Thursday, August 31, 2006
John + Jess Not A Good Idea?
Wow. Just yesterday a story is released that Jessica Simpson and John Mayer are a couple and all hell breaks loose.
Word hits that she would be checking out his show last night (which she did, I saw her there by the way), her Dad comments on their relationship (he said that it's up to Jessica to say anything because he doesn't get involved with his daughter's love life anymore), magazine covers are proclaiming that Jess is in love, Life & Style Magazine's website surmises that the relationship is a fake, and Us Weekly puts up a general opinion poll about it already.
Anyhoo...it looks like the public is in the same boat as me......
I don't think they make a good couple either. Who knows if it's even real though. Sometimes it's the most unlikely-est of couples who make it.
Justin + Ellen Sitting In A Tree
In case you haven't heard, Justin Timbo is the special guest of honor on Ellen's premiere episode this coming Monday (Labor Day). A special concert was taped ahead of time in Central Park this week and apparently so was the interview because PerezHilton.com has the scoop on one particularly interesting question and the subsequent answer.
Ellen sought to clear up the rumors of an engagement to Diaz. "Should I go ahead and get a bridesmaid's dress?" she asked.
"Go ahead and reserve one," Justin answered. "But you'll have to stay the same size for the next 15 years!"
MISS TLC SAYS: Um...that's SOOOOOO abusive. I understand celebs sometimes lie to keep the media off their case with relationship status and the like but this is just bad. If I was with my man for YEARS and I overheard him joking to someone that even if we did get married, it would still be 15 years away, I would be pissed. It's the principle. Even if you hadn't discussed getting engaged soon or anything, saying "15 years" makes it sound like you have ABSOLUTELY NOT ONE URGE AT ALL TO GET MARRIED TO THE PERSON YOU ARE WITH RIGHT NOW. Oh well.
Anyway...Justin also stopped in to do some charity work after his Central Park appearance.
From Us Weekly...
Justin Timberlake spent nearly two hours late yesterday visiting sick and injured children at Mount Sinai Hospital, across the street from Central Park, where he’d just taped a concert for daytime television star Ellen DeGeneres’ show.
“It was a surprise visit, and the kids were, like, screaming,” Timberlake’s PR rep, Ken Sunshine, tells Lloyd Grove of the New York Daily News.
“He went all over the hospital, floor to floor. He does this kind of thing all the time.”
MISS TLC SAYS: Isn't he so sweet? And hot? And sexy? And would make a great boyfriend for me? ;)
Hot Event Alert
My good friend Jen (hey chica) has graciously alerted me to a really nice charity fashion event going down tomorrow evening at The Garden at Ono (in Hotel Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District in NYC). The Red Band, NJ boutique - Rok & Lola - that I have previously raved about on this site will be involved (and make sure to visit Rok & Lola is you haven't already!). If you are interested, the information is below......
TWWOMT Poll Wrap-Up
The results of the latest The Wonderful World of Miss TLC Poll are in......
......and no one likes John Mayer's album cover. Poor John. :(
Justin won. Yippee!!! His album cover was different, unexpected, and cool and the album reflects that as well. "Future Sex/Love Sounds" is the hotness people. I won't post a full review until next week (when the actual album release date is closer) but believe me, it's RIDICULOUSLY WONDERFUL. :)
As for the other covers, Robin Thicke and Outkast tied but Method Man also didn't do too bad for himself.
Congrats boys.
NOW JUST REMEMBER TO VOTE IN THE NEW TWWOMT POLL GOING LIVE TODAY!!!
Bam Admits He Didn't Sleep With Jessica After All
From Us Weekly...
Bam Margera Speaks About Alleged Jessica Simpson Affair
Jessica Simpson had a potentially awkward blast from the past at 3 a.m. Wednesday morning, when she ran into Jackass star Bam Margera at the NYC watering hole Hog Pitt. In 2005, Margera’s ex-girlfriend Jenn Rivell started a rumor frenzy when she announced on a radio station that Margera had slept with the pop star.
Simpson – who’s in town for Thursday’s MTV VMA Awards — partied into the wee hours with Margera, Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Ken Pavés, and her entourage of around 50. (”They left their bartender a huge $200 tip!” says bartender Alexis Miller.)
Later that morning, Bam opened up to Us about his reconciliation with Jessica.
So what happened last night with Jess?
“Well, all the Jackass people were all in the limo and we popped out of it and I asked someone where we were, they said “Jessica Simpson’s party.” I was like, ‘Great, this is going to be awkward,’ because I haven’t seen her since that whole mess. I was really nervous.”
What happened at GSpa?
“Well, we didn’t talk there and it was lame and too crowded so all of us decided to leave and go to a dive bar. I guess her crew had the same idea since next second I see her at the Hog Pit.”
So you didn’t go together?
“Nope, but I was real nervous, so I took 3 shots of Patron [tequila] and said to her, ‘Listen, I’m so sorry about what happened. I had a crazy ex-girlfriend.’ Jessica said, ‘It’s totally cool. I’m the sweetest girl you’ll ever meet.’ We talked for a few minutes then went our separate ways.”
So you didn’t go back with her?
“No! But I hope Nick doesn’t try and kick my a-s anyways!”
Nothing’s ever happened with you guys?
“No! My ex-girlfriend is crazy. We hadn’t talked since that incident.”
# # #
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Miss Jones vs. Tina Knowles
So allegedly Hot 97 personality Miss Jones don't like Beyonce and Beyonce and her Mommy Tina are fully aware of this. Therefore, when B had to visit the Hot 97 studios for and interview with one of their sister stations on Friday, the station asked Miss Jones to "make sure and not be around" at the same time as the Knowles women.
Miss Jones gracefully obliged but apparently did not exit quickly enough so instead she ran into her "girls" face-to-face in the hallway. Words were exchanged but being that this went down in the hall, and not in the studio, we can only hear about what was said from someone else who was there (below). In the end, Miss Jones got suspended for two weeks because of the altercation. Whoo. You do now want to mess with that Matthew Knowles Mafia boy.
You can listen to the rest of the Hot 97 crew talkin' bout what went down here.
Jessie and John?
From People.com...
Jessica Simpson's New Man: John Mayer
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 30, 2006 09:40AM EST UPDATED
Jessica Simpson is embarking on a not-so-public affair – with singer-songwriter John Mayer, PEOPLE has confirmed.
"She's tiptoeing back into the dating world," a source tells PEOPLE. "It's the first stage. She's never been happier."
Mayer, 28, began a co-headlining tour with Sheryl Crow on Aug. 24, and Simpson, 26, is expected to attend his concert in Jones Beach, N.Y., on Wednesday night.
Simpson is currently in New York promoting her new album, A Public Affair, which was released Tuesday – although a bruised vocal cord has quashed any planned performances. (She did stop by MTV's TRL Tuesday and is set to appear on Today on Friday.)
Similarly, Mayer had to cancel his Hartford, Conn., appearance with Crow on Saturday due to laryngitis, the Associated Press reported.
The two singers have known each other for several years and last year both attended Clive Davis's pre-Grammys party in Beverly Hills.
Although Simpson has been linked to Jared Leto and her Employee of the Month costar and Teen Choice Awards cohost Dane Cook, Simpson has not officially dated anyone since her November 2005 separation from Nick Lachey.
# # #
MISS TLC SAYS: I'll be at that concert tonight so I'll let you all know tomorrow if I see her there. Miss Jessie seems way too silly for John but who knows. He usually dates supermodels and although she's attractive, I don't think she really looks like one of those. Maybe they are both just trying something new for now. Either way, good luck to both of them if it's true.
Completely Unneccessary
In case you didn't know, YouTube has become the new "The Truman Show". Celebrities who fiend for attention...wait, ALL celebs fiend for attention otherwise they wouldn't be doing what they doing. So anyway, celebrities who fiend for attention are trying their hands at video diaries to instantly broadcast their lives to the world. Diddy is one of these people. For the past few weeks, he has been posting vignettes online via YouTube and MySpace that showcase him in his office, waking up in the morning, talking about his artists, venting about Proactiv, and peeing. Yes, I said peeing. Um......there truly are no words so just watch below.
Rapid Fire
Showstoppers (Danity Kane Debuts @ # 1)
What I tell you people??? I been biggin up this album to anyone who'll listen for two weeks now!!! Danity Kane is HOT. I don't want to hear the nose-up-in-air "they were put together on a TV show so they suck" ish AT ALL. I will be the first to admit that I could not take them seriously in the beginning myself. However, my sister and brother-in-law really got me into the show this season and I was pleasantly surprised to watch these girls REALLY working at singing, dancing, media training, studio time, etc. Granted, they were put together through an open casting call process but they were not just randomly picked, put in a group, and shoved onstage. Diddy has been really working with them for a minute. In the end, he rewarded them by hooking them up with HOT-TOT-TOT producers and tracks for their debut CD. I was shocked to see such heavy hitters as Rodney Jerkins, Bryan Cox, and Scott Storch in the booth with these girls during the course of the show.
The best part about it was that I picked up a copy of the CD for my sister and brother-in-law when it came out last Tuesday and snatched up another for myself for the helluva it. When I put this album on though...I was FLOORED. It's like Destiny's Child early stuff but with more sex and sass. Yes, the hotness. It starts off BANGING and just keeps drawing you in further and further. Tracks like "Heartbreaker" and "Hold You Down" keep you bouncing and dancing, "Showstopper" keeps your face screwed up and your hips writhing, and "Ride For You" and "Stay With Me" keep you handing out props to these girls for really singing. However, the real winner to me is "Right Now". WOW. Timbaland rocked this hella sexy track for the girls and the premise and lyrics are soooooo sexified that it just oozes seduction. Definitely listen to that one if nothing else.
The really great thing about this group is that they ALL have a part. This is no old Destiny's Child with Beyonce signing lead on EVERY song, Kelly getting verses here and there, and Latavia and Letoya just humming in the background every once in a while. Granted certain singers are better than others, but they all have a part and it's the dynamic that they have together that truly makes the songs sound bouncy, fresh, and blazing.
The BIG story of the day though (and the reason why I just HAD to do this post in the first place) is that DANITY KANE BLEW AWAY EVERYONE'S EXPECTATIONS AND DEBUTED AT #1 ON THIS WEEK'S CHARTS. Now that could've been a lock had there not been any other high-profile releases put out in the same week as these chicks. BUT OUTKAST DROPPED AN ALBUM THE SAME WEEK! Yes people. Danity Kane sold more product that OUTKAST. Look, I love me some Outkast but I am still very happy for DK. Go 'head ladies. Now just keep it up.
Bottom line, don't play yourself just because you don't respect the phrase Making The Band. These girls have paid dues. It doesn't mean they are going to win Grammys, or deserve to be included on VH-1's next installment of "Divas Live". It just means that the album is hot. So pick one up. Case closed.
