It is a sad day for anybody who enjoyed the countless hours of entertainment from Megaupload. The FBI charged the operators of the site with copyright infringement and “conspiracy to commit racketeering.”

And here’s big news, Alicia Keys is connected to this controversy. Her husband Swizz Beats was revealed as the acting CEO of the company, who was brought on by founder Kim Dotcom. Beatz was partially responsible for the track “Mega Song,” which showed famous artists supporting the service.

It is unclear which seven Megaupload employees are to be arrested, and the extent to which Swizz Beats has been involved.

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Before Arcade Fire and Radiohead snag the spotlight, Kanye doesn’t hesitate to remind everyone that he’s still around with his new neon-infested music video for “All of the Lights” that includes appearances by Rihanna and Kid CuDi.

The Hype Williams directed video starts with a solemn black-and-white shot of a young black girl strolling through the snow-covered streets in the projects, while Elton John’s ivory tickles provide the instrumental. As the blaring, triumphant fanfare of horns welcome the chorus of Alicia Keys, Rihanna and friends… the acid light show begins.

Michael Jackson tributes continue with CuDi’s red-leather jacker (hello, Thriller) and Ye’s tribal dancing on top of a cop car (Black or White).

And yes, there is the blatant nod to Gasper Noe’s Into the Void intro, which is done in respect.

And on top of that, we get Rihanna in what appear to be a boob harness. Yes. A boob harness.

But, of course, would anyone expect anything less than classy from the man? It won’t disappoint with the cinematic presentation, as it isn’t over done or too spectacular… just a few cop lights, flash lights, spot lights and strobe lights to kick one into seizure after one dose.

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The musical pair of Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz has something to sing about:  A baby and a wedding are both on the way, reports People.  Keys, 29, and Beatz (real name:  Kasseem Dean), 31, have been together since the fall of 2008 and are ready to start a family together.

A rep for the couple has confirmed that they “are expecting a baby and are engaged to be married in a private ceremony later this year.”

A friend of the musical duo says that “they’re very happy,” reports People.

Beatz has two sons, Kasseem Jr. and Prince Nasir, from two previous relationships but this will be the first child together for the couple.  This will also be the first time Grammy-award-winning Alicia Keys will tie the knot.

So we’ve got one question:  Will this baby have the same musical talent as its parents?

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Talk about one hell of a bang for your buck! All in one concert  - Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Robin Thicke, Melanie Fiona, and Jermaine Paul. Wow!

That’s what New York City fans were treated to last night at the Alicia Keys concert at Madison Square Gardens, reports MTV News. Before Keys hit the stage, fans were treated to Thicke, Fiona and Paul. Then Keys hit the stage appearing in a chain-wrapped cage, amidst the smoke that slowly flooded the stage.

After a few songs Beyonce surprisingly joined her fellow diva on stage for “Put It in a Love Song” that got fans riled up. And if that wasn’t enough, Jay-Z hit the stage later for “Empire State of Mind.” (see clip below)

That’s a lucky group of fans!

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George Clooney’s “Hope for Haiti” benefit will feature performances by Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Bono, Sting and Alicia Keys, reports CBC. Clooney said he expects more than 40 celebrities to come out to the New York event on Jan. 22 to show their support for the victims of a recent earthquake in Haiti.

He said the goal of the fundraiser is “to show the people of Haiti that the whole world is paying attention.”

Clooney and Haitian-born singer Wyclef Jean will host the event, which will be broadcast on over a dozen television channels and will feature CNN’s Anderson Cooper live from the disaster-stricken country.

Proceeds will benefit the Red Cross, UNICEF, Oxfam America, Partners in Health and the Yele Haiti Foundation, started by Jean. Songs performed at the benefit will be available for purchase on iTunes, with the funds raised going to relief efforts.

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Alicia Keys and Jack White have teamed up to record the theme song to “Quantum of Solace,” making it the first duet in Bond soundtrack history.

The song, titled “Another Way To Die,” was written and produced by White, who also plays drums on the track, Columbia Pictures said in a statement Tuesday.

The announcement puts to rest questions surrounding who would record the latest Bond theme, with rumoured contenders having included Amy Winehouse, Leona Lewis and Duffy.

Coincidentally, Keys and White have both appeared in movies — the R&B songstress’s acting credits include “Smokin’ Aces” and “The Nanny Diaries,” and the White Stripes/Raconteurs frontman had a part in “Cold Mountain.”

Their new song will join the list of such past Bond themes as Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger,” Duran Duran’s “A View To A Kill,” Paul McCartney’s “Live And Let Die” and Chris Cornell’s “You Know My Name.” Cornell’s tune was featured in the most recently released Bond film, 2006′s “Casino Royale.”

