Beyonce tops Billboard 200 with "4"

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

After being away for three years, Beyonce returned to the game in a triumphant manner. Creating an anthem for the ladies, she released the hit single, "Who Run the World (Girls)." Beyonce performed the song at many places, among them Oprah's farewell show.

With significant buzz built, Beyonce has been promoting her album for nearly two months. Former Destiny's Child group-mate, Kelly Rowland, recently released her comeback album. Rowland created new buzz off her release.

Now, a month later, Beyonce is back on top. The sales of her 4 album were fueled by the digital sales of her hit single, "Who Run the World (Girls)." Beyonce is now in rare company, with DMX and Britney Spears, as the only artists to have their first four albums debut at the top of the Billboard 200.

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Columbia Records afraid Beyonce will flop with "4"

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

Fans have taken notice to Beyonce's planned comeback album, 4, and her new music. Letting people know she was coming, Beyonce had the trumpets playing loudly on her "Who Run the World (Girls)" single. Performing the song for Oprah Winfrey and preparing to at the BET Awards has been big for promotion.

However, Kelly Rowland, her former group-mate from Destiny's Child, has also been on the comeback trail. Rowland is preparing for her first release in four years, Here I Am. Without a triumphant single and without Oprah, she has managed to have a chart-topping single out with "Motivation."

Rowland has benefited from having Lil Wayne on the song, but she now has another hit out. Meanwhile, Columbia Records is beginning to panic with Beyonce. For years, Beyonce has been the biggest name on their label and all they have had to do is push her name. While her music is getting noticed, all of their promotion has done little to have Beyonce on the level she was, three years ago.

With the 4 release date looming closer and closer, Columbia Records is beginning to worry the album will flop after looking at the flop of Keyshia Cole, an established star, and the success of Kelly Rowland, a singer who had taken a four year break.

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Oprah Winfrey says goodbye to "The Oprah Winfrey Show"

By TV Insider
JR Staff Writer

Five years ago, Oprah Winfrey announced she had renewed her long-running talk show, "The Oprah Winfrey Show," for five more seasons. The time has come and gone very quickly and her show is now a memory. While her show has ended, the impact it has had on the world will not soon be forgotten.

May 2011 was slated to be the final month for show and it was treated as such. Winfrey lined up several high-profile guests in order to say goodbye. The NBA had to re-schedule their headlining playoff series between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat because Oprah was having her show at the United Center.

Featuring such guests as Beyonce and Michael Jordan, Oprah has finally said goodbye to her viewers. Today marked the final episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." Twenty-five years of touching viewers is over, in that format, at least. Oprah Winfrey's media lives on through her O magazine and her television network OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.

Through this network, Oprah is broadcasting several shows and she will even host a new talk show on the channel.

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Beyonce enlists Andre 3000 for Upcoming Album

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

After taking three years off, following the release of her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce, Beyonce is recording her fourth album. The album is properly titled 4. Feeling as if she took enough time off, Beyonce is returning with a vengeance.

Beyonce has already hit the radio hard with her first single "Who Run the World (Girls)." She performed this hit during the farewell party for Oprah Winfrey earlier this month. The song rocked the entire Chicago crowd.

While Beyonce is preparing to come back to the game and take things over, Andre 3000 is taking a backseat. The Outkast star has been very quiet since 2007. He has recorded on a few remixes, most notably Chris Brown's "Deuces (remix)."

But, for Beyonce, Andre 3000 has returned to making music, once again. The Atlanta artist will be featured on 4 on the song, "Party."

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Beyonce accused of Swagger Jacking at the Billboard Music Awards

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

By many accounts, Beyonce is among the best performers in the modern day. She has been performing for her entire life and has become one of the top entertainers. Currently, Beyonce is preparing to release her fourth studio album.

In promotion for her album, Beyonce released her debut single from the album, "Who Run the World (Girls)." The video recently premiered and has had much traffic. Beyonce has been making multiple television appearances since then.

Last night, she performed her hit at the Billboard Music Awards and also performed in Chicago for Oprah Winfrey's farewell celebration. But, following her Billboard performance, Beyonce has been hit by the critics.

While her performance was well-received, critics pointed out it was heavily influenced by a performance from Lorella Cuccarini in 2010. Several reports have stated they worked with the same company for their performances, Tribe Inc. Designs.

The Performances:

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Oprah explains why she is ending "The Oprah Winfrey Show"

By TV Insider
JR Staff Writer

In 2008, Oprah Winfrey revealed surprising news to the public in two doses. First, she announced she had partnered with independent media company, Discovery, for a new television network. In the same breath, Oprah also announced she would be ending her long-running daytime talk show.

While she announced "The Oprah Winfrey Show" was ending, Oprah assured fans they would have another three seasons to watch the show. She had agreed to a five-year extension in 2006 and even then she knew the show was over. Always planning ahead, Oprah revealed why she decided to end the show.

In 2003, Oprah renewed the show for another three years, she had planned to end the show at 20 years. But, she received an email from dying child author, Mattie Stephanek. The little girl told her she should wait five more years to end the show. To her, 25 was a better number and she said she was also a little OCD.

Sadly, the girl eventually died in 2003, but the show continued. Oprah took Stephanek's advice and renewed the show for five more years in 2006. Now, "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is done for good and Oprah is moving on with her life. During her talk, Oprah said she believes Mattie Stephanek was a messenger for our time.

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Usher switches Talent Agencies at the Urge of New Girlfriend

By The Music Scoop
JR Staff Writer

Most of his career, Usher has had Mark Cheatham as an agent for Creative Artists Agency. Under their guidance, Usher has been one of the most successful entertainers of all-time. While Usher has had an incredible run with his agency, the run is over.

Usher has decided to leave Creative Artists Agency. The agency is also home to Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt, Will Smith, and many other big names. Despite the major roster and the impressive work, Usher has left the agency. He will now be working with the William Morris Agency.

Rumors suggest Usher is making this switch because of his new girlfriend, Grace Miguel. These rumors are not hard to believe. In 2007, Usher fired his mother as his manager because Tameka Foster, then-girlfriend, current ex-wife, told him to. But, when things did not work out, a reunion took place between Usher and his mother.

Recently, Usher has been spending time with Grace Miguel. Miguel worked for Def Jam as an executive for years. It has been said that Grace has complete control over Usher and all of his decisions. Usher is currently 32 and Miguel is currently 43, 11 years his senior.

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Tyler Perry tells Spike Lee to go "Straight to Hell"

By The Film Critic
JR Staff Writer

For the past three years, the two biggest black filmmakers, Tyler Perry and Spike Lee, have been trading insults. Their feud was ignited when Spike Lee said Tyler Perry's work was coonery. Perry has received negative criticism for his movies portraying blacks as idiots.

Spike Lee was considered the premier black filmmaker of the mid-1980s until the late 1990s. But, Tyler Perry solidified himself in the 2000s. Six years making films, Tyler Perry has yet to have one not be a box office hit. In spite of all his success, Spike Lee has not had anything nice to say.

Throughout his career, Tyler Perry has been criticized by the black community for his work. To Perry, it is confusing because other races do not overreact when their race puts out movies and television programs. After all he has done for the black community, including giving back, he cannot figure out why he is criticized so harshly.

In a recent meeting in California, Tyler Perry finally had enough. When Spike Lee's name came up, Perry said he can go straight to hell. Tyler Perry said Spike Lee has spoken negatively about Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, and Clint Eastwood. With so much said, Tyler Perry said Lee needs to shut the hell up and sit down somewhere. Tyler Perry said all great blacks have gone through this, but he is very frustrated with the reception his work gets after he puts so much into it.

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Oprah talks more about Long Lost Sister

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

Now in the final year of "The Oprah Winfrey Show," Oprah is determined to go out with a bang. After being on the air for so many years, Oprah finds herself revisiting many topics. Some fans have grown tired of this and demanded something new. It turned out Oprah had something for them.

On Monday (January 24, 2011), Oprah dropped a bomshell on her viewers. She discussed her family life, which she has kept out of the public eye. Winfrey discussed her late sister, Pat, and their rocky relationship. Later in the show, she discussed her long lost sister, Patricia, and introduced her to the audience.

Ironically, Patricia and Pat shared the same name and were almost identical. Oprah told Patricia she had all of Pat's good qualities and was very similar to her. Patricia was searching for her biological mother when she discovered the news of a lifetime. Instead of going public, Patricia continued her search in private and she realized Oprah Winfrey was her half-sister.

