Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson to Host CENTRIC's 2nd Annual Soul Train Awards Show

CENTRIC announces the return of the SOUL TRAIN AWARDS, the classic music awards show that highlights R&B music's finest and bridges the gap between the soulful sounds of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Academy Award-nominated actors Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson will return to co-host the music special, which will tape at the Cobb Energy Center in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia on Wednesday, November 10 and will premiere on both CENTRIC and BET in a special simulcast at 9:00 PM* ET on Sunday, November 28.

The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS special will honor the longstanding careers and musical influences of legendary artists Anita Baker and Ron Isley. The special will also celebrate soul music's legacy and the hottest stars who have helped pave the way for today's crop of performers. The SOUL TRAIN AWARDS are guaranteed to take viewers on a soul-stirring ride marrying the sultry sounds of yesterday with the talent of today, as well as feature thrilling performances from the biggest names in music. (PR)

Cameras rolled while Fantasia recovered from overdose

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Singer Fantasia allowed the aftermath of her recent suicide attempt to be filmed for her VH1 reality show "Fantasia for Real," according to a trailer for the show that was posted online Friday.

The clip from the show, which premieres Sunday, includes audio of the 911 call concerning the season 3 "American Idol" winner's drug overdose and footage of her in the hospital with an IV in her arm.

Fantasia was admitted to a North Carolina hospital on August 9 for an overdose of aspirin and a sleep aid, after she was named in a divorce lawsuit that accused her of being involved in an affair with a married man.

"I have not fulfilled my destiny," Fantasia says in voiceover on the clip. "It's not time for me to go anywhere. And I can still fight, still keep going. Let them talk.

Let them say what they wanna say, but I'm still here," Fantasia adds.

Her manager appears on camera, saying she was "broken."

The "Fantasia for Real" teaser also shows the singer receiving her high school diploma and gearing up for the August 24 release of her album "Back to Me," which debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

Bow Wow Imposter Infiltrates the 2010 MTV VMA’s

Bow Wow has a look alike! Most of us probably wouldn’t even think twice about seeing Bow Wow at the 2010 MTV VMA’s but blogger SandraRose revealed that he wasn’t even in the vicinity that evening!

A brazen Bow Wow impostor crashed the VMAs last night and made it all the way inside with the help of MTV’s security who couldn’t tell Bow Wow from Jayden Smith.

The ruse occurred outside the Justin Beiber concert at L.A.’s Nokia Theatre during the MTV VMA pre-show last night.

Bow Wow even tweeted last night that he was nowhere near the awards show. In fact, he was chillin at home in the “A” after wrapping shooting of Tyler Perry’s “Madea’s Big Happy Family” (www.straightfromthea.com)

Fashion Alert! Ciara wearing: Betsey Johnson

Obama children's book already a hit

NEW YORK – President Obama is still a hit with the nation's book buyers.

Obama's tribute to 13 American ground breakers, "Of Thee I Sing," was in the top 25 on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.com as of Wednesday morning, less than two days after the children's book was announced and two months before its scheduled release. Random House
Children's Books plans a first printing of 500,000 copies.

Both of Obama's previous works, the memoir "Dreams From My Father" and the policy book "The Audacity of Hope," are million sellers. (AP)

Critics skewer Lady Gaga's meat dress

NEW YORK (AFP) – Animal rights activists stuck a fork in Lady Gaga's meat dress Tuesday but supporters rallied around the bizarre singer, saying her outfit was absolutely sizzling.

The professional provocateur upstaged the MTV music video awards late Sunday not just by walking away with eight prizes, but taking that walk in enormous shoes and a nifty dress made entirely of raw steak.

Now Lady Gaga, whose "Bad Romance" hit swept the awards, stands accused of bad taste.

"Lady Gaga has a hard time being 'over the top,'" said People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "Someone should whisper in her ear that there are more people upset by butchery than impressed by it."

