Janet Jackson has stopped indulging in her favorite sweet treat: pancakes! "She always craves pancakes," says her nutritionist David Allen, who's also co-author of the singer's upcoming book about her weight struggles. Instead Ms. Jackson snacks on a mix of fresh blueberries and strawberries, which together have about 65 calories a cup. Compared to 520 calories for two pancakes with butter and syrup, there’s no need for guilt! - Amy Elisa Keith

Janet Jackson Announces Rock Witchu Tour

The iconic performer will pull from her celebrated collection of music which has sold over 100 million albums worldwide

LOS ANGELES, May 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Janet Jackson, who has undeniably influenced pop culture with over a 100 million album sold, countless hit singles, awards and accolades, announced the launch of her Rock Witchu tour on the Ellen DeGeneres Monday. This is Jackson's first tour in over seven years and is expected to feature the hit songs and innovative dance routines that have made her one of the most celebrated artists in history.

The Live Nation produced tour kicking off in Vancouver, BC on September 10th, will feature dates in DC, New Jersey, Montreal, and Toronto to name a few and is expected to hit major markets as it travels across the country. Tickets go on sale for the first shows beginning Saturday, June 7th, and are available at www.livenation.com. Confirmed dates are listed below with more dates to be announced shortly.

Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 tour was the biggest selling debut world-wide tour in history. The tour solidified her status as a trailblazing entertainer with cutting edge choreography, unparalleled stage production, theatrics and spectacles, winning over audiences across the board and breaking global box office records along the way. She wowed the world with over 100 performances in 90 cities. The first international shows were in Japan, where she sold out the Tokyo Dome (48,000 capacity) with four shows in seven minutes, creating the record for the fastest sell out in the history of the Tokyo Dome.

Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning June 2 at 10am ET through Citi's Private Pass Program(R). For complete presale details visit: www.privatepass.citi.com. "We are excited to offer Citi(R) cardmembers special access to the newly-announced Janet Jackson 2008 tour," said Vik Atal, Chairman and CEO, Citi Cards. "The tour is a great example of the benefits of our alliance with Live Nation which enables us to provide our cardmembers with once-in-a-lifetime experiences through our unique Private Pass Program."

Jackson has launched www.JanetFanClub.com, a dedicated tour website for the Rock Witchu Tour where the public can sign up for access to presale tickets, exclusive content, contests and worldwide community of Jackson fans and more. Pre-registration has now begun for the website, which will go live on May 28th, with early access to presale ticketing starting May 30th at 10am. Registrants will have the ability to access future presales for additional dates as they are announced. To find out more, visit www.JanetFanClub.com starting May 28th.

Jackson has left an indelible mark on pop music selling more than 100 million albums and as a female artist having achieved the number one spot on Billboard Magazine's Top 200 Album Chart 6 times, is among the top 3 of all time for a female artist. She is the only performer male or female to be nominated for Grammy Awards in each of the Pop, Rock, Dance, Rap and R&B categories, and the first female recording artist of color to be nominated for a Producer of the Year Grammy. With literally hundreds of awards and nominations from everyone from the American Music Awards where she holds the title for most nominations from one album, to MTV where she was awarded the first ICON award, to the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, Radio Music Awards, World Music Awards, Billboard, Rolling Stone, NAACP, etc., the recognitions of her musical contributions are astounding.

JANET JACKSON ROCK WITCHU TOUR

September 10 -- Vancouver, BC -- GM Place
September 29 -- Montreal, QC -- Centre Bell
October 13 -- Toronto, ON -- Air Canada Centre
October 15 -- Washington, DC -- Verizon Center
October 17 -- East Rutherford, NJ -- Izod Center

*** MORE CITIES/DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON


ABOUT LIVE NATION:

Live Nation is the future of the music business. With the most live concerts, music venues and festivals in the world and the most comprehensive concert search engine on the web, Live Nation is revolutionizing the music industry: onstage and online. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol "LYV." Additional information about the company can be found at www.livenation.com under the "About Us" section.

Now, let's talk about one of my favorite subjects: Ms. Janet. Did you meet Janet on the Velvet Rope Tour?

I met her then; that's when she called and she came and brought two of her dancers with her and they also got tattooed. Then she called me a few days later and had me come down to her studio to take pictures, because she wanted me to be in the Velvet Rope Tour book, which really shocked me! When I went to the concert, I flipped through the tour book, and there's a picture of me and Janet hanging out.

