TGIF! Here’s what has our coffee mugs overflowing today:
- Mogul Donald Trump has signed up ESSENCE contributing style editor Tocarra Jones to star in the second season of “Donald J. Trump Presents the Ultimate Merger.” Like season one star Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, Jones will also be looking for love. We certainly hope she will find what she’s looking for — though it can be a gamble when done on TV. [YBF]
- Rihanna recently tweeted some surprising news. The Bajan beauty will appear on the cover of American Vogue. She tweeted, “Just wrapped my first American Vogue cover shoot with Annie Leibovitz… Rah!” We’re excited to see how the ever fashion-forward Rihanna takes the cover. [Jezebel]
- For her 40th birthday, Mary J. Blige’s husband Kendu Isaac’s surprised the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul with a bash she won’t soon forget. Isaacs organized a desert-themed soiree which had the likes of Jay-Z, Beyonce, Oprah and Gayle King in attendance. The NY Post reports that Anita Baker got up to toast Blige and sang “Caught Up in the Rapture.” Moved to tears, Blige joined in. [NY Post]
- Kem, Ledisi and El Debarge are going on tour together. The “Intimacy” tour will begin Feburary 17 in Texas and make its way around the nation, ending in Florida on April 3rd. Get your tickets today! [BV]
- Private emails between Fantasia and ex-lover Antwaun Cook have surfaced and they show that the songstress was aware of Cook’s living situation with his wife and wasn’t in the dark as she had previously claimed. Check out the emails and judge for yourself. Is ‘Tasia in the wrong? [Radar]
- Aretha Franklin has not told the world what her ailment is, but she has revealed it was not pancreatic cancer. “There was just so many wild things out there and just so many things being said that weren’t true,” she told Access Hollywood. Though she hasn’t revealed what her sickness was, “I went through a number of procedures before I knew what was wrong,” she said. [Bossip]
- The long hard days on tour seem to be catching up with Usher. While on the European leg of his tour, Usher got a bit disoriented on stage and forgot the lyrics to his song. In addition, he looks a little off, like he just might faint. Sadly, he was booed by fans and now reports are saying he will push back his Berlin concert date one day “due to illness.” [Access Hollywood]