Profile: Alicia Keys

Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Keys was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano. She attended Professional Performing Arts School and graduated at 16 as valedictorian. Keys released her debut album with J Records, having had previous record deals first with Columbia and then Arista Records.

Keys' debut album, Songs in A Minor, was a commercial success, selling over 12 million copies worldwide. She became the best-selling new artist and best-selling R&B artist of 2001. The album earned Keys five Grammy Awards in 2002, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'". Her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was released in 2003 and was also another success worldwide, selling eight million copies. The album garnered her an additional four Grammy Awards in 2005. Later that year, she released her first live album, Unplugged, which debuted at number one in the United States. She became the first female to have an MTV Unplugged album to debut at number one and the highest since Nirvana in 1994.

Keys made guest appearances on several television series in the following years, beginning with Charmed. She made her film debut in Smokin' Aces and went on to appear in The Nanny Diaries in 2007. Her third studio album, As I Am, was released in the same year and sold six million copies worldwide, earning Keys an additional three Grammy Awards. The following year, she appeared in The Secret Life of Bees, which earned her a nomination at the NAACP Image Awards. She released her fourth album, The Element of Freedom, in December 2009, which became Keys' first chart-topping album in the United Kingdom. Throughout her career, Keys has won numerous awards and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and 25 million singles, which makes her one of the best selling artists of all time. Billboard magazine named her the top R&B artist of the 2000–2009 decade, establishing herself as one of the best-selling artists of her time. In 2010, VH1 included Keys on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Billboard magazine placed her number ten on their list of Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years.

Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicia_Keys

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Alicia Keys - Doesn't Mean Anything

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLclkP9x_68

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Profile: Etta James (1938-2012)

Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins; January 25, 1938 – January 20, 2012) was an American singer whose style spanned a variety of music genres including blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, soul, gospel and jazz. Starting her career in the mid 1950s, she gained fame with hits such as "Dance With Me, Henry", "At Last", "Tell Mama", and "I'd Rather Go Blind" for which she claimed she wrote the lyrics. She faced a number of personal problems including drug addiction before making a musical resurgence in the late 1980s with the album The Seven Year Itch.

She is regarded as having bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and is the winner of six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, the Blues Hall of Fame in 2001, and the Grammy Hall of Fame in both 1999 and 2008. Rolling Stone ranked James number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 62 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists.

Her debut album, At Last!, was released in late 1960 and was noted for its varied choice in music from jazz standards to blues numbers to doo-wop and R&B. The album also included James' future classic, "I Just Want to Make Love to You" and "A Sunday Kind of Love". In early 1961, James released what has become her signature song, "At Last", which reached number two on the R&B chart and number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though the song wasn't as successful as expected, it has become the most remembered version of the song. James followed that up with "Trust in Me", which also included string instruments. Later that same year, James released a second studio album, The Second Time Around. The album took the same direction as her previous album, covering many jazz and pop standards, and using strings on many of the songs spawning two hit singles, "The Fool That I Am" and "Don't Cry Baby"

Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etta_James

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At Last - Etta James

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHegVr-armo

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Profile: Aaliyah (1979-2001)

Aaliyah Dana Haughton (January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001), who performed under the mononym Aaliyah ( /əˈliːə/), was an American R&B recording artist, actress and model. She was born in Brooklyn, New York, and was raised in Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 10, she appeared on the television show Star Search and performed in concert alongside Gladys Knight. At age 12, Aaliyah signed with Jive Records and her uncle Barry Hankerson's Blackground Records. Hankerson introduced her to R. Kelly, who became her mentor, as well as lead songwriter and producer of her debut album, Age Ain't Nothing but a Number. The album sold three million copies in the United States and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After facing allegations of an illegal marriage with R.Kelly, Aaliyah ended her contract with Jive and signed with Atlantic Records.

Aaliyah worked with record producers Timbaland and Missy Elliott for her second album, One in a Million; it sold 3.7 million copies in the United States and over eight million copies worldwide. In 2000, Aaliyah appeared in her first major film, Romeo Must Die. She contributed to the film's soundtrack, which spawned the single "Try Again". The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 solely on airplay, making Aaliyah the first artist in Billboard history to achieve this feat. "Try Again" earned Aaliyah a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocalist.

