Maino - "Get Em Tiger"

It was just a matter time before a rap song came out about Tiger's recent "transgressions" and infidelity.

Maino just released a song called "Get Em Tiger (Tiger Woods)." It is actually catchy.

Check out the link:
http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=66224

Jennifer Chung: Breakout Artist

Jennifer Chung is a college student who has a great voice and is currently a college student in sunny California.

With almost 5 MILLION STREAMS of her rendition of "No One" by Alicia Keys, she is definitely a breakout star on the internet now.

http://subwayfreshbuzz.mtviggy.com/artist.php?id=2&fbid=BlIvDYgaPB4

My thoughts, however, is her voice can get a little "tense" when hitting the higher notes.




Definitely, not the super full Christina Aguilera-voice, but appreciate her not singing AROUND every single note like Xtina does.

Alexa Chung Show gets dropped from MTV

After a couple years of experimenting with British TV sensation and model, Alexa Chung, MTV has decided to drop her show.

After attending in person and also watching a few shows here, I noticed that the audience is super young and yet her humor is super not.

Conceptually, the idea of having a platform for celebrities to pimp their latest projects is very important for MTV as it is a tastemaker in today's pop culture.

Here's to hoping they get it right the next time around!

Press release:

"MTV announced it will not bring back its live afternoon talk show It's On with Alexa Chung after the second season finale airs on December 17, cites Variety. The show came back on October 19 for a second season in a new 30m format at 330p after originally debuting last June as an hour-long show. MTV emphasized it will retain a studio-based, live pop culture show, featuring music and interviews and a retooled program will premiere in January. In the meantime, MTV will air repeats and specials in the time period. As for British TV personality Chung, her contract with MTV expires early next year and, to date, there are no plans for her to continue an on-air role with the network."

Tiger Woods CGI Reenactment

This is great - from Taiwan. It is a CGI Reenactment of what may have happened the night Tiger Woods got into his now infamous accident.

Holla

Top Chef Las Vegas gets connected

I think I may actually partake in this!

Bravo has always been good at getting users to interact with their content.

Press Release:
Not to be outdone, Bravo is holding an interactive viewing party for the season finale of Top Chef: Las Vegas on Wed. night, allowing fans to use Twitter, Facebook Connect and live mobile chat to interact directly with judges and chefs live during the episode. Salon.com, which is sponsoring the event, will also create custom tweets to fans on Bravo's web and mobile sites.

Tyrus Thomas to be traded to Knicks?

Why do the New York Knicks love trading players with the Bulls?

Chris Duhon, Jamal Crawford, Eddy Curry, Eddie Robinson.

"The Bulls have held discussions about trading Tyrus Thomas to the Knicks, according to a league source.

Yahoo! Sports first reported the talks, which, for now, have centered upon Thomas and the expiring contract of Jerome James for the $10 million expiring contract of Al Harrington. The Knicks are trying to keep Harrington and make the deal work with other players, the league source said."

What's Lamer than Comcast Buying NBC? Fancast Xfinity TV

If you haven't noticed, Comcast is finally acquiring a majority stake (51%) in NBC/Universal from GE, because GE decided to buy back the 20% stake owned by Vivendi SA, valued at $5.8 billion.

It's really too bad, since GE's way of thinking about all their businesses applied to NBC/Universal, which made them a very efficient company. One may argue that such corporate structure comes at the price of creativity (re: 4th ranked network still), however, decisions are made soundly and with good reason, unlike other "old" media companies.

But what I can't stand is the fact that Comcast is launching something off of their Wanna-be Hulu service called Fancast.

Chances are you didn't know about Fancast, and that's for good reason.

Because Hulu is a much better user experience and has deals with all the major networks now. Plus it's based in L.A., not in Philadelphia.

Press release:
"Comcast will likely launch its online video service under the new name of Fancast Xfinity TV, though the new service may use the simplified name of Xfinity. Originally the service was named OnDemand Online at its initial announcement earlier this year. Comcast already secured Xfinity.com and several similar websites as well as the Twitter feed at Twitter.com/Xfinity in addition to having a commercial ready to promote the new product. "

New Trend: Bossa Nova remixes of Rap Songs M.I.A. Paper Planes - Bossa Nova

There is a new trend happening in music these days.

People are remixing rap songs into Bossa Nova songs and they are high quality while making you laugh out loud.

Check out this one from Sabrosa Nova of M.I.A.'s hit, "Paper Planes."



Also click on this link to hear another song. Shout out to B for this link.

http://www.permanentbrunch.com/

Nicole Richie to be in a new ABC Sitcom

This is got to be up there in terms of "random" but when your latest run of sitcoms have all fallen on their face, you got to start grasping for straws.

Apparently, Nicole Richie will star in a new sitcom set to air on ABC.

Where is her ex-best bud, Paris Hilton, been? Word is that her appearance fees have dropped significantly in favor of the Kardashians as they are more relevant to today's fan. Less excessive, I guess, in these hard economic times.

Press release:
"ABC has a new 30m comedy in development with Nicole Richie (The Simple Life) as its star. Sony Pictures Television is producing the sitcom where Richie plays a professional woman with complicated family relationships and is trying to sort out her life. Daisy Gardner (Californication) is penning the script while Warren Bell will executive produce and oversee the pilot script. Jamie Tarses will also executive produce. Richie is credited with creating the idea so she will also produce; Michael Baum of Impression Entertainment will additionally produce. "

Live Alicia Keys Concert on YouTube Tonight!

Press release:
"Alicia Keys will make a live streaming concert on YouTube at 8:00 p.m. EST on December 1st, in support of World Aids Day. Proceeds from the Nokia concert will be donated to Keys charity, "Keep A Child Alive." Keys tweeted, "Giving thanks 4 my @americanexpress World AIDS Day show benefiting KCA at NYC’s Nokia on 12/1...ru coming?"

Live streaming concerts on YouTube is a relatively new event that started with U2 earlier this year. Keys has been busy preparing for the global event, "Just finished rehearsal 4 the show 2morrw! Gonna b SO fun! Watch from anywhr n the world on YouTube, c u thr!!." The promotional video on YouTube for the special concert can be found on the Alicia Keys YouTube page. "

This is becoming a larger trend in online video lately (streaming a live concert online).