The soundtrack to “Quantum of Solace” will be released Oct. 28, while the film itself — the 22nd James Bond flick — will hit North American theatres Nov. 7.

Daniel Craig reprises his starring role as Agent 007 in the Marc Forster-directed movie.

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Alicia Keys may be taking on James Bond–but not as a Bond Girl.

The Grammy award-winning singer is rumoured to be the top contender to sing the title song for the next Bond film, Quantum of Solace.

Other artists–including Amy Winehouse, Beyonce, Leona Lewis, Duran Duran, Jack White, Duffy, and Annie Lennox–have also been linked to the movie, but an inside source told E! Online yesterday:

“I believe Alicia is the winner.”

Keys’ rep declined to comment. A rep for the movie also kept quiet, saying there was “no info” available about a potential title song.

Quantum of Solace, starring Daniel Craig again as Bond, is scheduled to hit theatres in November.

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Alicia Keys is working hard – so that she can quit.

The talented songstress told Contact Music that she plans to retire at 30, just three years from now.

“I am working hard now so I have the choice to retire when I want,” she told the site. “I would like to travel the world and stay in places instead of having to move on like I do now. I want to experience difference cultures.”

Keys said that the reason for her early retirement is that she feels too pressured by the business and fame. In 2006 she took a break from it all, travelling to Egypt.

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According to reports, Alicia Keys has reportedly signed a $25 million dollar deal with VitaminWater brand, joining other endorsement members 50 Cent and Kelly Clarkson.

Although the new deal has not yet been officially confirmed, possible details include several commercials, attendance at events and even concert tie-ins. According to website MediaTakeOut.com, the U.S. drinks firm Glaceau is expected to make the official announcement sometime in June.

50 Cent is said to have made $400 million in his deal with Glaceau, but sold his 10 per cent share of the company last year in May 2007 after Coca-Cola agreed to purchase Glaceau for $4.1 billion.

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Songstress Alicia Keys was the big winner at Thursday’s NAACP Image Awards, taking home four awards including Outstanding Album for the platinum-selling “As I Am” and Outstanding Female Artist.

She also won top music video and song for “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” at the ceremony held at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium.

Chris Brown won for Outstanding Male Artist, while “American Idol” winner Jordin Sparks won for Outstanding New Artist.

“Great Debaters” leads Denzel Washington and Jurnee Smollett won the Best Actor and Actress prizes for film. The movie, which was produced by Oprah Winfrey, also won Best Picture.

The night’s honourees included Stevie Wonder, who received the Hall of Fame Award, and Aretha Franklin, who won the prestigious Vanguard Award.

According to NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, the Vanguard “is presented to a person whose groundbreaking work increases our understanding and awareness of racial and social issues.” Previous winners of the award are Prince, Stanley Kramer and Steven Spielberg.

The NAACP Image Awards honour achievements in film, television, music and literature. This year marked the 39th anniversary of the awards.

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Singer Alicia Keys will hit two major Canadian cities as part of her North American “As I Am” tour in the spring and summer.

Keys will stop by Toronto’s Air Canada Centre for a show on June 6, and Montreal’s Bell Centre on June 8.

The songstress is touring in support of “As I Am,” her third studio album. So far, 30 shows have been confirmed, with Keys kicking off the trek in Hampton, VA on April 19 and wrapping things up at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 18.

‘Am I Am’ has spent weeks atop the Billboard charts, and the single “No One” has two nods at this Sunday’s Grammy Awards, for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

The dates for Keys’ North American tour are:

April:
Hampton, VA – Hampton Coliseum (April 19)
Philadelphia, PA – Liacouras Center (20)
Pittsburgh, PA – Peterson Events Center (22)
Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena (25)
Columbus, OH – Value City Arena at Schottenstein Center (26)
St. Louis, MO – Scottrade Center (27)
Minneapolis, MN – Target Center (30)

May:
Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center (May 1)
Los Angeles, CA – venue to be announced (5)
San Diego, CA – San Diego Sports Arena (7)
Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena (9)
San Jose, CA – HP Pavilion at San Jose (10)
Phoenix, AZ – Jobing.com Arena (12)
Grand Prairie, TX – Nokia Theatre at Grand Prairie (14)
Houston, TX – Toyota Center (18)
New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Arena (22)
Tampa, FL – St. Pete Times Forum (24)
Miami, FL – American Airlines Arena (25)
Atlanta, GA – Philips Arena (28)
Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum (30)
Cincinnati, OH – US Bank Arena (31)

June:
Detroit, MI – Joe Louis Arena (June 3)
Cleveland, OH – Wolstein Center at Cleveland State (5)
Toronto, Ontario – Air Canada Centre (6)
Montreal, Quebec – Bell Centre (8)
Boston, MA – TD Banknorth Garden (11)
Washington, DC – Verizon Center (13)
Baltimore, MD – 1st Mariner Arena (15)
Newark, NJ – Prudential Center (17)
New York, NY – Madison Square Garden (18)

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Alicia Keys and Jordin Sparks are hoping to avoid any pesky “wardrobe malfunctions” at tonight’s Super Bowl.

