Clear Channel’s “big announcement” for iHeartRadio has been revealed. The company will host a multi-act, multi-format, two-day concert—dubbed the iHeartRadio Music Festival—Sept. 23-24 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The company is billing the festival as “the biggest live music event in radio history.” The official announcement is coming Monday morning at 8:15am Eastern Time, and via Jennifer Lopez’ appearance on The Today Show.

The show is being staged to launch an updated version of iHeartRadio, which will be available this fall. It will include not just existing radio station streams, but “custom radio, like Pandora but with more songs, more control and no commercials through the end of the year.” (Read more… )

New York may be a concrete jungle, but the bright lights of Broadway have inspired Alicia Keys to produce Lydia R. Diamond’s play “Stick Fly” for the Lyceum Theater at the end of the year. Press representatives for the show said on Monday that Ms. Keys, the “Empire State of Mind” songstress, will present the play, which she is producing with Reuben Cannon and Nelle Nugent, and which will be directed by Kenny Leon, the director of last year’s Tony Award-winning revival of “Fences.”

This incarnation of “Stick Fly,” which chronicles the interactions and revelations within a well-to-do black family at its home in Martha’s Vineyard, will mark the Broadway debut for Ms. Diamond, a widely produced playwright whose other works include “Voyeurs de Venus,” “The Gift Horse” and “The Bluest Eye,” an adaptation of the Toni Morrison novel. (Read more… )

Ms. Keys and her piano took the stage last night at the BET Awards, performing “A Woman’s Worth”, “Typewriter” and “Fallen.”

Tomorrow, the songstress will be celebrating the anniversary of her debut album, ”Songs In A Minor”, by unveiling her wax figure at the famous Madame Tussauds.

The 10th anniversary deluxe edition, which features 4 bonus songs including “Typewriter”, will also be available in stores.

An eager participant in the creation of her wax figure, Keys spent more than three hours with a team of Madame Tussauds studio artists who took hundreds of precise measurements and photos and worked over three months to ensure the figure fully captured her unique style, exact eye color, posture, and overall image. (Read more… )

Songs In A Minor – 10th Anniversary (Deluxe Edition):

Disc 1 – Original Album
1. Piano & I
2. Girlfriend
3. How Come You Don’t Call Me
4. Fallin’
5. Troubles
6. Rock Wit U
7. A Woman’s Worth
8. Jane Doe
9. Goodbye
10. The Life
11. Mr. Man (duet with Jimmy Cozier)
12. Never Felt This Way (interlude)
13. Butterflyz
14. Why Do I Feel So Sad
15. Caged Bird
16. Lovin U
(Read more… )

Woodie King, Jr.’s New Federal Theater will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a special Gala at the historic Edison Ballroom at 4pm on Sunday, May 22. The event will be co-hosted by CBS News’ Randall Pinkston and actress Lynn Whitfield. Chairmen for the event are Laurence Fishburne, John Morning, and Susan Taylor. The Honorary Chair is Dr. Maya Angelou.

In addition to celebrating NFT’s vital contribution to the arts internationally, the Gala will feature special awards for 13 individuals that changed the cultural life of our nation: Sidney Poitier, Ntozake Shange, Ruby Dee, Alicia Keys, Mayor David Dinkins, Imhotep Gary Byrd, George Faison, Amiri Baraka, Rev. Malcolm Boyd, Elizabeth McCann, Carla Pinza, Terrie Williams, and Sylvia Sprinkle Hamlin.

For tickets and information, call 212-838-2660, ext. 14.

Alicia Keys is to play a one-off London show to celebrate the tenth anniversary of her debut album Songs in A Minor. The intimate show, which is to be titled ‘Piano & I: A One Night Only Event With Alicia Keys’, will involve the singer-songwriter showcasing her Grammy-winning debut in its entirety at the Royal Albert Hall on June 13.

“I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Songs in A Minor, than by holding a special, intimate concert for my fans,” Keys explained in a statement. “It’s my absolute favorite way to perform. There is something so special about just me on my piano connecting with the audience.

“It brings me back to the very beginning when I could only perform with a keyboard and to now be able take it back to the essence of who I am with this show, it is so exciting.” The news follows the recent announcement that Alicia Keys is to repackage her million-selling debut in deluxe and collector editions for the anniversary.

The Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS) in New York City will honor Grammy® Award winner and alumna, Alicia Keys with the “Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award” at their 20th Anniversary celebration. The gala will be held at the Roundabout Theater on April 4th in New York City. Keys will accept the PPAS “Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award” at the Gala.

“I’m so touched and honored to be receiving the Alumni Outstanding Achievement Award from my old alma mater,” said Keys. “The education I received while at PPAS has stretched way beyond school lessons and I’m so proud to be one of the many students PPAS has helped influence.” (Read more… )

“I must say that working with Alicia was my favorite sessions in the recording studio ever, and I think it was partly because … it was a learning experience,” she said about Keys, who gave birth days after their sessions. “She’s just amazing to work with. We had such a good time together. … It was an amazing, fun experience.”

Twelve-time Grammy Award winner Alicia Keys and esteemed entertainer and social activist Harry Belafonte are slated to visit Toronto in May for a benefit for the Stephen Lewis Foundation. Keys will headline a concert called Hope Rising at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts on May 3. Performers Angelique Kidjo, Holly Cole and Gloria Reuben will also take to the stage.

Before the concert, Belafonte will participate in a dinner and discussion about the impact of philanthropy on the frontlines of the AIDS pandemic. Stephen Lewis, former UN Special Envoy for AIDS in Africa, is among the other luminaries who will also be part of the chat with Belafonte.

Tickets go on sale on Saturday via Ticketmaster or in person at the Sony Centre box office. The Stephen Lewis Foundation supports community-level organizations that provide care and support to those affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.