PATTI LABELLE

The 2023 BET Awards are celebrating 50 years of hip-hop with tributes to the genre’s earliest voices, late legends, and new talent during a performance-packed show that consistently felt like a party.

Rob Gronkowski might be retired from the NFL, but the former all-pro football player is still in the game during the league’s championship week.

Patti LaBelle was abruptly rushed off stage just a couple of songs into her Christmas concert in Milwaukee after a bomb threat forced authorities to evacuate the theater.

A bomb threat forced the evacuation of a Pattie LaBelle concert at a theater in Milwaukee later Saturday, the organizers said in a statement.

A heartfelt Patti LaBelle praised her lifelong friend Gladys Knight.

Over the last decade, the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts has served the Latino population in the Bronx by hosting stars including José Feliciano, Gilberto Santa Rosa and La India, while attracting a wider audience with acts like Patti LaBelle and Smokey Robinson.

President Joe Biden has helped light the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse near the White House.

Singer Sarah Dash, who co-founded the all-female singing group Labelle with Patti Labelle and Nona Hendryx, has died.

The third week of the R. Kelly sex-trafficking trial in New York City saw more accusers, including a man for the first time, making more disturbing allegations.

Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Magazines are teaming up for interviews that pair young Black journalists with elders to tell stories about their lives.

Three acts who kept music alive during the worldwide pandemic will be honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers later this month.

(ABC/Paramount+/Amazon via AP)Here’s a collection curated by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists of what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. MOVIES— Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall are back in Queens as Prince Akeem and Semmi in “Coming 2 America,” the sequel to the 1988 film, which is now coming straight to your living room Friday on Amazon Prime Video. Set to becoming the King of Zamunda, Murphy’s character returns to the U.S. to find a son he’s never met. Ad— A more family friendly streaming option this week is the Walt Disney Co.’s computer animated “Raya and the Last Dragon,” featuring the voices of “Star Wars’” Kelly Marie Tran as Raya and Awkwafina as a dragon. The big-voiced Grammy-winning singer self-produced “Baby, I’m Hollywood!” – which is a mix of soul music, piano ballads and funk sounds.

HOUSTON – It was a watch party in southeast Houston to support The Voice finalist Desz in the two-night season finale. The Houston native is one of five performers to make it to the talent show’s finale. Friends in Fort Bend County held a scaled-back watch party due to COVID-19 levels but their support was strong nonetheless. “We just witnessed John Holiday’s best song ever on The Voice,” said friend Lee Leaman. Danielle Bradbery, of Cypress, won in 2013 and Sundance Head, son of the late rock-n-roll star Roy Head, won in 2016.

(AP Photo)LOS ANGELES – Yes, 2020 may seem like a complete fail with all the constant bad news and tragic moments. It’s been filled with gloom and doom(scrolling), but some celebrities and those inspired by them have tried to brighten a bleak year. He reassigned his 10 seamstresses in New York to produce thousands daily for health care workers on the frontlines. The singer and husband Emilio Estefan's restaurant Estefan Kitchen served up homemade meals for health care workers in Miami. The challenge coordinated offers by celebrities and athletes to raise funds to feed those in need during the pandemic.

LOS ANGELES – Mark Cuban, Anthony Anderson and Skylar Diggins-Smith will take part in a series of panel discussions on YouTube that are focused on racial justice. Common and Keke Palmer return as hosts of the forum, which will include sports figures, entertainers and activists. Diggins-Smith will appear on panel with reporter Jemele Hill and activist Harry Edwards about athletes’ impact on today’s political movement. “It is so important that we keep a dialogue about racial justice going beyond any particular moment,” Palmer said. “I want to encourage my peers to continue to have thoughtful and powerful conversations that will lead us to change.

What started as some entertainment during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic has turned into one of the must-see Instagram Live shows. The premise is pretty simple: two R&B singers or rappers go head-to-head in a friendly battle on Instagram Live, and thousands of people get to sit back at home and enjoy. While the performances are so much fun to watch, what really makes “Verzuz” so entertaining is the chit chat between the stars, as well as the comment section on Instagram Live. It’s pretty surreal to see comments pop in from First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah, Mariah Carey and Viola Davis, but they were watching the same Instagram Live stream as everyone else. We don’t know who will be up next for a “Verzuz” battle, but here’s to hoping we’ll get to witness another epic night.

Sunday night’s episode of “Verzuz” brought back timeless memories and a bit of “Black girl magic” to the audience. The webcast quickly gathered a lot of talk on social media, especially to those “longtime” fans who followed both legends since their prime. Here’s what some social media users are saying about Sunday night’s “Verzuz” battle:Still on a high from last night’s @verzuzonline celebration! -Patti LaBelle #verzuz — Alexander Hardy (@chrisalexander_) September 14, 2020Also, the evolution of #Verzuz has been my favorite story arc of the 2020 season of Earth. — Leticia (@leticia_creates) September 14, 2020I missed Gladys & Patti last night 😔Who won?

HOUSTON – The Verzuz battle is for the soulful souls. The upcoming musical showcase will feature Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle, the brand announced Tuesday on social media. Knight will sing her hits like “I Don’t Want to Know,” “Double or Nothing” and “Neither One of Us,” which she performed with her group Gladys Knight & The Pips. To stream the battle, you have three options: stream it live on Verzuz’s Instagram, Apple Music or Apple TV. Music producers Swizz Beatz and Timbaland created the “Verzuz” series to entertain fans stuck indoors during the coronavirus pandemic.

"I want to get started before we lose the venue, oh wait, we're all at home," Cohen quipped, kicking off the virtual ceremony. "We are gathered here tonight in front of Patti LaBelle, a gay shark, [and] the woman who wrote 'Bugaboo.'" Justin and Robert leaned into the campy-event cracking some jokes during their vows while also sharing some heartfelt sentiments. Cohen and the WWHL teamed up with The Real Real to sponsor the wedding. The Real Real gave the couple Cartier watches and donated a portion of proceeds from their site to the National Black Justice Coalition.