Common explains hip-hop feud with Drake

(theGRIO) –PARK CITY, Utah (AP) – The Sundance Film Festival became the unlikely center of hip-hop’s latest feud when actor-turned-rapper Drake and rapper-turned-actor Common came to town. Common was promoting his role in upcoming family drama “LUV,” while Drake was performing at one of the many late-night parties. The two have traded insults recently via their raps, but Common said he didn’t want to say anything else about Drake not in rhyme form. “I feel like I said everything I really needed to say on the record. I just looked at it as like ‘Hey, it’s just a hip-hop battle,’” he explained in an interview this week. “The time to talk is on record as far…

VH1 Divas celebrate soul and bring house down

(theGRIO) Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson and Chaka Khan are just a few of the soul sisters who brought the house down at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom during the live taping of the VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul special on Sunday. The special, which will air tonight at 9p.m. on the cable channel, features a mix of old- and new-school divas belting out hits — some from their own repertoire and others from the collections of their musical idols. Take a look at the Grio’s slideshow featuring photos of the divas in rare form >>

Willow Smith Wants to Empower Her Fans

NEW YORK (AP) – Willow Smith is all about kid empowerment. The young singer says she’s hoping to inspire listeners with her upcoming album “Knees and Elbows.” “It’s gonna make them feel like they have control over their lives and can do what they want to do and be the person they want to be,” she said Wednesday night. Willow is already proving that at just 11. The daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith has become a buzzed-about star thanks to her hit song “Whip My Hair.” She’s also become a fashion trendsetter with her funky clothes; on Wednesday, her hair was closely cropped with big bangs in the front, and she wore a cropped…

‘DWTS’ Champion: J.R. Martinez Wins Mirror Ball Trophy

LOS ANGELES — Actor J. R. Martinez scored a come-from-behind victory over Rob Kardashian Tuesday to win the 13th edition of ABC’s hit competition “Dancing With the Stars.” The Iraq war veteran hoisted the mirrorball trophy with his professional partner, Karina Smirnoff. Host Tom Bergeron called Martinez an inspiration to the audience. The all-male finale was set up halfway through the final show when talk show host Ricki Lake was voted off, finishing third. Judges’ scores combined with viewer votes determined the winner. Judges didn’t provide much extra guidance during the final competition, a samba that the dancers had to perform with little preparation time. The three judges gave both teams perfect 30 scores for…

Jennifer Lopez Shakes It Up; Taylor Swift Wins at AMAs

Taylor Swift wins American Music Awards ‘artist of the year’ again; Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony both perform – separately (NYDN) LOS ANGELES - Taylor Swift was crowned artist of the year at the American Music Awards for a second time. “This is so crazy!” the country superstar said after beat such contenders as Adele, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry to capture all three awards that she was nominated for at Sunday’s ceremony, including artist of the year, the show’s highest accolade that she previously claimed in 2009. “I ended up writing the record by myself, so the fact that you would honor it this way, you have no idea what this means to me,” said Swift after winning the trophy…

Adele Has Throat Surgery

BOSTON (AP) – Adele has undergone throat surgery to stop a recurrent condition that caused her to cancel tour dates and promotional appearances for the rest of the year. A spokesman for Massachusetts General Hospital says the British singer underwent vocal cord microsurgery to stop recurrent bleeding from a benign polyp. The condition is usually the result of unstable blood vessels in the vocal cord that can rupture. The hospital says the 23-year-old Grammy winner came to Boston to undergo the surgery with Dr. Steven Zeitels, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Voice Center. The hospital says Zeitels expects Adele to make a full recovery from the laser microsurgery. Columbia Records announced last month that the…

Rick Ross Cancels Georgia State University Concert

ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia State University has announced that rapper Rick Ross, who was hospitalized last week, has canceled a planned concert there. Georgia State officials said in a statement that the rap artist notified them that he’ll be unable to perform at Friday’s GSU homecoming concert in downtown Atlanta. GSU’s statement said Ross suffered two seizures last week while attempting to travel to various performances in the Southeast. School officials say ticket refunds will be made available.

Drake: I Was Crushed When Rihanna Dumped Me

Drake admits he was ‘hurt’ by Rihanna break-up: ‘I guess I thought it was more’ (NYDailyNews) Sure, he’s handsome and successful, but that doesn’t mean Drake is always a hit with the ladies. In an interview with the November issue of Elle magazine, the 24-year-old Canadian singer talks about dating in the spotlight, how Rihanna hurt him and what his mom wants him to find in a girl. “I’ve probably been hurt more than I’ve hurt someone else,” Drake told the magazine. And one lady who did plenty of damage? Rihanna. BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: CELEBS WHO’VE BEEN DUMPED “At the time it hurt, but she didn’t mean to,” Drake said of their brief relationship. “I’ll never put…

MJ Remembered In Star-Studded Tribute Concert

(ET) In the midst of the grim Michael Jackson death trial in the U.S., M.J. was remembered in a much more positive light in the U.K. on October 8. The Michael Forever Tribute in Cardiff, Wales joined big stars such as Jamie Foxx and Christina Aguilera with Michael’s loved ones for a once-in-a-lifetime concert, honoring the King of Pop. Here are some pics from the concert, starting with Michael’s children Prince, Blanket and Paris.

T.I. Tells Diddy to Chill Out at Atlanta Club

T.I. Keeps the peace as Diddy starts a fight with clubgoer at Atlanta party (NYDailyNews) Leave it to T.I. to keep things cool. On Saturday night, the recently-released from jail rapper hosted an after-party for the BET Hip-Hop Awards at Atlanta hot spot Club Compound with Sean (Diddy) Combs. Over the course of the night it became clear that it was T.I.’s responsibility to make sure the night went smoothly. When Diddy got mad at a partygoer who was brandishing a bottle of Grey Goose vodka instead of the hip-hop honcho’s own Ciroc brand, T.I.’s mediating skills came in useful. FAMOUS FREAK OUTS! WHEN CELEBRITIES GO OFF THE DEEP END In a video of the incident obtained by GrindHD.com, Diddy, a shareholder in Ciroc,…