On Friday (Mar 25), Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin thrilled guests at her lavish 69th birthday bash at the Park Lane Hotel in New York City on Friday by serenading them with a brief performance with former Temptations front-man Dennis Edwards.

Onlookers joined Edwards in wishing Ms. Franklin well with a personalized version of “My Girl.” It went a little something like this: “I guess … you’ll say … what can make me feel this way …. Aretha, Aretha, Aretha …” And then the woman of the hour took the mic.

Franklin launched into a mini duet with Edwards, performing a rousing rendition of “The Way We Were.” Edwards then led the party to sing Happy Birthday before Franklin cut her elaborate birthday cake. As one party-goer put it, “Detroit took over New York City this evening!”

Other celebs in the building to help Aretha celebrate her birthday were Tony Bennett, Smokey Robinson, Bette Midler, Clive Davis, Rev. Al Sharpton, Gayle King, Star Jones, Michael Imperioli and Wendy Williams.

Happy Birthday Ms. Franklin!

We knew we weren’t the only who felt this way!

At a Friars Foundation event in New York, Motown legend Smokey Robinson expressed his anger over the recent photos of the late Gay Coleman published by Globe Magazine.

“There are certain elements of the media that have gone wild, that have gone crazy. I think it’s an injustice in a certain way because there’s a point in a person’s life that things are private and they should remain that way.”

The pictures were sold by Gary’s evil ex-wife Shannon Price for pocket change. ($10,000)  Some people will do anything for money!

Anybody else feel like they wasted time going to Target to pick up those cheap azz 3D glasses? We do!

Last night, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood & Usher took the stage for Michael Jackson‘s much anticipated tribute in 3D during the 2010 Grammy Awards. And vocally, it was great…

Now some of you may not agree with what we are about to say, but uh… minus that, the tribute was VERY LAME. For something that was so hyped up, we definitely expected more. It was great to see these A-List celebs singing MJ’s “Earth Song,” but we would rather have seen something a little more upbeat. Now don’t get us wrong, we love the whole message with the “Earth Song,” but within those 3 and a half hours they could have squeezed in 5-7 more minutes for a REAL MJ tribute, complete with dancing, theatrics and all. We were expecting something crazy like Usher performing “Triller” with a 3D model of Michael Jackson dancing along side of him or something, but clearly we were dreaming way too big.

Continue reading for a video of the tribute…

PHOTOS: WIRE IMAGE

Rapper LL Cool J hosted the 2010 Live Grammy Nominations concert Wednesday night (Dec 2) at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. The event was televised live on CBS, the same network responsible for airing the 2010 Grammys on January 31st.

Tonight was CBS’s primer for the first award show of the 2010 season. The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards will air on January 31st at the Staples Center. It was pretty obvious from the start that CBS just needed to fill an hour and must be sponsors of The Black Eyed Peas. The pop group co-hosted. LL Cool J started things off with a great rap, then BEP took over with “I Gotta Feeling” (which we got to hear in the background throughout the concert).

SOURCE

Also at the live event were folks like T-Pain, Katy Perry, George Lopez and more. Continue reading for a few more pics and hit this link for a list of the Grammy nomations!

PHOTOS: GETTY / WIRE

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame celebrated its 25th anniversary Thursday night (Oct 27) at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and legendary entertainers Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson were on hand to perform in honor of the occasion. R&B singer/songwriter John Legend also attended the event and performed at the concert. Continue reading for the rest of the pictures from the event.

Here is the final batch of photos from Michael Jackon‘s public memorial service. On Tuesday, July 7th 2009, celebrities, dignitaries, and MJ fans alike all packed into the Staples Arena in Los Angeles to celebrate the life of an icon that was taken away from us way too soon. Above, R&B singer Usher can be seen posing with a very pregnant Jennifer Hudson backstage just before the memorial commenced. Continue reading to see photos of the different celebrities (Chris Brown, Wesley Snipes, Spike Lee, Kim Kardashian and more) who attended the ceremony.

PHOTOS: WIRE IMAGE / GETTY IMAGES

Wearing dark sunglasses and a single yellow rose pinned to his jacket, a noticeably emotional Usher performed “Gone Too Soon,” a track from Michael Jackson‘s 1991 Dangerous album, at the King of Pop’s farewell service Tuesday (Jul 7) in Los Angeles at the Staples Center.

Other celebrities and important public figures who spoke and/or performed at the public ceremony include Queen Latifah, Smokey Robinson, Rev. Al Sharpton, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, and more. Continue reading to check out all of the pictures.

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES / WIRE IMAGE

Perhaps the most touching moment of Michael Jackson‘s public memorial at the Staples Center in Los Angeles was when his 11-year-old daughter, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, made her impromptu speech about her dad:

“Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. I just want to say I love him so much.”

She then broke down in tears and was immediately consoled by her aunt Janet, who was standing right beside her the entire time. A very sad and touching moment indeed. Continue reading for that video and videos of all of the people (Brooke Shields, Queen Latifah, his brother Marlon Jackson and more) who went up to say what Michael Jackson meant to them and to the world.

MJ’s Daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson

Brooke Shields

Queen Latifah

Kobe Bryant & Earvin “Magic” Johnson

Barry Gordy

Martin Luther King III and Bernice King

MJ’s Brothers Jermaine & Marlon Jackson

Smokey Robinson

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee

Graydon Carter and Vanity Fair played host to the 2009 Vanity Hair Oscar party, which was attended by Russell Simmons, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith, and about damn near everyone who held a big name at this year’s Oscar Awards and then some. Don’t believe us? Continue reading for more pics from the red carpet of the party!

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

Here are the photos from last night’s Grammy Awards, which featured a big performance of “Swagger Like Us” with T.I., Lil’ Wayne, Jay-Z, Kanye West and M.I.A., who was reportedly performing on stage on her due date! Crazy… Continue reading for the rest of the flicks!

PHOTOS: WIRE IMAGE / GETTY IMAGES