Celine Dion kicked off her world tour in South Africa this week.

While in South Africa, she has visited charities with her son and husband.

Celine kept a promise she made to Nelson Mandela.  Dion was under a five-year contract which had kept her in Las Vegas at the time when she made the promise to Mandela. ‘But two years ago Mr Mandela called to invite us and we were committed to be in Las Vegas for five years. Rene (Angelil, her husband) and I promised each other and Mr Mandela that we would start (the next tour) in South Africa.

‘I am more than thrilled to be here,’ she said.

If at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again.  Chikezie Eze must have been singing those Aaliyah lyrics when he auditioned again for American Idol after he was not picked last season.  We Africans don’t believe in quitting!

Chikezie made it on to the top 24 contestants this season.  This smooth crooner is sure to win some lady fans along this journey.  Let’s see how far he can take this.  Here’s some Q&A with Chikezie from the American Idol website.

What is your most embarassing moment?
Forgetting all my lyrics on stage and making it all up.

Do you have any rituals or things you do before you perform?
Learn the lyrics.

What album would your friends be surprised you own?
Aerosmith – Get a Grip.

What are your personal goals in life?
To change the industry for the better.

If you don’t make it on American Idol, what will you do?
Make music.

Wish your boy luck and get to voting people!

It has been a while….we miss you Nnenna girl, call us…but America’s Next Top Model finally has another African contestant.

Allow me to introduce you to Fatima……FIERCE already!

Mami is representing Somalia and already fan sites are calling her Junior Iman. Fatima is 22, a student and from Boston.

You know I’m on it like white on rice…..let us see how far our African sister will make it in the competition.

And because an African model has to have a sob story in order to be more appealing (can you feel the sarcasm?), Fatima underwent female genital mutilation at age 7. You know that fact will be played over and over and over.

Cycle 10 of ANTM starts today, February 20th on the CW. I will be recapping every week so check on back on Thursdays so we can dish, ok?

Who doesn’t feel sorry for Britney Spears?

The latest celebrity to jump on the ’save-Britney-Spears before it is too late’ campaign is Heidi Klum.

The Project Runway host – who lives with her three children and husband Seal – says 26-year-old Britney would benefit from living in an ordinary family environment.

She said: “She can call me and come live in our house with us for a couple of months. I would help set her straight.

Is you sure Heidi?  One minute you’re a normal family doing normal things like getting your face painted like tigers and the next minute your children are riding in the front seat on Britney’s lap requesting Cheeto’s for dinner.  So once again Heidi, is you sure?  Think long and hard about this one…….

Gucci and Madonna hosted a fundraising event: A NIGHT TO BENEFIT RAISING MALAWI AND UNICEF. The event took place on the North Lawn of the United Nations, held in a 42,000 square foot tent erected specifically for the evening.

Co-chaired by Gucci’s Creative Director, Frida Giannini, the evening was dedicated to raising funds and awareness for orphans and children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa where over 11 million of the 48 million orphans have lost one or both parents to AIDS.  The event successfully raised a total of approximately $5.5 million from ticket sales and a live auction.  Gucci has completely underwtitten the event and 100% of the proceeds will be split equally between the US Fund for UNICEF and Raising Malawi.
Joined by Madonna and Frida Giannini was a list of distinguished co-chairs, including Drew Barrymore, Arpad Busson, Salma Hayek and Francois-Henri Pinault, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Gwyneth Paltrow, Professor Jeffrey Sachs, as well as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors Tea Leoni and Lucy Liu. Guests at the sold-out event included: Amy Adams, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Devon Aoki, Sean Avery, Camilla Belle, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Burge, Sean Combs, Djimon Honsou and Kimora Lee Simmons, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart, Becky Newton and Chris Diamantopoulos, Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg, Ben Foster, Nelly Furtado, Keri Hilson, Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery, Bill and Katie Lee Joel, Donna Karan, Miranda Kerr, Heidi Klum, Zoe Kravitz, Ali Larter, Justin Long, Christian Louboutin, Dylan McDermott, Cynthia Nixon, Rosie O’Donnell, Alex Rodriguez, Narciso Rodriguez, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, L’Wren Scott, Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld, Brooke Shields, Molly Sims, Martha Stewart, Donald and Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Pharrell Williams, Debra Messing and Daniel Zelman and Cassie.

After passing through the red carpet, guests entered the cocktail area to view the photographs of Kristen Ashburn, a documentary photographer, whose work has taken her to southern Africa to capture the impact of AIDS in the region. Guests then entered a Gucci-inspired amphitheater dinner room for a dinner catered by Olivier Cheng. They were welcomed to their seats by African drummers and a live performance by the African Children’s Choir. Madonna then welcomed the crowd. Following dinner, Frida Giannini gave a brief speech and introduced UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, Tea Leoni and Lucy Liu. The evening’s program included clips from Madonna’s documentary “I Am Because We Are,” as well as guest speakers Professor Jeffrey Sachs and Matthews Chikaonda. Chris Rock then took the stage to co-host the live auction, with Christie’s Christopher Burge, of several luxury experience packages including a private tour of the Chateau LaTour vineyards, a Milanese excursion to the next Gucci fashion show, a sports lovers fantasy package and a personal lifestyle experience with Madonna.