You can watch the video for their first single, "Showstopper", below:
Chart Chat
The Top 10 albums on this week's chart:
1. DANITY KANE "DANITY KANE" (234,341 units sold)
2. OUTKAST "IDLEWILD" (196,137 units sold)
3. CHRISTINA AGUILERA "BACK TO BASICS" (135,118 units sold)
4. MANA "AMAR ES COMBATIR" (86,756 units sold)
5. CHEETAH GIRLS 2 "SOUNDTRACK" (81,197 units sold)
6. PARIS HILTON "PARIS" (76,858 units sold)
7. NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC "VOL. 22" (67,960 units sold)
8. LAMB OF GOD "SACRAMENT" (62,990 units sold)
9. LUTHER VANDROSS "ULTIMATE LUTHER VANDROSS" (59,058 units sold)
10. KELIS "KELIS WAS HERE" (57,917 units sold)
Go Danity! Go Danity! Read the "Showstoppers" post above for my full take on this week's #1 album.
It's quite surprising to see Outkast sell below 200K in their week but the word on the street is that most people are looking at this album as a soundtrack as opposed to a new Outkast album (which in fact it is). Maybe word on the street will push the sales up in the weeks to come. We'll see.
Christina held onto the #3 spot which is good for her but the Cheetah Girls really surprised me. They only dropped 7% in sales from last week so they basically held steady in the #5 spot selling around 85K units. Good for them I guess. I think it's also that anything Disney touches right now turns to gold ("High School Musical" anyone?).
Paris debuted where everyone expected her to with 76K units sold and Kelis did pretty well for herself too considering her single "Bossy" isn't exactly huge AND she publicly denounced her label Jive right before the album hit the shelves.
I am not very curious to see where Danity, Outkast, Paris, and Kelis will be in their second week. Only time will tell.........
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
*** BIG HUGE IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!! ***
Many of you may be wondering why I have only been posting sporadically for the past week or so. Well, it's all a part of my master plan. We doin' big things over here at The Wonderful World Of Miss TLC and I've been busy setting up and taking the next step. Well I'm back now.
Drumroll please.........
............
............
............
There is no need for the "blogspot" part in this site address anymore.
From now on, you can simply type http://misstlc.com OR http://www.misstlc.com into your browser and you will be instantly re-directed to "the" premier entertainment/lifestyle/culture spot on the 'net. PLEEEEEEEEEASE tell your friends especially because this is SO much simpler now. I am "THE" official Miss TLC and therefore, the domain name of the same name had to be purchased by us to help build our brand.
I now give you some sample conversations you can have with friends/co-workers/relatives/random people on the street so you don't even have to do the thinking...just read what you see below aloud:
* * *
YOU: Hey, you know what's a funny site to check out?
FRIENDS/CO-WORKERS/RELATIVES/RANDOM PEOPLE ON THE STREET: What?
YOU: misstlc.com
* * *
YOU: Hey, you know who writes some interesting stuff on her site?
FRIENDS/CO-WORKERS/RELATIVES/RANDOM PEOPLE ON THE STREET: Who?
YOU: Miss TLC
FRIENDS/CO-WORKERS/RELATIVES/RANDOM PEOPLE ON THE STREET: Who's that?
YOU: Check out her site
FRIENDS/CO-WORKERS/RELATIVES/RANDOM PEOPLE ON THE STREET: Well, what's the address?
YOU: Um, isn't it obvious? misstlc.com
* * *
More Celeb Lookalikes
Do we have a new Gnarls Barkley in our wake? DJ Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo (the "old" Gnarls Barkley) and Travis Barker with Jermaine Dupri (the "new" Gnarls Barkley):
Lil Kim and the model/mannequin in the new "Nip/Tuck" ads:
A Personal Shout Out
A big bad The Wonderful World Of Miss TLC "Happy Birthday" goes out to our girl Victoria on this loveliest of days! Enjoy sweetie!
One Of My Favorite All-Time Couples
This is a new random feature I'm starting which is pretty self-explanatory. You will just see that subject line, then a picture, and then the caption with who it is.
Here's the premiere post:
Here's the premiere post:
Prince & Vanity circa 1983 (SO HOT)
Flav Ain't Lookin For A Porn Star Y'All
If you watched "Flavor Of Love 2" this past weekend, you KNOW it was straight up insanity. The girls started baring the claws and accusing each other of doing sexual things with Flav and sexual things on camera and on the 'net. Now the thing that really got me through all of this was as such:
(1) We all know that ANYONE who would want to be on this show has to have an agenda. Therefore, the fact that any of them would have any type of porno-ish career is not a surprise to me.
(2) We all know by the looks of these girls that they are "not so innocent".
(3) Flav claims he was HELLA pissed off at Hoopz and the girls after he found out that "VH-1 didn't screen them well enough the first season so he ended up with a bunch of opportunistic heffas that did not really want to be his girlfriend". This was apparently the reason he HAD to do "FOL2" to find a true down-ass chick. Um...no darling...just...NO.
ALL of these girls have done some media-ish-entertainment-career-ish-in-the-public-eye-ish over the course of their lives. And Season 1's Pumkin was the bad girl for appearing on dating game shows?!?!?!? Puh-leeze. This time around these girls are just straight up nasty with a capital 'n'. Buckwild is the only one I think who I would believe has NOT done any nude modeling and the like. HOWEVER, she is not without fault her damn self AND she is not there just to become Flav's girl. SHE is a budding comedienne and the reason she had "Buckwild" emblazoned on her belt buckle when she got there is because THAT'S HER COMEDY NAME. You can watch Buckwild's comedy routine here.
Several weeks ago, after Somethin' did "somethin" on the stairs of the "FOL2" mansion, sites began posting her gross nude amateurish porn pics. Now with Toastee's spot getting blown up, the sites have started to unearth her past forays into the adult industry. Her porn name was "Natalia" (as Nibblz stated to Flav) and she appeared in Scissorvixens videos (you can click MediaTakeout for a taste of such) and I've also gotten word from one of my readers that she was in the December 2005 issue of Naughty Neighbors Magazine (sorry, I won't post directly to porn even though someone did send me the link to that one...I posted the vid clip one above only because I am only sending you to MediaTakeout who had it posted on their site). You can also click here for a taste of her "serious" modeling shots under her real name Jen. As for the pic that Flav was holding that was all blurred out? Yeah, I wouldn't want to know either. :)
My final question is: how long do you think it will take Flav to start holding up pics like that at the end of every clock ceremony? If he doesn't, then he's just going to look silly because they ALL have skeletons like those in the closet. (Thank the LAWD I ain't neva let anyone take ANY nude shots of me is all I'm sayin'!)
Also, for an in-depth play-by-play of Sunday's episode (in case you missed it OR you just don't watch the show and you want to know what we're talking about OR you just want to laugh at a really detailed description), click here to read Dlisted.com's take.
Hey Page Six, Stop Playa Hatin!!!
Look, I'm not exactly the president of the Paris Hilton fan club either, but it's my duty as THE premiere online entertainment industry informer to clue you guys in when something's misleading. Today Page Six reported that Paris Hilton's album has only sold a certain amount of copies in its first week and that predictions are already in for the second week.
First off, here's the excerpt from the piece:
# # #
August 29, 2006 -- PARIS Hilton's career as a pop star is fizzling as quickly as one of her blink-and-you'll-miss-it relationships.
In its first week out of the gate, Hilton's first CD is being widely seen as a certified flop. "Paris," which features the single "Stars Are Blind," sold a lackluster 75,000 copies in the United States - a pittance compared to Christina Aguilera's first-week sales of 320,000, according to Soundscan.
And projected sales for next week are said to be a measly 30,000, which is a larger than normal second week drop.
"Paris" is languishing at the bottom of Billboard's Hot 100 - so Hilton's label rushed out her second single, "Turn It Up," which isn't doing very well either.
"The international outlook is not much better for her," one industry source told Page Six. "The international people are not inclined to do a big push since she can't back up the album with a tour. Obviously, she can't sing live."
The source added that Hilton was advised a year ago to train her voice, work with choreographers and learn an instrument to prepare for a limited tour, but "obviously she didn't listen."
Hilton's rep, Elliot Mintz, said, "To me, [the album] sounds huge. For a newcomer, this is incredibly impressive."
# # #
Now here's the insider scoop. Paris' album was just released last Tuesday, the 22nd. Final sales figures are NOT released until Wednesday mornings (thus the reason I do the Chart Chat feature every Wednesday). Where does Page Six get their info then that the album sold x amount of copies and is on target to sell x amount more next week??? Well, there are people whose job is to predict and tally these sorts of things by using a formula designed to average sales trends and totals from retail outlets all around the country ahead of time. It's not foolproof though. Sure they can estimate pretty well, and Paris' album WILL most likely debut tomorrow with around 70K albums sold, but Page Six is making it sound as if this is a done deal. And the fact that they are already talking about NEXT WEEK'S sales and saying that she is dropping more than usual is just an obvious smear campaign. I'll tell you why.
Almost ALL albums suffer a decrease in sales in their second week. The expected decrease is always targeted at 50%, but MANY MANY albums drop more than that, and some actually don't drop as much. If in fact Paris debuts this week with 75K in sales and then sells 30K in her second week, then she is not far off-course with all the other pop stars peddling their product (because she would've experienced a 60% drop). All of this of course is dependent on trends performing like they are supposed to in accordance to the "predictions". ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN THOUGH. Shoot, Paris can literally turn around and sell 300K next week (if she goes on the air and promises to make out with everyone who buys the album next week or something) so you just never know.
The Page Six piece also claims that because the album is doing so poorly, her label had to rush out a second single. Um...THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN YOUR FIRST SINGLE HAS BEEN OUT FOR A WHILE AND NOW THE ALBUM IS ACTUALLY ON SHELVES. Sheesh. First singles are released to create buzz a whiiiiiiile before the album's release date. Therefore, by the time the album is released, a second single is ready to go right away. In some cases, TWO SINGLES are released prior to the album hitting store shelves (*ahem* Beyonce) because the first single is not performing well and the label wants to give buyers even more of an incentive to buy. Paris is right on target with having one single out before the release and now another single after the release.
Lastly, in order to bring home their point that Paris is not doing well, they compared her sales to none other than Christina Aguilera?!?!?!?! Are they serious?!!?!?! Who the heck put her in that category??? Christina Aguilera's pop star career is about 7+ years old, this was her FIFTH release (counting her spanish language and Christmas albums), and she has one of the most powerful trained voices in the industry!!!!!! Give me a break! I don't think ANYONE expected Paris and Christina to go head-to-head in sales so that's just stupidity on the part of Page Six. To put things into better perspective, they could've compared her debut to Obie Trice or something. He debuted with 78K sold on last week's chart and this is his SECOND release AND he is backed by none other than Eminem!!!
The moral of this story is that you can't believe everything you read ESPECIALLY on the gossip sites. That is why The Wonderful World Of Miss TLC strives to bring you the truth. And when I do feel like posting about a certain celeb story being reported in the tabloids, it's only to shed light on both sides of the story, or to just broadast my opinion...and that's a very educated opinion if I do say so myself... :)
Her "American Pie" Meal Ticket Has Officially Expired
Tara Reid is officially done. I know, I know. You must've thought she was "done" a loooooooong time ago. But girlfriend's OFFICIALLY done now that she was denied entrance to the super-hot and popular scene-ster spot Hyde......AND IT WAS FILMED AND BROADCAST ONLINE!!!!!!
