It's down to the wire on NBC's The Sing-Off. Before tonight's live finale, I chatted with Danielle Withers from the much beloved Afro-Blue.

The jazz ensemble from Howard University tackled a mash-up of R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" combined with "Fly" by Nicki Minaj with Rihanna, and then the judges handed them the Sam Cooke classic "A Change Is Gonna Come." They battled it out with the Dartmouth Aires for the final spot in tonight's finale, but ultimately came up short.

That didn't stop them from leaving an impression on the audience or even their fellow contestants - you'll recall ...

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" songwriter Hugh Martin has died. He was 96.

Martin is best known for composing the score to the 1944 musical Meet Me In St. Louis, in which Judy Garland famously performs the song that became a seasonal classic. Martin and songwriting partner Ralph Blane received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for writing the film's "The Trolley Song."

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Meet Me In St. LouisGood NewsBette MidlerFrank SinatraJudy GarlandLou RawlsWhitney HoustonBarry ManilowGarth BrooksTony BennettChristina Aguilera...

In celebration of Black History Month, we compiled a list of quick facts that consists of record-breaking moments, first accomplishments, and obscure facts that relate to African Americans in Entertainment.

The quick facts were taken from the 366 Fast Facts list that was created by Biography.com. Some of the facts include information about Aretha Franklin, Halle Berry, Harry Belafonte and Beyonce, just to name a few.

Here are the 30 quick facts about African Americans in Entertainment. Be sure to take a look at the list and let me know what you think.

Fact #1
Comedian Bill Cosb...

Stevie Wonder is the latest legend to be inducted into the Apollo Theater's Hall of Fame in New York.

The Isn't She Lovely? hit-maker will be named an Apollo icon in a ceremony in the Big Apple on June 13th.

The honor will be a significant one for Wonder - he started his career at the Apollo in 1962 when he was just 12 years old, when he performed as a multi-instrumentalist and was dubbed the Wonder Child.

The veteran performer will join a stellar list of former inductees, including Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin.

Click Here For More Stevie Wonder...

According to Beyonce, "when you look around at all that's wrong in the world, the need to do something, no matter how big or how small, is clear." The superstar and "Friday Night Lights" actress Minka Kelly join three remarkable women as the winners of the 2010 sets out to find inspiring women who are making a difference in the world, whether it is globally, nationally or in their communities. After sorting through mountains of nominations that readers sent in, Lisa Scarpinato, JJ Ramberg and Haley Kilpatrick stood out among all others. Each lady will be honored in New York City this fall ...

Whether you're brokenhearted and bitter, single and spectacular, or just plain sick of the over-hyped Hallmark holiday that falls on February 14, don't let Valentine's Day get the best of you. Turn it into a cynical celebration!

If you're a singleton staying in to avoid all the schmoopy-schmoopy hand-holding, there's still no reason you should have to spend V-Day all alone. Ladies, invite your gal pals over and get loaded on champagne while playing silly games like "Truth or Dare" or "I Never." And guys, you can get all the dudes together to do all the things your girlfriends complain ab...

And she's finally here. It's strange to think this was the most anticipated moment since 'American Idol' first began, I mean it didn't involve singing in any way, and this is supposed to be a music competition, but at long last the Ellen finally landed, and the early returns are good.

Ellen definitely brings a brand new vide to the proceedings. Gone is Paula's insane ramblings, and here to stay is somebody with the potential to be funnier than Simon, while maintaining the positivity that actually made Paula worthwhile.

This is still a competition; however, and there were a lot of pro...

Soul legend Patti Labelle was honored by bosses at New York's Harlem Apollo Theater on Monday night as part of a star-studded anniversary ceremony.

Prince, Mariah Carey, Quincy Jones and Smokey Robinson turned out to help the theater celebrate its 75th anniversary.

The Apollo is famous for helping to launch the careers of stars like Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Billie Holiday and Michael Jackson.

After she was inducted into the Apollo Theater's Legends Hall of Fame, Labelle said, "The Apollo is a national treasure, I'm overwhelmed and honored to be recognized on this stag...

With Every Time We Say Goodbye, Marilyn Scott is taking her love for jazz to the ultimate place her heart has always desired, to make an acoustic jazz album in New York City the way the legends used to do it - with the singer and musicians all cutting and working out arrangements together in the studio.

Although the physical CD is currently only available as a Japanese import, jazz fans can download the album on iTunes or purchase the CD from Marilyn's website, though soon it will also be available on Amazon.com. The 10-song collection is comprised of standards such as the Cole Porter-...

Everyone has favorite summer tunes, and since summer officially arrived over the weekend, what better way to celebrate the end of school, a day at the beach or a road trip than to listen to summer-inspired music?

Four Starpulse contributing writers have compiled lists of their favorite summer tunes (including several that were picked by more than one writer). Whether they are summer inspired, make you feel like summer, or are just cheerful tunes to listen to during the hot sticky months, we're sure they'll get you in the mood for sipping pina coladas, dipping your foot in the pool, or...

Welsh actor Rhys Ifans is reportedly struggling to cope after he was dumped by actress Sienna Miller - with friends worrying about his excessive binge drinking.

