The Queen's Castle

According to the countdown on their website, we’re 18 days shy of Boyz II Men’s 20th anniversary. The R&B group that burst onto the scene with their ‘Motown Philly’ swing in 1990 are celebrating with the release of their tenth studio album, Twenty, on October 25. They are a four-time Grammy Award winning group who has sold more than 60 million records across the globe.

The group tapped Uncle Charlie Wilson for a feature on their first single, More Than You’ll Ever Know, a track that reminds us of how good the harmonic sound of Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman and Nathan Morris are together, original member Michael McCrary left the group due to health issues in 2003.

Listen to Boyz II Men’s new track, More Than You’ll Ever Know, feat. Charlie Wilson at TheQueensCastle.net

Music World gospel artist and third season winner of BETs Sunday Best competition, Le’Andria Johnson appeared at Mt. Zion Nashville’s Super Sunday this week and tore the roof off of the building.

Johnson is gearing up for the release of her debut CD, The Awakening of Le’Andria Johnson, which will hit stores on September 6. Produced by Grammy Award winner Chuck Harmony, who has also worked with Rihanna, Fantasia and Chrisette Michele, the CD is said to “showcase Le’Andria’s unique combination of power, skill and reverence.”

On her debut CD, Johnson co-wrote the songs Cast the First Stone and Struggle Not with her brother Terrance Johnson. The effort also features a medley of songs previously performed on Sunday Best.

Watch Le’Andria perform her single, Jesus, at Mt. Zion’s Super Sunday service and if you don’t watch anything else, please check out Bishop Morton hit it at the 10:20 mark!

The anointing on Le’Andria’s voice and life are palpable, the ‘Awakening’ is just the beginning. You can watch the entire Super Sunday service from Mt. Zion Nashville’s Old Hickory location, here. Make sure you tune in to BET on Sunday, September 4, when Johnson returns to the Sunday Best stage for the season finale.

Today Essence Magazine announced that the October “Power” issue features First Lady Michelle Obama on the cover. In addition to listing the “28 Most Influential Black Women,” including Oprah Winfrey, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Iyanla Vanzant, Essence is also helping readers embrace their own power when the publication hits stands on September 12.

Obama shares that “my story to young people around this country and around the world is, don’t look at me as the First Lady first; look at me as Michelle Obama, a girl who grew up on the South Side of Chicago. Because I was there, and this is attainable. There is no magic to this. It is hard work.”

In the article titled, “The Leading Lady,” Obama reflects on what she calls the ‘big, bright light’ of her power as First Lady — and she shares her mission to impart her critical message to young women: that where she is now is attainable with hard work” Source

This is not the first time First Lady Obama has graced the cover of Essence, she’s previously been featured on a commemorative issue when President Obama was elected, as well as covers with her mom, the entire first family, and a cover that featured the Obama’s together.

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I have pure admiration for how our FLOTUS is yielding her power, not including her recent trip to South Africa and her campaign to end childhood obesity, but Michelle Obama will also appear on the season opener of ABCs Extreme Home Makeover!

Read more to see a sneak preview of her upcoming appearance on Extreme Makeover

As The Queen’s Castle previously reported, First Lady Obama will appear on the season opener of ABCs Extreme Home Makeover (I love that show!). Check out the sneak preview of the season opener below:

Who says, “no one man should have all that power?” The First Lady continues to prove them wrong. Will you be watching First Lady Obama on Extreme Makeover?

Queen Latifah is no stranger to smart collaborations, her branding efforts with CoverGirl has fostered it’s own make up collection, and now our Royal Highness is expanding her Kingdom’s territory by partnering with HSN to offer versatile apparel, handbags and accessories.

Queen Latifah’s ‘Queen Collection’ is a formidable empire, beyond her make-up, there is also the ‘Queen of Hearts’ perfume and now her clothing line, which she admits has an equestrian feel, it’s her way of honoring fashion icon, Ralph Lauren. She talks more about the line with Lucky Magazine.

Regarding her new fashion venture, Queen Latifah says, “I wanted my collection to reflect my personal style while giving women the tools to build a wardrobe they can feel good in.”

