MISS TLC SAYS: Ok, everyone knows you are a fantastic R&B songwriter by now. Your hits keep piling up for yourself and for all others you have penned lyrics for.
H
O
W
E
V
E
R
Once you give a song to someone else, it's GONE. DO NOT RE-RECORD THE TRACK YOURSELF, OR RELEASE YOUR OWN DEMO TO RADIO. It's corny. It's unfair. And you look like a fool. Not only did he "accidentally" leak his own version of "Irreplaceable" and "Take A Bow" after Beyonce and Rihanna made them hits in their own right, but he now included "Single" on his own album after he gave New Kids on the Block the track for their comeback album, The Block. 
C'mon Ne. The boys made craaaaaaaaazy $$$ back in the day, but you knew it'd be hard for them to gain support again. Luckily for them, they had some hot hitmakers behind them, and your song sounds PERFECT for them (and the video is hot). I'm actually happy for them - I love the underdog. But to hear the track on your new CD (AFTER hearing theirs and seeing their video), just sounds corny. Not to mention the fact that the song is better suited for their different voices and harmonies. Yours now falls flat. So what's the point? Is theirs just a remix? Then you should've told them that and had it titled that way. Now it just seems silly.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
A Miss TLC Note To Ne-Yo
A Miss TLC New Artist Alert: CLIMAX
Birth Name: Anthony John Westbay
Professional Name: ClimaX
Age: 22
Place of Birth: Brooklyn, NY
Where You Currently Reside: Marine Park, Brooklyn, NY
Years Been In The Game: 7
Label / Production Company Currently Signed To: None
And now for "A Miss TLC moment with ClimaX":
MISS TLC: Who do you consider the Top 3 Artists (besides yourself) in your field?
ClimaX: The top 3 artists in the rap game ever? It's hard to have to break that down to only 3 artists but I'd have to go with DMX, Eminem and Jay-Z. It's kind of a biased answer because I was just falling in love with rap music when those 3 were blowing up. Say around 1997-1998, X was huge with the whole Ruff Ryder movement, Jay had just dropped Hard Knock Life and was everywhere, and then this white boy from Detroit comes out with "Hi My Name Is". It made it so easy for me to appreciate rap music because here were 3 different guys who were killing it, in 3 totally different ways. Although they were all huge in their own right, you never heard either of them try to sound like each other. Which is a problem with most popular acts today.
MISS TLC: Who is your biggest influence?
ClimaX: Musically, my biggest influence is Tupac. Tupac was the first rapper to really demonstrate a good balance between true life and entertainment. He would make records like "California Love" and "2 Of Amerika's Most Wanted" that were bomb records that kept people partying... but he was also able to give you smash records like "Brenda's Got A Baby" and "Dear Mama" which were geniune reflections of who Tupac really was. He was never afraid to show his vulnerability, but if you crossed him it was a problem. We've all heard "Hit 'em Up". Its a shame we never got to see Pac evolve with time, who knows what type of music he would have been doing right now.
MISS TLC: What made you decide to become an artist in the first place?
ClimaX: When I was around 12 years old me and my friends used to all hang out at my friend Justin's house, and Justin's older brother and his friends used to all hang out there as well. It was definitely "the spot" back in the day. So Justin's older brother and his crew had started writin rhymes and rappin with each other and I thought that what they were doing was real dope. So one day I went home, turned to a clean page in my notebook, and started writin a rhyme instantly. A few hours later I had a verse of my own that I thought was real fresh so I went back and spit it to all the older kids. They kinda laughed it off cause it wasn't great, but since then I was hooked on writin rhymes and trying to impress people with what I could do.
MISS TLC: What is your album entitled (or what will your album probably be titled if it's not out yet)?
ClimaX: The album is titled "A World Full of Mannequins"
MISS TLC: What is the name of your lead single (or your current promotional single)?
ClimaX: The lead single for the album is what the album's titled after, "A World Full of Mannequins".
MISS TLC: What do you consider the "big break" that got you where you are today?
ClimaX: Unfortunately I wouldn't say that I've received my big break yet. But what I can say is that through my hard work I'm able to be moving in the right direction. Writing and recording good music, creating and maintaining my website, even slappin my stickers on the sides of buses. These are all things that I have been doing to try and get my name out there and take it to that next level. Alot of rappers out there think they could just upload a song and their picture onto their myspace and they're on their way to blowing up. In my opinion it's all about who can work at it the hardest and whose left standing at the end of the day.
MISS TLC: Have you been performing live anywhere, or do you have any upcoming shows you would like anyone to know about?
ClimaX: I have my album release party and first perfomance, October 10th at Mad River in NYC. All info can be found at yoclimax.com
MISS TLC: Give me two of your favorite lines from two different songs of yours:
ClimaX: Ummm tough question but what comes to mind is a line off of the "A World Full of Mannequins" song which goes " Look at Hannah Montana she's only 15 / Already taking pictures that give boys wet dreams / And taking off her clothes for magazine photographers / With her father in the room, shouldn't he be watching her?"
