In celebration of the late Michael Jackson‘s birthday yesterday, Spike Lee organized the second annual Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson concert celebration at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NYC. Rappers Snoop Dogg and Warren G were among the performers at yesterday’s fete … here are a few photos from the 2nd annual event:

The good news is that Spike’s Lee’s MJ tribute, “Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson” is going down again this Sunday. The even better news is that Spike called it the “2nd annual” event, meaning we can mostly likely expect the Kings County tribute to the King of Pop year after year. Last years event at Prospect Park’s Nethermead was a little bit of shangri-la: people danced the day away as DJ Spinna pulled together a block-rocking tribute that kept tens of thousands of New Yorkers moving and grooving. MJ impersonators were in abundance as a New Yorkers of every age and stripe came together in celebration of what would have been Michael’s 52nd birthday. It was a day you wouldn’t want to miss and it should be off the wall again this Sunday. “Tell your friends, tell everybody,” Spike said in a video announcement. “You don’t have to be from Brooklyn. You don’t even have to be from New York. People are going to be coming from all over the world.”

To be honest, I didn’t hear about very many birthday celebrations for the late King of Pop so I’m glad to know that Lee plans on making the Brooklyn Loves Michael Jackson celebration a yearly event. After the jump, check out some photos from yesterday’s concert and check out a short video invitation from Spike Lee himself …

On Saturday we got to see photos of Superman Returns star Brandon Routh and his Dexter actress wife Courtney Ford chillin’ with the cast of the new Cirque du Soleil show Viva Elvis at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV and I’m guessing Snoop Dogg heard about what a great time they had at the show and decided to take his family to see it as well. Snoop and his family celebrated his daughter’s 11th birthday at last night’s performance of Viva Elvis in LV:

As you can see, the entire cast of Viva Elvis wanted to pose for a photo with the Snoop D-O double G and, I understand, were more than happy to sing Happy Birthday to his daughter last night. Snoop declared that the performance of Jailhouse Rock was his fave and was quoted as saying as he left last night’s Viva Elvis show — “Man, this was a defining moment in Snoop history!” I cannot WAIT to see this show myself … this added endorsement by Snoop Dogg is just the icing on the cake for me. I will see this show sometime soon … I cannot wait.

[Photo credit: Omar Williams/Cashman Photo]

Rapper extraordinaire Snoop Dogg has revealed himself to be such a huge fan of the HBO series True Blood that he has written a song entitled Oh Sookie in tribute to the show’s main protagonist. Here is our first look at a few screencaps from the just-released music video for Oh Sookie:

I mean … how effing cool is Snoop Dogg? While normal fans just pant and squeal over promo photos and videos of True Blood, Snoop went and wrote a song and filmed a music video in tribute to his fave TV series. That’s dedication, y’all. So … you wanna see the vid? Check it out in full, after the jump …

First Lady Michelle Obama, her daughters Malia and Sasha, her mother Marian Robinson and some friends were spotted chillin’ in a skybox at the Staples Center in downtown LA last night for Game 6 of the NBA Finals featuring the LA Lakers vs. the Boston Celtics. The Obama ladies have been in town since Sunday, hittin’ up a few famous eateries, and surprised everyone by showing up at the game last night:

The President of the United States might be the basketball player in the family. But it was the Obama women who turned out en masse as surprise attendees at the Lakers V Boston Celtics last night. First Lady Michelle Obama, 46, daughters Sasha, 9, Malia, 11, and Mrs Obama’s mother Marian Robinson, 72, pitched up at Game 6 of the intensely competitive NBA Finals. While the games typically attract a huge celebrity turnout, all of Hollywood were abuzz with the news that the Obama ladies were in town. All eyes were on the group as they enjoyed the penultimate game in the series between the sporting superstars from a private box at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Even the presence of Cheryl Cole’s mentor and rumoured new love will.i.am in their box, also intensely watching the game, couldn’t shift the limelight from the group who were being openly filmed by many spectators on their mobile phones. Mrs Obama was presented with a Lakers jersey by a club official, and fans clamoured to talk to the First Lady who seemed more than happy to accommodate them … Mrs Obama watched the Los Angeles Lakers extend the NBA finals to a decisive seventh game with a 89-67 victory over the Boston Celtics.

