Saturday, November 29, 2008

RIHANNA x GUCCI - TATTOO HEART COLLECTION








Rihanna and Gucci Creative Director Frida Giannini will light the Unicef Snowflake at the Grand Army Plaza in New York City. 4th annual Gucci Campaign to Benefit Unicef which continues to support education, healthcare, protection and clean water programs for orphans and children affected by HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. For this year’s initiative, Creative Director Frida Giannini has designed a special white version of the TATTOO HEART Collection featuring a stylized heart tattoo along with iconic Gucci symbols on a wide range of accessories. Gucci will donate 25 percent of sales from this dedicated collection in Gucci stores in over 20 countries from November 19, 2008 through January 31, 2009.

I AM KING MINI MOVIE

KANYE WEST - GRADUATION

“The hood love to listen to Jeezy and Weezy, and oh yeah Yeezy; I did it for the Glory.”

What’s left to do when your debut album was a breakthrough classic and your sophomore album avoids the slump to receive even more praise? Well, you graduate to the next level of course. Yet with a two year gap that occurred for Graduation to be complete, Kanye West shows it wasn’t as simple as passing classes and grabbing that diploma. And even with a shorter track list this time around (the first two were 21 tracks), Graduation packs a piercing punch.

With a hollowing welcome, “Good Morning” gives us the tantalizing new sounds that Ye’ has honed as of late. His lyrics give an outlook of a perspective that reminisces of the past and fantasizes of the future, De Lorean included (a tie to his Marty McFly lyrics in “Southside”). And if his added tagline from “The Ruler’s Back” doesn’t raise an eyebrow, you may need to dig into your iPod and throw it on.

The boastful accolades from Kanye didn’t go anywhere on tracks like “Champion” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.” On the former, he raps “Last week I paid a visit to the institute, they got the Dropout keeping kids in the school” to vocalists singing “This is a story of a Champion.” For the latter and his first single, his arrogance warrants a hail mary, rapping “So if the Devil wear prada Adam n’ Eve wear nada I’m in between but way more fresher, with way less effort.”

DJ Toomp helped on the drums with “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” but it didn’t stop there. Kanye collaborated with Toomp as well on the bass pounding “Good Life,” with a chorus from the most popular fake voice on radio, T-Pain. If the title of this song doesn’t emulate Kanye’s lyrics better than any other track he’s done (think of it as Touch The Sky 1.5), and likewise doesn’t make you throw your hands up in the air (go ahead, wave em’ like you just don’t care), I digress.

Kanye’s sampling of Daft Punk’s synthpop-sound for his second single “Stronger” provides a more “futuristic” amplitude to his crateful of soul records. This same structural sound is seamlessly apparent in a few other tracks such as “Flashing Lights,” a string-swaying melody featuring Dwele on the vocals. In it Kanye paints a troubling picture of the girl that still haunts. Also on “I Wonder,” Mr. West pronounces his intimate thoughts through a synth-based beat, piano added for a more subtle approach.

If there was one signature detail Graduation couldn’t exist without, it would be that chipmunk sound we’ve grown to love. Kanye brings it back for us on “The Glory,” a catchy and soulful track that Common described it as “a raw street joint” when it was originally for his album. Kanye comes correct on the lyrics and with wordplay so confidently witty, he raps:

“While ya’ll was in limbo, I raised the bar up, I touched on everything, married to the game roc-a chain still the wedding ring you bridesmaids catch the garter. On nights when Ye’ romanced, camera’s flashed so much, that I gotta do that Yayo dance.”

The two collaborations found on the album, one highly anticipated, the other quite surprising, shine a rare light of disappointment for Graduation. Chris Martin’s chorus on “Homecoming” is inviting, but one cannot deny history. Kanye’s lyrics for this track match exactly to an unreleased track he did with John Legend called “Home” a few years back. Needless to say, both beats are immensely gratifying to hear, but it seems Legend’s soulful voice one-ups Martin’s mellow-toned vocals. And then on “Barry Bonds,” Lil’ Wayne spits a verse that has many scratching their heads. His word association vaguely etches an attempt, casting him as lazy.

If the comical title of “Drunk and Hot Girls” isn’t confusing enough on a Kanye West album, the lyrics emphasize an angry and frustrated man at the bar, trying to get laid. Now, it would make sense if this was maybe a fews lines on a track, but it’s the entire purpose of the song. And Mos Def singing? Stick with rapping, or going on the Dave Chappelle show (looks like you have no choice).