And a line from my second single "As Days Go By" which is "Yeah life is hard and it only gets worse / But if you want the gift than you gotta have the curse / Cause life is a true blessin' / And if it was perfect than we'd be in heaven" To be honest there are a lot of lines that I hope will stand out to people but those 2 are the first to come to mind.
MISS TLC: Lastly, is there anything else you think people should know about you?
ClimaX: I just want people to know that I'm a good person who has a passion for creating good music. I feel a rapper has two duties to fulfill for their audience, which are "to educate" and "to entertain". Most rappers are doing neither right now and I'm confident I could be the person to fill that void. I was born and raised in the greatest city in the world, Brooklyn NY, and I hate to say it but I feel that entitles me to something because being a native New Yorker and Brooklynite definitely is an full-on education in itself. You receive not only street smarts by growing up in BK, but you gain knowledge and exposure and tolerance just growing up so closely to so many different walks of life right on your doorstep... the middle class, the poor people, millionaires, whites, blacks, latinos, asians, etc. It just gives you a broader scope of what the world is really like and lets you know that nobody is better than anybody else and we're all the same. No matter who we are or what we are, we're all people. The same types of things make us happy and the same shit makes us sad. The sooner people realize that, the better off we'll all be. Before I start preaching too much, thank you to anyone who reads this and a big shout out goes to Miss TLC for all her love and support. Check out my site at yoclimax.com or email me at AWestbay@gmail.com with your thoughts and comments.
EPILOGUE: Rap was thriving in NYC in the 90s with legends such as Biggie and Jay-Z painting pictures and telling stories about their sordid backgrounds growing up in BK. For years, it was thought that rap was about illustrating your struggle. And for that reason, many felt a white kid from the suburbs could never succeed. After all, they'd have nothing to talk about. But then Eminem hit it big with his tales of being a loser, being on drugs, and being in a dead-end (no pun intended) relationship, and people realized that you can play with the formula and rap about anything. I'm not gonna lie. It's definitely harder being accepted when you are rapping about positivity, or even when you are just rapping about partying. But there IS a place for everyone if you have something to talk about, period. ClimaX isn't gonna stretch the truth and say that he had some terrible childhood where he was struggling and hustling in order to eat. Marine Park is not a bad place to live (it's middle class). But "Mannequins" IS in fact about a personal struggle. It's just a different kind of struggle. It speaks about the aimlessness and vapid stares you see from so many people nowadays, especially in the media. We willingly accept mediocrity and contradiction from those in positions of power, and we need to make a difference. If there was ever a time in America for people to WAKE THE F&CK UP, it's now, and ClimaX knows that.
MISS TLC SAYS: ClimaX's single "A World Full of Mannequins" is really what got me paying attention to this kid. It's truly a great song, and deserves to be listened to, so go listen to it at his site, and support the kid if you are feelin it. Plus, it was produced by the up and coming hip-hop producer kid, TC (keep your eye on him and ask around). But even if you aren't necessarily lovin' his vibe, check the site out anyway, because it's a hot spot. The section "The Corner" is especially interesting and funny, and features a wrap-up of some of the current music-related stuff you see floating around the internet.
{{{PS - You can check out up-and-coming producer TC on MySpace here: TC's MySpace Page. Check out some snippets of his beats there.}}}
Random Question
Just WHEN WHEN WHEN WHEN WHEN can we bury that damn vocoder microphone everyone's been using?!?!?!?! Roger Troutman used it excessively with Zapp, but then it disappeared for a long while until Mr. T-Pain fell in love with one a few years back. Now it's everywhere. Rappers got a hold of it (Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg, etc.) and now they think it's the only key they need in order to sing as opposed to just rap on their recordings. Oh brother. I knew I had enough by the time I heard Pain use it on his second (of 4,356) single, but the ULTIMATE last straw was when I heard him break it out to sing a duet with Ms. Jennifer Hudson. Yes, I know that it's T-Pain's signature so that's not what I'm surprised about. I'm surprised that J Records let Jen duet with a robot. C'mon now people. The girl has a big, divalicious voice which was built for singing love songs, but she needs someone with just as big of a voice to sing back to her if she's gon' be dueting. Not Johnny 5 from "Short Circuit". Sheesh.
Burberry Brings The Brrr Attire!!!
Cold weather alert. Time to look through more coats... well that's what I'm doing. :)
Anyway, here are two hot options from Burberry.
1. Trenches are ALL the rage right now. (If you don't have one, you are NOT what's hot.) Here's a deliciously feminine one in an oh so pretty color:
MISS TLC SAYS: Ooh la la. Nothing says power chick on the go like like a crisp white with a rounded girly collar!
