Chris Brown, "Graffiti" (Jive)
Typically I spend Thanksgiving evening unfastening my top button and catching some football, but now, I have another option! Beyonce is doing a Thanksgiving night special _ is this her "This Is It"? LOL ... check it out!
Kanye seems like he's making a confession of some kind in this one ....
Milk and Honey - Goapele from goapele on Vimeo.
I may be a bit naive but I am really hoping that Michael Jackson's historic shows in London will not only actually happen, but be so amazing that people finally start remembering him for his music than for all his baggage. This rehearsal tour video is promising ... but I don't think I saw MJ dancing in it. We shall see.
eer ... someone reminded me that it wasn't that long ago that she was headlining at Radio City ... now she's performing for like, 2000 peeps, if that.It's hard to think of someone more revered as not only a great musician but a great person in music than Pete Seeger.
The folk singer known for popularizing "We Shall Overcome" and writing songs like "Turn, Turn, Turn" turns 90 on Sunday, and the momentous occasion is being marked by a blowout, all-star concert at Madison Square Garden. I recently talked to Pete Seeger over the phone, and he was delightful to talk to.
Check out this story I wrote about it, and enjoy this clip from him singing with Bruce Springsteen during the Obama inauguration festivities.
There are certain people who are so beloved that just the mere mention of their name elicits excitement and giddiness from their disciples. There's Prince, MJ, Sade ... and Maxwell. Now, I know Maxwell might not be in the same league to some, but he has a huge, dedicated following _ and that was demonstrated by the reception he had to announce his new album, "BLACKsummers'night." It's supposed to be coming out in July _ it will be his first CD in nine years.
There were all kinds of media folks in there, as well as random folks like Melyssa Ford, New York Giants' player Antonio Pierce and even former Met Dwight Gooden (the biggest questionmark of all attendees).
Maxwell didn't sing, but he did answer some questions. Check out the video I took above where he talks about him taking a break. It was a fun event!
'Cause god knows I was picked on like crazy as a kid. And yet, I have no musical talent. So why is it that Prince became a genius after getting teased when he was little? Maybe that's why he's Prince and I'm me ... anyway, his Purple Badness explains how being bullied made him a strong artist in this clip from tonight's Tavis Smiley show, which airs on PBS. Check it out ...
Sasha Fierce dominated the box office this weekend with "Obsessed"! The "Fatal Attraction" knock off did about $28 million and was the most popular movie in the country.
Now I am sure you all know that "Obsessed" didn't rate well in critics' eyes ... in fact, if you check Rottentomatoes.com, it shows that most critics pummeled this flick. But who cares about critics? I saw the movie and it was so much fun. Is it glorified Lifetime flick? Yes? Is it over the top and campy? Yes and yes. But I think Beyonce and everyone is in on the joke, and have delivered a mindlessly entertaining flick that's a complete guilty pleasure. Check it out, you will have fun!
I talked to Beyonce last month and she dished about why she doesn't twitter, that infamous fall and why she wasn't scared of no Etta James (LOL!). Above is a snippet of my video interview and this link is to the print interview.
I recently checked out this movie, and I have to say it was amazing. It's a very well made film about a true case in Texas where almost half a town was locked up on drug charges; the cases were eventually thrown out. This movie tells the story through the eyes of a young mother, played by Nicole Beharie. She's a Julliard grad and a newcomer who really sets the screen ablaze in this movie. It also stars Alfre Woodard, Charles Dutton, and Xzibit.
Go check this one out, it's so worth it.
Had a great interview with Stevie Nicks last month ... here's snippets of the video, and below is a link to the story I wrote. Really cool to talk to. :) The CD/DVD is also really cool, so you might want to check it out (and remember what she says, don't steal! LOL!)
His purpleness did night two of his three-night stint on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" ... I think this one is off his new album. Are y'all gonna run over to target to cop that CD?
People can't get enough of Chris Brown, these days, but unfortunately for him, they're more interested in following the scandal surrounding his arrested for allegedly beating Rihanna than his actual music. He had to bow out of Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards yesterday because of the firestorm and word has it T-Pain is recording a new version of "Freeze" without Brown in it.
But a lot of people are riding Rihanna for reuniting with Chris.
This is part of an article I wrote on the whole saga yesterday:
¶ Rihanna may endure a challenging road herself whenever she finally decides to relaunch her equally white-hot career. Already, she had seen her image transformed from pop's femme fatale to domestic violence victim whose decision to go back to her alleged attacker has been endlessly called into question.
