There she is: Nicki Minaj in a new promotional photo that she’s calling “Samurai Nicki.” It’s a great, creative shot. Now if there is a music industry God, or an assistant that handles this aspect of keeping people entertained, it’s part of a campaign for Nicki Minaj’s debut album Pink Friday, tentatively set for release on November 23. Yeah, the album is coming. Unbelievably, Nicki Minaj recently told Honey magazine she really wanted to release Pink Friday next year, but felt pressured to do so by Cash Money ie. Baby.

One of the benefits of being married to an R&B/pop star is the new found access to the family photo stash. Swizz Beatz got his hands on a picture of Alica Keys when she was seventeen years old, looking ready for the high school prom/school photo album, and posted it as his Twitter background, for all to see.

This morning, Wyclef Jean sat down with The Wall Street Journal to talk about his decision to run for president of Haiti. He said he has a strong possibility of accomplishing his goal due to the support he has from the Haitian youth. Surprisingly, the most criticism I’ve heard has come from Haitains that live here and on the celebrity side, Sean Penn and Pras. In the interview, Wyclef addressed both of them.

It’s official, on Saturday, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz exchanged wedding vows on the coast of Southern Italy. The picture up top says it all: it was pretty much the ending of any romance movie. Swizz Beatz (via Twitter) summed up the moment with one word: “Wowwwwwwwwww.”

Miss Info has all the particulars..

This afternoon, Kanye West showed up at Facebook’s headquarters, in Palo Alto, California, and took a few minutes to give the people who keep your friends, and the friends of your friends, friends, connected, acappella verses from songs off his new album, Good Ass Job.

Let’s assume Kanye’s suit is part of the look he’s going for this time around: good ass suit, good ass job, not confirmed, but it makes sense. He performed four songs: “Mama’s Boyfriend,” “Lost in the World,” “Chain Heavy,” and Sweat on My Face.”

This February, Christina Milian gave birth to her daughter, Violet. She was recently spotted in a park working off the weight she gained during the pregnancy. I should say worked it off - past tense. Clearly, there isn’t an ounce that isn’t in the right places. Makes you wonder what The-Dream was thinking when he divorced her.

Oh yeah, it’s back to that story. Last week, Christina Milian filed papers in an Atlanta court asking that a judge throw out their divorce papers.

Hey, look, it’s Keri Hilson in NYC’s Rockefeller Center. I’m not sure why she’s wearing boots, with this lavalike weather we’re in the midst of, but shredded pants are in style. It’s funny that I’m trying to pull a fashion card. Keri Hilson has just been tapped as Avon’s latest spokeswoman. On Wednesday, she visited The Today Show to talk about the new gig.

What’s left to be said about LeBron James that hasn’t been said? The past few days, I’ve been posting my thoughts and reactions @whudat but I’ll summarize: King James gave up his crown. Last night’s one hour special confirmed that LeBron James is not made of the same competitive stuff that fueled Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and certainly not, Kobe Bryant. It ended that debate. Who is currently the best NBA player in basketball? It’s Kobe Bryant. It’s also his crown; Lebron needs to to ship that Fed Ex, asap.

The Evolutionary Process

There is a reason why only a few franchises have consistently won championships; it’s hard work. To win a the highest levels, the focus and intensity it takes for a player to lead his team to that fantasized destination, is a long hard slog.  Yes, LeBron James gave seven years of his basketball life to the Cavaliers to no avail. But Michael Jordan, his supposed idol, had the same kind of dissapointments. While Jordan was busy racking up MVPs and scoring titles, for three consecutive years, during the playoffs, the Chicago Bulls were kicked and shoved around by the Detroit Pistons. It wasn’t until their core players got better, that the team figured out how to beat them. It was all highlight reels and trophies, from then on.

LeBron James says he won’t make his free agency decision until Thursday. That’s the day after his Nike Skills Academy basketball camp in Akron, Ohio concludes. LeBron James was supposed to attend the camp on Tuesday, but ESPN is reporting that he made a surprise appearance this afternoon, wearing,  get this, a NY Yankees cap and a white t-shirt! *Note* That is NOT the picture from this afternoon’s camp.

But it was captured in the quick blur of this video..

These past few weeks, Jada Pinkett-Smith has been on the media/talk show circuit in support of Jaden and The Karate Kid. On Monday, she was on The George Lopez Show. They talked about Jaden’s acting and how she protected him on the set of The Karate Kid. Willow’s mohawk was a part of the conversation too. On an earlier David Letterman appearance, Jada simply said Willow’s hair was completely her thing. Explaining that she and Will allow Willow to be a free spirit. With George Lopez, Jada got into it a little more. If you thought Willow was channelling Rihanna, or by chance, Janelle Monae, you’d be wrong. Jada said Willow’s inspiraton was .. her grandmother.

Last night’s BET Awards was one of the best shows they’ve put on in years. As far as talking points, at the top of the list is Chris Brown crying during “Man in the Mirror,” part of his Michael Jackson tribute performance. Was Chris Brown having a genuine moment? I believe it was genuine, but also planned. One could argue that the lyrics to “Man in the Mirror” were what sproughted his tears, but for me it was just too perfect of a snapshot. Chris Brown was banned from last year’s award show and has apologized for the incident with Rihanna, to no avail? The feeling that he can’t kick: Chris Brown is sorry; sorry that his career has been stuck on the corner of Shyt Street and Stain Avenue, ever since he five pieced her.

Tonight at Madison Square Garden, 60 childhood dreams will be realized at the 2010 NBA draft. For a minute, let’s put aside the chance they have to play basketball on a professional level, and talk about the twin benefit: someone is about to get paid! Financially, becoming a professional athlete forever changes the lifestyle of a few, and gives a brief glimpse of an ‘upgraded’ lifestyle to others. Yes, it could brief. If you don’t manage your money, it will find a home in all kinds of unproductive places: extended family and entourage support, bad investments - both personal and Madoff. It’s not called the NBA lottery for nothing, it’s just like hitting one, with the exact same concerns.

Life check: What did you do last weekend? If you were the, semi-disputed, best rapper alive, your schedule would have included flights to three cities on two continents, and one change of ‘showtime’ clothes between places.

