Prince London tour documented with book, CD

Behind the Scenes

By Antracia Merrill-Moorings

Prince in Pictures: Prince will release his first book, “21 Nights,” in October. The lush coffee table book of photographs depicts Prince during his 21-night stand at London’s O2 Arena in 2007. Included with the book is a new CD of his music. The photographs, which show Prince doing things such as lounging on a bed in his pajamas, picking out his stage wardrobe and doing sound checks, were shot by Randee St. Nicholas the fashion photographer and music video director. As such, the pictures are carefully styled and posed. The back of the book includes a list of the clothiers, apparel makers and candle suppliers whose goods are shown in the photos. The book is sprinkled with short phrases, poems and song lyrics. The accompanying CD “Indigo Nights” is a 15-track representation of what a Prince after-concert performance is like.

Bey Is Back: R&B diva Beyoncé Knowles is set to release her third solo album on Nov. 18, Reuters quotes her label Columbia Records as saying. The as-yet-untitled album follows her last record B’day, which debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. pop chart in September 2006. Her first solo album, Dangerously in Love, was released in 2003 during a hiatus of her former group Destiny’s Child. Columbia said the new album, which Beyoncé co-wrote and co-produced, features her “most personal, reflective and revelatory collection to date,” Reuters reports.

Bun In the Oven: Usher and wife Tameka Foster are expecting their second child, Usmagazine.com reports. The R&B singer, 29, and Foster, 38, welcomed their first child, Usher Raymond V, in November. “He’s like [a] hyper baby—he’s crawling so fast.” Foster told Us in July. “He stands up, and he’s walking around the table… it’s amazing to watch him,” she added. “I’ve never seen a baby crawl so fast! I call him Dash, like on the Incredibles!” The couple wed in a civil ceremony in Atlanta on Sept. 1, 2007. While Foster called motherhood “wonderful,” she said “every day is a new challenge with him.” In May, Usher’s manager Benny Medina denied rumors that the couple was separating.

Briefly, Congratulations to Laila Ali and her husband, Curtis Conway who are the parents of a baby boy named Curtis Muhammad Conway Jr. The baby, born on Aug. 26, weighed in at 6.8 lbs.… After dating for reportedly less than a year, Jennifer Hudson and her fellow Chicago native boyfriend David Otunga, are engaged. According to MSNBC, the singer and Academy Award winning actress was proposed to by Otunga on her 27th birthday, recently in Los Angeles. Otunga, a former Harvard Law School grad, is best known as “Punk” from VH1’s reality show, I Love New York 2. He reportedly gave Hudson a Neil Lane diamond ring.… Actress Niecy Nash has made a move from “Reno” to the “suite” life. The star has her own TV show premiering tonight on Fox called “Do Not Disturb.” The show is set in a hip New York hotel called The Inn. Nash stars as Rhonda, the “brash, fabulous, and brutally honest” head of human resources.… Cedric the Entertainer has signed on for the romantic comedy “All’s Faire in Love,” about a drama school grad whose crush on a fellow actress in his Renaissance Faire theater troupe is thwarted by his colleagues. Cedric replaces Jack Black as Professor Shockworthy, whose appearances bookend the film he narrates in fairytale style.

Finally, Harold Perrineau is being held hostage for his next big-screen role. The former “Lost” star has joined the cast of the indie thriller “Killing Jar,” with Michael Madsen and Danny Trejo. The project revolves around an armed stranger who takes seven patrons hostage. As the body count rises, the survivors discover that one of the hostages may be more dangerous than their captor.

This is part of the September 24, 2008 online edition of Frost Illustrated.

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