Martini Pink Morning Tea: Rise & Shine

Lots of news going on this morning… First up, Rihanna is not auditioning or being courted for the remake of “The Bodyguard” according to the good folks at EurWeb who did some intensive research- like asking her publicist. They also cleared up that little “duet” matter. A representative for producer Polow Da Don says that the Chris Brown and Rihanna song that has been talked about was, in fact, recorded over a year ago.

Mo’nique is forced to say goodbye to her short lived Radio One syndicated afternoon show.

Tyra Banks is making arrangements for the girls who didn’t get seen at this past weekend’s New York City auditions for America’s Next Top Model.

Lil’ Kim is doing her thing on “Dancing With The Stars” - forget what they say about the pint sized rapper owing nearly a million in back taxes… Maybe she’ll get a bonus.

Chris Brown & Rihanna Saga Continues

To be very honest, we can’t keep up with the ongoings after the Chris Brown and Rihanna incident. We’ve heard that they’re back together… we’ve heard they were vacationing… we’ve heard that Rihanna is confirming that she’s single. Either way, domestic violence is a travesty and the only good to come out of this is probably the open discussion on the topic. Tonya Pendleton write a very good article on Black America Web:

Will Chris Brown’s Career-Recovery Plan Work?

Date: Monday, March 09, 2009, 2:13 pm
By: Tonya Pendleton, BlackAmericaWeb.com

Just when you thought things were cooling off in the Chris Brown/Rihanna saga, there has been yet another development.

The Chicago-Sun Times reports that Brown and his fellow pop superstar girlfriend, Rihanna, may have worked out an agreement, supposedly entitled “Project Mea Culpa.” The Latin phrase translates to “my fault,” often used when someone wants to take responsibility for something they’ve done wrong.

The agreement includes a promise by Brown to pay Rihanna $10 million dollars if another assault occurs, as well as a book deal and a joint TV appearance tour, obviously geared to repair Brown’s badly damaged public image.

To read more, click here.

Birthday Spotlight: Rihanna

Breakthrough Barbados beauty Rihanna celebrates a milestone birthday Friday, February 20th. The Grammy Award winning artist and model is 21.

In 2005, Rihanna released her debut album Music of the Sun which featured in the hit “Pon De Replay” through Def Jam Recordings. Following Music of the Sun, Rihanna was able to put out A Girl Like Me which featured another big hit - “SOS.” But it was 2007’s Good Girl Gone Bad that spawned the most hits (8 singles including “Umbrella” and “Shut Up & Drive”) and transformed the island girl into an international woman of stardom.

Sadly, Rihanna has recently been the victim of a domestic violence. The incident occurred on February 8th, allegedly with boyfriend Chris Brown who was arrested and let out of bail. Most recently a picture of Rihanna’s facial bruises have arrived on the internet, an illegal move on the behalf of the police station that released it, which now adds another element to the investigation. We wish Rihanna a speedy recovery, mentally and physically. And if you or someone you know is going through domestic violence please reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline for help. Immediately.

Rihanna’s Gucci Extravaganza(Pictures!)

As the face of Gucci’s new UNICEF Campaign, Rihanna turned out the Snowflake lighting ceremony and Gucci cocktail party with straight style and grace in New York City on Wednesday. Besides Ne-Yo performing, Madonna, Mary J. Blige, and Blake Lively showed up in support.

For this year’s initiative, Frida Giannini, Creative Director of Gucci, has designed a special white version of the Tattoo Heart Collection. Gucci will donate 25 percent of sales from this dedicated collection in Gucci stores in over 20 countries until January 31, 2009.

The 4th annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit UNICEF supports education, healthcare, protection, and clean water programs for orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.

Rihanna: Gucci’s Girl

Rihanna is much more than simply the face of Gucci’s new UNICEF Campaign. The leggy Barbados singer is a staunch supporter of UNICEF. She and Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini will light the UNICEF Snowflake at Grand Army Plaza in New York City tomorrow night. The UNICEF Snowflake is the largest outdoor chandelier, adorned with 16,000 Baccarat crystal prisms. Ne-Yo will perform live during the ceremony before Rihanna and Frida flip the switch to illuminate the Snowflake, signifying the beginning of the gift-giving season.

