The Daily Roundup for Nov 9

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Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour” Is Definitely A “Thriller”

Michael’s death rocked our world. The trial still continues on but, the legend of a man who became a world wide phenomenon, who asked us to think more about the world we live in, who seemed to capture every stroke of musical genius, still lives on in this magical and electrifying performance. The people over @ Homorazzi attended the show and let us in on it!

When the show first began, five “Fanatics” were introduced to us. All dressed in various MJ garb, the crew was on their way to try and find Neverland. Their opening routine with a screen that depicted them running along rooftops and subway cars was quite extraordinary. And then, a mime was revealed. Played by Salah Benlemqawanssa, the mime took us to the gates of Neverland, awaking the bronze statues outside and beginning the journey we were all about to explore. As the song “Childhood” rings out through the area, a hot air balloon rises above the crowd with a mechanical MJ child inside the basket. What amazed me the most was a giant window that was formed with a child peering through the glass.

Behind the gates of Neverland, we see Michael’s Giving Tree which “is the wellspring of his creativity.” Suddenly, creatures came from out of the tree and began doing amazing tribal-like dances to “Wanna Be Starting Something.” The costume detail was amazing and the percussionist on congas was also great! The acrobatics of hanging off the tree in different formations was stunning and really showed off the tip of the iceberg on what Cirque Du Soleil was about to hand the entire arena.

Check out some footage of the show in the video below. Trust me though, it doesn’t do the show justice.

Writer and director Jamie King along with the rest of the Cirque team really pulled out all the stops to make this production an imagination run wild. In traditional stage concert Jamie King fashion, the set itself told it’s own story. From moving screens to set pieces that had images projected on them to make them feel 3D, nothing was left out. One of my favorite moments was when the original opening for “Smooth Criminal” played over the multiple screens while four dancers were swaying back and forth, perched on lamp posts and reading the newspaper, all the calm before the storm that was the impecable dance routine.

The dancing was obviously a major highlight which paid enormous homage to the King of Pop but the show wasn’t lacking in the usual Cirque acrobatics either. Anna Melnikova performed a stunning pole dance routine to “Dangerous” which literally had my jaw on the floor. I couldn’t believe some of the tricks she pulled. As well, the lizard contortionist, performed by Baaska Enkhbaatar was outstanding. There were some hoop artists that were also all lit up like constellations as a giant Michael as a young boy was suspended behind them on a crescent moon (seen above.) Absolutely brilliant. But, my two favorite acrobatic acts were by far the black and white swan aerial act performed by Luba Kazantseva and Igor Zaripov and the amazing six men on rings which kicked off the Immortal Megamix.

From the lights, to the music and the everything in between, this show is sure to please Michael Jackson fans new and old. We may not have been able to experience the This Is It tour to its capacity, but this show is a great alternative, allowing MJ’s legacy to live on for years to come. 

I will be seeing this next year in Philly. I admonish you get your tickets!

Alicia Keys “Keep A Child Alive” Benefit Ball

Alicia Keys is continuing her charity work with her groups who benefit children with AIDS. She, along with husband Swizz Beatz, hosted her 8th Annual Keep A Child Alive Black Ball at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC

Mr. & Mrs. Beatz hosted their celebrity friends tonight for Alicia's annual AIDS benefit for children in Africa and beyond. And this year, Alicia wanted the focus to be on India.

Alicia, who also performed, told MTV News this week:

"The theme is going to be all about India because we've moved into helping to serve India in regards to what they’re going through with the AIDS pandemic, just like we do in Africa. It’s going to be beautiful, the music is going to have a little Indian style to it as well, which is super fun for me to explore.”

Alicia Keys wore a Stella McCartney Winter Cream Suiting Jacket with a gold sequin top and Black wool tailoring trousers.

Take a gander at the stars who showed up.

Serena Williams posed on the red carpet in a black floor length dress.

Carmelo and Lala stepped out in all black.

However, I'm not liking this band around Lala's head!

Kerry Washington looked FAB as alays in a white Donna Karan dress

Tyra Banks ‘smiled with her eyes’ as she stepped out in a purple dress

Mack Mama Queen Latifah put on her black suit and hat and looked pretty damn dapper:

Nice.

Model Chanel Iman looked nice in her black and white number.

However sista gurl needs some bigger breateses!..lol
And will.i.am and Gayle King were there to help celebrate in the benefit as well.

