Video: Trey Songz, “Already Taken”

Come on now, why not watch another Step Up in eye-popping 3-D? As much good as America’s Best Dance Crew has done to draw national attention to dance crews, adding special effects to exaggerate the writhing moves by the show’s contestants is best saved for the movies. Putting Trey Songz in the mix for the soundtrack seems like a stretch, but come on, who better to score a pretty linear story line about love and consummating it through dance (ha!). The soundtrack goes on sale July 20th, then you can see the digitally enhanced gyrating in theaters on August 6th. And you were worried that Ciara’s “Ride” is the only way to be entertained.
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Sophia Fresh f. T-Pain, “This Instant” MP3

As long as Hollywood keeps making Step Up movies, T-Pain will have the easiest summer job ever. After Pain and Flo-Rida incited movie goers (and Tom Cruise) to break into dance crazes from the Step Up 2: The Streets soundtrack, bringing his return for a sequel is automatic like Mike Meyers as Austin Powers. Last we heard from Sophia Fresh, they rocked with Kanye West for “What It Is” then poof, they went off the grid without another big record. Thanks to Step Up 3D, they’ve found their golden ticket. Guess who plays Willie Wonka?
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Parental Advisory: Bill Withers

Check for updates on what your parent’s favorite musicians are doing in our weekly Parental Advisory post. This week’s soul pioneer still making a stamp on music: Bill Withers.
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Video: Trailer for “Soulboy”

You have to use your imagination to picture what a Northern Soul party was like in Last Night A DJ Saved My Life. A few snapshots help capture the image from what’s considerably the DJ’s bible, but if you weren’t there, all there is to settle for is some ameteur videos or a movie adaptation. Look at hip-hop in the ’80s, which has been canonized in Wild Style and Beat Street, yet the crossover of ’70s black soul into predominantly white nightclubs in Britain hasn’t been as popular at the box office.
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Video: Janet Jackson “Nothing”

For about two weeks now, sometimes before an NBA game on TNT or after the kids are done with 106 and Park, networks have been hyping up the Tyler Perry machine showing Why Did I Get Married? Evening entertainment hasn’t been this good since BET Uncut. No seriously, Perry’s flick gives a good interpretation of married life, and the temptation that comes with it. Slam dunks and tip drills are fulfilling but can’t really compare to the lesson learned in the small preview of clips from Perry’s sequel, spliced into Janet Jackson’s video for “Nothing.”
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Mariah Carey Takes Off The Glitter In Precious

Seeing how hard critics dissed Mariah Carey’s first real acting effort, Glitter could very well have relegated her visual presence to music videos forever. Ol’ girl deserves more credit than that—MC is a star (Nick Cannon can vouch), and she’s reborn with more range than expected in Precious. In the new flick backed by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, Mariah plays a Harlem-based social worker, who helps an overweight girl from an abusive home.

Blink and you might actually miss Mariah, that is outside of her around-the-way-girl, take no -ish New York twang. To redefine her acting career, Mimi got real. Shedding the glossy pop persona in exchange for a flat hairdo and granny duds is a drastic change of appearance akin to beauty sacrifices made by accomplished actresses like Charlize Theron, and Renée Zellweger . Catch a glimpse of MC in the trailer for Precious below.

[Via Huffington Post]