Nicki Minaj Goes Back to School

Nicki put her celebrity to very good use this week and surprised more than 400 students and acted as Principal for the Day at Collins Academy High School in Chicago, USA. Her visit was one of the rewards for the students and teachers who won the Get MotivatED Challenge – a six week competition to improve daily attendance rates nationwide.

Nicki surprising the students

Minaj presented three exemplary students each with a fantastic $10,000 college scholarship from Comcast, helped teach a freshman English class and joined MTV’s Sway Calloway in a school assembly to celebrate the accomplishments of the students and teachers.

Nicki graduated from LaGuardia High School in New York City (aka ‘Fame’ where other alumni include Liza Minelli, Al Pacino and Jennifer Aniston) which she says influenced her career path and her commitment to giving back.

Sway and Nicki at assembly

Nicki said: “I am a young, female mogul before I am an artist. As a business woman there isn’t a single day where I don’t use my education or acquire new knowledge to ensure my success. Regardless of where you are today, with education you can take yourself where you want to be. That’s why I am working with the Get Schooled Foundation. They are finding innovative and exciting ways to bring that message to schools like the Collins Academy.”




What a fantastic initiative. Unfortunately it seems a lot of young people are more likely to be influenced by celebrity than traditional authority figures so if someone like Nicki turning up at school encourages them to stay in education then perhaps it’s something the UK should look to adopt.

At the school Nicki Minaj visited, throughout the six week competition, daily attendance improved by 7 percent and since the competition ended, they maintained a 92 percent attendance rate, positioning the school among the top of all Chicago’s high schools in terms of attendance.

Nicki with the students

Fashion at the 2011 Grammy Awards

The Grammys were held in Los Angeles last night and once again, the fashion did not disappoint.

Sticking with the music for a bit, some of the winners were:

Best Contemporary R&B Album – ‘Raymond V Raymond’, Usher
Best Rap Album – ‘Recovery’, Eminem,
Best R&B Album - 'Wake Up!', John Legend and the Roots
Best Rap Song - 'Empire State of Mind,' Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
Best R&B Song - 'Shine,' John Legend and the Roots
Best Dance Song - 'Only Girl (In The World)', Rihanna
Best New Artist - Esperanza Spalding

Needless to say, Lady Gaga stole the show by arriving in a giant egg!

Lady Gaga arriving at the Grammys

Moving on, Rihanna must have friends in high places as she arrived in a John Paul Gaultier gown that was only on the catwalks of Paris last month! Nice. We also much prefer her new sleek hairstyle over the Sideshow Bob creation she had been sporting.

Rihanna in Jean Paul Gaultier

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 11 Couture Show

For her on stage performance with Eminem, she wore a Christian Dior dress from his Autumn/Winter 2010 collection.

Jennifer Lopez certainly made an entrance in an itsy bitsy Emilio Pucci minidress and Christian Louboutin studded heels.

The ever slimmer Jennifer Hudson in a Versace gown.

Nicki Minaj in a leopard print Givenchy Couture full catsuit and ‘how did it stay up all night?’ hairpiece.

Kim Kardashion (with gravity defying boobs) in a Kaufman Franco gown and nude Christian Louboutin courts.

Naya Rivera (from Glee) in a short at the front, long at the back gown.

Ciara in a long but actually not-much-material Emilio Pucci 2011 Spring Collection dress.

Glee’s Jenna Ushkowitz in a classic nude strapless dress with black overlay.

Janelle Monae in her signature angdrogynous style with Dolce & Gabbana black satin trousers, sequin blazer and white shirt.

Amber Riley in an unusual embellished strapless gown, with odd gold shoulder detailing.

Monica in an overpowering formal black gown.

Esperanza Spalding rocking a natural 'fro.













And last but not least, cheer up Faith!

Tipped for Greatness in 2011

Ever heard of the Red pages? Neither have we. But for those in the know, it’s a kind of oracle, a pretty accurate prediction of the new faces that will make it big in the world of film, TV, fashion, music, politics, sport, art, society and media.

They got it right last year – who knew Justin Bieber, Tinie Tempah and Carey Mulligan would be dominating showbiz headlines in 2010? The chaps at Red Pages did.

