ALL KEYED UP: Alicia Keys brings down the house ? and looks fabulous doing it, in a full-length shearling coat and snappy fedora ? as she performs on Good Morning America Live in New York City. The Grammy winner's new album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, will be released Dec. 2.

(Dennis Van Tine/LFI)

Candid Keys Confronts Lesbian Rumors
STEPHEN M. SILVERMAN
people.com

Alicia Keys is anything but shy. Addressing rumors that she may be a lesbian, the musician, whose new CD "Diary of Alicia Keys" was released on Tuesday, tells "Access Hollywood" that she's surprised that the story has such "legs."

"It was just walking and kept walking," she says of the rumor, "and I said, 'Where are you going with this?'"

She does deny being a lesbian ("I absolutely am not," she says), though does not deny being "a strong-minded woman," "not demure" and "aggressive," which may make some people "nervous," she says.

As for how the rumor may have started in the first place, the 22-year-old daughter of a white actress and an African American flight attendant blames TV.

"I think what happens is any person that grazes any TV set is gay. I don't know what it is -- it's like you have to be gay to be on a TV show," she says.

With equal candor, Keys, who grew up in Manhattan's roughhewn Hell's Kitchen, tells the German magazine Der Spiegel that she misses her old neighborhood, despite its being "full of derelicts, crazy people and pimps."

And though she hasn't taken public transportation in more than a year (since the success of her first album, "Songs in A Minor"), she insists, "I actually miss the warm smell of urine and beer on the subway."

ALICIA'S KEY PERFORMANCE: Alicia Keys puts her heart and soul into a song off her new album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, when she gives a concert in Madrid. Her sophomore album debuted at the top of the Billboard charts last week with 618,000 copies sold.

(Queen/WireImage)

ALICIA BANGS ON THE KEYS: Alicia Keys rehearses for the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, where she is scheduled to perform Sunday. The singer's new album, The Diary of Alicia Keys, was not released within the eligiblilty period to receive nominations this year; however, it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

(Michael Caulfield/WireImage)

KEYING UP FOR FASHION: Alicia Keys, dressed sexily head-to toe in Roberto Cavalli, walks hand-in-hand with the designer to his show at Milan's Fashion Week. Cavalli will be designing the entire stage wardrobe for Keys's upcoming tour.

(Nick Zonna-Masterphoto/LFI)
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people.com

CANCELED: Alicia Keys and British violin act Bond have canceled concerts in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta after Thursday's deadly suicide attack on the Australian Embassy, AP reports. A spokesman for promoter Java Musikindo said Saturday that both acts were due to play Jakarta next month but have pulled out due to the bombing, which killed nine people and wounded more than 170.

people.com

SET: Alicia Keys, 24, is set to rock China when she headlines an unprecedented "Wall of Hope" charity concert expected to bring 5,000 fans to the Great Wall on Saturday, reports Reuters. "It's so much more historical than America," the Grammy-winning R&B star told a news conference. "I am very much inspired by my surroundings." This first-ever Wall concert, which will raise money for the China Children's and Teenagers' Fund, will also feature Cyndi Lauper and Boyz II Men.

EOnline.com

HEADLINER: Alicia Keys set to headline the Barbados Jazz Festival in January. The festival will run from Jan. 10 to 16.

SIGNATURE HIT
Singer Alicia Keys signs copies of her new book, Tears for Water: Songbook of Poems & Lyrics, in New York City on Wednesday. "I was just writing what I was feeling, and it came out in those different forms," Keys says of the tome, released this week.

EOnline.com

A KEY SUBSTITUTION: MTV News reports that Alicia Keys will co-host Live With Regis and Kelly Dec. 22 while Kelly Ripa is on vacation.

EOnline.com

DEAR DIARY: Alicia Keys set to hit the road in a newly announced Diary Tour of 34 cities in support of her Grammy-nominated sophomore album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. Keys is also set to perform at the Grammys on Feb. 13, where she's nominated for eight awards.

Keys in Tune with Grammys
(Saturday, February 12 12:01 AM)
By Jay Bobbin
Zap2It.com

Even if she only comes close to winning as many Grammys as she did the first time, Alicia Keys will have a great night.

In 2002, the recording industry rewarded the singer-composer with five of the honors for her debut album, "Songs in A Minor." Voters clearly like her sophomore effort; "The Diary of Alicia Keys" has eight nominations in the 47th Annual Grammy Awards. CBS will broadcast the event Sunday, Feb. 13, from Staples Center in Los Angeles. Queen Latifah will serve as host for the first time, with Keys and fellow nominees U2, Tim McGraw and Green Day slated to perform.