Ye’s enlightening tracks take a more mature stance to an astonishing career he’s had thus far. “Everything I Am” features scratches from the great DJ Premier with Kanye rapping about the naysayers who’ve got it all wrong. And paying homage to the ruler himself, Mr. West wraps up the album with “Big Brother” for president Carter. With an insightful hook, Kanye gets his chance to explain certain instances that happened in the past, and the admiration that has built up over time for Jay-Z. Forget the claims of a conscious rapper; Kanye’s lyrics on this track are just real talk.

Time and critics will decide if this album joins the same pantheon as his first two. The high standards and likewise anticipation may have killed off a few listeners, but Kanye knows this first hand; you can’t please everyone, especially to the fullest extent. And anyways, now that he has graduated, I guess he’s gonna have to go get that Good Ass Job.

PS: Let’s keep Hip-Hop alive, September 11th.

by Edwin Ortiz

Friday, November 28, 2008

Jamie Foxx’s new video “Just Like Me,” featuring T.I



Directed by famed movie director Brett Ratner, the video will premiered earlier this week.

With a modern day take of “anything you can do, I can do better,” Foxx and actress Taraji P. Henson battle in a series of funny challenges from Guitar Hero to a stare down contest, for Foxx to eventually find out that she’s just like him when it comes to competition.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

CHRIS BROWN TALKS NEW ALBUM


Chris Brown began talking about his new album and revealed that the title of his third studio album will be, Graffiti.

The “Forever” singer says Madonna and Coldplay are on his short list of dream collaborations for his new LP, the follow-up to 2007’s Exclusive, due out next year.

Speaking from the red carpet at the American Music Awards, the platinum-selling R&B star said:

“It’s going to be my stepping stone from Chris Brown to superstar.”

I’m interested to see what producers Chris Brown is going to collaborate with this time around. Even though I thought that Exclusive was cool for his second effort, production-wise, Chris was a little all over the place. I hope this time the sound for the album is a little more focused.

CIARA’S FANTASY RIDE GETS SHELVED?


It seems as though Ciara’s new album, Fantasy Ride which has changed release dates so many times that I haven’t been able to keep up, is going to be up for being shelved by Jive Records. The album was again slated for release for Spring 2009 (with no tentative release date!), even with Ciara’s new video for the first single, “Go Girl!” being out already and more than several tracks leaking.

But sources have been saying that the album may not even see the light of day. With pending lawsuits, multiple tracks leaking and a single that is tanking, even with high-profile features like T-Pain and the awesome Melina-directed video, it seems as though Fantasy Ride, originally Ciara’s first concept album, has run into a lot of problems. It’s been rumored that the whole project is to be scrapped and that Ciara will head back into the studio to work on a completely new package.

Seems like a headache, and a lot of money going down the tube…

BLACK HISTORY SPOTLIGHT: DR. ALEXA CANADY


DR. ALEXA I. CANADY (1950-) is the first black female neurosurgeon.

Canady was born November 7, 1950, to Clinton and Elizabeth Canady. Her father was a dentist, and her mother served as president of Delta Sigma Theta sorority, in addition to other civic affairs. The family lived just outside Lansing, Michigan. Canady and her brother were the only two black students in their entire school.

Canady was an exceptional student and named a National Achievement Scholar in 1967. She attended the University of Michigan, earning her bachelor’s in zoology in 1971, although she had almost dropped out of college. She explains, “The summer after my junior year, I worked in Dr. Bloom’s lab in genetics and attended a genetic counseling clinic. I fell in love with medicine.”


She continued her studies at the University of Michigan Medical School, earning her M.D. in 1975, graduating cum laude. Following graduation, Canady interned at Yale’s New Haven Hospital for a year. She was appointed the first female and first black person to a residency in neurosurgery. On her first day, as she began making her rounds, a hospital administrator referred to her as “the new equal-opportunity package.” Despite the remark, Dr. Canady viewed her accomplishment as a double achievement for not only herself, but also her race and gender.

In 1976, Canady went to work at the University of Minnesota in its neurosurgery department until 1981. She then worked at the University of Pennsylvania Children’s Hospital in pediatric neurosurgery for a year. In 1982, she began working at the Children’s Hospital in Detroit, and in 1987, Canady became director of neurosurgery there. She held this position until her retirement in June 2001.

Despite her work load, Canady would make time when mentor programs asked her to take a high school student around for the day. In a Free Press interview, she explained, “I do it because it’s important. If you want to be something, you have to perceive that something is possible. You do a disservice to children if you paint it as too rosy. They hit a bump and feel like a failure. Well, everybody fails at some time or another. But no one talks about it.”