On Friday, Jay-Z was in England at The Isle of Wight festival. In front of a massive crowd, he performed “Run This Town.” From the start, it was obvious Rihanna wasn’t coming out to croon the chorus, but Kanye West made a surprise appearance that drove everyone bonkers.

The Karate Kid put a roundhouse on The A-Team this weekend, taking in $56 million over three days. Will Smith only has two movies with bigger first weekend numbers: Hancock and I Am Legend. Jackie Chan played a part in attracting movie goers; Taraji P. Henson was a bonus for some; but let’s just call Jaden Smith the start of a new generation of Hollywood superstars.

Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro” video debuted yesterday, not surprisingly,  a look around the net finds everyone talking about the hidden messages in the imagery.. “An homage to German moroseness? A tribute to the Illuminati? An attack on the Catholic Church?” Some are simply complaining that it isn’t as fun and colorful as “Telephone.” You know, this is different, not what I’m used to. I hate her now. Regardless of the answers, those are the types of remarks that will never be directed at this year’s big Grammy winner, Taylor Swift. Yes, I’m still in disbelief (and apparently, salty) that Lady Gaga was so overlooked.

Last night, Erykah Badu brought her “Out My Mind, Just in Time” tour to Roseland in NYC. All respects to Erykah Badu, I was really there because of her opening act - Janelle Monae was on the bill. I wanted to witness Janelle Monae live. So far, ArchAndroid is the best album of the year; the fact that no one seems to be buying it is another story. Questlove was the DJ for the night. When I walked in the door, I knew I had entered a true music zone, Questlove was playing the instrumental that Double Trouble rhymes over in Wild Style. You see, I lost 97% of you already. Questlove dubbed his set “A Lesson in Hip-Hop” and he truly dug deep, cueing up endless dusty albums, blended into the songs that sampled them. I got schooled, had no idea the flute in Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin” came from an Egyptian record, but considering it was produced by Timbaland - not surprised.

Talk about one minute you’re here, the next you’re gone. It was just a few hours ago that I was checking on Gary Coleman’s health status. After falling and hitting his head, he was suffering from a brain hemorrhage and was put on life support. I optimistically believed he’d pull through. What a shock to find his spirit decided it had enough and made the trip to Heaven’s Gates. Gary Coleman was 42 years old.

Gary Coleman was beloved on Diff’rent Strokes; correction, Gary Coleman was Diff’rent Strokes. His character, Arnold, with those pudgy cheeks, the lovable smile, who knew what the story lines were about, every episode you’d wait for it.. wait for it..

“What’choo talkin’ bout, Willis?”

50 Cent always finds a way to shock and awe. Most of the time it’s what comes out of his mouth that’s causing a ruckus. This afternoon, it was what his mouth looked like; more precisely - his entire mug.

The picture up top was posted on thisis50.com. He looks like he hasn’t had a meal in weeks. Considering the picture was taken in a kitchen, you’d think somebody would have tossed him a chicken leg, a plate of spaghetti, “Can a brother get a biscuit?”

It’s been three days since Janelle Monae’s ArchAndroid was released; every morning since then I’ve pushed her album to dangerous decibels in my earphones.  I’m fascinated by the level of detail in the music, and ecstatic her creativity was allowed to thrive without restriction. It’s not a collection of 3 minute songs, ArchAndroid is a fun, high concept album, best heard from front to back. In fact, on the first listen, where you’d expect a fade to the next track, instead you’ll find that four songs have seamlessly blended into each other. It’s, pop, dance, jazzy, classical, Broadway theatre, soul and funky, all at once.

And the party don’t stop.. On Monday night, Rihanna performed at London’s O2 arena, for one of eight dates on the UK leg of her “Last Girl on earth” tour. What does she do after an hour and a half of singing and kinda, sort of dancing? More of the same - this time fueled with alcohol; rum to be exact. After her O2 show, Rihanna and a friend were spotted at Mahiki, a Caribbean themed cocktail bar she and many other ‘eclectic’ types frequent whenever they’re in London. Rihanna was reportedly partying until 4 in the morning.

It’s been about a year since Kerry Washington has made news around here, let’s end that streak tonight. Dressed in purple and black, with obligatory star shades, Kerry Washington was spotted, this afternoon, walking into The Ed Sullivan Theater for an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, which will air tonight. This weekend her new movie, Mother and Child, will be in theatres in a limited NY/LA release.

What’s it about? Let’s check the official Sony synopsis..

On April 20, at the age of 98, Civil rights activist and educator, Dorothy Height left this (partially) green globe. She was the president of the National Council of Negro Women for forty years and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. I will not pretend to know the details of her impact in the civil rights movement, but those who fought for our rights as equal citizens of this country deserve to be acknowledged and thanked for their efforts. It’s nearly impossible for anyone of the hip-hop generation - not to mention internet babies - to imagine the life of African-Americans during 1937. That’s when Dorothy Height was 25 years old and just beginning her life as a civil rights activist. Martin Luther King Jr., sparked by Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat, which sparked the Montgomery bus boycott and put the civil rights movement into full gear, wouldn’t happen until, a rounded, 20 years later.

On Tuesday morning I heard about Guru losing his fight against cancer, put a quick R.I.P. on Twitter and mumbled Gangstarr lyrics throughout the day. Man, we lost another one.

In 1989, Guru and DJ Premier formed Gangstarr and from 1990 to 1998, Guru’s monotone flow and DJ Premier’s hard edge jazz/funk/where’d he get that samples blessed hip-hop fan’s ears with music comparable to none - then or now. As a team, they spoke for the art of music, the intention to contribute a unique, honest expression of the streets to the hip-hop archives. Step in the Arena, Daily Operation, Hard to Earn, the singles, “Words I Manifest” and You Know My Steez. That is Gangstarr as I will forever remember them - and how I will forever remember Guru.

Another day morning, another Nicki Minaj mention. Let’s face it, it is impossible to have a legitimate conversation about who’s hot in rap - male or female -  without Nicki Minaj in the mix. While the industry’s eyes were closed, Nicki went from nothing to someone all those industry types now want a piece of. Her army of fans/barbies are passionately in love with her, it should be all good, but some people aren’t thrilled with all the attention Nicki Minaj’s getting.

