While in Indianapolis for the Super Bowl, Ciara stopped by SiriusXM’s “Sway in the Morning” show and spoke about her fifth album and first since reuniting with L.A. Reid at Epic Records.

The “Ride” singer, who stars in the upcoming Adam Sandler comedy That’s My Boy, stressed the importance of not rushing to release the follow-up to 2010’s Basic Instinct. “It’s not even so much about a number count,” she told Sway Calloway. “It’s just really about the vibe, and I’ll just tell you that it’s a good vibe going. It’s really important for me to take my time with this record and it’s important for the whole team. It’s really, really good energy.”

She’s looking at the bigger picture when approaching the new material. “I really want to build my empire,” she explained. “I want a strong empire. I want it to be really solid and it’s about building a brand, so I look at things completely different than I would have on my first album.”

This time around, she has a hand in the production. “I co-produced something so far on one of my records and it’s fun because I’m literally a part of making the music. It’s just really, really, really fun.”

Ciara brought the party to the football field for Super Bowl Media Day. During her co-hosting gig for “The Insider,” the 26-year-old singer had a blast interviewing the players from the New England Patriots and New York Giants, and even got them to participate in some karaoke in honor of halftime performer Madonna.

CiCi, who appears in the upcoming Adam Sandler comedy That’s My Boy, sang along to “Like a Virgin” with the Giants’ Victor Cruz and Patriots’ Chad Jackson, and vogued to the Material Girl’s classic “Vogue.”

The dancing continued when a Telemundo reporter asked her to salsa with him. Check out CiCi’s sexy moves!

Ciara’s love for sports landed her a gig co-hosting “The Insider.” Sporting a Patriots jersey, the R&B singer hit the field at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to interview players from the New England team at Super Bowl Media Day. CiCi appeared to be enjoying her hosting duties alongside TV personality Kevin Frazier, high-fiving Patriots safety Sergio Brown and laughing with wide receiver Britt Davis.

“CoHosting Entertainment Tonight with my boy Kevin Frazier! Movie Promo Time! Yeah!” she tweeted. “We also get to interview my boy Tom Brady and the Patriots as well as Eli, Victory Cruz and the Giants! Super Bowl Fun!! Ow!”

Ciara appears in Adam Sandler’s upcoming comedy That’s My Boy and plays a gospel singer with dreams of becoming a pop star in Mama, I Want to Sing, hitting DVD on February 14. A new album is also expected this year on Epic Records.

Ciara was courtside as the New York Knicks took on the Orlando Magic at Madison Square Garden last night. The sexy songstress jetted from L.A., where she celebrated with the cast of The Help at a pre-Golden Globes bash, to the Big Apple. She joined her BFF La La Vazquez and her sleeping son Kiyan as they cheered on Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire. Despite their support, the Knicks lost 93-102. But that didn’t wipe the smile away from CiCi’s face.

Ciara mingled with Hollywood’s elite at Vanity Fair‘s pre-Golden Globes party for DreamWorks’ Best Drama-nominated films The Help and War Horse at Cecconi’s restaurant in West Hollywood last night. The R&B star posed with the cast of The Help including Viola Davis, Emma Stone, and Octavia Spencer, plus she caught up with her pal Cee Lo Green.

CiCi has been holed up in the studio recording her new album for Epic Records. “Ciara is still recording guys,” tweeted Epic Chairman L.A. Reid. “She wants to deliver you her absolute best.”

Ciara got her bowl on at NBA All-Star Chris Paul’s PBA Celebrity Invitational at Lucky Strike Lanes in L.A. on Thursday (Jan. 12). The singer and sports enthusiast was the only girl on a team of boys, playing alongside Reggie Bush, Blake Griffin, Michael Strahan, Jesse Williams, Kevin Hart, and other celebs. She celebrated with her teammates after scoring a strike.

“Had a great time bowling at @cp3 charity event! The ladies were holding me down!” tweeted CiCi. “Getting a strike felt great! 2 gutters sure didn’t!lol!”