Also inside the dinner.

Music's Godfather Clive Davis and Diana Warren was there to support.

Serena and Lala was kicking inside

Singer Jay Sean was there with a date and her outfit is awful and Christmasy.

Usher and Alicia was kicking it

Lala, Kerry & Serena

And here are some of the performances

Fun night indeed for a great cause!

Ashanti Replaces Fergie in Black Eyed Peas???

*It looks as if there will be a change in the line-up of the Black Eyed Peas.
BEP’s Fergie has been wanting to go on hiatus so she can focus on starting a family with her husband, actor Josh Duhamel, and it is rumored that singer Ashanti will replace Fergie as the lone female member of the group.

Fergie is planning to take an indefinite leave of absence after the BEP’s last scheduled show of Nov. 23.

Ashanti was reportedly brought onto the group’s world tour as an audition to see if she could work with the band. Ashanti has been touring with BEP for the past month, and according to insiders, she has fit in perfectly with the group.

“The group has been looking for a replacement for some time,” revealed a top music industry executive.
There will reportedly be an official announcement sometime this month.Taboo told the New York Times, “We have to respect Fergie. Fergie is our sister. She definitely wants to have a family and we’re happy for her.”

I’m just not sure if Ashanti is the one!

NeNe Leakes Says “Sheree’s So boring”

photo and tweet photo courtesy of starcasm.net

NeNe Leakes is shooting down claims that she tried to stab Sheree Whitfield in the back.
Sheree Whitfield isn’t crazy about NeNe, and NeNe revealed to Sister 2 Sister that the feeling is mutual. The famous frenemies get into it in season 4 of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

According to Sheree, who recently shared her side of story on “Wendy Williams,” the fight ignited because NeNe tried to edge Sheree out of booking an appearance. In NeNe’s opinion, the only real reason Sheree continues to stir up trouble over the dispute is to make her more interesting to viewers.

“Me and Sheree have an argument, but Lord knows she needs to have an argument with somebody because she’s so d@mn boring.” NeNe told S2S, explaining that her co-star may have gotten more than she bargained for when they sat down to chat about the situation. “She confronted me and I don’t hold back.”

The boisterous “RHOA” diva was really offended at the notion that she would try anything so sneaky over money.

“Sheree came to me saying that I was trying to take money out of her pocket, which I thought was a joke,” NeNe said. “I’m looking at her like, ‘Mm hmm. B!#ch please! I can put money in your pocket.’”

And as NeNe put it, there’s no need for her to pull an appearance out from under Sheree because she “does very well for [herself].”

“To just keep it really real with you, my appearance fee is way higher than hers anyway,” NeNe said. “Child, please!”

When NeNe caught wind of all the hearsay, she brought the matter right to Sheree. See how their meeting of the minds started off when you watch the video below.

VIDEO:NeNe vs Sheree video

But Nene doesn’t need anatomical facts to defend her, she can do that all on her own, thank you very much! Lenitha Bonita Smith was in California doing some publicity of her own and took to Twitter to bloop bloop blop on Sheree and the other girls as well:

Holy smokes!!! Or should I say, “Oh no she di-unt!” Nene must spend a lot of time in the smacktalk gym because it takes a lot of muscle to throw three grown women under the bus at the same time! Let’s take another look at one in particular…

@WendyWilliams had 2 invite all 3 @ 1 time because they boring as hell. I stand alone
Lawdy lawd! I am ready for all that peach drama, how ’bout

This season is going to be a HOOT!

Enquirer: Julia Roberts panics over weight gain, turns into an exercise fiend

So far, Julia Roberts has been able to keep the fact that she’s playing the Evil Queen from her kids, but that certainly doesn’t mean that she didn’t acquire some, uh, baggage while on the set of her as-yet-untitled “Snow White” movie. Presumably, Julia’s metabolism has caught up with her as she’s progressed into her 40s, which means that she’s no longer able to stay rail thin without effort. How tragic. Allegedly and according to The Enquirer, Julia’s pissed off about this weight gain because it makes her look really bad next to her hardbodied husband, Danny Moder. Here he is looking pretty good while competing in the Malibu Triathlon:

Desperate to maintain her “Pretty Woman” figure after a recent weight gain, Julia Roberts has turned into a workout maniac, say pals.
The fiery redhead, who turned 44 on Oct. 28, is furious at herself for piling on 10 pounds while filming her role as the Evil Queen in the as-yet-untitled new “Snow White” movie.