"Meat is the decomposing flesh of an abused animal who didn't want to die, and after time spent under the TV lights, it would smell like the rotting flesh that it is and likely be crawling in maggots."

The singer is known for her theatrical sartorial taste so it was no surprise when she shuffled awkwardly across the MTV stage in Los Angeles in what appeared to television viewers to be simply an uncomfortable and oversized pair of boots bound in string. (AP)

Eminem, Jay-Z rock Yankee Stadium at concert

NEW YORK – Midway through his portion of his heavyweight twin billing with Jay-Z at Yankee Stadium, Eminem took a moment to reflect the gravity of performing a concert on a hallowed ground.

But he wasn't talking about the house that Jeter built: Instead, the Detroit rapper acknowledged the borough where they were performing — the Bronx, the origin of hip-hop.

"Do not think that I don't know where I'm at right now," the Detroit rapper told the audience at the sold-out stadium on Monday. "I'm also honored to be on this (expletive) stage in the Bronx, the (expletive) birthplace of hip-hop."

His concert with Jay-Z was yet another example of just how far the genre has come in its 30-plus-year history. The genre christened the newly constructed Yankee Stadium.

The joint billing by two rap icons was the first musical concert at Yankee Stadium, which made its debut last year.

"I gotta tell y'all it's one of the most wonderful things being here tonight, being from New York City and being in Yankee Stadium," Jay-Z told the roaring crowd. (AP)

Cleveland's Reigning Queen of Indie Soul Conya Doss to Release Blu Transition

Nestled between Indiana and Pennsylvania, lies a state that has yet to be fully tapped of it’s musical capacity. In a region whose lineage reflects that of Babyface, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Tracy Chapman, Marilyn Manson, Gerald Levert, The O’Jays, Macy Gray, James Ingram, Roger Troutman and Zapp, The Gapp Band and Avant among others, Conya Doss is the latest female vocalist to emerge over the past decade and hold steadfast to her Midwestern roots.

Of lately the singer has been busy burning the midnight oil composing and arranging music for this dazzling, well-crafted 2010 album that sets the tone for what lies ahead. Her unabashedly emotional fifth studio album Blu Transition, with Blu being the name of her newborn son, is not only a collection of words set to music, it is a gift; an energy exchange that reflects the duality of love and pain. It’s an anointed story. It’s one of endurance, but more importantly it is about life being full of unexpected moments with both tragedies (death) and triumphs (birth).

Of lately the singer has been busy burning the midnight oil composing and arranging music for this dazzling, well-crafted 2010 album that sets the tone for what lies ahead. Her unabashedly emotional fifth studio album Blu Transition, with Blu being the name of her newborn son, is not only a collection of words set to music, it is a gift; an energy exchange that reflects the duality of love and pain. It’s an anointed story. It’s one of endurance, but more importantly it is about life being full of unexpected moments with both tragedies (death) and triumphs (birth).

With a refreshingly crisp and remarkable vocal range, as well as sparse yet beautiful instrumentation, Conya Doss has found success in simplicity. Blu Transition continues in Doss’ brilliant delivery of sweet, supple and heartfelt lyrics but she plunges deep into a bluesy-jazz vibe with spiritual undertones reminiscent of a 70’s sound in both harmony and mood. The music carries a laid-back, earthy quality that features various moments; from truly moving and haunting to a rootsy reflection of where the singer has come from with messages steeped in love, risk-taking, rejection and heartbreak. Composing yet another intricately crafted and cohesive body of work that illuminates her unequaled musicianship, Conya only scratches the surface of what she is capable of. Her music is not lost among the pantheon of new crooners, but instead invokes the spirits of legendary composers-singers such as Chaka Khan, Betty Wright, Natalie Cole, Me’shell N’Degeocello and Alanis Morisette.