Of course the nation’s First Ladies weren’t the only big names in the hiz showing their support for the Lakers, a bunch of celebs were also spotted at the Staples Center last night to cheer on the Lakers … who went on to DESTROY the Celtics by a score of 89-67! Here are some of the other celebs who were at the game last night along with some deets:

Dirrrty singer Christina Aguilera sang the US national anthem, and the rest of the evening’s entertainment was taken up by watching both the game, and the anguished looks of the assembled celebrities. Courtside regulars included Jack Nicholson, Spike Lee, David Arquette, Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Transformers star Megan Fox hid under her baseball cap as she arrived with boyfriend Brian Austin Green, and married actors Josh Brolin and Diane Lane were in the arena. While British socialite Peaches Geldof made an appearance with director boyfriend Eli Roth at the event which is the showbiz town’s hottest ticket this week. Defending champions the Lakers forced the Celtics to the limit for the first time since 2005. Star player Kobe Bryant said: ‘I was very happy. We did a great job defensively. ‘We kept them out of the middle, kept them out of the paint, did a good job on the boards. It was a solid effort by us.’ A champion will be crowned Thursday night at Staples Center. The First Lady, her daughters and her mother have been in town since Sunday, enjoying dinner at a number of top eateries and stopping by legendary hot dog stand Pink’s before watching Tuesday night’s game.

Oh man, what a game … actually, it wasn’t really a game so much as it was a COMPLETE BLOW OUT! The Lakers dominated the entire game and looked like they could not be stopped. The Lakers will face the Celtics for the 7th and final game on Thursday night here in LA … the winner will be the 2010 NBA Champs. I’m pretty certain that most of the celebs featured here, save for the Obamas, will be in attendance tomorrow night for the final game of the championship series. Here’s hoping the Lakers can put on a repeat performance of last night’s incredible game. Woot!!

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Last December we learned that adidas Originals teamed up with Lucas Films to create a new line of footwear and clothing based on iconic Star Wars characters and vehicles. But today we get to see that adidas and Star Wars have taken their new relationship into very cool new territory. A new commercial has been released that features current celebrities (like David Beckham and Snoop Dogg — who we already KNOW is a bit Star Wars fan) interacting with characters in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in the famed Cantina scene. Here are a few screencaps and some deets from this new commercial:

Star Wars, adidas and the upcoming FIFA World Cup™ are coming together like never before. Recreating the famous “Cantina scene” in Star Wars (you’ll instantly recognize the jazzy background music that sets the scene), David Beckham, Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Noel Gallagher, Daft Punk and the godfather of German soccer, Franz Beckenbauer meet up with Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3P0 and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the actual scenes of the acclaimed film. In an unprecedented, first-of-its-kind, collaboration with Lucasfilm Ltd, world’s collide with movie magic: Harrison Ford as Han Solo looks on as Snoop waves a light saber and Greedo confronts David Beckham directly. To seamlessly integrate new shots of David Beckham, Snoop Dogg and company into original Star Wars footage, a set was created to replicate the original dimensions of the iconic “Mos Eisley Cantina” featured in the film. Flame software was used to composite (superimpose) the old and new shots together blending the edges seamlessly … an edited Cantina spot will air during the much-anticipated Team US vs. Team England World Cup match on June 12th.

