Due to technical issues beyond my control I was unable to administer Friday's dose. I would like to apologize. Nonetheless, I think this is a good a time as any to let you guys know that The Daily Dose will mainly be a Monday thru Friday enity with limited weekend coverage.
At any rate, this is a what we missed yesterday.
Videos, Videos and more Videos...
Avant, Lies About Us
Jessica Simpson, Public Affair
with appearances by Christina Applegate, Eva Longoriam, Christina Millian, and Andy Dick
Nicole Ritchie (pictured here with her father, Lionell) collapsed July 15 while shopping at the chic LA boutique, Kitson, apparently from malnutrishion. Fnny part is she refused the food offered to her by the store keepers. Starving children everywhere would like to line up and slap her!
Wendy's Dons and Diva's Summer Sexy Soiree
Wendy and Milinda Williams (Windfall, Soul Food (the TV Show)
You'll have to wait until Tuesday for an update on how this ultimate celebrity party went.
The cover of Janet Jackson's new album, 20 Years Old, due out September 26, will be designed by a fan. On July 18, Janet launched a contest giving fans an opportunity to create the artwork for her ninth studio set.
The Design Me contest requires participants to download images of Janet, create proposed album covers, and to post the creations on the contest page. Contestants will vote for their favorite submissions, and Janet will select her top four favorites, which will be used for the first one million copies of the album.
Janet and her beau Jermaine Dupri, President Virgin Records Urban Music, came up with the idea for the promotion. "We were going on the website and looking at all this creative stuff the kids were doing, and it amazed us," Janet says. "They were taking old pictures and they were just very creative with all the designs. We said, 'Let's have these kids design our album cover.'"
Janet hand-picked dozens of images, new and old, to be used in the contest. "They told me that I should pick maybe 20, 30 photos, but I think I went a little crazy," Janet says. "I picked way more than that. I gave them some of the new stuff I just shot for the album cover shoot. So they have some really recent photos as well as some stuff from 20 years ago."
Janet does not give participants any parameters for their designs. She wants them to be uninhibited and to "go for it."
"That's what it's really about," Janet says, "for them to manipulate it and get creative, and go wherever their images takes them."
20 Years Old celebrates the 20th anniversary of the release of Janet's 1986 breakthrough set, Control, that includes hit singles, the title track, "Nasty," and "What Have You Done For Me Lately." "I wanted to do something that paid homage to the Control album," Janet says. "And I thought of different titles like Out Of Control, but I settled on 20 Years Old because it's the anniversary of the Control album."
The album is co-executive produced by Janet, Dupri, and longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with whom she first began working with for the Control album. They wanted to make the recording reminiscent of their first studio sessions, but they did not record in the studio they used more than two decades ago. "Are you kidding?" Janet jokes. "In order to do that we'd have to go back to Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis to the first studio they had, the little hole in the wall, where we recorded the Control album. What we did do, we brought back some of the keyboards that were used on 'Nasty,' 'Control,' and 'What Have You Done For Me Lately' and used some of the same sounds. So that was nice."
"Call On Me," a duet with Nelly, is the album's first single. Both Janet and Dupri thought it was a good idea to work with the St. Louis rapper. "Jermaine wanted him as a guest on the album, and he's the first name I mentioned to Jermaine," Janet says. "He's just a great guy, a great talent, and I love that he's so focused. I love listening to his part of the song."
CHICAGO -- The judge scheduled to preside over the pornography trial of R&B singer R. Kelly is out of commission for a while after taking a hard fall.
Authorities said Judge Vincent Gaughan was rushed to the hospital after falling from an 18-foot ladder while doing some repairs at his home in Chicago over the weekend.
Presiding Judge Paul Biebel Jr. said the 65-year-old will be out indefinitely as he recovers from the broken bones he suffered in the fall.
Gaughan is slated to hear the child pornography case against R. Kelly, but no trial date is set. He's also scheduled to preside over the trial of two men accused in the 1993 massacre at a Brown's Chicken restaurant in Palatine.
The trial for one of those men, Juan Luna, is slated to begin on Sept. 12.
Is anyone begining to think that R. Kelly is The Man getting over on society? Its been how many years since those sex tapes surfaced? Four? If this was Chester from across the street or Mr. Larry the gym teacher, he would have been stood trial. Guilty or not, this mess is way out of hand.
I'm sorry but it's a slow day. I will try to limit the amount of bullsh*t posts, but I can't help but feel sorry for this girl. Her 15 minutes expired like a year ago. It's time for Paris to just go away.
Dolly Parton once said, "it takes alot of money to look this cheap!" I believe that no (modern) "celebrity" (I use that term real loosely here) exemplifies that statement more than Paris Hilton. For all her heiress fortune, she always seems to look like she belongs on 14th and K Street at 1 o'clock in the morning.
Apparently, she is not only slutty, but she is also delusional. She has dubbed herself the Marilyn Monroe of the 21st Century.
"... There's nobody in the world like me," Paris trumpets to the London Times. "I think every decade has an iconic blonde -- like Marilyn Monroe or Princess Diana -- and right now, I'm that icon."
Yes, the stubbornly popular blond with a propensity for flashing her lady-parts feels she's reached the rarefied status of the seminal cinematic bombshell and the beloved, benevolent royal, respectively. (That sound you hear? It's the memories of Marilyn and Diana being soundly trampled by a pair of Jimmy Choo stilettos.)
And while some might worry that such a dubious boast would tempt fate, or at least tempt Elton John to start penning yet another version of "Candle in the Wind," -- you know, just in case -- Hilton, 25, is confident in her fabulous future.