Dr. Canady holds two honorary degrees: a doctorate of humane letters from the University of Detroit-Mercy, awarded in 1997, and a doctor of science degree from the University of Southern Connecticut, awarded in 1999. She received the Children’s Hospital of Michigan’s Teacher of the Year award in 1984, and was inducted into the Michigan Woman’s Hall of Fame in 1989. In 1993, she received the American Medical Women’s Association President’s Award and in 1994 the Distinguished Service Award from Wayne State University Medical School. In 2002, the Detroit News named her Michiganer of the Year.

Now that she’s retired, Dr. Canady has more time to work to change the perspective of how blacks both as patients and physicians are being presumed and perceived. She claims the major medical problem for blacks stems from the scarcity of research targeting their specific health concerns and needs. She enjoys playing video games and having more time to spend with her husband, George Davis, a retired Navy recruiter.

THE OBAMAS SIT DOWN WITH BARBARA WALTERS

PART 1


PART 2


PART 3


PART 4


PART 5


PART 6




The interview covered, among other things, a potential bailout of the auto industry, bonuses for bank executives and Obama’s negotiations to retain his BlackBerry. Obama also details his biggest fear, and it’s not what you might think.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

BEYONCE PEFORMS ON THE TODAY SHOW






MAN SHE'S FLAT OUT ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL THAT...

BEE & JAY COURT SIDE IN NYC




Jay-Z and Beyonce were spotted enjoying each others company when they attend the New York Knicks vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers game at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night in New York City.

Kanye West


DOPE!!!!

VIDEO NE-YO - MAD

In this video for his latest Stargate-produced single, Ne-Yo attempts to make up with his girl, but his efforts are proving to be easier said than done.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

1ST BLACK WOMAN EARNS MATH DOCTORATE AT FAU


Mary Hopkins, 36, will soon graduate with a math doctorate from Florida Atlantic University, one of five math PhDs expected to go to the largest class of women in the school’s history. She also will be the first black woman to earn a doctorate in math from FAU and only the third among all state universities since at least 1990.

“I just had very encouraging teachers. I’ve heard of math teachers not encouraging females, especially minorities, but all of my professors are so great, and they’re all old white men,” said Hopkins, who spent a full hour last week working out a lengthy math question in front of her classmates and professors.

FAU will award four other women with math PhDs: Bashak Ay, Marcela Chiorescu, Zhihua Liu and Viktoria Villanyi. FAU math administrators said they didn’t do anything special to recruit more women into their doctoral program and believe there’s a natural increase of women studying math as traditional stereotypes fall away.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

BLACK HISTORY SPOTLIGHT: GRANVILLE WOODS


GRANVILLE WOODS (1856 – 1910) was an inventor who received numerous patents for inventions that contributed to the development of the transportation and communication industries.

Woods, the son of Tailer and Martha Woods, was born April 23, 1856, in Columbus, Ohio. At the age of 10, he went to work with his father in a machine shop that made speed equipment for carriages and repaired equipment and machinery. Woods studied other machine workers in different pieces of equipment and was said to have paid workers to teach him electrical concepts.


Though largely self-taught, he studied electrical and mechanical engineering from 1876 to 1878. After that, he worked on a British steamer and became Chief Engineer. He then became an engineer with D&S Railroads based in Cincinnati around 1880 where he drove a steam locomotive. Unfortunately, despite his high aptitude and valuable education and expertise, Woods was denied opportunities and promotions because of the color of his skin. Out of frustration and a desire to promote his abilities, Woods, along with his brother Lyates, formed the Woods Railway Telegraph company in 1884. The company manufactured and sold telephone, telegraph and electrical equipment.

Woods received his first patent in 1884 for a steam boiler furnace. In 1885, he invented a system called telegraphony, which allowed telegraph lines to carry voice signals. Two years later, he patented the induction telegraph for sending messages to and from moving trains. Other inventions for electric railways included electromechanical and electromagnetic brakes, a wheeled trolley for drawing power for streetcars from an overhead wires and a safety cutout to prevent injury from accidental contact with overhead wires. For a while he manufactured and sold his inventions through the Woods Electric Company, but he later sold his patent rights to the General Electric Company.

In 1890, Woods moved to New York City. In collaboration with Lyates he patented emergency braking systems and devices relating to third-rail power. During his prolific career, Woods received 35 patents for inventions that contributed to the development of the transportation and communication industries. As a black inventor, however, he had difficulty in marketing his inventions and sold them instead to well-financed corporations, such as General Electric and American Bell Telephone.

He suffered a stroke and died January 30, 1910, at Harlem Hospital in New York City, at the age of 53. Despite his great success as an inventor and being considered the “black Thomas Edison”, Woods died in virtual poverty having spent his fortune on legal fees defending his patents.

FINE ART.....

