Report: Rihanna’s US Tour In Turmoil; Forced To Cancel Dates

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Via New York Post / Sandra Rose:

Rihanna is having as tough a time selling concert tickets as she did last year. After her 2010 “Last Girl on Earth” tour hit problems with cancellations in Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, Denver and Indianapolis because of low ticket sales, it seems the pop princess still can’t pack an arena, even with new management from Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.

Sources say after poor US concert pre-sales last month, Rihanna has been advised by her day-to-day manager, Jay Brown, to cancel domestic dates on her “Loud” tour.

“It has been a big disappointment,” our source said. “The ticket sales in big US cities like Boston are so bad, they will barely cover basics like the lighting and other arena costs. Tour managers are begging local radio stations to do giveaways.”

Rihanna is scheduled to perform at T.D. Garden arena in Boston on July 24 with Cee Lo Green. Only 3,700 tickets have been sold, and sources on the tour say she needs to sell at least 15,000 to break even. They expect more than a half-million dollars in losses from the Boston concert alone.

Rihanna split from her first manager, Marc Jordan, who launched her career, over a disagreement after her 2010 tour. A rep for Jordan declined to comment.

Her new manager, Brown, who is part of Roc Nation, is preparing to make changes, sources say. The tour starts in June 4 in Baltimore and heads to Canada and then around the US before moving to England in August.

But an insider said, “She should’ve been doing theaters and smaller venues. She’s not ready to headline an arena tour.”

Sources say while the ticket sales are sluggish, Rihanna is demanding all of the bells and whistles to make it a blow-out show. “It’s the normal diva requests,” an insider said, “which is tolerated, when you make money.”
Reps for Rihanna and Roc Nation declined to comment.

Video: Jennifer Hudson’s Son Steals Spotlight During ‘The View’ Interview

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Jennifer Hudson showed off her baby boy during her visit to “The View.” The slim singer conducted her interview with her 19-month-old son David Daniel Otunga Jr. on her lap, beaming with pride and joy while fielding questions about her dramatic weight loss, the life lessons she’s learned, and her experience on “American Idol.” Baby David held a mic, adding his own soundtrack as his mother shared home footage of him dancing.

After chatting with the hosts, J-Hud celebrated today’s release of her sophomore album I Remember Me by gracing the stage to perform the lead single “Where You At.”

Nicki Minaj and Rihanna’s ‘Fly’ Video to Take Off Memorial Day Weekend

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There’s been a flight delay.  Nicki Minaj and Rihanna fans will have to wait a little longer to see the visuals for the ladies’ collaboration “Fly.” The video won’t make its debut until Memory Day weekend. Nicki explains why.

 Since both women dropped their albums in November, the Young Money rapper wants to wait and let Rihanna continue to shine before premiering the “Fly” video in late May.

“I’m gonna hold off on the Rihanna video and the Rihanna single for a little bit longer,” she told MTV News. “‘Cause we both kind of dropped at the same time. So she has a lot of [songs] in rotation and I want to let her stuff have a moment and do its thing, dominate radio. [Instead], I wanted to come out with something more fun.”

When the Sanaa Hamri-directed clip does arrive, she promises big things. “The Rihanna video is a freakin’ epic movie and you know it’s been done for like a month, two months now—very long time,” she added. “Look for it around Memorial Day weekend.”

In the meantime, she will release the video for “Super Bass”  a single off the deluxe edition of Pink Friday. “I’m taking it back to a few things that I’ve done, it’s a lot more fun,” shared Nicki. “It will be my most fun video and my most carefree video, lots of eye candy and lots of beefcakes.”

Kelly Rowland Films Motivation Video

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Kelly Rowland recently released this image of her on the set of the video for her new single, ‘Motivation (Ft. Lil Wayne)’. The track serves as the 1st official release from her 3rd studio album due for release this year and has been the #1 added song to Urban radio formats.

Frank Gatson and Luam are choreographing, while Sarah Chatfield is directing the clip.

Lupe Fiasco Announces Spring Tour Dates

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Lupe Fiasco’s Spring Tour Dates

March 27 – Los Angeles, CA – DUB Car Show – L.A. Convention Center
March 31 – Durham, NC – Duke University
April 1 – Ann Arbor, MI – University Of Michigan
April 13 – Albany, NY – SUNY Albany – Washington Ave. Armory
April 16 – Keene, NH – Keene State College
April 19 – Oxford, OH – Miami University
April 21 – Phoenix, AZ – Mesa Amphitheater
April 24 – New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom
April 25 – New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom
April 26 – New Haven, CT – Yale University
April 28 – Bristol, RI – Roger Williams University
April 29 – University Park, PA – Penn State University
May 1 – Baltimore, MD – Meriweather Post
May 6 – New Orleans, LA – Congo Square
May 7 – Boise, ID – Boise State University
May 11 – Lewiston, ME – Bates College – Grey Gym

CHRIS BROWN HOPES TO SELL A MILLI IN HIS FIRST WEEK

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With his fourth album F.A.M.E. arriving in stores Tuesday, Chris Brown is setting the bar high. The R&B heartthrob has blockbuster numbers in mind when it comes to his opening week sales.

“I wouldn’t consider it jinxing myself, but I always dream big,” Chris told Hot 97’s Angie Martinez. “I wouldn’t have thought when I was 15 I would be able to do this music. I would love to just solidify that, as much as ya’ll wanna keep talking about stuff, bringing stuff up, ya’ll can’t stop [my] music.”

He set a lofty goal for his first week, but added that he’d be happy with any amount. “I would love to do like a mill the first week, honestly. And that’s really pushing, and I know that’s pushing, but I’m happy with anything I sell. If I sell 100,000 like last time, I’m cool.”

Breezy chalked up disappointing sales of 2009’s Graffiti to poor timing. It was released less than a year after the Rihanna incident. “My last Graffiti album was only 100,000, but it was a lot more added to it back then,” he said. “Right now it’s a more comfortable position. People are accepting the music now.”

During his visit to the radio station, he also confirmed that his next single from F.A.M.E. will be the Michael Jackson and SWV-sampled “She Ain’t You.”

Report: Nicki Minaj Being Courted by Simon Cowell for ‘X Factor’

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After conquering the charts, Nicki Minaj’s next frontier may be television. The Young Money raptress is reportedly in talks with Simon Cowell to be a judge on the U.S. edition of his talent competition “The X Factor.”

The Harajuku Barbie met with Cowell in Los Angeles a few weeks ago, according to Page Six. “Simon thinks Nicki is fantastic. She’s sassy, she looks great, and she has bags of personality,” says a source.

The hip-hop diva’s casting as a judge would help the show appeal to a younger and more diverse audience. “Nicki has a large following and she fits well with the ethos of the show, which plans to usher in a new generation of musical talent,” adds the source. “‘X Factor’ is aiming for a younger audience. Those aged 12 and over can audition, and [the English version has] launched successful artists from other genres of music than pop.”

She is currently touring the country with Lil Wayne and nothing has been finalized. “This isn’t a done deal yet, but Nicki would be great for the show. She fits the ideal that ‘X Factor’ will be exciting, vibrant, and different. And the show would also be great for her career.”

Former Island Def Jam CEO and Chairman L.A. Reid was officially announced as one of the judges for the singing competition, set to premiere this fall on Fox.

Jay-Z Lebron James Boys & Girls Club Event

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Jay-Z and LeBron James unveiled the new gym at the Boys and Girls Club of Los Angeles. The gym was funded as a joint effort between the Two Kings as part of Sprite’s Spark Parks campaign and features a mural donated by renowned tattoo and graffiti artist Mr. Cartoon.