...for stocking such an inappropriate swimsuit for a toddler. Granted, it's REALLY the designer's fault, but BRU shouldn't stock anything like this if it comes their way (even if it's manufactured by a designer they usually carry).
I was shopping with my goddaughter this past weekend and stumbled across this suit that looked like it was made for a much older female. I just HAD to take a picture so I could show my readers. I know that some people look at it like it's cute for babies and toddlers to walk around the beach and pool wearing string bikinis and shades with heeled sandals on their feet, but I for one think that's NOT cool. Babies and toddlers will look cute in ANY bathing suit you put them in (because babies and toddlers are cute - lol), so it doesn't have to be a bikini with sparkles and chiffon flowers. It makes it seem then like you are trying too hard to make them look more like teenagers. Jon Benet anyone?
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Shame On You Babies 'R Us...
Monday, June 30, 2008
This Is Hot!!!
Drumming on "Dope Boys" w/ The Game
MISS TLC SAYS: The Game's last album was already "dope", but this "Dope Boys" is making me think that the upcoming L.A.X. may be even hotter. I loved Travis Barker before, but his appearance on this definitely made me appreciate him more. Do ya thang bwoy. :)
eBay Buyers Beware!!!
This just in from the NY Times...
EBay to Pay Damages in Sale of Fakes!!!
Basically, a French court ruled that eBay is responsible for the sale of counterfeit items on their site. eBay has always claimed that they do what they can to stop some sales, but that's it's virtually impossible to check them all. LVMH claims that they do almost nothing in response to the rampant sales of bootleg designer goods on their auction website. I found this part of the article especially interesting:
LVMH, a maker of high-end leather goods, perfumes and other fashion and luxury products, successfully challenged eBay for a second time in the French court, arguing that 90 percent of the Louis Vuitton bags and Dior perfumes sold on eBay are fakes.
MISS TLC SAYS: I mean, seriously, you HAVE to know that the bulk of the stuff on that site is fake IF it is sold for a ridiculous price (and sometimes even when it's not). Sorry folks, but you can't buy a Louis Vuitton bag for $50 as much as you want to believe that you can. [If you ask me, you SHOULD be able to considering LV stuff looks to be worth only that much to me. Half their stuff is made from reinforced vinyl with childish symbols and design patterns... but hey, that's just my opinion. I am NOT a Louis fan.] However, there are some honest people selling real designer goods out there on auction sites. For the most part, they are the used items though. I don't see anything wrong with someone realizing after a while that they never use the orange clutch they bought impulsively for $250 a year ago and so they try to sell it on eBay to someone else for like $150. And I also don't see nothing wrong with someone cleaning out their closet and selling off all their gently used (still in good condition) items for a discounted rate. But when someone claims to have NEW Louis Vuitton (or any other designer) bags WITH tags on 'em and they are pricing them at more than 50% below the regular price, you have a bootlegger on your hands so just watch yourself.
Me In A Cab
MISS TLC SAYS: What I do when I'm bored in a cab coming home from the city after a long night out. :)
Amy Aims Then PUNCHES Her Fans
MISS TLC SAYS: Honestly, my first reaction is to say "WHY THE HELL ARE PEOPLE STILL GOING TO SHOWS TO SEE THIS CHICK?!!?!" She either doesn't show up, shows up and slurs through all her lyrics and stumbles off the stage drunk, and now she's HITTING fans??????? Look, I know the other side is that she was defending herself. Her side claims an overzealous fan was grabbing at her beehive and she had to get them off her. But really, that's what security is for, and SHE was the one who chose to get so close to them anyway. They need to get this mess (albeit a talented mess) off the concert circuit PRONTO.
Rapid Fire
Thursday, June 26, 2008
A Miss TLC Review: "Ryan Raftery & Friends: A Solo Act"
On Monday night, I attended the opening of a new cabaret in the West Village simply titled "Ryan Raftery & Friends: A Solo Act". Now I'm not gonna lie. Ryan is a close friend. (I don't want to be accused of unfair review practices and back room politics once I'm a world famous journalist and all-around superstar. Yes, I know I have one of those already covered... it's up for you to decide which one... wink, wink). So getting back to Ryan. I grew up with him. But just when you think I am going to sugarcoat this whole review BECAUSE of that, you're wrong. I WILL be honest. However, don't be turned off when the positivity starts radiating from this page because Ryan IS fantastic. I would say that whether or not I met him before that night. You see Ryan has a certain joie de vivre that makes you want to be his friend the moment he starts telling a story, reciting lines from one of his favorite movies or plays, or (as is the case Monday night) opens his loud mouth to sing.
