Mary J. Blige

Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage; James Diddick/Globe Photos

Mary J. Blige, Melissa Etheridge Help Fight Prop 8

Originally posted 10/23/2008 10:00AM

While uncharacteristically mum about its choice for president, Hollywood's been highly vocal about another political issue – giving a loud "No" to Proposition 8.

And if those sentiments weren't clear enough, the concert by Melissa Etheridge and Mary J. Blige Tuesday night to fight Prop 8 raised $3.9 million.

The $1,000-a-head event was intended to help close the gap between the No on Prop 8 supporters, who have raised about $25 million, and the Yes on Prop 8 boosters, who have $27 million in their coffers, reports Variety.

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•  | Filed Under: Mary J. Blige, Melissa Etheridge, Steven Spielberg

Credit: INF; Kevork Djansezian/AP

Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent in Steroid Probe

Originally posted 01/14/2008 10:55AM

Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean, Timbaland and Tyler Perry are among the names that have surfaced on a long list of people in a current New York investigation of those who may have obtained steroids or human growth hormones, the Albany Times Union reports.

No one on the list is being accused of violating the law, says the paper, which explains that the probe is about halting the flow of the drugs by doctors who illegally write prescriptions without seeing patients. Witnesses on Long Island who are cooperating with investigators reportedly supplied the names of the celebrities, but the probe is mostly concerned with doctors' actions.

A rep for Blige, Karynne Tencer, is quoted in The New York Times as saying: "Mary J. Blige has never taken any performance-enhancing illegal steroids."

Spokespeople for the others were not available for comment. – Stephen M. Silverman

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•  | Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Mary J. Blige

Credit: GRAHAM WHITBY BOOT/ALLSTAR/GLOBE

Mary J. Blige Dominates Billboard Awards

Originally posted 12/05/2006 08:15AM

Even Mary J. Blige was impressed: She won a whopping nine times at Monday's 2006 Billboard Music Awards, including R&B/hip-hop artist of the year, female R&B artist of the year and R&B/hip-hop album of the year (The Breakthrough) and song of the year ("Be Without You"), as well as Hot 100 airplay song of the year.

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•  | Filed Under: Mary J. Blige, Rihanna

Credit: Phil Han/ZUMA

Clay Aiken Learns to 'Play Fair'

Originally posted 10/20/2004 06:00AM

Clay Aiken wrapped up his solo tour this week, playing two concerts Monday to a screaming crowd at the North Carolina State Fair in his hometown of Raleigh. It's quite a new look at the fair for the "Invisible" singer, who admits that as a young boy he was too scared to get on the rides. "I was a very nervous child," he tells local paper The News & Observer. As he got to be a teen, his friends tried to persuade him to sing in the fair's karaoke booth, but he refused. "I was always so nervous. I didn't want to sing," he said. "I was always worried that someone was going to boo me." How times have changed. When tickets for his State Fair shows went on sale last month, they sold out in minutes (9 for the first show, 12 for the second, according to local CBS affiliate WRAL) – which is a good thing, since the American Idol runner-up was reportedly paid $100,000 for each show.

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•  | Filed Under: Cheryl Hines, Clay Aiken, Mary J. Blige, Sharon Stone

Bowl Star Blige About to Be a Bride

Originally posted 01/31/2002 12:00PM

The hip-hop queen, who'll sing at this Sunday's Super Bowl, became engaged over the holidays to Martin (Kendu) Isaacs, a former musical director for Queen Latifah.

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•  | Filed Under: Mary J. Blige