Kanye West leads the pack of nominees with 10 bids, and Keys is tied with Usher for eight; posthumously, Ray Charles is next with seven nominations.
"It's just incredible," Keys says. "I'm even more excited this time and incredibly grateful. The first time, it was overwhelming and I was just catching up to myself in a way. I was trying to figure out what was going on and what was coming next, because everything was so brand new to me. I'm also excited about being able to perform again this year, because that's my favorite thing to do."

Keys will do much more of that on a two-month concert tour that starts Feb. 25 in Miami. She maintains awards are just the icing on the cake for her: "As I'm creating, I'm doing it from my life as it evolves. The last thing I was thinking of was outdoing 'Songs in A Minor,' so this is pretty exciting. The thing with me is that I know that I'm going to get better, so I just look forward to my future.

"All the greats I admire -- Ray Charles, Donny Hathaway, Marvin Gaye, Frank Sinatra -- weren't at their peak until they were in their 40s. Who knows what I'll be writing about 10 years from now?"

If it matches the impact of "The Diary of Alicia Keys," the artist can anticipate another big Grammy year in another decade. Her current CD is up for album of the year and best R&B album, and Keys also is up for song of the year and best female R&B performance, both for "If I Ain't Got You." Additionally, she has two nominations each in the categories of best R&B song ("My Boo," with Usher, and "You Don't Know My Name") and best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals ("Diary," with Tony! Toni! Tone! and "My Boo").

"The Diary of Alicia Keys" is the product of some notable musical collaborations that Keys says have allowed her to "explore the different sides of myself. From performing with Stevie Wonder and Lenny Kravitz to doing a song with Usher, those are different sides of the spectrum, but I feel comfortable in them. I'm happy to challenge myself to become more than just me by myself."

A songwriter since the age of 14, Keys is a strong proponent of the notion that things happen for a reason. "I look back to different things that have happened in my life, and at the time, I wondered why they happened and if things would ever change. I would feel sad, then fast-forward five or six years, and it all made sense. It all came together the way it was meant to, and I feel that way about this time right now.

"I feel very fulfilled, although I'm the kind of person who's always looking for ways to improve myself. There's so much more, and so many ways in which I can be growing, but the way that people respond to my music is probably the biggest reason I'm so grateful this year."

As for any award wins she may soon enjoy, Keys reflects, "I don't get so caught up in the Grammy statue itself, but in what it represents, the fact that people can identify with my heart and my passion and my soul. It makes me feel very proud that I can be who I am and that people can 'get' that ... and that it makes them 'get' themselves as well."

This year's Grammy ceremony also is notable as the final one to be produced by the man who brought the show to national TV in 1971: Pierre Cossette, who relocated the ceremony to CBS after original broadcaster ABC didn't want it to originate from Nashville one year.

"I'm slowing down a little bit," Cossette says, "and this is one way to accomplish that. I'm going to produce another Broadway musical [about folk singer Woody Guthrie], and that's going to take up a lot of my time. I've got great people here who are going to be taking over for me, and this just seemed like the time to do it."

people.com

HONORED: Alicia Keys, 24, will receive the Starlight Award, which honors gifted songwriters in the early years of their careers, at the 2005 Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards gala on June 9 at New York's Marriott Marquis Hotel. The National Academy of Popular Music/Songwriters Hall of Fame, founded in 1969, will also induct Steve Cropper, John Fogerty, Isaac Hayes and David Porter, Bill Withers and "Mary Poppins" and "It's a Small World" composers Richard and Robert Sherman.

people.com

Alicia Keys is learning that patience is a virtue now that she's gearing up for her movie debut. The Grammy winner will play piano prodigy Phillipa Schuyler (who died in 1967) in the upcoming biopic Composition in Black and White.

"Movies are never just 'poof!' and they're done," Keys told us at the 18th Annual ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards in Beverly Hills, where she was honored with a songwriter of the year award (along with Janet Jackson's main man, Jermaine Dupri). "It takes a lot of time. Right now we're finalizing the script, making sure we're really capturing all the directions of the story that we have to capture. We don't have a date for shooting yet."

Keys is teaming up with Halle Berry, who's producing the movie. "I have script approval," Keys says. "Miss Halle Berry and the whole team were adamant about us all being happy with the story we're telling."

Meanwhile, the singer-pianist isn't abandoning her music career: She'll record an MTV Unplugged album July 13 in New York City, to be released in October.

(NYDailynews.com)

Keys opens her heart

Alicia Keys is heading to Africa to support Keep a Child Alive, which supplies medicine to children and their families living with HIV and AIDS.

"I'm going to Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa on Dec. 26," she told me at Cain nightclub on Thursday.

"There are a lot of organizations that focus on prevention, and that is good, but there are an immense amount of people who are dying who cannot receive the medication they need," she explained.

Keys appealed to her fans to help if they can.

"[KCA] is not this big, huge bureaucratic organization with lots of red tape - it's like a FedEx, that's what I like to call it. We get the money from generous people like you and I, and we FedEx it, and you know it is going to get there," she said. "The donations are not paying for the lights and the phone bill [of the charity], it's going to the people."