And the mom of three is determined to trim down by pounding the pavement with pals. In fact, Julia was recently spotted looking winded after jogging with a companion near her Los Angeles home.
Her goal, say insiders, is to get as lean and mean as her six pack-sporting spouse, cameraman Danny Moder.

“Julia saw the photos of herself in the beach in Hawaii this past August and thought she looked pretty good in a bikini,” said an insider, “But standing next to Danny, with his taught stomach and muscular arms, she seemed completely out of shape in comparison.

“She told him, ‘It’s not fair that you get to look as good as you do without even trying, but I have to bust my ass just to lose a couple of pounds!’ After that, Julia was absolutely determined to look almost as toned was her hubby.”

According to the source, Julia’s biggest problem in her battle of the bulge is that she tends to eat whatever she wants when she’s working. And that’s exactly what happened while making “Snow White” in Montreal.

This isn’t the first time Julia has gained weight on a film set. The 5-foot-9 actress normall weighs between 125 and 130 pounds but balooned to nearly 150 by the time she’d finished filming “Eat Pray Love” on location in Italy in 2009. “In the scene with the pizza, we started shooting at eight in the morning and by 8:45 I’d eaten eight or 10 pieces of pizza,” she told a reporter.
But now she’s running like a madwoman and doing yoga three times a week to get back in fighting form.

Still, the sources says Julia has insisted to pals that she’s not weight-obsessed “like some people in Hollywood.” “I’ll never be a stick figure,” she admitted. “But I want to give Danny a run for his money!”

[From Enquirer, print edition, November 14, 2011]

So is this story true? It’s not farfetched to believe that Julia gained a few pounds on her movie sets in recent years. Certainly, the lure of the everpresent crafts services table would be irresistible for most people, and eating pizza as a requirement for the job, well, that’s tough competition for an aging metabolsm. She probably does feel like a slouch next to her triathlete spouse, but Danny certainly works for his physique, and it never hurts anyone’s health to be in better shape. If that’s the inspiration that Julia needs to start working out, then she’ll be better for it in the long run. Maybe she’ll even get a serotonin rush or two and stop being so bitchy to her overweight sister too. Julia was photographed wearing compression pants on 9/14 although that could just be due to poor circulation, but it might also be a sign that she’s now obsessed with working out to the point of wearing them underneath her regular pants.

THE ROARING LEAPORDESS JENNIFER HUDSON!

She may have been surrounded by some of the biggest names in fashion, but it was Jennifer Hudson who stole the show in Japan.
The Dreamgirls star looked simply fabulous at a Fashion's Night Out event in Tokyo, Japan.
All eyes focused on the singer and actress when she swept into the room wearing a form-fitting, animal print dress.

Paired with black platform heels and minimal jewellery, the dress, with its cinched waist accented the 30-year-old's newly svelte figure.
Jennifer struck several poses, then she joined American fashion designer Michael Kors as he celebrated the opening of his new Tokyo store.

American Vogue Editor-in-chief Anna Wintour stood next to the two and was the picture of business in a speckled black and white suite.

While model Ai Tominaga kept things more casual in a black vest top, white shirt and gold trousers.

Hundreds of shops took part in Tokyo’s Fashion’s Night Out, but it was the Michael Kors event, that drew some of the biggest crowds.
Jennifer travelled to Japan to help celebrate the occasion and she even sang a song.
Later, she took to Twitter to let her fans know about the event.

She tweeted: 'Had a great time with micheal kors last night'

Fashion's Night Out, which started in New York two years ago, is meant to draw designers and shoppers to stores that stay open later with a goal of ringing up more sales. Jennifer arrived in Japan two days earlier, with her adorable son, two-year-old son David by her side.

When a fan asked on Twitter where Jennifer's fiancé David Otunga was, the superstar singer tweeted: 'Daddy otunga is in Europe. The www wrestling tour.'
There has recently been talk that the two had broken up, but Jennifer has made an effort to put those rumours to rest.

