Ok, so this video's not new. I just needed to bring it up to illustrate three things.
One - The Miss TLC Bad Girl Mix has been added for a limited time to the sidebar on the right --->
Check it out and thank me later. The songs included are as follows:
1 - Danity Kane ft. Missy Elliot "Bad Girl"
2 - Donna Summer "Bad Girls"
3 - Jon B. "Bad Girl"
4 - M.I.A. "Bad Girls"
5 - Madonna "Bad Girl"
6 - The Pussycat Dolls "Bad Girl"
7 - Usher "Bad Girl"
8 - Black Buddafly ft. Fabolous "Bad Girl (Remix)"
9 - David Guetta ft. Taio Cruz "Little Bad Girl"
That way you have the list for yourselves just in case the record labels restrict them from being played in YouTube playlists (which they do from time to time).
The second thing I wanted to bring up was that I love this song. Love love love.
And the third thing I wanted to bring up was the whole M.I.A. / Super Bowl controversy. By now you've all heard about the drama with Madonna's performance at the Super Bowl. M.I.A. gave the world the middle finger. But what I'm confused about is the fact that anyone was surprised and/or bothered by this. It's not like M.I.A. grabbed the camera, put it in front of her face, and screamed FUCK YOU!!! at the top of her lungs to the millions of people watching at home. It was a hand gesture. And quite a popular, mundane, and routine hand gesture if you ask me. I don't think anyone really looks at the middle finger as someone yelling fuck you in their face anymore. The vitriol and power behind that movement has been added to the point and the peace sign as "most popular things to do with your hands in pictures, while performing, or as a means of pointless communication" nowadays. Also, it's not like M.I.A. is known for being a sweet as sugar creampuff kinda artist. Her most popular mainstream song up until this point had gunshots in the hook. Seriously. Not to mention that the song above ("Bad Girls") was released prior to the Super Bowl. "Live fast, die young, bad girls do it well"??? I know Madonna heard it. So the fact that both Madonna and Nicki Minaj seemed to turn on M.I.A. post-performance was astounding to me. Throwing up a middle finger is honestly the same thing as pelvic thrusting or guys grabbing in between their legs while dancing. Who cares? It's just a pointless punctuation on the part of the performer that should be treated with yawns, not protests.
Some say a picture's worth a thousand words. Once again, I can pretty much sum these up in less than 20.
MISS TLC SAYS: Nicole Richie is saying to herself "*giggle* Nick has NO idea what he's catching right now *giggle*".
MISS TLC SAYS: Lea Michele is confused because...Ashton's just not that funny.
MISS TLC SAYS: I know it's the angle, but Gary Janetti looks like a giant here next to their party planner friend.
MISS TLC SAYS: The dude in the back is trying SO HARD not to laugh. He's thinking "I don't get it either".
MISS TLC SAYS: The man in the back of this picture is screaming "you know that's not ginger ale!" with his eyes.
[To view more "Say It With Pictures" pics (believe me, it's worth it), just click "Say It With Pictures" in the Labels list located on the right sidebar under the music videos. Enjoy!]
So a Lil Kim fan attended a recent show of the Queen Bee's and recorded the following (disturbing) clip, which was alleged to illustrate how easy it was for women to lose their religion when the Rihanna/Chris Brown "Birthday Cake (Remix)" comes on in a club:
Um.
Er.
So.
Yeah.
Really?!?!?!?! These people are serious?!!?!? Ay dios mio. What a world. What a frightening thing to watch. Respect yourselves ladies. Oh, and take care of your heart. Eat healthy. And dress for your body.
In case you haven't seen the preview for the next new episode of "Gossip Girl", check it out below:
MISS TLC SAYS: I never thought I'd say this but.....I like Blair and Dan together. I'm obsessed with Chuck, but that storyline was getting old. I could see where the writers were going, they wanted to go in a different direction for once, and I'm not mad at that. However, the fact that they're going to make "Dair" (Dan and Blair) have bad sex is disappointing. Clearly Dan's kissing was making Blair weak in the knees, so then to make their time in the bedroom mundane is unfair to say the least. Hopefully they get it together before they forget it forever.
You've probably heard John West's song "Already There" featuring Big Sean. Or maybe you've heard "Lovely" featuring Pusha T. Both are nice, but neither could prepare you for "Nobody". Straight up and down, this song will make you melt. Check out an acoustic performance of the song below:
I know. Holy moly. I'm obsessed and listen to this one every day.
In case you haven't heard of West yet, he's a 28-year old singer/songwriter from Louisiana. He's currently signed to Mercury Records, and released a 3 song bundle this year. You can check out his work at JohnWestSongs.com.
Either way, keep your ears open for more delightful sounds from this up and comer.
MISS TLC SAYS: Full disclosure, I have a Blackberry. I take a lot of ish for it from my iPhone friends, but Blackberrys are for businesspeople. iPhones are for app-lovers and bells and whistles (which I've never needed in my life). I know that I will need to upgrade sooner than later, so I'll probably have to give in to having the Blackberry and something else. Don't get me wrong - I have an iPad, and I love it. I'm attached to that and my iPod, so I do love Apple. However as phones go, I'm not feeling the iPhone. I'm actually not a fan of the touchscreen movement at all. It's dirty and the look of fingerprints is pretty gross to me. Interestingly enough, my tech-obsessed friends have all told me the Samsung Galaxy is superior to the iPhone, and that this is the device I should get when looking to take things to the next level. Well once I saw the commercial for the new Samsung Galaxy Note, I was sold. A pen so you don't have to use the touchscreen sounds perfect for me. I'll definitely have to check this one out.
