By Loose Lips Posted on August 25, 2006 -- Okay, so the big talk all week has been Beyonce’s “Ring the Alarm” video and how everyone thinks that she’s talking about Rihanna and Jay-Z, especially when she says something about the other girl “going gold.” Anyway, Rihanna doesn’t seem to be sweating any of it. She was spotted on the beach all cozied up with a new unnamed guy. We'll do the research on that one and get back to you next week. Fellas, we’re hearing that Eve is back on the market. Remember, she’d been dating an African prince named Teodorin Nguema Obiang. Well, allegedly, after a couple of years, Eve has decided to break up with him. Word is that the Prince wanted to get married but E-v-e wasn’t feeling being the daughter in law of a ruthless dictator, who is considered by some to be one of the most hated men in the world. And being Bobby Brown sure makes for good TV! The latest in the rumor mill is that the R&B star is now living with Confessions of a Video Vixen author Karrine “Superhead” Steffans for the past month. Allegedly, they were spotted together at private club in L.A., and even shopping at L.A.’s Grove Mall with Bobby’s kids. But a source says that Steffans is just using Brown to get some camera time since TV producers are always filming him, and that she really just wants her own reality show. Well, be careful, Bobby she’s been known to put a few people on blast before. And there you have it, all the dirt that gets swept under the rug. Remember, these are just rumors.

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By Ivory M. Jones, BET.com Staff Writer Posted August 30, 2006 -- Singer Monica Arnold has come a long way since she burst onto the scene in 1995 as a sassy 14-year-old with a grown-up voice. Over the past 11 years, she’s released three platinum albums and is preparing to drop her fourth, “The Makings of Me,” on Sept. 19. The voice behind “Don’t Take It Personal,” “The Boy Is Mine” and “So Gone” talks to BET.com about what makes her new album different from the rest and how the new man in her life has changed her. :: AD :: Tell us about your new single, “Everytime Tha Beat Drop.” Monica: My first single is produced by Jermaine [Dupri], and we've been friends for a long time. We're a real representation of what Atlanta is like. I wanted to bring something on the scene that talks a little bit about Atlanta culture, how we dance and a lot of little things that the world is starting to see, and incorporate snap music into that, so we came up with "Everytime Tha Beat Drop.” Tell us about the album’s title, “The Makings of Me.” Monica: It was hard to name the album, but this was the best title for it. It’s a diary of the last 11 years of my life, so it’s hard to group that all into one thing that makes sense. The second single is called “Dozen Roses,” and it was produced by Missy. It has a Curtis Mayfield sample in it that’s called “The Makings of You.” I felt like everything that I’m talking about, whether it’s in the now or the past, were the makings of me, how I am, who I am and what I represent. That’s where the title came from. Who did you work with on the album? Monica: I worked with people who are friends of mine and a couple of new people. Sean Garrett, Tank, Bryan Michael Cox, Jermaine, Missy and that was it. It was a nice small setting of people I could really allow to listen to a lot of different things about me. A lot of my songs were written off poems that I had written at different periods of my life. A lot of the things we pulled from are personal, which is why I didn’t work with a lot of producers. It’s been three years since your last album. Is there any apprehension about returning to the scene when it seems like artists drop albums nearly once a year? Monica: I’m a firm believer that we all do what we do; everybody has their own time. I watch people put out albums back to back, but that’s never been my way. I think I’ve always loved to keep a certain sense of normality, so when I’m not working, I like to be able to go back to Atlanta and have things be really normal. It keeps you humble and it keeps you appreciative. As far as the break that I took for this album, it was kind of mandatory because I was pregnant. I was still performing at five months, and I don’t think anybody even noticed. By the time I had my son, I just dedicated myself to that first year of his life because I felt like he needed that undivided attention from me. That is my main concern every day when I wake up; everything else is secondary. :: NEW PAGE :: Has becoming a mother affected your subject matter or how you dress? Monica: My son, Rodney, completely changed my perspective on everything. First of all, I find that it’s easier for me to work and take things in stride because I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore. On top of that, I think it makes me more conscious of things that I do. Like I’ve always had quite a rowdy temper — as a lot of people probably know [laughs]. But I have two sides, and I’ve kind of narrowed it down to one side because I’d like for him to feel like I’m setting an example. Also, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I’ve also made a lot of good choices. I think me being able to go through a lot of things, work in this industry and still be able to adapt to a lot of different things will allow me to share that with him. What are some differences fans may notice between this album and your previous ones? Monica: This album has more storytelling than the others. I think that now, since I’m able to understand some of the things that have taken place in my life, I’ve been able to put enough stuff in perspective and find a way to tell a story in three minutes. So as you go through the album, song by song, I walk you through the last 11 years, step by step. I think that’s the biggest difference. It’s not just random songs on the CD. It’s really a story that I’m telling from beginning to end.