Tinie Tempah

Now they’ve drawn up their list for 2011. Chances are you’ll be familiar with these folks before the year is out.

Alexis Jordan
18-year-old singer-songwriter from South Carolina. She was a contestant on America’s Got Talent but was eliminated during the semi-finals. After uploading videos of her songs to YouTube, she was signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label, releasing her debut single Happiness in November 2010 which reached number three in the UK. Her debut album is due for release in February.

Alexis Jordan

Austin Brown
25-year-old American singer-songwriter who is the nephew of Michael Jackson. He has an R&B/pop sound and his debut album 85 is slated for release this year.

Austin Brown

J. Cole
US rapper J. Cole was the first artist to be signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label. His highly anticipated debut album is slated for release in Spring 2011, featuring collaborations with Jay-Z among others.

J. Cole

Joan Smalls
Puerto Rican model who opened and closed more shows than any other model at the Spring/Summer 2011 shows. She was selected to walk exclusively for the Givenchy Spring 2010 couture show and was name checked by Kanye West in his song Christian Dior Denim Flow.

Joan Smalls

Kayne (no, not Kanye)
Rapper/singer from the UK whose YouTube videos have already gained over one million hits. After signing with management and talent agencies, Kayne is due for a full release on Universal Records this year.

Kayne

Leah Weller
Model daughter of  Paul Weller and Style Council singer Dee C Lee. She has walked for Preen, shot with Mikael Jansson for Interview Magazine and appeared in UK Vogue. She is currently working on her debut album and is due to appear in a worldwide fashion campaign in 2011 (full details are currently under wraps).

Leah Weller

Liam Bailey
British soul singer signed to Amy Winehouse’s Lioness label. In 2010 he supported drum ‘n' bass group Chase and Status on tour and played the Asprey launch at London Fashion Week. His debut album is due for release this year.

Liam Bailey

Nicki Minaj (isn’t she already everywhere?!)
Nicki was named in NME’s 2010 Cool List. Last year she collaborated with Christina Aguilera on the single Woo Hoo from her Bionic album. She's signed to Lil' Wayne’s Young Money Entertainment record label and is hotly tipped in the press for this year. In November 2010 she teamed up with MAC to launch a limited edition Pink Friday lipstick to mark the release of her debut album.

Nicki Minaj

SoundGirl
London pop trio Nicole, Olivia and Izzy, who have worked with the same producers as Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Beyonce and Cheryl Cole. They toured with Pixie Lott in December 2010.

SoundGirl

Talay Riley
20-year-old singer from London. He co-wrote Chipmunk’s number one single Oopsy Daisy as well as his hit Look For Me. Talay’s debut single Humanoid was featured on Radio 1’s In New Music We Trust for four weeks in late 2010 and his follow up song, Sergeant Smash, is released on January 31. He recently supported N-Dubz on tour and is touted to be the next Taio Cruz. His debut album will be released this year.

Talay Riley

Youngli Lee
Korean-born designer who studied at the London College of Fashion. Her press show at LCF drew the attention of ASOS who signed her to work on a diffusion collection, which went on sale in October 2010. She was also listed on the Vauxhall Fashion Scout’s One to Watch at the end of 2010.

Youngli Lee

Fashion at the 2010 American Music Awards

We like the AMAs. We like that they are voted for by Joe Public and not ‘industry insiders’ (who are these insiders anyway?). Judging by the winners, it seems safe to say people really, really like Justin Bieber.

As ever, the fashion didn’t disappoint. Some looked divine. Others looked... ‘interesting’ (we mean you Nicki Minaj).

Christina Milian

See the red carpet looks in full after the jump.


Rihanna in a Elie Saab couture dress, Christian Louboutin heels and Neil Lane jewellery.

Rihanna

Keri Hilson wore a short and backless crocodile skin Sammy B dress with House of Harlow (Nicole Ritchie's jewellery range - available at www.mywardrobe.com) gold and black bangles, Noir earrings and Francesco Sacco shoes.

Keri Hilson

There’s a lot going on in this dress! Nicki Minaj wore a Manish Arora creation with Christian Louboutin shoes.

Nicki Minaj

Jada Pinkett-Smith in a bespoke Emilio Pucci gown and Christian Louboutin heels.

Jada Pinkett-Smith