Who is Dana Elaine Owens?

Who is Dana Elaine Owens? ,[1] better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, singer, model and actress. Latifah's work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy Award nomination and an Academy Award nomination.

Latifah was born March 18, 1970 and raised in the projects of Newark, New Jersey, the daughter of Rita, a schoolteacher who worked at Irvington High School, and Lancelot Owens, a policeman.[2][3][4] Her parents divorced when Latifah was ten.[4] Latifah performed the number "Home" from the musical The Wiz in a high school play.[5] Her stage name, Latifah (لطيفة), meaning "kind" in Arabic, was given to her when she was eight by her cousin.[4] Latifah was raised in the Baptist church,[6] and, while in high school, was a power forward on her basketball team.[7]

Latifah started her career beatboxing for the rap group Ladies Fresh. Latifah was one of the members of the original version of the Flavor Unit, which, at that time, was a crew of MC's grouped around producer DJ Mark the 45 King. In 1988, DJ Mark the 45 King heard a demo version of Latifah's single "Princess of the Posse" and gave the demo to Fab Five Freddy, who was the host of Yo! MTV Raps. Freddy helped Latifah sign with Tommy Boy Records, which released Latifah's first album All Hail the Queen in 1989, when she was nineteen.[4] That year, she appeared as Referee on the UK label Music of Life album "1989—The Hustlers Convention (live)". In 1998, Co Produced by Ro Smith now CEO of Def Ro Inc. she released her fourth hip-hop album Order in the Court.

After Order in the Court, Latifah shifted primarily to sung lyrics in soul music and jazz standards, which she had used sparingly in her previous hip-hop-oriented records. In 2004, she released the soul/jazz standards The Dana Owens Album.
On July 11, 2007, Latifah sang at the famed Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles as the headlining act in a live jazz concert. Before a crowd of more than 12,400, she was backed by a 10-piece live orchestra and three backup vocalists, The Queen Latifah Orchestra. Latifah performed new arrangements of standards including "California Dreaming," first made popular by '60s icons The Mamas & the Papas.

In 2007, Latifah released an album entitled Trav'lin' Light. Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Joe Sample, George Duke, Christian McBride, and Stevie Wonder made guest appearances.[8] It was nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album" category.[9]


On September 12, 2008, Rolling Stone reported that Queen Latifah is working on a new album that is due in sometime in 2009; this album will be, at least partially, produced by Dr. Dre. She will also work with Missy Elliott.[10]


From 1993 to 1998, Latifah had a starring role on Living Single, a FOX sitcom;[4] she also wrote and performed its theme music. She began her film career in supporting roles in the 1991 films House Party 2, Juice, and Jungle Fever. She had her own talk show, The Queen Latifah Show, from 1999 to 2001. She also had recurring roles during the second season (1991-1992) of the NBC hit The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Also, in 1991, she appeared in the music video for Naughty by Nature 's O.P.P.

Latifah appeared in the 1996 box-office hit, Set It Off and subsequently had a supporting role in the Holly Hunter film Living Out Loud (1998).[4] She played the role of Thelma in the 1999 movie adaptation of Jeffrey Deavers' The Bone Collector, alongside Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. Although she had already received some critical acclaim, she gained mainstream success after being cast as Matron "Mama" Morton in the Oscar-winning musical Chicago, the recipient of the Best Picture Oscar.[4] Latifah received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her role, but lost to co-star Catherine Zeta-Jones.[4] Latifah is one of two hip-hop artists to receive an Academy Award nomination in an acting category (Best Supporting Actress, Chicago, 2002). The other is Will Smith (Best Actor, Ali, 2001, and Best Actor, The Pursuit of Happyness, 2006).

In 2003, she starred with Steve Martin in the film Bringing Down the House, which was a major success at the box office.[4]. She also recorded a song "Do Your Thing" for the soundtrack.

In early 2006, Latifah appeared in a romantic comedy/drama entitled Last Holiday.[4] Film critic Richard Roeper stated that "this is the Queen Latifah performance I've been waiting for ever since she broke into movies".[11] Also in 2006, appeared in the drama Stranger Than Fiction.

She has starred in two movie remakes (Taxi and Last Holiday), four sequels (House Party 2, Scary Movie 3, Barbershop 2: Back in Business and Ice Age: The Meltdown), one spinoff (Beauty Shop), two movies based on books (The Bone Collector, The Secret Life of Bees), and two screen adaptations of musicals (Chicago and Hairspray). Addressing the apparent disparity between rap music and movie musicals, Queen admits that she grew up watching musicals and singing in that style. "What the hell was I going to do," she revealed to CraveOnline, "it wasn't like I was going to perform much of that ... but now it's all paying off because here come the musicals again and I get a chance to have some fun with a lot of these songs."[12]

The summer of 2007 brought Latifah triple success in the big-screen version of the Broadway smash hit Hairspray, in which she acted, sang, and danced. The film rated highly with critics. It starred, among others, John Travolta (Grease), Michelle Pfeiffer (Stardust), Allison Janney (Juno), James Marsden (Enchanted) and Christopher Walken (Balls of Fury). Also in 2007, she portrayed an HIV-positive woman in the film Life Support, a role for which she garnered her first Golden Globe Award, Screen Actors Guild Award and an Emmy nomination.