While veteran crooner Tom Petty will play the halftime show, Keys and Sparks are slated to perform before the big game kicks off.

Keys will start the festivities with some pre-show entertainment and Sparks is set to belt out the Star Spangled Banner.

The reigning American Idol is no stranger to Super Bowl Sunday hype. Her father is former New York Giant, Phillippi Sparks.

“I said, ‘Dad, I’m singing at the Super Bowl,’” Jordin Sparks was quoted as saying, EZ-Tracks News reports. “He said, ‘At least one of us made it.’”

Along with big-name performances, the Super Bowl always delivers memorable between-the-plays-entertainment. This year’s batch of high-profile commercials will feature the likes of Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Missy Elliott.

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If you’ve been on a stroll past the Eaton Centre recently, hopefully you avoided stepping on Alicia Keys’ face.

Toronto chalk artist Victor Fraser re-created the songstress’ recently released album cover on the sidewalk. The entire 6-hour process was recorded and made into a fascinating time-lapse video, which can be viewed here.

Additional works by Fraser can be viewed at his MySpace page.

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A headlining performance by musician Alicia Keys will open the six-day-long International AIDS Conference in Toronto next month.

Blue Man Group, Our Lady Peace, Barenaked Ladies, Amanda Marshall and Chantal Kreviazuk will also perform during the kick-off show, to be held on August 13 at the Rogers Centre. Actor Richard Gere will also make an appearance.

The first portion of the evening is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. with a speech by Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty. Bill and Melinda Gates, who support a number of HIV/AIDS programs through their charitable foundation, will follow with a keynote address. Then Canadian opera singer Measha Brueggergosman will perform with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

The benefit concert will start at 9 p.m. Proceeds from ticket sales to the event will support various AIDS-related organizations.

“These two events in one evening at the Rogers Centre — the opening with the concert — promise to make this a memorable evening that will bring even greater attention to the AIDS issue here in Canada and around the world,” said Andrew Pringle, board president for the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research, according to the Associated Press.

Other notable guests set to attend the conference include former U.S. president Bill Clinton and UNAIDS special representative Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.

Tickets are already on-sale through Ticketmaster. Prices range from $30 to $150 each.

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Grammy Award-winning songstress Alicia Keys got her famous friends together for the annual Keep A Child Alive fundraiser, the Black Ball, in New York City on Thursday night. Keys also hosted the event, now in its second year, last December. This time, she took to the stage for special performances with Usher, Paul Simon, John Mayer, Common, Angelique Kidjo, and the Agape Children?s Choir from Durban, South Africa.

The Black Ball was the finale event to Time magazine?s Global Health Summit, which brought together leaders in medicine, government, business, public policy, and the arts to develop solutions to global health crises. Proceeds from the event went to Keep A Child Alive, which helps provide HIV/AIDS medicine to children and their families in developing countries. The Black Ball, held at Frederick P. Rose Hall, even attracted quite a few celebrity supporters, including Whoopi Goldberg, Jessica Alba, Natasha Richardson, Cynthia Nixon, and fashion designer Giorgio Armani.

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Much like the aftermath of Sept. 11 just four years ago, celebrities, musicians, and actors are banning together to raise money for victims of another U.S. disaster. This time, the cause is Katrina, the Category 5 hurricane that has left the Mississippi gulf and the city of New Orleans in ruins.

?A Concert for Hurricane Relief,? to be broadcast on NBC, MSNBC, and CNBC this Friday at 8 p.m. EST, will include performances by Wynton Marsalis, Harry Connick Jr., and Tim McGraw. Celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio are also scheduled to participate in the hour-long special, which will be hosted by Matt Lauer in New York. Viewers will be encouraged to donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

But the special which will likely draw the biggest crowd is a three-city MTV extravaganza that will feature performances by Usher, Green Day, Ludacris, and Alicia Keys. It will air live on Sept. 10 on MTV, VH1, and CMT from New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville.

“In the face of a tragedy of this scope, we simply have to do everything in our power to offer support, comfort and hope to all the people directly impacted by the hurricane,” said Judy McGrath, chair and CEO of MTV Networks, who announced the concerts yesterday. “Our goal is to join forces on every medium to get involved, to volunteer, to contribute in any way we can.”