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SOHH...let's talk about this Mike Jones movie, "The American Dream." As you probably know, Jones is working on a new movie to accompany his sophomore set , The American Dream: Work on the film American Dream was scheduled to begin earlier this week and will continue shooting through September 15th. The film will recount Jones' true life climb from relative obscurity to worldwide fame in the music business. Jones and crew are filming in his native Houston. Meanwhile, Jones is also working on his new album, which will also be named American Dream. (SOHH News) There are so many ways to poke holes on this exceptionally "original" idea (sarcasm), but I won't. Mike's doing what's in his best interest, seeing as many people have now caught on to his gimmicks. And as that happens, he tries to switch things up a bit. (Case in point: My boy who goes to Club Ice Age a lot told me that Jones is now giving out his new phone number. ) Shooting a big budget biopic is probably the only way to ensure that his sophomore set will at least surpass brick mode. No matter what you think of his rap skills, Mike's entrepeneurial spirit should not be underestimated. This guy basically figured out how to make 1 million people buy his record while spitting some of the most cringe-worthy rhymes hip-hop has ever heard. If that ain't a hustler, then what the f*ck you call that? Respect due.

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Thursday - August 31, 2006 by Anthony Roberts Ludacris Ludacris, along with fellow DTP members Bobby Valentino and Shareefa recently gave a performance that will be available exclusively to Cingular Wireless customers. The concert, which was held yesterday (August 30) at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, is part of the Cingular Sounds Live concert series. The series is developed specifically to provide mobile content for Cingular customers and is made available through their on-demand streaming video service, Cingular Video. "Advanced technology has found a new way to break through to the audience, and DTP is proud to be doing this live concert for the Cingular audience," Ludacris said. "It seems like almost everyone has a personal cell phone today, from parents to teenagers, and this is such a great way to connect with our audience directly. In many ways, it's almost like having your own private concert." Fans can catch the concert in its entirety simply by viewing it from their Cingular wireless phones. Luda is just the latest artist to bless the stage for the wireless service. To date, Cingular Sounds Live has featured performances by top recording artists such as Rihanna, Pussycat Dolls, Daddy Yankee, Jamie Foxx and LeToya. In related news, Luda is getting ready to drop his latest album, Release Therapy, on September 26. The CD includes the Pharell-assisted single "Money Maker" which is currently in rotation on both radio and video countdowns. The disc will also feature appearances from R.Kelly, Shawnna, Bobby Valentino, Shareefa and Field Mob, with production from Kanye West, Timbaland, Jermaine Dupri, Rick Rubin and the TrackStarz.

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The Billboard 200 Top 1-10 Top 11-50 Top 51-100 This Wk Last Wk Artist Name Album Title Imprint | Catalog No. | Distributing Label Peak Wks On 1 Danity Kane Danity Kane Peak 1 Wks On 1 Bad Boy | 83989 | AG 2 NEW OutKast Idlewild (Soundtrack) Peak 2 Wks On 1 LaFace | 75791 | Zomba 3 1 Christina Aguilera Back To Basics Peak 1 Wks On 2 RCA | 82639 | RMG 4 NEW Mana Amar Es Combatir Peak 4 Wks On 1 Warner Latina | 63661 5 5 Soundtrack The Cheetah Girls 2 Peak 5 Wks On 2 Walt Disney | 861592 6 NEW Paris Hilton Paris Peak 6 Wks On 1 Warner Bros. | 44138 7 6 Various Artists NOW 22 Peak 1 Wks On 7 Sony BMG Strategic Marketing Group/EMI/Universal/Zomba | 83563 | Sony Music 8 NEW Lamb Of God Sacrament Peak 8 Wks On 1 Prosthetic/Epic | 87804 | Sony Music 9 NEW Luther Vandross The Ultimate Luther Vandross Peak 9 Wks On 1 Legacy/Epic/J | 97700 | Sony Music/Sony Music/RMG 10 NEW Kelis Kelis Was Here Peak 10 Wks On 1 Jive | 83258 | Zomba

