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Alicia Keys, Jack White Collaborate For Bond Theme

Eva Lam — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 07:45:38 +0000

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.

Alicia Keys To Ink Deal With James Bond?

andPOP Staff — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 03:07:19 +0000

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.

Alicia Keys Retiring at 30

andPOP Staff — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:26:37 +0000

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.

Alicia Keys Signs $25 Million Deal With VitaminWater

Irene Ogrodnik — Mon, 19 May 2008 08:15:23 +0000

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.

Alicia Keys Dominates NAACP Image Awards

Eva Lam — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 17:13:11 +0000

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.

Alicia Keys Announces North American Tour

Eva Lam — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:36:30 +0000

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)

Keys, Sparks Added To Super Bowl Lineup

andPOP Staff — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 13:53:24 +0000

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.

Toronto Artist Chalks Up Alicia Keys

andPOP Staff — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 05:17:21 +0000

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.

Alicia Keys to Headline Toronto AIDS Benefit

andPOP Staff — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 18:45:41 +0000

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.

Alicia Keys and Friends Throw Fundraising Gala in NYC

andPOP Staff — Sun, 06 Nov 2005 21:23:22 +0000

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.