New York, U.S.A. — VH1′s beloved franchise ” VH1 Divas “ caught dance fever at the L.A. Shrine Auditorium Sunday night for a live, concert event filled with performances, theatrics, and a roster of musicians and actors ready to boogie down to benefit The VH1 Save The Music Foundation. The star-studded affair incorporated performances from today’s biggest hits and dance classics by host Adam Lambert, Ciara, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Kelly Rowland, Jordin Sparks, and was accompanied by House DJ Havana Brown.

The evening included an incredible line-up of performers ready to shake their groove thing for a good cause, including  Natasha Bedingfield, Kelly Clarkson, Ledisi, Melanie Fiona.

VH1 “You Oughta Know” Artist Metric, Paloma Faith, Pitbull, Iggy Azalea, and Bootsy Collins. Special appearances by L.A. Reid, Amber Riley, Ellie Kemper, Elisha Cuthbert, Kat Graham, Kelly Osbourne, NeNe Leakes, Stacy Keibler, Jenna Dewan Tatum, Brandy, Paula Abdul, Sheila E. and La La Anthony rounded out the disco-themed night.

Adam Lambert kicked off the night with a cabaret themed “Let’s Dance,” followed by a special introduction to Kelly Clarkson’s latest single “Catch My Breath.” With a genuinely enthusiastic Kelly Osbourne introducing one of her favorite groups “Blondie,” VH1 You Oughta Know artist Metric brought the house down with their rendition of “Heart of Glass.” Donning a studded jacket and rocker attitude, Miley Cyrus commanded the room with her vivacious delivery of “Rebel Yell” by rock god Billy Idol.

Newly inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, diva legend Donna Summer created some of the biggest dance hits guaranteed to get the crowd going. Kelly Rowland, Adam Lambert, and Keri Hilson paid tribute to one of the greats with a musical medley of “I Feel The Love,” “Bad Girls,” “She Works Hard The Money,” “Love To Love You Baby,” “Hot Stuff,” and “Last Dance.” An emotional Brandy introduced Jordin Sparks, Ledisi and Melanie Fiona for a power-driven tribute to the late Whitney Houston. The trio dazzled with an electric performance of “I’m Every Woman,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,”  “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay,” and “How Will I Know.”

After two hours of non-stop dancing and entertainment, Pitbull closed the show in style with his hit “Don’t Stop The Party,” leaving the night on a high note.

As in previous years, this edition of “VH1 Divas” will benefit the VH1 Save The Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping music education alive in American public schools. To date, VH1 Save The Music has provided more than $49.5 million in new musical instruments to 1,850 public schools in more than 128 school districts around the country, impacting the lives of over 2.1 million children.

This year’s sponsors for “VH1 Divas” include: AT&T, Burger King, CoverGirl, Fiat, The Hershey Company and Old Navy.

Image Courtesy : StarblindKing

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Some movies have so much hype before their release, but then fall short of expectations. Unfortunately, ‘Sparkle’ falls into that category.

‘Sparkle’ is a remake of the 1976 movie. It is about three sisters trying to make it big in the Motown scene in 1968. Sparkle is often overshadowed by her two older sisters, especially Sister. Along the way, the trio deals with drugs, controversy, abusive relationships and an overprotective mother.

Sounds familiar, right?  Does ‘Dreamgirls’ bring a bell to anyone?

The movie didn’t live up to Toonari Post’s expectations because it was lacking that extra sparkle. The plot of the movie focused so much on getting a record deal but did not dive deep into what happened after Sparkle scored a record deal, which made the movie feel incomplete. The movie focused so much on how Sister dealt with fame, drugs, fortune, her abusive relationship with her husband, and her sisters trying to help her fight her problems.

There was a lot of hype and excitement surrounding the release of this film because of the death of Whitney Houston. Unlike ‘Dreamgirls,’ it may not get any Golden Globes, Oscar nominations or awards, but I do think this was a great last performance from the late Whitney Houston. She was a great singer and actress, and in this film, it showed that she truly enjoyed being a mother.

However, the acting felt a little forced, especially during the make-out scenes.  But there were definitely some standouts in the movie. Whitney Houston, of course, was one of them. Playing a mother came natural to her.  Jordin Sparks did a good job as well, especially since this was her first movie, even though the interactions with other characters were a little painful to watch. Carmen Ejogo did a good job playing Sister, one of Sparkle’s older sisters who became involved with drugs.

The song choices in this movie were not that great at all because they sounded more “church oriented” than the sounds of Motown. Despite that, Jordin outshined everyone, including Whitney Houston, when it came singing.

Sparkle was more suited for the small screen and did not have all the glitz and glamor as one would expect. Overall, Toonari Post had high expectations for this movie, but it was lacking in certain vital places.