The Notting Hill star split from actress Miller earlier this month and has been spotted out in London on a string of lonely boozing sessions. On Thursday, Ifans had to be calmed down by police after he lashed out at paparazzi after drinking until late at a London nightspot - reportedly trying to hit one photographer with a bottle.

And friends of the star are concerned about his current fragile state, with one source tell...

UK sensation Estelle has been dubbed John Legend's protégé. She's been compared to Lauryn Hill and has collaborated with a number of great artists (Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Wyclef Jean, Will.i.am, Mark Ronson and Cee-lo & Jack Splash) to come up with an amazing album called "Shine," which drops in the states tomorrow.

This 28-year-old dynamo is one artist who is comfortable in her own skin. She is willing to take risks to further her career, which characterizes an extreme sense of self-determination that cannot be ignored. Being the first artist to be signed to John Legend's new lab...

Critically acclaimed and Grammy nominated artist, Karrin Allyson returns with Imagina: Songs of Brasil on March 25, 2008. The album will be released on Concord Jazz and is Allyson's 11th release for the label.

While Karrin has included Brazilian music on her albums and in her live shows throughout her career, the release of Imagina: Songs of Brasil is the first time she has devoted an entire album to the music of Brazil. Produced by Karrin and Nick Phillips, Imagina is a beautiful collection of 14 tracks that features songs sung fully in Portuguese, as well as Brazilian songs with ...

Alison Sudol inhabits a vivid imaginary world populated by siren songs and sailors, sightless creatures and fragile fallen eagles, a place where almost lovers and hopeless dreams are bid a melancholy musical farewell.

And on One Cell in the Sea, Sudol allows the listener inside that often-fantastical world, revealing her inner life via songs Harp magazine praised as "fraught, haunted and beautiful."

One Cell in the Sea is the 14-song debut from A Fine Frenzy, the lineup fronted by 22- year-old singer/pianist Sudol. While A Fine Frenzy's songs are ethereal, the musical and ly...

Bill Belew, the costume designer famed for his outfits created for Elvis Presley, has died. He was 76. Belew passed away at the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs on January 7 after a long battle with diabetes.

The designer enjoyed a career spanning almost 50 years, and has created stage outfits for the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, The Osmonds, The Jackson Five and Gloria Estefan.

But Belew was most well-known for his work with The King, who sported a number of his jumpsuits, including the tight black leather creation he wore on his 1968 TV comeback special.

(This n...

As with any great duo, the soul-sational pairing of Bubbles & Cheesecake is a delicately balanced tightrope act - two distinct elements in a yin-yang harmony that enhances its partners' similarities and orchestrates their contrasts. Think of Ella & Duke, Lennon & McCartney, Sam & Dave, peanut butter & jelly - new power flows out of their togetherness.

As cool as that complementary magic is for Renaissance woman/multi-media artist Allee Willis - a GRAMMY-winning, Emmy and Tony-nominated composer whose songs have sold over 50 million records including Earth, Wind & Fire's "September" an...

Singing waitress Victoria Hart has been summoned to perform for her movie idol George Clooney - again. The British 18-year-old was plucked from obscurity to sing for the Ocean's Thirteen cast at a star-studded ceremony at the Cannes Film Festival in France earlier this year, and now Clooney wants to hear her again - in New York.

The movie hunk, who called Hart "simply lovely" after she sang for him in Cannes, is jetting her to the Big Apple for a repeat performance next month. But the trip will be bittersweet for the teenager because she'd like to date the movie hunk - and then she co...

Last spring, VH1 expanded its successful "You Oughta Know" new music promotion franchise to concert halls across the country with its first-ever "You Oughta Know" tour featuring Mat Kearney and special guests The Feeling and Rocco Deluca & The Burden. The tour was a hit and VH1 is proud to give the ladies a turn this time with the second YOK tour featuring Brandi Carlile with special guest A Fine Frenzy.

A Fine Frenzy is the music of 22 year-old Alison Sudol. Born in Seattle to dramatic-arts teacher parents, she developed a strong love for the fantastic literary worlds of CS Lewis, Cha...

SEATTLE and LOS ANGELES; - To celebrate what would have been Ella Fitzgerald's 90th birthday, Starbucks Entertainment and Concord Records are co-releasing Love Letters From Ella, a collection of never-before-released love songs. Recorded with some of her favorite collaborators, including Count Basie and his Orchestra, Joe Pass, and André Previn, "Love Letters From Ella" also pairs the singer with The London Symphony Orchestra for the first time. The CD will be available at Starbucks Company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada and traditional music retail beginning on July 31, 2007.

...

On Tuesday August 28th 2007, The Verve Music Group will release Lost And Found, a stellar 16-track body of work from Ledisi, the critically-acclaimed soul vocalist who first came to attention of the music-loving public with her two self-produced and independently released CDs –2000's Soulsinger and 2003's Feeling Orange But Sometimes Blue.

Ledisi (whose name means "to bring forth" in the Yoruba language of Nigeria) has been known for delivering electrifying and memorable live performances, and over the course of her career she has earned the respect of fans and music writers alike. N...

