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Tag: Aretha Franklin

  • Jackie Evancho to Sing for Pope Francis in Philadelphia

    Jackie Evancho, the 15-year-old classical crossover singer said to have the “voice of an angel” will use her God-given talent to perform for Pope Francis in Philadelphia on Saturday evening.

    “I never even dreamt of seeing the pope, so I think it’s going to be really cool,” Jackie Evancho said during an interview with a CBS affiliate in Pittsburgh, where she hails from.

    Pope Francis will be in the audience on Saturday. In addition to Jackie Evancho, other performers include actor Mark Wahlberg, comedian Jim Gaffigan, Sister Sledge, and Aretha Franklin.

    Evancho is Catholic, and she believes her abilities as a singer were given to her by God.

    “Since I was very little and people said I could sing [well], I’ve always thought, ‘thank God.’ Always thank God for that,” she says.

    “It’s like I’m telling stories to my friends when I’m singing to an audience,” Jackie Evancho explains.

    Jackie was discovered when she submitted a YouTube audition to America’s Got Talent back in 2010. She was just 10 years old at the time.

    Evancho just returned from Italy–where Pope Francis lives. Now she is in Philadelphia, preparing to sing for Pope Francis.

    He will no doubt agree that Jackie Evancho has the voice of an angel.

  • Aretha Franklin Slams Author Of Unauthorized Biography

    Aretha Franklin is not a happy camper at the moment.

    Apparently, the legendary “Queen of Soul” isn’t too pleased with the release of an unauthorized biography chronicling her life.

    As a matter of fact, she’s described the book as “trashy.”

    According to Billboard, the book titled Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin, was written by David Ritz and the “Rose Is Still A Rose” singer has made it quite that clear she is not fond of his literary work.

    She also insists a substantial amount of the information presented in the book is based on lies.

    The 72-year-old singer recently released a brief statement in reference to the new book.

    “As many of you are aware, there is a very trashy book out there full of lies and more lies about me. … (The writer’s) actions are obviously vindictive because I edited out some crazy statements he had the gall to try and put in my book written 15 years ago,” the statement read. “Evidently, he has been carrying this hatred ever since.”

    Although Ritz has written a number of biographical works including the life stories of Etta James, Rick James and Ray Charles, Franklin insists he missed the mark with his account of her life and legacy.

    However, Ritz feels otherwise. On Monday, Nov. 24, he released a statement to the Associated Press defending the book. He personally feels it is a work of “appreciation and respect.”

    “I think the book in the deepest way is an appreciation. And when I say appreciation, it’s just not an appreciation of her art; it’s an appreciation of the challenges of her life and the appreciation of how hard it is to kind of navigate your way through the complexities of show business culture,” Ritz explained.

    He continued, “I call the book Respect because I think it’s a respectful book,” Ritz told the publication. “I tried to be understanding and compassionate and that was my goal. … I love her and I love her art, and I tried to honor her story.”

  • Aretha Franklin Disses Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift

    Recently Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, sat down with The Wall Street Journal to talk about her new album, Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics.

    The album, which was the highest debut of Frankin’s career on the Billboard charts, includes ten song covers such as People by Barbara Streisand, Rolling in the Deep by Adele, and Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight.

    In the interview Franklin was asked about auto-tune and responded by saying, “What is auto-tune? I don’t even know what auto-tune is.” After it was explained to her, the 72-year-old gave her outright opinion on the recent technology. “Oh, please. That’s ridiculous.”

    Because her new album is about divas, interviewer Christopher John Farley mentioned some recent pop divas to get Franklin’s reaction. The results weren’t always flattering.

    When Taylor Swift was mentioned, all Franklin had to say was “Okay. Great gowns, beautiful gowns.”

    Same goes for Nicki Minaj. “Nicki Minaj,” she said. “Hmm. I’m gonna pass on that one.”

    As far as Adele goes, Franklin said that she is a “good singer” and that she liked Rolling in the Deep from the first time she heart it. “I like that melody and I like that song.”