The result is seriously one of the coolest/funnest commercials I’ve ever seen. I dare you not to laugh out loud when Snoop Dogg says his line … it’s just, brilliant. Altho an edited version of the commercial will air on TV during the telecast of the World Cup, you can watch the full 2-minute version of the spot in full, after the jump …

In late December we learned that adidas is launching a new Originals Collection based on the world of Star Wars and earlier today, Snoop Dogg joined Darth Vader and his minions of the Empire in NYC to officially launch the collection of clothing and footwear. Here are a few photos from the event in Times Square earlier today:

Snoop Dogg marched through Times Square with Darth Vader and a bunch of Stormtroopers earlier today. Because what else are you going to come up with when you have a big bag of chronic and are pondering a marketing plan for a Star Wars-based footwear/clothing collection? Later in the day Racked reported that Snoops Troops made it to the Adidas store in SoHo… and R2D2 even made a cameo!

I am SO in love with this collection of Star Wars kicks from adidas … and I think it is the bomb dizzle that Snoop D-O Double G has signed on to help promote the collection. Imma hafta get my izzle bizzle in gizzle, my nizzles and buy up these shoes before they sell the fizzle out. Okay, I’ll stop now … but still, Snoop + Darth = Too Much Awesome.

[Photo credit: INFdaily; Source]

25 years after the original version was recorded, a new batch of stars convened at the Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood, CA to re-record the charity anthem We Are The World in an effort to raise money and awareness for Haitian Relief. 25 years ago, We Are The World was written and recorded in an effort to raise money for African Aid so it is very fitting that the song would be remade for the people of Haiti. Here are a few photos from inside the recording studio yesterday for this momentous occasion:

Producers were putting the final touches Tuesday to a remake of “We Are The World” with stars such as Barbra Streisand, Wyclef Jean and Celine Dion lending their support for Haiti’s quake victims. It was 25 years ago that Michael Jackson, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen joined others at the famed A&M Studios in Hollywood for an all-star recording of the same song to benefit famine relief in Africa. That effort, USA for Africa, raised 63 million dollars. This time, dozens of other A-listers — who also include Usher, Lil Wayne, Pink, Natalie Cole and the Jonas Brothers — took to the same soundstage late Monday for an hours-long recording that dragged into the night. The aim is to raise money to help survivors of the massive January 12 quake that killed 170,000 people and devastated what was already the poorest country in the Americas. No cameras were allowed inside, but the song’s producers said “We Are The World – 25 For Haiti” will air during NBC television’s coverage of the opening of the Winter Olympics on February 12. More than 70 stars — many of them hip-hop artists — lent their voice to the effort, none of them participants in the original recording. Rapper Wyclef Jean, a Haiti native, said in a statement he was “proud to be joined by so many members of the artistic community that want to support the region and have donated their time and talents to providing an effective way for the global community to get involved with helping the Haitian population.” The original tune was co-written and produced by Jackson, who died June 25 of cardiac arrest, Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones. Richie and Jones produced the new version. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis, who directed “Crash” and also co-wrote “Million Dollar Baby,” filmed the session for an accompanying video. “What an unbelievable group of people who have come together to give their voices, for a cause to start the healing of a people who have experienced a devastation of such magnitude,” said Richie. Among the other performers spanning a broad swath of genres and ages, from 83-year-old Tony Bennett to 15-year-old Justin Bieber, were Carlos Santana, Brian Wilson and Al Jardine of the Beach Boys. “It kind of hit me that I guess this is something way more important than I could have ever imagined,” rapper Lil Wayne, who is playing Bob Dylan’s part from the original recording, told a news conference. The recording was timed just a day after the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards to ensure the maximum number of stars would attend. The contemporary version of the song and the video will be available to buy through online and traditional retailers. Producers say all proceeds will go “directly” to earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.