You can watch the sad, awkward, and altogether uncomfortable video courtesy of TMZ.com here.
Well That's Just Disgusting
From Self Magazine August 2006...
"Bug off! Forget the fly in your soup; there may be crushed beetles in your juice, yogurt or the imitation crab in your California roll. The FDA has proposed a rule to require companies to list the ingredient as "carmine" or "cochineal extract" rather than "color added" for people who are allergic to the critters. Bonus: Vegetarians, people on kosher diets and the rest of us will also be clued in"
MISS TLC SAYS: Um...so before we were supposed to just know that "color added" meant crushed bugs?!?!?!?! ICK!!!
Monday, August 28, 2006
Janet Jackson in FHM
MISS TLC SAYS: Obviously she looks really good but I'm so tired of this from her. It would be much better for her career if she actually put out good music and videos (in other words, much different from "Call On Me") instead of just posing half-naked all the time. It doesn't look good for her reputation as the "Superbowl Slut" either. I've loved me some Janet over the years but I am just getting tired of looking at a 40-year old woman with nothing but a bra on talking 'bout she has the hottest sex life ever. And?
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
Could Cruise Look Any Crazier?
So I'm sure by now you've all heard the back and forth between Tom Cruise and Sumner Redstone/Paramount. If not, here's the rundown in a nutshell (including the latest developments)...
MISS TLC SAYS: Very interesting because this is SUCH a he-said, she-said situation. It's true that Paramount could've tried to spin some damage control before Tom came out to say he had to leave them because they were broke. Also, Sumner himself could've been so pissed at Tom for leaving that he decided to just slam him in the public for "behaving badly" for the fun of it instead. But then the other side of it is that Tom's camp could be making all this up because they know that Tom is suffering BAD in the press right now for being made out to look like he's killed his own career. Either way, I just have to say "poor poor Katie". She must've thought she was grabbing a seat on the gravy train when she "linked" up with Tom, not the crazy train.
To read an in-depth story on the "Paramount's just broke" theory, go here for Fox News' Roger Freidman's take.
Vinciffer
They may be dating, they may be not. They may be engaged, they may be not. I don't know either way, but there is one thing I DO know and that is Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston are very funny together. (Much funnier than she was with Brad I might add.)
I mean, Jennifer's always been funny on "Friends" and in movies like "Office Space" and "Picture Perfect", and Vince is a regular laugh riot in classics like "Swingers" and "Made", but they are really funny TOGETHER. They won the award for "Choice Chemistry" at the 2006 Teen Choice Awards this past Sunday and pre-recorded a really funny, really cute acceptance speech.
Anyway, I just wanted to let y'all know in case you didn't see it.
You can watch the video here.
Chart Chat
The Top 10 albums on this week's chart:
1. CHRISTINA AGUILERA "BACK TO BASICS" (341,988 units sold)
2. LYFE JENNINGS "PHOENIX" (135,582 units sold)
3. TRACE ADKINS "DANGEROUS MAN" (114,706 units sold)
4. CHERISH "UNAPPRECIATED" (90,733 units sold)
5. CHEETAH GIRLS 2 "SOUNDTRACK" (87,425 units sold)
6. NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC "VOL. 22" (83,002 units sold)
7. RICK ROSS "PORT OF MIAMI" (78,724 units sold)
8. OBIE TRICE "SECOND ROUND'S ON ME" (73,850 units sold)
9. STEP UP "SOUNDTRACK" (64,395 units sold)
10. NICKELBACK "ALL THE RIGHT REASONS" (52,884 units sold)
Go Tina! Go Tina! Seriously people, that album is great so you should go pick up a copy yourselves.
This week's chart has kinda redeemed itself as far as sales go. There is only one 50K selling album in the Top 10 as opposed to like eight of them a few weeks ago. :)
It's pretty diverse with the kid's stuff, the compilations, the rap, the pop, the country, the soul, and the alt rock. I love seeing that.
I'm actually surprised (but happy for) Lyfe Jennings. His first album was all but ignored and it was actually really good. It was a very late bloomer and didn't really get any radio play until it was out for like a year. By that point Lyfe had already gone and recorded newer stuff which is reflected on this new record.
Obie Trice and newcomers Cherish didn't do too bad for themselves either. Congrats all. :)
Segregation Never! Integration Now!
This is just so bizarre to me, I'm sorry.
From People.com...
Fueled by critics who slammed its lack of diversity, CBS's Survivor has unveiled a new twist for its upcoming season: Contestants will be divided by ethnicity.
When it premieres Sept. 14, Survivor: Cook Islands will feature 20 castaways divided into four tribes: black, white, Asian and Latino.
"We're going to take some heat for it," says creator and executive producer Mark Burnett of the twist, which was announced Wednesday morning. "But it's a great cast."
MISS TLC SAYS: What are they smoking over at CBS? Racially segregated tribes? Why, so everyone in American can safely says the words "wow, the whites are really kicking the asians' asses"?!?!?!?! So strange.
Click on the link above to read the full article.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Albums In Stores Today
Outkast - Idlewild
MISS TLC'S TAKE: HOT album. Don't let the "but they hardly record anything together anymore" cries deter you from picking up this eccentric jumpin' jivin' joint. This album keeps me entertained and moving and I highly recommend it. However, I guess I should also mention that my favorite track off the album actually features a female singer named Janelle Monae instead of Dre or Big Boi. It's called "Call The Law" and it is sooooooooooooooo hot ta death. If you only feel like downloading one track alone off iTunes today, get that one.
Danity Kane - Danity Kane
MISS TLC'S TAKE: I know these girls will FOREVER catch a lot of flak because they were put together by a TV show. But I like them. It's kinda hard not to if you've watched the show. They've busted their ass and paid their dues Diddy-style so they deserve a chance to shine. They are not the best singers in the world or anything but they are pretty and some of their songs are real bangers (after all, Diddy did hook them up with the best R&B producers in the game). Shoot, the material is better than the fast food Ms. Knowles is trying to push on us.
Paris Hilton - Paris
MISS TLC'S TAKE: This album is actually getting some pretty good reviews and I must say it's MUCH better than I expected. It's kinda young-sounding (think Hilary Duff) but it's also club-friendly and being that that is where Ms. Hilton spends most of her time, it makes sense. HOWEVER, none of the songs sound anything like Paris so I'm actually not sure she sang any of the tracks herself. :)
Kelis - Kelis Was Here
MISS TLC'S TAKE: Kelis is a cool ass chick. She's creative and she's not afraid to push the envelope. Unfortunately she sometimes doesn't know when to stop pushing. Her debut album was SO good to me and it still remains her best. For her second effort, Wanderland, she decided to go in a million different directions and her record label at the time, Virgin, decided to just go to Europe instead (and so it wasn't released in the U.S.). She came back strong with a new hit ("Milkshake"), a new album (Tasty), and a new label (Jive) for her third endeavor and she did really well. I LOVED the movement for this album. The single was my theme song for a while, the album artwork was fun and pretty, the video was entertaining and tongue-in-cheek, and there were some really solid sexy songs on the LP. But now she ain't feeling Jive no more. Kelis spoke against Jive this week and claims that they put a track on the album that she didn't want on there. Uh oh. Whenever artists start putting blame on the label before the album even drops, that's a bad sign. It usually means they have a feeling it's going to tank and they want to cut their ties to it straight away. It's 50/50 here. I really like some of the stuff on this new Kelis album and I REALLY love the cover. However, some of the stuff is just filler like what was on Wanderland. Either way, I hope she's well received.
Beyonce Suffers Bad Reviews
So the Beyonce "B'Day" album sampler has been floating around on the 'net for the past two days and it's well......pretty underwhelming. The songs seem very B-list (no pun intended) and you can tell that it was a rushed affair (Beyonce has proudly stated that the album was recorded in two weeks). The lyrics are cheesy and pointless and the beats are repetitive and somewhat annoying. Poor B man. She once seemed so bulletproof. I guess all things must come to an end at some point. I just didn't think B would crack before her second album reached the store shelves.
Now usually I'd stand by someone like Beyonce and say that the public just loves to watch people fall. However, in this case, it's really true that the album is sub-par. ESPECIALLY considering the stuff I've heard from Christina, and Justin, and Fergie, and even Jessica for Pete's sake. This chick has GOT to step her game up as soon as this sadness drops because she will be verbally attacked over it for weeks to come.
I mean, these songs are not even good enough for Danity Kane (and I LIKE Danity Kane but they are nowhere near Beyonce status as we know). I don't always agree with Roger Friedman's reviews on Fox News but I think he hit the nail on the head this time around with the following quote:
Imagine if Whitney Houston never had Clive Davis steering her career for those first few important image-defining albums. The result would have been Beyonce Knowles ’ new "B'Day," the follow up to her huge-selling debut album "Dangerously in Love."
Yep. That's about what it is. Beyonce has hurt herself even more by publicly bragging that her Dad/manager did not even know she was recording this album. She told everyone she was going on vacation and instead went to a studio to "drain" the pent-up emotions she had built up since recording the "Dreamgirls" movie. Uh honey? That should've been a record you kept for your own personal collection then. You and Jay coulda played it at your private house parties but you should not have subject the world to this one. I LOVE me some "Deja Vu" but the train wreck that is such songs as "Freakum Dress" and "Get Me Bodied" is just plain sad.
Sorry B, but it looks like even your immensely talented man couldn't get you outta this one. (Maybe he'll advise you to just drop another product in 8 months to make up for it? After all, that strategy worked for his other "protegee". *wink wink*)
How Could U Not Love Justin?
I know some people insist on dogging him because he was in a boy band, or because he left Janet Jackson to clean up her own mess after the Superbowl, or because he's not "tough" enough or "street" enough for you but you really need to stop the hate. Justin can rock.
He can sing, dance, write songs, beatbox, act silly, play instruments, own a restaurant, run a clothing line, and many other things. (And he's not starring on Broadway right now. I'm just saying.)
Anyway, I just wanted to post this latest addition to YouTube of Justin performing one of the songs (soon-to-be-hits) entitled "What Goes Around Comes Around" from his upcoming album. It's bass-heavy but it's a pretty good copy and the little guitar-jamming is especially hot on this FIYAH song. If you don't have a ticket yet for JT's mini hit-and-run "SexyBack" club tour, then you need to get on that. I've heard the shows are BLAZING.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Friday, August 18, 2006
A Project Runway Mystery Solved
From today's NY Daily News Gatecrasher section:
Don't Shoot the Messenger
Which reality contestant who just got kicked off the show was targeted over a more deserving deportee because the program's hostess hated her so much?
# # #
MISS TLC SAYS: So THAT'S why Alison was voted off in favor of Vincent!!!!!! EVERYONE I've spoken to since Wednesday was EXTREMELY surprised and perturbed that cute, talented, sweet Alison had to go when weird, zany, not-so-talented and no-so-sweet Vincent got to continue making ugly things that "turned him on". Why oh why Heidi did you dislike Alison??? Even she looked confused when you told her she was out. Is it possible that she wasn't even aware that you didn't like her? I love you Heidi but that's so not cool..unless of course you want to explain yourself...then give me a holla @ misstlcworld@yahoo.com and we can set up an interview if you'd like :).