On Thursday, Jennifer Hudson was the center of attention at a press event at The Glass Houses in New York. For a good reason, she shocked everyone in room with her new slim look. Seven months ago Jennifer Hudson gave birth to her first child, David. Some women hold on to their pregancy weight after giving birth, Jennifer Hudson got back to her normal weight and dropped some more. What’s her secret? Weight Watchers. At the press conference she was introduced as their newest spokesperson. “I am enjoying the weight loss because I’m doing it the right way. I feel empowered with what I’ve learned, everything from portion control to what foods will help keep me satisfied. It’s a lifestyle change, not a diet,” Jennifer said.

Erykah Badu is a funny girl - in a good way. She’s also forgetful. Erykah Badu tagged the video for “Window Seat” - a song off her new album New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh - as being inspired by Matt and Kim. I’ll remind her that in 2006, she said to make it pop in the music industry, artists have to get down with butt naked Wednesdays. A little slap to critique female singers for selling ass and shakes for fame. Carved to the core.. “First you have to get yourself some breast implants. What’s hot is the butt implant. You really want to rock somebody’s world and make it in this business? Get you an ass implant. Get you some calf implants too, if you gonna be wearing them stilettos. You need to get your hair long. If you can.. get your scalp cut off and get you a whole nother scalp. Just be butt naked somewhere. Butt naked with glitter on you and a beeper!”

Not shocked, but I am surprised: Sony has apparently blocked the music videos on Beyonce’s official YouTube channel. The promotional pieces for House of Dereon are still available, but, try to get a third look at “Video Phone” and you get a message from YouTube’s legal department, “This video contains content from Sony Music Entertainment, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds.”

On Saturday, March 20, Serena Williams and Selita Ebanks were guests at Telemundo’s annual Women of Tomorrow bash. The Women of Tomorrow is a program that encourages young at-risk women to live up to their full potential.

Young Iranians used Twitter to dispute election results; charities collected millions for victims of Haiti’s earthquake; President Obama’s address was discussed nationwide; and whenever Steve Jobs takes the stage for a new ‘groundbreaking’ Apple product announcement, it’s a hot topic. With that deep breath, when nothing is going on in the world, Twitter’s trend lists can be pretty ridiculous/juvenile. No intellectual holy water to splash. It’s simply a reflection of the conversations people have on the daily; if Jack Dorsey had never sketched his vision of a SMS social network, people would still make those trend list topics public knowledge.

Tomorrow night we’ll all be watching the Oscars and chatting it up twenty ten style via Twitter. For her role in Precious, Gabourey Sidibe has won an NAACP Image award, an Independent Spirit award and is up for an Oscar in the best actress category, where a win will even put smiles on the losers faces. Even if she does win - which I hope she does - Gabourey is going to have to take on vastly different roles in the future, to prove she can portray more than a school of hard luck teenager.

As part of Let’s Move, the campaign to end child obesity, First Lady Michelle Obama is taking on food deserts. Not dessert - as in chocolate cake and cookies. Desert - as in neighborhoods with any number of fried chicken spots, Chinese restaurants behind bullet proof glass, and corner convenience stores stocked with sodas, chips, ‘cigar wrappers’, and not much else. In short, a food desert is a place strangely absent of fresh fruit and vegetables. We’re talking areas of the country you might live in and if you have ever ventured to ‘the other side of town,’ the differences in food quality is striking. As a result, people who live in food deserts resort to eating food tagged responsible for weight gain and later in life, health problems.

Here’s a little something for your Twitter-side #musicmonday: “Window Seat” off Erykah Badu’s new album “New Amerykah Pt.2: Return of the Ankh”, due March 30. Erykah could have fast-forwarded the second installment connection and titled the album something with more chipotle flavor. On the soundscape, judging by this first song, Erykah has returned to her roots with an earthy, organic vibe that in today’s market can’t simply be tagged neo-soul; now it’s just music worth listening to. I completely loathe the music monday tag - new music officially comes out on Tuesdays - but guess, what? “Window Seat” is going on the Pod, Monday morning.

When Kanye West hooked up with Amber Rose he found the perfect, wacky chick to be his sidekick. Believe it or not, when Kanye’s not yanking microphones from the eager hands of teenage pop stars; crushing the cameras of slow footed paparazzi; or pounding his chest, screaming he’s the best to ever do it besides SC; Kanye West is a relatively quiet person — especially at a high-falutin event like a Paris fashion show. Yesterday, Kanye West and Amber Rose were snapped at the Chanel Haute-Couture show in Paris. It’s fashion week there.
Solo dolo, Kanye’s going to play the straight man. That’s not particularly flick worthy or interesting.

On the heels of the earthquake in Haiti. Within hours Wyclef posted a message on Twitter to send $5 in support to Yele Haiti, his charity organization which was established in 2005. The response was tremendous, since then the organization has collected several million dollars. The climb up the Twitter trends and attention on CNN got the interest of dirt digging site, The Smoking Gun. Last week they posted Yele Haiti’s tax returns and questioned why Yele Haiti expensed a little over $400,000 to companies that Wyclef has a personal interest in. The implication being Wyclef is skimming money from the charity’s fund.

On Saturday, Wyclef returned from Haiti to denounced the accusations. He posted a message on Youtube explaining the money to the production companies were a part of operating expenses. If a concert is held, lights, equipment, etc., must be paid and the charges to Yele Haiti were all below market rates.

Who knew Keke Wyatt was back on the scene? A little [unclever] play on words, Keke Wyatt has a new album coming out on February 23rd titled Who Knew? She’s signed to indie label Shanachie records. The song and video for the first single “Who Knew” is pretty damn good.

It’s been nine years since her debut album, Soul Sista and she hopped back in the booth, looking like she never left and sounding like she never should have vamoosed.