Companies like YouTube, Ustream, Livestream, Justin.TV are just a few of the companies that all are getting into this "live stream" space.

Check them all out!

Suhweeet Sighting: Rihanna

I caught Rihanna in Times Square this morning performing for Good Morning America.

Her new album, "Rated R", drops tomorrow. Not sure if there are any mega-hits on it, from what I listened to this morning.

FIFA World Cup 2010

WHO IS READY FOR SOME WORLD CUP SOCCER???

(Highlights from recent Korea FIFA World Cup tune-up matches below)

ABC cancels 'Hank'

Did you watch the new Kelsey Grammer show on ABC called 'Hank?'

I definitely did not, but I could see how fans of the long running Frasier were hoping for a successful comeback from Mr. Grammer.

Production will end after its 10th episode. Better luck next time, Kelsey!

U2 AND JAY-Z LIVE IN BERLIN

Yesterday at the MTV EMA's. U2. Jay-Z. Holla.

Micronauts - Unite!

I don't really know about Micronauts, but apparently J.J. Abrams has done such a great job with reviving Star Trek that he is now in talks of doing a movie on Micronauts. I guess they are shape-shifting Japanese toys. Did you have any?

Press release:

J.J. Abrams (Star Trek, Lost, Alias) in discussions to produce a feature film based on shape-shifting Japanese toy line Micronauts, which was recently acquired by Hasbro, according to WSJ.

The Micronauts toy line was created by Takara, later acquired by Tomy, and debuted in 1974 in Japan, where the line is known as Microman. Two years later the Mego Corporation introduced Micronauts to the US, and released five series of toys through 1980.

Palisades Toys acquired the right to reproduce the toys in 2002. Additionally, Marvel Comics, Devil's Due and Image Comics published Micronauts comic books, with several paperback books based on the property published by Preiss Visual Publications

How Cool Is FUSE TV?

Fuse TV is getting really into the live music performance thing.

First they did the HUGE Jay-Z 9/11 concert and now have announced a whole new series.

Fuse TV is so cool - except for the fact that they are part of the Dolans' empire (which includes Cablevision, The New York Knicks, and Madison Square Garden).

Fuse, the national music TV network from Madison Square Garden, approved the new series On The Record with Fuse, an intimate interview series with current top artists. The series premieres November 14 at 9p with a conversation with John Mayer. Upcoming artists profiled include Lady Gaga on November 23 at 9p and 50 Cent on November 25 at 8p

Michael Jordan golfs a lot

I guess Michael Jordan is a member at this fancy golf club in Westchester called Manhattan Woods, as is his good buddy and host of NBA's weekly show, Ahmad Rashad. MJ shoots pretty low scores, rumored to even be a scratch golfer! I guess if you've played as much as he has and got a bunch of custom equipment and had a few lessons with Butch Haney, you would be a scratch golfer too!

http://www.thegreenmagazine.com/content/quadruple-threat

Check out a pic of his golf bag. Suhweeet!

MTV European Music Awards

I really didn't know the MTV European Music Awards even existed, but apparently they do and you can watch it LIVE online at a variety of places, including:
www.facebook.com/mtvema
www.mtvema.com

Check it out, should be a good show, with performances/appearances by:
Jay-Z
U2
Lady Gaga
Green Day
A bunch of no-name broke European bands that you'll wish will never break into the US

but...no Kanye West to bum-rush the stage! (bummer!)

BTW - the underground / subway performance by Taylor Swift for the MTV VMAs will pre-filmed, but the performance outside Radio City Music Hall was live. Just a little camera trickery!

(I was fooled too).

Rihanna speaks on Good Morning America

Rihanna speaks directly about the Chris Brown situation on Good Morning America.

Best line of the interview - "Eff Love."

Good thing you got out of that situation Ri-ri.

NBC cancels "Trauma" - "God, I Love This Job" promo officially worst promo of the season

NBC's big bet for the season, Trauma, got the ax today, as it was announced they would not be picking up the show for the rest of the season.

I never watched it, so I can't hate on it, and I do think Derek Luke is a great actor. BUT, that promo they ran with that really annoying helicopter pilot (you know, the FBI guy from the latest Die Hard movie), got really on my nerves.

Jay-Z Blender Theater Concert Footage

Lucky enough to have been to this secret Jay-Z MySpace Music concert last month and finally tracked down some highlights.


The Blueprint 3 at DJ Hero Show

MySpace.com DJs | MySpace Video

He'll be performing tonight before Game 2 of the World Series in New York City with Alicia Keys.

Disney's Got Too Much Cash!

Not only did they pay for Marvel in mostly cash (at a cool $5 billion) last month, but Disney is now building a whole new production stage just for kicks.

What else can you do with all that free cash flow to keep investors happy??

From LATimes.com

"The Walt Disney Co. today filed plans to build a sprawling soundstage and production complex on the northwest corner of its Golden Oak Ranch in the Santa Clarita Valley.

The proposed Disney/ABC Studios at the Ranch would occupy 56 acres of the sprawling, 890-acre ranch just off Route 14 at Placerita Canyon Road, just south of Santa Clarita. Plans call for six pairs of soundstages, talent bungalows, administrative and production offices, storage and a commissary and other amenities."

Do you think the workers in the commissary will be dressed as Mickey and Goofy?

Top Chef: Just Desserts??

Top Chef is capitalizing on their success and expanding into the final dish of a meal - dessert! They're actually in casting calls for Top Chef: Just Desserts right now. Here's some more info:

Open casting calls for the newly announced Bravo series Top Chef: Just Desserts, a spinoff of Top Chef began yesterday in Chicago. Chefs interested in joining the competition have more opportunities around the country to audition next month. Additional Top Chef: Just Desserts casting calls include: November 4 in Washington, D.C. and Boston; November 8 in Atlanta and New York; November 11 in Dallas and Las Vegas; and November 15 in Los Angeles and Portland. For more information on the casting calls and to download the application, visit www.BravoTV.com/casting

Who is going to be the host? Hopefully not Kelly what's-her-face from the Top Chef Masters series.

