Los Angeles (CNN) -- Aretha Franklin won't say much about her recent health troubles, but the Queen of Soul said in an interview with HLN on Tuesday that she's doing "very, very, well."

       "I am feeling super, absolutely super, and doing very, very well," Franklin told "Showbiz Tonight's" AJ Hammer. "I cannot wait to get back on the bus and get out there."  Franklin also revealed details about casting for a movie about her life, saying that Halle Berry won't play her, but two singer-actresses are on the short list.

         The legendary singer will get a "get-well card" Sunday, in the form of a musical tribute during the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, said Ken Ehrlich, the show's executive producer. "When you do a tribute to Aretha Franklin, you'd better get singers, because No. 1, she's watching, and No. 2, you just want to make it right," Ehrlich said.

        The five performers who will take the Grammy stage to honor Franklin are Yolanda Adams, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Hudson, Martina McBride and Florence Welch.

         Franklin said Fantasia Barrino and Jennifer Hudson were on her list of singer-actresses to play her.  Barrino's manager confirmed that the 2004 "American Idol" winner was "in discussions" about the role. Barrino will begin filming a movie in May in which she portrays legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, manager Brian Dickens said.

      Hudson, an Oscar-winner who was a runner-up behind Barrino on "American Idol," told HLN's "Showbiz Tonight" she had met with Franklin a few years ago about the role and would be honored to be chosen.

      When asked about Christina Aguilera's recent flub at the Superbowl, Aretha commented by saying ''She did a wonderful job, it was just one line.'' She then added '' The crowd clearly enjoyed it.''

The Queen Of Soul Has Spoken!

Do you agree? Vote in the poll.

- CNN

    With props from the likes of Justin Timberlake and Dr. Luke, and an impressive résumé of co-writing hits for Miley Cyrus ("Party in the U.S.A.") and Chris Brown ("I Need This"), it's no surprise that Jessie J is turning heads now that she's launching out on a singing career. MTV News spoke with the 22-year-old Brit about her breakout hit, "Do It Like a Dude," her upcoming album and bringing her music to the U.S.

"It's almost my middle finger up to the industry in what I don't want to sound like," the singer said of "Do It Like a Dude," a blunt tongue-in-cheek dance tune about the egotistical male persona that was originally meant for Rihanna. "It was almost like me doing a parody of myself. It's fun and it's young and it's club and it's cool. ... It's a play on words for anyone that feels they got someone in life that has an ego, and sometimes you really wanna say 'F off' to. Everybody has that person in their life that intimidates them and makes feel them uncomfortable."

Despite the track's club-ready vibe, Jessie revealed that her debut album, Who You Are, won't stick to any one genre. "I kind of wanted to take a risk on one album being quite eclectic," she said. "I'm so glad the label has let me do it because that's who I am. I could never have an album that was 14 versions of the single. To me, it would be just so boring."

Jessie J explained that her goal was to make music that "stood the test of time" and represented her generation. Ultimately, Who You Are, is set to give "a very honest" impression of who she is. "I think you get to know me as well, my personality, my humor, my emotions, what makes me sad, what makes me angry. I think it's really relatable, which I think is very important. I can't wait for it to come out."

While Jessie has a few recordings left before wrapping up the LP, the songstress says she's planning for a March release. In the meantime, she's also written tracks for Britney Spears and Willow Smith, which, if they made the finished products, would up her profile considerably.

But Jessie is intent on creating an American fanbase the old-fashioned way. "I wanna do shows and get people talking and do it the organic way and how I've done it here," she explained. "I obviously know I haven't got seven years of promotion that I've been doing here, slowly and surely building up the buzz, but I'm ready to go to the U.S. and do what I gotta do and hope that people like it."

So let us know, do you think the U.S. will welcome her with open arms?

- MTV News

Nas is in the giving spirit for the holidays.

The renowned Queens lyricist headed to Harlem on Wednesday (December 22) to serve Christmas dinner to

families affected by HIV/AIDS as part of an event run by music industry professional turned activist Maria Davis. And the Illmatic MC was more than willing to lend a hand, and his celebrity, to help the cause.

"This event is Maria Davis' thing. She's HIV-positive, a part of the community of Harlem, so she does her thing for [the] holiday season for the people who are infected by AIDS or affected by AIDS," he explained to MTV News. "I came through [on the] strength of her friend Melba, who owns Melba's Restaurant — great soul food on 114th street here in Harlem. She called me [and] I came through just for the support."

Esco maintained that despite his status as an influential hip-hop lyricist and hitmaker, showing support to those who are less fortunate continues to remain a top priority.

"For me, it's like I can't get away from the community. The community is in me so giving back is important," he said. Nas also added that helping others doesn't have to include logging hours at charity events, but said people can inspire by being successful game-changers in their own right.

"I think when you give back, you just do your thing. You come from a neighborhood like I came from and you just do your thing, that's all you gotta do [to inspire]," he said. " 'Cause every kid that sees you doing your thing, you can't even imagine what you're doing for that kid or that grown up. They see you doing your thing, that's inspiration. There's kids that went to school with me who are grown men now. There's dudes that's been listening to my music for a long time and the more they see me continue, that's enough. That's all they need to say 'Yo, I could do it.' "

The Distant Relatives MC admitted that he has plenty to learn when it comes to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and noted that social stigma surrounding the disease has often stymied the public's informed awareness of the issue.

