Hollywood was recently courting Amy Winehouse to sing the theme song for the next “James Bond” movie. After several weeks of hearsay, it’s reported that the troubled singer passed up the opportunity, saying that she’s not ready to return to recording music.

A commendable move, perhaps as Winehouse continues to exhibit her strong commitment to artistic integrity — and you know that lesser, more ubiquitous talents such as Norah Jones or Justin Timberlake would have jumped on the opportunity. That said, we’re all waiting for Amy’s next musical move, wondering what she’ll sing about, if she’ll continue her path down retro-soul, or if she’ll ever rebound from her substance abuse.

And playing “devil’s advocate,” maybe returning to the studio will turn her attention to doing something more productive than making headlines for slugging various people at nightclubs, lighting up crack pipes and basically wasting her talents away.

Should she have taken the gig?

John Legend may be ditching his piano-driven, mellow R&B for something more –and I cringe – mainstream, or as he says, “futuristic and less acoustic.”

The crooner shared some of his frustrations with how his last record, “Once Again” was marketed.”[The album] was difficult for people to digest because it wasn’t any one radio format,” he told Billboard.com. “It was between formats and there wasn’t an obvious place for everything to fit. I’ve been successful without a huge radio hit up until now so I don’t think about the radio when I make songs. Artistically, ‘Once Again’ was a great album, better than ‘Get Lifted.’ I had a bigger tour on the second album and it set me up to be an artist that’s around for a long time so I just have to capitalize on that.”
Currently, Legend is working with Andre 300 on a new single, “Green Light.”

So with Legend gunning for the mainstream, are we to also expect clumsy Timbaland collaborations, featuring the likes Paula Abdul, T-Pain, Norah Jones, ‘Lil Wayne and Justin Timberlake too?

I’m almost afraid of what this turning point will signal for Legend’s music. Are you?

Tweet is attempting to make a comeback this June with her forthcoming third disc, “Love, Tweet” – wasn’t this supposed to come out last year?!?!

Anyway, in an interview on singerroom.com, Tweet said that she was concentrating more on being a mother than an R&B singer. 

Anyhow, during the interview, Missy Elliott ’s name came up.  Missy was hugely responsible for Tweet’s initial success. Rumor has it that Missy turned her attention to Keyshia Cole, leaving Tweet out in the cold.

Tweet’s response?  “I haven’t read anything like that, but thank you for keeping it real. I don’t know. Missy is an opportunist I guess, and whatever’s hot at the time that’s what she’s gonna roll with.”  

Ouch! So do you think Missy abandoned Tweet in something hotter? And will Tweet bring back the heat this summer?

A few weeks ago, India.Arie announced the launch of her own imprint, Soulbird, through Universal. Now, word has it that her new signee is fellow Atlanta-based artist, Anthony David.  His forthcoming album, “Acey Duecy,” is scheduled to hit the streets on June 17.

Now, with the likes of heavyweights such as Erykah Badu and India.Arie launching their own labels, maybe, just maybe, the tides with shift back towards quality R&B. Then again, I’m not really mad that this year’s R&B so far – Badu’s new CD still captures my imagination; the new Al Green disc just rocks; the Roots’ “Rising Down” is stunning; and Lalah Hathaway’s new joint should bring new light to her underrated talents.

Will India.Arie’s new label and Anthony David’s new disc be hits?

Kelly Rowland is following Alicia Key’s lead by stepping up to the socio-political plate by being the official Ambassador to MTV’s “Staying Alive Foundation,” which aims to transforms attitudes towards HIV and AIDS victims around the world. Kelly finally embarks on her first solo tour this June. She’ll also travel to Africa in her ambassador role. 

Will this new role help people see Kelly in a new light?

OK, I’ll own up to my contrarian ways regarding pop music. Usually when the forces of Clive Davis, Simon Cowell and Starbucks (let’s call it the axis of wackness) conspire to make someone a megastar, I cringe.

So, naturally, when all the hoopla surrounding British sensation, Leona Lewis hit the news, I fled the other way.

Nevertheless, the powers that be tasked me to write about her, so I begrudgingly stripped the shrinkwrap from her first disc, “Spirit,” which debut on the Billboard charts in the No. 1 position. I listened to Lewis power her voice over a program of industrial-strength R&B pop tunes as I cleaned my apartment. Considering that I didn’t take the disc out, the music wasn’t too bad. Considering that I didn’t put it back into CD player after the first listen, suggest that the music didn’t impress me that much either.

So can she sing? Hell to the yes. She has the pipes that suggest Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion. Are the songs good? Eh! I didn’t hear anything remotely gut-wrenching or interesting, just well calibrated pop stuff. You can easily tell which melodramatic ballad will be remixed into some annoying dance hit just in time for 2008 Gay Pride season. Then there are the other tracks that’ll help push expensive Apple computer products onto consumers, while the rest will surely pop up in every other cutesy big-budgeted romantic comedy movie.

Well that’s my take. What’s yours on Leona Lewis?

Cee-lo and Danger Mouse may brand themselves as the new Odd Couple as they join forces as Gnarls Barkley.  But I think the rumored romance between suave hip-hopper, Common, and Amazonian tennis star, Serena Williams is even odder. The couple was spotted holding hands in Miami last week at Knight’s Head Microbrew party at the South Beach club, Mokai. All I can say to Common and Serena is “good luck.”

Do you believe that the rumored romance is true? And if so, how long do you think it’ll last?

Most times celebrities get too much credit for dressing well. Seldom do people consider the stylists behind the glamour that aid hapless singers, actors, and athletes rock high-end fashion, when in truth some of them would look like a hot mess if they were left to their own devices [read: Lauryn Hill].

Rumor has it that Jamie Foxx hasn’t given his stylist, Stacey Young, her shine and more importantly her paycheck, for dressing him for the 2006 BET Awards show and several other ceremonies. Young is suing Fox and his label, Foxhole Records for an unspecified amount. She claims that Fox agreed to pay her $2,850 a day for her services for the awards show and then a further $3,000 a day for what the court documents refer to as the “Miami Vice agreement.”  

Ouch! Can you imagine how fabulous your wardrobe would be if you could drop $3,000 just on clothes, not to mention pay that much a day for someone to tell you that plaid and paisley prints don’t match?

A lot of ya’ll expressed reticence about Beyoncé portraying Etta James in the upcoming movie, “Cadillac.” Perhaps that controversial billing will be offset with Mos Def nabbing the role of the legendary Chuck Berry in the upcoming flick.

Mos Def carries some serious acting bona fides and seems like an ideal fit. What do you think?

Now if we can get hip-hop’s favorite drama queen, Kayne West, to play Little Richard, we’ll be all set.  Won’t that be a natural fit?

 Do you think Mos Def could play do Chuck Berry justice?

This year continues to pop with hot R&B. Folks keep your ears open for Al Green’s upcoming disc, Lay It Down, which comes out next month. The legendary singer connects with ?uestlove from the Roots as well as underground soul stars, James Poyser, Anthony Hamilton and Corrine Bailey Rae, among others.

Not only is the album one of the best R&B albums yet this year. I’m so happy to see younger black musicians connecting with its older generation. Too often, it seems to take the efforts of white musicians – Bonnie Raitt, Joe Henry, Annie DiFranco (all of whom get major props from me) — for veteran black R&B artists such as Candi Staton, Sam Moore, Bettye LaVette and Sharon Jones to make noticeable comebacks.

Sadly but excitedly so, ?ueslove connecting with Al Green is that rarity nowadays in contemporary R&B music. Are you as excited as I am?