Get Tracy Morgan on Twitter!

I think it would be hilarious if Tracy Morgan were on Twitter. That dude is nuts and therefore, hilarious!

http://www.twacy.org

The Economy is Back! (according to Google)

From Paidcontent.org:

With Google (NSDQ: GOOG) set to report its quarterly earnings next Thursday, its top executives seem almost giddy about the the state of the economic recovery. During a chat with reporters in New York City, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said he had seen a bounce back in both the U.S. and Europe. “I thought it was going to be US first, Europe second, Asia we never saw a hit,” he said, according to transcripts of the conversation on both TechCrunch and AllThingsD. “We are increasing our hiring rate and investment rate in anticipation of a recovery.” Later on, Schmidt said that “from our perspective, the low point was somewhere in the spring.” Schmidt had already said late last month that because the “worst is behind us” the company was ready to start buying companies again. He provided a little more color today—saying that acquisitions will likely be small—involving startups with “5,10 people.”

YouTube to make money (finally)?

I saw this in the New York Times and find it interesting

"YouTube has promoted its two-year-old video identification service, called Content ID, as a solution to the piracy problem that plagued the site in its early days.

YouTube, which is still unprofitable, will not disclose how much revenue it earns for itself or for its partners from Content ID. But it said that media companies that choose to monetize clips uploaded by users, rather than take them down, tended to double the number of video streams from which they earn money"

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/07/technology/internet/07youtube.html?_r=1

Music Mix

Friends asked me to throw a mix together for their wedding reception. and so here is Part 1 of that mix! Get down.

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/12/22/1657410/FlipScribbDJ%202009.mp3

Comcast to buy NBC! (No, don't worry, not happening)

Here's what the other JZ (aka Jeff Zucker) wrote to his employees about the swirling speculation that the beloved Peacock and its parent company, Shineheart Wig Company, will be plucked up by Comcast. Vivendi owns 20% of the company. If it sells this off, then the question is what will happen to NBC?

“[Vivendi] have not yet made us aware of any final decisions about their future with us; should they choose to exit, there are a number of possible things that could happen.”

-JZ

Is it going to happen? Remember, Comcast tried unsucessfully to buy Disney for $50B back in the day.

Empire State of Mind - Jam of the Month!

This track is so hot right now!

Jay-Z's Empire State of Mind. Who needs Alicia Keys when you have Bridget Kelly?

Dogs get it on! The Today Show

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Surrogates - Bruce Willis's Face

What is up with Bruce Willis's face in his latest movie, Surrogates?


(BTW, only made $15M in the opening weekend. Ouch.)


Here's how they did it -


""We started out with makeup," Stetson said. Makeup supervisor Jeff Dawn oversaw the application of straightforward cosmetic makeup, which was enhanced by cinematographer Oliver Wood's lighting. Then the digital-effects artists went in to the roughly 200 shots of Willis' surrogate and removed the creases of the actor's face frame by frame."





I remember back when Waterworld came out, that Kevin Costner supposedly had people go back and retouch every scene with him to remove his receding hairline. No wonder the budget for that movie was over $300m! (or at least seemed that way)

U2 at Giants Stadium

I caught U2 at Giants Stadium last week and it was pretty incredible. What I mean by that is their stage setup ("The Claw") was insanely huge. Bono's voice was definitely on (unlike some previous U2 concerts I've attended) and The Edge was shredding with the confidence that makes him The Edge.

Their playlist was a little heavy on the newest album material (which barely anyone knew) but they pleased the crowd with such hits as "One", "With or Without You", and "Sunday Bloody Sunday." The one thing I liked during "Sunday Bloody Sunday" was the screen showing pictures of the recent uprising in Iran against corrupt voting.

In the end I didn't like the lack of intimacy that you usually feel at a U2 concert. Maybe it was the outdoor experience, or maybe it was The Claw, but I have felt more warm and fuzzy after other concerts.

The biggest hit for me was when they played "Ultra Violet (Light My Way)" off the Achtung Baby album. I have never heard them play this live, nor have I ever heard a live recording of it, so that was cool! Now, why didn't they just move onto "Tryin to Throw Your Arms Around the World?" That's my favorite U2 song.

Shut Up Kanye Game

Check this "Shut Up Kanye (West)" game out on Addicting Games:

Shut Up Kanye

Wolf Blitzer gets Blitzed on Celebrity Jeopardy

Annoying Facebook Status Updates

Ok, i'm all for hearing what you're up to this exact second via Facebook's Status Update, but I don't like it when people write something like this:

"_______ wants to know if anybody has good hotel recommendations for Bangkok, Phuket and Krabi?"

Yea, got it. You are traveling somewhere cool. Thanks. But you're too cool to just tell it how it is. This type of status update drives me crrrazy!

Which ones annoy you?

Michael Jordan trash talks Bryon Russell, and Bryon Russell responds!

If you missed the Michael Jordan induction ceremony into the Hall of Fame, then you missed 45 minutes of trash talking from the king of basketball himself. Nobody was safe, not even his kids! (“I don’t envy you guys.”) But the best was when he told a story about Bryon Russell, Karl Malone, and John Stockton visiting him while he was on his failed pursuit of becoming a baseball player for my beloved White Sox. Bryon Russell trash talked and said that he could shut MJ down if he ever came back.

Well, we know what happened – MJ returned, told him at a game, “Remember how you said you could shut me down? Well, now’s your chance.” And Bryon will FOREVER be posterized by the great MJ in the 1998 NBA Finals.

Bryon Russell got wind of this final trash-talking from MJ and he just could NOT keep his mouth shut! Have you not learned your lesson yet?

From Yahoo Sports:
Bryon Russell has a message for Michael Jordan: Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be waiting in California – in my basketball shorts.

“I’ll play his ass right now,” Russell told Yahoo! Sports. “This is a call-out for him to come play me. He can come out here in his private jet and come play. He’s got millions of dollars. He can pay for the jet. He can meet me at the Recreation Center in Calabasas.

“We can have Mark Jackson do the commentating. We can have Mitch Richmond do the officiating. We can put it on TV and see if Michael’s still got it.”

Be careful what you wish for!