I wanted to take a break after the Whitney piece to let people appreciate her talent and her legacy, without rushing on to another silly and/or potentially shallow topic. But now that the woman has received proper due, we can get back to being our crazy Miss TLC selves.
Whitney had the voice of an angel. She could easily trigger goosebumps at the sound of her infamous runs and powerful range. While I understand that the media can't help but to tell her full story when reporting on her life and untimely death, I refuse to speculate and/or comment on her trials and tribulations. I will only speak of her undeniable talent, beauty, and generosity.
Whitney had EVERY young girl in the 80s emulating her happy face, voice control, and rhythmic microphone handling at home in their bedroom. Between her colorful "How Will I Know" video, her sultry "You Give Good Love" lyrics, and her earrings in the classic "Greatest Love Of All" clip (Miss TLC's fave); we ALL believed in her magic.
Whitney's voice was melodic whether she was performing, speaking in an interview, or delivering lines in a movie. Her infectious smile could light up any room. There was no doubt that her early modeling career was well-deserved.
Whitney came from a musical family, and it seemed that a little bit of Cissy's talent, Dionne's talent, and Aretha's talent all combined to deliver itself to the world through Whitney. Whitney's "comeback" album "My Love Is Your Love" put the diva back on top where she belonged with danceable hits, entertaining videos, and beautiful artwork.
What many people don't know about Whitney was that she also loved to support & nurture young talent. True fans know about Whitney's deal at Capitol Records (Better Place), in which she released the R&B group Sunday (album cover art below).
Sunday had one radio hit with "I Know" (grainy video below), which they successfully performed at many promotional shows, and also on Soul Train (appearance also below).
Sunday - "I Know":
Sunday on "Soul Train":
The stand-out member of this vocal ensemble was New Jersey native Shakira Atily a/k/a Kira. Kira most famously appeared on BET "finishing" Whitney's biggest song of all-time, "I Will Always Love You", in front of a huge crowd AND the television audience at home. The next day everyone was saying "who was that?!?!?" Was it Whitney's daughter? Was it a random audience member? WHO WOULD WHITNEY HOUSTON OF ALL PEOPLE HAND A MIC TO?!?!?
You can watch that infamous performance below:
Whitney on BET (hands mic to Shakira a/k/a "Kira" at the end of the song):
Don't get it twisted, Kira wasn't an overnight sensation. She had been hard at work on her vocals from a very young age. Appearing alongside rapper A+ on his biggest hit, "All I See", females everywhere had been saying "who's that girl?" long before the BET incident.
Kira performing with A+ on "All I See":
After Sunday disbanded, Kira went on to try and launch a solo career. In fact, I was lucky enough to work with Kira on countless songs. Hours spent in the recording studio were taxing, but incredibly enjoyable given Kira's scope of talent, and contagious laughter. Unfortunately, things didn't proceed through that particular union, but Kira went on to write and perform with many other R&B and rap stars including Foxy Brown (on "When The Lights Go Out") and Cormega (on "Stay Up"). Kira also sang back-up for the one and only Beyonce. One of my favorite songs recorded during the time I worked with Kira is posted below for your enjoyment:
Through it all, Kira proudly proclaimed that Whitney was a mentor, an inspiration, and a driving factor in her career. She even lived with Whitney for a while in her New Jersey home. Kira was like another daughter to Whitney, which is why it was only right that media outlets have tried to contact her for personal memories of the incomparable Ms. Houston. Kira did grant an interview to the Nick Cannon morning show this week (audio below), and there may be more to come. Hopefully, this will lead to more singing opportunities for the beautiful girl from New Jersey, so that she can pay proper due to her predecessor, and maybe let a little of Whitney live through her in song.
To be clear, Ms. Kira was NOT a back-up dancer. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but she was/is/and always will be a SINGER.
Kira now:
Our last experience with Whitney on the big screen will be in the remake of "Sparkle", due out this summer. Starring Jordin Sparks as her daughter (and the lead character), Whitney seemed happy and excited granting press interviews for the vehicle just a few short months ago. Whitney performs "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" in the movie, and considering her start in church, I'm sure this will NOT disappoint.
"Sparkle" press:
I'm sure she's teaching the angels something right now, while leading the choir. We love you Whitney.
This was a very classy move on their part. They don't need the money, and can always sell the first staged fashion photo shoot when Blue's a lil bit older if they want...for charity money of course. ;)
One of our favorite websites at The Wonderful World of Miss TLC is someecards. It's truly the anecdote to stress, frustration, and/or boredom. The pop culture references, the news-relevant "greeting cards", the hilarious one-liners with the intentionally old-school art...it's all perfection. For a little laugh, we're posting three that encompass Miss TLC and her closest friends to a "T".......