READ MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaliyah

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Are You That Somebody - Aaliyah Ft. Timbaland -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cFYFuAX4N4

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Try Again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRcAvsZgjXA

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At Your Best (You Are Love)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i0XGs39BrQ

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Profile: Mary J. Blige - Singer-Songwriter

Mary Jane Blige (born January 11, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B.

Blige started her musical career in 1992, releasing her debut album, What's the 411? on MCA Records and Uptown. With her tenth album, My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1) (2011), she had ten consecutive albums debut in the top 10 on the Billboard 200. Blige's work has defined the course of R&B/Hip-Hop music. My Life, in particular, is considered among the greatest albums ever recorded according to Rolling Stone (279/500), Time, and Vibe. For her part in combining hip hop and soul in the early 1990s and its subsequent commercial success, Blige received the World Music Awards "Legends Award". In 2007 the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers awarded her its "Voice of Music" Award. ASCAP official Jeanie Weems stated that "[Blige's] music has been the voice of inspiration to women worldwide in both struggle and triumph." That same year, Time included her in its "Time 100" list, a collection of the year's 100 most influential individuals around the world.

As of 2011, Blige has sold over 50 million albums and 15 million singles worldwide. Billboard Magazine ranked Blige as the most successful female R&B artist of the past 25 years. The magazine also lists her 2006 song "Be Without You" as the top R&B song of the 2000s, as it spent an unparalleled 15 weeks atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In 2011, Vh1 ranked Blige as the 80th greatest artist of all time. Moreover, she is ranked number 100 on the list of "100 greatest singers of all time" by Rolling Stone magazine.

Blige also earned high remarks for her work in film and fragrance. She starred in the 2009 Tyler Perry box-office hit I Can Do Bad All By Myself and will play a lead role in the film Rock of Ages, which is set to be released to theaters in 2012. She is a recipient of two Golden Globe Awards nominations for her musical contributions to the films Bobby and The Help, and is a 2012 front-runner for the Academy Award for Best Original Song after making the category's short-list with "The Living Proof". Blige is named to play music icon Nina Simone in the upcoming biopic Nina. In partnership with the Home Shopping Network (HSN) and Carol's Daughter, Blige released her "My Life" perfume. The perfume broke HSN records by selling 65,000 bottles during its premier. The scent went on to win two FiFi Awards, including the prestigious "Fragrance Sales Breakthrough" award.

Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_J._Blige

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Mary J. Blige - Family Affair

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znlFu_lemsU

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Deliver Us From Eva CD [Soundtrack]

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Nothing less would befit LL Cool J's suave lady's man character in Deliver Us from Eva than a soundtrack slick with smooth-as-silk R&B and hip-hop. LL himself ups the urbanity quotient with a duet with up-and-comer Amerie, as does the queen of modern hip-hop, Mary J. Blige, whose "Star for Life" inspires with regal messages of self-empowerment. Usher's typically sultry castanet-flavored cha-cha raises the temperature and tempo of the disc, but it's the new artists showcased on Eva that steal the show: Yoli, mixing her soulful voice with rootsy guitar riffs, and the crooning soul and R&B ballads of Vikter Duplaix, Terry Dexter, and Calvin Richardson. No respectable glimpse into these genres would neglect timeless contributions from Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, but their inclusion is simply the icing on the cake for this high-quality collection. --Annie Zaleski


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Profile: Beyonce Knowles

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles ( /biˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-yon-say; born September 4, 1981), often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American R&B recording artist, actress and fashion designer. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.

During the hiatus of Destiny's Child, Knowles released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love in 2003, which spawned the number-one hits "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy" and became one of the most successful albums of that year, earning her a then record-tying five Grammy Awards. Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Knowles released her second solo album, B'Day in 2006. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and included the hits "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar". Her third solo album I Am... Sasha Fierce was released in 2008, and included the anthemic "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". The album earned Knowles six Grammys at the 52nd Grammy Awards, breaking the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night. In 2011, Knowles released her fourth studio album 4, which became her fourth consecutive solo number-one album on the Billboard 200. This made Knowles the second female artist and third artist overall, to have her first four studio albums debut atop the chart.

