Saturday Soul: Gloria Jones, "Heartbeat"

Gloria Jones never reached the solo success of contemporaries Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner but she ripped through songs like "Heartbeat" with a throaty vigor, that was one part gospel and another part pure unadulterated soul.

Her two landmark musical achievements were the NBA equivalent of an "alley-oop:" She co-wrote Gladys Knight and The Pips' Grammy-nominated, "If I Were Your Woman;" and her 1964 original recording of "Tainted Love" would later inspire Soft Cell's 1981 cover and subsequent uber international hit.

Here's former Gospel singer turned "Northern Soul" Queen Gloria Jones performing "Hearbeat" circa 1965.



Watch Jones take 'em to church!

Cocoa Lounge NOW: The Power Hour

Move over She-Ra, by the power of grayskull, Oprah Winfrey is the mightiest woman in the wonderful world of entertainment, as so deemed by the Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment: Power 100 list.

Winfrey was chosen "based on her dizzying array of Oprah-branded media and her immense cultural influence." Not to mention her mind-boggling power to help elect a U.S. President...



In other power moves, Jazmine Sullivan (They've Got Next: Four of the Hottest New Voices of '08) racked up an impressive 5 Grammy nominations including the prized Best New Artist nod.

We're sure Jaz will take home a few golden trophies to match those golden pipes.

Coming Soon: A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy

The title alone simmers.

We saw an early sneak preview of this Sundance indie burner months ago and subsequently began to question if we'd ever seen black this sexy onscreen before.

The film, a series of vignettes, explores modern-day African American relationships with a gentle homage to the 1970s. Director, Dennis Dortch, doesn't stray far from the Blaxpoitation-loving roots he so eloquently displayed in his short film debut, 1999's Honey.

With opening theatrical releases set for Los Angeles this week and screenings at the New York African Diaspora Film Festival, you could, theoretically, make any day this weekend A Good Day to be Black & Sexy.