Jay-Z Secret Concert - Run This Town

Last night popped into a secret Jay-Z concert at the Blender Theater over on 23rd St. I just read about it online and decided to check it out after work. It ended up being a MySpace Music event.

Lots of fun, hung out with the band and DJ (Neil Armstrong from the 5th Platoon), and Jay did his thing...again. Although I must say it must get tiring rapping the same songs over and over again. When the concert started, I actually started to think to myself, "When is enough?" when it come to OD-ing on Jigga. And for the first half of the concert I barely moved, even though he was pointing out people in the crowd for not getting into the music. "This ain't no poetry reading!" he yelled.

It was towards the end that the music was better, as he pulled out some songs he never plays, such as Allure and Lucifer from The Black Album. Actually, Lucifer was the highlight for me.

If you can't seem to get enough of Jay-Z, he is performing on Sept 11th at Madison Square Garden and then on MTV's Video Music Awards on Sunday, Sept 13th along with Alicia Keys (to sing "Empire State of Mind" from Blueprint III).

Side note on the host of the VMAs this year - why Russell Brand again?? He is so irritating and NOBODY thought he was funny last year. MTV must be getting desparate. Thoughts??

Love in 2-D: Japanese Men fall in love with imaginary characters

This article is so trippy. It's about Japanese men who are falling in love with female dolls and pillows. They think it's their girlfriend. Seriously. For some reason, it is not so shocking.

Here's an excerpt:

Love in 2-D (by Lisa Takayama):

Nisan didn’t mean to fall in love with Nemutan. Their first encounter — at a comic-book convention that Nisan’s gaming friends dragged him to in Tokyo — was serendipitous. Nisan was wandering aimlessly around the crowded exhibition hall when he suddenly found himself staring into Nemutan’s bright blue eyes. In the beginning, they were just friends. Then, when Nisan got his driver’s license a few months later, he invited Nemutan for a ride around town in his beat-up Toyota. They went to a beach, not far from the home he shares with his parents in a suburb of Tokyo. It was the first of many road trips they would take together. As they got to know each other, they traveled hundreds of miles west — to Kyoto, Osaka and Nara, sleeping in his car or crashing on friends’ couches to save money. They took touristy pictures under cherry trees, frolicked like children on merry-go-rounds and slurped noodles on street corners. Now, after three years together, they are virtually inseparable. “I’ve experienced so many amazing things because of her,” Nisan told me, rubbing Nemutan’s leg warmly. “She has really changed my life.”

Nemutan doesn’t really have a leg. She’s a stuffed pillowcase — a 2-D depiction of a character, Nemu, from an X-rated version of a PC video game called Da Capo, printed on synthetic fabric. In the game, which is less a game than an interactive visual novel about a schoolyard romance, Nemu is the loudmouthed little sister of the main character, whom she calls nisan, or “big brother,” a nickname Nisan adopted as his own when he met Nemu. When I joined the couple for lunch at their favorite all-you-can-eat salad bar in the Tokyo suburb of Hachioji, he insisted on being called only by this new nickname, addressing his body-pillow girlfriend using the suffix “tan” to show how much he adored her. Nemutan is a teenager and wears a little blue bikini and gold ribbons in her hair. Nisan knows she’s not real, but that hasn’t stopped him from loving her just the same. “Of course she’s my girlfriend,” he said, widening his eyes as if shocked by the question. “I have real feelings for her.”


Nisan is part of a thriving subculture of men and women in Japan who indulge in real relationships with imaginary characters. These 2-D lovers, as they are called, are a subset of otaku culture— the obsessive fandom that has surrounded anime, manga and video games in Japan in the last decade. It’s impossible to say exactly what portion of otaku are 2-D lovers, because the distinction between the two can be blurry. Like most otaku, the majority of 2-D lovers go to work, pay rent, hang out with friends (some are even married). Unlike most otaku, though, they have real romantic feelings for their toys. The less extreme might have a hidden collection of figurines based on anime characters that they go on “dates” with during off hours. A more serious 2-D lover, like Nisan, actually believes that a lumpy pillow with a drawing of a prepubescent anime character on it is his girlfriend.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/magazine/26FOB-2DLove-t.html?_r=1&emc=eta1&pagewanted=print

I Am T-Pain iPhone App

This is so cool. You can AutoTune just like T-Pain!

$2.99 for this iPhone app (which goes against my personal policy for ever paying for an app), but hey, it looks like fun.

Check out Day 26 trying it out as well as a bunch of people in the streets.

LA Times Album Review: Blueprint 3

LA Times (Greg Kot) released their album review of Jay-Z's most recent release, Blueprint 3.

Do you agree?

It's tough for hip-hop stars to age well. Once they become celebrities living in mansions and starring in family movies, street cred is usually the first thing to go. Just ask Ice Cube. Longevity just wasn't built into the hip-hop lifestyle, with its premium on youthful swagger, street tales and fast turnover.

But Jay-Z, who turns 40 in December, asserts that he's the exception on his 11th studio album, "The Blueprint 3" (Roc Nation), which he rush-released Tuesday after it leaked online. "I'm a multimillionaire, so how is it I'm still the hardest [thug] here?" he announces on "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)."

The track takes a shot at the ubiquitous vocal effect that has dominated hip-hop production in recent years, though Jay-Z is not above using it himself elsewhere on the album. If nothing else, Jay-Z has proved himself an expert at knowing the marketplace, and "The Blueprint 3" employs a handful of top-dollar producers (Kanye West, Timbaland, Swizz Beatz, the Neptunes) to cover all the commercial bases, Auto-Tuned or not.

Its reach echoes the first "Blueprint" album, released in 2001 and co-produced by West, at that time a relative unknown still three years away from his starmaking solo debut. The combination of West's dusty soul grooves and Jay-Z's determination to reassert his skills as a master MC (after a few years in the pop celebrity wilderness) turned the album into a landmark.

"The Blueprint 2" came out a year later but was a far less focused effort, larded with cameos, as if Jay-Z could only be intermittently bothered to participate in his own album.

"The Blueprint 3" splits the difference between its two predecessors, with Jay-Z sounding hungrier than he has in years on about half the tracks, while sharing time with guest stars or grappling with undercooked production on the rest.