2. For those of you with a little more cash in your pockets, and a colder climate to tackle, check out this sweater/vest/toggle wool coat they introduced this year:
MISS TLC SAYS: It's called the Duffel, and it looks like something I'd want to curl up go to sleep in on one of those cold, slushy, NYC days. Go get it little duffle bag girl!!! ;)
You can buy either one here.
Say It With Pictures
Some say a picture's worth a thousand words. Once again, I can pretty much sum these up in less than 20.
WHO:A-level backside-owner/B-level actress/C-level singer Jennifer Lopez in a magazine photo spread from a couple months back.
MISS TLC SAYS: Something tells me this is not too far off from her regular day-to-day activities at home with staff. 
WHO:Former (VERY former) "Beverly Hills 90210" heartthrob Jason Priestley at a charity event with former co-star Valerie Malone (it was too hard to try and spell her real-life last name right).
MISS TLC SAYS: What in grizzly-bear-sam-hell is that thing on his face???
WHO:Current "90210" actress Shenae Grimes coming back from a smoke run.
MISS TLC SAYS: THAT'S how she stays so skinny? A steady diet of menthols? Maybe that bag's for the whole cast (maybe not).
WHO:A whole slew of celebs on an OK Magazine cover from this past summer.
MISS TLC SAYS: Are they serious? Running that GARBAGE TAGLINE next to coverage of a presidential candidate??? She thinks Jessica is FAT?!?!?!?
WHO:Celebrity scientologists (*cough* aliens) Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.
MISS TLC SAYS: He really IS looking to create his clone, ain't he? First the hairstyle, now it's matching grey sharkskin blazers?
{If you are interested in reading past "Say It With Pictures" posts from The Wonderful World Of Miss TLC, just type that full phrase IN QUOTES into the white search box at the top of the site. Believe me, it's worth it.}
Turn Your (Gift) Cards Into Cash!!!
Then visit SwapAGift.com and trade your unused gift card balance for a card from a store you actually shop in, OR just trade your card in for cash.
The best (and perhaps the saddest) option is where you can actually visit their licensed check cashing places and RECEIVE CASH ON THE SPOT FOR YOUR UNWANTED GIFT.
MISS TLC SAYS: Crazy, isn't it? I thought the same thing. I read about it in Self Magazine and thought it was extremely smart, but too good to be true, so I checked the site out myself... and it's all there in print. It also seems organized, easy to use, and full of opportunity for those of you who are sitting on a Home Depot gift card and you don't even own a home. ;)
Cute Way To Advertise Your Upcoming Theatre Run Ari!
MISS TLC SAYS: Not only is Jeremy Piven funny in this clip, but all of the supporting celebrities are funny in it as well (not over the top guffaw funny, just cute funny). Check it out.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Listen to Britney Spear's "Womanizer" Here!
MISS TLC SAYS: I really like it. I think this will do well for her, especially because the video is supposedly ultra-sexy. Hopefully, they don't mean sexy in comparison to the pathetic, destructive, embarrassment of a video, "Gimme More". Everyone needs to see Britney back to her "I'm A Slave 4 U"/"Toxic" pop/sexy/tart self.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Stay In The Know
People have been asking so I figured I'd post it here...
Presidential Debate Calendar
• September 26: Presidential Debate at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, moderated by PBS's Jim Lehrer
• October 2: Vice Presidential Debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, moderated by PBS's Gwen Ifill
• October 7: Presidential Debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, moderated by NBC's Tom Brokaw
• October 15: Presidential Debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, moderated by CBS's Bob Schieffer
All debates start at 9 p.m. ET and are organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Sex and the City Alert
As I already predicted, Volume 2 of the Sex and the City Soundtrack is in stores TODAY (the same day as the DVD release).
In case you don't know already, the first Sex and the City Soundtrack came out a week before the movie hit theaters. Naturally I got my copy right away since I am a SATC fiend. Thankfully, I was NOT disappointed. That disc is chock full of atmospheric pop/dance/lounge songs, and it's great for parties, background music, or time with the girls relieving your fave moments from the flick. My standout tracks were the Madison Park vs. Lenny B Remix of Nina Simone's "The Look Of Love", Jennifer Hudson's "All Dressed In Love", Kaskade's "I Like The Way", and Bliss' "Kissing", but there are like 4 or 5 others that I really like as well. 
