Could Fergie be exiting the Black Eyed Peas? Rumors started circulating after the release of the groups latest album that they could be headed for a hiatus and now it’s believed the only person going on hiatus is the bands female singer.

According to MediaTakeOut.com :

“The group had been looking for a replacement for some time. Ashanti was reportedly brought onto the group’s WORLD TOUR – as sort of an AUDITION, to see if she could work with the band – and it worked out PERFECTLY!!”

“The group has been looking for a replacement for some time,” a top music industry executive chimed in.

News of Fergie’s plans shouldn’t surprise Black Eyed Peas fans since Peas singer Taboo recently spoke with the New York Times and said she was prepared to take a hiatus to spend more time with husband Josh Duhamel and work on starting a family:

“We have to respect Fergie. Fergie is our sister. She definitely wants to have a family and we’re happy for her,” he said.

Fergie’s last show will reportedly take place on Nov. 23 and industry snoops say an official announcement about Ashanti joining the band to take over Fergie’s spot is expected by the end of November.

In celebration of the Black Eyed Peas here’s one of their biggest hits “I Gotta Feeling”:

Do you think Ashanti is a good replacement choice for Fergie?

[Image via TDC Photography / Shutterstock.com]

Fergie Leaving Black Eyed Peas, Ashanti Rumored As Replacement is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Black Eyed Peas have decided to pull out of a Michael Jackson tribute concert that is scheduled to be held in Wales.

According to the shows organizers the band was met with “unavoidable circumstances” that forced them to pull out of the show.

Regardless of the Peas missing the event Chris Hunt, chief executive of Global Live Events expects the show to be a “fantastic evening” stating:

“Due to unavoidable circumstances, the Black Eyed Peas will be unable to perform at this Saturday’s Michael Forever event. It is with regret that we announce the removal of Black Eyed Peas from the Michael Forever bill, but I look forward to a great night with other earth shattering artists. The event is really getting into gear and is going to be a fantastic evening for all.”

Still on the shows list for the Cardiff Millennium Stadium show are:

Christina Aguilera, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Leona Lewis, and Cee Lo Green

Making a video appearance will be the pregnant superstar Beyonce.

The show is not affiliated with the Michael Jackson estate however family of Jackson including mother Katherine are expected to attend.

For fans of the rock band KISS they are no longer scheduled to perform after organizers rescinded their offer when Gene Simmons criticized Michael Jackson.

Would you like to attend the Michael Jackson tribute concert?

Black Eyed Peas Ditch Michael Jackson Tribute Concert is a post from: The Inquisitr

Blacked Eyed Peas frontman Will.i.am nearly had to stop singing “Stop the Party” when the singer forgot the words to the song and had to look them up on his cell phone during a performance.

Will.i.am was appearing on the French television show Taratata and was performing the Stromae hit Alors on Danse and when it was his turn to sing his own lyrics “don’t, don’t, don’t stop the party” he was spotted quite clearly staring down at his phone as he read his own song’s lyrics while singing.

This sadly is still not as bad as his Superbowl disaster.

In case your curious here is the video of the Will.I.Am cellphone performance:

Will.i.am Forgets Words To Own Song, Uses Phone To Look Them Up [Fail] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Supergroup Black Eyed Peas will be playing a free show in New York City’s Central Park on June 9 and everyone’s invited…if they RSVP.

The performance was recently given the go ahead by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and will be used to benefit the Robin Hood Foundation which targets impoverished young in the Big Apple and also supported the Peapod Academies which were started by the Black Eyed Peas and serve as arts centers for teenagers.

According to Robin Hood director David Saltzman:

“Robin Hood is humbled by the commitment of The Black Eyed Peas and Chase to help the 1.8 million people in New York City that fall below the poverty line. As six-time Grammy Award-winners and 30-plus million album-sellers, the Peas are superstars in the global music industry and Central Park provides the perfect stage for them to help us raise awareness and funds for our neighbors in need.”

To raise money fans for the charity concert attendees will receive text messages throughout the concert asking them to donate.

According to PopCrunch:

“We are thrilled to follow in the footsteps of icons such as Simon & Garfunkel and Diana Ross by performing a free concert for our fans in Central Park,” Peas singer Fergie said shortly after the show was formally announced on NYC’s Z100 early Monday. “But more importantly, we are performing to benefit Robin Hood’s efforts to help those living in poverty in New York City and to help disadvantaged youth in New York with the launch of our Peapod Academy.”

Free tickets will be given out to 50,000 people starting on May 11 and can be grabbed by registering for them at  BlackEyedPeas.RobinHood.org. The group will also sell some VIP tickets online.

Black Eyed Peas Announce Free Central Park Show is a post from: The Inquisitr

In a statement on his website, Perez Hilton formally apologized to the gay community for using the word “faggot” in an argument with Black Eyed Peas will.i.am, the same argument that resulted in him getting punched in the face by the Peas manager, Polo Molina.