Last night, the Queen Bee, Lil Kim took the stage at M2 Mansion in NYC, which attracted a cast of characters and adoring fans that know and love her from the indelible Bad Boy era. It has to be nice to still have name recognition in the industry — Lil Kim was a big hit on Dancing with the Stars — but for her actual music career to be on a flat line? That’s something else. Her last album The Naked Truth was released nearly five years ago. Wiki word is in 2009 Kim was working with the Trackmasters (Poke and Tone), but the project crumbled over creative differences.

After watching Michelle Obama make a guest appearance on the Food Network’s Iron Chef challenge over the weekend, it occurred to me that the Obama girls haven’t been pictured in awhile. Maybe they found their comfort zone, tucked away with school interests and whatever else White House kids get into. Kick that to the curb.

There are a few words I try not to say, one of them is nigga. Even with the remixed spelling, it just doesn’t feel like a complimentary term; certainly not something I’d call a friend. So on the occasions I do use it, it’s usually in the ‘correct’ context: angry or pointing out the stupidity of folks. The debate over whether to use the word or not, and who gets that ‘privilege’ is time that can be better spent.

How is your day after Christmas going? If you were in NYC you might be recovering from a wild night at M2 Mansion. After the day’s presents were ripped open and chicken, turkey, and pies put down, Nicki Minaj made her way to the cavernous club for a scheduled appearance; Funkmaster Flex was spinning. Needless to say it was rammed. Here’s confirmation by @BIGLOU_SL “Bottles of liquor flowin like h20 in a Marathon shouts” + @DJ triplethreat “M2 is a jungle!!”

It’s the 25th of December! Merry Christmas to all and to all here’s a damn good video. As a late night/early morning present here’s Rihanna’s “Hard” video featuring Young Jeezy. This video is light years ahead of most quote-unquote R&B videos. You’re familiar with Rihanna’s packaging and she continues to keep it at a high level. Sales of Rated R do not reflect the quality of the album. Side effect of that CB scrap. Maybe once this video gets enough play folks will cycle back and pick it up. Look out the window.. it’s Santa!

On December 18, Alicia Keys was on hand at M2 Mansion in NYC for a release party for her stellar new album “The Element of Freedom.” If you don’t have it yet, you need to get off your computer and beat a path to Target/Walmart/Best Buy or pop a tab, click up an online shop and fill a shopping cart. Point is: forget the freebies, good music deserves better dollars (especially these days) and Alicia Keys cooked up something phenomenal for these cold winter months.

On a completely non-musical angle I can tell you listening to the album I wasn’t sure if Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz were still making their lo-pro relationship happen. Oh sure, throughout the album there is the sound and feel of a woman smiling in the glow of a new love, but who that love is I felt was up for question.

Is there any reason why president’s Weekly Addresses aren’t broadcast on TV stations every Saturday? At five minutes, it seems like a no-brainer way to keep people informed of the state of the nation. This idea was relevant for George Bush’s presidency, especially during the Iraq war, and boomerangs to the present with Barack Obama and the economy being devastated by Wall Street’s financial crisis. I do know the answer to my question, but explaining it will lead into a four page Neil Postman discourse, cross tracks to a rant about rats wearing $300 ties, and just overall shenanigans.

- posted by Stylish1 via Seventh Square

Check out these sneak pics from Beyonce’s next music video, “Video Phone.” Lady Gaga will make an appearance in the video which was directed by Hype Williams and shot last weekend in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It was a closed set with no cameras or.. video phones.. allowed. Life and Style magazine is reporting that the video is a fashion bonanza: Beyonce wears a feathered dress and Lady Gaga something wild. In their words, the fashion is “sick and insane.”

On February 16, Charla Nash drove to a friend’s house in Connecticut for what she thought would be an easy situation to solve. Sandra Herold called her for help with her chimpanzee that was running wild. When Charla got out of the car she found herself in front of an enraged - soon to be discovered -, drugged chimp that literally ripped her face off.
Charla Nash survived the horrifying attack and this afternoon Oprah was able to convince her that people want to see the damage the chimp did to her.

By now, it’s likely you’ve heard the ins and outs of this story. Twitter version: Shaq’s wife Shaunie is about to slice half. Let me fill some gaps. After separating in 2007, early this year, Shaq and Shaunie reconciled. Shaq looked happy. Shaunie seemed content. Late last week that glow of love was blown away when a leaked email exchange between Shaq and Gilbert Arenas’s fiance and mother of his three kids, Laura Govan, hit the internet.

With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, there was a New Year’s Eve vibe to it: enthusiastic party people at every square foot of club/lounge space in the city - your town included. My Saw inspired, blood splattered, psycho get-up isn’t on record; that’s a whole nother story. But representing the homeplate were the folks at NY Perks in Brooklyn: lots of colorful getups and characters + great flicks by alltheparties.com.

This coming Friday, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire will finally make its limited public debut in theaters. With all the positive press this movie has generated let’s hope it’s released in your city. Last Wednesday, movie critics and lucky previewers continued to shower praise and approval at the Film Independent screening at The Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California.

In New York City, especially during the summer months, there are street performers at nearly every major crossroad. If you live in New York, you may have walked past Universal artist Melanie Fiona, singing for the love and spare change, and not even realized it. [Okay, maybe not for the change.] With her debut album The Bridge reset for November 10, Melanie Fiona got the idea to have a few talented street musicians interpret instrumentals of her songs as she laid on the vocals for some pre-album goodness. Take a listen..

Rihanna is in fashion paradise while attending Paris fashion Week. She has been spotted at almost every main show, and has been seen wearing some interesting outfits. Up top, she’s at the Hussein Chalayan show. Which one of these outfits do you like the best?

Attention all Hip-Hop moguls and top level music company executives! Whenever people complain about the lack of better quality music, you have to do the unimaginable - go to work. Dig in the trenches and find a jewel that fills the real need for fresh faces, new stories, and divergent perspectives needed to keep this thing of ours alive.

I realize you were co-opted by the machine a long time ago and corporate needs and the distractions that a luxurious life provides (and the need to maintain that on a personal level) dominates the creative/unfamiliar stretching that would otherwise give life to the music. But like plaque silently building up in the arteries of a person that looks healthy enough, one day you’ll turn around and it’ll be flat on its face. Guess it’s too late for those jumping jacks.

Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian were married over the weekend.. or were they? Word is it was a staged ceremony for the new season debut of Keeping Up with the Kardashians airing in December. Family members deny Khloe is pregnant. The official line is Lamar and Khloe are in love and wanted to settle down asap. Lamar Odom fast tracked the wedding before NBA training camp starts in a few weeks.

So where is the staging? It’s said the E! channel told Lamar and Khloe they would pay for the million dollar wedding if they held it this past Sunday. If you thought it was crazy Lamar Odom would decide, after a month, he met his happily ever after chick, you’ll be happy to know he wanted a prenup just in case he wakes up from his Hangover.

Did somebody say Ashanti? Yeah, I read the comments and conveniently she is in the news. On Thursday, Ashanti was on CBS’s Early Show to talk about the 70th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. Later in the day she was at the Empire State Building where the picture up top was taken. How is she qualified? This April, Ashanti took on the starring role of Dorothy in the Broadway musical The Wiz, the African-American remix of Frank Baum’s classic. In the 70s, Stephanie Mills (the play) and Diana Ross (the movie) both made The Wiz a success and generally received good reviews. According to the NY Times, Ashanti is less convincing..

Ciara’s Fantasy Ride was released in May of this year. Blame it on lukewarm singles, the out of character Vibe photo shoot, or simply disinterest, it was an unexpected sales flop. A Fantasy with more meat and heat would have kept her busy for a year or more. Not this time, for Ciara, it’s back to the studio: the booth and dance. She can offer a couple more servings before anyone can stick a fork in her career. Ciara is currently in Los Angeles working on a few projects, but there is always time to shop at Mac Cosmetics.

Ciara is currently in Los Angeles working on a few projects, but there is always time to shop at Mac Cosmetics. Makes for a nice paparazzi moment too.

Ok, I’ll defuse this right up front, Eve and Mini-Me are NOT a couple. Thought I’d try my hand at the wild rumor thing. I think I’m supposed to just say it as fact and let you the viewer/reader figure it out for yourself. The tamed pitbull in a skirt and Verne Troyer were guests at the Cinema Against AIDS event in Toronto, Canada.

While Jay-Z’s star shines brighter and wider year after year, deep within my soul - when BP3’s on pause - I see this and wonder, “Where and what’s up with Dame Dash?” Occasionally you’ll see him on a random YouTube video that bubbles to the top of your playlist. I’ll say it, those things are hard to watch. There’s the guy that used to brag about poppin tags daily, never wearing the same pair of sneakers twice, reduced to keeping it basic - “white tee for me.” Hey, they do come 3 to a $7.99 pack. Easy to keep fresh.
I joke, but it’s not funny. This is the man who served his opinions with big scoops of confidence and bravado, at ear deafening levels, mostly fighting for his crew. No matter what the problems were between Dame Dash and Jay-Z over the years, there is no doubt he lived and breathed Roc-A-Fella.

So he gets kicked off Fantasy island. Is the black list so thick he can’t make any moves?

This morning, Serena Williams and Kanye West are both at the top of the news for losing their cool in big moments. Let’s talk Serena Williams here. On Saturday, she participated in the U.S. Open semi-final against Kim Clijsters. When serving during a potential match set, Serena Williams was called for a double fault. After both calls, Serena yelled at the female line judge and shook her racket in her direction. Saying, “I swear to God, I’m fuckin’ takin’ this ball and shovin’ it down your fuckin’ throat… I swear to God.” 

Because of an earlier warning for breaking her racket in frustration, Serena Williams was given a point penalty which cost her the match.

James “Jimmy” Groves was one of two winners of the recent $336 million Mega Millions lottery. He lives in the projects in Harlem and works as a laborer at Madison Square Garden. Not exactly a high paying job, Jimmy had just missed a credit card payment, which could explain why he was in a liquor store when he decided to try his luck at Mega Millions with the last dollar in his pocket. You can only imagine the excitement he felt when his numbers floated to the top of that Mega Millions bowl. Word is he hasn’t shown up for that MSG job ever since.

That’s not some Googled up picture of Wesley Snipes in an easier, happier moment of a free working man. It was snapped yesterday at the 66th Venice International Film Festival in Venice, Italy. Wesley Snipes was on hand for a screening and promotional duties related to his starring role in the upcoming movie, Brooklyn’s Finest. A cops and crooks story directed by Antonie Fuqua - think, Denzel in Training Day or cycle back to August, I wrote something on it then.
Ethan Hawke reprises a cop role, along with Richard Gere. Don Cheadle and Wesley Snipes are.. well, you can guess.

The movie is set for a limited release in the US on November 27. Those lucky enough to have sneak previewed it have raved and thumbed up like the Fonz.

When the NBA season begins there will be a lot of new faces in 28 spaces. One we haven’t seen on a regular basis is the Houston Rocket’s shooting guard Tracy McGrady. Tracy is engaged in a furious rehabilitation program to prove to his critics and fans that he can and will put up 30 points a night when he returns. With that kind of prediction someone might need to print up a third Superman t-shirt; although it might not be necessary. Tracy McGrady has a super cause of his own. This season he changed his number from 1 to 3 to bring attention to refugees in Darfur; he met them on a trip to the region and a one hour film called 3 Points was released on September 1st to share his experience.

Over the years, I’ve been writing off and on about Darfur, 3 Points really hits home on a deep level, as it’s filmed from a perspective that must of would have. We see Tracy McGrady not sure about what to expect, nervous about the food, wondering about security, and desperate for bug repellent. When he finally gets to the camp and meets the refugees, McGrady immediately thinks a soccer field or a swimming pool is what they need. He finds their needs are much richer.

Yesterday I heard some rumblings about a video showing Maia Campbell prostituting herself. I wasn’t able to check the video out, but I just took a look and sure enough it is Maia Campbell, but… I don’t see any prostituting going on. Over the years there have been rumors about Maia Campbell having mental issues. Some say she’s bipolar others say she’s schizophrenic. Her mother, the late author Bebe Moore Campbell wrote a book called 72 Hour Hold that tells the ‘fictional’ story of a mother dealing with a daughter who is bipolar and refuses treatment.