    This wouldn’t be the first time Franklin has publicly dissed another female performer. In March at the White House’s Women of Soul concert, Franklin entered the room to a standing ovation and, when passing singer Patti LaBelle, did not take the hand that was offered to her but instead glared at the other soul singer. Another report said that LaBelle later punched Franklin.

    Franklin dismissed the rumors with a laugh.

    “I’ve never heard anything crazier, regarding myself and Patti,” Franklin said in a statement. “ Patti and I are cool and we always have been. I enjoyed her at the White House. Classic Patti.”

    LaBelle also chimed in, saying, “A lot of times, when people are singing, they don’t see anybody. I didn’t feel any negativity at all. She is the most wonderful woman in the world, and there is no one like her, and I pray for her every day.”

    Beyonce was another object of Franklin’s disdain after the 33-year-old called Tina Turner, not Franklin, “the queen.”

    “I am not sure of whose toes I may have stepped on or whose ego I may have bruised between the Grammy writers and Beyonce,” Franklin said in a statement issued by her publicist. “However, I dismissed it as a cheap shot for controversy.”

    Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics was released on October 17.

  • Nicki Minaj Is Smart, Says Nicki Minaj

    In a recent Billboard Magazine interview, Nicki Minaj held forth on the perception that she is not intelligent.

    “Once I did [American] Idol, a lot of people would come up to me and say, ‘Oh, you’re smarter than I thought,’ ” she recalls. “What does that mean? Was I making weird faces [that made you think] I was stupid?”

    Minaj figures if people knew how hard she worked they might realize how smart she is, not just sexy.

    “People don’t know how heavily involved I am in my own career,” she says. “I’m on 15 to 25 conference calls every few days strategizing with my team. I think a lot of artists sit back and have it done for them. Sometimes as women in the industry — if you’re sexy or like doing sexy things — some people subconsciously negate your brain. They think you’re stupid.”

    Minaj takes all those conference calls because she is a serious artist with serious artistic dreams and ambitions. The roots of these dreams go all the way back to her childhood.

    “I was just a little kid in Southside Jamaica, Queens, hoping one day I would have my own perfume,” she says. “And now I have three.”

    It’s important to know where you stand in a group of peers. This year has been characterized as lackluster for hip-hop in general. Courtney Love said earlier this year that hip-hop is in the same bloated place creatively that mainstream rock was in the 80s before Nirvana swept in.

    “I don’t mean to give you an incendiary quote,” Love told The Guardian, “but there’s gotta be a correction in the market.”

    Minaj sees herself as the cure for that.

    “I’m not mad at where hip-hop’s at,” she says. “It’s in a more playful place. It’s corny when rappers feel like they’ve made it and they don’t have to prove themselves anymore. You should always be competing. You should always be trying to show that you’re the best. My album is going to be important to hip-hop.”

    Others are not as kind to Minaj as she is to herself.

    Rock staple Slash recently said, “If I was casting [a movie with] Nicki Minaj… she’d be the first girl murdered.”

    Aretha Franklin recently spoke to the Wall Street Journal. She was responding to a list of today’s crop of divas that included Adele and Alicia Keys. She reacted to Nicki Minaj’s name with, “Nicki Minaj…..I’m gonna pass on that one!”

  • Al Sharpton Friend Accused of Assault After Party

    Al Sharpton’s friend–an as-yet unnamed woman–was allegedly raped in the hours following a celebration for Sharpton’s 60th birthday. Another of Sharpton’s friends–Attorney Sanford Rubenstein–is presently under investigation by the New York Police Department with regard to the rape.

    The New York Post reports that Rubestein allegedly attacked the woman in his East Side penthouse after both of them attended Al Sharpton’s birthday party.

    A source from the NYPD tells the publication that the woman–the alleged victim–is a Manhattan executive in her forties. She reportedly resides in Brooklyn.

    Al Sharpton’s birthday party included distinguished guests like New York’s Governor Cuomo, as well as celebrities like Spike Lee and Aretha Franklin. The alleged victim is said to have attended the party with another woman. At some point after the party for the acclaimed civil rights leader, both women reportedly accompanied Sanford Rubenstein to his home, where they had drinks. The second woman left at some point during the evening.