Latifah produced the 2007 film The Perfect Holiday penned by Marc Calixte and Lance Rivera in Westfield, NJ. In addition to producing the film, Latifah starred alongside Terrence Howard, Morris Chestnut, Gabrielle Union, Charles Q. Murphy, Jill Marie Jones, and Faizon Love.[13]
In 2008, Latifah appeared in the crime comedy Mad Money opposite Academy Award-winner Diane Keaton as well as Katie Holmes and Ted Danson. She appeared on Saturday Night Live on October 4, 2008, as moderator Gwen Ifill impersonator in a comedic sketch depicting the recent vice-presidential debate.[14]

In 2009, Latifah was a presenter at the 81st Annual Academy Awards, presenting the segment honoring film professionals who had died during 2008 and singing "I'll Be Seeing You" during the montage.

Latifah is a celebrity spokesperson for CoverGirl cosmetics, Curvation ladies underwear, Pizza Hut and Jenny Craig.[15] She has developed her own line of cosmetics for women of color called the CoverGirl Queen Collection and has starred in several commercials for the line, as well as a commercial with fellow spokeswoman and singer Faith Hill.


Raised in East Orange, New Jersey, she has been a resident of Rumson, New Jersey.[16] Latifah's older brother Lancelot Jr. was killed in 1992 in an accident involving a motorcycle that Latifah had recently bought him.[4] Latifah still wears the key to the motorcycle around her neck,[4] which can be seen throughout her performance in her sitcom Living Single. She also dedicated Black Reign to him. In 1993, Latifah was the victim of a carjacking, which also resulted in the shooting of a friend. In 1996 she was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana and possession of a loaded handgun.[17] In her 1999 autobiography, Ladies First: Revelations of a Strong Woman, Latifah discussed how her brother's death led to a bout of depression and drug abuse, from which she later recovered.

Because of her portrayal of a lesbian in Set It Off and her avoidance of discussing her romantic life, tabloid media have at times speculated on her sexual orientation. Latifah responded to these rumors in her autobiography by saying: "It's insulting when someone asks, 'Are you gay?' A woman cannot be strong, outspoken, competent at running her own business, handle herself physically, play a very convincing role in a movie, know what she wants—and go for it—without being gay? Come on."[18] The rumors about her sexuality escalated further in late 2007, when Media Take Out reported an allegedly planned wedding ceremony between Latifah and her personal trainer of four years Jeanette Jenkins upon California's legalization of gay marriage.[19] Latifah publicly denied this claim in October of 2008, proclaiming "I don't feel like I need to share my personal life, and I don't care if people think I'm gay or not. Assume whatever you want. You do it anyway. People will make up all sorts of things that are not true. There ain't gonna' be no wedding." [20] In early 2003, Latifah had breast reduction surgery to relieve back pain. She also works out with a trainer and kickboxes.[21]

Latifah recently[when?] appeared in advertisements for Jenny Craig which chronicle her weight loss while on the diet. She was hired as the new spokesperson due to her 35 pound loss on the Jenny Craig program.
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Queen Latifah - U.N.I.T.Y

Queen Latifah - U.N.I.T.Y
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Queen Latifah - Trav'lin' Light















Al Green: Simply Beautiful















Alicia Keys Queen Latifah Kathleen Battle AMA 2008 Performance Video















Queen Latifah - Come Into My House (Live)

Who is Samantha Tamania Anne Cecilia Mumba?

Who is Samantha Tamania Anne Cecilia Mumba? [1] [2] The world knows her as Samantha Mumba, she is a singer and actress of Zambian and Irish descent from Ireland.
Her first album was released in 2000. Her most notable role was Mara in the 2002 film The Time Machine. She has also appeared in a number of Irish independent films.[3]

Mumba was born January 18, 1983 in Dublin, Ireland.[4] Her father, Peter Mumba, is a Zambian aircraft engineer,[5] and her mother is Irish.
Mumba attended Dublin's Billie Barry Stage School from the ages 3 to 15. In 1998, Mumba was cast as the lead in The Hot Mikado, a jazzy production based on Gilbert and Sullivan's opera.[6]