After the auction, Madonna introduced the first performer of the evening, Rihanna, who sang “Please Don’t Stop the Music,” and her hit song “Umbrella,” followed by Timbaland’s performance of “The Way I Are” with Keri Hilson. Nelly Furtado then joined Timbaland on stage and the two performed “Give It To Me.” To conclude the performances, Alicia Keys belted her hit single “No One.” The evening lasted until 12:30 am with an after party featuring DJ Jus Ske.

Both together and individually, Gucci and Madonna share a history of commitment to the fight against AIDS, as well as support for orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS. Beginning in 1997, Madonna served as Honorary Co-chair of the record-breaking Gucci fundraising event for AIDS Project Los Angeles. Gucci and Madonna have both since responded to the global circumstances of the AIDS pandemic, pursuing interests on behalf of orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

Gucci has been a UNICEF corporate partner since 2004, starting with a local holiday event in Los Angeles, and growing to a global campaign in over twenty countries in 2005. The Gucci campaign supports UNICEF programs in Malawi and Mozambique, where over one million children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Since 2006, Raising Malawi has been dedicated to bringing an end to the extreme poverty and hardship endured by Malawi’s one million orphans, over half of whom have been orphaned by AIDS.

2008 is off to a great start for African musicians. 

We didn’t get to be on stage during the telecast but we won all the same.

Best Traditional World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

African Spirit
Soweto Gospel Choir
[Shanachie Entertainment]

Best Contemporary World Music Album
(Vocal or Instrumental.)

Djin Djin
Angelique Kidjo
[Razor & Tie Direct/Starbucks Entertainment]

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling)

The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream
Barack Obama
[Random House Audio]

Congratulations to all!

On February 9th, 2008 Designers for Darfur  commemorated their one year anniversary at DEX New York Studios.

Designers for Darfur (DFD) was launched via an unprecedented charity fashion show held on February 9th, 2007 in New York City. DFD has also held periodic events as well as launched several initiatives over the past year in order to keep the spotlight firmly on the crisis in Darfur. Designers for Darfur represents hundreds of international designers and the wider fashion community collectively banding together to show their commitment and solidarity towards ending the atrocity of genocide currently taking place in Darfur.

For this amazing event, nearly 100 of America’s leading designers created one complete ensemble in red, yellow, green or black to be featured in a star-studded fashion show. The fashion industry’s top models, hair and make-up artists as well as wardrobe stylists donated their time, talent and assistance to show commitment and solidarity toward ending the atrocity of genocide currently taking place in Darfur.

The Fashion Show was streamed live on eBay followed by a live auction of these specially-created runway looks with 100% of all profits going directly to the Save Darfur Coalition.

Support this worthy cause and spread the word.  Learn more about Designers For Darfur in the video below and visit their website in the link above.

The Thriller album sold one hundred and four million copies worldwide.

It spent 37 weeks at number 1.

It won 8 Grammys.

It produced seven Top 10 hits.

It remains one of the biggest selling albums 25 years later.

Pretty impressive gloved one.

To spice things up on the 25th anniversary release, Michael teamed up with Akon, Fergie, Will.i.am, and Kanye West. 

Akon remakes “Wanna Be Starting Something”, Will.i.am takes on “The Girl is Mine” and “Pretty Young Thing”, Fergie goes with “Beat It”, and Kanye West reworks “Billie Jean.”

Old heads hate the end result and young people love the new energy brought to the album. 

For old times, you gots to relive the Thriller video below……don’t front, you know you were right there asking your parents for a red leather jacket and silver glove back in the day….

2008 is starting off on great note for 2Face Idibia.

2Face is now an international star, defininately the latest one to come out of Africa.

Last week 2Face reportedly hit the studios to record a duet with R&B superstar R.Kelly. Sources told Glitz Beats that both singers first met in October 2007 shorty after 2Face’s robbery attack. It is believed that’s when they laid the foundation for the collaboration.

Akon has also reportedly expressed interest in working with 2Face.

Hey 2Face, if you’re reading this can I just tell you something right quick?  Please, I beg you DO NOT record one song with 55 chapters involving little people jumping out of closets and DL brothers cheating on their wives with Pastors.  Thanks.

This is a sequel to the 2006 PBS series “African American Lives.”  Oprah Winfrey,  Chris Tucker and T.D Jakes took part in the highly successful first installment which traced their roots back to Liberia, Angola, and Nigeria respectively. 

Henry Louis Gates Jr. traces the ancestry of famous black people as far back as the written record allows, and then a little farther, thanks to the scientific magic of DNA analysis.  The new installment is very like the first, entertaining and educational in the same even proportion.

Celebrities whose family trees are climbed this time include Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock, Don Cheadle, Tina Turner, Maya Angelou, radio host Tom Joyner, theologian Peter J. Gomes, Olympic runner Jackie Joyner-Kersee and writer Bliss Broyard (the daughter of literary critic Anatole Broyard, a black man whose children thought he was white).

Tune in tonight on PBS at 9 PM EST.