¶ "What I think the caution is she has is not to let this incident define her. And I think that's the biggest risk to her career," said Bragman.
¶ An apparent reconciliation with Brown may only exacerbate that risk. Rap mogul Diddy confirmed he let the couple use his home to "talk about a situation they're in," and producer Polow da Don told the Los Angeles Times he was working with both stars on a duet (however, People.com, citing sources it did not name, said the couple has not yet recorded a duet that was penned for them to be included on Brown's new album.)
¶ "I think people are critical of her, saying, 'Oh my god, you're crazy, what are you doing?" said Cori Murray, entertainment editor for Essence magazine. "Then there are people who are like ... they don't want to pass judgment on her because they don't know the whole situation."
I've included a link to the whole article. It's a mess and it keeps on growing.
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2009Mar11/0,4670,MusicBrownRihanna,00.html
And from the looks of this video it seems like he "knows" her in the Biblical sense. LOL! She may not be Beyonce but she certainly has some high-profile stans ...
... she know she don't know nothing 'bout cornrowing a dude's head!! And she knows she would never let a pit bull inside her mansion in real life! I know this video with The-Dream is trying to prove that she's a down chick, but chill, Mariah _ you don't have to prove your cred anymore! We got you, girl!!!
This time, it's MJ putting on shows. He appeared in London today to announce a series of concerts at the famed O2 venue, and he told a screaming crowd that after those July shows, they wouldn't hear a "hee-hee" from him anymore.Britney Spears' first tour in five years is officially titled "The Circus" tour, but it really could be called the "Rehabilitation Project," because it's yet another attempt to rebuild the image and career of the former pop queen.
So far she has a platinum-plus album with "Circus" and at least two hit singles, but how did she do as far as her performance? Well, it looks like it was a good effort, but not great.
Here's a sampling of the reviews:
People's Chuck Arnold wrote:
Don't call it a comeback quite yet. Britney Spears still isn't all the way there. At least not from the standpoint of the kickoff concert of her much-anticipated Circus tour – her first trek in five years – at the New Orleans Arena Tuesday night. While she avoided the train wreck that was her 2007 MTV Video Music Awards appearance, a visibly nervous Spears, performing in front of enthusiastic fans near her Kentwood, La., hometown, never really hit her old stride.
The Los Angeles' Times' Ann Powers wrote:
Her singing was dominated by a backing track. Her moves were nothing special -- defined by much strutting and stripper-like shimmying, with the minimum amount of acrobatics to prove her mettle as a dance-pop queen. Her physical form, still beautiful, didn't take one's breath away the way it did when she was 17.But on Tuesday's opening night of her "Circus" tour at the New Orleans Arena, Britney Spears, the mighty Aphrodite with the troublesome tawdry streak, nonetheless renewed her claim as one of the world's most adept manipulators of the public interest.
And even Perez Hilton, part of the show via a video sequence, said:
Now, let's get our biggest gripe/problem with the show out of the way. Yes, she lipsynchs during the entire concert. There is no live singing. None!. She recorded vocals to "sound like" live, but they were all canned, pre-taped.
However, it's a Britney Spears show. You expect that!
Even though you expect it, though, it would be nice if at least a handful of the almost 20 song set were live. But, that's not gonna happen.
In exchange for the miming, you do get Spears doing what she does best, dancing. And she's got the moves again!
Based on those reviews, it looks like she would get a B-? It may not have been spectacular, but we're still looking forward to seeing her in Newark next weekend!
OK, I know I am crazy crazy crazy late updating this blog, if anyone follows ... but the Grammys, and its craziness kind of prevented me from getting back to my beloved blog, so ... apologies! but I have some pretty lovely pics to make up for it. I was lucky enough to cover the annual Clive Davis pre-Grammy party, which brings out the A-list celebs from all walks of life (Paul McCartney, Prince, Taylor Swift, the Jonas Brothers, and Chris Brown and Rihanna _ pre-fight _ were in attendance.I saw "Notorious" last week, and I loved it ... but of course, I'm not Lil Kim. I don't think she should have a problem with the movie, but she does have major beef with it ... check out the statement she gave to The AP this week, and Voletta Wallace's response, in this article.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090114/ap_en_mo/people_lil_kim;_ylt=Ap2LO5mKomJJhPYUVYSVS_txFb8C
Also peep the screenwriter and producer's reaction in the video.