The fourth annual fundraiser benefitted Paul’s CP3 Foundation, which raises money for activities for children in the underprivileged communities of Winston-Salem and New Orleans. Mindless Behavior lent their voices to the good cause, performing material off their debut album #1 Girl.

See how Ciara held up against the competition when the made-for-TV event airs Super Bowl Sunday at 4 p.m. on ESPN.

The-Dream’s conversation with Tim Westwood continues. In the second installment of his BBC Radio 1Xtra interview, Terius reveals why he won’t be working on Ciara’s new album, sings “My Cherie Amour” and “Umbrella” acapella, discusses R. Kelly’s influence on R&B, and explains why he clicks so well with Rihanna.

On why he can’t work with Ciara: “I have a contract under Def Jam so it’s only certain people I work with. [The executives] were real smart by putting that in there, I made them pay for it.”

On R. Kelly’s influence: “He held it down. I don’t think this generation of R&B would be at this particular stage without that. R. Kelly was doing it in a hip-hop-dominated culture,” he says, adding, “But we all gotta go down.”

On his success as a recording artist: “I don’t really care about the million album sales. I don’t really care about the number ones because I do those things writing for everybody else, so I can just stay in this spot and I’m comfortable selling 500k and under. Everybody wants to go pop, I don’t.”

On why Rated R is one of Rihanna’s best albums: “That was right after Good Girl Gone Bad. She could of went up and went more pop, but she regressed and went down back into it.”

Ciara turned heads when she showed up to Devyne Stephens’ “Roll Over Hunger” Charity and Skate Jam in a wheelchair on Thanksgiving eve. Despite wearing braces on both legs, the singer appeared to be in great spirits as she mingled with her fellow ATLiens including Ludacris, Big Boi, and Polow Da Don at Atlanta’s Cascade Family Skate Center. CiCi has yet to address the cause of her injury, only wishing her fans a happy Thanksgiving.

“Its all about doing whatever you can to make a difference! Tonight was a GREAT night! #LOVE. Happy Turkey Day to ALL!” she tweeted.

Presented by DeVyne Intervention, Atlanta’s top entertainers joined forces to fight hunger for the homeless at Wednesday’s event. All proceeds benefitted the Hosea Feed the Hungry Foundation Holiday Dinner Program, which serves over 200,000 hot meals every year.

[ATL Night Spots]

Ciara has quietly returned to the studio to work on her next album. Producer of the moment Hit-Boy spilled details on a track he made for the R&B siren.

The 24-year-old hitmaker behind Jay-Z and Kanye West’s “Ni**as in Paris” cut an uptempo record with Soundz called “Hit Boy” for CiCi’s Epic Records debut.

“I did a record for Ciara. It’s called ‘Hit Boy,’ written by this producer/writer Soundz. He’s amazing, so be on the lookout for that,” Hit-Boy told MTV News, describing the sound as “energetic, for the club, for the radio.”

In addition to Ciara, the in-demand producer has been working on music for Brandy, the G.O.O.D. Music compilation, and Kendrick Lamar. “The record that we did work on is very energetic,” he said of his collaboration with the Compton MC. “It’s almost the same type of energy as a ‘Ni**as in Paris,’ so I’m super excited for people to hear that. That’s like one of my best beats that I’ve done in a while.”

His work can also be heard on Rihanna’s new album Talk That Talk (“Watch n’ Learn”) and Monica’s 2012 release New Life, for which he and Ester Dean contributed a slow ballad.

Ciara put on her designer heels and stepped out for a good cause. The singer showed her support for the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project by attending the 24 Portraits by Randall Slavin event at The Annenberg Space for Photography in Century City, Calif., on Wednesday evening. CiCi, who will join L.A. Reid at Epic Records, mingled with Sanaa Lathan, Gabrielle Union, and the Oscar-winning actress herself at the benefit to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS.

“Perfect Night! Charlize’s event was beautiful! She was so sweet! It’s all about making a difference when we can!” she tweeted.