December 10, Arista Records will release Whitney Houston's new album, Just Whitney. The collection marks her first album under a new deal with Arista Records, reportedly worth a record-setting $100 million. Whitney's last new studio project was 1998's My Love Is Your Love. During a recent interview with ABC-TV's Diane Sawyer, Whitney revealed her past battle with drugs and alcohol. Houston claims to have overcome the problem. She's scheduled to perform a free concert on December 8 at New York's Lincoln Center. ABC's Good Morning America will air the appearance on December 10.
Hip Hop group B2K's new album, Pandemonium, will hit record stores on December 10. The release will be available in five different packages. A group picture will grace one cover and the four others will come with individual pictures of group members J-Boog, Raz-B, Lil Fizz and Omarion.
December 10, Blackground Records will release Aaliyah's posthumous CD, " Care 4 U. Along with eight of the late singer's hits, the collection contains six previously unreleased tracks. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Aaliyah Memorial Fund, which benefits UCLA's Women's Cancer Research Program and New York's Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Aaliyah was killed in a plane crash on August 25, 2001, while returning to the U.S. from a video shoot in the Bahamas.
Carlos Santana, Willie Nelson and Michelle Branch will be in Oslo, Norway this week to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert. Co-hosted by Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange, the show will honor former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The Nobel Committee says Carter's Nobel Peace Prize is for his "untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts and his work in advancing democracy and human rights."
NEW ALBUM RELEASES/ DEC. 10:
MUSICAL EVENTS/FESTIVALS/BENEFITS:
New York's annual "Jingle Ball" charity concert will take place on December 12 at Madison Square Garden. The sold out event will feature performances by Ashanti, Kelly Clarkson, Destiny's Child, Ja Rule, Avril Lavigne, Justin Timberlake, Kylie Minogue, Nelly, and others.
AWARDS PRESENTATIONS/WINNERS:
The 2002 Billboard Music Awards will be held on December 9. Rapper Nelly leads the nominations, with mentions in six categories, including Album of the Year, Male Pop Artist of the Year and Rap Artist of the Year. Following close behind are Eminem and Ashanti with four nods each. During the awards ceremony, Cher will be presented with this year's Artist Achievement Grammy, which recognizes an artist who has "helped redefine popular music with massive success on Billboard's charts."
Michael Jackson will receive a special Billboard charts achievement award to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his 1982 album Thriller, which sold 24 million copies in the U.S. and set several chart records. Billboard's highest honor, the Century Award, will be presented to the Eurythmics' Annie Lennox. Hosted by comedian Cedric the Entertainer, the show will include performances by Nelly, Avril Lavigne, Faith Hill, Justin Timberlake, Creed, and more. Fox TV will air the 2002 Billboard Music Awards live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
December 11, the New York chapter of the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences will honor Marc Anthony, Beverly Sills, Dionne Warwick, J Records founder Clive Davis and the songwriting team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David with this year's Heroes Awards. Mariah Carey and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun will present the awards. Proceeds from the event will go to education and community outreach programs supported by the Academy's New York Chapter.
Nominations have been announced for the 29th annual People's Choice Awards, set for January 12 in Pasadena, California. The awards cover 16 categories in film, television and music. Contenders for Best Male Musical Performer are Eminem, Alan Jackson and Nelly. Up for Best Female Musical Performer are Celine Dion, Faith Hill and Jennifer Lopez. And, Creed, the Dixie Chicks and 'N Sync will compete for Best Musical Group. Actor Tony Danza will host the live ceremony. Nominees and winners are chosen by a Gallup poll of 214 million people nationwide.
LOOK WHO'S GOING ON TOUR!
December 10, the Dave Matthew Band will begin an eight-city arena tour in Tampa, Florida in support of its latest album Busted Stuff. The group will also perform in Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago and Champaign Illinois, and Rochester, New York City and Albany, New York, before wrapping up the outing in Washington, D.C. on December 22.