However, one of the BIG things that was missing from the original soundtrack was Ciara's "Click Flash". I knew right away that it was absent from the disc because I was looking for it. That song is played during one of the best (girly) scenes in the movie - the wedding dress photo shoot. I love the lyrics (they are SO Miss TLC) and I couldn't wait to hear it again. At first, I had no idea why it wasn't included. I thought perhaps that Ciara was saving it for her new album, or that the clearances weren't obtained in time (remember, I work in the industry so I know all about the red tape involved in getting an album in stores) but then I saw the little piece of magazine quality paper that fell out of the liner notes advertising a "Vol. 2" of the soundtrack "Coming Soon". Right at the moment, I knew it was going to be on that version (in order to drive sales of the second CD), and that it would probably coincide with the release of the DVD. Well it turns out I was right. They are both in stores today. Make sure to grab your copies soon.
Here's the tracklist for Sex and the City, Vol. 2: More Music:
1. Click Flash (Ciara)
2. My First Love (Craig David)
3. 2Nite (Janet Jackson)
4. Beautiful (Goldfrapp)
5. Real Girl (Mutya Buena)
6. Pretty Please (Love Me) (Estelle with Cee-Lo)
7. Trouble (Bitter:Sweet)
8. Dangerous (Elijah Kelley)
9. Look at You Now (Katie Herzig)
10. Little Romance (Ingrid Michaelson)
11. We Got Love (Ryan Shaw)
12. Fool's Gold (Amy Winehouse)
13. Mockingbird (Allison Moorer)
14. Hey Baby (Champagne Flutes)
15. You Look So Good (Owen Brady)
Where Have I Seen You Before? - Bart Bass on "Sex and the City" Edition
Speaking of "Sex and the City"...
As I was watching an old episode of "Sex and the City" the other night on The CW, I happened upon a familiar face. It's was Chuck's Dad/Lily's husband Bart Bass from "Gossip Girl"! You know him...
...well it turns out he was also Walker Lewis, Miranda's date to Carrie's book launch party who won't sleep with her once he finds out she has a kid in the "Plus One Is The Loneliest Number" episode...
(PS - He was also in a previous episode "The Good Fight" when Miranda originally meets him on a blind date while pregnant. She has sex with him then w/o telling him she is "with child".)
MISS TLC SAYS: In case you are interested, his real name is Robert John Burke, and he also has a part in the new Spike Lee movie "Miracle at St. Anna".
*** To view past editions of "Where Have I Seen You Before?" search for it by entering the title in quotes in the white search box at the top of this blog. Feel free to do the same with the name of any of our other recurring features. Search is your friend. :) ***
Queen S. Back On Top
And speaking of "Gossip Girl", how scandalous have the first four episodes been??? Wow. Loving it.
Anyway, for those of you who haven't been watching, don't watch the clip below out of context. For everyone else, I am posting it because it is undoubtedly the sexiest moment on the show ever (yes, even hotter than the unbelievably hot scene in the back of the limo from last season), and I thought you'd like to watch it again... and again... and again.
MISS TLC SAYS: And to think he doesn't even speak with an American accent in real life, and yet he pulls it off is suchhhhhhh a sexy manner. Wow.
For those who are interested, I've posted the title and plot summary for next week's episode below, as well as the clip they showed last night (to view the title and summary, highlight everything from the end of the YouTube clip, to the end of the post)...
"The Serena Also Rises"
Plot Summary:
Fashion Week is here!!!
Blair is furious with her mother for giving Serena and her new socialite friend, Poppy Lifton, front row seats to the Eleanor Waldorf show. Hurt by both Serena and his mother Blair decides to sabotage the show.
Meanwhile, Dan starts hanging out with Chuck, but he quickly learns that the dark side has its risks. Lily learns a secret that her new husband, Bart has been keeping from her.
Upcoming Movies Based On Books
How To Lose Friends and Alienate People:
In Theaters October 3, 2008
Confessions of a Shopaholic:
To watch that clip, click here.
In Theaters February, 2009
Monday, September 22, 2008
I Got My Own
MISS TLC SAYS: That's right. Miss TLC is a true independent woman, and so, I can appreciate this here lil ditty. However, I need to take a moment to break something down for the bruthas out there who go a bit too far with this "I love me an independent woman" ish. It's one thing if you don't want to be taken by a golddigger, or get caught wasting your time with a girl who claims she's just "old-fashioned" when she refuses to ever reach for her wallet when the bill arrives. However, do NOT use the "I prefer an independent woman" excuse just to cover up your own extreme lack of funds or a J-O-B. And do NOT take advantage of a woman who is willing to lay out the cash for gifts, vacations, and dinners, just because you think it makes you look like a mack to never pay. It makes you look like a loser. She knows it too. She's just sick of dealing with the other losers out there and feels comfortable enough with you to put up with it until she realizes you ain't worth it. Now I have a lot of friends who put me down for EVER reaching for a dollar when I'm around my man, but I am way too confident, secure, financially stable, and intelligent to do otherwise. Money = power. And why wouldn't you want the power? Power = control. Why wouldn't you want to control the situation? Now this isn't a method to be used 100% of the time. NEITHER one of you should do all the bill-paying, check-balancing, or gift-giving. It should be an equal partnership. And there should be no plan or schedule for it either. It needs to be genuine, spontaneous, and thoughtful. You stick to that mantra, and your relationship will only benefit from the adult way in which you handled it. If it doesn't? Then you're not with a top caliber man or woman anyway, so bounce. :)
TWWOMT Poll Results: Political Conventions
Here were the results of our latest poll:
Thankfully, most of you said that you watch almost all of the political convention coverage when it airs/aired. I would hate to think you were just voting on the platform of whose name you like better.