Paris Commune's Rouge Bar hosts this bi-weekly summer cabaret. Paris Commune is a great mainstay restaurant in the West Village, and a great place to catch an easy bistro-style dinner upstairs pre-show. The Rouge Bar is technically billed as a "wine bar", and so it is small and cavernous with a fantastic selection of vino. The room probably only seats about 30 people (and that includes about 5 spots at the bar), but that lends itself to the cozy feel of the show. Believe me, the small seating capacity has nothing to do with Ryan's ability to fill a room. He has enough friends and industry connections that want to come see him when they are in town (and not on stage themselves), but from what I understand heard, he personally received a request to perform here from one of the restaurant's investors.
The show runs about an hour with a brief intermission exactly at the halfway point. Raftery performs 10 songs in total, with some witty banter thrown in between each song. Considering I knew Ryan already, I wasn't surprised by his uncanny ease and comfort in addressing the crowd in such a tight, intimate space. He has always been a natural performer. He belongs on the stage, or at least in the front of the room where people can see him.
One of the most endearing qualities of a cabaret act is the witty banter spoken between each of the songs. "Ryan Raftery & Friends: A Solo Act" definitely delivers in this regard. However, I would've liked it a little more if a couple of the stories were more personal and/or threaded into a continuing storyline about the show's star. (I don't want to give it all away, but the stories told here are hilarious, bizarre, entertaining, and... entirely un-true. For the most part.)
Now onto the song choices. The music performed runs the gamut from showtunes (Raftery's strong suit), to 80s pop hits, to current R&B radio mainstays. I spoke to Ryan after the show and inquired about the set list and whether or not it would change during the course of the summer. He said that it would and in fact, he performed a song in honor of Gay Pride week in NYC that he believed would be cut from any future performances (because it had already served its purpose as a specific occasion-based tribute). For me, it's hard to say what was my favorite song. However, I can name three specific ditties as the ones I was most looking forward to seeing again when I get around to visiting the show for a second time, and the reasons for each. Those three were "Stacy's Mom", "Don't Take Much" (from the Broadway show 'The Life'), and "Umbrella"... yes, that "Umbrella". Ryan's lead-in story and animated acting throughout "Stacy's Mom" is what makes that song so hysterical. His dance moves and special rendition of "Umbrella" make that one enjoyable. And lastly, "Don't Take Much" is moving because it's best suited to the star's voice. His voice literally fills the room with passion and vibrato through an emotional song originally sung by Chuck Cooper on the Broadway cast recording (and I WILL go so far as to say that Ryan sings it better than him).
The songs I could do without - "Father Figure" and the aforementioned Gay Pride song. I guess I got my wish with that one considering Raftery noted that it wouldn't be used in future shows. There was nothing wrong the song itself, or the sentiment, but it just didn't reach the level of the others in impact and/or hilarity.
Top 3 Reasons You Should Go See This Show:
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Miss TLC Take On Alicia Keys' BET Awards 2008 Performance
I love Alicia Keys. I love Alicia Keys' current album. I love(d) SWV. I love(d) TLC [TLC the group of course, not the real and official and original ME TLC... that is one TLC I'll love forever :)]. I still love En Vogue. But this performance did not work. Sorry, it didn't. It's uncomfortable enough to bring back out a bunch of chicks that don't really perform anymore, don't really get along anymore, and have gotten a bit older. It's another thing entirely to bring them all out for like 30 seconds each and then have a current mega-successful, still young, and always performing superstar like Alicia Keys stand next to them with a goofy grin and "yay you!" facial expression while singing along to THEIR hits. It's somewhat demeaning if you ask me.
It's not that the girls couldn't perform anymore. It's just that as big as Alicia is now, that doesn't automatically give her free rein to stand up their with them and pretend she's been added to the groups TLC, SWV, and En Vogue all in one easy night. It was the same kind of feeling I got seeing Beyonce "pay tribute" to her predecessors in her Grammy performance with Tina Turner. Beyonce is NO Tina (even though she loves to act like she is... see the Prince/Beyonce Grammy performance for evidence of that one). But that whole thing just came off like Beyonce doing Tina a favor by giving her airtime again.
I'm all for the stars of today paying their respects to the stars of yesterday, but I have to believe there's a better way to do these things. Perhaps just stick to the "we'll bring out a bunch of people to perform different hits of yours through the ages while also giving you a nice speech and standing ovation" way of doing tributes. Dragging them all out on stage to clap around and make the crowd do the "wave your hands in the air" thing in their faces is uncomfortable for us all. It feels like it's 25 years from now and we're watching a live feed into senior citizen homes across America on "90s night".
