I decided to skip yesterday’s televised Grammy Nominations concert last night. To me it seems like yet another way to drag out awards season. And the Los Angeles Times’ Ann Powers pretty much assures me that I didn’t miss anything except an amazing Maxwell performance of Michael Jackson’s “The Lady in My Life” (which I will be watching on YouTube as soon as it’s available) Anyway, the nominations were dominated by the same two women we’ve been watching on music award shows for the past few months, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift with 10 and 8 nods respectively (and a little Lady Gaga thrown in for good measure). There were no surprises here and probably won’t be during the telecast early next year. Me thinks the Grammy’s have jumped the shark. Read the full story

So, today’s the day Whitney Houston gets to see how the public really feels about her comeback. Her new CD I Look To You ($12.98) hits store shelves today. (I’m sure some of her diehard fans took advantage of the pre-order deals by QVC and others.) Although its clear that Clive Davis and company were hoping to find another “I Will Always Love You” since they stacked the deck with ballads, her faster tracks like “Million Dollar Bill” are the ones that make me smile. I think it’s gutsy that she redid the Donny Hathaway hit,  ”A Song For You”,  but I applaud her for giving it a contemporary edge that doesn’t really invite comparisons. But I really think that we’re all are waiting to see Whitney does live and we won’t have to wait long. Tomorrow she performs live in Central Park for Good Morning America. Set those DVRs.

Okay so this week is becoming one of ‘official’ comebacks. A few days ago the Sade return was confirmed and now Arista has announced that Whitney Houston’s long-awaited CD has a release date of September 1st. While I join Whitney’s fans with a chorus of Yays, I can’t help wondering if the embattled diva is ready to be back in the spotlight.  Read the full story

We already know that Hollywood is good at recycling ideas and sometimes that’s a good thing. But other times, a bad remake can have you shaking your head in disbelief. Here’s a list of remakes that worked and other that didn’t translate the formula so well the second time around.

Yesterday as sightings of Rihanna (alone) in Manhattan made their rounds, another curious rumor was getting its fair share of attention. Apparently, there is talk that the singer we can’t stop talking about (for obvious reasons) is in discussions to not only star in a movie, but remake a Whitney Houston classic, “The Bodyguard.” Channing Tatum of “Step Up” fame (not sure that’s the right word…but you know what I mean) is supposed to star opposite her. So my question is this: Is this Rihanna’s attempt to move the conversation away from her embattled relationship? Read the full story

BET is working hard to shake its reputation as home to the rump-shaking video. And let me just say that I’m not mad at them for trying to add more quality choices to the airwaves. But their lastest effort, BET Honors falls flat. it was a veritable snoozefest with a few notable exceptions. Read the full story

When I think of this year’s Grammy Awards I can’t help thinking of that Frankie Beverly & Maze classic “Joy & Pain.” Because it was certainly a night of mixed emotions when it comes to the sisters. Let’s start with the glaringly obvious one: the reason Rihanna may not have been there. First we heard that she had been in a car accident. But as the night wore on rumors began to speculate that something went on between the singer who was set to perform at the award show and her boyfriend, singer Chris Brown. TMZ reported that the young R&B singer turned himself in to police before the show wrapped. I am sure the truth about what really happened to them will materialize bit by bit. I will say however, if this is a case of domestic violence than this kid’s squeaky clean image should be over. Read the full story

As I write this, I have just turned to the incomparable Ms. Cicely Tyson in the less than spectacular remake of “A Christmas Carol” called “Ms. Scrooge” on The Hallmark Channel. This movie was made a little over a decade ago to give us our own spin on Christmas (how else can you explain the character’s name Ebonita). Sure it’s a made for television movie, but it is doesn’t reach that “It’s A Wonderful Life” status any more than “A Diva’s Christmas Carol,” which starred singer/actress Vanessa Williams just three years later. Any of course, her name was Ebony. Read the full story

I don’t think that any of us judge how successful a singer is by her place on the Billboard chart. In fact, most of us don’t know how hot someone is until they go platinum (or we’ve heard their single a million times and its repeats in our head over and over). But I was surprised when I took a look at Billboard’s list of the top 100 songs of the last 50 years and found only six sisters listed among all those slots. Sadder still, not one of our girls were among the top 20 album list by the magazine for the same time frame. Read the full story