Read more to see Queen Latifah in action on HSN.

The decision to collaborate with HSN was strategic, Queen Latifah reveals, “I partnered with HSN because it’s the ideal platform to share my story and the stories of women who inspired me. I hope to instill confidence in hundreds of thousands of women across the country.” Source

The Queen had a great night when her line premiered on HSN, selling out her suede and leather handbags…

If you want to get your hands on Latifah’s Queen’s Collection, head over to HSN.

Sanaa Lathan, LaLa Vasquez-Anthony and Alicia Keys are on the front page of Jet, Vibe Vixen and Glamour Magazines, respectively.

In the September 5 issue of Jet, we get 40 reasons to love Lathan for every year of her life, it’s hard to believe the actress that stole our hearts in films like Love & Basketball, Brown Sugar and The Best Man is turning 40.

Lathan is single with no children and tells Jet, “We shall see. It’s in God’s hands whether I have children or not. I am not interested in doing anything out of fear or due to age. If the right situation unfolds, I’ll have children. If it doesn’t, I won’t.” In the pages she also discusses biggest fear, secret obsession and favorite role.

LaLa Vasquez-Anthony is running press suicides for her new reality show, Lala’s Full Court Life, which is a behind-the-scenes look at her marriage to New York Knick’s player, Carmelo Anthony; watch the season premiere, here.

In the premiere digital issue of Vibe Vixen, regarding her new reality show LaLa says, “ People are going to find the show very interesting.  It’s a good balance on television to see successful women supporting each other, having a really strong bond and great friendship. I think it’s necessary for people to see that too on television.” Yesterday, LaLa was spotted in New York’s Times Square posing in front of her own full size ad for the show, absolutely fitting for the city’s ‘First Lady.”

Alicia Keys shares the cover of Glamour Magazine with Jennifer Aniston and Demi Moore, who all directed a portion of Five, an upcoming Lifetime TV series of short films focused on breast cancer awareness.

Read more to read excerpts from Keys’ Glamour Magazine and see the trailer for Five.

Alicia told Glamour she decided to direct Lili, her portion of Five because, “after I read the scripts, I felt like this was something important, and I wanted to be a part of it. I chose Lili because she’s close to my age and I understood the family dynamic. I had an immediate idea of what I could bring to it.” Read her entire interview, here.

Keys’ all-star cast for Lili, includes Tracee Ellis Ross, Rosario Dawson, Jeffery Tombor, Jenifer Lewis and Jeanne Tripplehorn.

Five premieres on Lifetime television on October 20. Will you be watching?

The Jet Magazine featuring Sanaa Lathan is on stands now, read Lala’s interview with Vibe Vixen, here and the rest of Glamour’s feature on Alicia Keys, here.

Last night by way of Twitter, Estelle shared a new remix of Break My Heart featuring Swizz Beatz, Busta Rhymes and Jadakiss.

On the track, Estelle proves she’s no stranger to hip hop, not including the heavyweights on this remix or commissioning Maybach Music’s Rick Ross for the original version of this song, but even she spits a few verses for good measure.

If you’re listening trying to figure out what song they are putting to work in this beat, it’s Zhane’s Sending My Love.

Listen at TheQueensCastle.net

I’ve never really been close to Beyonce, but I bet if you walk past her, DJ Khaled’s All I Do Is Win plays like elevator surround sound…

In addition to stealing the show at last night’s MTV Video Music Awards with news of her pregnancy, her announcement broke Twitter records! Twitter reports, that “Last night at 10:35pm ET, Beyonce’s big MTV #VMA moment gave Twitter a record bump: 8,868 Tweets per second.”

Not the black carpet announcement, but her belly rub after her Love on Top performance caused 8,868 tweets per second to fly through the Twitterverse! Statistically, Beyonce’s announcement caused more twitter traffic than the women’s soccer finals and Bin Laden’s death. Bananas.

What is Twitter going to do when she has that baby in late December or early January (prediction)? :)

Spotted at TechCrunch

The APs ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ is living up to his name, ESPN is reporting that Michael Vick has signed a 6-Year, $100 million dollar deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, $40 million guaranteed.