Like I said, I love all these women (honestly there was not one chick on that stage that I do not have love [or had love] for). But to have Alicia doing the famous TLC "Waterfalls" dance along with them, and trying to riff with Dawn and the girls who are still miles ahead of her in sexy vamp-ish appeal, and then trying to out-sing Coko HAD to have these chicks silently cursing her out in their heads. LOL. All in good fun though. No matter what, it's great to see these women getting their props. I just wish it was orchestrated in a cleaner, more respectful manner.
Chart Chat
This week's top 20 albums:
1. COLDPLAY "VIVA LA VIDA" 721,134 units sold
2. LIL WAYNE "THA CARTER III" 308,505 units sold
3. CAMP ROCK "SOUNDTRACK" 188,370 units sold
4. NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC "VOL. 28" 80,966 units sold
5. PLIES "DEFINITION OF REAL" 67,678 units sold
6. USHER "HERE I STAND" 64,938 units sold
7. RIHANNA "GOOD GIRL GONE BAD" 63,319 units sold
8. DISTURBED "INDESTRUCTIBLE" 59,340 units sold
9. KATY PERRY "ONE OF THE BOYS" 46,767 units sold
10. OFFSPRING "RISE & FALL RAGE & GRACE" 45,696 units sold
11. JUDAS PRIEST "NOSTRADAMUS" 41,922 units sold
12. JOURNEY "REVELATION" 37,796 units sold
13. WEEZER "WEEZER (RED ALBUM)" 29,709 units sold
14. 3 DOORS DOWN "3 DOORS DOWN" 29,114 units sold
15. ALANIS MORISSETTE "FLAVORS OF ENTANGLEMENT" 28,803 units sold
16. KID ROCK "ROCK N ROLL JESUS" 28,595 units sold
17. LEONA LEWIS "SPIRIT" 27,991 units sold
18. DUFFY "ROCKFERRY" 27,517 units sold
19. TAYLOR SWIFT "TAYLOR SWIFT" 27,413 units sold
20. N.E.R.D. "SEEING SOUNDS" 23,620 units sold
Here are my comments...
* Yay Coldplay!!! That's a nice debut for them, and they deserve it. I (and my partner-in-crime Mr. T. Coles) firmly believe that the song "Viva La Vida" will win 'Record of the Year' at the Grammys next year.
* Wayne dropped about 69% this week. That's about right.
* Besides Coldplay, the big success story of this week is Rihanna. As much as I believe her talent is COMPLETELY over-rated, the girl is doing EXTREMELY well the last couple of years. Just when you think she's done, she pops back up out of practically nowhere once again. Her "Good Girl Gone Bad" album shot from #100 on the chart to #7 this week! Ugh. "Take a Bow" indeed.
* Usher's still in the top 10??? C'mon people, that album sucks, and so does he. Please stop giving providing him with more air to plump up his already over-inflated head.
* Other than that, I thought I accidentally opened the wrong chart. With Offspring, Judas Priest, Weezer, and Journey all in the top 20, I thought for sure I was looking at a chart from at least 10 years ago. Kudos to all the guys for staying relevant in an otherwise fickle world of music consumers.
Watch The New Extended "Eagle Eye" Trailer Here!
MISS TLC SAYS: Definitely looks good... sick cast... so many people popped up in that trailer throughout... AND Steven Spielberg produced it? AND Shia looks gorge in it??? ;)
"Eagle Eye" is due in theaters on September 26, 2008.
Where Have I Seen You Before? - Mario Lopez on "Golden Girls" Edition
The other day, I was flipping through the channels, and stumbled across an old episode of "Golden Girls" on Lifetime. It was the one where Dorothy tries to help her favorite student stay in the country when he's in danger of getting deported. What was really CRAZY though was that the student was Mario Lopez! Yes, the same Mario Lopez who is currently the host of "America's Best Dance Crew", was a former contestant on "Dancing With the Stars", is one of People Magazine's hottest bachelors, and the infamous AC Slater from "Saved From The Bell"!!! LOL.
Check out my screencaps below:
MISS TLC SAYS: Who would've thought a little latino boy could get help with his Visa from four senior citizens living together in Miami? How quaint.