Oprah thanked her for not taking the story public and praised her on the show. Today, Oprah went more in-depth discussing her new sister. She told Gayle King that she is taking things slow as she focuses on building a relationship with Patricia. Oprah said their main focus, for the time being, is trying to find care for their elderly mother. The sisters have shared one dinner, which took place on January 24, of this year. Oprah said her addition to the family is bringing much-needed peace.

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Oprah Winfrey finally embraces Hip Hop

Over the years, Oprah Winfrey has not had many positive things to say about the hip hop community. Long before the hip hop backlash of 2007, Winfrey was among the biggest critics. For the longest time, she made it seem as if rappers were unwelcome on her show. In 2004, Ludacris appeared on the program for his role in a film and she grilled him about his lyrics.

Because of the way that she treated Ludacris, many rappers began dissing Oprah. While Oprah claims to be "black and proud," she never hesitates to shun the black community. Despite being a black television personality, her audience consists of middle aged white women. Even with the rapidly-changing demographics, middle aged white women do not care for hip hop.

Last fall, Oprah Winfrey landed an interview with Jay-Z and he changed her life. Jay-Z invited Oprah to where he grew up and introduced her to the only life he knew for a long time. Oprah gained a bit of understanding of why rappers say the things that they say and she toned down her criticisms of rap music. Recently, Oprah attended a function that included Memphis Bleek, Pharrell, and many other rappers and hip hop artists.

On her show, Oprah Winfrey no longer speaks out about rappers and their music. Aisde from Gayle King, she identifies Jay-Z as her best friend. Not even a week ago, Jay-Z introduced Oprah to a few of his closest friends and she fit right in. There are a lot of people who criticize Oprah for the things that she says and does, but she has proven that she can work and play. The pictures have flooded the internet of Oprah dancing with rappers, so there should be no need for members of the hip hop community to refer to her as uppity.

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Mo'Nique is upset with Oprah over Interview

Last week, Oprah Winfrey conducted an interview with Gerald Imes, the older brother of comedienne, Mo'Nique. She credits a lot of her inspiration to her older brother who sexually abused her. The anger displayed in her role on last year's Precious was because of the memories that he gave to her.

Gerald Imes went on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and answered some questions for Winfrey. He ended up apologizing for what he had done to his younger sister. It turned out that he had been sexually abused as a child and he was a part of a cycle. In the end, though, he took credit for Mo'Nique's success.

Despite giving Oprah her blessing beforehand, Mo'Nique is very upset with the talk show queen. The reason that she is upset is because of the way that the interview turned out. Mo'Nique felt that her brother had lied about the ways that he abused her and he was not sypathetic enough.

Even after years of being sexually abused by her brother, Mo'Nique maintained a relationship with him well into her adult years. However, she revealed to her family the abuse that had taken place in 2006. She did so after the birth of her twins. Mo'Nique did not feel comfortable having him around her young children. From that point forward, she has not had any contact with Gerald, or the rest of her family.

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Oprah turns to Jay-Z for Television Network

For years, Oprah Winfrey has been a force within the television industry. In a few short years, Winfrey was able to go from a local talk show host into a multimillion dollar entity. Not only is she into television, but she also does television production and magazines. It was beginning to look as if she could not take anything else over.

However, in January 2008, she got one over on the world again, when she announced that she was going to create a television network of her own. Sensing the significance of the word "own," Oprah decided to name her network OWN. The three letters are an acronym of Oprah Winfrey Network.

The network has been in planning for two years and it will launch on January 1, 2011. For the launch, Oprah has some big plans, which include major celebrities. Ever since she first crossed over into the mainstream, Winfrey has been a major opponent of hip hop music. This has led to many rappers going against her.

Despite her apparent disdain for hip hop music, Oprah Winfrey invited Jay-Z to appear on her show last summer. The result of their interview led to a lifelong friendship being made. Winfrey referred to Jay-Z as her new best friend and a wonderful person. Meanwhile, Jay-Z boasted about having Oprah sitting on the steps of his old home at Marcy Projects in Brooklyn, New York. Oprah is preparing for the launch of her new network and she needs someone with the reach of Jay-Z.

Recently, she reached out to her rapper-friend and he reached back. When the Oprah Winfrey Network launches, on January 1, 2011, Jay-Z will be among the first people ever seen on the new network.

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