Alicia Keys hit up ABC's "Good Morning America" to perform on their summer concert series. She sang g With A Broken Heart". She also did "Empire State of Mind II" and "Unthinkable", announced the head blogger for her new website and spoke about blessing her baby in Africa.


















Meanwile, the ever-so-sexy Maxwell was on the "Today Show" where he worked it, as usual...

The nominations for the 2010 BET awards were announced at the 230 Fifth Rooftop Garden Bar and Restaurant in New York City and celebs with Caribbean heritage are in almost all categories.




Alicia Keys and Melanie Fiona each have four nominations, followed by Rihanna with 3 nods. Nicki Minaj has two on her own, but added with her nominations as part of Young Money she has a total of five nods.

The 10th annual show will feature performances from Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Diddy-Dirty Money, who was on hand to announce the nominations, along with Oscar nominee Queen Latifah, who will serve as host.

The BET Awards 2010 will air live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 27, at 8 p.m. The nominees are listed below.

Best Female R&B Artist
Beyoncé
Mary J. Blige
Melanie Fiona
Alicia Keys
Rihanna

Best Male R&B Artist
Chris Brown
Raheem DeVaughn
Maxwell
Trey Songz
Usher

Best Gospel
The Anointed Pace Sisters
Kirk Franklin Presents Artists United For Haiti
Tamela Mann
Marvin Sapp
Vickie Winans

Best Female Hip Hop Artist
Ester Dean
Lil Kim
Nicki Minaj
Rasheeda
Trina

Best Male Hip Hop Artist
B.o.B.
Drake
Fabolous
Jay-Z
Ludacris

Best Group
Black Eyed Peas
Clipse
Diddy-Dirty Money
New Boyz
Young Money

Best New Artist
Justin Bieber
Melanie Fiona
Nicki Minaj
Wale
Young Money

Best Collaboration
Beyoncé f/ Lady Gaga – Video Phone
B.o.B. f/ Bruno Mars – Nothin’ On You
Drake & Trey Songz – Successful
Drake f/ Lil Wayne, Kanye West & Eminem – Forever
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
Trey Songz f/ Fabolous – Say Aah

Video of the Year
Beyoncé f/ Lady Gaga – Video Phone
B.o.B. f/ Bruno Mars – Nothin’ On You
Melanie Fiona – It Kills Me
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West – Run This Town

Video Director of the Year
Benny Boom
Gil Green
Anthony Mandler
Chris Robinson
Hype Williams

Best Actress
Taraji P. Henson
Regina King
Mo’Nique
Zoe Saldana
Gabourey Sidibe

Best Actor
Quinton Aaron
Don Cheadle
Idris Elba
Jamie Foxx
Denzel Washington

YoungStars Award
Selena Gomez
Lil JJ
Keke Palmer
Willow Smith
Tyler James Williams

Best Movie
Avatar
Law Abiding Citizen
Michael Jackson’s This Is It
Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
The Blindside

Subway Sportswoman of the Year
Tamika Catchings
Vanessa James
Candace Parker
Serena Williams
Venus Williams

Subway Sportsman of the Year
Carmelo Anthony
Usain Bolt
Kobe Bryant
LeBron James
Tiger Woods

Viewers Choice Nominees
Beyoncé – Sweet Dreams
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
Monica – Everything To Me
Rihanna f/ Young Jeezy – Hard
Trey Songz f/ Fabolous – Say Aah
Young Money (Lil Wayne, Gudda Gudda, Nicki Minaj, Jae Millz, Drake, Tyga) f/ Lloyd – Bedrock

Centric Award
Melanie Fiona
Maxwell
Chrisette Michele
Monica
Sade


Best International Act
Kojo Antwi (Ghana)
Chipmunk (UK)
Dizzee Rascal (UK)
Estelle (UK)
Hip Hop Pantsula (HHP) (South Africa)
K’NAAN (Somalia)
M.I. (Nigeria)
P-Square (Nigeria)
Corinne Bailey Rae (UK)
Sade (UK)

Congrats to the artists of Caribbean heritage who won big at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards on sunday Jan. 31st 2010.

Rihanna's collaboration with Jay-Z and Kanye West-"Run This Town- won her two Grammys: Best Rap/Sung Collaboration & Best Rap Song.

Here she is heading onstage accompanied by Jules son of Solange Knowles and nephew of Beyonce Knowles.


Maxwell won the Grammy for Best Male R&B Album for BLACKsummersnight and Best Male R&B Song for "Pretty Wings." Take a look at him accepting his award for "Pretty Wings."




Ziggy Marley's Grammy win for his Family Time album, which features noteworthy stars such as Paul Simon, Willie Nelson, and Toots Hibbert, marks his fifth such award.




Ziggy's younger brother Stephen Marley, won his seventh Grammy with his Mind Control-Acoustic. This album is a follow up to this 2007 album Mind Control.





Trinidadian Heather Headley won for Contemporary R&B gospel Album with Audience of One.

Yes, yes, so well deserved...After an 8 year break Maxwell comes back on the music scene to win the Grammy for Best R&B album.