Keys will host a gala fund-raiser, the Black Ball, to benefit the charity in November.

Alicia Keys puts the squeeze on mom Terri Augello at a New York City party on Monday for her new interactive website krucialkeys.com, which she launched with creative (and real-life) partner Kerry "Krucial" Brothers.

NY Daily News

We bring troubling news for execs at J Records: Your superstar Alicia Keys may be leaving you. The R&B goddess wants to release her music through the Internet - even as longtime corporate foe Prince has allowed Universal to market his songs. Self-distribution is "definitely the wave of the future," Keys told us at the launch of her Web site, www.krucialkeys.com. "You can maintain control, you don't have to sacrifice the quality of music that you do." Keys, who helms her new venture with boyfriend Kerry (Krucial) Brothers, says they've learned to work together because "there are no egos involved ... no disagreements that can't be resolved in five minutes."

Cindy Adams, 8.14.06:

ANYONE know Alicia Keys held her guy off for sex for a year? She told Sister 2 Sister magazine's Jamie Foster Brown, who told me to tell you: "I made him wait a year because my body is too beautiful to be violated by someone who doesn't deserve it." OK?

Why are you with him if he didn't deserve your body?? (I bet he still hasn't gotten any) Come on Alicia admit it, "HE IS JUST YOUR MERKIN!".

PLAYING IT TOURISTY

Alicia Keys enjoy the sights in Florence, Italy, on Wednesday. Before her vacation, though, she was hard at work, contributing the song, "Almost Everything Is Boinga Here," and voicing an alien character for the animated show The Backyardigans, airing on Nick Jr. Oct. 9.

KEYED IN

Alicia Keys spreads the sound of music for a good cause in Los Angeles on Thursday, where she performed at a UCLA Medical Center fundraiser.

October 17. MediaTakeOut.com has just learned that Alicia Keys may have been arrested. An anonymous tipster tells us that Keys was arrested for a domestic disturbance involving another woman. We haven't yet confirmed the story, but the photos (below) suggest that Keys did have a run in with the law...

After her publicist works their 'magic' we'll be informed it wasn't her or these photos aren't real!!!

panachereport.com


Alicia Keys has publicly applauded old pal Beyonce for her Golden Globe Best Actress nomination-because she feels the singer/actress could herald a new era of "triple-threat" stars. Keys, who is embarking on her own movie career, admits she grew up idolizing stars who had singing, theatrical and movie careers. She says, "I can't wait to see Beyonce in "Dreamgirls."
From the beginning of time, many of the great artists were always triple threats. They all acted, sang and danced, they did it all. "I think, going back in that direction now, and to be able to encompass so many styles, and do it with so much class, is fantastic. "I've known Beyonce for a while.

We did meet each other when we were on Columbia (record label), where they did retreats and they would show the different artists who were coming out. "We got a chance to hang out then. I think we feel the same way about being able to express ourselves. She's a great lady."


In Related News:
Alicia Keys is still stunned about Bob Dylan name checking her in one of the songs on his acclaimed new album, “Modern Times,” and she’s still struggling trying to figure out, why her.
Dylan mentions Keys on the song “Thunder On The Mountain,” and she has been in musical heaven ever since. She explains, “I could not believe it. The first person who told me about it was John Mayer. He said, ‘You’re never gonna believe this but I just heard that Dylan has your name in his song.’ “I was totally not expecting it but then I couldn’t wait to hear it because it wasn’t coming out for a while.
‘It’s such a big honor because Dylan’s such a lyrical genius and storyteller with so much history. As a writer myself, I admire him. I thanked him greatly.”

20 December 2006
KEYS' FILM TRAILER TOO STEAMY FOR TV

Eva Simpson & Caroline Hedley

SINGER Alicia Keys's first big film is so steamy, even the trailer was banned from TV.

The 25-year-old is starring alongside Ben Affleck in the sexy shoot-'em-up Smokin' Aces, which hits cinemas on January 12.

We're told: "The ad is graphic but so is the film!"

mediatakeout.com

Alicia Keys offers college scholarships

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Alicia Keys wants to help talented youngsters go to college, so the Grammy award winner is offering $5,000 scholarships to students from four cities.

"We're just looking for standout students who are definitely college-bound and need a little bit of help financially to really achieve their dreams," Keys said.

The four scholarship winners will be selected from Jacksonville, New Orleans, Atlanta and New York City's Harlem neighborhood.

The Open Doors Scholars Program is part of Frum Tha Ground Up, a Jacksonville-based nonprofit organization started by Keys' road manager, D.J. Walton, who went to college in Jacksonville.

In return for their scholarships, the winners will represent the organization at school appearances and must perform community service each semester.