At the age of 15, Mumba was discovered on an RTÉ TV talent show Let Me Entertain You by Irish music Svengali Louis Walsh (manager of Boyzone and Westlife). Walsh was impressed by her talent and she was signed to Polydor Records. She subsequently spent several months moving between Denmark, Sweden, the UK and Ireland where she co-wrote and recorded her debut album, Gotta Tell You. She eventually dropped out of school to focus on her music career, explaining that it was becoming difficult to stay in school and work on her music.
Mumba's first single, "Gotta Tell You", was released in 2000 and reached No. 1 in the Irish charts. It later reached No. 2 in the British charts. Mumba also had success in the USA, with the song peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album Gotta Tell You stayed on the charts for 6 months and was eventually certified Platinum for sales of 1 million copies. Five more Top 10 hits followed in the UK and she had another top 50 hit in the US. To date, her first album has sold over 4 million copies worldwide. In 2001 Mumba contributed to the track "You Raise Me Up" by the Celtic Tenors. An EP was also released in 2001 at Christmas called Samantha Sings Christmas, it is also a bonus disc on rare special editions of Gotta Tell You.
On October 2000, "Gotta Tell You" was released in France.


In 2002 Mumba released a new single I'm Right Here with a slightly more laid-back sound. The video features Damien Marley, son of Bob Marley. The video was a television favourite in both the US and UK. The single became Mumba's fifth UK top 5 single and her fifth top 40 single in Ireland. In the US and Germany the song was less successful, peaking at 80 and 81.
Rumors circulated that Mumba was getting ready to release a second album, Woman, but due to the poor sales of the lead single "I'm Right Here" in the US and a short lived time on the UK chart, she was dropped from her label, but Mumba stated on the Late Late Show (February 3, 2007) that there never was a second album and the tracks leaked on the internet were attempts by her to find a new sound.
On October 23, 2006, a compilation album, The Collection, was released. The album features songs from Gotta Tell You, B-sides and two brand new tracks including her single "I'm Right Here." check out the video below...


As of September 2008, three brand new tracks have been posted on her MySpace and YouTube. "Candyland"[7], "Turn The Beat Up" and "Bad Boy". [8]

Shortly after the success of Gotta Tell You, Mumba was seen as the face of the fashion designer Louise Kennedy's spring/summer collection.[9]
She also became a Dior ambassador when she launched the Dior Watch Collection in Ireland. Around the same time, Mumba also became the face of Reebok appearing in print advertising in the UK and Ireland for the Quest range.[10]
In 2005, Mumba became the face (and body) of the Ultimo Per Amore Lingerie range, available exclusively at the Irish high-street chain Dunnes Stores.[11]


After Woman was cancelled, Mumba's music career was put on hold and she began auditioning for films. In 2002, Steven Spielberg picked her to play Mara in The Time Machine. Mara is a girl who is part of a human civilization which has regressed to a hunter/gatherer lifestyle in the year 802,701 AD. She co-starred with Guy Pearce and the movie earned $56,684,819 in the US. Mumba's second venture into films was in 2003, where she appeared in the film Spin the Bottle.
In 2005, Mumba returned to acting with the lead role of Jessica in the Irish film Boy Eats Girl. The film was a box office failure in Ireland, making a little over €1 million despite its €5 million budget.[12]

In 2006, Mumba starred in the thriller Nailed, playing the character of "Sapphire", Mumba also co-starred in Johnny Was, a British gangster movie. 2007 saw Mumba filming her part in the movie 3 Crosses.

Mumba confirmed on the Late Late Show, February 9, 2007, that a camera crew has been following her on and off for the past 6 months for a Reality TV show which was shown on Channel 4 at the end of March 2007. The show was called Get Your Act Together with Harvey Goldsmith and follows Mumba's attempts to revive her music career with Harvey Goldsmith as her mentor.

Mumba starred on the 2008 series of Dancing On Ice but was eliminated in week 3.

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Samantha Mumba - Gotta tell you

Who is Maria Grace Sansone?

Who is Maria Grace Sansone?The world knows her as Maria Sansone, she is the host of "Pop Tub Daily" featured on You Tube. She was previously host of The 9, an internet video show that was part of Yahoo! Entertainment from July 6, 2006 to March 2008.

Sansone was born February 26, 1981 in Erie, Pennsylvania, she started in television at age eleven when Mike Gallagher of WJET-TV in Erie hired her to host her own children's sport show, Down to Size. She interviewed Michael Jordan, Bill Cowher, Tommy Lasorda, and other sports figures. Sansone later did several sports reports for ABC Sports, including interviews from the Little League World Series, Wide World of Sports, and the U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Sansone played basketball while attending high school at Villa Maria Academy (Erie, Pennsylvania) and graduated from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2003. While a junior at Syracuse she co-hosted Live with Regis and Kelly with Regis Philbin while Kelly Ripa was on maternity leave.

Sansone is a red carpet host for the TV GUIDE NETWORK coverage of award shows. She has been a contributor to EXTRA, ESPN and New England Sports Network (NESN) covering the Boston Red Sox. She is also a former mtvU VJ. She resides in New York City.
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