'BLACKsummers'Night' is Maxwell's fourth album and his first since 2001's 'Now.' The album sold over 316,000 in its debut week and spawned four singles, with 'Pretty Wings' being the most successful of the tracks.
Best R&B Album Nominees:

'The Point Of It All,' Anthony Hamilton

'Testimony: Vol. 2, Love & Politics,' India.Arie

'Turn Me Loose,' Ledisi

'Blacksummers' Night,' Maxwell -- WINNER!

'Uncle Charlie,' Charlie Wilson

**** "Pretty Wings" also won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.

Peep Rihanna and Maxwell's performance on Oprah's show focusing on Haiti and the earthquake relief.


Remember Rihanna's cover of Bob Marley's "Redemption Song" can be downloaded on iTunes. All the funds from purchases will go to Haiti relief efforts.



Maxwell who is of Haitian descent performed "Fistful of Tears." His song can be downloaded on iTunes and for the next 48 hrs proceeds will go towards Haiti relief efforts.

Anyone who's heard the song "This Woman's Work" can never forget the haunting yet soothing sound of Maxwell's voice and the soft melody of the accompanying piano. His voice, his face, his body, his persona hmmmm-hmmm-hmmm eight years ago he was so fyyyynee. Guess what he is still just as fine and even more mature. Maxwell returned in 2009 with his second #1 album, BLACKsummers’night, which is up for six Grammys. He talks to Trace TV about the reason for the long break.




Maxwell is very open and candid in this interview. He talks about the themes of the albums in the trilogies BLACKsummersnight, blackSUMMERSnight and blacksummersNIGHT. He says the second album has African influences.. Cannot wait for that! He also mentions his Caribbean cultural upbringing. Listen to the whole thing right. Sooo worth it!

On Tuesday November 3rd the Soul Train Awards took place in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Of the Caribbean nominees, Sean Paul won for Best Reggae album





and Maxwell won for Best Male RnB Soul.

Viewers can tune-in for the premiere of the CENTRIC PRESENTS: 2009 SOUL TRAIN AWARDS in a special simulcast on BET and CENTRIC on Sunday, November 29 at 9:00 P.M.*

Enjoy it guys!

Maxwell's first album in nearly eight years, "BLACKsummers'night," is headed for a big debut next week on the Billboard 200 chart. Industry prognosticators suggest the Columbia set could move anywhere from 275,000 to 325,000 in its first week. The R&B singer's last offering, 2001's "Now," opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with a career-high 296,000 copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan.



"BLACKsummers'night" may not end up being the top selling album of the week, however. Interest in all things Michael Jackson continues and the big question mark is whether the King of Pop's hits set "Number Ones" will continue to do boffo business. It would be surprising if the Epic effort sold near the 339,000 that it moved last week. However, sales were reportedly very brisk on Tuesday, July 7 -- the day of Jackson's memorial service.

The week's other big new release, the "Hannah Montana 3" TV soundtrack, looks like it may rake in between 100,000-125,000 in sales by week's end on Sunday, July 12. Earlier this year, the "Hannah Montana: The Movie" film soundtrack started at No. 2 with 139,000. The first two "Hannah" TV soundtracks both reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 back in 2006 and 2007, respectively.

One more new album looks like it could make a top 10 entrance on the Billboard 200 next week: All Time Low's third studio set "Nothing Personal." The effort may start with anywhere between 60,000-75,000. The Hopeless Records' band took its last album, "So Wrong, It's Right," to No. 62 back in 2007.

Nielsen SoundScan's sales tracking week, as reflected in the Billboard 200 chart, runs from Monday through Sunday of each week. Next week's Billboard 200 chart will be released in the morning of Wednesday, July 15 and will reflect data through the week ending Sunday, July 12.

Source

Fabolous, Young Jeezy and Mary Mary have been added to the BET AWARDS ‘09 star-studded lineup that already includes critically acclaimed platinum-selling artists like Jay-Z Kanye West, The Dream, Soulja Boy, Ne-Yo and Maxwell. Queen Latifah, Taraji Henson, Sherri Shepherd, Idris Elba, Paula Patton and Solange Knowles will also make appearances as presenters.



The show will be hosted by Academy Award-winning actor and GRAMMY® Award-nominated R&B artist Jamie Foxx, and take place at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium LIVE on Sunday, June 28 at 8:00 p.m.

Well, to be honest there really isn't any such thing as an odd couple, just because we cant see what they see in each other, doesn't mean it's not there. I guess Nas and Maxwell hannging out is a bit odd, cause I just never saw that coming. It's like those naked pics of Rihanna- you know it could always happen, but you just was not prepared when it's in your face. Like ooo..kaay...I guess...then you leave them in their bliss and move on.


They were partying it up in a Turks & Caicos hotel room with some "friends" shall we say. Nas is in the midst of a divorce from his wife Kelis. Maxwell (of Haitian and Puerto-Rican descent), well guess they just blowing off some steam. Man is man eh.