At its core, the album is less about introducing newfound skills or subject matters than it is a platform for Jay-Z to showcase his imperious flow, to reassert his world-conquering ego, to remind everyone just who the heck he is. Jay-Z has a way of delivering the news as if he has already done it all -- twice.

Jay-Z, born Shawn Carter in 1969, grew up to be a drug dealer in the Brooklyn housing projects. He turned to hip-hop as a way out, self-releasing his debut in 1996 when no label would take a chance on him, and turning himself into a star and power broker. Last year, Forbes magazine estimated his annual income at $82 million. Little wonder he once crowed, "I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man."

"The Blueprint 3" aims to show everyone he still has wicked skills on the mike. It does, even as it illustrates that sometimes he coasts on his celebrity. The opening "What We Talkin' About" sets the tone: He doesn't have time to escalate long-standing beefs with his rivals because they're just peons and he has more important things to do, like hang with his pal, the president.

Hubris reigns. He's the king of New York, able to command cameos from Rihanna and Alicia Keys on "Run This Town" and "New York State of Mind," respectively. These tracks are the sound of Jay-Z cruising for pop hits. But there's no justifying "Forever Young," with a vocal hook sung by Mr. Hudson; it's the kind of mush that suggests there might be something true to those rumors Jay-Z has gone soft. And "Venus Vs. Mars" reaffirms that Jay-Z has never been particularly strong at seduction raps.

Yet even at three-quarters speed, Jay-Z can still be formidable. Timbaland's sci-fi production on "Off That" is a poor fit, but the MC opens up a spigot of rhymes about refusing to live in the past, invoking his nemesis Bill O'Reilly to comic effect. The hard-edged soul claps of "A Star Is Born" and the zinging strings of "Already Home" (both produced by West) are natural fits, and he dazzles without breaking a sweat. He even turns a joke about his resemblance to a camel into an opportunity to once again disarm his critics.

The message: Don't mess with ol' Gray-Z.

MTV's The City is back - Season Trailer

The City - MTV Shows

Jay-Z recreates all his album covers

This is a sweet commercial.

Worst Song on Radio Now: LOL :-)

No seriously, the song name is LOL :-) (smiley face).

Trey Songz and Souljia Boy Tell'Em.

WHY?

Jay-Z to perform on September 11

Jay-Z is dropping his album, Blueprint 3, on September 11. He picked this date because it is the date that he dropped the original Blueprint album back in the day.

He'll be performing tracks from it at Madison Square Garden and ticket sales proceeds will go to a charity for NYC's Finest and Bravest. (That's cops and firefighters - fyi).

Tickets are $600. HUH? Well it's for a good cause, right?

The T.O. Show Update: Mo vs. Kita!

This week on The T.O. Show Mo decided to renew her vows to her man who looks a lot like Omar Minaya. If you don't know who Omar is, don't worry about it.

But of course, before you have the ceremony, you got to have the Bachelorette party, right?

Luckily for Mo and Kita, they know T.O. who gives them his credit card to have a good time.

(Can I just insert the thought here that all they do for T.O. is just hang with him, and not do any PR? I am cool with them getting the benefits as friends, but do not front like you have some job. please).

So off to Vegas they go, and of course, T.O. decides to take Omar for his bachelor party. But the thing is, it's the ladies who have strippers on their minds, while T.O. ends up just chillin' in their massive suite at The Palms. T.O. is tipped off by his host that he just got hit with a $19,000 room charge on his card. THAT is not cool.

Getting agitated, he busts into the ladies room where a male stripper is doin his thing. T.O. quickly busts up the party, but is in a better mood when Mo wins money for him at the craps table.

Kita is none too thrilled with the stripper, and wanted to keep things "classy." She gets in a huge yelling fight with Mo at the club later in the evening and is seen packing her things to leave the party early.

I really like T.O.'s facial expressions at dinner when the girls trade barbs. He's thinking, "I am definitely not getting in the middle of this one!"

I guess what happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas if you are on a reality show. At what point in your life is the Vegas thing too much?

America's Best Dance Crew: BORING

America's Best Dance Crew - Wow is this show BORING now. I can barely watch it this season. What is up with the Vogue crew? They are so annoying, just running into each other, running around on stage, getting mad love because all they do is vogue.

The only crew that should even be ON this show is the one from the Bronx. They bring the energy required to win a dance competition like this.

Someone please kick off Afroboriqua - super cheesy. And while you are at it, toss the crew from DC who got CALLED OUT by Shane Sparks for just using YouTube moves from 3 years ago. You can just hear his frustration with the whole season this year as he rips each crew that comes up and puts on another uninspiring performance.

What happened to this show? It used to be the hottest thing and now it is quickly spiraling down the relevance pole.

Time to get the Champions Round going. Will this show get moved to Lifetime too?

Michael Jordan and Carmelo Anthony Shootaround

The one thing I wished I did as a kid was attend one of Michael Jordan's Basketball Camps aka Flight School. Too bad I got cut from my 5th grade basketball team and I moved onto tennis instead.

Well, the advantage of attending these days is Michael's got a bunch of friends to stop by, and this year he brought by fellow Jumpman spokesperson Carmelo Anthony.

It's cool to see MJ still has the touch.

America's Best Dance Crew Season 4!

It is finally back, and actually, a bunch of other shows are just around the corner that are fun to watch.

MTVs America's Best Dance Crew kicked off last Sunday with the biggest surprise being Lil Mama's ENORMOUS forehead! It all makes sense that she used to have bangs and wear the bling-y NY Yankees hats. My brother put it best, "She looks like a Conehead."

As a Midwest boy, I am disappointed that the Midwest has not represented this season. And I think the producers are feeling the Asian backlash, so there is only 1 Asian crew on this year.

The early favorites for me are the crews from the Bronx and from Seattle. The rest are pretty damn weak!

What are your thoughts?

Furry vs. Breakdancer

Who Wins?

The T.O. Show Update: I cried. I cried some more.

Touching episode of T.O. Show this week, as Terrell Owens travels back to the STICKS (Alexander City, AL) to see his father, who abandoned him (sort of) during his youth.