Quick Question
Kate Moss' new Calvin Klein Jeans ads:
Now who exactly was surprised when it was revealed that this chick did drugs?
My Most Favorite Video Right Now
Panic! At The Disco's "But It's Better If You Do":
MISS TLC SAYS: I LOVE me some Panic! At The Disco. Isn't it so interesting though that Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" was critically panned and bombed at the box office in the U.S. however it's SOOOOOO frequently copied in music videos??? What's up with that? No one saw the movie but everyone saw the movie? ;) Seriously, the budget was $65m (probably due to Mr. Creepy Cruise's salary) but it only grossed $55m in the U.S. back in 1999 when it was released. I guess it's definitely what you would call a "cult classic". (PS - Miss TLC actually loves "Eyes Wide Shut")
A Personal Shout Out
Many of you may be wondering why I didn't post as much this week as I usually do. Well it's simple really. I am in my girl Suzanne's bridal party and the wedding takes place tomorrow. Therefore, I took off from work this week to run a ton of bridemaid-ish errands and get all my wedding appointments out of the way before I have to show up at her apartment early tomorrow morning with my hair, makeup, and nails did. Anyhoo - I should be back to posting my usual amount next week. CONGRATULATIONS IN ADVANCE SUZANNE!!!!!!!!!
Free Preview
If you are interested in what Free (formerly of 106 & Park) is up to, check out her new song "I Love You" on her MySpace page here. (Thanks Bbones4u!!!)
MISS TLC SAYS: Um, she's a singer now too? I thought she was just a rapper......I guess she changed up her style since the rap album seemed to hit a standstill. Oh well. Check it out and feel "free" to tell me what you think.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Scott Not Hot
From today's NY Daily News Gatecrasher column...
Xtina no Storch singer
Ladies and gentlemen, just in time to promote their new albums: a feud between Christina Aguilera and Paris Hilton's producer, Scott Storch.
Storch worked on Aguilera's last album, but says he dropped out of her "Back to Basics" CD because, among other things, she wouldn't send a private plane to collect him.
On her new track, the evocatively named "F.U.S.S.," Christina sings: "I thought I knew who you were, I see now you were a lesson to learn."
And then: "This song is for you to remind you / that I moved on ... looks like I didn't need you."
Storch bristles in response: "It's pretty pathetic that she would do a song like this."
The producer told In Touch magazine: "I worked on half of her last CD and sold her millions of copies. Obviously, she cares more than I do that I didn't do this album.
"But I can't blame her, with an album full of fillers, oversinging and lame Vegas-like cabaret music."
Storch adds: "You should fire your management for letting me slip through your fingers."
Both Paris and Christina are launching their albums this week in New York.
# # #
MISS TLC SAYS: Scott - Shut up. You keep working with AMAZINGLY TALENTED *wink wink* singers like Paris Hilton and getting dumped by fiancees like Lil' Kim and leave the HOT music and SEARING albums to people like Christina. I understand that there are two sides to every story but I've heard Christina's album and it's pure fire so that totally negates all your silly comments. You on the other hand are appearing on "Making The Band 3" and hanging out with the infamous (and not in a good way) Ms. Hilton. The stuff you did for Christina on Stripped was mediocre to say the least and that is why her last album did not sell up to expectations. Your square head is extremely large to begin with but the way you act (demanding astronomical figures for so-so tracks and perks like private jets) has only inflated it more. If you know what's good for you, you'll stick a pin in that now before you start having trouble fitting into the studio doors.
Rapid Fire
Reality Roundup
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! HEATHER WON HELL'S KITCHEN!!!!!!!!!!! HEATHER IS A MESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Man oh man, was I mad about that one. Heather was a goofy, immature, crying mess and she did NOT deserve her own restaurant. I know a lot of people didn't think Virginia deserved to make it that far but she won so many challenges and had a gifted palette (as per Chef Ramsay himself) so I don't see how she couldn't be good at the job. She was attractive, and young, and told Chef Ramsay that he could mold her into his personal shadow protegee. I believe that could've been true. Oh well. Word on the street is that Gordon's going through a divorce so maybe him and Virginia can start a relationship and open a restaurant together. (I know she's married but you never know.)
Onto other reality TV news......
Tonight's a very big TV night. There is the So You Think You Can Dance finale, the always entertaining Project Runway, and the premiere of the new season of Laguna Beach. I have to admit that I was psyched about a new season of "The Real Orange County" starting up but it's UP AGAINST PROJECT RUNWAY. So I'll just have to catch it on reruns. Sorry privileged-over-publicized-dramatic-sexually-loose-white-people. I'll just catch ya later. ;)
Hopefully Benji or Heidi will win tonight on SYTYCD. If it's Donyelle, I will throw up and probably never watch the show again.
The Barkers' Barbaric Divorce
From an AOL article posted today:
"...Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and Playboy Playmate and former Miss USA Shanna Moakler, who filed for divorce on Aug. 8, have taken their real-life drama from TV to postings on MySpace..."
Yuck. It's so terrible that the Barkers divorce is turning so ugly. THEY SEEMED LIKE SUCH A GREAT COUPLE!!! I'm beginning to wonder if it really is just the MTV curse (like many are claiming it is). Granted, the Lacheys were going to have problems regardless because Joe Simpson is in love with Jessica and way too involved in her life, but I think her and Nick would've lasted much longer if it wasn't for the reality show. Carmen and Dave? Well. I don't know. They seemed very much in love too but once Dave started tongue-kissing Tommy Lee on the red carpet of the Rock Star: Supernova premiere, I knew things had gone awry.
Now Shanna's going to be on the new installment of Dancing With The Stars which should be interesting. Usually the contestants have family and friends in the audience with them. Travis won't be there but maybe she'll allude to the "tough time she's going through" in order to score more votes. LOL. We shall see soon.
All I can say to Travis and Shanna is to remember the kids. They are young and impressionable and will carry these memories with them forever.
Anyway, you can read all about it here.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Just Because
Ok, I'll tell y'all a secret. I love "So You Think You Can Dance". I know. It's hella embarrassing but I'm sure you'd all get hooked too if you had watched this season. I watched one episode by accident (I was actually too exhausted to get up and change the channel and the remote was in another room) and I was instantly suckered in. These kids are incredible. Any style you throw at them, they learn. And some of the pairings were like pure poetry in motion. My fave was Benji when it came to skills, and Ivan when it came to adorability (I know that's not a word so please do not send me emails telling me so). However, Benji is in the finals and Ivan isn't so I'm riding with the Big Ben. He's really so entertaining to watch and it makes sense because he's like the reigning World Champion of West Coast Swing or something.
Anyway, the point of this post is twofold. ONE - watch this clip. It was from last night's semi-final and Benji performed a salsa with one of the female finalists - Heidi. It was SO good. It's the move at the very end that really got me though. These contestants are so in shape and their muscles are so strong that they can honestly do anything when it comes to lifting, leaping, and well, leaning.
TWO - tickets go on sale for the "So You Can Think You Can Dance" tour on Saturday. This is the second season of the show but only the first tour. Nigel (the producer) say that they never thought there would be an interest in a tour for these dance contestants but the show has exploded in its popularity this year so they decided to take it on the road like the American Idols do.
Anyway, you can buy tix @ Ticketmaster starting tomorrow if you have the presale password (they go on sale to the general public on Saturday). Oh, and I have the presale password OF COURSE. :)
For those that are interested in buying tix, it's NIGEL. I just may see you there. :)
Don't Hate The Player, Hate The Game
You may have heard about the recent controversy surrounding an MTV cartoon showing black women on leashes (if not, you can read about it here).
Now hearing about it like that alone sounds shocking and deplorable and sick. However, here's the backstory.
The cartoon, entitled "Where My Dogs At?" is a satire and pokes fun at various celebrities and their antics through the eyes of two wisecracking dogs named Woofie and Buddy. The segment with the black women on leashes was a Snoop Dogg segment mimicking an actual appearance made by Snoop on an MTV red carpet a few years ago. You don't believe me?
Kablow. How you like me now?
Seriously, the following statement was made by a spokesperson for the show in an Associated Press article posted on CNN today:
"We certainly do not condone Snoop's actions and the goal was to take aim at that incident for its insensitivity and outrageousness," Castaneda said. "Even one of the dogs, a main character on the show, states, 'I find that degrading and I am a dog.' "
I actually believe them. MTV has received a lot of flak for promoting the rise of the "video ho" in the past few years and I think that they have made great strides in trying to counteract that with meaningful programming. Their awareness campaigns on HIV/AIDS, planet conservation, eating disorders, and abuse (amongst other things) are real and thoughtful. And they actually show real life on their True Life and Made programs as well. Sure, some of the episodes are a laugh-a-minute but a lot of them actually delve deep into the issues of self-esteem and confidence.
If women are upset about the cartoon, then they need to check themselves and get mad at the females who threw on see-through shirts and leashes and let Snoop "walk them" instead. If young people in general are upset then they need to protest the music and they listen to and videos they see everyday. If you are offended at this cartoon, then you should be offended at the many videos you see with woman bent over in bikinis. How 'bout turning your TV off so that the ratings drop, ad sales disappear, and the stations themselves see that sex doesn't sell (but maybe it does)? If black people in general are upset then they need to rise up and demand that shows like "Flavor Of Love" be taken off the air. Sure, people may laugh at them but it's those programs that are creating and condoning these sterotypes in the first place. Think about it. Satires wouldn't exist if there was nothing to satirize.
On the surface, I'm sure this "Where My Dogs At?" show looks insensitive to the older generation but it's not aimed at them. It's aimed at the younger generation - not to accept, but to recognize. They may laugh at the Snoop Dogg vignette, but they might also talk about it with friends. Young women may begin to think about the way rappers talk about them and use them as accessories in videos. And you know what? Maybe not. But if they don't talk about it, they may read about it now that all this controversy has started. In the end, MTV succeeded in what they set out to do anyway. Stir up some ish. Get people talking. And bring to light the practices of many of the popular artists of today. If you think the cartoon was insulting, what about what Snoop did on the red carpet? THAT'S the real problem here. You can't fault the mirror. After all, it was just doing its job.
Project Fashion Icon
YAY FOR MICHAEL KNIGHT! I love him. It was a great scene when he called his Mom instead of taking part in the sewing machine drama and then went back to the drawing board to KICK ASS (Jeff was absolutely in the right though with that).
There were a lot of really cool outfits (Marilyn, Audrey, Diana, Pam, Madonna) but I think they chose the right winner with Michael. I felt sooooooo happy for him when they praised his hotpants as being "perfect" and he was so scared to make them in the first place because Timmy said he hated them - lol. Random Thought - Imagine Tim Gunn in hotpants. LOL. Ok, back to the recap.