As quoted..

On Monday, Whitney Houston performed for Good Morning America in Central Park. I woke up this morning to stories shouting their critiques of the performance “Whitney Houston’s voice cracks” (No pun intended.) Watching the video it’s clear her voice is not in the best shape. Not sure if it will ever be. Whitney Houston offered an apology to disappointed fans, explaining that her throat was sore after chatting it up with Oprah in a taped interview the day before the Good Morning America performance. That must be some kind of interview: big laughs, shouting and snortin, ‘girllll,’ hallelujah!

Whether you like it or not, 80’s fashions are back and celebs can’t get enough of the decade inspired trends. One trend that was once popular in the 80’s, are acid wash jeans. There have been many versions of these jeans seen out in stores lately. This trend is a risky one, because this style of jean does not look good on everyone.

With all the buzz surrounding Drake and his brilliant mic skills,  I have never posted anything about him. Maybe it’s because I heard some of his early music. While impressive, I also caught a few light references to drugs and guns, and instantly slotted him in the young rappers talking about crap they know nothing about and have never done file. In other words: rapping for dollars. In true words: the biggest life sucking force of artistry.

So it’s a real good look to see Drake cutting through the easy, cheesy route, and, going forward, choosing to rap about what’s true to his life.
Drake revealed this in a recent interview with MTV Raw. In this clip he talks about his lyrical evolution, capping it with an example of how he will never have a woman just throw it in the bag.

When Lebron James walked off the court after the Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Orlando Magic in last season’s Eastern Conference finals, it was thought to be an in the moment reaction; something he wouldn’t do again. Clicking through ESPN today, I see he’s saying otherwise. While in Chicago, on August 11, to promote his movie “More Than a Game,” Lebron defended his reaction, saying no one shakes hands after a loss.

“As far as shaking hands, it’s something that is not done in the NBA. If it was something like tennis, after tennis, you play, you win, you lose, you go to the center and shake hands, it happens every game in tennis.”

Over the weekend I was two fingers close to Tweeting about the helicopter and plane crash over the Hudson River. That’s where those kinds of stories end up now. That helicopter was part of a fleet operated by Liberty Helicopters. If you recall, last week I posted a story about Rihanna using their services to fly back from the Hamptons. Well, a few minutes ago I got a call from Rihanna’s management, informing me that she actually used Zip Aviation to make the trip. They felt it was important that Rihanna not be connected with the tragedy in any way. Correction made. I forgot to ask how much the flight cost. Let’s go with more than zero, less than you’d be willing/able to pay.

Last night, the celebs and their personal Entourages stepped out to The Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles for the red carpet premiere of “G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra.” Consider this yellow light, the studio execs didn’t allow any sneak previews/reviews of the film. That’s usually a sign that the movie is the opposite of fantastic and they’re attempting to avoid drying up their first weekend squeeze of the box office. Oddly enough, I’ve avoided any reviews, even Twitter comments, about the movie for the same reason: I don’t want to know anything ruining the summer action flick experience before sitting down with something hot buttered/salted and a quart of sweet, icy, liquid diabetes. Yes, large does equals XXL and the sugar high fills any blind spots in the plotline. Honesty, I stash a human-sized drink in a pocket or bag.

Over the weekend, Rihanna ducked the rain sprinkling NYC by taking a trip to the Hamptons. Yesterday she was spotted making her way back to the bricks, with the help from Liberty Helicopters. For the hedge fund/Wall Street types, flying over the heads of the regular folk, as they curse traffic and the four-hour drive on the Long Island Expressway, is the only way they’d ever make the trip.

Chris Brown might not be welcome at BET Award shows but he received a very, warm welcome from everyone at NYC’s Rucker Park. Chris Brown took a second to strike a pose with two of NYC’s finest before walking on the court. They will probably want copies of that for themselves.

Yes, I’m on my new/old ish: putting unfamiliar faces in upfront places. This one would be Kristinia DeBarge. As the name suggests, she’s kin to the royal DeBarge family. James DeBarge to be exact. Sing along .. Kristinia was in NYC this afternoon to help Kimora Lee with the launch of Baby Phat’s Pure Cat sneakers. The family must like friendly competition, they look an awful lot like The Simmons sisters Pastry joints.

If you are not watching Stephon Marbury destroy what’s left of his career, really what are you doing? Short story shorter: yesterday afternoon, Stephon Marbury popped up on Justin.tv, shirtless and mouthing off about everything on his dome.
When he’s not talking, he plays random songs as he drifts into radio DJ mode, “Ladies if you want to hear Drake, press 1.” At one point he broke down and started crying. When he went to sleep, he kept the cam running, like a bedtime Truman Show cam.

Last week during President Obama’s press conference on health care, on the Tweet side, I pretty much predicted the firestorm that’s been blazing ever since he ‘stupidly’ sparked it with his comments regarding Henry Louis Gate’s arrest. Fifty-five minutes of back and forth on how to reshape health care and two seconds after the media decided to ignore all of it to embrace a virtually, throwaway remark. Terrorists, sex scandals, and angry black men are the easiest things to make into headline news. Hah. Yes, I’m done ranting..

No matter what your opinion is about the current state of music, without fail, every year there are a few releases that will meet the standards that sum up your definition of “real music.” Whether hip-hop or otherwise. For the past two years I’ve been talking up Ledisi as a voice that needs to be heard. Thanks to my tireless efforts, in 2008 she was nominated for best new artist and best R&B album Grammys. *I’m kidding.. about being responsible, not the noms.* On August 18, Ledisi will offer up her fourth album to the world Turn Me Loose.  As Ledisi explores different sounds and continues to “tell everything, which is her usual m.o.,” there is the hope that she breaks through to a wider audience this time around.

Last night, there was sort of a big deal going on at the Lincoln Center. After years of speculation, rumors, and unfinished leaked songs, Whitney Houston, Clive Davis and her fam were on hand to debut her new album I Look To You, due September 1. The album took three years of tweaking, Clive Davis explained it from an artist’s point of view, “You have to wait for great songs to show up.”

