ALICIA KEYS GRACES THE COVER OF HOT MAGAZINE

Alicia Keys reigns in the New Year in red on the cover of Essence Magazine’s January 2013 Issue. Setting fire to the music scene yet again with a fifth studio album that is already projected to hit number one on the Billboard charts, Keys has a lot to celebrate and discuss – her new music, motherhood, and married life. The 14-time Grammy winner has learned and grown a lot in the past few years, which is evident in her latest release Girl on Fire. Songs like “Brand New Me” reaffirm her attitude to embrace growth. She’s embraced a more confident, assertive self and has realized imperfection is not failure. “It’s okay if I can’t do every single thing. I finally understand that it doesn’t make me a lesser artist or human being.” she tells the magazine. A born and bred New Yorker, Keys still resides in her hometown. Living in Soho with her husband, music producer Swizz Beatz and their 2-year-old son Egypt, her and her family, like many New Yorkers, were unable to avoid the chaos recently caused by Hurricane Sandy. The Aids activist talked to the magazine about being unprepared for the wrath of Sandy. “After the third or fourth tuna fish sandwich, and after we learned we’d be without power for a week, I called my mother, who lives Uptown. She was okay and hadn’t lost any power, so we ended up going to her house. We were pretty lucky.” For more on the cover girl, the January issue of Essence will hit stands on December 7th.

RIHANNA MAKES BOLD RELATIONSHIP COMPARISION

Rihanna has reportedly been telling friends that her romance with Chris Brown reminds her of the relationship between Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston. Seems like her relationship is more like Ike & Tina Turner if you ask me! But according to HollywoodLife, a source said that Rihanna could personally identify with the Bobby/Whitney duet “Something In Common.” “Their relationship is like the early Whitney and Bobby day. Ri was watching Bobby and Whitney’s ‘Something In Common’ video the other day and said ‘This is just like Chris and me. For real though, that’s the type of fun we having right now. I love Whitney. She was my girl. Can’t nobody do it better than her,’” the source told HollywoodLife, adding that you can see her relationship with Chris is “real love … like ain’t no bullshi**ng. The s**t is magical and it’s real.” The 24-year-old “Diamonds” singer was beaten by Chris Brown in 2009, and Whitney and Bobby’s relationship also included violence. In 2003, he was charged with misdemeanor battery for striking Whitney and threatening further bodily harm.

CELEBRITY QUICKIES

With tears streaming down his face, Katt Williams announced on Seattle's KOMO News 4 that he is retiring from stand-up comedy.  The statement comes on the heels of his arrest in Seattle after a string of fights with random people and an entire year of embarassing and violent outbursts. Looking worn and weary and barely like himself during the street interview, Katt says he's already discussed his decision with his kids before explaning, "I'm kinda done."

Costumes worn by Michael Jackson commanded hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction, and Lady Gaga was among the collectors. Gaga tweeted Sunday that she bought 55 pieces in the sale administered by Julien's Auctions and said she plans to keep the items "archived and expertly cared for in the spirit and love of Michael Jackson, his bravery and fans worldwide."

Jay-Z is turning the tables and giving his fans a present on his 43rd birthday.  His website Life + Times premieres a mini-documentary of the making of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn and his eight-day concert series. The video shows commentary and behind-the-scenes footage of Jay-Z, Young Guru and the rest of his band, rehearsing and prepping for the concert series from day one. “Jay is pulling from every album. It’s been hectic,” Young Guru shares of the rehearsals behind Jay-Z’s concert series. “It’s the f**kin’ craziest thing you ever seen,” Jay chimes in on the center’s stage.

After the recent airing of the latest chapters in his 'Trapped in the Closet' series on IFC and news that the series may be coming to Broadway, R. Kelly has now revealed he’s working on a book to full of back story information on the characters. “It's the prequel meeting the sequel. You'll get to find out a lot of things you don't know, or that you can't know, unless you read the book or unless I tell you -- so I decided to do a book on it.” No word on a projected book release date, yet.