The eagerly anticipated release of the second series of Jazz Icons(TM) DVDs is here. Reelin' In The Years Productions and Naxos are proud to announce the September 4, 2007 release of the next seven titles in the illustrious DVD series featuring performances by John Coltrane, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, Dexter Gordon, Wes Montgomery, and Charles Mingus.

Filmed in Europe between 1958 and 1966, this set of Jazz Icons(TM) DVDs features concerts by seven of the most influential jazz artists of the 20th century captured in their prime and accompanied by some of the most leg...

New Def Jam recording artist Chrisette Michele, whose soulful, jazz-influenced debut album I Am will be released June 19th, has been tapped as opening act on the upcoming North American tour with platinum Grammy nominated Atlantic Records recording artist Musiq (Soulchild). The tour begins July 6th at Afram in Baltimore, and wraps up one month later at the Fillmore in San Francisco, on August 6th.

Chrisette personally auditioned for and was signed by Antonio "L.A." Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group, who told the singer he had "goose bumps" after the first time he heard her. ...

A sensational assemblage of stars honors the incomparable songstress Ella Fitzgerald on the Phil Ramone-produced 'We All Love Ella: Celebrating The First Lady Of Song' (June 5, Verve Records). These stars' love of Ella shines through on their musical performances, but they also cite Ella's artistry and music as moving and influential to their own careers.

You can almost hear Natalie Cole smile as she sings Ella's famous hit "A Tisket A Tasket." This was the first jazz song Cole ever learned and she practiced it so she would sound exactly like Ella. "When I was seven, I was singing like...

Talented young Brazilian musician CéU (pronounced "cell with a light L") is the next artist to be featured in the innovative Starbucks Hear Music™ Debut CD series, as announced by Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) and Six Degrees Records. CéU is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist whose music is rooted in samba, the infectious rhythmic style made famous in Brazil, which she blends with hip-hop, jazz and soul to create an intoxicating and distinctive sound. Her U.S. debut album CéU is a co-release by Starbucks Hear Music and Six Degrees Records and will be released simultaneously at traditional ret...

A lost duet between Stevie Wonder and Ella Fitzgerald is to feature on a new album tribute to the jazz great. Soul man Wonder recorded a version of his You Are the Sunshine of My Life hit with Fitzgerald in the late 1970s, and now the rare tune will be included on We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song.

Quincy Jones, Ruben Studdard, Wynonna and Natalie Cole also appear on the tribute album, which is released next month

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)

Singing legend Andy Williams was so poor when he launched his solo career in the 1950s he had to eat dog food - and he enjoyed it. The crooner, who has since performed alongside Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald and Elton John and gone on to release 18 gold albums, admits he hasn't always been successful.

He says, "It was an incredibly lonely time for me and very hard financially.

"At one point I was eating Alpo dog food, dividing the cans between my dog and myself.

"It didn't taste that bad when you heated it up, actually, just like meat and gravy, although I expect it was ma...

Happy Birthday To San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan (1976), "My Name Is Earl" actor Jason Lee (1970), "Bridget Jones" actress Renee Zellweger (1969), "Firefly" actress Gina Torres (1969), Erasure singer Andy Bell (1964), "The Simpsons" voice talent Hank Azaria (1964), "Rocky" actress Talia Shire (1946), "The Godfather" actor Al Pacino (1940), film director Paul Mazursky (1930), bluesman Albert King (1923; d. 1992), jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald (1917; d. 1996), and British statesman Oliver Cromwell (1599; d. 1658).

The one and only Michael Buble's eagerly awaited new CD "Call Me Irresponsible' will be released on May 1st, it was confirmed by his record label, Reprise Records. The first single from the new album, the Buble penned "Everything", has just been released and will be performed by the artist on The Today Show on the day of the release.

The Vancouver native, whose collective worldwide record sales are over 11 million units, is also scheduled to begin a global concert tour in Reno, Nevada on July 13th with stops including Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Seattle.
...

Soul singer Gladys Knight will receive the 16th annual Ella Award from America's Society of Singers in September. The Midnight Train To Georgia star, 62, will accept the honor, named after jazz legend Ella Fitzgerald, at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

Knight enthuses, "It is a truly awesome feeling to be receiving this honor. Ella was the sweetest and most beautiful person as a talent and as a human being."

Previous recipients include Elton John, Frank Sinatra and Celine Dion.

- Gladys Knight Pictures

- Elton John Gallery

- Celine Dion Photos

(This news article provid...

Linda Ronstadt, Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan and Natalie Cole are among the stars contributing songs to an album celebrating what would have been music legend Ella Fitzgerald's 90th birthday. Fitzgerald, also known as the First Lady of Song, would have turned 90 in April and will receive a late tribute when the album is released in June.

We All Love Ella: A Celebration Of The First Lady Of Song will be produced by Phil Ramone, who also worked on Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett's Duets CDs. The CD will feature Fitzgerald's signature songs, including 'Lady Be Good' sung by Dianne Reeves, 'T...