RIHANNA and CHRIS BROWN engagement rumours refuse to go away - after the pop beauty was snapped sporting a huge diamond ring on her wedding finger.
The pair took to the stage at Elton John’s New Year’s eve party at London’s O2 Arena on Wednesday (31stDec08) to perform a duet, according to Britain’s The Sun newspaper.
And the Bajan beauty fuelled speculation of an impending engagement announcement when she was spotted showing off a huge rock in a pair of fingerless leather gloves at the event.
Rihanna and Brown have frequently refused to confirm they are an item - despite Internet gossips recently claiming the rumoured couple were living together.

We wish everyone a safe and Merry Christmas. Happy Chanukah, and happy Kwanzaa.

If all goes well, current international pop sensation Rihanna will be in Delhi on January 26, to perform a peace song that’s part of Aadesh Shrivastava’s anti-terror album.

The album already has a starry line-up in Ustad Zakir Husain, Rashid Khan, Kala Ramanathan and other music bigwigs. Aadesh hopes that Rihanna “won’t only sing the peace song, but will also perform with all of us for the President”.

Said Bollywood’s music genius, “The time to sing bhajans and qawallis evoking Ishwar and Allah to ring peace on earth is over. Such pleas won’t work any more. Mumbai has witnessed a terrible massacre. I put aside another album that I was working on to take up the anti-terrorism album. It’s called The Sound Of Peace and has no references to God or any religion. We need to fight terrorism on our own.” Also participating in the album if not coming here are some other big names from the music world, like Justin Timberlake.

- times of india

Rihanna plans to rock the nation’s capital on President-elect Barack Obama’s Inauguration Night – and help feed millions at the same time.

The Grammy winner, 20, will perform for the Recording Industry Association of America’s Presidential Inauguration Charity Ball, to benefit Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization.

“Rihanna’s always willing to help out,” a source tells PEOPLE. “She’s a good girl.”

The Barbados-born singer, who’s frequently spotted with hunky singer Chris Brown, shot to stardom with her multi-platinum Good Girls Gone Bad and its single superhits “Umbrella” and “Don’t Stop the Music.”

Raise Awareness
Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America, tells PEOPLE: “We could not be happier that Rihanna will be performing at the Inauguration charity ball to benefit Feeding America.

“Rihanna’s involvement will help raise awareness about the prevalence of hunger in America and help bring more aid to the 36 million Americans who do not always know where they will find their next meal.”

Rihanna promises to be in stellar company come Jan. 20. Sting will be performing at the Creative Coalition ball, while Kanye West is said to be in talks to perform for the Impact Film Fund.

Rumor has it, Kanye West may be entering recording room with Rihanna. A source tells Perez Hilton that the two singers will be collaborating on a re-recorded version of Kanye’s single “Paranoid” taken from his latest album “808’s & Heartbreak”.

If the rumor is proven to be true, the duet track will reportedly be released sometime in January 2009. However, no statement has come out from both Kanye and Rihanna’s managements regarding the issue.

Previously, Kanye West shared that “Paranoid” was indeed most likely to be his next song after singles “Love Lockdown” and “Heartless”. However, he mentioned he was “not gonna release [the track] for awhile” to let his two previously-released songs “soak into the culture.”

Kanye’s fourth studio LP “808’s & Heartbreak” has been available for purchase since November. It features Kid Cudi on “Welcome to Heartbreak”, Young Jeezy on “Amazing” and Lil Wayne on “See You in My Nightmares”.

Although a new story had Nicole Richie stepping into the singing spotlight to collaborate with sultry songstress Rihanna, a rep for the star insists that just isn’t true.
“While Nicole respects Rihanna and thinks she is immensely talented, she is not currently working on an album and hence, not currently working with Rihanna as has been recently reported,” Nicole’s rep tells OK!.

As relayed by the New York Daily News’ Gatecrasher column, Nicole was supposedly hooking up with “pals” Rihanna and Kelly Osbourne in preparation for a new album.

“Rihanna and Kelly are coaching Nicole and giving her tips on how to perform,” the column quoted a source as saying.

Press room at the Z100 Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden in NYC - Dec 12

Rihanna performs at the Z100 Jingle Ball concert at Madison Square Garden in NYC - Dec 12

Rihanna poses backstage at Capital FM’s Jingle Bell Ball December 10, 2008

Rihanna at Gelson’s supermarket in Hollywood, December 5, 2008

As excitement builds ahead of Saturday’s live X Factor final, the established artists lending their expertise to the top three contestants have been revealed. And pop quartet JLS are thrilled after learning they will team up with US diva Rihanna to sing her mega hit Umbrella.

Although not front-runners to win the competition, band members Jonathan Gill, Oritse Williams, Aston Merrygold and Marvin Humes are hoping their collaboration with the hugely-popular singer with help them steal victory on the night, as Leon Jackson did last year after dueting with Kylie Minogue.

