Get familiar with the cast of Sparkle before it hits theaters August 17th The 1976 classic film Sparkle is getting an updated makeover with the late great Whitney Houstin, Carmen Ejogo, American Idol alum Jordin Sparks and the beautiful Tika Sumpter as the leading ladies. The cast of characters rounds out with Derek Luke, Mike Epps and Omari Hardwik filling the roles of the leading men for the all star cast. The original movie, inspired by the Supremes, follows the three Williams sisters who go from singing in their Harlem church choir in the late 1950s to becoming a chart-topping girl group, however, the remake will be set in 1968 Detroit. Make sure to catch Sparkle in theaters August 17, 2012! Hit the flip to meet the cast…
Black Eyed Peas, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift also rank high on Nielsen SoundScan list. By John Mitchell Rihanna Photo: Getty Images Rihanna ‘s run at the record books continues unabated, as the “We Found Love” singer has been named by Nielsen SoundScan as the top-selling digital artist ever. The Talk That Talk diva has moved an incredible 47.5 million digital downloads since bursting onto the scene in 2005, giving her a comfortable lead over second-place Black Eyed Peas, who have career digital sales of 42.4 million. Eminem trails BEP by just 100,000 for third place with over 42.29 million in sales. Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift came in at fourth and fifth, respectively, with career digital sales of 42.08 million and 41.82 million. Katy Perry, Lil Wayne, Beyonc
Naima Adedapo and Haley Reinhart hope to avoid a return trip to the bottom three this week. By Eric Ditzian Casey Abrams performs on ‘American Idol’ Photo: Fox There was a time when a Motown-themed evening was an “American Idol” institution. Kelly Clarkson delivered such a dizzying take on Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “You’re All I Need to Get By” in season one that a bewildered Simon Cowell tried on a Southern accent and told her, “As they say in Texas, y’all did a great job!” Ruben Studdard soared with the Four Tops the next year, and then Fantasia, also trying on a Gaye tune, wowed the judges on her way to the title. Future seasons would ditch Motown as a whole for specific artists like Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross, but there remains a vast trove of “Idol” history for singers to mine as both cautionary tales and I-hope-I-can-sound-so-damn-good aspirations. And as the Motown theme returns Wednesday night (March 23) for the first time since season eight, contestants would be wise to consult those reality-show history books before taking the stage. Folks who aren’t exactly R&B- and soul-inclined, like James Durbin, should note that there are ample risks when it comes to reinventing these classic songs. Just ask Scott MacIntyre, whose honky-tonk rendition of the Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” had Cowell referencing the song’s lyrics: “How much more can I take?” Other, more thematically conversant season 10 crooners — Jacob Lusk, we’re looking in your direction — might find salvation in Motown. Or not. Anything can happen when the show goes live. Here’s what we’ll be looking for from each singer. Casey Abrams We’re not sure if we should blame a hospital visit or simply a misguided arrangement, but Abrams’ middle-school-garage-band take on Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was a rare misfire for the guy. We hope he’s healthy, ditches heavy instrumentation and concentrates on busting out those soulful growls of his. Though we’ve criticized him in the past for predictable performances — low-key intros, wild-eyed conclusions — this week we want Abrams to stay within his comfort zone. Bring on those wacky body contortions and that groovy groaning, bro! Haley Reinhart With two straight appearances in the bottom three, Haley’s lucky to have survived this far; she’ll have to pull off a stunner this week to avoid a trip back to that ignominious territory. But she might be in luck because Motown week will give Haley a chance to embrace her bluesy DNA. It remains to be seen, however, if she’ll embrace that strength or continue her weekly trend of trying on — and then quickly discarding — different artistic identities. Jacob Lusk Restraint should be Jacob’s mantra this week, one he repeats over and over before taking the stage. The last few weeks, it’s seemed like he’s been trying to disgorge an epic, cancel-the-show-because-this-kid’s-a-winner performance, and the result has been frightening to watch and difficult to hear. Whatever he goes with — perhaps taking a page from Studdard with some Stevie Wonder or Four Tops — Jacob has got to rein himself and sing with the passion (not the agony) that first made him a contestant to watch. James Durbin Durbin need not worry that Motown tunes won’t be kind to his vocal abilities. Adam Lambert switched up the Miracles’ “Tracks of My Tears” in 2009 and even had Smokey Robinson applauding. The 22-year-old just needs to realize he’s not at his best when rockin’ hard and that ramping down his manic energy — not to mention his squealing — is his best recipe for “Idol” success. Lauren Alaina Props to Lauren for bouncing back from her first down week with a savvy cover of Melissa Etheridge’s “I’m the Only One.” One of her biggest assets — above and beyond a killer instrument and the worshipful attention of “Idol” producers — is an ability to pick the right tune. So we’re not concerned about Lauren’s song choice. What we’ll be keeping an ear out for is how successfully she melds her pop-country-rock stylings with Motown music. Naima Adedapo Before she began to second-guess herself — Rihanna one week, Tina Turner the next — we would have imagined Motown week to be an opportunity for Naima to shine. Now we fear she’s too artistically confused to go