10/17/06, 12:51 pm EST

Exclusive: Alicia Keys Totally Not Arrested

An “anonymous tipster” just played what we think is a kinda nasty joke on MediaTakeOut.com by claiming that this photo features Alicia Keys being arrested after a “domestic disturbance involving another woman.” When contacted, Keys’ publicist Lauren Nowell said that Keys “doesn’t even wear her hair that way right now” and proceeded to contact Keys’ assistant who said the alleged arrest photo was actually taken two years ago when Keys was on tour in Europe. (She was walking with someone who was “probably a security guard,” Nowell said.) Why are Keys’ hands behind her back? “She has her Blackberry behind her back, she’s not in cuffs,” Nowell said, laughing and adding that Keys doesn’t like being photographed on her phone because she thinks it’s “tacky.”

What’s up with this need to prove Keys is gay? In another article on the same Web site, photos of Keys with a “girlfriend” are spun as potential evidence of a sexual relationship. Nowell told us the oh-so-scandalous images depict Keys on vacation with her best friend, and their families. Those lesbians are always bringing their moms on romantic getaways, we guess. So hot.

-- Elizabeth Goodman

THEY'RE SMOKIN'!

Ryan Reynolds, Alicia Keys and Jeremy Piven form a gang of three at MTV's TRL studios in New York on Tuesday to promote their new action comedy Smokin' Aces. Piven has a big weekend ahead of him: Besides the opening of his film this Friday, the actor is also up for a SAG award for his role on the HBO hit Entourage on Sunday.

panachereport.com

Singer/actress Alicia Keys loved her intense training regime for the film “Smokin Aces,” so much, she decided to keep working out and train to run a marathon in Greece.
The singer makes her big screen debut in the film playing a tough hit woman out to kill a sleazy magician played by Jeremy Piven. She explains, "It kind of started with Smokin' Aces, because I was training in a way that I'd never trained before. "I just kind of woke up and thought, 'I want to run a marathon.' "So we started preparing for it and I did! It was the weirdest sensation. It was pretty long - it took me five hours!"

RIGHT IN TUNE

Alicia Keys rings in her 27th birthday with the help of pals (including rumored beau Kerry "Krucial" Brothers, right) at Bed nightclub in New York on Wednesday. Keys has plenty to celebrate: Her debut film Smokin' Aces opens this weekend.

NY DAILY NEWS

Keys' October surprise

Alicia Keys has pushed back the release date of her new album. But despite rumors of unrest at her record label, her rep insists that the delay is due only to her film commitments.

"The album was supposed to come out in June, but now it's looking like October," the spokeswoman said.

She said the delays were caused by scheduling changes in her burgeoning acting career, which includes roles in "Smokin' Aces" and "The Nanny Diaries."

However, the less official version has her upset with folks inside Clive Davis' J Records over
the assisted departure of promotions director Ken Wilson, to whom she was loyal.

Her rep denies this, and J Records would confirm only that Wilson is no longer with the company.

Panachereport.com

Alicia Keys took off to Egypt in a bid to find inspiration after she struggled with "confusing music" as she set about recording her new album.
The singer admits she was struggling to find her past form that earned her Grammy Awards and acclaim and decided she needed to take a holiday.
She traveled alone through Egypt, floating down the Nile and visiting ancient sites, like the Great Pyramid of Giza, just outside Cairo.
She says, "I'm thinking, `Here is this structure that's been standing for thousands of years, no magic tricks, no cranes, just mind, will and hands. "I had a profound realization that with my mind and my hands I could create something that could last forever." Fully inspired, Keys returned to the studio last summer (06) and completed work on her upcoming album As I Am, which she states is like "Aretha Franklin singing a Janis Joplin song."

Panachereport.com

The tragic death of a close friend forced soul singer Alicia Keys to stop acting like a performance diva. The Fallin' singer admits she started taking her family and friends for granted as her famous life and studio and touring work took over - and then a tragedy made her rethink.
Keys tells Rolling Stone magazine, "Maybe God knew I needed an extreme situation to help me understand what's real. "Everytime I'd wake up, I'd get dressed and put on my little facade, like, 'Everything's great. I've got these shows going on, I just finished this film.' (There were) all these f**king interview answers to the point where I'd give interview answers to my family."

As I Am cd cover

Alicia Keys was at the 54th ONDA Awards in Barcelona, Spain. I have no clue what the ONDA Awards are about, but what I do know is that even if Alicia Keys played the piano like Britney Spears is classy, her hotness would still let her sell a million records

Camel toe?

Bad Idea



Please let this happen! Idolator reports that Alicia Keys might duet with a "virtual Frank Sinatra" at this Sunday's Grammys. They will reportedly put a hologram Ol' Blue Eyes next to her the same way they did with Celine Dion and Elvis on American Idol. Celine's also sang a duet with Frank before. Alicia is picking up Celine's sloppy seconds!