"The thing about AIDS is you start to raise your eyebrow at how it affects certain communities. [The] homosexual community [and] African-American community was really the first [to report cases of HIV infection], right, so, kinda, those two communities got blamed for it — even almost like they invented it. That's not the truth. So it's affected everybody now, every community. It makes you want to learn about it," he said. "When Eazy-E caught it ... and my man Magic Johnson, it touched us. But then we waiting, like, to see what's next [and] that's not cool. So my whole thing is to learn more about it."

-MTV News

What do you guys think about what Nas said? Let us know!

Avril Lavigne fans have been waiting patiently for the follow-up to 2007's The Best Damn Thing, and after two years of recording and delays, they will finally get their reward.

Lavigne's fourth studio album, Goodbye Lullaby, is slated for release on March 8, 2011. The  disc will feature collaborations with producer/songwriter Butch Walker and pop mastermind Max Martin as well as her former guitarist Evan Taubenfeld and ex-husband, Sum 41's Deryck Whibley.

Among the tracks slated for inclusion are "Smile" described as a rocker that "expresses her gratitude for special people in her life," an exploration of relationship dynamics called "Push" the vulnerable ballad "Wish You Were Here" a '50s-girl-group-inspired tune called "Stop Standing There" and the title track, "Goodbye" on which she "finds the strength to close one chapter of her life and move on to the next."

Lavigne is slated to debut the album's first single, "What the Hell" on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" on December 31. She described the song on her website as "an unabashed embrace of fun and freedom." After veering into a more pure pop sound on Best Damn Thing, the singer told Billboard earlier this year that her new album will have a "somewhat more raw" sound.

While fans have likely been bummed out by the delay, Lavigne assured them that they were not nearly as frustrated as she's been. In a harsh letter posted to her followers last month, she lashed out at unnamed label bosses for delaying the effort. "I'm done with my 4th record!!!" she announced on November 11. "Well, actually, I have been done for a year ... and now my record company have finally decided to release it. OMG ... How nice! Thanks guys ... This has been a really difficult record for me to create and to release," she wrote.

"Not only is this the most meaningful and special record I have written, it is sincere, honest and close to my heart. But for the first time, I experienced a bunch of bureaucratic BS ... People do their best work when they are doing what they want, love and is natural for them, not when you are forcing them to be something that they are not."

It's not like Lavigne has been totally off the radar since her last album. She contributed the lead single "Alice" to the soundtrack to Tim Burton's "Alice in Wonderland" remake in March. She also appeared as a guest judge on American Idol earlier this year and made her dramatic big-screen debut in 2007's "The Flock."

Will any of you anticipating her comeback?

-MTV News

-MSNBC

    RIYADH: Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel, the wife of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and vice chairwoman of the Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation, received the special Humanitarian Award on behalf of the Alwaleed Foundation at the 2010 Arabian Business Achievement Awards ceremony in Dubai on Tuesday.

-Arab News

     A German woman has been killed in a shark attack while snorkelling off the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, officials say.

The death comes after four people were injured in similar attacks at the resort earlier in the week. Egyptian authorities had re-opened the waters after saying they captured the sharks involved in the earlier attacks.

But some experts said the shark responsible was still loose in one of the world's most popular diving areas.

Egyptian officials said the German woman had died immediately after the attack. There were reports that either one arm or both legs had been torn off.

Egypt's environment ministry had displayed a photo of one the two captured sharks, an Oceanic White Tip. But divers and conservationists said it was not the same species thought to have carried out the previous attacks, on three Russians and a Ukrainian.

Once again the waters off Sharm el-Sheikh have been closed to watersports.

What do you think they should do?

-BBC News

     With 2010 coming to a close, M.I.A. has already announced her plans for the new year: Flood the Web with some new music. On Friday (December 3), the electro-dance superstar tweeted that she's going to drop a mixtape on December 31.

"Vicky leekx mixtape coming new years eve!" she wrote. The indie-music luminary didn't elaborate on the sound of the project but added that she plans to churn out a suite of tracks that will make an impact. "Layin bad minds to rest 2010!"

     The "Born Free" artist has been trekking across Europe on tour and is slated to be on the road until December 12, according to her Myspace page. But it appears she was able to squeeze in some studio time while ripping stages overseas. And although her politically charged lyricism and genre-smashing beats have captivated her fans, the story behind the production of her music often rivals the British star's singular vibe.

      M.I.A.'s 2007 pastiche of reggae-inflected, worldly electro, Kala, reflected the global sensibility of recording pretty much everywhere on Earth other than her homebase at the time, Brooklyn, while stuck in immigration limbo. For 2010's /\/\/\Y/\ she pretty much stayed put, but still banged out the album in dramatic fashion: hunkering down in a custom-built studio beneath her home.

      "I built a room under the house that was kind of like a cave; you had to go down into it," she told MTV News in July. "And then I just sort of made it as creative as possible for me — I was just sort of making the furniture and making the pictures, covered all the walls with stuff that I made, so it feels like every step of the way, I was working on the layers of this sort of environment."

 Let us know are you anticapating her new mixtape?

-MTV News

   Just when you thought Janet Jackson had put music on the back burner, the superstar has announced plans for a global tour, set to kick off sometime next year. She has asked fans to suggest the 35 cities where they would like to see her perform.

“Today I’m really excited to announce my largest ever world tour, celebrating 35 number ones,” Janet stated via AOL Music. “This tour will be different from those of the past in the way that I will perform music exclusively from my Number Ones. You’ll hear all the hits in 35 cities, which I want you to help me select.”

She is opting for a “more up close and personal” experience in intimate venues as opposed to arenas of the past. Fans can submit their city suggestions here and watch the announcement below.

- Rap-Up