Kayne was visibly upset when he didn't win but it was tough. His dress was gorgeous as well but then again so was Andrea's. What's up with her? She was a complete weirdo for the first couple episodes and now she's been coming out strong. To have Heidi say that she would want that dress in every color herself was BIG. Kayne is definitely a formidable contender though. His forte is obviously with dresses so I'd love to see what he does with men's clothes in a future challenge to see if he really is an all-around designer.
I felt really bad for Bradley because his model was too timid in the grab for icons and he SOOOOOOOOOO didn't want to end up with Cher. I mean, this poor guy was chosen last in the team challenge, last in the model's picks and now this??? I almost cried. But then I stopped myself and said that it was probably his own fault for being so shy and quiet. I mean, he did make the pants dimensions wrong for his model so... hopefully, he just keeps doing what he's doing at home and improves at his craft.
Lastly, the bit about Kayne's model talking and talking and talking about iPods and Serendipity and nonsense was GREAT. When she yapped it up in the sewing room to the other designers and Robert and Jeff also had a laugh about it, I loved it.
You can read an entertaining review from one of my very favorite contestants from last season, Nick Verreos, here.
Boycott Esquire Now!
This is just gross. Sean Preston Federline was named the Worst Dressed Man In World!?!?!?!?1 Give me a freaking break. He's not even a man yet. He's a baby people. He's harmless and cannot defend himself and I'm appalled that ANY editor (much less the editor of what's supposed to a reputable magazine) let this slip through the cracks and get published. People want to get down on Britney or Kevin, fine, but DON'T start making fun of the baby. That's rude, insensitive, and downright disgusting.
You can read all about this ridiculousness here.
Me In A Cab
A tour down Fifth Avenue......
St. Thomas Episcopal on 5th & 53rd. Such a nice looking church. This is where Mariah Carey and Tommy Mottola got married in 1993. 
The Fifth Avenue flagship store of H&M. I've heard the Madonna tracksuit is flying off the shelves. Get yours now!
Top of the Rock y'all. Buy your ticket now to witness Manhattan from new heights.
Be Their Guest & Learn 2 Cook @ Whole Foods
For all of the aspiring cooks out there, my favorite supermarket (Whole Foods) is coupling up with one of my favorite restaurant groups (BR Guest) to promote the "BR Guest Weekly Chef Series at Whole Foods Markets" in NYC through the rest of August. Check out the locations and chefs that will be participating (and when) below:
(click to enlarge)
They are also running a sweepstakes that you can enter when attending and the prizes are HOT (see below).
(click to enlarge)
TWWOMT Poll Wrap-Up
The results of the latest The Wonderful World of Miss TLC Poll are in......
......and it was a really close call this time around.
Fly girl Kelis took the crown but Janet, Christina, and Beyonce were hot on her tail. Unfortunately, pre-buzz on the Janet and Beyonce albums are lukewarm right now and Kelis' album hasn't had much buzz. However, I do think that Mrs. Nas' cover artwork was the hottest myself. (Sidenote - a new Beyonce single "Ring The Alarm" hit the airwaves this week and it's terrible. Hopefully, there's some other hot stuff on the full CD. Christina's album on the other hand has some REALLY hot stuff. Read the full review below.)
But the best part of this whole poll was that PARIS HILTON DID NOT GET ONE SINGLE VOTE!!! Woo hoo. I knew my readers were smart. ;)
AND REMEMBER TO VOTE IN THE NEW TWWOMT POLL GOING LIVE TODAY!!!
Hottest MALE Album Cover? You Decide!
Well, it's time for a new TWWOMT Poll so I need to give you the background materials for this one as well (if you haven't seen them already). So without further adieu, here are this week's nominees:
Pick your favorite male summer album cover and make your choice known by clicking the hottest on the right panel.
A Miss TLC Album Review: "Back To Basics" (Disc 1)
Christina Aguilera's new album drops next Tuesday and I must say that I like the finished product. When I first heard Mrs. Bratman was hooking up with DJ Premier, I thought "that could be GREAT". But then I heard "Ain't No Other Man".
It sounded like a cluttered mess that was trying too hard to be something it wasn't.
I was bummed but still had hope that there would be something else on the album that I enjoyed.
Now first off you should know that I LOVED "Stripped". I am NOT a Christina Aguilera fan but I was a HUGE fan of that album. So now that she's overdosing on the whole "Call me Baby Jane, I live in the 40s, Etta James and I are best friends" thing, I haven't been paying too much attention to her because it all annoys me. So I definitely listened to "Back To Basics" with a clear head and an open mind.
The album opens SOOOOO strong. The "Intro" is cool and takes you right into the era she is trying to evoke. "Makes Me Wanna Pray" is HOT TA DEATH. This is THE song to blast while driving, cleaning, crying, feeling down, whatever. Christina really goes to town on this one. Usually she has a tendency to OVERKILL the runs. Yes, Christina we know you can perform vocal acrobatics with the best of them but the key is to only pull out your secret weapon at certain times during the song. Shooting at any and everything around you full blast non-stop is too much. However, it fits on "Makes Me Wanna Pray".
Other standouts include "Back In The Day" (one of my favorites, THIS is the DJ Premier that I know and THIS is what I was picturing when I heard these two were collabo-ing), "Understand" (which is my real for real favorite on the album, a mid-tempo burner which utilizes a hot old-school sample), and "Slow Down Baby" (a hip-hop meets jazz banger which uses a recent Tony Yayo sample as the hook).
I definitely think this album is worth checking out. ESPECIALLY considering all of the songs I just mentioned are (with the inclusion of "Ain't No Other Man") the first seven tracks on the LP. BIG opening.
You can listen to both discs of the two-CD album on MTV's The Leak here.
Oh, and in case you are interested, I actually like "Ain't No Other Man" now. It fits better in the contrast of the whole album and sandwiched between "Back In The Day" and "Understand", I "understand" the vibe a lot more. :)
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Shanna No Longer A Barker
I'm really sad about this one. Can't ANYONE stay together lately?!?!??!?! Sure, Shanna seemed like a lazy golddigger but Travis seemed like he didn't care and REEEEEALLY loved her. I really thought they made a good couple. Boo hoo.
I guess the real victims here are Shanna's kids. She now has three (one VERY young) and if she does ever get involved with someone again and have another child (which is very possible since she is still young), then her kids will have three different fathers (since she was first engaged to Oscar De La Hoya who fathered Atiana). I know things do happen that you can't control but that's kinda crazy.
MISS TLC MESSAGE TO CELEBS: PLEEEEEEEASE think things through before you start a serious relationship with anyone (moving in, getting married, having children). Hollywood's turning into one big mess of make-ups, break-ups, babies, and weddings. And none of them last. Well the babies do of course. They just don't get to last as a family with both Mama and Papa together.
Someone Please Stop Us Weekly
I'm sorry but Us Weekly has been losing ALL credibility lately. What's up with the rush cover stories followed by the almost immediate denials by the featured star's reps? Their latest cover is shown on the left and then a press release was already issued stating that the story is completely false. (You can read all about that here.)
They must have a lot of money in their lawsuit fund because they don't stop with these certain-sounding headlines that are automatically disputed. Who knows. Maybe it will come out a few months down the line that Jen and Vince are really engaged but I don't see why someone would consistently deny something like this if it's really true. It's not like denying you're pregnant because you don't want to lose a job or denying you are cheating on your man or divorcing your wife. If you were just engaged, I can't see you really adamantly denying it. It's a beautiful thing and they are stars (read: attention seekers). Oh well. I guess we'll see how this one pans out shortly.
Chart Chat
The Top 10 albums on this week's chart:
1. NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC "VOL. 22" (127,156 units sold)
2. DMX "YEAR OF THE DOG AGAIN" (125,739 units sold)
3. KIDZ BOP KIDZ "KIDZ BOP 10" (116,550 units sold)
4. STONE SOUR "COME WHAT(EVER) MAY" (80,786 units sold)
5. LETOYA "LETOYA" (65,074 units sold)
6. TOM PETTY "HIGHWAY COMPANION" (56,941 units sold)
7. GNARLS BARKLEY "ST. ELSEWHERE" (53,327 units sold)
8. FIVE FOR FIGHTING "TWO LIGHTS" (52,426 units sold)
9. PHARRELL "IN MY MIND" (51,460 units sold)
10. NICKELBACK "ALL THE RIGHT REASONS" (43,545 units sold)
Remember the days when DMX used to sell almost a million in the first week? Well times have changed. It's not just X, it's everyone really. Sales have dropped considerably and it pains me to see the industry I love suffering so much. Hey, at least "Year Of The Dog Again" dropped during a slow week. This way, he was still able to come in at #2. That's something to brag about. I guess. Go X!
Nice to see that Letoya hung onto the top 5. Her album will most definitely go gold being that it's already halfway there (230K in total).
Pharrell may not be as lucky unless he drops something extra hot next. He almost dropped out of the top 10 in his second week out and he hasn't even hit 200K yet in total sales. Take care of that P.
There's a lot of adult contemporary alternative rock on this chart with Tom Petty, Nickelback, and Five For Fighting. That's interesting.
But the most interesting things of all is that something called Kidz Bop Kidz is #3 on the chart and those darn Now compilations still sell like hotcakes. It's almost at a million y'all.
Suri Soon To Be Spotted By All
From today's Page Six...
SURI FILM!
August 9, 2006 -- SURI Cruise's days of being a mystery baby some believe doesn't really exist are about up. Sources say Vanity Fair has landed the first photos of the care fully guarded tot spawned by Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes last April. The pictures were taken by ce lebrity snapper Annie Leibovitz and will be published this fall, spies say. Both Vanity Fair and Cruise's reps had no comment. In recent weeks, celeb pals of the couple, including Tom's ex Penelope Cruz, have tried to dampen skepticism by insisting they've seen her.
Well well well. I wonder how long it will be til the conspiracy theories begin about Tom hiring a baby double. LOL.
Random Question
How hot does Justin look in the Fashion Rocks magazine pics below?
Yeah, I thought so. :)
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Poor Mimi
Mariah Carey launched her tour a few days ago and so Perez Hilton pointed out a discrepency between her tour promo photos and what she looked like on stage. I thought that was brilliant. End impressionable teens' eating disorders now! Call the celebs out on their photoshopping!
Hmm...
You can click here to see Perez's original post.
Brain Freeze
A study was just released which claims that "ultrasound exposure in the womb can cause brain abnormalities in the developing fetus". Uh, yeah!!!
Sure, they've only tested it on mice so far but this seems pretty obvious to me. It's kinda like when they tell you that x-rays are safe but everyone else leaves the room while you get one covered in a big magnetic blanket in the dentist's office. Technology and medical development is a funny thing. Sure, it's helped us out a lot in the past 100 years. Shoot, the life expectancy was like 35 back in the 1800s. However, a lot of the things we use to "help" us now also hurt some.
There are studies that show that the amount of vaccinations we give to developing children nowadays is the cause for an increased outbreak of autism. Others claim that MRIs and CAT Scans cause cancer. Now I don't know if either of these things are 100% true but I do know that the suspicians are valid. This is why I think preventative care is VERY important but that you can't go overboard with it. (Get a physical. Just don't get one every month.)