*** To view past editions of "Where Have I Seen You Before?" search for it by entering the title in quotes in the white search box at the top of this blog. Feel free to do the same with the name of any of our other recurring features. Search is your friend. :) ***
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Seen On The Train
MISS TLC SAYS: A NYC subway car is not a living room. And the horrifically dirty plastic and metal benches are not a couch. So WHY WHY WHY would would think it's acceptable to remove your shoes (yep, she took them both off) and fully drape your legs over your man on a morning rush hour car?!?!?!?!? Ugh.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Lil Wayne Sells "A Milli"
In case you haven't heard yet, rapper Lil Wayne has sold over a million copies of his latest release, Tha Carter III, in one week. This is very good for the music industry because sales have been faltering for a while now. Albums have sold in the hundreds of thousands in their debut week, but no one has hit the million unit mark since 2005 (50 Cent's sophomore album). Therefore, Tha Carter III brings hope back to a deflated game. It shows that you CAN still put up big numbers if the album has enough of a buzz around it. Lil Wayne didn't even have a stellar marketing plan, or any publicity stunt-type set up for this release. True, there was the onslaught of press for months, but that was due to the fact that, love him or hate him, Lil Wayne is a star. He says what he wants, is cockier than Kanye, and gave himself the title of "Greatest Rapper Alive" a while back. In other words, he behaves like a rock star. Women think he's sexy (although I can NOT imagine how), men think he's funny, and the press thinks his sometimes brash/sometimes comical delivery is entertaining and real.
But before the marketing machines start going crazy proclaiming that Lil Wayne is making unprecedented moves in the music industry, let's all calm down for a moment. Selling a million plus units is nothing new. And no, before you say it's only been the pop tarts who've sold that much in the past, that's not true either. Yes, Lil Wayne has beaten first week sales records for rap greats such as Jay-Z and Kanye, he hasn't beaten other rappers such as 50 Cent and Eminem.
So now for your information, and because you know I always love to hook my readers up with THE REAL, I have compiled a list of other million-plus unit debuts for your perusal in chronological order:
And before you start wondering, no, superstar artists such as Jay-Z, Kanye, Madonna, Mariah, Biggie, and Janet Jackson have never sold more a million or more units in any one week.
In conclusion, Lil Wayne has definitely accomplished something big this past week, but he hasn't broken new ground. The industry was definitely a different place when Jive Records was running things with their pop trifecta of NSYNC, Britney, and The Backtreet Boys. However, 50 just did over a mil in 2005 AND THAT WAS ONLY IN FOUR DAYS (it was an abbreviated week because they ended up releasing the album early to try and quell the bootleg sales that were getting out of hand). At least Tha Carter III has given us hope once again. It's like the rap game's Obama. Holla.
Chart Chat
This week's top 20 albums:
1. LIL WAYNE "THA CARTER III" 1,005,545 units sold
2. PLIES "DEFINITION OF REAL" 214,532 units sold
3. NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC "VOL. 28" 132,464 units sold
4. DISTURBED "INDESTRUCTIBLE" 101,835 units sold
5. USHER "HERE I STAND" 100,807 units sold
6. JOURNEY "REVELATION" 89,240 units sold
7. N.E.R.D. "SEEING SOUNDS" 79,968 units sold
8. ALANIS MORISSETTE "FLAVORS OF ENTANGLEMENT" 70,374 units sold
9. MY MORNING JACKET "EVIL URGES" 49,083 units sold
10. WEEZER "WEEZER (RED ALBUM)" 45,921 units sold
11. 3 DOORS DOWN "3 DOORS DOWN" 38,043 units sold
12. SEX AND THE CITY "SOUNDTRACK" 35,191 units sold
13. ASHANTI "DECLARATION" 33,898 units sold
14. LEONA LEWIS "SPIRIT" 32,702 units sold
15. DUFFY "ROCKFERRY" 29,650 units sold
16. TAYLOR SWIFT "TAYLOR SWIFT" 29,610 units sold
17. FRANK SINATRA "NOTHING BUT THE BEST" 29,261 units sold
18. TOBY KEITH "TOBY KEITH 35 BIGGEST HITS" 28,920 units sold
19. KID ROCK "ROCK N ROLL JESUS" 28,275 units sold
20. MONTGOMERY GENTRY "BACK WHEN I KNEW IT ALL" 27,175 units sold
Here are my comments...
* Lil Wayne does it BIG. REAL big. So big that I am addressing his sales in another post entirely.
* Uck, I can't believe Plies debuted at #2, albeit with a huge difference between him and the #1 spot, but still, he will think he's the ish for debuting that high.
* Usher and Ashanti's new albums both continue to decline on the charts... as they should. Neither album is good (trust me).
* N.E.R.D. debuted very well. I'm happy for them. I love that album (full review coming soon in a separate post).
* I'm happy to see the "Sex and the City Soundtrack" holding on in the top 15 as well. It's a really solid disc (full review coming soon in a separate post).