Meanwhile the favourite, 20-year-old Alexandra Burke, will team up with Irish crooners Westlife, and Northern Ireland’s Eoghan Quigg will duet with Boyzone, who reunited this year after a seven-year break. Both the boy bands are managed by the series’ judge Louis Walsh.

I’ve added photos from American Music Awards in LA, November 23th, 2008. Enjoy!
Red Carpet, Arrivals, Backstage

Performance:

December 12, 2008 at Madison Square Garden
Kanye West, David Archuleta, Chris Brown, Katy Perry, Leona Lewis, Ne-Yo, Jesse McCartney, Paramore, Brandy, Lady GaGa, with special appearance by Rihanna
For more information visit Z100’s website.

It was a great night for Rihanna and Chris Brown on Sunday, as the all-but-official couple walked away from the American Music Awards with victories in five of the night’s biggest categories, including the AMAs’ top prize.

Rihanna should have known it was going to be a good night right from the start, when she was the first winner to be announced during Sunday night’s live broadcast on ABC. The first award for the 20-year-old beauty was in the Favorite Female Soul/R&B Artist category, making it the second year in a row that she’s won that particular award.

Later in the evening, Rihanna’s widescale appeal became very apparent when she was also awarded the title of Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist of 2008.
Read More »

Gucci creative director Frida Giannini has revealed that Rihanna has been chosen because of her fresh look. “I wanted Rihanna on board with this project because she’’s so young, so modern, and so iconic,” the Daily Telegraph quoted Giannini as having told , JustJared.com.

Rihanna also added her own views about the brand and their work with UNICEF. “I have always been a fan of the Gucci brand and the products, especially their handbags. But most of all, I’m very very intrigued by what they’re doing with UNICEF. As an artist, I feel like its our duty to make it a better place if we can,” she said.

“I’m blown away by what UNICEF has been able to accomplish in Africa with the money that Gucci has donated to them. I’m very fortunate to be part of this wonderful collaboration,” she added.

- Times of India

Got ink? Rihanna certainly does. The singer showed off a new tattoo on her right wrist Wednesday, as she chatted with reporters at a UNICEF event.

“It’s tribal,” she said at the charity’s annual Snowflake Lighting Ceremony in New York’s Grand Army Plaza. “It represents strength and love.”

Rihanna also revealed that she got the exotic-looking tat while in New Zealand for a recent tour date.

“It’s their traditional way of tattooing,” she said of the Maori-inspired geometric design. “I always wanted [one].”

But even for a tattoo enthusiast like Rihanna, this particular method had one big drawback: “It hurt like hell!”

The “Disturbia” singer has a number of other tats – including a cluster of stars on her neck. (Boyfriend Chris Brown has a matching set.)

Who’s your Favorite Star Under 35? PEOPLE.com and the People’s Choice Awards are counting your votes! Click here to vote now!

After loudmouth Kanye West recently said that Rihanna was the best thing to happen to Beyoncé, in terms of motivating her to step it up with her music, the “Single Ladies” singer isn’t taking the bait.

“I love Kanye,” she told radio DJs Ed Lover and Free on Power 105.1 FM. “It’s all from a good place.”

The artist also known as Sasha Fierce didn’t stop there with her praise, however, going on to confess, “I love Rihanna, I think she’s fantastic and she’s done an incredible job. I love all her records.”

As for another of her fellow pop stars, Justin Timberlake, who appeared in a skit mocking her dance-heavy video for “Single Ladies” on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, Beyoncé also has nothing but love.

“I still can’t believe he did that!” she laughs of JT donning a leotard and heels to dance in the spoof. “He was incredible. By the way, we rehearsed it two times and he picked up the choreogpraphy,” she reveals. “I know he was joking, but it was amazing, he has this photographic memory. The crazy thing is he could probably kill it if he wanted to. He’s so talented and naturally funny.”

The real video, which features Beyoncé and two long-legged ladies doing an incredibly tough-looking dance routine, has spawned copycat versions all over YouTube, as well as the rumor that one of her dancers is actually a man. However, Miss B says that is totally untrue.

“That is so silly man, that is silly,” she says. “Both of the girls are dancers, they’re ballet dancers, and their bodies are unbelievable, just pure muscle. So I mean I guess people were feeling like, her body is just so strong. But that is crazy!”

The singer’s stage outfits are some of the raunchiest in pop.

And she was showing off one of the more skimpy items in her wardrobe for a gig with her fella CHRIS BROWN in Manila, in the Philippines.

The Umbrella star has revealed in the past how she likes to take some of her sexy costumes home to treat her bloke in the bedroom.

With the pair performing on the same stage he might not have had to wait that long . . .

- The Sun