Music News: BET 2010 Awards

Sunday night marked the 2010 BET Awards, hosted by Queen Latifah, and an all-star roster of celebrities presented, performed, and took home top honors.

Between Prince‘s Lifetime achievement award and Queen Latifah running the show, there was plenty of royalty at last night’s 10th anniversary of the BET Awards. But in the midst of the performances of accolades, the stage was also set for a few big names to make their comebacks.

Jermaine Jackson announced the first return of the evening when he introduced the tribute to his late brother, thanking everyone for their love and support over the past year. He added, “There is one tribute performance we have yet to see…here he is.”

Chris Brown was poised behind the curtain, looking like the silhouette of Michael Jackson himself. Once he came out, there was a palpable moment of tension so strong, it could almost be felt through the TV.

Brown crotch-grabbed and moon-walked his way like a pro through the Michael Jackson songs as a supportive audience cheered him on.

But then the opening bars from “Man in the Mirror” began to play, and we all braced for the irony of the words. Brown got through about one line of the song before his voice started to quiver with tears. After a few heartfelt efforts to regain composure, Brown fell to his knees sobbing and completely gave up trying to sing as the backup track took over.

But Brown wasn’t the only one returning to the stage: Kanye West opened the show on top of a mountain – literally – as he performed his latest single, “Power.” T.I gave an upbeat performance that had the whole crowd moving, and El DeBarge was also a surprising treat as he performed a new song from his upcoming album and a medley of his R&B hits.

Queen Latifah kept the show flowing as she changed outfits about 500 times, and Alicia Keys also had a good night. She won Best Female R&B artist, Best Collaboration for her work with Jay-Z in “Empire State of Mind,” and also fit in two performances: a medley set of her own songs early on in the program, and then she joined in the Prince tribute.

But probably the best Prince performance of the night came from the one and only Patti LaBelle, who sang “Purple Rain” like we’ve never heard it before. LaBelle flicked her shoes off into the audience where Prince picked one of them up and gestured in respect to the diva.

LaBelle came back and joined Chaka Khan on stage to formally present Prince with his Lifetime Achievement Award.

Overwhelmed by the amount of praise coming from the audience, Prince asked everyone to sit down and said he was “speechless.” He started by thanking Jehovah, and then remarked on the future of music. “I do believe the future is in good hands, there is so much talent here,” he said.

Then Prince offered some words of wisdom to the young talent in the room. “I was pretty wild in my younger days and you don’t have to do what I did and you don’t have to make the mistakes I made,” he said. “Thank you for a wonderful night tonight, I’ll never forget it as long I live.”

Trey Songz took home Best Male R&B Artist and Drake won Best Male Hip Hop Artist. Nicki Minaj received the award for Best Female Hip Hop Artist and thanked the female rappers who paved the way for her.

Rihanna received the coveted Viewer’s Choice Award for “Hard,” but was not there to accept it. Also not there to accept Awards were Beyonce’ and Lady Gaga, who won Video of the Year for their collaboration in “Video Phone,” and Jay-Z was absent from the show as well.

Chris Brown had the last word, at least for the night. After his Jackson tribute, he was announced as the surprise winner of BET’s Fandemonium award, a prize determined by fan votes, beating out apparent favorites like Justin Bieber, Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj.

Stepping to the stage to receive his trophy, Brown gave a quick acceptance speech. “I let you all down before, but I won’t do it again,” he said. “I promise you.”

Here’s a breakdown of all the winners…

Winners included:

Viewers’ Choice: Rihanna (not at awards ceremony)

Best Female R&B Artist: Alicia Keys

Best Male R&B Artist: Trey Songz

Best Female Hip Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj

Best Male Hip Hop Artist: Drake

Best New Artist: Nicki Minaj

Best Group: Young Money

Video of the Year: Beyonce and Lady Gaga for “Video Phone” (not at awards ceremony)

Best Actress: Mo’Nique

Best Actor: Idris Elba

Best Movie: Precious

Sportsman of the Year: Lebron James

Sportswoman of the Year: Serena Williams

Prince also won a Lifetime achievement award and John  Legend won a humanitarian award.

The show’s top performances were given by Chris Brown, who paid tribute to Michael Jackson and ended sobbing on stage during “Man In The Mirror,” and Patti LaBelle’s cover of “Purple Rain” in honor of Prince.

