Take A Bow

On this mid August hump day I would like to extend a big ups and happy birthday over to Madonna over in Europe somewhere still going strong and probably/attempting to "rock the shocker." Every little thing that you say or do, we're hung up, yeah that's right, hung up on you. Happy Birthday and sorry about that whole

quitting acting thing

.

Dance to the underground!

Raise your hand if you don't like House of jealous lovers. Anyone? Anyone? Didn't think so. Well that was a long time ago and though the song can still get shorty to shake it like it's his birthday, it would be nice to get some new tunes from our dance loving New Yorkers The Rapture. Well don't fret cause on September 12th we will be blessed with another ass shaking gem Pieces Of The People We Love. If you head over to the pieces of the people we love website you can get your hand on a few toe tapping snippets from the upcoming album. There's a catch though; if you want to hear all five samples instead of one you gotta submit a photo. That is all. Upload a pic. Add to the photo collage. Five groove laced samples. More cowbell. A little sax. A whole lotta sex appeal. So what are you waiting for? We all know you got pictures like whoa on facebook and/or myspace.

New Rapture!

Hell Yes!

Holla back y'all. I hope y'all are saving your pennies cause this fall looks to be pretty packed with new releases across the board from all your favorite artists. Can't lie I am pretty pumped about the October 3rd release date for Beck's new album entitled The Information, a supposed hip-hop and funk laced LP. The album is also rumored to come with a blank cover and a whole host of stickers so that you can make your own Beck album cover! A video for each of the 15 tracks are said to come in a bonus DVD also. So get excited. I know I am. In the meantime give Beck some props on his Blue-Eyed Hip-Hop and R&B by checking out his video for Hell Yes off last year's Guero
LP. It's fire baby.

beck - hell yes


Now tell me why this video didn't recieve a nod for Video of the Year for this year's MTV Video Music Awards?

To Infinity and Beyond!

Anybody that uses the word and concept of Morningwood to their advantage gets points in my book. The band Morningwood have a kick ass song, nth degree that gets me pretty excited and now Seth Green and company do it way big with this lil diddy about Morningwood.

Enjoy!

Robot Chicken - Morning Wood

Quote of the Day!

Today's quote comes from Lisa Timmons over at

A Socialite's Life

"It seems gay, 80's pop-icons with George in their name just can't catch a break these days."

Pump Yer Brakes!

Rihanna tells Female First :

“I don’t like to wear things too skimpy...If I do shorts on the bottom, it’s gotta be something very conservative on top. If it’s skimpy at the top, it’s gotta be long jeans or something."




You tell em girl!

Don't Cry For Me

This just in! According to the folks over at muchmusic.com Madonna has given up on chasing her acting bug. I repeat MADONNA IS DONE WITH ACTING! Apparently she's had enough with the critics who are quick to dismiss her films before they are even made. Man that sucks ass. Who's That Girl, Evita, Swept Away, Body of Evidence, The Next Best Thing, Shanghai Surprise. You're telling me that I won't have a new awesomely riveting movie to add to the list some years down the line when I have a Madonna movie marathon night? That's just sad.

A Woman's Worth

Monday August 14, 2005. 11:35 PM

Alicia Keys: What?
Kerry Brothers [her boyfriend]: [looks away from her and focuses attention back on the screen]: Nothing.
Alicia: Oh I know what you want. Nu uh. I don't care if we just watched Sex and the City, you ain't getting none of this ill na na.
Kerry: [Slams remote on the bed between them and turns towards Alicia]This shit is out of control. It's been a goddamn year. Ain't I man enough? You ain't horny? Don't you need inspiration for another song? I mean goddamn Alicia a fucking year?!
Alicia: My body is a fucking temple. "It is too beautiful to be violated by someone who does not deserve it."*
Kerry: Well you rest your beautiful little body. I'll be downstairs violoating mine...again.

*

Got to give it up?

Keep On, Keep, Keepin On

Kelis and I go back, way back. I was there when she was that new girl screaming how much she hated you right now on a hook, and I was able to get my hands on her sophomore album that never got released this side of the Atlantic and loved it. Well next week she's back with a brand new album and best believe I'll be all over that one. I already adore the first single, Bossy, an update on Caught Out There for 2006, and hopefully this new track spinning over at beautynthebeat.blogspot.com titled, Lil Star will be released as the next single, cause the album could use a new one. Now this song shines for various reasons, it's a slow moving and heavy number in the vein of Outkast's new Idlewild Blue track showcasing a low registered baritone vocal seldom heard from Kelis. The icing on the cake to it all? Cee-Lo Green who drops in every so often to rhapsodize on the hook and egg Kelis on letting her know that she is a star. Can the man do anything wrong these days? I've been with him ever since the stellar album that is Cee-Lo Green is the Soul Machine was released in 2004, along with a few Goodie Mob tracks, and do you even have to ask if I am feeling the side project that is Gnarls Barkley.