Regardless of who you choose to vote for, I hope that you vote PERIOD. Don't listen to the naysayers when they tell you it ain't worth it. You NEED to be part of the process in order to enact change. It's true that your one vote may not directly affect the course of election, but you should act like you care. Act like you matter. Discuss the debates with others. Watch speeches from both sides of the ticket. But most importantly, show up to the polls on November 4th.
MAKE SURE TO VOTE IN THE NEW TWWOMT POLL GOING LIVE TODAY!!!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Money Under Your Mattress Doesn't Sound Like Such A Bad Idea After All
In the wake of the Dow Jones catastrophic drop of more than 500 points today, top economist Nouriel Roubini, of NYU's Stern School and RGE Monitor, issued a frightening statement to Americans concerned about their money. Basically, you should be worried (according to him).
To watch video of him delivering his somber message, click here:
Yahoo Finance Article
You can also read the accompanying article in the same place. Here's a startling excerpt below:
But Americans are justified to be worried, says Nouriel Roubini, of NYU's Stern School and RGE Monitor, who notes there is already a "slow-motion run on retail banks" occurring nationwide.
That "run" could accelerate as people realize the FDIC fund has about $50 billion to "insure" about $1 trillion in assets at the nation's financial institutions, says Roubini. "They're going to run out of money" unless Congress acts soon to recapitalize the FDIC.
MISS TLC SAYS: It's scary. I'm not gonna lie. However, you can't worry yourselves too much, because a culture of fear will only cause widespread panic. If everyone rushed to take their money out of banks and the market at the same time, then there would be a major problem. And if everyone collectively just calmed down and continued to conduct business in the same fashion they were conducting it when they economy was booming, we'd be in a much better place. It's just a very hard point to make to people with a mortgage to pay, mouths to feed, and a kid to put through college. *Sigh*
Sunday, September 14, 2008
SNL's Fave 5 Commercial
MISS TLC SAYS: Funny. That commercial IS really stupid. I always have jokingly said to myself when it's on that there has to be a backstory. Why don't the parents intervene? How much of a loser is the brother that he has not even one friend of his own? Or are his sister's friends actually calling him? LOL. Well SNL's interpretation is even funnier. It turns out that the father is the one who is truly sick! LOL.
SNL Had A Perfect Palin
MISS TLC SAYS: To be honest with you, I KNOW Hilary laughed hysterically when watching this because it's so on point. However, I have a feeling Sarah was laughing too. She has to be aware of the fact that she basically hit the lotto and has no business being in the position she's in now (for further evidence, watch her interview with Charlie Gibson from this past weekend). Then again, she also could've ran crying to Johnny Boy, and if she did, you know he will then attack SNL for "unfairly targeting" her just like everyone else does. *Sigh*
I know one thing though, she probably wouldn't have run to her supposed best friends, considering only one of them said she'd definitely be voting for Palin come November. That REALLY says something people. Of course it wouldn't be smart to vote for someone just because they are your friend, but when 3 out of 4 of them look uncomfortable while stalling with the ole' "I haven't made up my mind yet" reply to the age-old question "who are you voting for?", that's definitely some strong writing on the wall.
Friday, September 12, 2008
SNL Has BIG Star Power This Week
Tune in on Saturday for the SNL Season Premiere. Why?
Because...
Olympic Champion Michael Phelps is hosting.
Rap superstar Lil Wayne is performing.
Presidential candidate Barack Obama is making a cameo appearance. Yes.
'Nuff said.
Bill Maher Says Palin Has A 'Small Mind'
MISS TLC SAYS: This was actually a great defense for those who say the Democrats are unfairly targeting Palin in a smear campaign against her only because she's a woman, or a mother, or from a small town. Ugh (that is SO not the case people). I mean, that's like saying it's unfair to call the movie "Gigli" a failure, because it's not true, but then your only evidence to the contrary is the following: "Yes, no one went to see it, and it was poorly acted, and it probably contributed to the demise of Lopez and Affleck's relationship, but if you call it a failure, you are just being racist against Latinos." WHAT THA?!?!?!?
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
"Love Lockdown" Should Remain Live
So Kanye's "Love Lockdown" was released as a CDQ Studio version today... and uh... well, here's the live one for you to watch again if you are interested in hearing the song:
I thought the live one kicked ass... the studio one? Not so much.