Should we stop vaccinating children? I don't think so. Should sonograms be banned? Absolutely not. After all, they help to determine potential problems in the development of the fetus as well. You just can't get that many of them, that's all. AND you can't get them purely for entertainment purposes. That's just sick. Why Tom Cruise wasn't arrested for bragging about purchasing a sonogram machine is beyond me. I know he's a celeb and he probably obtained it with the help of his Scientology friends but that's just sending the wrong message. Heaven forbid there's something wrong with Suri because of all the exposure received from her Daddy's fun medical toy. I doubt that's the case but I'm just saying. That would be a TERRIBLE shame.
On another sick note, something else caught my eye in a recent WebMD article about this topic...
In a 2004 report, the FDA cautioned pregnant women to avoid what it called "entertainment ultrasounds" -- those typically found at shopping malls with names like "Womb with a View" and "Fetal Fotos."
Talk about letting technology get out of hand. Now I have NEVER seen a display like that anywhere, much less a local mall, but I am APPALLED nonetheless. ENTERTAINMENT ULTRASOUNDS?!?!?!?! Stop it people. That's just dumb and dangerous.
You can read the whole WebMD article here.
The Miserable McCartneys
From E! Online...
"Police were called to the London home of Paul McCartney Monday evening after staffers mistook the rocker's estranged wife, Heather Mills McCartney, for an intruder after spotting her security guard scaling the walls of the ex-Beatles' estate."
What?!?!?!?! OH MY LAWD! This divorce is getting juicier than Donald and Ivana Trump! It's so funny to me how just three short months ago, this couple was claiming that their split was going to be on good terms.
Here is actually the exact quote taken from an E! Online article at that time:
"Having tried exceptionally hard to make our relationship work given the daily pressures surrounding us, it is with sadness that we have decided to go our separate ways," the couple said in a statement.
"Our parting is amicable and both of us still care about each other very much."
Sure you do. Then Heather refuses to accept Paul's offered settlement (which she originally said she would accept), then the British tabloids go to town on her raunchy past and label her a golddigger, Paul pulls out of her "Adopt-A-Minefield" charity, then fires employees of his that she brought in, THEN goes on record to say she was rude to his staff, and now this!!?!?! Watch out Peter Cook and Christie Brinkley because this couple is stealing the relationship drama award right out of your adulterous hands.
Swanson Skates Her Way To Pregnancy
From Yahoo.com...
Kristy Swanson, Lloyd Eisler Expect Baby
Mon Aug 07, 4:16 PM ET
The winning couple from "Skating With Celebrities" are taking on a new challenge: parenthood.
Actress Kristy Swanson and Olympic skater Lloyd Eisler are expecting a baby on Valentine's Day, they announced Monday.
Swanson, 36, and Eisler, 43, met last summer on the Fox TV show. They won the competition and began dating in December, said their publicist, Cheryl Kagan.
It will be the first child for Swanson. Eisler has two sons, ages 8 months and 2 years.
Swanson's film credits include "Big Daddy" and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Eisler won bronze medals at the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics with skating partner Isabelle Brasseur.
# # #
MISS TLC SAYS: I think that's CRAZY. Especially because my sister and I watch "So You Think You Can Dance" and always talk about how all the couples totally seem like they are dating. (I actually read an article in Us Weekly or Star or something though that said that most of them had boyfriends and girlfriends outside of the show.) But apparently the ice is a much more romantic venue than the dancefloor.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Love/Hate
We here @ The Wonderful World of Miss TLC......
LOVE that the Danity Kane video looks like it actually came out pretty hot last night on Making The Band 3. I thought I hated the song they chose for their 1st single but after seeing it in action, I think it may actually be hot for the clubs. The video debuts tonight on MTV during Making The Video @ 7PM EST. 
HATE that Mayor Bloomberg asked all NYC storeowners to keep their doors closed and their air conditioners lowered and Abercrombie & Fitch on 5th Avenue still insisted on leaving theirs wide open with the air conditioner on full-blast. It was so cold in fact that they could've listed the sidewalk outside the store one of the city's "cooling centers".
LOVE the new show "Road Tasted" on the Food Network. Paula Deen's two sons (who we've ALWAYS been a fan of by the way) finally got their own show with this one. Jamie and Bobby Deen tour the country in search of the best foods that can be shipped to your doorstep. It's brilliant. They do the research and find you things that you might not even know existed. Then, you can order them online and try them out yourself! Like that chocolate covered key lime pie in Florida? Priceless. (PS - if either of you guys are single, give us a call. You both seem like a lot of fun with a little Southern charm. Ooh la la.) :) 
HATE Heather on the show Hell's Kitchen. Can she get kicked off next please? She's bossy and annoying but the worst part of all is that she's INCREDIBLY immature. I love that show but if I have to look at her grin cheesing it up in her solo interviews after Chef Ramsay throws some positive comment her way one more time, I am going to stop watching. Well, I probably won't but you know what I mean. PS - I was SO happy when she not only lost the construction workers challenge, but she came in LAST! After screaming "who doesn't like grilled chicken?" like an 8 year old when she decided to make that for lunch, it was especially redeeming.
LOVE the new song "It's Okay (One Blood)" by The Game. I know, I never thought I'd say I loved a Game song but I just can't help it. This song is FIIIIIIIIYAH. Watch out 50.
HATE that Mayor Bloomberg asked NYC-ites to conserve energy FOR REAL this past week and 99 Park Avenue South actually had trees lined up and lit up outside like Christmas decorations when I drove by in a taxi last night. Huh? Is that a necessity? The little white lights just HAD to be shining while some NYers were baking because their power was out? I mean, bridges were actually shutting off their lights and Times Square billboards were turned off because things got so bad and there was a line of trees just sparkling away on Park Avenue. Maybe they had good intentions and were just trying to trick us all into thinking it was December and we were cold instead of hot, but I just thought that was silly.
LOVE one of the jokes Caroline Rhea said on this week's episode of "Last Comic Standing". It was: "Ya know, it was a good thing I didn't meet the love of my life until I was 39. This way, even if we do spend the rest of our lives together, it's not really that long." That's so Miss TLC!
HATE unnecessary nakedness. Monica's new album cover (there's a reason it wasn't nominated for the latest TWWOMT survey) and Janet Jackson's new Vibe Magazine cover have caused us to say so. Monica - you look bored and out of place on your CD. Janet - we've seen enough of that from you. 
...and we just thought you should know.
Yes It Was Hot But...
Thankfully the dangerous, intense, and at times scary heat wave seems to have let up on NYC. Hopefully, we won't have to deal with that kind of heat for that long ever again. It was definitely not something to laugh at......
......except for in one case. I was a maniac this week reading everything I possibly could about the heat, and the power outages, and the weather maps, and the city's efforts to keep us all safe. In doing so, I came across an article yesterday in the NY Daily News that made me say "stop it".
You see, newspapers sometimes have a tendency to exaggerate and sensationalize their stories in order to interest people and sell more papers. In this case, I know it was not necessarily their doing (it was someone else's direct quote) but there was really no need to post such nonsense.
Here is the excerpt I am referring to (I've changed the boy's name in order to protect his identity even though it was published in the paper already):
"Brian", a 16-year-old from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, said he thought he smelled "bacon" when he woke up yesterday and, then, he realized it was, um, his arm.
"I woke up and, oh man, [I] thought I was in an oven - I smelled like food," Brian said as he entered the cool waters at the Douglas and DeGraw Pool in Brooklyn.
Ok. I know human beings have a lot in common with some other animals that we do actually eat so I'm sure that under the right amount of heat, we could actually smell like something "cooking". But bacon? Honey, that sounds more like a hygiene issue to me. Or perhaps you had some bacon in your pocket from that morning's breakfast? Because even if your apartment was clocking in at around 110-120 degrees (which a lot of them were), your body would not "cook" like meat. In order for that to happen, your apartment would've had to be around 350 degrees which I know for a fact it wasn't.
I think the scariest part of all in that excerpt is that the boy made the comment and then jumped into a public pool. Yum.
Marie Claire Is Major Mad At Ashlee
Wow. Ashlee Simpson is getting verbally assaulted by the editor of Marie Claire and its readers for getting a nose job. When I first heard this story, it seemed like they were mad because Ashlee was quoted in their interview as saying: "Everyone is made differently, and that's what makes us beautiful and unique, I want girls to look in the mirror and feel confident." and then went and got a nose job. At first glance I thought "So what? She changed her mind and everyone has a right to do so...ESPECIALLY a woman. :)" But after the reviewing the facts a little further, I realized Marie Claire had a valid point.
They used Ashlee as their cover girl for their "Beauty & Body" edition complete with lectures on body image. In this day and age where young girls start to consider plastic surgery in part because of what they see in the magazines, this made Marie Claire look irresponsible for picking Ashlee as the "poster child for loving yourself the way you are without going under the knife". Also, Ashlee's cover story couldn't have hit the newsstands at a worse time. Being that mags conduct their interviews and assemble each issue's layout WAY ahead of time, the Beauty & Body edition came out just as Ashlee's "new" nose started to show up in videos, pictures, and on covers of tabloids.
Now Marie Claire is stuck with angry letters containing some of the following statements: "The article ... was a joke, right?" a reader from Boston asked, "You couldn't have picked a worse role model!" fumed a reader from Toronto. It just looks bad for Marie Claire. They've now lost their credibility in picking strong natural women to present to their readership and that's a popular area right now. Young girls NEED self-confidence (shoot, I've written about it myself in previous posts) so it's unfortunate that Ashlee seemed to be one of the girls who went against the grain and embraced her different look. Either way, there's really nothing that can be done about it now. I just think Marie Claire wanted to go public with their own anger at Ashlee in order to save some face with their subscribers.
You can read all about it here.
"Flavor Of Love 2": The Drama Begins
The biggest car wreck show of all, Flavor of Love 2, premieres on VH1 this Sunday night. However, if you'd like, you can watch the full show now on VH1.com. OR, you can just watch two of the best clips ever right now below.
This is a hilarious fight that occurs about 10 minutes into the premiere complete with curses and all:
And this is the aftermath of the fight (the two girls are put in a "cool out" room to settle their differences):
I cannot WAIT for this show to officially start up again.
(Miss TLC Private Shout-Out: Rikey Coley - Sundays are on and popping again!!!)
Ticket Alert
Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning @ 10AM EST for two newly added Justin Timberlake SexyBack Club Tour shows. This is for Atlanta and Boston so log on then if you are interested.
Sun, 08/20/06 (9:00 PM) Justin Timberlake - The Tabernacle (Atlanta, GA)
Sat, 08/26/06 (7:00 PM) Justin Timberlake - Avalon (Boston, MA)
Get Justin Tix Here
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Project Runway Protests Pattern Books
Last week's Project Runway was built up for a while. Since the new season aired, you knew someone did something illegal this time around and was kicked off because of it. If you didn't get to see the episode yet, and you don't want to know what happened, skip the blank space below and carry on with The Today Show clip at the bottom. If you did see the episode, or you don't care either way and just want to hear what I'd say about it, highlight the blank space below and the words will show up for you.