Those lucky enough to have heard the album say it will prove beyond a doubt that Whitney Houston is back.

Legendary news anchor Walter Cronkite died today. The cause of death was listed as cerebral vascular disease. He was 92. In an era long before Tweets and blogs, Youtube and podcasts, Walter Cronkite was considered to be America’s most rusted source of news. He was the shining example of what a news anchor should be and inspired a generation of reporters. Via Twitter, NBC’s Ann Curry was quick to supply me with quotable material..“Watching Walter Cronkite cover Vietnam and the Civil Rights movement is why I became a journalist. Cronkite’s legacy includes his worry that journalism has become too soft, too vulnerable to financial interests.”

Early this year, Kelly Rowland smartened up and dumped Matthew Knowles to find someone interested in nourishing her solo career ambitions. Where has that gotten her so far? Kelly is currently co-hosting Bravo’s The Fashion Show and continues to perform in Europe. In an interview about tonight’s season finale of The Fashion Show Kelly was asked to clear up a rumor about a Destiny’s Child reunion album in the works. Not for nostalgia’s sake, really because they owe one more album to Sony records.

Last night many celebrities helped Louis Vuitton celebrate The 40th Anniversary Of The Lunar Landing at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Of the celebrity in attendance singer/model Cassie was there. She wore a dress that has a sheer top, and a bubble hem skirt.

You’ve seen Melanie Fiona at a few events; heard her single. Inquisitive minds might ask, what’s up with the album? Melanie Fiona’s debut silvery disc/download The Bridge is slated for release on Sept. 22. Last year, while on tour with Kanye West, Melanie Fiona was introduced to Questlove. She let him know that if she ever made a mixtape as a teaser/taster for her album, she wanted him to be the wizard behind the mixing board. Questlove said, “fa sho.” Of course, Questlove’s specialty is live music. So he invited Melanie Fiona into his new spot at NBC studios to record live versions of some well known songs, new and old. Think Sam Cooke’s “Cupid.” Think Kanye West’s “Heartless,” minus the Antares audio.

The quickest way to put a smile on a person’s face is to show them a baby doing grown up things. So it’s a no brainer that Evian Water’s latest commercial featuring babies on roller skates, spinning on their heads like the Illseeds of the Rock Steady Crew is a certified triple platinum viral hit.

The second biggest fallout from the BET awards (the first being BET’s off-key MJ tribute,) was Chris Brown being pushed out of the night’s events by Jay-Z. You know the story - “Chris Brown Cut from BET Awards by the Ultimate Hustlers.” Even though it was one night, Chris Brown’s performance had the potential to wave off some of the negative vibes surrounding him since he used Rihanna’s head like a pinata.

Dame Dash, who found out the hard way about Jay-Z’s hustle game, was asked what he thought about Chris Brown getting chopped: “He’s 17 20”

The Essence music festival was in New Orleans this weekend. On July 4th, a few folks headed over to the newest Carol’s Daughter Pop Up store on Conti street in the French Quarter. That’s Lisa Price up top. If you didn’t know, didn’t guess, she’s the founder of Carol’s Daughter. I had her autobiography “Success Never Smelled So Sweet” in my hands last week, but there are only so many words I can read per day: mentally bookmarked it for a later date.

Last month, 50 Cent was at Avenue in NY to debut his new fragrance “Power by 50 Cent.” Videogames, movies, vitamin enriched waters, clothing, it was the kind of brand extension gig I’ve come to expect from him. Unexpectedly, he has also restored my faith in hip-hop - at minimum it’s new music I can listen to in a loop. With Jay-Z’s “D.O.A.” leading the fight against the candy ass, mindless, meaningless, and downright fraudulent place hip-hop has been stuck in for a good minute, 50 Cent’s latest ‘free’ mixtapes War Angel and Forever King continue to speak on the subject.. Man, I can’t fit in with these n*ggas, man. N*ggas got mohawks.. and wearing skinny jeans, man. I think these n*ggas is..” You know the rest.

This afternoon, Sarah Palin announced that she will retire as the Governor of Alaska at the end of July. The current Lt. Governor Sean Parnell will officially take over at Alaska’s Governor’s Picnic on July 26. During the press conference in front of her home in Wasilla, Sarah Palin said since she wasn’t running for re-election she had no interest in ‘lame duck’ politics and would find another way to make positive changes for the people of Alaska.

Like Usher, Chris Brown was also a no show at the BET Awards. Oh, he was ready to put on a fantastic Michael Jackson tribute, but at the last minute, Chris was axed from the show. Rumors have it that both Al Sharpton and Jay-Z weren’t happy with Chris Brown being part of the show. It’s said that Jay-Z told BET execs that he and Beyonce would not perform if Chris Brown was on the stage. And Al Sharpton made such a ruckus to BET executives that they gave in, telling Chris to.. beat it.

On Friday, BET President Debra Lee announced that Usher and Justin Timberlake would be last minute additions to the BET Awards/Michael Jackson tribute. Obviously that didn’t happen. Justin Timberlake didn’t give an explanation, but Usher issued a statement explaining that he was overseas and couldn’t make it to the awards in time.

The 2009 BET Awards airing this Sunday was already going to be a big show: Jay-Z, Beyonce, Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Maxwell and The-Dream are all set to take the stage. Michael Jackson’s passing will definitely take the energy to another level. As we speak, Jay-Z and Beyonce are preparing a Michael Jackson tribute. Expect—the unexpected, as all the big names in music clamor to join the celebration. Jamie Foxx is hosting the show. Yesterday at a BET press session, Jamie Foxx stopped to talk with Sam Sylk about the plans for the show: lots of MJ remixes, dancing, just a positive send off to honor a legendary, influential King of the game.

Michelle Obama was happy during Barack Obama’s run for president. When they weren’t together on the campaign trail, Michelle would occasionally speak at another event in the state; holding it down and promoting the cause for Change. Now that Barack Obama is the Commander in Chief, The Washington Post is reporting that Michelle Obama is wondering what exactly she’s supposed to do with this First Lady thing ..