You can listen to it here though if you want to hear it for yourself anyway.
Chart Chat
This week's top 20 albums:
1. YOUNG JEEZY "RECESSION" 259,782 units sold
2. NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK "BLOCK" 95,041 units sold
3. THE GAME "L.A.X." 88,705 units sold
4. KID ROCK "ROCK N ROLL JESUS" 79,005 units sold
5. SLIPKNOT "ALL HOPE IS GONE" 75,398 units sold
6. JONAS BROTHERS "LITTLE BIT LONGER" 56,718 units sold
7. MAMMA MIA "SOUNDTRACK" 56,403 units sold
8. UNDEROATH "LOST IN THE SOUND OF SEPARATION" 56,246 units sold
9. CHRIS TOMLIN "HELLO LOVE" 51,507 units sold
10. LIL WAYNE "THA CARTER III" 46,575 units sold
11. SUGARLAND "LOVE ON THE INSIDE" 39,183 units sold
12. COLDPLAY "VIVA LA VIDA" 35,026 units sold
13. RIHANNA "GOOD GIRL GONE BAD" 32,126 units sold
14. MILEY CYRUS "BREAKOUT" 31,764 units sold
15. NOW COUNTRY "NOW THAT'S WHAT I CALL COUNTRY" 31,055 units sold
16. JASON MRAZ "WE SING WE DANCE WE STEAL THIN" 24,996 units sold
17. STAIND "ILLUSION OF PROGRESS" 23,991 units sold
18. CAMP ROCK "SOUNDTRACK" 23,447 units sold
19. DONNIE KLANG "JUST A ROLLING STONE" 21,955 units sold
20. LEONA LEWIS "SPIRIT" 21,643 units sold
* Finally, a much more interesting chart for me to comment on. Jeeeeeeezy. The snowman showed he still got it. Debuting with almost 260K is BIG in this market.
* New Kids On The Block must be HYPED right now. Of course there are like 5 of 'em... and they are like 40 years old... and used to make millions... and didn't even sell 100K... BUT a #2 debut should still make them feel VERY good.
* The Game only fell one spot (he debuted last week at #2), so he's still doing well. He woulda been #1 but he lost out to Slipknot by one measly thousand copies. And in comparison, Slipknot fell four spots this week to land at #4 this time around, so HA! to them. ;)
* Thankfully, the Disney-related stuff moved down to #6 and lower for this week. Don't cry for Jonas Brothers though. They are still richer than you.
* WHY THE HECK IS THE MAMMA MIA SOUNDTRACK STILL IN THE TOP 10?!?!?!
* Wow, now they got NOW COUNTRY-specific albums. That shows you that the genre has taken over.
* Shame on you Diddy. You f*c%ed up the Donnie debut ROYALLY. This poor boy was dragged along as the opening act to Day 26 for months and months, tortured through boot camp, forced to rehearse again and again and again on camera like the rest of your artists on Making The Band, but then you pushed back his album for months while Danity Kane and Day 26 were allowed to come out one week after each other back when MTB was still a hot show. Then it was off the air for a while, came back recently without much fanfare, and NOW you drop Donnie without major marketing and promotion??? It's a shame the other two MTB artists both debuted at #1, and Donnie debuted....... at #19.
* I know you don't see it on the chart below, but that's because I only list the top 20, and she ain't in it. Solange. Yeah... she debuted at #9 last week (with 46K copies sold), but she dropped to #28 this week. In total, she's now sold under 70K copies, and I hate to say it, but I think it's time for homegirl to just go to Barbizon, or Apex Technical School, or Katherine Gibbs, so that she can get a trade certificate and find a new career.
* After three months, Lil Wayne has almost fallen out of the top 10. Something tells me, he still has it in him to reappear back at the top though, so don't count him out just yet.
* In case you're interested, Mr. Terrance "I want to be a singer now too" Howard debuted at #31 with his album this week. He sold 14K copies. Yeah, I didn't care either.
September Is For The Sexy Ones
Sorry I haven't been around as much this week... I've been celebrating my birthday month. ;)
Thanks.
Loving you all!!!
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Random Question
With all due respect... he's definitely done some extraordinarily brave and courageous things in the past, but why does John McCain remind me of Gary Busey every time he starts telling his old war stories?
Another Day In The Life of No-lange Knowles
I'm sure you've heard about the Solange drama from last week when she appeared on a Fox affiliate as part of her press tour and ended up embarrassing herself by talking ON air about something that went down OFF air. Either way, there's an even dumber part 2 to this story. Homegirl decided to film a video explanation for her fan, ahem, I mean fans, to post on YouTube (damn you YouTube! making these C-list celebs feel like they have a purpose). Blah, blah, blah. I can't even listen to her response. However, I CAN laugh my ass off at the response to her response by a Fox anchor after viewing the vid.
