Mary J. Blige will star in the next Tyler Perry movie, “I Can Do Bad All Myself,” due out September 11, reports Billboard. She will play lead character Tanya, a nightclub manager. Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson is cast as Tanya’s friend April. The character Madea is also part of the cast.
Blige is also recording a new album, which is scheduled to be released later this year.
As Robin Thicke prepares for his tour with Jennifer Hudson beginning March 31, he is also getting ready to release his fourth album this fall.
“I always wanted to be like Prince and write and produce myself,” Thicke told Billboard. “This time I’m not trying to take all the credit…and work with a lot of the best producers in the business. So my sound is going to be a lot different than anything I’ve ever done before. The sound I’m getting is brand new for me. It’s great.”
Thicke said he has a crazy new sound that includes rock, hip-hop and soul music. “I’m just really stretching the ceiling a little bit with an open mind, and the results have been wonderful,” he said.
By June, the British-owned Virgin Megastore chain will close its remaining six stores in the United States. During its peak, the chain owned 23 stores and revenue of $280 million annually. The chain could not withstand sliding CD sales, rising digital music purchases and exclusive chain releases.
“I tried my hardest to come up with a new model, and we were making a lot of headway with it before the holidays,” said Virgin Entertainment Group North America CEO Simon Wright. “We have made a great contribution to music retailing, but it’s time to move on.”
Lionel Richie, Ryan Leslie and Charlie Wilson are now set to perform at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans July 3-5. Other scheduled performers are Beyonce, Maxwell, Al Green and John Legend. En Vogue, Raphael Saadiq, Robin Thicke and Anita Baker will also perform.
Check out former Destiny’s Child singer LeToya Luckett’s video for her new single, “Not Anymore.”
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Sheila E. has gone country, y’all! YEEEHAW! The “Glamorous Life” singer decided to go on the CMT reality show, “Gone Country,” to compete to work with Nashville songwriters to write and sing a country song. She said her friend Prince was a little taken aback by the news.
“He asked me why in the heck would I do this show,” the Grammy-nominated singer told People magazine.
Sheila E. won the competition for her new song, “Glorious Train.” She beat out other celebrity opponents, which included George Clinton, Taylor Dayne, Richard Grieco and Justin Guarini.
“I want to take an advantage of this opportunity and I would love to do a country record,” says the singer. “I already contacted all of the writers who appeared on the show and I’m going back to Nashville to do a writing session at the end of March to come up with material.”
Chris Kelly, half of the rap duo Kris Kross, denies rumors that he has cancer. Kelly said he has alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.
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Grammy winning artist Chrisette Michele will release her sophomore album, “Epiphany” March 31 on Def Jam Records. Ne-Yo wrote the title track that recently entered the R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart at No. 78.
“I heard the song that Ne-Yo had written titled ‘Epiphany,’ and the word just stood out to me,” Michele tells Billboard.com. “It stood out to me because I’d been through a lot in my last relationship, and the word ‘epiphany’ exemplified exactly what happened in the end when I realized I didn’t have to put myself through it anymore.”
Michele is referring to the lawsuit she filed against her former manager, Douglas “Biggs” Ellison, accusing him of embezzlement and harassment last year. Ellison has countersued for breach of exclusive management agreement. The lawsuit is still pending.
On March 2, “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” will premiere on NBC with rap group The Roots as its house band, reports Billboard. The group was recommended for the job by Neal Brennan, co-creator of “Chappelle’s Show,” where The Roots served as musical supervisors.
The Roots will also participate in comedy routines on the show, said the group’s vocalist, Tariq “Black Thought” Trotter.
“There are a few things we’re trying to work out now that might be established as recurring bits,” he said. “None of the Roots members object to taking part in any of that. We’re totally open to working our new routines and establishing things on our own.”
The group is also recording their next album and will continue to tour on weekends.
Noreaga was charged with simple battery and disorderly conduct after punching a man three times at a Fatburger in South Beach, Florida. Police told MTV News that the rapper threw a yellow liquid and was charged with “disrupting the normal flow of business.”