I felt bad for Keith. He was from NYC so I obviously felt a connection to him. Plus he said he was ruthless and had a lot of tricks up his sleeve so then I really felt a......wait, I didn't just say that. ;) No really, I felt extra bad when he said "well now I'm going to be a laughingstock with my friends and my career's ruined". I mean, I'm sure that his family and friends WILL be disappointed in him (really how embarrassing would that be if you scored such an opportunity of a lifetime and got kicked off on national TV for CHEATING!?!?) but his career is probably not over. He still got some exposure, actually won a previous challenge, and his design last night was a runner-up so he didn't do too bad.
Granted, I don't know how to make clothes (which is really why these people are like my idols) but I don't think you can just read a book and "know". You still have to have the creativity and know which fabrics to buy and know how to delegate responsibility and choose colors, etc. BUT Tim Gunn looked pissed and Tim is like an uncle to me (in my head) so I would go along with him no matter what. Sorry Keith. It was nice knowing you.
In other non-cheater news, was Robert's outfit the most hideous thing you ever saw??? Cuz it was to me. I almost spit out my water when I saw that Nautica windbreaker circa 1994 paired with the navy collared two-piece set coming down the runway. I was really sad too because I like Robert and Kayne. Vincent is just hilarious to me but I'm not sold on his talent just yet. Bonnie's outfit was terrible and I think it was the right choice that she got kicked off. I was scared it would be Bradley (and I felt oh so bad for him when he got picked last for the teams) so I was happy it wasn't. I was glad that Angela got to prove herself in the end and her team looked fun and like they were all getting along really well. The whole grandma button thing had me laughing out loud as well. HOWEVER, I will say this...I would NOT wear that outfit. Then again, I would NOT wear I.N.C. so that sounds about right. (Sorry I.N.C., you are just not for me.)
However, if YOU want to buy Andrea's outfit, you can do so here:
http://www1.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=213742&PartnerID=email&bhcp=1
I think this is really cute though that they also produced a t-shirt of her sketch. It this was by one of my favorite contestants (Michael Knight, Kayne Gillaspie, or Alison Kelly), I would probably buy it:
http://www.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=213427&PartnerID=email
Also, you can enter to win a $5000 Macy's shopping spree with Andrea Keslar (the winning designer) here:
https://www.macys.com/campaign/sweeps/index.ognc?sweepstake=/campaign/sweeps/enter.jsp&PartnerID=email&bhcp=1
Lastly, it looks like Best Week Ever and Television Without Pity got it wrong (sorry guys but you need to check your sources a little harder). They posted a while ago that Keith got kicked off for copying looks straight off the runway for his submission portfolio. I kept waiting for that part to come up last night and it didn't. Anyway, you can read all about that former scoop here.
And now keeping with the same topic, this is one of the FUNNIEST THINGS EVER though posted on Best Week Ever's site today (and you know how I feel about that show). I don't watch The Today Show so I didn't see it when it aired but I sure am watching it over and over again today. Maybe it's not that funny to y'all, but it sure is to me. LOL.
Watch Today Show Clip With Tim Gunn
Finally "Idlewild"
I feel like Outkast has been working on this movie forever. It's all good though because it's set to come out later this month (August 25th). I am AMPED now considering I've heard a lot of the songs from the soundtrack and they are hot (I can't stop listening to "Idlewild Blues" as a matter of fact) and I saw the trailer hit prime time TV the other night and that was hot as well.
Andre and Big Boi are both no strangers to acting. Big Boi did well on the big screen in "ATL" and Andre did the damn thing in "Four Brothers" and was funny as hell in "Be Cool". I'm especially glad that they are doing something together now since we all know Outkast is talented apart but hella talented together. I've posted the summary, trailer, and offical movie website address below for your convenience.
From imdb.com:
Idlewild (2006)
A musical set in the Prohibition-era American South, where a speakeasy performer and club manager Rooster (Big Boi) must contend with gangsters who have their eyes on the club while his piano player and partner Percival (André Benjamin) must choose between his love, Angel (Paula Patton) or his obligations to his father (Ben Vereen).
And of course, you can watch the hot trailer right here:
Check out the film's website here.
TWWOMT Poll Wrap-Up
The results of the latest The Wonderful World of Miss TLC Poll are in......
......and not one person likes Beyonce's video.
Wow. Beyonce better ring that alarm quick and rush the new one out PRONTO (there was such poor reception to the "Deja Vu" video and single that Beyonce has already filmed her another clip for the second single "Ring The Alarm" which she will be debuting soon). I also have it on good authority that she will be performing "Ring The Alarm" at the MTV Music Awards on August 31st.
JoJo, Jessica, and Christina did OK but Justin kicked all of their asses. And rightfully so. ;) Go Justin! Go Justin! Go Justin! :)
AND REMEMBER TO VOTE IN THE NEW TWWOMT POLL GOING LIVE TODAY!!!
Hottest Album Cover? Pick Now!
Well, it's time for a new TWWOMT Poll so I need to give you the background materials for this one as well (if you haven't seen them already). It's funny because between this one and the last one (where I posted a bunch of videos for you to watch), I feel like it's an award show and I'm showing you all the nominees beforehand. :)
Anyway, pick your favorite female summer album cover and make your choice known by clicking the hottest on the right panel.
And here are the nominees:
Wrestlemania
I didn't address this on Tuesday when it was published but it was just too good to go to waste.
From Page Six:
August 1, 2006 -- TOM Cruise played dirty when he wrestled for Glen Ridge HS in New Jersey. "Even then everybody knew who he was, but it wasn't because anyone thought he'd be a movie star," says a former grappler at rival Seton Hall Prep. Cruise was particularly adept at a hold called the "High Crotch," which involves an arm between the legs. "The pain it caused was excruciating to say the least," the wrestler told Steppin' Out magazine's Chaunce Hayden. A rep for Cruise declined comment.
Ummm...yeah. I'm just gonna let that one go without a comment from Miss TLC.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
106 & Tacky
What is about the show 106 & Park that has typically stylish divas dressing like idiots? Janet Jackson appeared on the show on Monday and was wearing the most ridiculously ugly getup I think I've ever seen her wear. I mean, what is this?!?!?!?
A red bandana coming out of her pocket? What is she a gangmember now? Did she think because the show was on BET that she should try to dress "hood"? And is this her version of "hood"? A newsboy cap, ripped jeans, and the bandana? I can't even address the shoes because they hurt my eyes. Yes Janet, we understand you are not fat anymore but is it really necessary to wear the same look everyday (chest smushed in a push-up bra and 6-pack abs showing through a one-button jacket or vest)? Sheesh.
The reason why I think this has more to do with 106 than with the stars themselves is because Beyonce showed up to the same studio a couple weeks earlier dressed in this catastrophe: 
It's like an 80s movie explosion. First of all, are those the boots Madonna wears in "Desperately Seeking Susan"? I ain't gonna front, I LOVED those boots.........BACK IN 1987. 
Also, her hair looks like it hurts. Hair shouldn't look like that honey. I mean really, are you hiding a bomb in there to sabotage Tracy Turnblad's crowning on The Corny Collins show? (I'm referring to "Hairspray" the movie people. Debbie Harry who played Velma Von Tussle has a bomb hidden in her huge beehive so that they can start a riot if their daughter Amber isn't crowned queen. Eff the musical, if you haven't seen the original John Waters movie, rent it this weekend. It's brilliant on so many twisted levels.) 
Either way, these getups are just unacceptable. So if it has something to do with the show, then BET's producers need to start screening these chicks before they hit the stage. If it has something to do with the gals themselves just going ga-ga, then they need to be put on a fashion time-out until they get this mess worked out.
My Take On The Korn Tragedy
A man has died from his wounds after being beaten at a Korn concert.
Whoa.
So disturbing.
I am COMPLETELY and UTTERLY sick to my stomach over this. People, concerts should be enjoyable, not scary and violent. As a frequent concert-goer myself, I was practically shaking while reading this article. (And before the hip-hop heads start waving their "I told you so" flag to illustrate the point that rock shows are just as violent as rap shows, know that NO ONE wins here. NO ONE should be hurt at ANY kind of concert.)
This is a really tough argument because a lot of censorship advocates will harp on the fact that it's the music these rock bands (or rappers) are playing that causes the fans to act in such a violent manner but I only semi see their point there. Normally, I would just dismiss those sorts of comments altogether (being that I enjoy a lot of rap that some would consider violent and deplorable myself). But the thing is I attended Woodstock '99 and I've seen the other side of the story now.
What other side you ask?
I'm speaking of the infamous Limp Bizkit set that was commonly blamed for the start of the unrest at that destructive festival. The concert took place over the course of three days and everything was somewhat copasetic until Fred and the boys took the stage late on Saturday. While performing a song with an "angry" vibe, Fred instructed the crowd to throw something towards the stage. Unfortunately there were items such as stray apples and batteries on the ground that idiots picked up and hurled from the back of a GIGANTIC field towards the stage. Now it's not like the crowd was filled with a bunch of Mariano Riveras so most of the items only made it a few feet and instead of reaching the stage hit other patrons. People were ducking or screaming when they got pegged. And then I saw something really disturbing. A friend and I were pushed aside when a young woman and her friend ran in front of us screaming that they needed help because the girl they were pulling behind them by their hand was SPEWING BLOOD OUT OF THE TOP OF HER HEAD. It sickens me to even write this. I never knew what happened to the woman with the terrible head wound because I was stuck in the middle of a extremely large crowd but me and my friend were definitely shaken. At that point we both said "let's get out of here" and started to make arrangements to leave Woodstock altogether. Luckily for us, we made the right decision. As night fell on Saturday the crowd got more and more hot and bothered and by Sunday night, riots ensued. The news footage showed cars and soundbooth trailers going up in flames as shirtless concertgoers danced around the flames and looted whatever they could from the food stands. It got real ugly.
Now do I blame this entirely on Fred Durst? Absolutely not. There were TONS of problems with Woodstock that year. It was practically 100 degrees that weekend and the promoters apparently decided it would be appropriate to charge patrons an arm and a leg for a small bottle of water, an inedible slice of pizza, or for the use of an ATM machine. The port-o-potties were grossly backed up and some were turned upside down for laughs. There was no toilet tissue and no showers and some groups were making some areas muddy on purpose because they thought it would be fun to jump around in the sludge like everyone did during Woodstock '94 in the rain. People were robbed, tents were literally piled on top of one another so most people couldn't even walk to their own without stepping (or falling) all over everyone else's, and tons of people were passing out around you from heat exhaustion and/or drug overdoses. The worst part about all of it was that it was expensive to attend (probably around $150 which was a lot in 1999 to the many teenagers in attendance) and a ton of people were able to bum rush the guards and/or fences by the second day and just run in for free.
So what do I think should be done to counteract violence from occuring at shows? Well for one I don't think alcohol should be served at concerts. I know that's a very controversial statement to make but honestly a lot of people don't know how to hold their liquor and I don't think it's necessary to serve it there. If you absolutely must have some sort of buzz before experiencing a show, go to a nice dinner with friends beforehand and have a couple drinks there (just make sure to have a designated driver take you to the show). This way you'll have a bit of a buzz at the start of the show but it will taper off by the middle. In reality the music itself should be intoxicating enough for you to enjoy yourself without the aid of alcohol. Of course I don't know if there was any alcohol or substance abuse involved in the Korn concert incident but I am just speaking in general terms now.