Still not convinced? Check it out for yourself here:

Kelis feat Cee-Lo-Lil Star

Working 9 to 5! Part Two...

And so it begins...

Do you really want to make me cry?

Stop! Slow Down Baby!

WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! What the hell is this and where did it come from?

Out of sheer curiousity I allowed myself to sample the new single on Itunes from Brooke Hogan, About Us. Once again I said sheer curiousity. Now I knew she was trying to become a pop star because I somehow managed to watch an episode or two of that VH1 show about the Hogan family with my bros back in college[funny I can say that now]while drinking of course. First off I was taken aback by the featuring part: Paul Wall. That's right Brooke Hogan feat. Paul Wall. [If Paris can get Fat Joe and Jadakiss I guess Brooke can have Paul Wall.] So I click on the track and these are the lyrics uttered by Brooke during the 30 second clip:


"...Swervin in my E-Class/Sun roof popped/With my Stuna shades on cause the hatas won't stop/NO!/[Chorus]I see your lips moving but I don't hear nothing/Everybody talking like they really know something about us/But they don't know nothing about us"


What? Now the pic for the single's cover is straight up Laguna Beach. Facial shot of a young blond beauty, body in side profile, head facing the camera, lips slightly open, hand on back of head as the wind flows through her hair. I was expecting something of the Stars Are Blind/Don't Let Me Be The Last To Know variety, instead we get what I think is a Scott Storch produced club banger aiming to be played alongside 50 Cent and Chris Brown in clubs and social circles Brooke herself has never set foot in. [and probably never will for that matter.]

This fall is pretty crowded when it comes to new music. For the next month or two we got new cd's coming from Christina Aguilera, Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Fergie, Justin Timberlake, and Janet Jackson. That's a lot of pop music. Will people make space for Brooke Hogan? Will her fans be completely confused/taken aback by the urban vibe she's throwing their way? Who knows? In the meantime go and check out the track for yourself and see if you too aren't completely surprised by what plays back at you when you press play.

It's Indie Rock N'Roll For Me!

2 minutes and eight seconds in is quite possibly the best part of this entire sketch. Trust me.

Indie Clerk Assholes

Who is Scott Storch?

So chances are if you have been feelin the hip-hop and r&b jams playing on the radio, in clubs, and MTV in the past two to three years you probably nodded your head and leaned back to a song or two produced by Scott Storch. Like his hit making counterpart Jazze Pha [he of Ciara fame] Storch likes to shout his name from time to time on his own tracks. [See Chris Brown's Run It and Gimme That] Now putting a face to the name with producers ain't too hard, I know what Timbaland looks like, same goes with Dr. Dre, Dallas Austin, Rodney Jerkins, and even Rick Rubin. But for the life of me I had no idea who this Storch guy was. I had to see what this crazy beatsmith looked like, especially once I reviewed his "list of achievements" and realized many of my 'oh my god that is my jam! Turn that shit up' songs were produced by him. Check it out:

dr dre - still dre
xzibit - x
50 cent feat. olivia - candy shop
50 cent - just a lil bit
terror squad - lean back
lil kim - lighters up
busta rhymes - break ya neck co produced by dr dre, mike elizondo
the roots - dont say nuthin
chris brown - run it
chris brown - gimme that
mario - let me love you
justin timberlake - cry me a river co produced by timbaland
pink - family portrait
Christina Aguilera - Can't Hold Us Down
Christina Aguilera - Fighter
madonna feat. britney spears - me against the music remix
eve feat. gwen stefani - let me blow ya mind co produced by dr dre
beyonce feat. sean paul - baby boy
beyonce - naughty girl
beyonce - me myself and
paris hilton - fighting over me
paris hilton - Turn it up
Jessica Simpson - Fired Up

So who is this guy comin with it across the board with just about everybody in the hip-hop and r&b arena? Look below. I'll give you a hint, it's not the guy in the camoflague t-shirt.



For more on Scott check out the Rolling Stone article whose link is provided below. And see if you can get a feel for why on Christina Aguilera's new album she recorded a track entitled F.U.S.S. said to be directed at the hitmaker who co-wrote and/or produced 7 tracks on her last album Stripped.

Rolling Stone Scott Storch Interview

Quote of the Day!

"...Kanye? Has he ever had a song that wasn't already a song before he did it?...That's a joke, OK? Please tell me you know that was a joke."-Justin Timberlake

Freestyle Fridays!

ROBOT chicken-Looney Tunes 8 Mile Parody

She's Back

So I am guessing this is her new single. I,m not going to lie, I like Stars are Blind for what it is, same goes with Screwed. Sometimes we gotta not be music snobs and realize that everything can't be Ok Computer or even the Immaculate Collection for that matter. The new song is called Fightin Over Me, produced by Jewish wunderkid Scott Scorch [he of Chris Brown fame]which means it succeeds in having a hot beat. [Think 50's P.I.M.P featuring the keys from Kanye's Heard Em' Say] In all honesty the song feels more like Fat Joe and Jadakiss feat. Paris Hilton on the hook. I guess we can come to expect her voice to sound the way it sounds here on a large number of tracks from her upcoming album. [Not quite a whisper, not quite a coo.] It's not bad. It is what it is. And I think I like it.