This is a truly fantastic idea. I really hope this happens and I really hope Celine sneaks into the control room and switches the hologram with a "virtual Celine doing Madonna."

http://www.dlisted.com/

Did anyone else think that Alicia looked like she could be trying to hide being pregnant during her performance on the Grammys?

'Debaters' dominates Image Awards
Perry, Keys also have big night at NAACP gala
By LIBBY MCCARTHY, DEREK PETERS

There was no debating which were the favored projects at the 39th NAACP Image Awards, where hyphenate Tyler Perry, musician Alicia Keys, and film "The Great Debaters" earned multiple kudos in an evening packed with over 50 awards.

"Debaters" -- which received eight initial film nods -- took home four wins, including actor (Denzel Washington), actress (Jurnee Smollett), supporting actor (Denzel Whitaker), and motion picture.

Focus' "Talk To Me" earned kudos for scribes Michael Genet and Rick Famuyiwa, as well as for helmer Kasi Lemmons.

In the television categories, Tyler Perry's "House of Pain" hauled home three awards for comedy series, as well as actor and supporting actor in a comedy series (LaVan Davis and Lance Gross, respectively).

Perry's other project of the year, film "Why Did I Get Married?", earned Janet Jackson a supporting actress kudo.

Funny females America Ferrera and Vanessa Williams from "Ugly Betty" prevailed in the actress and supporting actress television categories.

"I love to be part of this show because it's fun, but also because of what it stands for," Ferrara said. "It's done wonderful things for diversity in the television landscape."

The "Grey's Anatomy" team sliced through the competition with awards in best drama series, and supporting actress (Chandra Wilson). Writing kudos for the popular drama also went to scribes Shonda Rhimes and Krista Vernoff.

NAACP honored thesps in varying skeins in the drama categories, with "CSI: NY's" Hill Harper earning the actor kudo, "The Unit's" Regina Taylor in the corresponding actress category, and "House's" Omar Epps with the supporting actor award.

Musicians Alicia Keys and Chris Brown received recognition for female and male artist, respectively. Keys also picked up awards for album ("As I Am"), as well as song and music video ("Like You'll Never See Me Again").

Most recent "American Idol" winner Jordin Sparks commanded "Respect" with her performance of Aretha Franklin's classic song, before Franklin picked up the 2007 Vanguard Award. Sparks then received her own distinction, named as outstanding new artist.

Franklin, who attended the first Image Awards show in 1969, called the show "sophisticated, rousing fun that rivals with the best and is second to none."

Sidney Poitier paid tribute to Chairman's Award honoree Ruby Dee in the form of a pre-taped speech. Musician nominee Angelique Kidjo also performed a song in Dee's honor.

"I accept this award on behalf of all the members, past and present, that have been led by the light of the NAACP," Dee said.

Image Awards Hall of Fame Inductee Stevie Wonder performed three songs and took the opportunity to stump for both Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama.

And the winners are...


TELEVISION CATEGORIES
Outstanding Comedy Series
Tyler Perry's "House of Payne" (TBS)

Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
LaVan Davis -- "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" (TBS)

Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
America Ferrera -- "Ugly Betty" (ABC)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Lance Gross -- "Tyler Perry's House of Payne" (TBS)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Vanessa L. Williams -- "Ugly Betty" (ABC)

Outstanding Drama Series
"Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)

Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Hill Harper -- "CSI: NY" (CBS)

Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Regina Taylor -- "The Unit" (CBS)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Omar Epps -- "House" (FOX)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Chandra Wilson -- "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)

Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
"Life Support" (HBO)

Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Wendell Pierce -- "Life Support" (HBO)

Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special
Queen Latifah -- "Life Support" (HBO)

Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series
Kristoff St. John -- "The Young And The Restless" (CBS)

Outstanding Actress in a Daytime Drama Series
Christel Khalil -- "The Young And The Restless" (CBS)

Outstanding News/Information -- (Series or Special)
"In Conversation: The Senator Barack Obama Interview" (TVOne)

Outstanding Talk -- (Series)
"Tavis Smiley 'Crisis in Darfur'" (PBS)

Outstanding Reality -- (Series)
"Run's House 4" (MTV)

Outstanding Variety -- (Series or Special)
"Celebration of Gospel '07" (BET)

Outstanding Children's Program
"That's So Raven" (Disney Channel)

Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Program -Series or Special
Raven-Symoné -- "That's So Raven" (Disney Channel)

RECORDING CATEGORIES
Outstanding New Artist
Jordin Sparks (Jive/Zomba)

Outstanding Male Artist
Chris Brown (Jive)

Outstanding Female Artist
Alicia Keys (J Records)

Outstanding Duo or Group
Eddie & Gerald Levert (Atlantic)

Outstanding Jazz Artist
Herbie Hancock (Verve)

Outstanding Gospel Artist -- (Traditional or Contemporary)
Kirk Franklin (Gospocentric)

