It looks as though the 3rd Annual Essence Magazine Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon was the place to be! Held Thursday night (Mar 4) at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California, the annual event honored a room full of women, including Cicely Tyson, Gabourey Sidibe, Zoe Saldana, Queen Latifah, Mary J. Blige and more for their achievements in Hollywood and in the entertainment industry.

Other celebs in the building were Common, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Taraji P. Henson, Keke Palmer, Keri Hilson, Serena Williams, Vivica A. Fox and tons more. Check out 30+ pictures from the 3rd Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon below and when you continue reading…

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How would “Empire State of Mind” sound with Mary J. Blige on it? Jay-Z recently revealed that MJB was originally considered for the song’s hook, which is currently sung by another NY-bred R&B singer/songwriter, Alicia Keys. Jigga says he was “two seconds away” from calling Mary J to lay down the song’s famous chorus.

His most important decision was calling Alicia Keys next. Her brassy, soaring chorus is the song’s heartbeat — without it, it’s hard to imagine “Empire State” as more than a nice local hit. And it almost was. Jay-Z, now 40 years old, admits he was “two seconds away” from calling Mary J. Blige, his reliable longtime collaborator, to supply the chorus, a move that would have been safe and true to his heritage. But something about the piano sound and melody (and maybe the commerciality) struck him, and so it was. It’s a blessing, really, because “Empire” is hardly an emotional dynamo without Keys, her ululating voice rising on each word, grasping for the grandeur Jay sometimes misses. He says the song is meant to be inspirational, initially tracking his transition from “out that Brooklyn” to “down in Tribeca,” a familiar trope for Hov.

MIAMI NEW TIMES

The music video for “We Are the World: 25 for Haiti” debuted Friday night (Feb 12) during the opening ceremony for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

This version of the song, featuring vocals from Justin Bieber, Jennifer Hudson, Lil Wayne, Janet Jackson, Miley Cyrus, Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, T-Pain, Usher, Wyclef Jean and much more, is much more contemporary than the original but it fits today’s music era. The song’s original writer and singer Michael Jackson also appears in the song and video (his sister Janet sings the first chorus with footage of Mike thrown in). They also kept one of MJ’s original parts and show footage of him singing it (Nice!).

The 25th Anniversary recording features over 80 artists and performers. The recording of We Are The World 25 For Haiti embodied the same enthusiasm, sense of purpose and generosity as the original recording 25 years ago. Every one of the artists who participated, regardless of genre or generation, walked into the room with their hearts and souls completely open to coming together to help the people of Haiti.

The video shows footage of Haiti and the efforts surrounding its repair, along with footage of the artists mentioned above and more recording the song in the studio. Check it out below…

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R&B singer/songwriter Mary J. Blige looked lovely in a red dress at the 7th Annual “Red Dress Awards,” presented by Woman’s Day at the Lincoln Center last night (Feb 10) in New York City. Actress/TV personality Sherri Shepherd and soul singer Anthony Hamilton also attended the event. Mary J. and Anthony served as the entertainment for the evening.

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES / WIRE IMAGE

A large number of celebrities took part in helping BET raise money for Haiti relief Friday night (Feb 5) at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, FL during the BET SOS Saving Ourselves – Help for Haiti benefit concert, which was hosted by Queen Latifah, Diddy and Pharrell Williams. Artists like Chris Brown, Monica, Ludacris, Justin Bieber, Nas and Haiti’s own Wyclef Jean took to the stage and performed while folks like Common, Spike Lee, Trey Songz, Mike Tyson and more manned the telephone lines.

Continue reading for 30+ pictures of celebrities at the BET SOS Saving Ourselves – Help For Haiti concert…

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Word on the sidewalk is that Mary J. Blige embarrassed the mess out of her band during record exec. Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy gala over the weekend. The cold part of all of this is that she did this all live on stage in front of the biggest names in Hollywood. Talk about an awkward moment…

The evening saw Mary J Blige publicly humiliate her band in front of an audience that included recording industry titans and some of the biggest names in rock. The singer lost her cool as, ironically, she was about to sing a song titled No More Drama. As the band struck up the number’s intro, she told the musicians to stop, waved her arms angrily and demanded: ‘Can we get the right music for Mary J Blige?’ She added: ‘Are we practicing still?’

The audience stared at her in disbelief as it is not considered the done thing to criticise your band – all top of the line professionals – at such an event. The room felt cool towards her during her set.

Roger Friedman of the Hollywood Reporter noted that the band played ‘very well’ during rehearsals. Diva she may be but, to be fair to Mary J. Blige, she did sing beautifully and by the time she completed her performance her behaviour towards the band was forgiven and she earned a standing ovation.

SOURCE: DAILY MAIL

Sounds like Mary J doesn’t play any games when it comes to her back up music!

Following an introduction by Haiti native Wyclef Jean, R&B singer Mary J. Blige collaborated with opera star Andrea Bocelli live on stage Sunday night (Jan 31) at the 2010 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles and the duo sang Simon & Garfunek’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which was dedicated to the people of Hait.

Another duet of the night came from country music sensation Taylor Swift and rock legend (and former Fleetwood Mac member) Stevie Nicks, who performed an off-key version (courtesy of Swift) of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” before moving on to Taylor’s hit single “You Belong to Me.”

And following his performance of “Pretty Wings,” R&B crooner Maxwell brought out R&B legend Roberta Flack for a duet of Flack’s “Where is the Love.”

More pics of all three performances (plus video) when you continue reading…

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The star-studded 52nd Annual Grammy Awards went down last night (Sun. Jan 31) in Los Angeles at the Staples Center. And the red carpet was swarming with celebrities, including Beyonce, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Usher, Mya, Drake (who arrived with his mother), Akon (rocking a Lady Gaga t-shirt), Britney Spears (who reportedly made a last-minute decision to attend), Jennifer Hudson and tons more.

Continue reading for 50+ pictures of celebs walking the red carpet before making their way into the Staples Center for the biggest night in music…

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Award winning music producer/record executive Clive Davis held his annual pre-Grammy bash Saturday night (Jan 30) at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in California, and a good number of the entertainment industry’s elite were in attendance.

Rihanna, Ciara, Usher, Katy Perry, Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige, Maxwell, Jennifer Hudson and the Black Eyed Peas are just a few names of the many celebrities who attended and/or performed at the big event, held every year right before the Grammy Awards.

Continue reading for a ton of pictures!

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Singer/actress Mary J. Blige was honored Wednesday night (Jan 27) in Hollywood at the Essence Black Women in Music event at the Sunset Tower Hotel in Hollywood. She and actress Taraji P. Henson posed for a few pics together on the red carpet of the event.

Also in attendance were MJB’s husband Kendu Isaacs, record exec. Antonio “L.A.” Reid (who presented Blige with her award), Ludacris, Gabrielle Union and more. More pics below and when you continue reading…

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