An excerpt from BlackVoices...
Fox 5 'News in the Morning' anchor Dave Hall delivered a quite candid commentary about Knowles during his broadcast.
"No wonder Solange Knowles isn't the famous sister," Hall ranted. "Well she was promoting her new album, whatever its called. Nobody cares! It's gonna be in stores, not that any of you care. What a little brat!"
Hall also believes that the younger Knowles is capitalizing off her Grammy-winning sister, Beyonce.
"Quit gravy-training off your sister and do your own career," he proclaimed.
His co-host, Heidi Hayes, also offered: "She needs to learn some skills on the interviewing."
MISS TLC SAYS: Wow. That's pretty brutal. Although he's right about her album. That ish will disappear off the face of the Earth faster than you can say 40/40.
To view both of the Solange vids in question, click play below:
Another Celeb Lookalike
The wife of the Republican presidential candidate, Cindy McCain and King of the Muppets, Kermit the Frog.
** To view past posts of "Celeb Lookalike", search for it by entering the title in quotes in the white search box at the top of this blog. Feel free to do the same with the name of any of our other recurring features. Believe me, it's worth it. Search is your friend. :) ***
Since When Is Lynne Spears Good Enough To Be The Vice Prez???
Photo credit: Jean Paul Aussenard/Getty Images, AP Photo/Chris Miller
That's right, I said it. Since when is Lynne Spears good enough to be our VP ESPECIALLY during a term where the presidential candidate she's running with might not make it through this first term (never mind a second)??? I love what my boy T. Coles texted to me at one point during the RNC coverage last night. It was something along the lines of "so being that they cancelled Lynne Spears' book after Jamie Lyn turned up preggers, why aren't they cancelling this chick's hustle too?" Very true. In fact, I also love how Michael K summed it up on Dlisted a few days ago: "I think we found a co-author for Lynne Spears' next book on parenting".
Look, I think McCain's a nice enough man. Yes, yes, yes, he was a war hero. But he's old. Like, really, really old. And yes, yes, yes, some people live to be 80, 90, even 100. But he doesn't look to be in the best condition right now. He gets flustered too easily, seems to forget things, speaks in a low gravelly (weak) voice, and can't turn his poor neck. I honestly wish nothing but the best for the man health-wise. I actually hope he lives to be 110. I'm just a realist, and REALLY there's a big chance that McCain could die (or at least fall ill) while in office due to his age and current state. For that reason, HIS vice presidential pick is more important that anyone else's has been for a long, long time; because this person can ACTUALLY HAVE TO STEP UP AND BECOME THE PREZ.
And just because people are all psyched up about Sarah Palin's speech delivery (not her speech, her DELIVERY, cuz that's all it is people), they are now all behind a feisty, funny actress?!!?! Honestly, I don't think looks are the only thing this chick has in common with comedienne/actress Tiny Fey. She was having fun up on that podium last night cracking jokes, and smiling while keeping her lip gloss poppin. But that shouldn't erase the fact that she's a bimbo who has flip flopped on her own thoughts and votes while in office, has a suspect husband who belonged to an Alaskan group looking for secession from the U.S. (really? and the wife wants to run for VICE PRESIDENT in that very country?), and her daughter is a mess. I'm sorry. I don't care WHAT kind of nasty mail I get about this one. Obama can hold his tongue and do the admirable thing, and not talk about the kids, but I have to. It's what I do. I regularly speak about the state of the youth in this country, and the bad examples that young girls have thrown at them on television, and this is no different.
That daughter is a screw up. Plain and simple. LEVI DOES NOT WANT TO MARRY HER. I actually feel bad for the lil redneck boy. In case you haven't heard, his MySpace profile was unearthed this week (it's been taken down since the press had a field day with it) and it listed his interests as "fucking chillin", showed pics of him and a female friend holding guns for fun (see below), stated that he didn't want kids in the children section, and had a self-explaination that "he was a fuckin redneck". I'm not joking, and I'm not making this stuff up. The boy is being forced into a staged engagement (much like Casey Alderidge was with Jamie Lyn Spears) only to save this screwed-up family some face. Well they are not fooling me. You can not push a "abstinence only sex ed" plan to the masses when you can't even succeed with that on in your own home. Hey lady - your fam is the EXACT reason millions of people have been against pushing "abstinence only" to teens for years. NO ONE IS GOING TO STOP TEENS FROM HAVING SEX. Not even the threat of HIV could do that sister. So why bother pushing abstinence and outlawing abortions??? Do you think it's tough love? Do you think it's smart to force your child to have a child when she is still a child herself? And to marry a man who does NOT love her? Sure, let's create more divorce and single parent households in this country! Why the hell not! At least Sarah Palin will look like a "maverick". Give me a break. This woman doesn't know anything about being a "maverick" 'cept for what she saw in "Top Gun".