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Kelly Rowland and Diggy Simmons will be joining the BET family. According to online sources, Rowland, a former member of the multi-platinum selling girl group Destiny’s Child, has been selected to star in a comedy pilot titled, “What Would Dylan Do?” Rowland’s character, Dylan, is a relationship blogger who lives with a group of friends in Los Angeles.

This will be Rowland’s first leading role in an original series; however, it is not the entertainer’s first time acting. Her television and film credits include ‘The Hughley’s,’ ‘Girlfriends,’ ‘The Game,’ ‘Freddie vs. Jason’ and ‘The Seat Filler.’ Rounding out the cast are Gabrielle Dennis (Cherise), Melanie Liburd (Brooke) and Brandon Scott (Ryan).

Warren Hutcherson will serve as executive producer for “Dylan”. He is an accomplished scriptwriter (“Saturday Night Live” and “Living Single”) and producer (“The Parenthood,” “Moesha,” “The Bernie Mac Show,” “Just Jordan” and “Everybody Hates Chris”). Julian Breece of BET’s online series, Buppies, will write and co-executive produce the show.

Diggy Simmons will star in a yet-to-be-titled project helmed by husband/wife duo Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil. Deadline reports that the two-hour pilot will be “a fresh and edgy look at Diggy, his life as a blogger, and the close group of loyal friends who hold him down on his rise to the top.” Simmons will play the lead, Blake, and will be joined by Allan Maldonado (Manny), Teyana Taylor (Tae), Chris Brew (Dot), Bria Murphy (Nia) and Stephanie Charles (Sheri).

Salim Akil and Mara Brock Akil will executive produce the pilot, while Salim will also take on the role of director. The twosome has a long and successful history in the television and film industry. Akil began working on the successful Showtime series ”Soulfood” as a writer and worked his way up to Executive Producer. He has also written and produced independent films as well as feature films, such as ‘Sparkle’ starring Whitney Houston and Jordin Sparks, which he also directed.

Brock Akil was a writer for “Moesha,” starring Brandy, for four seasons before taking on duties as supervising producer and writer on The Jamie Foxx Show in 1999. She went on to create and executive produce, alongside Kelsey Grammer, the hit series “Girlfriends” in 2000. ”The Game,” a spinoff of “Girlfriends,” was also created and executive produced by Brock Akil.

BET networks, who has long been criticized for displaying ‘shallow content’, has steeped its game up in recent years. Many feel that the transformation began when the network picked up “The Game,” which had been cancelled by UPN. Whatever the case may be, the network is showing no signs of deterring from the new direction.

“Dylan” and the Diggy Simmons project have the potential to join a line-up that includes “The Game” starring Hosea Chanchez, “Reed Between the Lines” starring Malcolm-Jamal Warner, and the “Real Husbands of Hollywood” starring Kevin Hart.

Image Courtesy of  Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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‘Sparkle’ star Jordin Sparks performed for thousands and signed autographs for fans at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota on Wednesday, August 8. Sparks is the winner of the sixth season of “American Idol” and currently has the third highest-selling single from an “American Idol” artist. Her feature film debut in the movie ‘Sparkle’ will appear in theaters August 17.

Who is Sparkle?

Detroit, 1968. The Motown sound is sweeping the nation. Girl groups are hotter than ever. Over their mother’s (Whitney Houston) objections, three beautiful sisters — Delores (Tika Sumpter), Sister (Carmen Ejogo) and Sparkle (Jordin Sparks) — are taking the local music scene by storm. But their dreams are bigger than Detroit. Their manager, Stix (Derek Luke), is just as ambitious and will do whatever it takes to make it to the big time, even if it means using the girls–and his love for Sparkle–as the foundation of a new musical empire.

Behind the music and lights, the recording industry is a ruthless and unforgiving place, just as Mama had warned her girls. Sister, with her good looks and voice, is the natural headliner of the trio, yet her complicated personal life threatens to overshadow her talent; Delores has her sights set on a different kind of life outside the spotlight; and young Sparkle must push past her deepest fears if she is to fulfill her destiny–does she really have what it takes to go all the way?

Riveting and soul-stirring, this timeless tale reminds us of the unbreakable bonds between family, the high price of fame and what can happen when we dare to show the world how brightly we can sparkle.

About Mall of America

Mall of America is the nation’s largest retail and entertainment complex. At 4.2 million square feet, MOA is home to more than 520 world-class shops; Nickelodeon Universe, the nation’s largest indoor family amusement park; SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium, a 1.2 million gallon walk-through aquarium; Moose Mountain Adventure Golf; Theatres at Mall of America – a 14-screen movie theater with VIP theatre and more. The Mall opened in August of 1992 and is located in Bloomington, Minnesota, just minutes from downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Follow Mall of America on Facebook and Twitter or visit their blog.

Image Courtesy of  Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

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