    “The next thing she knows, it’s Thursday morning, and she wakes up naked in his bed,” a NYPD source told the New York Post of the alleged victim. The source went on to explain that the
    alleged victim was bleeding from the sexual contact during the incident. When the bleeding continued into Friday she sought medical attention at Methodist Hospital. Hospital officials determined she had been sexually assaulted. They were the ones who called authorities. The woman has little to no recollection about what happened at Rubenstein’s home.

    Al Sharpton and Sanford Rubenstein have known one another for years. Rubenstein hosted a party for Sharpton back in 2001 following his hunger strike in prison.

    “I know him, I know her,” Al Sharpton said Saturday night regarding this investigation that now has him in the middle between two friends.

    “But how can I know what happened at somebody’s residence ­after my party?” he asked.

    Sanford Rubenstein has yet to be charged with anything regarding this case.

    This is no doubt extremely perplexing to Al Sharpton, who not only wouldn’t want to think of a friend being sexually assaulted, but certainly wouldn’t want to imagine another of his friends having been the one to commit such a heinous act.

    It will be interesting to learn what the New York Police Department determines in the coming hours and days with regard to their investigation.

  • Aretha Franklin Covers Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’

    Aretha Franklin is one of the most successful music artists of all-time. She’s a legend. For some of today’s biggest pop stars, having Franklin cover their tracks would be a dream come true. Well Adele recently received this honor.

    Franklin’s latest album, Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics, features the multi-Grammy winning singer covering songs made by iconic female singers throughout the ages. She covers everyone from Barbra Streisand to The Supremes.

    Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics also tackles varying musical genres and eras; R&B, power ballads, and Motown classics are all covered by Franklin. The album has something for everyone. Of course, Franklin doesn’t just give the fans the boring same renditions of these songs, but adds her own unique flavor and flare.

    With a career spanning 50 plus years, Franklin knows a thing or two about reinvention. She definitely does this with her cover of Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep.’

    The cover makes sure Franklin gets to exhibit her vocal power by hitting new high notes not originally in the song. To add something even more special to it, the end of it includes a bit of sampling from Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.’

    Franklin’s longtime collaboration partner Clive Davis spoke to Billboard in September about the album. He shared these details, “She’s on fire and vocally in absolutely peak form.” Davis elaborated by saying, “What a thrill to see this peerless artist still showing the way, still sending shivers up your spine, still demonstrating that all contemporary music needs right now is the voice. What a voice.” The new recording is purely and simply sensational.”

    Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics hits stores on October 21.

    Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics track list

    1. “At Last” (Etta James cover)
    2. “Rolling In The Deep” (Adele cover)
    3. “Midnight Train To Georgia” (Gladys Knight and the Pips cover)
    4. “I Will Survive” (Gloria Gaynor cover)
    5. “People” (Barbra Streisand cover)
    6. “No One” (Alicia Keys cover)
    7. “I’m Every Woman” (Chaka Khan cover) / “Respect”
    8. “Teach Me Tonight” (Dinah Washington cover)
    9. “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” (The Supremes cover)
    10. “Nothing Compares 2 U” (Sinéad O’Connor cover)

  • Aretha Franklin Says She’s A Wal-Mart Power-Walker

    Aretha Franklin Says She’s A Wal-Mart Power-Walker

    In January, Aretha Franklin cancelled concerts due to poor health. On Wednesday, the “Queen of Soul” made a guest appearance on Live! With Kelly and Michael to perform and share her workout routine. Franklin admitted that she indulges in food from restaurants such as Bob Evans and Cracker Barrel, and really enjoys eating chicken and dumplings. However, she came up with an exercise routine to burn off the extra calories.

    The 72-year-old singer said that she regularly walks down store aisles to get exercise. “The biggest ones, K-Mart, Meijer, Wal-Mart. I really don’t like to break my stride when I’m walking so I change aisles really quickly,” she told the hosts.

