Tuesday Tales

Actress/singer Jennifer Lopez will indeed be a judge on Fox's "American Idol". Under the terms of the deal, she will receive $12 million for the gig. The new season of the show will start in January 2011. Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey kicked of the 25th and final season of her talk show by giving audience members an all expenses paid trip to Australia, with actor John Travolta as the plane pilot. The trip is sure to be one that fans will not soon forget. Writer/director Spike Lee is set to direct a webcast of a concert featuring John Legend and the Roots. The concert, to be held in New York on September 23, is the second part of "Unstaged", a live concert presented by American Express. The live stream will be webcast on YouTube, via the the  music video website Vevo. Various interactive elements will be offered, including an option for viewers to choose their camera view. The show should be an exciting one. For those who aren't aware, "Big Brother 12" is getting down to the wire and it's anyone's guest who will walk away with the grand prize. Thus far, it appears that several contestants are in the running. Be sure to tune in. After reuniting after five years apart, the New York rap collective Dip Set is rumored to be ready to sign a deal with Interscope Records. While it hasn't been confirmed, group member Freekey Zekey did say the group is considering signing with Interscope. The group is currently in the studio working on new material. No word on when a new project from the group will be released. Trey Songz has new music in stores this week. On dvd: "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" and "Just Wright". On the tube: "Glee" on Fox, "NCIS" on CBS, "Wipeout" on ABC and "Minute To Win It" on NBC. Happy Tuesday!

Friday Facts

Sad news out of the world of contemporarygospel music. Malinda Sapp, wife of gospel singer Marvin Sapp has died of colon cancer. No other details have been given. Mrs Sapp was a professional councelor and administrative pastor at her husband's Lighthouse Full Life Center Church in Grand Rapids MI. The church had posted a message on it's web site asking for prayers for Malinda Sapp. The couple had three children. Marvin Sapp is one of gospel music's most popular stars, having set a record with his 2008  single "Never Would Have Made It" for it's duration on the charts. He recently had a number one single on the Billboard charts with his latest "The Best In Me". Prayers and condolences to the entire Sapp family. May God bless them all. In lighter news, singer Rihanna posted a photo of herself on her Twitter page for her latest single. She's also slated to make her film debut soon as well. No word on when the film will be released. CBS's "Big Brother 12" as mentioned previously, has been full of surprises all season long. Be sure to tune in to see who walks away with the grand prize. ABC's  "Dancing With The Stars" is gearing up for it's season premiere as well. The new cast has been annuounced and only time will tell who will walk away with the disco ball trophy. The fall movie season is in full swing as several more films hit theaters this weekend. Be sure to catch them at your local cineplex. In theaters this weekend: "Resident Evil: Afterlife" and "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse". On the tube: Fox, CBS, ABC, NBC: "Stand Up To Cancer". Make it a weekend!

Wednesday Roundup

R&B singer Usher, whose latest release "Raymond Vs Raymond is still burning up the charts, is gearing up for a tour. The OMG Tour will begin on Nov 10 in Seattle, with dates through Dec. 18. Tickets go on sale on Sept. 17. The singer has confirmed that he has plenty of surprises in store for fans during his treck across the country. He also has a nine track album "Versus" burning up the Billboard charts as well. Be sure to catch his show when he comes to your area. Rapper Jay Z has reportedly signed Willow Smith, daughter of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith, to a record deal. The nine-year old has an incredible voice and has as bright future in the entertainment industry a head of her. Talent does run in the Smith family. Taylor Swift is not too happy with rapper Kanye West's apology on Twitter. It appears the country sensation seems to think it was done due to the fact that West has an album due soon. Only time will tell if the two will perform together on the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards. The show will air on Sept. 12. As the new televison season heats up, several shows will vie for viewers Among those are "Hawaii Five-0". The remake of the 1970's classic will include beaches, bikinis and more, in addition to the cast members nabbing the bad guys. Actress Halle Berry has a new film in the works called "Dark Tide". No word on when the film will hit theaters. On the tube: "Master Chef" on Fox, "Big Brother 12" on CBS, "The Middle" on ABC and "Minute To Win It" on NBC. Happy hump day!

Tuesday Tales

The George Clooney film "The American" was crowned box office king over the holiday weekend, earning over $12 million dollars. "Takers", "Machete", "The Last Excorcism" and "Going The Distance" round out the top five films of the week. Rapper Lil Wayne has confirmed that his next album "The Carter 4" will be released on November 4. The rapper will be released from prison on the same day. Rapper Kanye West recently took to social networking site Twitter to offer country singing sensation Taylor Swift an apology for his behavior at the MTV Video Music Awards a few years ago. The rapper is slated to perform on this year's show, although there's been no word on whether he and the tween queen will do a duet together. Rapper DMX has recently indicated that he's not a fan of rapper Plies. Let's hope the beef does not continue on for a long period of time. Several actors who may not be household names now just may become such by 2011, if all goes well. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Shannon Woodward and Boris Kodjoe are among the stars set to heat up fall evenings. Be sure to check them out. Bristol Palin, one of the cast members of the new season of "Dancing With The Stars", says her costumes will be a little more on the conversative side while on the show. The show's season premiere will air on September 20. On dvd: "Killers" and "Solitary Man". On the tube: "Glee" on Fox, "NCIS" on CBS, "Wipeout" on ABC and "Minute To Win It" on NBC. Happy Tuesday!