Blu Transition stretches Doss once again to express herself to the bare bones, this time around in impressive varieties of vocal styles. On the single “Best Thing” we find the songbird flying high in a falsetto tone while dipping low into baritone territory on “Wi Fi.” Doss is most poignant on the records that expose her soul, acknowledging what her life has been like since her last album. “All In You”, “Celebrate” and “Never Be The Same” are sure to overwhelmingly echo the sentiment of fans, newcomers and singers alike that will qualify them as classics. Each note she parts her lips to sing, Doss sets free a pure tone that moves you through lifetimes, which is like a light bulb turning on in one’s head; a gentle reminder that there are other people to consider in life besides oneself. While the artistic chapter in Doss’ life known as Blu Transition may be short on quantity, it is awesomely long on soul rendered quality. (HELIO PR)

Keyshia Cole Bitter about no VMA Awards Invite?

The stars descended on Los Angeles' Nokia Theatre this past Sunday for the MTV Video Music Awards, but there's one artist who wasn't so pleased that her invite never came in the mail. Keyshia Cole, who recently gave birth to her first son, took to her Twitter account during the ceremony on Sunday night to address fans as to why she suspects MTV decided to exclude her from the event.

"MTV told me im not a..... MTV artist ..... sooooo,' she tweeted to a fan. "Idk they're perception of who am ... i haven't crossed over yet.... i only sell 1.5 every album.. thats only 5 mill. in 5 years."

Cole, who has been relatively quiet since the release of her third album 'A Different Me' in 2008, most recently performed alongside B.o.B and Eminem at the 2010 BET Awards, where she replaced Paramore's Hayley Williams on the chorus of their hit 'Airplanes (Part II).'

The 28-year-old is currently in the studio working on her fourth album, 'Keyshia,' slated for release later this year. The LP is set to feature production from Pharrell Williams and Donald Alford, as well as a collaboration with fellow R&B singer Faith Evans. (AOL THE BOOMBOX)

Oprah Winfrey sending audience of 300 to Australia

CHICAGO – They shrieked, they gasped, they cried, they hugged — and that was before Oprah Winfrey's studio audience got a trip to Australia. Winfrey kicked off her 25th and final season of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Monday with promised surprises.

After teasing the 300 audience members with a suggestion she might take them on a trip to New York, Philadelphia or Los Angeles, she said her last season merited something "bigger."

"So I started to think about where would I most want to go," she said over the din of an audience that suddenly understood they were going somewhere far away.

"Maybe I should take you all with me to the other side of the world. We're going to Australia," Winfrey shouted. (AP)

MTV awards agog for Lady Gaga

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Flamboyant diva Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" won best video late Sunday at the MTV awards, sealing her reputation as the larger-than-life queen of the pop scene.

The Video of the Year gong was one of eight MTV Moonmen for Lady Gaga, 24, who, true to form, changed from elaborate dress to elaborate dress throughout the ceremony in Los Angeles.

"I was so nervous tonight that I'd let my fans down," she said accepting the top award, a tear rolling down her cheek. She then revealed the name of her upcoming album, "Born this way," and sang part of the title song.

"I promised if I won I'd announce the name of my record," she said.

Earlier, Gaga, whose prizes also included Best Pop Video, Best Female Video and Best Collaboration, thanked her fans whom she calls "little monsters."

"Tonight, little monsters, we're the cool kids at the party," she said.

Hilton banned from Wynn resorts after Vegas arrest

LAS VEGAS – Paris Hilton was banned Wednesday from two Wynn resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, and her boyfriend was dismissed as a nightclub partner following their arrests in a vehicle that police said reeked of marijuana.

Wynn Resorts Ltd. spokeswoman Jennifer Dunne told The Associated Press that Hilton is barred from Wynn Las Vegas and Encore.

Meanwhile, boyfriend Cy Waits was "separated" from his job after less than a week as top managing partner of the Tryst Nightclub at Wynn and XS The Nightclub at Encore, Dunne said in a statement.

Waits and a lawyer and publicist for the 29-year-old Hilton did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (AP)