Apart from her work in music, Knowles has also launched a career in acting. In 2001, she made her debut in the musical film Carmen: A Hip Hopera, prior to appearing in major films, including Dreamgirls (2006), which earned her two Golden Globe nominations, and Cadillac Records (2008). In 2004, Knowles and her mother introduced their family's fashion line, House of Deréon; Knowles has also endorsed brands such as Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani and L'Oréal. In June 2010, Knowles was ranked second on Forbes list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world, and first on its list of the Most Powerful and Influential musicians in the world.

Knowles has earned numerous awards and accolades. She is one of the most honored artists by the Grammys, and third among female artists, with a total of 16 Grammy Awards—13 as a solo artist and 3 as a member of Destiny's Child. At the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, Knowles was honored with the Billboard Millennium Award for recognizing her career achievements and influence in the music industry. She was ranked the 4th Artist of the 2000s decade by Billboard, and was listed the most successful female artist of the 2000s, as well as the top radio artist. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), also recognized Knowles as the top certified artist of the 2000s. As of May 2010, Knowles has sold more than 11.2 million albums and 25 million singles in the United States. As of September 2009, she has sold 75 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

Read More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyoncé_Knowles

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VIDEO: Beyonce (Tribute)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMtxjQ72H_0

VIDEO: Aaliyah feat. Timbaland - Try Again

Aaliyah feat. Timbaland - Try Again

MOVIE: Columbiana Trailer 2011 HD

Columbiana - Trailer 2011 HD

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Colombiana is an American and French action film directed by Olivier Megaton. The film stars Zoe Saldana and Michael Vartan

Zoe Saldana plays a young woman who, after witnessing her parents’ murder as a child in Bogotá, grows up to be a stone-cold assassin. She works for her uncle as a hitman by day, but her personal time is spent engaging in vigilante murders that she hopes will lead her to her ultimate target: the monster responsible for her parents' death.

Foxy Brown – DVD - Pam Grier

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She's brown sugar and spice...and if you don't watch it, she'll put you on ice! Delivering a performance worthy of "the Queen of the genre" (Los Angeles Times), Grier portrays one of the screens first action heroines with humor, sensitivity and steely determination. This electrifying revenge thriller explodes with all the sex appeal and cooler-than-cool attitude of its irresistible leading lady. Foxy Brown (Grier) has found her soulmate in an undercover narcotics investigator, but when he is brutally murdered, she swears vengeance against the crime ring responsible. Posing asa call girl to gain access to the ring's inner circle, Foxy discovers just how high the corruption extends, igniting a blistering war that takes her from the city streets to a remote drug laboratory to a breathtaking midair battle behind the controls of an airplane! But the most startling confrontations are yet to come as she schemes to bring down her boyfriend's killers in ways they never could have imagined.

Die Another Day - DVD - Halle Berry

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When his top-secret mission is sabotaged, James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) finds himself captured by the enemy, abandoned by MI6 and stripped of his 00-license. Determined to get revenge, Bond goes head-to-head with a sultry spy (OscarÂ(r) winner* Halle Berry), a frosty agent (Rosamund Pike) anda shadowy billionaire (Toby Stephens) whose business is diamonds but whose secret is a diabolical weapon that could bring the world to its knees! Bristling with excitement and bursting with explosivespecial effects, Die Another Day is an adrenaline-pumping thrill-ride with "stunts and non-stop action [that] will astonish you" (Jeffrey Lyons, WNBC-TV)! *2001: Actress, Monster'sBall

The Josephine Baker Story - Lynn Whitfield

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THE JOSEPHINE BAKER STORY is a fast-forward, 2-hour plus life synopsis of the celebrated black entertainer from 1917, when she was eleven and running from murderous racial violence in St. Louis, to her death in 1975 in Paris. Lynn Whitfield stars in this HBO production.

The film manages to catch the key points of her life: early vaudeville gigs in the U.S. as a very young girl, notoriety as an exotic dancer in 1920's Paris, rise to major world stardom in the late 20's/early 30's, disastrous return to the U.S. entertainment circuit in the late 30's, French Resistance war hero, a near-fatality from peritonitis, entertainer of U.S. troops in North Africa, post-war civil rights champion back in the U.S., loving mother of a dozen, adopted, multi-racial children on her French estate, financial destitution in the late 60's, and resurrection in the 70's with the help of Prince and Princess Rainier of Monaco.