Check it out for yourself here:

Paris Hilton feat. Fat Joe and Jadakiss-Fightin' Over Me

Big Ups Kylie!

This one has been a long time coming. All summer long many within the blogsphere have been sending praises and well wishes Kylie's way. The woman found out she had breast cancer, had to cancel a tour abruptly because of it, went through chemo, and is now bouncing back as if nothing happened. Selling out shows in minutes, rehearsing for what is sure to be an kick ass show [as noted on one blog the woman is as big as Madonna was in her prime in both Europe and Australia], and still finds time to hit the recording studio to work on a follow up to 2004's sexually charged and bodacious album Body Language. She refuses to slow down and showed that cancer who's boss and for that I must give her a Big Ups!

REEEEWINNND!

In honor of the new Channing Tatum dance vehicle [sure to be this weekend's 'John Tucker Must Die'] and next week's finale of So You Think You Can Dance, let's revisit a post I wrote not too long ago about So You Think You Can Dance, Step Up, and other mindless dance vehicles shall we?


Step Up, Take the Lead, and Save The Last Dance Honey or else they'll be saying 'You Got Served Son!'


One of the best things about not having any obligations to anyone on weeknights this summer [besides catching up and reveling in good times] is catching up on television I did not have time for during my last year of school, and allowing myself to be a loyal fan to quality reality television fluff like FOX's So You Think You Can Dance?

Unlike those who are back for a second helping, I am new to the show, only in its second season at the moment, but I will always have a soft spot in my heart for dance and this show is stellar for the simple fact that it is showcasing to people both young and old a world of dance that is more than that which is being offered daily in music videos on MTV, BET, or VH1. [Not that I am saying I don't like me some music video choreography, cause I do] The contestants dance each week for a loud, uproarious audience, [not an easy thing to do at all] doing something they love, so much so that they tackle styles and genres that were previously foreign to them, in a matter of two to three days without talking back or putting a frown upon their faces. No, everything we see is for the love of the game [and I guess the cash, car, and dancing with Celiene Dion prizes ain't too shabby either.]It's a mode of talent showcase reality that may have some legs as long as there are great dancers in America. And there should be. Plus how long can we subject ourselves to American Idol/America's Got Talent/The One/Rock Star/Master of Champions/Making the Band/etc, etc. At least for the moment, So You Think You Can Dance? feels fresh.

But you know what I won't stand for? Yet another "dance" movie staring some hot piece of eye candy with a plot that at 80-90 minutes seems a little long. Now I ain't gon lie, I can tolerate Save the Last Dance , edited, on TBS for the sheer so far from being oscar caliber it's entertaining to watch factor, and I even checked out Honey due to my own curiousity about it all. [Plus who passes up a movie where Jessica Alba's character relies heavily on the latin boricua heritage of Dark Angel?] And now we got Step Up starring Channing Tatum. Last time I checked, wasn't this dude making me feel unattractive as he towered over me as I walked past an Abercrombie and Fitch? And the movie studio and the folks involved with the flick want you to believe this kid has got game, offering up You Got Served moves and b-boy stances in the commercials, and a scene of Mr. Tatum in a little girl's ballet class just for shits and giggles cause every b-boy has a heart youknowwhatI'msayin?

Maybe I am being cynical. This could turn out to be a quality movie right? And Mr. Tatum may have done all his own stun-, I mean dancing right? Like Beyonce and her 'Sasha' persona, maybe this model[/actor] has some acting chops and an inner Usher Raymond lurking within his soul. Who knows? I won't til it hits TBS, VH1's Movies that Rock, or the CW. [Wouldn't it have been nice to have seen this late night or one weekend afternoon on the soon to be obselete UPN?]So you think you can dance Mr.Tatum? I, along with those who helped craft and put this film together are probably hoping you can dance and get your act on in a suave and convincing manner.

Picture of the Day!

"I got the Magic Stick!"



I haven't seen 50 Cent look this happy in, well...ever. It's kind of scary actually. Makes me feel all uncomfortable and shit. It's all sinister and joyful and I'm used to menacing and/or grimy.

Better Luck Next Time

[File under Headline of the Day also]

usmagazine.com:

"Sean Preston Named Worst Dressed Man in the World"

Wow. That's just sad. But the honor has been bestowed upon the nearly one year old child of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline in the September issue of Esquire magazine. Their reasoning behind it all:

“being the offspring of a hyper fertile backup dancer and prematurely wilted flower is no excuse, but being 12 months almost is…As soon as you gain some dexterity, straighten out your hat.”

Poor kid.