This is such a fantastic idea … what a great way to raise money for Haitian relief. It’s such a shame that Michael Jackson couldn’t be part of this redux but it was nice of Kanye West to wear one of MJ‘s jackets so that he could be there in spirit. I can’t even begin to express how much of an impact the original We Are The World had on me when it was released in 1985. I loved that song so much … I would sit by the radio and record it on cassette tapes every time it aired … I would have cassette tapes with just this song recorded on it over and over again. I’m really looking forward to hearing this version. I’m not sure why this report claims there were “no cameras” allowed in the studio because there were and a lot of photos have been made available. After the jump, check out some individual shots of some of the folks who participated in We Are The World: 25 Years for Haiti yesterday …

Earlier today we learned all about Adam Lambert‘s shocking performance at the 2009 American Music Awards last night, as well as Jennifer Lopez‘s embarrassing fall at the AMAs … but there were other things going on at the Nokia Theater where the AMAs took place that are kinda worth mentioning. Celebs strutted their stuff on the red carpet on the way into the show, other folks performed songs without incident and a few awards were even handed out … who knew? Here are a few photos from the red carpet arrivals:

Yes, peeps were lookin’ purdy and stuff on the red carpet but let’s get to the awards. Taylor Swift, who has been cleaning up at awards shows all year long already, was the biggest winner of the night … she took home 5 awards including Artist of the Year! Michael Jackson also enjoyed a big night last night taking home a few posthumous awards of his own as did Whitney Houston, who became the 7th person ever to win the International Artist of the Year award from the AMAs:

Country crossover star Taylor Swift overshadowed the late Michael Jackson at the American Music Awards on Sunday, winning five prizes including artist of the year. Jackson, who had been expected to enjoy a clean sweep, ended up with four awards. He and Swift went head-to-head in the artist of the year race, the ceremony’s final prize. Other multiple winners included hip-hop acts Jay-Z and the Black Eyed Peas, with two each. Swift, 19, was also named favorite female artist in the pop/rock and country categories, and favorite adult-contemporary artist. Her 2008 album “Fearless,” the best-selling release in the United States this year, was named favorite country album. She accepted her awards live via satellite from backstage at London’s Wembley Arena, where she will perform a concert on Monday. “Music has never been ultimately about competition,” Swift said, after winning the artist of the year prize. She said it was an “unimaginable honor” to be cited in the same category as Jackson, and thanked the Jackson family. Jackson was named favorite male artist in the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories, while his 2003 hits collection “Number Ones” was named favorite album in both those categories. The album is the No. 2 seller this year in the United States. His brother Jermaine, accompanied by sons Jeremy, Jaafar and Jermajesty, accepted on his behalf. At one point, he thanked Allah “for blessing my entire family.” Rapper Eminem, making a rare awards-show appearance in the wake of his four nominations, went home empty-handed. Glam-pop singer Lady Gaga, rock band Kings of Leon and jailed rapper T.I., who earned three nominations each, were also snubbed. The Black Eyed Peas were named favorite group in both the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories. Jay-Z won favorite male artist and favorite album in the rap/hip-hop categories. His wife Beyonce, who was performing a show in Dublin, was named favorite female artist in the soul/R&B category. Punk rock trio Green Day won the favorite alternative artist. Rascal Flatts won favorite country group for the fourth year in a row.

Crazy, right? Well, since the AMAs are handed out according to fan voting I guess it’s all Y’ALL’s fault that Taylor won so many awards. The girl must really be enjoying life right now … whether it’s deserved or not (many, many folks argue that it is not) she is really taking home some major awards this year. I say, congrats … I hope she really appreciates it all. After the jump, check out a few photos from the AMAs show itself and see what else went down on the Nokia Theater stage last night …

Rap icon Snoop Doggy Dogg was on hand at the Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum inside the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV yesterday for the unveiling of a wax statue in his honor. Much like other wax statue exhibits at other Madame Tussaud museums around the world, this one is particularly stunning in its likeness of Snoop. Here are a few photos of Snoop and his wax doppelgänger … can you pick out the real man from the wax statue?

