Pop and R&B star Beyonce Knowles gave birth to a baby girl Sunday in New York. Blue Ivy Carter "is the most beautiful girl in the world," the baby's aunt, Solange Knowles told magazine, Sunday. A Houston, Texas newspaper reported that the star, 30, gave birth after undergoing a Cesarean section.
On January 26, Michael Jackson?s children, Prince, Paris and Blanket, will attend a ceremony at Hollywood?s Grauman?s Chinese Theatre to honor their father?s legacy. They?ll make hand and foot impressions in the cement with his sequined glove and shoes. The following day (January 27), the Los Angeles debut of Cirque de Soleil?s ?Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour? will take place at the Staples Center.
Senegalese artist Youssou N?Dour has announced that he?ll run in his country?s presidential election on February 26. The Grammy-winner, 52, will face 85-year-old incumbent Abdoulaye Wade. N?Dour told the Associated Press, ?For a very long time, many Senegalese of different backgrounds have called for my candidacy for the presidency next February. I?ve listened, I?ve heard and I am responding favorably to their request. I am a candidate. It?s a supreme patriotic duty, the best I can give of myself. I am the alternative to the current leadership in place in the country.?
British pop singer Adele returns to Number One on this week?s chart with . This marks her 14th non-consecutive week in the top spot. According to Billboard, industry prognosticators predict the album will sell an additional 100,000 to 140,000 this week to keep its place at Number One for a 15th week.
On January 14, the 2012 BET Honors will be presented at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. This year?s recipients include singers Mariah Carey and Stevie Wonder, writer/poet Maya Angelou, filmmaker Spike Lee, America?s first black military pilots The Tuskegee Airmen, and inspirational coach Beverly Kearney. Actress Gabrielle Union will host the event, which recognizes lifetime contributions and exceptional service to African-American culture.
On January 8, ?Billy Elliot: The Musical? will close on Broadway. The show opened in late 2008, but tickets sales have slipped in recent months. The touring production will continue. It runs at Washington, D.C.?s Kennedy Center through January 15. In 2009, ?Billy Elliot: The Musical? won 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah?s new film, opens in theaters nationwide on January 13. The movie tells the story of two choir directors (Parton and Latifah) in a small Georgia town who lead their gospel group through the National Joyful Noise Competition despite overwhelming odds.
?Fallen Empires? by Snow Patrol,
?Live from the Kitchen? by Yo Gotti
?Come Sunday? by Charlie Haden & Hank Jones
?For the Good Times? by The Little Willies
Original Broadway Cast Recording to ?Silence!?
On January 8, hip-hop singer, songwriter and producer celebrated his 45th birthday. A native of Chicago, Illinois, he arrived on the music scene in the early 1990s with a string of hits that included ?She?s Got That Vibe,? ?Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ),? and ?Bump and Grind.? Following that success, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, Toni Braxton and other established artists hired him to write and produce tracks for them. R. Kelly?s self-titled third collection was released in 1995 and became his first Number One album. Two years later, he recorded the smash hit ?I Believe I Can Fly? for the ?Space Jam? film soundtrack. The single won three Grammy Awards. R. Kelly?s next solo album, ?TP-2.com,? was released in 2000. His 2003 album, ?Chocolate Factory,? produced the Number 2 hit, ?Ignition.? In 2004, Kelly earned a Grammy nomination for the title track to ?Happy People/U Saved Me.? That same year, he collaborated with Jay-Z on the album ?Unfinished Business.? Kelly?s 2007 album, ?Double Up,? became his fifth to debut at Number One on the Billboard 200 chart. It included the track ?Rise Up,? his tribute to the victims of the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings. Kelly was arrested in 2002 on child pornography charges. He was found not guilty at his trial, which took place in 2008. Kelly?s 2009 ?Untitled? album topped Billboard?s R&B/Hip-Hop chart. In 2010, he released ?Love Letter,? an album that was inspired by his soul music influences of the 1960s, ?70s and ?80s. Last year, Billboard named R. Kelly the Number One R&B artist of the past 25 years. In 2012, he plans to release his new album ?Black Panties? and his memoir, ?Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me.?