    In an interview with New York Post, Franklin also discussed her walking regimen, saying that she walks about three times a week. “If people are in the aisle and the store happens to be crowded that day, I go to other aisles,” she said.

    Franklin also discussed her new album and said that it should be finished “no later than July 8.” Her new album will consist of covers from other divas like herself. “One of the things I’m working on is ‘Rolling in the Deep’ by Adele. We may even do ‘Bootylicious.’ I love the beat!”

    Other hits that will be included in the album are Gladys Knight’s “Midnight Train to Georgia,” and Barbara Streisand’s “People.” The album does not have a title yet, but will be produced by Andre 3000 of OutKast and Babyface.

    Just last month, Harvard University awarded Franklin an honorary Doctor of Arts degree for her contribution and success in the music industry. She is also the most charted female artist on Billboard, and is the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . Furthermore, Franklin has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, 18 Grammys, and is a recipient of The Presidential Medal of Freedom.

    Image via YouTube

  • Obama Misspells “Respect” in Aretha Franklin Tribute

    Every president makes his share of flubs, and President Barack Obama is no exception. During the Women of Soul tribute at the White House on Thursday night, Obama delivered a speech and acknowledged Aretha Franklin. During the speech, he tried to tie in part of the chorus from Franklin’s hit song Respect, but goofed up the spelling of the word.

    The Women of Soul event was part of the White House’s Women’s History Month celebration. Quite a few singers performed at the event, including Melissa Etheridge, Patti LaBelle, and the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin. When Obama started talking about the impact Franklin has had on women, he flubbed the spelling of the word “respect,” which drew quite a few chuckles from the audience.

    “When Aretha [Franklin] first told us what R-S-P-E-C-T meant to her, she had no idea it would become a rallying cry for African Americans, and women, and then everyone who felt marginalized because of what they looked like or who they loved,” Obama said. “They wanted some respect.”

    Check out President Obama’s Aretha Franklin tribute speech below.

    This isn’t the first time that the president has misspelled a word, but the last time was part of a team effort. Back in 2012, Obama and three others attempted to spell out the word “Ohio” using hand gestures at Ohio State University. Check out the failed attempt below.

    In other Obama news, the president found himself the center of a slam based on a children’s rhyme over the weekend. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin modified Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham to make a few points about overspending and Obamacare.

    “I do not like this Uncle Sam. I do not like his healthcare scam,” Palin said. “I do not like these dirty crooks or how they lie and cook the books. I do not like when Congress steals. I do not like their crony deals. I do not like the spying man. I do not like ‘Oh yes we can.’ I do not like this spending spree. We’re smart we know there’s nothing free. I do not like reporters’ smug replies when I complain about their lies. I do not like this kind of hope. And we won’t take it, nope, nope, nope. Hat tip the Internet.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul Celebrated her 70th Birthday with the Stars

    Aretha Franklin celebrated her 70th birthday on the 25th with friends Diane Sawyer, Willie Wilkerson, and Clive Davis among others.

    Wilkerson and Franklin were engaged for a brief period of time earlier this year but when she was aked if wedding bells were in her future she said, “We’ll see what happens.”

    Despite being seven decades old, Aretha feels like she is half her age and continues to stay busy. She recently re-signed to record with her mentor Davis and is looking forward to the process.

    (image)

    The Queen of soul received birthday wishes on Twitter:

    (image)@eddiepiller
    Eddie Piller    happy birthday aretha franklin – if you want to be reminded of her genius, check ‘it only happens (when I look at you)’ beautiful(image) 22 minutes ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    And also on her Facebook page:

    “Amen sister, may God bless you more and more each day, and may your life continue to be full and healthy and most of all happy. THANK YOU !!!!! for all of your soul.”

    Last year Franlin’s birthday bash was in NYC and also presented itself as a star-studded event. Gayle King and Tony Bennett were among the guest list.

    The songbird maintains that she is young at heart and says that she is a people person who can relate to any age group.

    The artist has won 18 Grammys and has been ranked by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the top 100 greatest singers of all time.

    She has collaborated with many stars such as George Michael and was the first female artist to be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.