T.O. shows his sensitive side, as he sits down for some quality time with his grandmother who was stricken with Alzheimer’s Disease back in ’96. It’s amazing that she even recognizes him at the end of one of his nostalgic ramblings while they sit outside.

T.O. then gets to confront his father who basically admits that he was not there for him, but was also working 2 jobs, and somehow had the time to have a whole other family! And that family actually lived across the street from T.O.’s grandmother’s house, where T.O. grew up! Well, like all real men do these days, they hug it out, and I think there is some resolution for T.O. moving forward.

It was cool to see T.O. hit up his old high school and give the “Stay In School” speech to a bunch of steroid-tempted teenagers, and also attend the local church on Easter Sunday. Some may mistake him for a giant Easter Egg in the hot pink sweater he donned, but for some reason it worked.

I’m learning more and more about this dude’s background, which is fine, but I want to get some video footage of him learning the Bills’ new offensive schemes and finding his new true love.

I'm Eric Schmidt. I'm Not a Mac

Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, has stepped down from the Board of Apple.

I had no idea how wide he was. Maybe this is a bad photo. Or maybe it's because Steve Jobs is rail thin now.

Jay-Z Rocks Out at All Points West

Last Friday marked the beginning of All Points West music festival held in NJ, and I was fortunate enough to attend.

Actually, I bought tickets only when I heard Jay-Z was headlining as a replacement for The Beastie Boys as MCA has been stricken by (treatable) throat cancer.

As an homage to The Beastie Boys, Jay-Z opened up covering “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.” That was a great great performance.

It rained all day, but luckily it stopped by the time the Yeah Yeah Yeahs performed, just before Jay-Z came out. He had the whole band and an Asian DJ with nerdy glasses on. Who is that?

Here is his complete playlist as I attempted to type on my iPhone will simultaneously jumping up and down during the songs:
No Sleep Till Brooklyn
Brooklyn We Go Hard
D.O.A.
The Takeover (classic!!)
Blue Magic
My President Is Black (remix)
Punjabi MC song
Just Wanna Luv You
Show Me What You Got
Roc Boys
Can I Live
Swagga Like Us
Jigga My Nigga
Jigga What
Public Service Announcement
Dirt Off Your Shoulder
Run This Town
Blueprint 3 Freestyle (nice!)
Money Ain’t A Thang
Excuse Me Miss (remix)
Fiesta (remix)
Where I’m From
Feelin’ It
Can I Get A…
99 Problems
Big Pimpin
Hard Knock Life
Numb / Encore

Seinfeld cast to reunite! (on HBO)

It's about freakin' time the Seinfeld cast reunited!

They'll make an appearance on Curb Your Enthusiasm - Larry David's show.

Here's a bit of the article:

PASADENA, Calif. — Larry David says the on-screen reunion of the "Seinfeld" cast will be "tough to beat." The "Seinfeld" co-creator and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" creator-star says the cast will appear together in the finale of the upcoming seventh season of the HBO comedy series.

It marks the first time in 11 years that Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander and Michael Richards have appeared together on screen.

David says the "Seinfeld" stars will appear in five "Curb" episodes during the season in a storyline about the cast reuniting. He says he worked closely with Seinfeld on the show-within-a-show script.

He also says an actual "Seinfeld" reunion is unlikely.

The comments were made at a meeting of the Television Critics Association.

MULVA?

BluBlockers are back!

Do you remember those cool sunglasses called BluBlockers?


I actually memorized the commercial because it was so catchy back in the day.


Now they have returned. Fashion is SO cyclical. Don't worry - hanging on to those tight-rolled Guess jeans will pay off soon!

And the Winner Is...30 Rock

Check out this list for Outstanding Comedy Writing for the 2009 Primetime Emmys:

Gee...I wonder who will win?

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: Flight of the Conchords

Episode Title: Prime Minister

Network: HBOStudio(s): Dakota Pictures and Comedy Arts in association with HBO Entertainment

Writer's Name(s): James Bobin, Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: 30 Rock

Episode Title: Reunion

Network: NBCStudio(s): Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media StudiosWriter's Name: Matt Hubbard

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: 30 Rock

Episode Title: Apollo, Apollo

Network: NBCStudio(s): Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media StudiosWriter's Name: Robert Carlock

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: 30 Rock

Episode Title: Mamma Mia

Network: NBCStudio(s): Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media StudiosWriter's Name: Ron Weiner

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series: 30 Rock

Episode Title: Kidney Now!

Network: NBCStudio(s): Broadway Video, Little Stranger, Inc. in association with Universal Media StudiosWriter's Name(s): Jack Burditt, Robert Carlock

MTV - Randy Jackson's America's Best Dance Crew - Again!

I am pumped to see America's Best Dance Crew return to the airwaves. I don't know about you, but this summer was a major drought of TV quality.

Here's the press release:
"MTV's reality dance competition series, Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew moves to a new night and time as it opens season four on August 9 at 9p. Dance teams from around the country will show off their best moves vying for the $100,000 cash prize. Warner Horizon Television produces the series. Prior to the new season start, Randy Jackson hosts an hour-long clip show featuring the top performances from previous seasons in Randy Jackson Presents America's Best Dance Crew Top 10 Performances of All Time on August 2 at 9p. "

Who would win? JabbaWockez vs. Quest Crew vs. Super Crew?

My money is on Super Crew - those guys are crazy. Jabba are more entertaining overall though.

What do you think?

Michael Jackson's actual kid seen at Memorial Service(?)

I was watching the “news” last night on Fox and they were covering the mystery man (Omer Bhatti) seen in the front row sitting next to Joe Jackson at the Michael Jackson memorial service.
Who the heck is that? Some guy in dark sunglasses who obviously is a part of the family, and is now rumored to be Michael Jackson’s actual biological son.

It is kind of creepy to see video footage of him because it’s like when you watch a movie and you didn’t notice things the first time around, but the plot is all about the second time they show you a scene and point out the obvious. Think Sixth Sense meets Michael Jackson’s Offspring.

I guess we’ll ultimately find out who this is, what really happened to MJ, and why the doctor on the scene decided to flee on foot, leaving behind his car at the house. Ok we already can figure that part out on our own.