The wave of reflections about Michael Jackson’s passing is likely to shut down the internet: Google news stories in the upper thousands; Twitter admins on server alert. Lenny Kravitz broke Twitter’s 140 character limit to reflect on Michael Jackson’s legacy in this very thoughtful multi-part Tweet I recombine for your reading pleasure..

Where were you when you heard Michael Jackson died? I was at NYC’s J&R Music World, deciding if The International was worth a Blu-Ray package and overheard a conversation between two women.. “Michael Jackson died!” “No he didn’t, he’s in a coma.” “They said he died. It’s on the news.” One of them looks at me, because I’ve got the who, what are y’all talking about look on my face. I was fresh off the 9 - 5 and hadn’t heard anything about Michael Jackson. Google and Twitter were out of sight, out of mind, which means no info.

As great as the 2009 NBA season was, next season it’s going to be even better. The sportswire is smoldering with news that The Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns have agreed to play their part in my prediction by agreeing to trade Shaquille O’Neal to the Cavaliers for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic. Short story: Shaq will be highly motivated to provide yet another young guard with a piece of NBA jewelry. Last season, Shaq proved that when healthy, he can still pull down a few 20-10’s. In fact, he had one 45 point explosion. That kind of work won’t be necessary, though. Much like his run with Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat, Shaq will be the brick wall down low, leaving Lebron James to dominate the game. Best part: he won’t have to ask for the ball. Lebron will be more than willing to put it in his hands.

Am I still alive? ↔ No update in 8 days. Yes, but Ed McMahon isn’t. Johnny Carson’s former Tonight Show sidekick passed away on Tuesday morning from what his publicist labeled ‘various health problems.’ I like to think of ‘various health problems’ as how we will all leave this life someday. You know, barring a tragic accident like a wheel popping off your Power to the Green Prius, standing in the blast radius of a Jihadist fresh from a Guantanamo vacation, or having a date get all creepy and Hostelish on you.  Oh yeah, Ed McMahon was 86-years-old.

On Sunday, Erykah Badu took the stage at the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, England. Sunday marked the end of performances in the four day music event which saw Bruce Springsteen, the Beastie Boys, Nine Inch Nails, Al Green, Snoop Dogg, Santigold, Public Enemy, Kate Perry and a host of eclectic jazz, African, hip-hop and rock acts entertain concert goers.

These days, for the most part, when I hear music I don’t like, I simply pass it by. This one (pun almost intended) I couldn’t pass up. A new Mary J. Blige track called “The One” leaked to these internets recently and, shock and horror, Mary is using Auto-Tune. Admittedly, it is used sparingly — on the chorus and certain phrases — but its use is so light, she could have done without it. In the song Mary talks about people having ‘‘nothing on her.” You know, her swag/style is singular - yet, to make this point she decided to do what every other wannabe, can’t hold a note singer is doing to fake the funk.

On my way out the door for an early hands-on of the Palm Pre, but a quick look at the ‘news’ and what’s this? In a pre-Blueprint 3 move, Jay-Z is ripping all the Auto-Tune rappers for sad sacking the music.
Nothing groundbreaking, more like it had to be said. Sorta like Moses with them Commandments. You know how Jay-Z shut down the basketball jersey craze by suggesting they were for kids, we’ll see if computer plugins are now substituted for vocal lessons.

Who knew Zoe Kravitz was continuing the family business? Last night in NYC, Zoe Kravitz took the stage at the Highline Ballroom as the lead vocalist of her rock band Elevator Fight. They were the opening act for The Roots. A large show of hands say this wasn’t just banging on pots and pans, sprinkled with unintelligible screaming, they did a fantastic job. I haven’t heard any of their offerings in a full on Ultimate Ear session - not even sure if album/EP length material exists - but Zoe defines Elevator Fight’s sound as ‘concentrated liquid rage.’

Last night, celebs and those orbiting their stars, were on hand at The Wiltern in Los Angeles for the launch of DJ Hero. Anyone that had difficulty doing the whole pretending to be a rock star thing, can now simulate the skills of DMC Champs like The X-Ecutioners, Invisibl Skratch Piklz, or DJ Octo Arms. ← That’s a made up name, but aspiring turntabalists feel free to thief.

Go ahead, you explain this one to me. That’s Halle Berry, Gabriel Aubry, and their kid, last Sunday at the Topanga Days County Fair in Topanga, California. Six days later (last night,) Halle Berry was honored with Spike TV’s Decade of Hotness award. Jamie Foxx presented Halle Berry with the - let’s admit it - meaningless award. What happened next can only be explained, jaw dropped, with pictures..

If you were going to a party this weekend, last night was the night to do so. Tyrese and Toni Braxton were among many people celebrating Memorial Day — Sunday night style — at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. Tyrese must have had one hand on a drink and his Blackberry/iPhone in the other. Only one hand necessary for him to caption the picture up top.. “Poppin with Sexy Ass Toni Braxton!.. Damn I Love my life!.. She has unbroken my heart!.. LoL!..”

With people worldwide laughing and pointing fingers at Charles Hamilton getting his chin checked, the people over at Hood News decided to bring their cameras back in focus to let everyone know two things: Briana is his girlfriend and they made up shortly after the clip faded to black. Also, Charles found his canine tooth. I’m sorry, that joke was *right there*

What’s more humiliating for Charles Hamilton? While wearing pink accessories, a chick who doesn’t rap (‘I write poetry’,) beats him in a freestyle or the same female gives him a five finger biscuit to the face? Either way it’s not a story he’ll want to tell. In this clip, Charles Hamilton and “Briana” are talking on the street. Even though it’s midstream, by the conversation it’s clear they recently had a little tumble in the sheets, which also has given birth to the one-sided idea that they now have a budding relationship. Ah, young love.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith were guests at a Turner broadcasting industry event last night, held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. Be honest, outside of the Obamas, they are easily the best looking black celebrity couple on the map. You know, it’s that positive glow. On the action/cut side aka how they eat for a living, Jada will executive produce/star in the hospital drama Hawthorne on TNT premiering June 16. Jada plays Christian Hawthorne, the Chief Nursing Officer at Richmond Trinity Hospital. Get your sneak peek on over there.