BRANDY JOINS CAST OF “THE MARRIAGE COUNSELOR”

Brandy Norwood, who is known by her first name only, has joined the cast of Tyler Perry’s film, “The Marriage Counselor” along with Jurnee Smollett, Lance Gross, Kim Kardashian,Vanessa Williams, Robbie Jones, Ella Joyce and Jerry Stiller. Brandy will play the co-worker of Lance Gross charcter, who’s wife Judith (Jurnee Smollett), is an Ivy League-educated relationship expert who makes her living dispensing marital advice, but is so bored with her own marriage that she breaks her professional code and cheats with a smooth talking client (Robbie Jones) only to realize she has made a huge mistake.

Vanessa Williams will play the owner of the firm where Judith practices, while Kim Kardashian will play her sassy co-worker. The film is currently in production in Atlanta at Tyler Perry Studios.

DIDN’T WE ALREADY TRY THIS? Lil' Kim Opens Fifth Location Of North Carolina Hair Salon Franchise

The "Queen Bee" may be offering beehive haircuts to patrons, with her fifth N.C. location of Salon Se Swa recently opening its doors.

Brooklyn, New York emcee Lil' Kim announced her latest Salon Se Swa store opening, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The salon is Kim's fifth, with all locations in the state, in a partnership with her business associate Katrise Jones. AllHipHop.com announced the opening of a 3,600 foot store.

On Valentine's Day (February 14) of this year, the former Junior M.A.F.I.A. member released Black Friday, her first retail project in over five years. The collection of songs was sold through Kim's website, and featured Keri Hilson, Wiz Khalifa and Lil Boosie.

And you also remember when her associate was arrested!

HMMMMMM!

REALLY??? Amber Rose Talks Music Career: ‘When I’m In The Studio, I’m Like Sasha Fierce’

Amber Rose was spotted on the scene on Thursday night for the premiere of Smirnoff’s Master Of The Mix DJ competition which she serves as a guest host. Although plans to star in her own reality show and create a new line of shades have been put on hold, she continues to stay busy with roles in two upcoming films as well as plans to release music in the near future.

She recently sat down with BET to talk about her what inspired her to pursue a career in music:

I’ve been in the studio constantly working on music. I’m doing club, house, upbeat music. My inspirations are Missy, Pitbull, Fergie—I love the sound of her voice. I’m in the studio every single day no matter if I work 18 hours a day, I’m always in the studio so I’m really taking this very serious. I’ve always wrote music, but it has always been something very personal for me. But I brought my music to Wiz one day and showed him everything and he was blown away. He was like, ‘Baby, you have to do this. Like, you have to. I know you’re quiet, I know you’re shy’ but you know when I’m in the studio, I’m like Sasha fierce. I just turn into a whole different person. It’s really cool. You guys are going to really enjoy it. I may drop a song soon and just put it out there so you can see what it’s like

For love my ears…NEVER MIND!

Kelly Rowland Chosen As "Ultimate TV Personality" In The UK

Kelly Rowland was honored in London as the UK's "Ultimate TV Personality" at the Cosmopolitan Women of the Year Awards. Held at the Banqueting House, the annual event honors celebrities and professional women who are making a significant impact in the UK with their career endeavors.

And while Ms. Rowland looked stunning in an elegant pink gown, the evening had its bittersweet moments as she dined with her remaining "X Factor" mentees Misha B and Janet Devlin (one of her girls was voted off last week.)

Kelly recently revealed in a Radio One interview that she feels partly responsible for her girls being in the bottom two on the program while she was M.I.A. in L.A.

But now that she's back, I'm sure she's going to fight for Misha and Janet as she tweeted, 'My girls are great, they're actually here with me tonight. I was absolutely… upset when I saw my girls at the bottom two.'

And after catching up with previous "X Factor" winner Alexandra Burke (who stood in for her on the judging panel), she revealed that she is still in recovery mode from her throat infection,

“There is only so much chicken and rice soup you can eat. I still don’t have a full appetite and I’m still on meds so my stomach is just going crazy. My body is not hungry right now—it’s the weirdest thing.”

And as she continues down the road to wellness, Kelly is gearing up for the UK release of Hear I Am disc on Nov. 28 (with 5 additional tracks). When talking about it, she said,

“I still do have dance music on there, but I also have my urban roots on there.”

Well alright Kelly!

AND FINALLY FROM “THE CRAZY PEOPLE SHOPPING AT WALMART” FILES
“SHAKE YOUR BEER CAN”

I’m starting to think they give those jorts away in one of those special edition NASCAR themed cases of Busch beer.

LATER YA’LL!!!!
EFREM