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DANITY KANE, the self-titled debut album from Bad Boy Records' sensational new female quintet, has made a spectacular #1 debut on the SoundScan/Billboard 200 album chart. Driven by a rapidly spreading wildfire of fan demand, the album exploded to the top spot, upsetting releases by established multi-platinum artists OutKast and Christina Aguilera, and selling over 234,000 units in its first week. The music industry's newest Cinderella story, DANITY KANE is an out-of-the-box phenomenon at retail, selling nearly 90,000 units in its first day alone. The album quickly sold out at most stores across the country, prompting a massive effort by both the label and retail community to restock shelves overnight to meet demand. The album has shipped over half a million copies, with retail orders now topping the 625,000 mark. Meanwhile, on the digital front, DANITY KANE instantly became the #1 album on iTunes, with an average fan ranking of 4-and-a-half stars (out of 5). The stars of Diddy's hit MTV series Making the Band 3, Danity Kane has defied industry convention, with six-figure sales being generated almost exclusively from huge street buzz and exponential word-of-mouth - an unprecedented achievement for a new artist with little radio airplay. Bad Boy CEO Sean 'Diddy' Combs said: 'This is an historic moment for Bad Boy Records and Danity Kane. These are five hugely talented women, and they worked amazingly hard to make their dream come true. I want to thank all our friends at MTV for their great support in helping us make the band. Danity Kane is the real deal. I knew it from the beginning, the fans knew it from the beginning, and now the whole industry knows it. The people have spoken.' 'Danity Kane hitting number one represents another amazing chapter in our relationship with Diddy and Bad Boy,' said Christina Norman, President, MTV. 'As millions of MTV viewers witnessed first hand on `Making the Band,? these ladies earned their success through hard work, determination and raw talent.' 'When Diddy and I joined together to find an international supergroup, we knew it had to be a group that would stand out above the rest and set the standard for others to follow,' said Danity Kane?s manager Johnny Wright. 'The talented ladies of Danity Kane are just that. I'm blessed to have found them and look forward to helping to guide them to be the best in the business.' 'The formula works like this: Diddy, Bad Boy Records, talented and beautiful artists, and the marketing strategy,' said Steve Lerner, Circuit City's Senior National Buyer/Music. 'It's the culmination of many factors, and Danity Kane actually brings back the excitement of what the music business is all about - Artist Development!' 'Danity Kane is an amazing artist development story,' noted Virgin Megastore Sr. Product Manager Jerry Suarez. 'For us we were pleasantly surprised, just another indication that if you put a good record together people will buy it. Bad Boy did a great job creating excitement for this release, but that doesn't always sell records. You need to put together a solid release, and they delivered. Bad Boy is doing a great job of being a strong, diversified label.' 'Danity 'Co-Kane'? people are fiendin' for it!' commented Violet Brown, Director of Urban Music for Trans World Entertainment. 'It is great to have a new title of this magnitude!' The video for Danity Kane's first single, 'Show Stopper,' is in Big 10 (heavy) rotation on MTV and is the #1 most-streamed video on MTV.com, where Danity Kane also has the #1 most-visited artist page. The group?s MySpace page has racked up nearly 14 million audio plays, with 11 million plays in just the last week alone. The group now has over 325,000 friends on their site and is the #2 ranked MySpace artist, just behind fellow Bad Boy artist Yung Joc. The Jim Jonsin-produced 'Show Stopper' debuted at #5 last week on Billboard's Hot Digital Songs chart. Danity Kane is the #4 most searched artist on Yahoo! Music, where 'Show Stopper' has jumped from #56 to #11 in one week. At AOL Music, 'Show Stopper' is the #4-ranked song, while its companion video debuts this week at #11. On YouTube, the 'Show Stopper' clip has been streamed over one million times. In addition, 'Show Stopper' was Warner Music Group?s #1 ringtone the week of 8/14, with sales over 90,000. As of this week, Danity Kane ringtones are being featured at every major mobile carrier. Danity Kane is the latest in a string of #1 successes from Bad Boy Records. Most recently, Yung Joc?s debut album, NEW JOC CITY (Block Entertainment/ Bad Boy South), debuted at #1 on Billboard?s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. At the same time, the label has hit the top of the charts with current smash singles from both Yung Joc ('It's Goin' Down') and new discovery Cassie ('Me & U'). DANITY KANE is Bad Boy?s seventh #1 album on the Billboard 200, following The Notorious B.I.G.'s LIFE AFTER DEATH and BORN AGAIN, Puff Daddy's NO WAY OUT, Mase's HARLEM WORLD, the WE INVENTED THE REMIX album, and the BAD BOYS II soundtrack. Executive Produced by Sean 'Diddy' Combs, DANITY KANE sees the five-girl outfit - Dawn, Aubrey, D. Woods, Shannon, and Aundrea - teaming up with some of today's most successful and talented producers. Among the studio superstars bringing their skills to the album are such hip-hop and R&B icons as Timbaland, Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins, Mario Winans, Jim Jonsin, Bryan-Michael Cox, Rami, and Ryan Leslie. The album?s Co-Executive Producer is Bad Boy Executive Vice President Harve Pierre. Dawn, Aubrey, D. Woods, Shannon, and Aundrea were the cream of the crop among hundreds of women competing for a spot in Diddy's new super group during the taping of the smash MTV reality show, Making the Band 3. Though each of the five members of Danity Kane come from different backgrounds, all have a number of things in common that bond them as a full-fledged group - extraordinary talent, looks, personality, business savvy, an ability to perform under intense pressure, and a lifelong dream of making music. For more information, please visit www.danitykane.com.

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