real”. The current single “Run & Hide” produced by the creator of the polka-dot error in hip hop himself, Kwame’ is a testament to all fellas that Miss ALGEBRA will not settle for just any ‘ol guy with lame game. Better come correct or don’t come at all.

As the first artist to be released on the revamped Kedar Entertainment Group, ALGEBRA enters the contemporary soul music landscape following legacies created by artists like D'Angelo, Erykah Badu and India.Arie all of whom developed under the watchful eye of Massenburg. However her sound is unique. ALGEBRA at first is unassuming, but it takes mere moments for you to recognize that she is not just a tempest in a teapot but more like the catalyst of a paradigm shift.

When asked the question, what does PURPOSE mean to her and this project that she has waited so long to share with the world; ALGEBRA replies “The defining moment of purpose is when you realize all that you have is worth less than nothing and still, life is worth living.” With there being only two universal languages in this world - Math and Music; fate would have it, southern songbird ALGEBRA represents both!

ALGEBRA
Kedar Entertainment

Myspace

Purpose IN STORES NOW

Snoop’s The Adventures of Tha Blue Carpet Treatment - Available Now!

"The Adventures of Tha Blue Carpet Treatment is a funky-fresh-fricassee of animated hood psychedelic mixed with the West Coast bounce and lean of creator Snoop Dogg's smash hit album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. The straight-to-DVD brings to life the Doggfather's magical mind state, full of colorful Roy G. Biv'S: blue rags, Pittsburgh Steeler low-low's and the stickiest of the green." – Kevin L. Clark of TheUrbanDaily.com

Snoop Dogg's first animated DVD, The Adventures of Tha Blue Collar Treatment DVD in Stores and On-Demand at CodeblackTV.com NOW!

To purchase On-Demand, go to

CodeBlackTV
DVD Purchase

The Adventures of Tha Blue Carpet Treatment is a psychedelic stream-of-consciousness trip through the magical mind of Snoop Dogg.This feature-length animated film showcases music from Snoop's smash hit album "The Blue Carpet Treatment," along with cameos and guest voices from many of hip hop's biggest stars such as E-40, The Game, Nate Dogg, Kurupt and B-Real from Cypress Hill. Comedians Mike Epps and Katt Williams also lend their talents to the film as well.

Anthony David - New Album Acey Ducey

Anthony David is the first artist on India.Arie's Soulbird Music. His album is out now, make sure to support Anthony David a buy a copy of his new album!

Anthony David
Acey-Duecy In Stores Now
Universal Republic / SoulBird Music
MySpace

Upcoming David Banner Shows!

June 28th - Apple Stores in Atlanta - FREE SHOW
David Banner will be performing a free show at the Apple Store - Lenox Square on June 28th.

Performance Location:
Apple Store - Lenox Square
3393 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta, GA

July 7th - House of Blues w/ LIVE BAND
David Banner will be performing with a LIVE BAND at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, California on July 7th.

Also check out the new exclusive mixtape from David Banner "The Greatest Mixtape Ever Sold." You can download it now for

FREE HERE.

David Banner's "Get Like Me" featuring Chris Brown and Yung Joc. This the new single off of David Banner's highly anticipated album "The Greatest Story Ever Told" in stores JULY 15.

David Banner
The Greatest Story Ever Told
IN STORES JULY 15
Universal Motown
MySpace

New Kelly Rowland Photoshoot

The dress Kelly Rowland wears is from London designer Kosibah.

David Cook - KIIS FM Interview

David Cook was a guest on Ryan Seacrest's radio show. They spoke about performing "Hello" and how much Lionel Richie loved his version of the song, his album will come out in the fall (mid-november), and he received lots of praise from callers.

Listen to the interview here!

George Michael Disses Dr. Phil!

I thought this was hilarious, George Michael took a small break during his L.A show this week to point out that Dr. Phil and his wife Robin were in the audiance. His wife was having a good time, but Phil had a sour face on. He also told him that he should see a shrink infront of the entire audiance! Watch the video below!

Well Dr. Phil, give me your tickets and a plane ticket to L.A I'll glady go see George Michael, and I will dance, sing, party all night long to celebrate his amazing concert!

By the way it was George Michael's birthday on June 25th, happy 45th birthday George!

Alicia Keys Joins Vitamin Water

Alicia Keys is the latest celebrity to join forces with Vitamin water. Alicia joins Carrie Underwood and 50 Cent at the latest celebrity to endore Vitamin water. She will have her own limited-edition label for Vitaminwater which will debut in stores this summer.

Alicia Keys - WNBA Superwoman Theme Song

Here's the WNBA theme song for 2008 season by Alicia Keys - "Superwoman". I know this came out a while ago, but I just love this video and had to post it. Make sure to check out the WNBA schedule here and go see these superwomen!

New Michelle Williams Songs - "Heartbreaker" and "Lucky Star"

Michelle Williams is about to release her debut solo album in August. Here are two new songs which just leaked from "Unexpected", called "Hello Heartbreak" and "Lucky Girl". So far it really sounds that this album could really make it in Europe in addition to the states.

Listen to "Heartbreaker"

Listen to "Lucky Girl"

What do you think of "Heartbreaker" and "Lucky Girl"?