Other artists currently on board for the event are Gretchen Wilson, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews Band, Rob Thomas, Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, and David Banner. Additional performers are expected to be added to the line-up as the show draws closer. All proceeds will go to the American Red Cross.

President George W. Bush has called Katrina ?one of the worst national disasters? in U.S. history as hundreds are feared dead in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.

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Alicia Keys is the latest artist to get Unplugged.

Keys will release “MTV Unplugged” on October 11. It will be available as a CD or DVD, or a package of both.

Her MTV special will air several times throughout the month of September. Her first single, Unbreakable, is scheduled to hit radio on September 12.

The special was taped in July and features guest appearances from Common, Mos Def, Damian Marley, and Maroon 5′s Adam Levine.

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Alicia Keys has succeeded in making another one of her dreams come true. The nine-time Grammy winner just finished taping a special episode of MTV ?Unplugged? and will now join the likes of Nirvana, Elton John, and Alanis Morissette ? musicians who comprise an exclusive list of big-name artists to have graced the show?s stage.

“As a child, in my wildest dreams ? and I dreamed so big ? but you never think it’s going to happen,” Keys told MTV. “So to be here, on the set that we’re going to record ‘Unplugged’ on, it’s amazing and beautiful and everything I’ve ever dreamed of.?

The R&B sensation brought the show back from MTV retirement last week in New York, where she serenaded fans with new renditions of songs off her two studio albums (Songs in A Minor and The Diary of Alicia Keys), a few covers (including Brenda Holloway?s ?Every Little Bit Hurts?) and also two new originals.

The MTV Unplugged series first debuted in 1989 and showcased popular bands in intimate, stripped-down performances, sans electric guitars, keyboards, and special effects. The show was credited with bringing about an ?acoustic revolution? in mainstream music.

?’Unplugged’ is my thing, it’s really my style, it’s what I’m all about,” said Keys. ?To have strings, to have percussion, to have all these elements to put in the piano base that I have, this is so much fun, man.?

Joining in on the fun were some of Keys? famous friends, whom she brought on stage to sing with her. Maroon 5?s Adam Levine joined Keys for a cover of the Rolling Stones? ?Wild Horses? while rap stars Common and Mos Def are featured in ?Love It or Leave It Alone.? Keys also performed with Damian Marley (son of reggae legend Bob Marley) for a unique rendition of his single, ?Welcome to Jam Rock.?

Fans can also look forward to hearing two new tracks on the show: “Stolen Moments” and “Unbreakable.” Keys describes ?Stolen Moments,? which she co-wrote with soul icon Al Green, as being about a romance “that shouldn’t exist, but it’s so perfect in how they relate to each other.” Meanwhile, “Unbreakable” is about “how life and love can be unbreakable.?

“Once people see this ‘Unplugged,’ I just want them to feel the spontaneity, to feel passionate,” Keys said. “I want you to see another side of me, that’s free, and feel where my head is, where whatever happens, happens. I want you to feel inspired.”

“Alicia Keys: Unplugged” is tentatively scheduled to air on MTV September 9.

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R&B’s biggest stars came together yesterday to pay their final respects to eight-time Grammy winner Luther Vandross.

Family, friends, and fans of the legendary singer gathered at the Riverside Church for a stunning memorial service that concluded in an all-star performance of Vandross’ hit single, “Power of Love/Love Power.”

The mourners seated in the first few rows of the church read like a list of who’s who in the music business: current stars such as Alicia Keys and Usher were mere feet away from those who inspired them, like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Patti LaBelle.

All were present to remember the 54-year-old Vandross, who died July 1 at a New Jersey hospital, two years after he suffered a debilitating stroke. The soul singer had sold more than 25 million records throughout his illustrious career.

Vandross’ gold coffin sat at the foot of the altar, where a single, simple floral arrangement ? white lilies mingling with white and yellow roses ? had been laid. Seated in the front row was Vandross’ mother, Mary Ida, who was surrounded by the R&B icon’s nine nieces and their 11 children. LaBelle, a long-time friend, read a poem written by Ida, and said, “There are no sad faces here today. It’s not a mournful service. I’m celebrating because Luther would want us to.”

Despite heavy rains, mourners lined up for two city blocks before the church opened, but once inside, stirring musical tributes by Wonder, Franklin, and Cissy Houston made it all worthwhile.

Houston sang the gospel standard “Deep River,” while Wonder performed a moving rendition of gospel song “I Won’t Complain.” Franklin fought back a sore throat to bring the choir and clergy to their feet with “Amazing Grace.”

Before the funeral service, Vandross, a New York native, got to take one final tour through Harlem. A hearse carrying the singer’s remains made a stop outside the Apollo Theater, where Vandross first got his start.

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