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

POLITICS: RECORD TURNOUT EXPECTED FOR INAUGURATION / FIRST BLACK ATTORNEY GENERAL? / CLINTON BEING VETTED



President-elect Barack Obama is expected to draw as many as 4 million people to his inauguration on January 20, 2009, three or four times larger than previous big events on the National Mall, according to the WASHINGTON POST.


Although only a fraction of those people will be close enough to get a good look at the action, officials are planning extra JumboTrons so all spectators can feel a part of the historic day. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said visitors will have a difficult choice between getting the best possible views of the swearing-in or the parade: “The parade route will be completely filled way before the inaugural speech even happens,” said Fenty, who was a D.C. Council member in 2005, the most recent inauguration. “That’s something people will have to think about, whether they want to see the parade firsthand or see the inaugural swearing-in and speech. You can’t do both.”

Tickets to the inaugural ceremonies will be provided free of charge and distributed through Members of the 111th Congress. Members of the public interested in attending the Inaugural Ceremonies should contact their Member of Congress or U.S. Senators to request tickets.

No website or other ticket outlet actually has inaugural swearing-in tickets to sell, regardless of what they may claim. Tickets will not be distributed to Congressional offices until the week before the inauguration and will require in-person pick-up.







President-elect Barack Obama is poised to name Washington lawyer Eric Holder as the nation’s first black attorney general.

Holder, 57, met Obama over four years ago and quickly became a member of the President-elect’s inner circle. If he becomes the next chief U.S. law enforcement officer, Holder will try to win the public’s confidence in the Justice Department. In an interview late last year, Holder said:

“Internally, there is a morale problem the likes of which I have never seen before. Externally, there is a crisis of confidence that the nation has with regard to the department.”





According to published reports, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has engaged three prominent lawyers to help President-elect Barack Obama vet her candidacy for secretary of state.

Attorneys Cheryl Mills, David Kendall and Robert Barnett are working with the Obama transition team to review information about the Clintons’ background and finances, including Bill Clinton’s post-presidential business deals and relationships with foreign governments. All three represented the Clintons on legal matters in the White House, including President Clinton’s dalliance with intern Monica Lewinsky that led to his impeachment in 1998.

Officials say it is going smoothly and both Clintons are cooperating fully. Former President Bill Clinton has already taken an important step to smoothing his wife’s path to the job: he has suggested that would he step away from the daily responsibility for his charitable foundation while his wife served and would alert the State Department to his speaking schedule and any new sources of income.

COLDPLAY FT JAY-Z "LOST"

THE VIDEO WAS SHOT IN PHILLY.....

Monday, November 17, 2008

SELITA EBANKS


WANDA SYKES COMES OUT




More than a week after voters in California, Arizona and Florida passed ballot initiatives outlawing same-sex marriage, thousands of people across the country protested the bans in simultaneous rallies Saturday.

Joining in on the demonstrations was Comedian Wanda Sykes. She surprised the organizers of the gay rights rally in Las Vegas this weekend by coming out publicly as a lesbian for the first time. Peep the video above..

KATT WILLIAMS MENTAL HEALTH IN QUESTION "PLEASE KEEP HIM IN YOUR PRAYER"




Speaking of Comedians, Katt Williams, 37, was reportedly taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation after visiting family members in Sumter, South Carolina on, Friday (Nov. 14), according to The Sumter Item. Before that, the actor and comedian had run-ins with both city and county law enforcement which stirred from a call to police early that morning.

Sumter Police say officers responded to a call in reference to suspicious behavior by Williams at a local hotel. Williams reportedly showed up to the hotel in a bathrobe with a towel wrapper around his head inquiring about a room. Williams later left after asking for directions which police made no arrest at that time due to no crime being broken.


Williams later appeared on the doorsteps of attorney Garryl Deas’s office around 9:00 AM who Williams sought to hire because he said police were quote “attempting to violate his rights.” Williams went on talking to the attorney until around 9:30 about his entertainment career and rumors that he had perished in a plane crash. At that time, the attorney had to leave for a court appearance, which Williams asked at that point, could he wait in the office til the attorney returned, which Deas said he could.

Deas later returned around 10:30 a.m. to find Williams still waiting, but now Williams’ behavior had changed. “His demeanor was a little troubled,” Deas said stating the actor seemed “disoriented.” This was the time when family or close friends showed up seeking to have the comedian committed, Deas said.

Continuining his eratic behavior, Deas says Williams began “speaking gibberish,” saying “that he doesn’t trust anyone anymore” and everyone has turned against him.

Williams was later transported to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Quincy Harris Live Fox 29 7:00am - 10:am

Quincy Harris Live Fox 29 7:00am - 10:am