Remember that in 2009, Vick returned to the league on third string, but after McNabb’s trade and Kolb’s injury early in the start of the 2010 season, he lead the Eagles to a 10-6 record. He had a great year on the field, making his own career highs in passing and rushing touchdowns. His fans noticed to the tune of submitting the highest number of votes in the NFC to get Vick in the Pro-Bowl.

Considering that Vick has made these accomplishments after being released from prison for a conviction related to a dog fighting ring, Vick has come a very long way and as a QB for the Eagles, has risen to a leadership position. In a recent interview with Inside the Studio, Vick tells Dave Spidero, “I enjoy it, I take on the responsibility of being a leader on this team. I’ve been around for a long time, being in the game for nine years, you learn a lot, you see a lot and you see a lot of guys come and go. I know how to handle a lot of different situations, I take it upon myself to make sure that our young guys are in the best position possible.”

Read more to watch the entire interview with Mike Vick

Spidero gets Vick to talk about his trip to Congress, what he sees in former Titan’s QB Vince Carter and other highlights of his summer.

What do you think about Michael Vick’s $100 Million Dollar Deal? I’m thinking… “Get Money” *Lil’ Kim Voice*

If the King of Pop, Michael Jackson were alive today, he would be celebrating his 53rd birthday. There is no other discography that is more celebrated in the music industry than that of MJs. Born, raised and reared to be an entertainer along with his brothers and sisters, he started in the business at the tender age of four. Jackson’s contribution to music over the course of his life is unmatched. From the first time he hit the stage with the Jackson 5, he shined, and today, his light continues to illuminate the world through his music.

In remembrance of Michael Jackson’s music, J Period, DJ Spinna, Spike Lee and 40 Acres released another mix tape for your downloading pleasure, featuring rare tributes to the King by Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder, Questlove, The Roots and more. If you missed Man or Music: Volume I, click here.

The image below will download Man or Music: Volume II (Source)

Today, a number of web sites join The Queen’s Castle in remembering Michael Jackson:

It’s MJs Birthday : BGLU
Happy Birthday to the King! : YBF
Remembering Michael Jackson on His 53rd Birthday : Essence
Remembering Michael Jackson : The Source
Happy Birthday Michael Jackson : The Urban Daily
Katherine Attends MJ Celebration : TMZ

Read more to watch the cast of Michael Jackson’s The Immortal world tour wish him Happy Birthday!

Read More →

Last night, Los Angeles, California hosted the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, which were attended by the hottest artists in music and boasted performances from Lady Gaga, Adele, Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Lil’ Wayne, Bruno Mars, and The Throne’s Jay-Z and Kanye West, among others. Many celebrities hit the black carpet including Zoe Saldana, Nicki Minaj, Kelly Rowland, Kevin Hart, and Beyonce, who showed up in a flowing red gown and stole the show when she announced that she was expecting! Although she hasn’t revealed how many months she is, I predict we’ll see a little Carter in December or January! The Queen’s Castle had up-to-the minute coverage on our Tumblr, check it out here.

The Moon Man was given to Beyoncé’s fancy footwork for ‘Best Choreography’ in her Run the World (Girls) video, ‘Video of the Year’ went to Katy Perry, she also won ‘Best Collaboration’ and ‘Best Special Effects’ with Kanye West for their hit, E.T., she had the most MTV VMA nominations, Tyler the Creator took home the “Best New Artist award, ‘Best Cinematography’ and ‘Best Editing’ went to my favorite Brit, Adele; see the full list of Award winners and watch them accept their awards here.

Highlights from the show include Bruno Mars’ tribute to Amy Winehouse, Nicki Minaj, who premiered the video for Fly (watch) during the pre-show, grabbed the ‘Best Hip Hop Video’ Award and Papa-to-Be, Jay-Z and Kanye’s reaction to Beyoncé announcing her pregnancy to the World by rubbing her belly after her Love on Top performance; watch.

Read more at TheQueensCastle.net to see videos of our favorite performances of the night, the full list of winners and pictures from the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards!