Mandela B-Day Party To Feature Amy Winehouse And Leona Lewis–But No Eminem?

Amy Winehouse with a bloody nose and a tit out singing “Happy Birthday” in her best Marilyn Monroe–what 90-year-old man wouldn’t be flattered by that? Winehouse and/or Leona Lewis will hopefully turn a former political prisoner’s dream into reality when they perform at Nelson Mandela’s birthday jam on June 27. Annie Lennox, Simple Minds, and Sun City entertainers Queen will also perform, but there’s still no confirmation of Eminem’s rumored performance. Allegedly the organizers “want to take both Mandela and the audience by surprise.” Ooh, think Shady will jump out of a cake?

Mandela’s bash will bring in some cash for his 46664 campaign, set up to raise awareness of Aids in Africa, and the Star reports that the two most successful British women in music today, Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis, will be headlining the event.

The naughty and nice of pop will be joined by Queen, Annie Lennox, the Sugababes, the aforementioned Simple Minds and many more, including: “heavyweights from the world of politics and sport, including Bill Clinton, 61, and Oprah Winfrey, 54.”

But why is Eminem the rumored participant? Wouldn’t an MC of African descent be a little more poignant? Sure, Eminem’s one of the few successful rappers who talks about using drugs instead of selling them, but I’d think a 90-year-old South African president would rather watch Will Smith get jiggy with it than watch Eminem yell about his mom.

Winehouse, Winfrey confirmed for Mandela celebrations [Guardian]