The T.O. Show Update: Get Focused!

I’ve found a new show that is interesting and entertaining to watch on VH1, “The T.O. Show.”

It follows Terrell Owens around this past offseason as he was cut from the Dallas Cowboys and then was signed to a 1 year contract with the Buffalo Bills (brrr!) in the next 48 hours.

The season premier was an hour long and starts off with T.O. watching ESPN deliver the news that he had been cut. If any of you have ever been fired / let-go / downsized from a company, then you know exactly how he felt. It just is much worse since the whole world knew about his loss of employment.

They introduce his bodyguard and buddy, Pablo. I think Terrell could kick the crap out of him though. T.O. is ripped.

The show then also introduces his publicity team, comprised of Mo and Kita. This is what I don’t understand: what do they do for him? They are in reality just a support network of old buddies who probably gets paid by Terrell because he can drop $137,000 on diamond earrings without hesitation (as he does on Rodeo Dr later in the show).

Mo and Kita convince Terrell to go to L.A. to “get focused.” I have no idea what this means. I would think a good publicity team would have arranged some meetings with potential sponsors, media outlets, and setup some interviews to help build T.O.’s public image. Instead, this duo has decided to rent him a house in the hills who is shown by a little Asian agent who T.O. hooks up with later in the week.

They are like two nagging flies in your ear who keep telling you to “get focused.” T.O. often responds, “I am focused! Focus on what?”

I hope they have more credibility than is seen here, but we shall see.

What did you think about the show?

Don't Worry, be happy

Well, it was a weekend filled with birthday parties and no surprising celebrity death announcements, except for Tom Watson choking it at The British Open on Sunday.

I didn’t even know there was a playoff since I figured he had sealed the deal. Oh well.

A Vegas bachelor party has hit my radar. At what point are you too old to do that whole thing? Please do not use The Hangover as a reference for your answer.

Twitter will kill you!

funny stuff

How to get on The Satorialist

Do you ever see The Sartorialist in GQ Magazine? Or maybe you’ve just seen it online.

It’s photos of the most hipster people you could ever imagine, who just happened to be next to a photographer of this feature in New York or other urban areas around the world.

Ever wonder how to get photo-ed? Here’s the cheat sheet, provided by Refinery29.com

Suhweeet Sighting: Hayden Panettiere

I saw Hayden Panettiere coming out of the Alexa Chung Show. Super super tiny person.

Can't say that I liked Heroes much last season. What happened there? Is it the NBC effect?

June 2009 - Rest In Peace

Man, June 2009 has really proven to be a major bummer because of all the people who have passed recently.

I'm especially bummed about Michael Jackson passing away. I remember how I wanted that red jacket so badly as a kid. I also remember dancing on my chair in Pizza Hut as a kid while "Beat It" blared out of the jukebox next to the desktop table game of Ms. Pac Man. Gotta love the 80s.

Now I hear Billy Mays has passed away. What the heck is going on?

I wonder if there are any studies around higher deaths (not criminal-based) and recession? C'mon, Mr. Malcolm Gladwell. You got to beat those Freaknomics dudes to this one.

Rest In Peace:

Michael Jackson (June 25, 2009)

Farrah Fawcett (June 25, 2009)

Billy Mays (June 28, 2009)

Ed McMahon (June 23, 2009)

Suhweeet Sighting: Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods, who is now back in action after recovering from knee surgery, was in Times Square today promoting his latest game from EA on Nintendo Wii.

He played a round against Jimmy Fallon, who will undoubtedly promote this on his new late night talk show.

Tiger is pretty buff in person - I wonder if he always wears a Nike hat everywhere he goes?

Press Hop - featuring Allen Iverson

I watched this and could not stop laughing.

Someone put a beat to all those outrageous press conferences, dominated by Allen Iverson's retaliation on being questioned about missing practice.

"We're talking about practice!"

Halle Berry (She's Fine) - Hurricane Chris

One of the most dirrrty south sounding songs I recently heard comes from Hurricane Chris, in his new hit single, "Halle Berry (She's Fine)."

Hurricane also came out with a smash hit a couple of years ago, "Ay Bay Bay."

Something tells me he doesn't spend TOO much time on his lyrics, but throw it against a catchy beat, and you never know!

Suhweeet Entertainment Tidbits

Here's some info for you TV / Movie fans who want to stay in-the-know:

- Tom Cruise and JJ Abrams are teaming up again for Mission: Impossible IV. It's to be released in 2011. No word on Tom Cruise's character being the main focus or not.

- Freddie Prinze, Jr is joining the cast of "24" next season. The last thing I remember seeing him in was "She's All That" - an excellent movie

- T.R. Knight has been released (aka axed) from Grey's Anatomy, with 3 years remaining on his contract! Adios to one of the more annoying characters on TV

Muslim Rapper: Brother Ali

I caught this video of Brother Ali's "Good Lord" on MTVU (the University channel of MTV) and thought it was pretty good.

Brother Ali is an underground hip hop artist from Minnesota who also is an albino. This meant he was often ridiculed and exiled from the predominant white community. He then began to feel more comfortable with the African American communities in his neighborhood.

Suhweeet Father's Day Gift: Beer Holster

I saw this and had to smirk because the Beer Holster is a great gift for all those dads-to-be and other fathers who just want to sling down a slurp and re-holster the beer somewhere to free-up the hands.

Too bad it's $125, but hey it's handmade and would actually make for great groomsmen gifts too!

Suhweeet Sighting: Tracy Morgan

Tracy Morgan was strolling down Broome St in SoHo with his lady in tow and another dude. He had a scowl on his face, otherwise I would've given him the pound or something like that.

It was eerily quiet on that street and it was just him and his peeps and me and A. crossing paths.






That guy is so funny on 30 Rock - one of my favorite shows right now.


He was on SNL recently in the Dateline parodies with Bill Hader.

Hilarious.

Suhweeet Sighting: Clare Danes

Clare Danes was also at Minetta Tavern that evening. Trifecta in the house.

Now I am really reaching back in my brain to think about the last movie I saw her in. Was she in the remake of the Mod Squad or something like that (w/Omar Epps)?