with her creative gut. So instead of giving us something slow and jazzy and unique, we fear Naima might try to reach for something — the Supremes, perhaps — that she doesn’t have the chops to pull off. Paul McDonald Paul zoomed to the upper echelon of the competition in the show’s top 24 phase, but after two lackluster performances, we’re wondering if he actually belongs even in the top half of the remaining 11 singers. We hope Paul shows us our second-guessing is unfounded this week. Anything by Marvin Gaye could be the perfect vehicle to do just that. Pia Toscano Pia finally inched, however reluctantly, away from ballad territory last week with a little vigorous Whitney Houston action. Now we’d like to see her bust out fully. And that doesn’t mean she has to sacrifice showing off her powerful vocals. The Supremes would be an excellent choice for her, unlike Naima — something familiar and upbeat, like “You Can’t Hurry Love.” Scotty McCreery Motown night presents Scotty with his most interesting challenge to date. Will he impose a mainstream country vibe on a Marvin Gaye tune? Will he take this opportunity to show us another side — or at least the hint of one? How amazing would it be to hear him present a deeply soulful yet still country-strong take on the Miracles or the Temptations? Stefano Langone With Paul stumbling and Casey coming off a subpar performance, Stefano has a chance to capitalize on his best-in-class showing last week and show he’s a true contender. This smooth-voiced 22-year-old stumbled earlier in the season with Stevie Wonder, but we’re inclined to blame the cheesy arrangement more than anything else. He actually managed to channel Stevie’s voice quite well. But he’s been there, done that — so Stevie is off limits. No matter the cover he chooses, Stefano’s goal should be to avoid a hammy, distracting arrangement and let those vocals ring. Thia Megia The 16-year-old Disney princess has got nowhere to go but up after last week. We’d tell her to avoid a ballad. We’d ask her kindly to start acting her age, rather than like a crusty lounge act, but even when she picked a Disney tune, it sounded like something from an era before the existence of music television. So, in the end, we’ll just say this: Go out there and have fun, because this might be the last week you get the chance. Don’t miss “Idol Party Live” every Thursday on MTV.com, following the “American Idol” results show, for analysis, celebrity guests and even some karaoke — get in the conversation by tweeting with the hashtag #idolparty ! In the meantime, get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Videos ‘Idol Party Live’ With Jim Cantiello And Sammi ‘Sweetheart’ Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season 10 Performances
Troubled singer promises return to Back to Black sound with ‘a lot of jukebox stuff.’ By Gil Kaufman Amy Winehouse Photo: Martin Fraser/ FilmMagic It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost four years since Amy Winehouse released her Grammy-winning breakthrough album, Back to Black. But after almost two years spent in a wilderness of drugs , divorce , serious health issues , multiple court cases and nonstop personal drama , Winehouse told London’s Metro newspaper that she’s ready to put the spotlight back on her music with a new album she hopes to have out by January. At the premiere of the film “Psychosis,” directed by new boyfriend Reg Traviss, Winehouse, 26, told Metro, “The album will be six months at the most,” noting that the sound will be similar to the retro soul on Black. “It’s going to be very much the same as my second album, where there’s a lot of jukebox stuff and the songs that are … just jukebox, really.” Though she didn’t explain what she meant by “jukebox,” Winehouse has reportedly recorded some tracks on the island of St. Lucia with producer Salaam Remi, who collaborated with her on Black. Winehouse also explained her blunder-filled performance with Mark Ronson last week at London’s 100 Club, in which she appeared to forget the lyrics to the song “Valerie,” from Ronson’s Version covers album. She told Metro that a musical mix-up caused the confusion during the gig. “Mark and I recorded two versions of ‘Valerie,’ ” she said. “We released the one that came out like the Supremes, but I play the other version with my band. When I got there, I completely forgot it was his version we were singing, so I was probably a bit out of sync. It was really fun to be onstage with him, though.” After the gig last week, Ronson said he plans to reteam with Winehouse on the new album, but was waiting until she had at least 10 songs together before hitting the studio with her. In the meantime, they have recorded one song together for an upcoming tribute to music legend Quincy Jones. While her live show has often been iffy at best in the past, Winehouse said she’s excited to have a wider repertoire to choose from when she starts touring for the new album. “I just can’t wait to have some new songs onstage, really.” Winehouse’s spokesperson confirmed to MTV News that the singer is working on new material but said no official release date has been set. Though visa issues appear to be currently holding her up, Winehouse is also reportedly planning to record songs for a supergroup album with the Roots’ drummer, ?uestlove, and Remi. While the group doesn’t have a name yet, ?uest said he plans to sit down and talk with Winehouse soon about laying down some tracks. Are you excited about a new Amy Winehouse album? Let us know what you think in comments below. Related Artists Amy Winehouse
Filed under: Michael Jackson Michael Jackson’s dad did not hit on one of the sexiest women in the Mowtown stable — not because he was married, but because she was just too damn old … according to Mary Wilson.Wilson — an original member of The Supremes — was at a New York … Permalink
