Leona Lewis Sings For Nelson Mandela
Leona Lewis Sings For Nelson Mandela
Commanding the stage in a colorful floral patterned ensemble, Leona Lewis helped Nelson Mandela celebrate his 90th birthday during a big concert in London on Friday (June 27).
Offering up a solid performance at the Hyde Park venue, Lewis was there to lend her support for Mandela and his global AIDS campaign, 46664.
Proceeds from the event were funneled directly towards the 46664 charity, which is currently campaigning to raise awareness of the severity of the disease.
Also on hand for the festivities were musical acts including Amy Winehouse, Annie Lennox, Josh Groban, Joan Baez and actor Will Smith.
Winehouse Plays for Full House at Mandela Gig
Nelson Mandela’s not just a moral authority, he’s a miracle worker.
Tens of thousands of punters and a slew of A-list stars and musical acts gathered in London’s Hyde Park Friday for a special concert honoring the South African leader’s 90th birthday party. The biggest surprise of the evening came courtesy of a healthy-looking Amy Winehouse, who, despite speculation and a track record to the contrary, actually turned up as planned and delivered a hitch-free performance during the four-hour event.
Will Smith hosted the megaconcert (with ample help from wife Jada Pinkett Smith), which also counted Josh Groban, Leona Lewis, Queen, Annie Lennox, Stephen Fry, Quincy Jones, Lewis Hamilton, Simple Minds, Geri Halliwell, Razorlight and U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown among its stage-gracing guests.
Winehouse made her triumphant appearance roughly two hours into the show, first taking the stage with the rest of the performers to sing “Happy Birthday” to the guest of honor. Per usual, her trademark “Blake” heart brooch was ensconced firmly in her beehive.
Donning a short black-and-white dress, she took the stage again roughly a half-hour later to perform a solo set.
After a short struggle to adjust her microphone, Winehouse kicked off the set with “Rehab.” The song’s lack of slurred lyrics and nonshortness of breath combined with particularly effusive backup dancers resulted in major crowd love for the singer, who curtsied and twirled for the fans before next launching straight into “Valerie,” a cover of the Zutons hit she performed on Mark Ronson’s Version.
Remarkably, she left the stage after the two tunes without incident.
She then returned to the stage for the concert’s finale to lead the rest of the artists in attendance in an updated version of the Specials’ 1984 anthem “Free Nelson Mandela.”
While Winehouse was one of the final performers added to the lineup last month, her appearance was iffy at best in recent weeksshe went from being hospitalized to having emphysema to not really having emphysema to having it, maybe, just a bit.
Pretaped messages abounded during the packed-house event, including a beamed-in Bono and The Edge joining in the “Happy Birthday” song and shout-outs from Susan Sarandon, Morgan Freeman, Gordon Ramsay, David Beckham (who garnered the loudest cheers of the montage) and wife Victoria (who garnered the loudest boos).
In addition to marking Mandela’s entrée into the world of nonagenarians, the concert also raised funds for his HIV/AIDS charity, 46664, so named for his prison number.
In keeping with the theme, 46,664 people attended the concert in Hyde Park, which actually comes a few weeks before Mandela’s real birthday, July 18.
2008 BET Awards Rock LA
2008 BET Awards Rock LA
Every year the BET Awards is an event to behold. And last night there was plenty of pomp and circumstance, as well as a plethora of memorable performances.
Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium was packed to its 6,300-seat capacity as musical acts from the past joined today’s hottest performers for some noteworthy collaborations. For instance, Alicia Keys performed “Weak” with SWV, “Hold On” with En Vogue, and “Waterfalls” with Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins and Rozonda “Chili” Thomas from TLC.
Chris Brown was nominated for several awards, eventually taking home the trophy for Best Male R&B artist. He told press, “I just love what I’m doing and I have fun doing it. I love being myself.”
The night’s winners were:
Female R&B artist: Alicia Keys
Male R&B artist: Chris Brown
Group: UGK
Gospel artist: Marvin Sapp
Female hip-hop artist: Missy Elliott
Male hip-hop artist: Kanye West
New artist: The Dream
Collaboration:The Good Life, Kanye West featuring T-Pain
Video director: Erykah Badu and Mr. Roboto
Video of the year: International Player’s Anthem (I Choose You), UGK featuring Outkast
Viewers choice video: Lollipop, Lil Wayne
Actress: Halle Berry
Actor: Denzel Washington
Female athlete: Candace Parker
Male athlete: Kobe Bryant
BET J award: Raheem DeVaughn
Lifetime achievement award: Al Green
Humanitarian award: Quincy Jones
Mariah Carey to replace Janet Jackson on SNL
In case you were tuning in to Saturday Night Live this weekend for the music and not the…ahem…comedy, there’s been a change in the schedule. Janet Jackson is evidently ill and has canceled her appearance. She spent some time at Cedars Sinai hospital earlier this week due to a particularly nasty case of the flu. Mariah Carey will take her place.
This makes me wonder whether people tune in to SNL for the musical acts. I have to admit that I usually fast-forward through the musical performances. Maybe there is something about the sound on that stage, but performers rarely sound good. Or maybe it’s just the performers themselves who only sound good on an album. I think I’ve tuned in to SNL to see Barenaked Ladies perform and that’s about it. Oh, and Beck is always pretty rad when he’s on.
Does anybody watch SNL just for the music?