At the time, she was talking about, you know, her career is very hectic, and she always have to remind herself who she was, because the press always tries to build you up to be this and that. She asked "What symbol could I get that would always keep me on track?" I told her about the Adrinka Sankofa symbol, meaning that you always learn from the past to go into the future. She said, "oh, I've got to have that." She liked it to the point where she ended up using it kind of as her logo. She came back for some more work. I've done some Japanese lettering on the back of her neck; I've done a little black scorpion design on her lower back.

Did you do the one she has of Mickey and Minnie Mouse doing the nasty? (LOL)?

Actually, that's one the only ones I didn't do, but she's called me and said she wants me to work on it.

Do the tattoos reflect what's going on in Jackson's life?

They always do. Her tattoos have a lot of meaning; they're not just for looks.

Does Janet want to get more tattoos from you?

I think she does. With her busy schedule, and since my schedule has gotten extremely busy, it's hard for us to hook up. But I'm sure she'll be back, depending on where life takes her and the special events that happen. She'll probably mark those events with a sacred tattoo.

Does Janet have a high tolerance for pain?

She has a very high tolerance for pain. When she gets tattooed, she kind of just sits there; she kind of meditates and gets her head into a positive space. She's really easy to work with. She always has good things to say. One time, she came into the shop, and someone was leaving the shop and she said hi to them and asked them how they were doing. She's really a nice lady; none of that star attitude; a very down to earth person.

When you Google Janet's tattoos, your name comes up. Do people come in to the shop and say "I want what Janet has?"

A lot. I have a lot of people who fly in from all over the world to get something that has to do with Janet's sacred tattoos.

What's the most popular tattoo?

The Sankofa. People see that one and a lot of people want it. I think because they admire Janet for what she's done. She's an inspiration to a lot of people, and when they see something on Janet that helps her be strong, they want that strength as well. They say, maybe I can be a little more like Janet if I have a little piece of her on me. It's a positive thing.

Would you say that Janet is in a happy place in her life right now?

I thinks she's pretty happy. Whenever I talk to her, she's really up. She's one of the strongest women I've ever met. We're seeing a lot of changes in her music and her look and her act. I think we're seeing her become even more of her own person, not that she ever wasn't, but she's comfortable with the changes that she's going through and she doesn't mind the world seeing her change. I think it's really interesting that we see it reflected in her music, her tattoos -- all her artistic expression.

Janet Jackson announces first tour in 7 years
Singer says she's looking forward to 'all of that pressure'

The Associated Press
updated 4:42 p.m. ET, Mon., May. 19, 2008

NEW YORK - Though going out on tour means connecting with fans, it can also mean long hours, high stress, and sleepless nights. Janet Jackson says she's looking forward to all of it.

"I love all of that, all of that pressure, I really do," Jackson said on Monday as she gears up for a North American tour to kick off in September.

The tour, which opens in Vancouver, B.C., on Sept. 20 and includes dates in New York and Washington, is Jackson's first in seven years. But the singer, who just turned 42 last week, said she hadn't planned on waiting for so long.

"I was supposed to go on tour with the last album," said Jackson, referring to the 2006 CD "20 Y.O." But the singer said her record label wanted her to wait for her latest CD, "Discipline."

"We were actually in full-blown tour rehearsals at that point ... learning numbers, getting everything together, set designs," she said. "I had to kind of shut everything down and go into the studio."

Jackson's shows have always been heavy on choreography and glitzy sets. But she promised fans some surprises this time around.

"It will definitely be a big production but it will definitely also be something that I've never done before, that people have never seen from me before," she said.

While only a few dates have been announced for the Live Nation tour, Jackson expects to take the "Rock Witchu" tour (named, by the way, for a song on her new album, not for her brother Michael's famous hit) worldwide.

"It's been a while so I really want to make my rounds," she said. "I haven't been to Australia in a very long time; I can't wait to go there. There are a lot of places where I really want to stop off at, and that's the idea, that's the goal with this tour."

Tickets go on sale June 7.

For the past six months, the colourful deejay, known for his comical flair, has been putting the finishing touches to a single on which he collaborated with American diva, Janet Jackson.

"Actually, I just finished doing a song with Janet Jackson which will be my next single," Red Rat disclosed when Splash caught up with him in Fort Lauderdale recently.

"The song with Janet Jackson is called This Can't Be Good. It suppose to be the second single of her album, so wi a cross wi fingers and wi toes yuh nuh," the ever exciting and positive-thinking Red Rat said.