Alanis Morissette - Rome Performance

Alanis Morissette performed at the Cavea at the Auditorium Music Park - Luglio Suona Bene in Rome Tuesday evening.

Apparently there was a great atmosphere, great sing alongs, and lots of love from the crowd. Alanis performed her classics and some tracks of her new album "Flavors Of Entanglement".

Alanis Morissette was having a great time, connecting with the audiance, running back and fort accross the stage.

Setlist:

Moratorium I
Uninvited
All I Really Want
Eight Easy Steps
Perfect
Citizen of the Planet
Underneath (Piano Solo)
Incomplete
Versions of Violence
That Particular Time
Hand in My Pocket
Moratorium II
You Oughta Know
Tapes
Head Over Feet
You Learn
Ironic
Thank You

Jessica Simpson - The View Interview + Performance

Jessica performed her hit single "Come On Over", and discussed her new upcoming album. Dolly Parton wrote a song for Jessica's upcoming album. She also suggested the title "Do You Know" for Jessica's album. Dolly Parton is a big fan of Jessica and really helped her out on this new album. They also discussed her sister's wedding, her clothing/shoe line, and Tony of course. I agree with the gals from The View, country music really suits Jessica, perhaps more than pop.

Stevie Wonder Updates!

Stevie Wonder is currently on tour and working on three recording projects!

Stevie told reporters on a teleconference that he's continuing work on The Gospel Inspired by Lula, which he started following the death of his mother, Lula Mae Hardaway, in May 2006.

"Some of it is going to be traditional gospel but some of it is going to be ... I'm trying to do some [different] stuff," Wonder explained. "I might do something in Arabic. I might do something in Hebrew. My whole thing of the title is just saying 'Spreading the good word, the message' I've written a few things on the road and ... I've had songs throughout the years that I never recorded and so a combination of those songs and some traditional things will make up for the project. And I'm excited about it."

The Gospel should come out on January 11th to commemorate what would have been his mother's 77th birthday, but conceded "if it's not good enough, I might not put it out. You know how we roll."

His second project is called "Through the Eyes of Wonder", which will be a performance piece that will reflect his experience as a blind man. "What I want to do with our live performances is to create visuals that [give] my take on how I see the world and how most various things affected me," he explained.

Lastly, Stevie will possibly work with Tony Bennett for a set of Marvin Gaye covers (produced by Quincy Jones), however nothing has been confirmed yet.

Lots of exciting news coming from Stevie Wonder, can't wait to hear more!

Christina Aguilera - Larry King Interview

Christina Aguilera was a guest on Larry King's show to promote "Rock The Vote". Christina discusses what "Rock The Vote" means to her and how important she thinks it is to voice your opinion and vote. Madonna was the first person to represent "Rock The Vote", and she truly made this campaign successful. Christina also mentioned that she is currently working on her new album, which will most likely come out next year, along with a new tour.

Click here to access the official site of "Rock The Vote"

Bet Awards Performance Pictures!

BET Awards Performances!

Enjoy most of the performances which took place during Last night's BET Awards! My Favorite performance was Alicia Keys, SWV, and En Vogue! What was yours?! View the complete lis of winners after the videos.


Usher - Love In The Club

Keyshia Cole - Heaven Sent / Let It Go (ft. Lil. Kim)




Ne-Yo - Closer




Alicia Keys - Teenage Love Affair // Weak // Hold On (w/ SWV & EnVogue)




Alicia Keys & TLC - Waterfalls




Chris Brown - With You / Take You Down




Rihanna - Take A Bow




Nelly - Stepped On My Jays / Party People (w/ JD, Ciara & Fergie)




Complete list of winners of the 2008 BET Awards:


Female R&B artist: Alicia Keys

Male R&B artist: Chris Brown

Group: UGK

Gospel artist: Marvin Sapp

Female hip-hop artist: Missy Elliott

Male hip-hop artist: Kanye West

New artist: The-Dream

Collaboration: Kanye West f/T-Pain, "Good Life"

Video director: Erykah Badu and Mr. Roboto

Video of the Year: UGK f/Outkast, "International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)"

Actress: Halle Berry

Actor: Denzel Washington

Female athlete: Candace Parker

Male athlete: Kobe Bryant

BET J Award: Raheem DeVaughn

Viewers' choice: Lil Wayne, "Lollipop"

Lifetime Achievement Award: Al Green

Humanitarian Award: Quincy Jones

David Cook and David Archuleta - The View Interview + Performances!

David Cook and David Archuleta were both interviewed by the gals of "The View" at Las Vegas, and each performed a song. David A. sang "Stand By Me". He ended the song on a note of Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls". Not a thrilling performance, but hey many people think he's a sweet kid and that works for him. David C. sang "The Time Of My Life" acoustic.

Nelly - Exclusive Soundcheck Interview!

Nelly is back with a brand new album "Brass Knuckles" which will be released this summer! Get a sneak peak and check out an exclusive interview that you won't want to miss.

Check it all out now on Soundcheck

Janet Jackson - Ryan Seacrest Interview

Ryan Seacrest interviewed Janet Jackson live on his radio show "On Air With Ryan Seacrest" yesterday. She mainly spoke about her upcoming tour and new upcoming reality show with MTV. Apparently at the moment Janet has planned to perform 45 songs!!! This is her wish list, however she will have to make it a little shorter.

Listen to the interview here