It’s 4/20 and Snoop Dogg is in Las Vegas but the iconic rapper is vowing to “lay low” on the counterculture holiday. “I lay low, I stay in the hotel so I won’t get in no trouble so the media can keep me out of their face,” he said Monday. When asked if he’d celebrate 4/20, he said, “You better know that,” – but he wouldn’t go into specifics. A bright-eyed Dogg began the afternoon by unveiling his new wax figure at Madame Tussauds. “What better way to celebrate 4/20 than to put yourself in wax?” he said. Though it’s unlikely that the rapper-producer-actor has shunned marijuana for good, he has recently made significant strides to be a better role model for his young fans. “I’m supposed to represent at all times and … keep it positive and be very peaceful,” he said, adding, “That’s what I’ll continue to do. … Whatever’s good I’ve been trying to be involved in.” The recently reformed rapper, whose real name is Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr., announced last month that he had converted to Islam. Several members of his youth football team, the Pomona Steelers, came to Las Vegas to see their coach reveal his wax statue. Dogg said it was important to him to have the kids there. “I just wanted to show them that, you know, I’ve become something and that their coach is somebody that they can look up to and they can want to be inspired by,” he said. The figure was unveiled Monday during a private event at Madame Tussauds. The figure was greeted by rounds of applause and the sound of his early hit single, “Who Am I? (What’s My Name?).” The statue will live in the museum’s “On Stage” area. The “Doggfather” and his wax replica wore identical outfits on Monday: Dark Converse Chuck Taylors; tan pants with a black bandana hanging from the left pocket; a white T-shirt; and a Long Beach Loyals team jacket from Dogg’s clothing line, “Rich and Infamous.” Snoop reportedly hand-picked the outfit for his $300,000 statue – though the wax figure was wearing more bling at the unveiling than the living breathing rapper. The 36-year-old father of three said he liked the way he looks in wax but said, “It’s kind of scary … it looks just like me!” Snoop is a busy man: He coaches his son’s football team, has his own clothing line, just completed a new reality-style series for MTV, “Dogg After Dark,” and is working on both a new album and a new line of merchandise, too. “I’m in the process of working on my new album, ‘Malice in Wonderland,’ and I’m about to start … a Snoop Dogg school supply (line) for the kids so they can have a piece of me,” he said. Snoop is also gearing up to hit the road with Slightly Stoopid this summer for a still-to-be-announced tour. His appearance today at Madame Tussauds came a day after he performed as part of the season opener pool party at Rehab. The star was far less reserved on Sunday afternoon, dropping plenty of vulgarities during his 30-minute set. But swear words and sexual references were everywhere at the Hard Rock’s notorious adults-only pool party and no one seemed to mind. Considering his music career, clothing line, charity and community work, TV shows, and other projects, Snoop Dogg has put his talents on display. Knowing his audience is just one of them.

LMAO. Of course Snoop would be honored in such a way on a day like 4/20 … makes perfect sense. Snopp Dogg is simply one of the coolest celebs out there. Not only is the man insanely talented but he is such a genuinely nice guy. He may have his faults just like anyone else but you kinda know that his heart is in the right place. His care and regard for his family is admirable and he’s a funny-ass guy. What’s not to love about Snoop Dogg? He should be very proud of his new wax likeness, it scarily looks exactly like him. It really is kinda hard to tell the real from the wax … the Madame Tussaud’s artists have done it again. Congrats on your new statue, Snoop!

[Photo credit: Getty; Source]

Actor Jeremy Piven got to hang out with rapper Snoop Dogg at Kanye West‘s Grammy Party last month and new photos of the party-goers have come to light. It would seem that Piven and Snoop indulged in a little of the smokey smoke:

LOLOLOL! HMMM … I wonder what the guys were smoking in that blunt … cuz I’d bet a lot of money that it wasn’t tobacco. Honestly, tho, if you’re gonna get caught smokin’ down I guess it’s kinda cool to get “caught” with Snoop Dogg. Is it Friday yet?

[Source]