Outstanding World Music Album
Angelique Kidjo -- "Djin Djin" (Razor & Tie)

Outstanding Music Video
"Like You'll Never See Me Again" -- Alicia Keys (J Records)

Outstanding Song
"Like You'll Never See Me Again" -- Alicia Keys (J Records)

Outstanding Album
Alicia Keys -- "As I Am" (J Records)

LITERATURE CATEGORIES
Outstanding Literary Work -- Fiction
"Blonde Faith" -- Walter Mosley (Little, Brown & Company)

Outstanding Literary Work -- Non-Fiction
"Not on Our Watch: The Mission to End Genocide in Darfur and Beyond" -- Don Cheadle, John Prendergast (Hyperion)

Outstanding Literary Work -- Debut Author
"The Women Who Raised Me: A Memoir" -- Victoria Rowell (Harper Collins)

Outstanding Literary Work -- Biography/Auto-Biography
"Obama: From Promise to Power" -- David Mendell (Harper Collins/Amistad)

Outstanding Literary Work -- Instructional
"The Covenant in Action" -- Tavis Smiley (Smiley Books)

Outstanding Literary Work -- Poetry
"Acolytes: Poems" -- Nikki Giovanni (Harper Collins/William Morrow)

Outstanding Literary Work -- Children
"Nothing but Trouble: The Story of Althea Gibson" -- Sue Stauffacher,Author; Greg Couch, Illustrator (Random House)

Outstanding Literary Work -- Youth/Teens
"More Than Entertainers: An Inspirational Black Career Guide" -- Charles B. Schooler, Author; Gary Young, Illustrator (Zenith Publishing)

MOTION PICTURE CATEGORIES
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Denzel Washington -- "The Great Debaters" (The Weinstein Co.)

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Jurnee Smollett -- "The Great Debaters" (The Weinstein Co.)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Denzel Whitaker -- "The Great Debaters" (The Weinstein Co.)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Janet Jackson -- "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?" (Lionsgate Films)

Outstanding Motion Picture
"The Great Debaters" (The Weinstein Co.)

Outstanding Independent or Foreign Film
"Honeydripper" (Emerging Pictures)

Outstanding Documentary
"Darfur Now" (Warner Independent Pictures)

WRITING CATEGORIES
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Ali LeRoi -- "Everybody Hates Chris: Everybody Hates Guidance Counselor" (CW)

Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series
Shonda Rhimes and Krista Vernoff -- "Grey's Anatomy: A Change is Gonna Come" (ABC)

Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television)
Michael Genet and Rick Famuyiwa -- "Talk To Me" (Focus Features)

DIRECTING CATEGORIES
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
Ken Whittingham -- "The Office: Phyllis's Wedding" (NBC)

Outstanding Directing in a Dramatic Series
Seith Mann -- "Friday Night Lights: Are You Ready For Friday Night?" (NBC)

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television)
Kasi Lemmons -- "Talk To Me" (Focus Features)

ALSO:
Image Awards Hall of Fame Inductee: Stevie Wonder
Vanguard Award: Aretha Franklin
Chariman's Award: Ruby Dee

Diva Alert: Mariah, Janet CDs Previewed
Friday, February 15, 2008

By Roger Friedman

Alicia Keys’ long run at the top of the charts is about to be threatened.

On Thursday I spent more than an hour at Island/DefJam Records previewing the new CDs from Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey. Each is highly anticipated, and with good reason. They’re pretty damn good.

Carey’s CD, "E=MC2," probably is the more anticipated if only because her prior release, "Emancipation of Mimi," was such a phenomenal success. Buoyed by several hits including "We Belong Together" and "Don’t Forget About Us," "Emancipation" spent months on the charts and won a number of Grammys. It re-established Mariah as a superstar after her failed "Glitter" project and subsequent "Charmbracelet."

"E=MC2" (a play on the previous album’s title) should have a pretty big impact when it hits the world on April 15. Already the single "Touch My Body," with its refrain, "I will hunt you down," has taken off on the radio. It doesn’t hurt that it bears a resemblance to "We Belong Together." But the new single is catchy in its own right and has an independent hook designed to be addictive.

I heard eight other tracks on Thursday, but since the album isn’t sequenced I can’t tell you where they fall in order. In the order I enjoyed them came first "Bye, Bye," a powerful ballad that should be a single and probably will close the album. It’s a natural singalong in concert, too, which could make it not only wildly popular but a possible Grammy contender next year. Look out.

The next most commercial number is "Thanks for Nothing," a witty and rueful tune with another great melody, courtesy of Jermaine Dupri and Carey. As on "Bye Bye," Carey’s vocals are superb. Her infamous eight-octave range has suffered a little wear and tear over the years, but Carey still can flutter from great highs to mellow lows like no one else.