In that same apology, Perez wrote that he was sueing Molina for $25,000 in damages because of the incident, and that he’d donate the proceeds of the suit to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, an organization that strives to replace hate with understanding and acceptance in the face of diversity.

Well, since Hilton’s recent fight was (in part) brought on by his choice of hateful and discriminatory language in Toronto, the Matthew Shepard Foundation does not want his money. In a statement posted to the Matthewshepard.org site:

The Matthew Shepard Foundation was surprised to learn this morning via media reports that blogger Perez Hilton (Mario Lavandeira) has announced he plans to donate, to our organization, the proceeds of a lawsuit he is contesting over an altercation which has been widely reported in recent days.

We had no advance notice or contact from Mr. Hilton or his representatives regarding this proposal, nor any communication since he posted this plan to his website.

We do not know the details of the lawsuit, whether it has been filed, the nature of his claims or the likely outcome. But because the lawsuit presumably involves the physical attack prompted by Mr. Hilton’s admitted use of an anti-gay slur, the Foundation will be unable to accept any funds obtained in such a manner.

We very much appreciate the generosity of the offer to support our continuing work to memorialize Matthew through activism in defense of sexual minorities and in favor of understanding, compassion, and acceptance. But because so much of our work involves education to reduce the use of hateful language against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons, or those so perceived, it would be inappropriate for us to benefit financially from circumstances in which such a verbal attack was involved.

While we applaud Mr. Hilton’s apology to the LGBT community and their loved ones for his use of such a slur, we also feel compelled to point out that use of epithets can often lead to physical violence, as it appears it may have in this case, and that the Matthew Shepard Foundation has worked for more than 10 years to bring to people’s attention the consequences of hateful or intolerant language.

Judy Shepard
Chair, MSF Governing Board

Matthew Shepard Foundation doesn’t want Perez Hilton’s Lawsuit Money is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Black Eyed Peas were guests on the Late Show with David Letterman Tuesday night and performed their new single, “I Gotta Feeling” Live, to kick off their first group album in three years.

Video of the Black Eyed Peas Performing “I Gotta Feeling” Live on Letterman

will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie tore it up for delighted fans on Letterman kicking off the release of their new album, The E.N.D, on June 9.

From the Black Eyed Peas wikipedia page:

Group front man will.i.am told Billboard that The E.N.D stands for “The Energy Never Dies”, which describes his model for a project that will be living and frequently updated throughout its designated cycle. “It’s a diary … of music that at any given time, depending on the inspiration, you can add to it,” the artist/producer/songwriter explains. “I’m trying to break away from the concept of an album. What is an album when you put 12 songs on iTunes and people can pick at it like scabs? That’s not an album. There is no album anymore.” He describes the music as “a lot of dance stuff, real melodic, electronic, soulful. We call it, like, electric static funk, something like that.

Black Eyed Peas Perform “I Gotta Feeling” Live on Letterman [VIDEO] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The premise of the fairly understated video is to show the band going “into the digital afterlife.” Says Fergie: “So the transformation is us going into a sort of birth or cocoon…And coming out the other end as forms of energy. It’s a parallel to the music industry. Now everything is downloaded.”

The one interesting thing in the video is the opening scene and the final scene: The first 5 seconds focuses on a band member using a HP Touchsmart. The final scene zoom back to show the same HP, although there’s no mention of the Touchsmart on screen…instead you clearly see the HP logo.

Fergie has already appeared in HP commercials late last year, so the tie-in is not surprising. The blatant nature though is something a little special. I guess musicians raging against corporations are a thing of the past, replaced instead by the offer of high paying product placements.

Here’s the HP advertisement Black Eyed Peas Boom Boom Pow video:

New Black Eyed Peas Video….or is it an Ad for HP? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Fergie, now known as “The Digital Duchess,” runs through her various uses of her HP computer in the one minute spot:

“My computer is like a virtual autobiography… I love finding new dance moves online… Totally reminds me of my first tour with the Peas… Check it out, my new shoe line. Working on an eco-friendly style next. Green is the new black, baby… My computer holds my past but there’s plenty of room in there for my future.”“My computer is like a virtual autobiography… I love finding new dance moves online… Totally reminds me of my first tour with the Peas… Check it out, my new shoe line. Working on an eco-friendly style next. Green is the new black, baby… My computer holds my past but there’s plenty of room in there for my future.”

The interesting part of the commercial isn’t yet another popstar pimping computers for a living, it’s what’s missing from the commercial: Fergies head!

Most of the time all we see of Fergie is her body, and occasionally the very bottom of her head, including chin and mouth. Where her head comes into full shot (nearly) at 0:45, it is obscured by some sort of large plastic object.

Fergie does have an amazing voice, but a stint on crystal meth left her early attractive looks looking a little the worse for wear. Still, to nearly entirely exclude the head of a celebrity in a celebrity endorsement is taking things to extremes…her head may be a little wicked, but it doesn’t scare small children…well mostly.

Here’s the (mostly) headless Fergie HP commercial:

Fergie HP Commercial avoids showing Fergie’s head is a post from: The Inquisitr