Below is a video from Chris Brown’s Michael Jackson Tribute:

Alicia Keys Tribute to Prince:

Source: CNN, BET, YOUTUBE

~ “Alicia Keys’ performance had me at the edge of my seat when she climbed on top of her piano. I was so nervous that she wouldn’t fall, even Prince looked nervous. As for Chris Brown, I was so excited to see him perform, and hear how the crowd cheered him on. It was one of the best performances I saw. He really knows how to break down Michael Jackson’s moves. Welcome back Chris Brown.”

All On The Cover: Janet Jackson Covers Harper’s Bazaar

All On The Cover: Janet Jackson
Magazine: Harper’s Bazaar
Newstands: October 2009
Photographed by: Tom Munro
Website: www.harpersbazaar.com
Notes: A surprise October 2009 issue of Harper’s Bazaar, featuring Janet Jackson both on newsstands and the subscriber’s cover. Miss Jackson breaks the silence for the first time since Michael‘s death in a world exclusive interview for Harper’s Bazzar, which is already available at Bazaar’s website. More Janet Jackson images by Tom Munro including a few excerpts from the interview below.

In her first interview since her brother’s death, Janet talks to Harper’s Bazaar about how she coped in the days following Michael‘s passing. In the article, Janet reveals for the first time that she has indeed split with Jermaine Dupri, confirming rumors that they had broken up this summer.

The title of her new book “True You” is also confirmed and will be released next year. The article also states that her new album will come out next spring and that she will go on tour next year, however it does not explain whether the tour simply means a promotional tour or a concert tour.

ABCNews.com posted a photo of the magazine cover along with an article that contains some short portions of what Janet said in her Harper’s Bazaar interview.

Janet Jackson Opens Up About Losing Michael….Brotherly Love: The Pop Star Talks About Growing Up With the King of Pop…

There had always been a powerful bond between Janet Jackson and her brother, Michael. Perhaps this is why she says she hasn’t watched television or read a newspaper in the two months since her brother’s sudden death.

“I’d, I’d just like to say that to you, Michael is an icon. To us, Michael is family,” the pop star told Harpers Bazaar. “And he will forever live in all of our hearts.”

She also opens up about her relationship with Michael and their last day together, and how she’s coped by immersing herself in a new album and book.

The Michael Jackson Only She Knew…

As a 14-year-old, it was Janet‘s job to take care of her superstar brother. “I would shop for him. I washed his clothes and cleaned his room. When mother would go out of town, she’d say, ‘I’m leaving you in charge. Take care of Michael.'”

She knew early on that her brother loved clothes that stood out. For the 25th Anniversary of Motown special, Michael grabbed his famous sparkly black jacket from his mother’s closet.

“If it was shiny, if it had any kind of bling, he loved it,” Janet said. Except for his shoes. He danced them down to the soles. “He would wear his shoes all the way down,” remembered Janet. “His penny loafers would have huge holes in the bottom.”

She recalls the joy of making the 1995 music video “Scream” with her brother. “We had so much fun back then. We would organize our days together.”

She also fondly remembers the last time she saw Michael — a month before his death.

“The last time we were together, he’d laugh so hard, he’d just start crying.”

In 2002, Janet told Diane Sawyer how important her brothers were to her.

“I was close to my brothers growing up, and I missed them a great deal when they would go out on tour,” she recalls. She admits that she used binge eating as a way to cope with the pain of their absence.

“I can be an emotional eater,” she says. “Of late, I have been doing that, yes. It started when I was very little. My brothers were gone on tour a lot, and I would miss them so much.”

Moving On as a Family…

Jackson says that they are going through the ordeal of her brother’s death as a family. She’s especially proud of Michael‘s children, Blanket, Prince Michael and, especially, Paris. She said that people have told her that the way that Michael‘s daughter spoke at his memorial really gave them a sense of how he was as a father.

She says the kids are doing well. “They’re with their cousins,” she says. “That family love will keep them going.”

*Source | Harper’s Bazaar/janet-xone.com

P.S…
Don’t forget to check out the VMA‘s Tonight on MTV for Janet Jackson’s Tribute to Michael Jackson. Check back for more updates.