Following the lighting is a cocktail party in the Gucci 5th Avenue flagship store to celebrate the launch of the 4th annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit UNICEF which continues to support education, healthcare, protection, and clean water programs for orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.

For this year’s initiative, Giannini has designed a special white version of the Tattoo Heart Collection. Gucci will donate 25 percent of sales from this dedicated collection in Gucci stores in over 20 countries from November 19, 2008 through January 31, 2009.

As well, Rihanna and Giannini have documented their progress up to launching the campaign and here is a teaser.

Sexy Celebrity Spreads

“Official Girl” singer Cassie and actress Lauren London images from behind the flashing lights have turned up. The two celebrity models for Diddy’s Sean John fashion line are delivering nothing less than sexiness on a platter in the latest advertisement. Diddy even turns up in the images…

Meanwhile, Rihanna’s spreads for Gucci (remember, she’s the face of their new campaign for UNICEF) have also shown up here and there. Again, more sensual femininity smeared across the sheets… Wait, that sounded kind of crazy. Well, you get what I mean.

Big Wins Last Night: Serena & Britney???

Congratulations to Serena Williams who won the US Open on Sunday night! This was particularly big for the tennis professional because the last 5 years haven’t been so great. But Serena managed to persevere with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Jelena Jankovick. This is Serena’s third US Open title. In addition Ms. Williams took home a $1.5 million dollar check after big hugs from her sister Venus and rumored beau – Chi-town rapper Common. Ca-ching! (Jelena didn’t do too shabby either presumably cashing her $750,000 check today).

Meanwhile, there were waaaaaaaaaay too many suspect wins for Britney Spears at the MTV Video Music Awards in Hollywood last night. It was quite clear to even the most savvy challenged viewers that Brit’s “Piece of video Me” video won several times because of entertainment politics as usual. After the debacle last year that was Brit’s performance and the fact that she had never won a VMA, it was obvious to get her back into the fold, and present her looking sober and almost back to herself, she had to take home the awards… Whatever.

Rihanna was the real winner that night with her Grace Jones and Mad Max inspired performances. Katy Perry’s banana split top that actually split was too cute. And Paramour brought the much needed energy to the low vibe start of the VMA’s. Still trying to figure out Kanye West’s seemingly Coldplay inspired show close and what Russell Brand will be doing for MTV in the future that awarded him this hosting gig.

Women Are The World?

Of course we are! And that’s why Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, Leann Rimes, and Carrie Underwood will all be featured on Stand Up To Cancer charity single “Just Stand Up” song.

The charity track, which was produced by Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds and Antonio “L.A.” Reid, will also be televised on a one hour cross network (ABC, CBS and NBC) simultaneous broadcast performance on September 5, 2008.

“Just Stand Up” will be released to radio and available for purchase exclusively on the iTunes Store September 2, 2008.

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is a new initiative to raise philanthropic dollars for accelerating ground-breaking cancer research. Additional celebrities confirmed for the broadcast (both for personal appearances or answering telephone calls) include: Casey Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Christina Applegate, Lance Armstrong, Abigail Breslin, Josh Brolin, David Cook, Katie Couric, Dana Delany, Fran Drescher, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kirsten Dunst, Elizabeth Edwards, Jon Favreau, America Ferrera, Charles Gibson, Neil Patrick Harris, Salma Hayek, Scarlett Johansson, Masi Oka, Danica Patrick, Christina Ricci, Robin Roberts, Homer Simpson, Marge Simpson, Meryl Streep, Hilary Swank, Charlize Theron, Goran Visnjic, Forest Whitaker, Brian Williams and Reese Witherspoon.

Rihanna Does Essence Something Fierce…

Rihanna flicks from the September issue of Essence Magazine show the stunning Bajan singer and model doing the fashion world justice.

“Fashion Rocks” Announces Star-Studded Line-Up

Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Lil’ Wayne, Fergie, Kid Rock and Justin Timberlake will hit the stage for the fifth annual Fashion Rocks event.

The concert, which merges music and fashion in a cultural celebration, will be held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on September 5, 2008 with a subsequent CBS air date.

Proceeds from the event will benefit cancer research. And the Fashion Rocks magazine special will return again this year.

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