Friday Facts

Rapper T.I. and wife Tiny are scheduled to appear in court today in connection with their arrest is Los Angeles on drug charges. It's unclear what the outcome of their case will be. As mentioned previously, T.I. recently completed a jail sentence on gun charges. Stay tuned for more as this story develops. Rappers Jay Z and Eminem recently wowed the crowd at a concert in Comerica Park in Detroit. The pair performed their hits in a well organized show that fans won't soon forget. Two more shows are scheduled for September 13 and 14. Those shows are sure to be a delight for fans as well. Let's hope the pair tours sometime soon. Rapper Lloyd Banks says he's not surprised that rapper Young Buck recently filed for bankruptcy. He says the matter is about paying people. NBC's "America's Got Talent" has certainly turned out to be a mixed bag of the good, bad and ugly this season. Only time will tell who walks away with the grand prize. "True Blood" fans will have to wait until next week to see the season finale. This week they'll get a three-hour prep run of the last three episodes. The action film "Machete" appears poised to give "The American" a run for it's money at the box office. Be sure to catch it at your local cineplex. In theaters this weekend: "The American", "Going The Distance" and "Machete". On the tube: "Human Target" on Fox, "Medium" on CBS, "Wife Swap" on ABC and "Who Do You Think You Are" on NBC. Make it a weekend!

Thursday Dish

Matthew Knowles, father of singer Beyonce Knowles, recently dispelled rumors that his daughter  has fired him as her manager. He released a statement saying "We have a close business and personal relationship". Newlyweds T.I. and Tiny were arrested in Los Angeles last night on drug charges. T.I., whose given name is Clifford Harris and Tiny, whose given name is Tameka Cottle, were both booked at Hollywood's sheriff's station, where bail was posted at $10,000.  The couple was pulled over on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood by authorities for a routine traffic stop. Police claim they smelled marijuana in coming from the Maybach they were driving. Unfortunely, this recent arrest could  be a problem for T.I, who was recently released from jail on gun charges and is currently on probation. Stay tuned for more as this story develops. Rapper Young Buck has filed for bankruptcy. Filing chaper 13 will allow the rapper to repay creditors back under a court approved five year plan. He will also be able to reclaim items the IRS seized during a raid at his home. Fans will recall the government agency raided the home and took several items. In other Young Buck news, the rapper is slated to release a new album titled, "The Rehab" on September 7. One rumored replacement for actor Steve Carell when he leaves the hit show "The Office" is actor Harvey Keitel. The show's executive producer has stated that he thinks Keitel would be a perfect choice, although he hasn't spokent to Keitel's people about the possiblity. Check back here for more as it develops. Be sure to tune in to "Top Chef" as the meals and drama keeps cooking. Only time will tell who walks away with the grand prize. Fall is quickly approaching and it's anyone's guest who will snag an Oscar nod this year. Several films will be released the upcoming season and only time will tell which ones will come out on top. On the tube: "Fringe" on Fox, "Big Brother 12" on CBS, "Wipeout" on ABC and "Community" on NBC. Happy Thursday!

Wednesday Roundup

As if he hasn't burned up the Billboard charts and radio airwaves enough, rapper Drake says he's completing his sophmore album along with a mixtape to be released before the end of the year. Singer Rihanna is set to release a new single as well. No word on a title or release date. The BET documentary on female rappers "My Mic Sounds Nice" has sparked a lively conversation regarding women in hip hop. Female artists, male artists and music executives alike have weighed in on the subject with interesting view points. Let's hope female artist become more promient in the industry in the future. Country music fans may want to catch "CMA Music Festival: Country's Night To Rock" tonight at 8p.m. on CBS. It's a salute to the four day event in which several country stars will take part. Fox's "Top Chef" has been keeping viewers tuned in with one mouth watering surprise after another. Be sure to tune in to see who walks away with the grand prize. Sunday night's Emmy Award broadcast remained steady in it's ratings, it tied last years ratings, but came out a head of the 2008 show. Jennifer Esposito is set to join the cast of the upcoming new fall series "Blue Bloods". CBS has confirmed that Esposito will guest star on several episodes of the show, which is about a family with deep roots in law enforcement. The show is set to premiere September 24 at 10 p.m.  With the buzz in Hollywood created by the upcoming George Clooney film "The American", only time will tell if Mr Clooney will add another Oscar to his collection. On the tube: "CMA: Country's Night To Rock" on CBS and "Criminal Minds" on CBS. Happy hump day!