And I'm not saying Bristol Palin should have gotten an abortion. I'm saying Bristol Palin should have been given condoms or birth control pills. I'm saying that Bristol Palin should have been given the option to put her child up for adoption and admit to the world that her and Levi are too young to be parents and aren't even sure they want to get married to each other. I'm saying that Bristol Palin needs to put down that boy's hand while beaming on a stage in front of millions of other impressionable teens, and cut out the act of pretending like her and Levi planned this all along because they are in love and are responsible adults.
And don't get me started on her deplorable ploy to parade a mentally challenged infant on stage in order to secure more votes. She should be ashamed of herself. She had no real plan for special needs children. She didn't say anything insightful or relatable about it. As a matter of fact, let's take this time to start breaking down my favorite lines from her ghost-written speech. Oh yes, she had nothing to do with it. Most politicians don't. The announcement was actually made to the TV audience on air pre-speech that "the McCain team had a speech written out already for whomever he chose as his VP for weeks... but then when he picked her, they had to scrap it and write a new one because the old one was written from a men's perspective". How lovely. So back to my favorite moments:
SARAH PALIN:
"Our son Track is 19. And one week from tomorrow — September 11th — he'll deploy to Iraq with the Army infantry in the service of his country."
Miss TLC:
How much you wanna bet Track's fellow troops are actually deploying on another day, but the McCain team thought it would be best if they could announce that HE was leaving on 9/11???
SARAH PALIN:
"To the families of special-needs children all across this country, I have a message: For years, you sought to make America a more welcoming place for your sons and daughters. I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House."
Miss TLC:
And??? What was the point of that statement other than begging for votes from other Moms with special needs children? "Look! I have a mentally disabled son too! Vote for me! Pleeeeease!" Pathetic. I almost gagged on my living room rug when she made a beeline for the poor kid as soon as her family hit the stage just so she could wave him around in front of the crowd and the picture ops.
SARAH PALIN:
"When I ran for city council, I didn't need focus groups and voter profiles because I knew those voters, and knew their families, too. "
Miss TLC:
Congrats on living in a small town, lady. That's ALL that means. I'd know every family in my town too IF I DIDN'T LIVE IN A STATE WITH A POPULATION OF 20 MILLION, and instead had oh, what, 6,000 people to meet and greet. I know people with more MySpace friends than that.
SARAH PALIN:
"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities."
Miss TLC:
Honey, I have nothing against Alaska. But JUST SO YOU KNOW a little something about the REST of the country, acting as a "community organizer" in a community like the inner-streets of Chicago is a helluva lot harder than managing champion snow machine races with your husband and his friends (oh yes, she actually announced that her husband is a world-champion snow machine racer).
SARAH PALIN:
"This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word "victory" except when he's talking about his own campaign."
Miss TLC:
That's because we are not winning, sweetheart. The only people that are delusional enough to believe that "victory is in sight for our troops in Iraq" is you and your fellow looney tunes.
SARAH PALIN:
"Victory in Iraq is finally in sight ... he wants to forfeit."
Miss TLC:
What crack are you smoking? Victory is NOT in sight, love. THEY JUST ASKED US TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY AND LEAVE THEM THE HELL ALONE FOR PETE'S SAKE.
SARAH PALIN:
"For a lifetime, John McCain has inspired with his deeds."
Miss TLC:
Yes, and now John McCain's lifetime is nearing its close. You can't rest on your past laurels, no matter how esteemed and courageous those laurels were, forever. McCain is past his prime, while Obama is just starting to rise. Yes, he'll still have to learn some things while in office, but that's what Biden and the rest of his team is for. Who will you turn to when McCain is taking his nap or passed out at the Early Bird Buffet? Shoot, Barack could've been just an elementary school teacher in Chicago's inner city for all I care, and STILL he would been more in touch and aware with the goings-on in OUR world, OUR economy, and OUR future than the Mayor of Wasilla, AK.
PS: By "OUR", I meant The United States of America in general. I figured I might have to clarify that for you considering your husband was part of that group who was voting to support Alaska's secession from that very union. I just didn't want you to think "OUR" only meant the pistol packing, hockey playing, snow machine racing, pregnant teen members of your family, cuz those are not MY people.
*** No matter who you support folx, make sure to get your ass out there on November 4th and VOTE VOTE VOTE. Regardless of where you stand on the issues, at least you are standing. This election has sparked more passion in me (and others) than ever before. Our country needs a-changing and I just sincerely hope that whoever moves their luggage into the White House in January '09 will change it for the better. ***
You can read Sarah Palin's full speech here.
And for another amazing piece on Sarah Palin's pathetic rise to "power", read this Op-Ed piece in today's L.A. Times penned by none other than the leader of the feminists, Gloria Steinem.