Some other highlights included "Cruise Control," featuring Damian Marley with a driving reggae subtext; "Migrate" with T-Pain, which should be a single and perhaps the album’s kick-off track; "Last Kiss," with Dupri on vocals; a breathy disco dance hit called "I’m That Chick"; and out-and-out pop song "Loving You a Long Time," which samples DeBarge’s "Stay with Me" and recalls the melodic riff of the "Hill Street Blues" theme music.

From track to track I kept thinking that Carey and her crew have put a lot of work into making "E=MC2" not just a hit, but a sustainable success. There’s enough in the package that it will last as long as "Emancipation," spinning off singles, remixes and videos.

Sparks to Fly on Alicia Keys' Tour
E!

Alicia Keys wants to follow no one but Jordin Sparks.

The reigning American Idol champion has signed on to open for Keys on the platinum-selling chanteuse's upcoming As I Am tour, in support of the Grammy-winning album of the same name.

Their two-month North American road trip kicks off Apr. 19 in Hampton, Virginia, and will touch down in 25 major U.S. cities, Toronto and Montreal before winding up June 18 at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Although Sparks' self-titled first album fizzled on impact, selling a disappointing 119,000 copies its first week out to give her the weakest chart debut for an Idol winner (10th place), the 18-year-old songbird from Glendale, Arizona, continues to charm with her live appearances.

Sparks, the daughter of former pro football player Phillippi Sparks, performed the national anthem before a hometown crowd—and more than 97 million at-home viewers—at Glendale's University of Phoenix Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday, and she's scheduled to take the stage this weekend in New Orleans as part of NBA All-Star Weekend.

Her big-game credentials in place, Sparks will also head off on tour fresh from being named Outstanding New Artist Thursday at the 39th NAACP Image Awards.

Keys, a four-time winner at the Image Awards and a pregame performer at the Super Bowl, scored two Grammys on Sunday, Best R&B Vocal Performance and Song for "No One," to go along with the other nine she's scooped up over the years.

Panachereport.com

R&B star Alicia Keys has been forced to axe two U.K. concerts on her doctor's orders, after falling ill with a bout of laryngitis.

Keys Talks About Her Conspiracy Theories


NEW YORK (AP) — There's another side to Alicia Keys: conspiracy theorist. The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter tells Blender magazine: "`Gangsta rap' was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. `Gangsta rap' didn't exist."

Keys, 27, said she's read several Black Panther autobiographies and wears a gold AK-47 pendant around her neck "to symbolize strength, power and killing 'em dead," according to an interview in the magazine's May issue, on newsstands Tuesday.

Another of her theories: That the bicoastal feud between slain rappers Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. was fueled "by the government and the media, to stop another great black leader from existing."

Keys' AK-47 jewelry came as a surprise to her mother, who is quoted as telling Blender: "She wears what? That doesn't sound like Alicia." Keys' publicist, Theola Borden, said Keys was on vacation and unavailable for comment.

Though she's known for her romantic tunes, she told Blender that she wants to write more political songs. If black leaders such as the late Black Panther Huey Newton "had the outlets our musicians have today, it'd be global. I have to figure out a way to do it myself," she said.

The multiplatinum songstress behind the hits "Fallin'" and "No One" most recently had success with her latest CD, "As I Am," which sold millions.

Alicia Keys Comments On Beyonce & Jay-Z's Nuptials


Singer/songwriter Alicia Keys has publicly congratulated rapper Jay-Z and his new wife Beyonce Knowles, who were married in a top-secret ceremony last week.

Although the couple's representatives have yet to confirm the wedding took place, it has been reported Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, and Knowles exchanged vows on Friday evening and then threw a lavish party at the rapper's TriBeCa apartment in New York.

And Keys couldn't be happier for the newlyweds.

She tells OK! magazine, "All the best wishes possible, and I think that love is beautiful and when you love somebody, just let it shine and shine bright."

Keys is the second star to extend warm wishes to the couple. Mary J. Blige offered her congratulations to Jay-Z, her current tourmate, at a concert on Saturday, before launching into her hit song "You're All I Need."

Source: starpulse

Keys Slams Journalists For Slack Coverage Of Aids In Africa


Singer ALICIA KEYS has slammed journalists for choosing to focus on the antics of troubled celebrities rather than on more serious world issues.

The Fallin' hitmaker joined an impressive line-up including Bono, Brad Pitt and Mariah Carey on Wednesday night (09Apr08) as part of charity telethon special Idol Gives Back.

The two-hour programme aimed to raise $100 million (GBP50 million) for charities including Children's Defense Fund, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Make It Right and Save the Children.

In a clip filmed during a recent trip to Africa, Keys moaned of media outlets, "If AIDS got half of the attention that the media gives to celebrity dramas, this issue would be well on its way to being solved."

