Grammy Award-winning actress/singer/rapper Queen Latifah has
been selected to host the upcoming 47th Annual Grammy Awards, which airs on
CBS Feb. 13 at 8pm ET. Latifah is also a nominee for Best Jazz Vocal Album and
will perform on the prominent music awards show, broadcasted live from the Staples
Center in Los Angeles. Latifah, a staple in the hip-hop community, came on the
scene with her 1989 debut All Hail The Queen, which set the stage for future
female emcees to roc the mic. On her first vocal album, The Dana Owens Album,
Latifah showcases her singing abilities as well, with a variety of blues, soul,
and pop classics from 1920 to 1970. Latifah received an Oscar nomination for
Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the film adaptation of the Broadway
play, "Chicago." She also racked up nominations from the Golden Globe
Awards and SAG Awards this past year.
West Coast emcee Snoop Dogg has ventured with Pony International
to create Doggy Biscuitz shoe line. The Long Beach, California native oversees
and approves all designs and final product. Snoop also supplied the name The
Doggy Biscuitz, which originates from the term he uses for "shoes."
"Pony is committed to matching Snoop’s high standards in everything we
do under this incredible partnership," said Killick Datta, Chief Executive
Officer of Pony, International in a statement."It is clear by his exclusive
commitment to us that he has confidence in our ability to do so." The Doggy
Biscuitz line contains an assortment of footwear, including The Snoopadoopa
for everyday use, Snoopafly, an athletic line, Snoopalicious, casual shoes,
and Snoopaslide, a bandana print slipper. A limited 5000 pairs of the all black
canvas signature Snoopadoopa shoes were released in December 2004.
In an effort to combat the increasing frenzy of listeners turning
to satellite radio and various other radio outlets, terrestrial radio has initiated
a national campaign to remind and encourage listeners to support the original
radio. Hip-hop artists Nelly, Ludacris, Alicia Keys, Ashanti, and John Legend
have all signed on to promote land radio in 30-second ad spots, thanking radio
for aiding their musical careers. "The radio industry decided it was time
to more aggressively promote the fact that free radio breaks thousands of new
artists a year," said NAB spokesperson Dennis Wharton. "There are
a lot of people that want to give testimonials about the influence of radio
in establishing their careers." Nearly every major radio group is participating
in the campaign, organized by the National Association of Broadcasters. Print
ads will appear in magazines like Spin, Vibe and Entertainment Weekly later
this year.
In the latest round of legal battles involving notorious civil
rights figure Rosa Parks and the Outkast song that bears her name, medical records
revealed that Parks, 91, has had dementia since at least 2002. Parks’
medical records revealed a doctor’s note showing that Parks suffered from "progressive
dementia," also known as severe mental impairment. A judge ordered the
medical records to be released Monday (Jan. 10). Parks’ relatives have declared
that she would not have continued with the case if she had understood the lawsuit,
filed by Parks’ lawyers claiming that the OutKast song "Rosa Parks"
unlawfully used her name. The song however, was reportedly intended as a commentary
on the entertainment industry. Lawyers sued OutKast and their record company
BMG in 1999 on Parks’ behalf, but a judge later dropped OutKast as a defendant.