Also, mosh pits should be banned. Again, I know this is a controversial statement but if you must mosh to a certain band's music, do it with your friends in the privacy of your own home or backyard. When you do this sort of thing at a concert, you are involving strangers and maybe hurting someone who just wants to be close enough to the band to enjoy but not close enough to get punched in the face by said moshers.
Lastly, security needs to be EXCESSIVE at any show (rock, rap, or otherwise) where violent music is performed. I am not a censorship fanatic, and do not want to see a world where all of this music is banned (since I'm all for artistic expression), but proper safety measures need to be taken. A ton of security guards isn't always going to stop someone from getting hurt but it may stop them from getting killed if it's caught in time. Supposedly the Korn thing started as tension between a few men and wasn't an instantaneous eruption. If several security guards were close enough to the group, they maybe could've been separated before the tragic blow was thrown.
Of course my little ole' take is not going to solve all the world's problems. I just wanted to get it out there and give you all something to think about. It's really sad what happened at the Korn show no matter whose fault it was. Let's really try to band together and prevent something like this from happening again.
You can read all about the Korn concert tragedy here.
[DISCLAIMER: Woodstock '99 occurred over 7 years ago. I may have gotten certain details wrong but this is how I remember it. So please do not email me that this is not what happened because the area where the event was held was huge and no one person could fully explain how the whole thing went down anyway. Of course I could not testify about what I saw because I do not trust that my recollections are 100% clear at this point but they are strong enough for me to be able to tell this story to you, my readers. Granted, several of my other friends who attended the same festival have very fond memories of the same experience and with the thousands in attendance, I'm sure there are many more who would say the same. Unfortunately, I just saw a very ugly side of the show and it always makes me think about the responsibility of performers as well promoters ever since.]
Sick In The Summer?
WedMd has graciously put together a list of 6 common summer maladies and given us all the proper advice on how to prevent them.
From poison ivy to mosquito bites to heat stroke (which is VERY prevalent now on the East Coast), this article was very helpful and interesting to my hypochondriac ass. :)
You can read all about it here.
Hot Shoes
I got these hotties for a wedding I'm in this month (what up Suze!!!). We are wearing a tight navy blue strapless number and I think the silver will shine nicely with some hot accessories.
They are Gabriella Rocha and they are mucho comfortable with the platform heel. Holla.
Chart Chat
The Top 10 albums on this week's chart:
1. LETOYA "LETOYA" (164,802 units sold)
2. NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL MUSIC "VOL. 22" (150,803 units sold)
3. PHARRELL "IN MY MIND" (141,815 units sold)
4. TOM PETTY "HIGHWAY COMPANION" (112,439 units sold)
5. GNARLS BARKLEY "ST. ELSEWHERE" (53,846 units sold)
6. HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL "SOUNDTRACK" (46,607 units sold)
7. RIHANNA "GIRL LIKE ME" (46,053 units sold)
8. NELLY FURTADO "LOOSE" (44,585 units sold)
9. PUSSYCAT DOLLS "PCD" (44,161 units sold)
10. RASCAL FLATTS "ME AND MY GANG" (43,703 units sold)
Go Letoya Luckett. Granted she didn't sell like gangbusters of anything but a #1 debut is a #1 debut. Wow. I really never thought I'd see the day when one of the original booted members of Destiny's Child would come back and show 'em how it's done at the TOP OF THE CHART. Shoot, Kelly and Michelle's solo albums didn't even debut at #1. Congrats girl.
A lot of my faves are still consistently selling: Gnarls Barkley, Pussycat Dolls, and Nelly Furtado and some others that I could care less about are still doing their thing as well: High School Musical Soundtrack, Now That's What I Call Music, and Rihanna.
But Pharrell actually surprised me. He's a brilliant producer and he sometimes makes me want to kiss him when he acts all cool and stylish in his videos and photo shoots, but his debut solo album is not as good as I thought it'd be. I haven't seen that much press for it either so I didn't think it would debut high up on the chart. Plus, the cover ain't hitting. Luckily for Skateboard P, albums aren't selling so much these days so you don't have to sell that much to make top 3. Either way, Pharrell's the man and "Young Girl" with Jay-Z is the jam from the album so at the very least download that one alone off iTunes if you can.
How Funny Is This?
My friend Janine sent me a link to this site with all these funny, silly, and altogether pointless things you can do at work or home when you are bored. She actually sent me the "Bling Bling" link directly to make that Miss TLC ring to the left. I guess because she knew I'd love it and I do. Anyway, check out glassgiant.com to see how your own would look.
(PS - If there are any jewelers out there who want to get some free advertising on the site in exhange for making me that ring for free, holla and we'll try to set something up. LOL.)
Check Out Miss Jessie!
So apparently Jessica Simpson has decided to go totally 80s for her new album, A Public Affair. Her lead single was obviously a mix of Madonna's "Holiday", "Into The Groove" and "Borderline" but I've just heard some new tracks and they also follow the same format. I swear I feel like I am 9 years old listening to these tracks (but in a good way). I gotta hand it to her though. I usually can't listen to a Jessica Simpson album but I might actually like listening to this one.
Now being that I work in the music industry myself, I do NOT condone illegally downloading music for free on the internet. Honestly, iTunes is very easy-to-use and they have a pretty extensive catalog. For the things that iTunes doesn't have, or the stuff that's really new, then you can search for other legal interfaces on the 'net OR you can just hold your horses until it's available.
HOWEVER, I do believe in promotion and fanaticism. If you are a huge Justin Timberlake fan for instance (hehehe) and you are YEARNING to hear his new stuff and someone directs you to a site to hear some of it, I understand that you are going to go. THE ONLY WAY THIS IS OK THOUGH is if you are ALSO going to PAY FOR the full album when it drops soon after. Because honestly if you are only going to rip the free one without paying for it then you're just cheap and that's pathetic. You're not cool that you found something like that. You are sad.
Put it this way. It's the same thing as you taking someone out for a really nice dinner (a friend, a date, a family member, etc.) and you eat the food, pay, and leave. Aw, how nice. You are ballin'. ;)
But what if you got insider information that free hor d'oeuvres were going to be passed around at some store or lounge or event on the same night and INSTEAD of going to that nice restaurant, you took your guest to the free place to stock up on whatever they could, throw some extra in napkins, and split? You'd be a loser wouldn't you be?
Yes, yes you would.
It's the same thing with stealing music so smarten up and follow my simple rule - "You can sample a taste if it's simply for a preview and you don't intend to stay. You can't swallow it whole and come back for a re-view without intending to pay."
Anyway, the point of this whole mini-lecture was to explain why I, unlike many other bloggers, don't post links where you can download new songs. I know they exist, I know where they are, but due to my dayjob, I am not comfortable passing along that information. Nevertheless, someone has posted a new Jessica Simpson song on a streaming service that just plays the song for you when you click on the link. THIS is ok with me. Plus, I really like the song and want to hear what you all think. So click the link below to listen to Miss Jessie's "If You Were Mine":
If You Were Mine
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
My Girls Next Door
I LOVE the E! reality show The Girls Next Door which follows life at The Playboy Mansion through the eyes of Hef's three young blond girlfriends. I myself would SO be one of Hef's gals if I could live the life these chicks are living. They all seem like such sweet people as well (the girls themselves, Hef, and the employees working at the mansion). Nothing seems seedy or trashy at all......MOST OF THE TIME. Granted the girls are walking around half-naked sometimes but I don't see anything wrong with that if you have a really good body and are comfortable with it. However, every so often, something off-kilter happens that snaps you back into reality and shows you that this situation is NOT NORMAL.
For instance, the new season started this past Sunday (yippee!!!) and the debut episode focused around Hef's 80th birthday, his party, and the presents the girls were planning to give him for the occasion. Bridget decided to do a burlesque striptease and jump out of a cake and I thought she looked awesome. HOWEVER, she decided to try out the routine in front of her Mom (not that bad) and HER STEPDAD. SOOOOOO not cool to me when they showed the guy all staring appreciatively when she was sitting there in only pasties and a g-string. Oh well. I still love her and the show though.
You can watch that clip by clicking on The Vine section through E! Online here.
Quotables
People.com just posted a ton of celeb quotes in their "They Said What?" section showcasing some interesting and funny comments made during the last week.
Here are a few of my favorites:
• "A lot of the time, we don't have the medical terminology, so we just say, 'Medical, medical, bulls–, bulls–, your line.' And then we move on and have a great time. You can just say anything with a mask on."
– Patrick Dempsey, on getting through Grey's Anatomy's surgery scenes, to the Chicago Sun-Times
• "It's elementary, bee-yotch."
– Will Ferrell, joking about what the dialogue would be like in his fantasy film project, Holmes, a hip-hop version of the Sherlock Holmes movies, to Jay Leno
• "It wasn't crazy crazy, but we didn't go out in the Ferrari to read scriptures."
– Jamie Foxx, on partying with costar Colin Farrell while filming Miami Vice, to David Letterman
You can read the rest here.
Happy Birthday MTV
In case you didn't know, MTV turns 25 this year. And in order to celebrate their birthday right, a list was compiled of the 25 most memorable moments in the music channel's history. I actually found this REALLY interesting and I'm sure you would too considering we are ALL a part of the MTV generation. Whether you're 10, 20, 25, or 50, you KNOW MTV.
You can read the article here.
Jumping On Couches Trumps A Racist DUI Rant
According to the latest Us Weekly online poll (see below), you can actually say "Jews are the reason for all the wars in the world" and still not be as crazy as Tom Cruise.
CONSERVE!!!
There aren't many other ways I can this so...
CONSERVE!!!
CONSERVE!!!
CONSERVE!!!
We don't want a repeat of August 2003 people and it's SO easy to just DO YOUR PART. Here are some energy conservation tips for consideration during this massive, dangerous heat wave we are dealing with in the east.
1. Turn off unnecessary electrical lights, computer equipment, and appliances.
2. Unplug any appliances that are not currently in use, including cell phone chargers.
3. Close doors to any unused or unoccupied rooms or office.
4. Close window blinds and tilt vertical blinds upward to deflect solar heat.
It's not a joke. This is the what the current hour-by-hour forecast looks like for NYC and it will only be the same for tomorrow:
Not so pretty huh? Well do what you can people because if not, I know where you live. (Actually, I'm just joking about that last part.)
Video Teaser
Diddy's new video featuring Nicole from The Pussycat Dolls will debut on BET's Access Granted next Wednesday. There are just SO many big videos debuting this summer! HOT!
Anyhoo...here's a 15 second teaser and I must say Diddy has fallen off in a BIG WAY when it comes to music lately but this excited me. I'm sure Nicole will look fabulous as well.
Nicole really is THE go-to chick for R&B-type songs. She's currently on a song with Diddy and another with Avant and she also recorded one with Fergie for her solo album. I can't wait for Nicole's solo album now.
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