Serving as a Global Ambassador for AIDS charity Keep the Child Alive, Keys met with families riddled by the growing pandemic during her visit, encouraging viewers to make a donation as she noted, "It's crazy... how you can change the lives of people forever for the price of a pair of shoes."

Source: contactmusic

Alicia Keys Declares: "I'm Discovering My Sexual Side"

Alicia Keys has the birds and the bees on her brain.

The singer, 28, tells Blender that she's hit the studio and has recorded her "most sexual song yet.

"I'm discovering my sexual side," she says. "I recorded this song ... it's so sensual, it moves you."

So sensual, her manager even told her, "We do not record songs like this!"

Dubbing herself "the best wall builder that ever lived," Keys also opened up about a breakdown she had following her fast rise to fame.

"I was hanging off the edge of a cliff," she says. "Something had to give, or I was gonna lose my mind."

Keys' depression resulted in "dark, weird" music, her manager says.

Now the singer says she wears a gold AK-47 pendant around her neck "to symbolize strength, power and killing 'em dead."


Source :Us Weekly

Keys Upset Disappointed By Blender Article Quotes

ALICIA KEYS has taken to the airwaves to "clarify statements" she made about gangsta rap in men's magazine Blender.

In the new article, the R+B star sensationally claims gangsta rap was "a ploy to convince black people to kill each other... by the government."

But, after reading the piece in the new issue of Blender, Keys insists her comments were "misinterpreted" and she's "disappointed" with the "madness" surrounding the article.

Speaking on Los Angeles DJ Ryan Seacrest's radio show on Tuesday morning (15Apr08), Keys explained, "I feel that I wasn't a hundred per cent clear on what I was saying and so, because of that, it got slightly misinterpreted, and somehow it got misinterpreted that I was saying that the government was creating gangsta rap - and that's not what I was saying.

"What I was saying was that the term gangsta rap was so over sloganised during that time... That's what I was trying to talk about.

"In so many ways, everyday people, as well as the government, could have really done so much more to sorta (sic) obliterate and eradicate the things that were going on in the communities at that time that forced the artists to discuss and talk about, so strongly, what they saw, what they lived with.

"I wasn't saying that I'm a conspiracy theorist, and I wasn't saying that I'm anti-anyone because anybody who knows my character knows that I'm a very positive person... My only aim is to uplift people and spread love.

"You're in an interview for half and hour, 45 minutes... and you're talking about these different thoughts and ideas and I think... there's a way that I didn't exactly clarify what I meant to the point where he (the journalist) could misinterpret it.

"I don't regret doing this interview; overall it was a great article. It was merely a line or two that has provoked all of this madness. I regret that a negative spin has been put (on it)."

Source: contactmusic

Alicia Keys says comments to magazine were 'misrepresented'


Alicia Keys says she's not a conspiracy theorist. In a statement issued Tuesday, Keys said she was clarifying "comments that were made during my recent Blender magazine interview since they have been misrepresented."

According to an interview in the magazine's May issue, the 27-year-old singer says: "`Gangsta rap' was a ploy to convince black people to kill each other. `Gangsta rap' didn't exist." She also is quoted as saying that she wears a gold AK-47 pendant around her neck "to symbolize strength, power and killing 'em dead."

"We stand by our story," Blender spokeswoman Kate Cafaro told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

"My comments about `gangsta rap' were in no way trying to suggest that the government is responsible for creating this genre of rap music," Keys said in a statement issued by J Records. "The point that I was trying to make was that the term was oversloganized by some of the media causing reactions that were not always positive. Many of the `gangsta rap' lyrics articulate the problems of the artists' experiences and I think all of us, including our leaders, could be doing more to address these problems including drugs, gang violence, crime, and other related social issues."

As for the AK-47 remark, Keys said Tuesday that AK-47 is a nickname given to her by friends "as an acronym for Alicia Keys and a metaphor for wowing people with my music and performances, `killing 'em dead' on stage. The reference was in no way meant to have a literal, political or negative connotation."

When AP attempted to reach Keys last week about the Blender interview, her publicist, Theola Borden, said the singer was on vacation and unavailable for comment.

The multiplatinum star behind the hits "Fallin'" and "No One" most recently had success with her latest CD, "As I Am," which has sold 3.4 million copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

___



Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press

Keys To Marry?

ALICIA KEYS will marry her music producer boyfriend KERRY 'KRUCIAL' BROTHERS in New York this summer (08), according to reports.

American magazine Star claims the couple has booked Oheka Castle on Long Island for a ceremony on Independence Day - 4 July (08).

Bosses at the 32-bedroom French-style chateau have confirmed a wedding will take place that weekend, but have refused to reveal the identity of the bride and groom.

Keys and Brothers have never spoken openly about their relationship. They have been songwriting partners for years, co-owning the KrucialKeys production company and New York's Oven Recording Studios.

A representative for the R+B star has yet to confirm or deny the wedding reports.

Source: contactmusic