HRS News

This month, hand-picked teens from the Boys & Girls Clubs and the Music Mentor program in collaboration with Atlantic Records and It’s Cool To Be Smart got the opportunity to chum it up with Trey Songz.

Songz is currently on tour with J Holiday.

Teens were chosen to attend the concert by their Club Directors from Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New Orleans with current Music Mentees and Mentors from the It’s Cool To Be Smart organization.

After the show, the lucky teens were escorted backstage for a Q&A session and photo session with Trey Songz.

“We wish there were more Record Executives like Mr. Margetson who over the years has committed to making sure the artists support their communities and give back a portion of their time for the youth,” stated Curtis B., Executive Director of It’s Cool To Be Smart.

India.Arie has been cast to star in the first-ever Broadway revival of the classic Ntozake Shange play For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf.

The Tony-winning play presents the interwoven stories of seven women from the African Diaspora and originally opened its two-year Broadway run in the summer of 1976.

Scheduled for a mid-July preview and early-August opening, the show will be produced by Whoopi Goldberg. So far, Arie is the only confirmed cast member.

Alternative R&B star (and Nas wifey) Kelis is gearing up to drop her greatest hits release The Hits on Mar. 11.

Including her mega-hit “Milkshake,” the 14-track set features collaborations with Nas, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Gnarls Barkley’s Cee-Lo Green, André 3000 of OutKast, N.E.R.D. (the Neptunes), Too $hort, and Richard X.

Tracklisting:

Title U.S. UK From album Label Year
1. Caught Out There
2. Milkshake R&B
3. Got Your Money (w/Ol’ Dirty Bastard)
4. Trick Me
5. Lil’ Star (with Cee-Lo)
6. Get Along With You
7. Young, Fresh N’ New Dance
8. Truth Or Dare — – [In Search Of...] (w/N.E.R.D)
9. Bossy (with Too $hort)
10. In Public (with Nas)
11. Millionaire (w/André 3000)
12. Finest Dreams (w/Richard X)
13. Suspended
14. Good Stuff

Days after the Queen Of Soul criticized Beyonce for referring to Tina Turner as “The Queen” at the Grammys (and endured a subsequent tongue-lashing from Beyonce’s meddlin’ daddy), Franklin got seriously dissed by the animal rights group PETA.

Peta had serious problems with the music legend showing up at the Grammys in a full lengths fur, and even called her a “walrus in a cat costume” on their blog.

PETA VP Dan Mathews jumped into the Franklin-dissing fray with the following open letter in which he called her a court jester:

Dear Aretha-

Music lovers may think of you as a “queen,” but to animal lovers, you are a court jester. I’m sorry, Aretha, but your furs make you look like a clown. Why not shed the old-fashioned look that adds pounds to your frame and detracts from your beautiful voice? Won’t you donate your furs to the poor as “queen of compassion,” Mariah Carey, did? You’ll get a tax credit for the donation, and we at PETA will all sing your praises.

Dan Mathews
VP, PETA

So far there’s been no comment from The Queen.

Usher’s father, Usher Raymond III, has passed away according to People.com.

The elder Mr. Raymond died at an Atlanta hospital this past Friday from unknown causes.

The superstar’s father was fortunate to see the birth of his grandson, the fifth Usher Raymond, back in November.

The funeral is scheduled to be held Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the Taylor Funeral Home chapel.

Usher has made no comment.

Well… they’re not going to be married after all, but here’s the wedding photos from Eddie and Tracey’s doomed… um wedding.

Tracey looks happy… normal… like a woman who’s getting married. Eddie looks…. weird. ‘nuf said.

The coroner’s report concerning the Dec. 12th death of Ike Turner says the 72 year-old died of an accidental cocaine overdose, according to the San Diego County Coroner.

Paul Parker, Chief Investigator at the Medical Examiner’s Office, said, “We are listing that he abused cocaine, and that’s what resulted in the cocaine toxicity.”

Ike, ex-husband to legendary Tina Turner was notorious for abusing drugs as well as his wife for years.

Get a list of the Top 5 Rap and R&B deaths in 2007

So the latest gossip concerning the ongoing romance between Jay and Beyonce is that they actually were married in December at the Paris home of fashion icon Giorgio Armani.

News Of The World quotes a source who said:

“It was a lovely, intimate ceremony and a very emotional wedding. They wanted to avoid all the usual fuss and attention that normally follows them everywhere and celebrate with the closest people in their lives.”

The ceremony was said to have been attended by only family and close friends and was described as a “dream wedding.”

“It was the wedding they both wanted. After all, they were getting married in the most romantic city in the world,” added the unnamed source.

So far reps for both of the artists have denied this story. Jay-Z recently made headlines when he left his executive post at Def Jam.

Michael Jackson’s Thriller 25 is poised for a Feb. 12 release and now offers a teaser video as well as a “Throwback” video for the classic title song. The re-released version of the “biggest selling album” of all time includes remakes of choice tracks featuring will.i.am, Kanye West, Fergie and Akon., along with a DVD featuring videos of “Beat It” “Thriller” and Billie Jean” as well as the legendary Motown 25 “Billie Jean” performance that helped launch Jackson into the stratosphere of hyperstardom.

Pre-order Michael Jackson's Thriller 25

Check out the videos along with the final tracklist below.

Thriller 25 teaser video

“Throwback Thriller Video”

THRILLER 25 final tracklisting

1. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
2. Baby Be Mine
3. The Girl Is Mine (with Paul McCartney)
4. Thriller
5. Beat It
6. Billie Jean
7. Human Nature
8. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
9. The Lady In My Life
10. Vincent Price Excerpt (From “Thriller” Voice-Over Session)
11. The Girl Is Mine 2008 with will.i.am
12. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) 2008 with will.i.am
13. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ 2008 with Akon
14. Beat It 2008 with Fergie
15. Billie Jean 2008 Kayne West mix
16. For All Time (previously unreleased track from Thriller sessions)

http://www.michaeljackson.com/

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown were both no shows for a proceeding in a California courtroom.

On Apr. 26, 2007, Brown started a motion aiming to set aside the divorce judgment that gave Houston full custody of their 14-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

On Friday, Judge Claudia Silbar came into an almost-empty courtroom. The only one present was Houston’s attorney who informed the judge Houston “was feeling under the weather” and wouldn’t be able to make it.

No representation was had for Brown.

Brown’s former attorney quit the position a while back after communication problems with Brown, most notably their very public argument over whether or not Brown actually suffered a heart attack last October.

The status of the divorce will stay as it us with Houston retaining custody of their daughter.