The gorgeous Whitfield is sparkling as Josephine, who's always driven to rise above her skin color, and, during different periods of her life, either manipulated or manipulative, selfish or generous, and insensitive or loving.

Introducing Dorothy Dandridge DVD – Halle Berry

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An acclaimed stage performer, Dorothy struggled with the challenge of her color in Hollywood. She beat out many more famous rivals for the role of ' 'Carmen Jones' ', and became the first black woman ever nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award (R). Seductive and easily seduced, she was born to be a star. Here was a woman who wouldn't wait in the wings.

Catwoman – DVD – Halle Berry

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Catwoman is the story of meek, mild-mannered artist Patience Philips, who works for Hedare Beauty, a mammoth cosmetics company on the verge of releasing a revolutionary anti-aging product. When Patience inadvertently happens upon a dark secret her employer is hiding, she is attacked and killed. But Patience is given a second chance - a second life in which someone not quite human resides. Someone with the strength, speed, agility and ultra-keen senses of a cat. With her newfound power, Patience becomes Catwoman, and sets out to stop Hedare's callous plan to unleash an appallingly dangerous product into the world.

Gothika (Widescreen) DVD - Halle Berry

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A brilliant and respected criminal psychologist, Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) is an expert at knowing what is rational. Under the direction of her husband (Charles S. Dutton), Miranda treats dangerously disturbed patients at the Woodward Penitentiary for Women. But Miranda's life is thrust into terrifying jeopardy after a cryptic encounter with a mysterious young girl leads to a nightmare beyond her wildest imagination.

DVD Features:

Audio Commentary

Music Video:Fred Durst music video - "Behind Blue Eyes"

Theatrical Trailer:Fred Durst music video - "Behind Blue Eyes"

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Hey yall! Yes, I'm from Texas and I say yall. Hah! My name is Dana Emerson. My modeling psuedonym is Emersynn! I'm a country girl from Fort Hood, Texas. So, yes... I'm also an army brat. For those of you that don't know: Fort Hood is one of the largest active duty stations in the U.S. I can thank this little town for making me the well rounded, spunky, intellectual, individual that I am today.

So, here's the down low: I am very new to the modeling industry. I sat in on a photo shoot just recently for a popular local clothing line and I loveddd loveddd loveddd it! It looked like so much fun. Then, I had a photo shoot of my own and was hooked from then on. And, it seems that I'm a natural. I don't like to brag, but the camera loves me. I mean, who doesn't like getting all dolled up and pretty. No matter where I am or who I am with, we always have a grand ole' time. I love to mesmerize and ruffle feathers, so modeling is definitely my calling! In the near future, I hope to gain more exposure and possibly even start doing a little acting. Look me up!!! Muah! 

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Welcome to the charming world of the beautiful Marrika Maria - model and actress. I am Black and Indian and standing at 5'4 with voluptous curves. I am a Pisces that enjoys cooking, working out, catering to your needs, and fashion. I am a true Georgia Peach with that girl next door sexy Southern hospitatlity. I started in the enertainment world at the age of 12. My resume consists of promotional modeling, International & Local Hair Shows, Fitness Tapes( Atlanta Dymes Workout Series #3, Stomp The Yard 2, Yung Ralph Documentary Movie, Ludacris - Girls Video, Magazine- Ga Peach of Month, Top 50 Atlanta Most Beautiful Models- Flyer Promo site, 380 FT- Deshon leading lady in video,and constantly on the grind to become a successful well know model and actress.


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Featured Model: DeJahnara

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I LOVE taking pictures and being in front of a camera. Whether it's modeling, acting, singing, etc. I feel very confident and sexy, and my goals are to build my portfolio, and get more exposure. I do not mind stepping "out of the box" because I love to be creative, fun, dramatic, etc. I absolutely DO NOT do full out nudity because that is just not an aspect of modeling that I do far as right now; Implied and body paint are the only exception.

I would LOVE to work in the fashion / music industry.
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Hot*Black*Sexy: Emanuela de Paula

Emanuela de Paula

Emanuela de Paula (born in Cabo de Santo Agostinho, Pernambuco, Brazil) is a Brazilian model. She has been the face of UK retailer Next for the past two seasons and can be seen in the 2009 Pirelli Calendar. She has also replaced Pernille Holmboe as the new model for the Swedish clothing store Gina Tricot.