Whatever, can't remember, and there was great debate at the dinner table about what she has been in recently.

Suhweeet Sighting: Jean Reno

Last movie I saw Jean Reno in was probably Ronin, where the only good thing about the movie is an awesome car scene. But he is best known for his work in the cult classic, "The Professional", which was Natalie Portman's coming (almost) of age movie.

Monsieur Reno plopped down next to our table as well at Minetta Tavern. I wonder if he was hiding a gun under the table just in case drama broke out.

Suhweeet Sighting: Mario Batali

Went out for A's birthday party at Minetta Tavern and caught Mario Batali hanging in the table next to us with his two sons or nephews. Actually was thinking about how good the food was at Babbo.

The dude cannot help himself in wearing orange crocs and plaid shorts 365 days a year!




The food at Minetta Tavern is exquisite and the wine we had (don't you hate it when you forget the bottle you ordered?) was amazing!





Recommendation: Black Label Burger. As Ferris would say, it is "so choice."

Cristiano Ronaldo hangs with Paris Hilton

First off, don't you care about Doug's feelings, Paris Hilton?

Ok, obviously you don't since you were spotted canoodling with the richest man in football (as it's known in 99% of the rest of the world).

Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now a member of Real Madrid CF in Spain, was seen hanging out with Paris Hilton last night in Los Angeles. He must have been celebrating the massive amount of money that was paid for his transfer from my beloved Manchester United.

He was spotted leaving her house at 5am. Time to go the after-party maybe?

Best of luck Ronaldo.

Dwight Howard's game is predictable, according to Kareem

I have to agree with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in his most recent comments about Dwight Howard's basketball game.

Blessed with the height and muscle and amazing leaping ability of his alter ego, "Superman," Dwight Howard has become a perennial All-Star in the NBA as well as a fan favorite with his mega-watt smile.

But dig a little deeper beyond his obvious stats, and you'll soon discover that Howard's game is really a series of dunk attempts and foul shots (where he shot a miserable 69% during the regular season).

With little to no post-game and lack of fundamentals once he receives the basketball, the Orlando Magic are the ones who have been exposed, whereas they were the ones exposing the low-talent levels of the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Good thing for Orlando, they shot 65% from the field during Game 3 of the NBA Finals. And the Magic are on pace to break the number of 3-pointers made in an NBA Finals series due to the resurgence of Rashard Lewis. But you know the old saying, "you live by the 3, you die by the 3."

The good news here is that Dwight Howard is only 23 years old. Mark Jackson said it best on-air, "Young fella, after taking a week off after the season ends, you need to call your assistant coaches and work on your post game ALL SUMMER."

Few of us are blessed with the physical attributes of Dwight Howard. It is incumbant upon himself to learn the game of basketball beyond backboard shattering dunks to become of the greats. (Sound like a certain young Shaq to you?)

Jay-Z Interview with Angie Martinez on Hot 97

Jay-Z appeared yesterday on the Angie Martinez show on Hot 97 here in New York. It comes on the heels of another star-studded lineup at Summer Jam, the radio station's annual concert bash that always has a few well-planned "surprises" for the crowd. This yearit was Jay-Z popping out to perform his latest single, "DOA" which stands for Death Of Auto-tune. T-Pain also joined him on stage, but apparently Jay-Z was thrown off-guard because it was not planned. In fact, he thought it was just a fan coming on stage to hug him.

Auto-tune is a technique used in post-production in music studios that essentially helps singers sing in tune with the desired note. T-Pain brought this technique back over the past few years and it gained even more national attention with Kanye West where he used it exclusively throughout his album, 808s and Heartbreak. I remember it's prominenace during the early nineties and Blackstreet, Teddy Riley's old R&B group.

Jay-Z has grown sick of the trend, hence the release of "DOA." The people are essentially in concurrence, as they knew all the words of the song already by the Sunday performance when the song was "leaked" on radio just two days prior.

Jay-Z also spoke about how he overspent to gain the rights of his upcoming album, "Blueprint 3" and it came down to a coin flip which cost him another $1 million to get the album in his hands.

He also spoke about how he really feels blessed and that he never wishes to be anyone else but himself. He is rumored to have made $70 million last year. I would feel the same way!

Jay-Z also argued with Angie Martinez about how it was his acts that "made" the Summer Jam a big deal. Angie responded by saying Hot97 is a big brand in itself and it took a lot of acts to make it what it was. Because these two go back aways to when Jay was just coming into his own, it is nice to hear an interviewer that is clearly not intimidated by Jay's current status as Hip Hop King. She also ripped on his recent haircut, or really, lack thereof. When asked if he was going to grow it into a full-blown afro, Jay succicently responded, "No."

Suhweeet Sighting: Dave Matthews

Walked right past Dave Matthews around 30 Rock earlier in the week. I guess he is in town for his performance this morning on NBC's Today Show. He is a little taller than I expected, sported flannel and jeans, talking to some dude. Has a really interesting voice, much lower and gravelly than I expected.

I used to wake up every morning to his CD, Under the Table and Dreaming, freshmen year of college. He is the highest grossing American band in net ticket sales globally in the years he goes on tour. Cha-ching!

I also caught him on a guest acting appearance on House. Didn't know he could act and he is not half bad!

The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Twitter Tracker

Ok, so I tweet. Sure. Don't you?

Everyone wants to jump on it. And yes, there is revenue potential (funny how everyone but Twitter people can see that).

But it is really funny how lame "tweets" are. In fact, is Twitter really going to last?

Check out Conan O'Brien's take on it. (Shout to BG2 for the link).

Extreme Crew vs. New York B-Boys

Ever wanted to watch a bunch of Korean b-boys battle some real New York break dancers?

Well, here ya go! Extreme Crew brings the heat. And I'm pretty sure they could've brought even more heat, but they were really just helping the New York b-boys collect more $$! (Shout to B for the link)

Next time, ask for a cut!

Jay-Z and Alex Rodriguez

Quick pic: Jay-Z and Alex Rodriguez shared a few laughs during last night's Cleveland Caveliers win over the Orlando Magic.


I am strangely rooting for the Magic to win. I think it's because I believe they are the better team.