After Kanye West became the grinch who stole last year's KDWB Jingle Ball (he canceled last-minute), organizers are banking on two big-name hip-hop/R&B stars this year to try to revive the annual holiday bash: Rihanna and T.I. have been confirmed as headliners for the Dec. 15 event at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. for $57-$17.
The other scheduled performers at the ball are "American Idol" runner-up David Archuleta, emo-rock band Boys Like Girls ("The Great Escape"), kitschy dance-pop singer Lady Gaga and Rihanna's fellow Barbados native Shontelle.
Following her Target Center performance in June as the opener on West's widely heralded Glow in the Dark Tour, Rihanna has been working on the follow-up to last year's breakthrough album, "Good Girl Gone Bad." She dueted with T.I. on "Live Your Life," a track from his latest disc, "Paper Trail," which debuted at No. 1 in Billboard in its first week last month.
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