"There's a lot of heiresses out there and I don't see any of them doing what I've done," she crows. "I have so many projects -- bags, fragrances, makeup. I go round the world every three days, designing and personally approving it all. I've got movies to make, a tour, TV shows. Every day of my life is scheduled until the end of 2007."
Her calendar is currently crammed with promotional pitstops for her single "Stars Are Blind," which peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100, and she apparently wants everyone to appreciate the oodles of effort she expends, whether she's doing her patented arched-back red carpet pose or chatting up the likes of Regis and Kelly.
"I was having dinner with my grandfather last week," shares the multitasking minx, "and he said, 'You work harder than any CEO I know.'"
Still, Paris does have plans to slow down -- and water down the gene pool -- in the next few years: "I definitely want to have children at 30."
(Apropos of nothing, paparazzi captured her fetching her lost pet ferret from behind some garbage cans this weekend. Sighed Paris' lately little-seen pup Tinkerbell, "I know just how you feel, buddy.")
And what of those recent tales of catfights and dance-offs with Lindsay Lohan over the affections of Hilton's moneybags Hellenic hottie ex, Stavros Niarchos, whom she was spotted with last week? All lies, she says.
"That was crap. She's never even hung out with Stavros," pooh-poohs Paris, before twisting the knife, "He thinks she's pathetic."
Hilton, who was snapped on Sunday sharing a smooch with oily oil heir Brandon Davis, whose videotaped verbal assault on Lohan allegedly prompted his recent stay in rehab, says she's in the same predicament as another seemingly harebrained peer.
"I read these stories about me starting fights and saying stupid stuff. I've become a cartoon. Nobody seems to get that how I am on 'The Simple Life' is a character," she complains. "I play dumb like Jessica Simpson plays dumb. But we know exactly what we're doing. We're smart blonds."
It's enough to cause Paris to lament, "Sometimes I feel like the media uses me as a punchbag," which she says is, like, totally "lame."
But she's not going to let those negative nellies spoil her sense of entitlement, er, accomplishment: " ... I love my job, and I think I've earned the right to be happy now. God gives you good karma if you work hard and play nice."
Besides, declares Paris, as she once again dares the universe to give her a smack-down in 2017, when she hits the big 3-6, "At least I'll always be remembered." [source]
Lawdy, this girl wants to start having childern? The Department of Child and Family Service needs to start doubling it's staff ASAP. There is no way they can handle Brittney's cases and Paris' at the same time with there current staff.
So Wendy Williams is the Queen of Afternoon Drama. I love it. Yesterday, was looking to be one of her signature unpredictable days.
Some of might have heard that Method Man is the latest "celebrity" to announce their beef with the radio gossip columnist. Personally, I think most of these people are just looking for some publicy and trying to make themselves seem relevant in pop culture. Wendy Williams', one of the biggest names in gossip, ob is to talk about pop culture. So if a B list or Z list celebrity wants to seem important they just claim that Wendy has been gossiping about them.
Update:
Friday, in a studio appearance to celebrate Wendy's birthday, her husband/manager, Kevin Hunter, responded to Method Man's comments. He basically said that it wasn't necessary to call Wendy out of her name and he was a punk for doing so. Kevin did offer a truce and invited the Wu tang rapper to Wendy's upcoming super party, The Dons and Diva Summer Soree.
Tuesday, during her 2-6pm syndicated broadcast, Wendy (and co-host Charlamagne tha God) were informed that Method Man had come to the WBLS studios to confront them on air and "share" his side of the story. Worried that some type of HOT97 mayheim might ensue, the station executives called security and informed Method that he would be welcome to join Wendy in the studio only if he followed proper protocol and scheduled an interview.
Hopefully, this issue will be resolved later this week when Method Man and his management come to sit down at the mic.
The Wendy Williams Expercise is syndicated out of New York City, but can be heard all over the country in Philadelphia, Tampa, Conneticut, LA, Jacksonville, Memphis, and Charlotte.
A soon to be recurring topic on my other column, The World Inside of My Head, ventures into my quest to regain soon physical fitness that I lost post graduation. Below is an excerpt:
"I realized I had a problem when I woke up one morning and went to wash my face and found a have eaten bag of Doritos lying open on the sink. What made it worst was I couldn't remember exactly how the bag had gotten in the bathroom in the first place. I mean, under what circumstances did I feel the need to snack at the bathroom vanity! Something was wrong and I needed to change my habits. I had gone from hard body jock to slightly cubby couch potato. Since leaving high school and the athlete's lifestyle 5 years ago, I had adopted an erratic eating pattern coupled with minimal (if any) exercise.
Don't get me wrong, I am by no means obese. I would never insult someone's intelligence with that nonsense. Actually, at 152 lbs. I'm well within the acceptable weight range for my height and age. However, what scares me is the manner and the time it took me to get to this weight from my former 130lbs. Therefore, my quest is driven more by a desire to establish a healthier lifestyle than vanity. Eating right (at regular intervals and nutritiously) and exercise will be valuable habits as a move towards thirty and into my childbearing years."
I started at Bally's Total Fitness on June 15th and to date have lost 6lbs--including 4 that I gained over the 4th of July holiday.
One of my greatest pass times is watching videos on VH1 Soul and MTV Jams. The true 24 hour video format affords them the opportunity to show some classic and rare videos. However, there are times when the video selections on these channels makes you wonder if the Apocalypes is that eminent. Case in point, the gem out of Memphis, "Good Googley Moogley" by Three 6 Mafia affiliate Project Pat.
I would like to start by saying, WHAT IN THE SAM HELL! Memphis are you guys for real? Is this nonsense really what you are offering the world of music? Is this crap what you want to be remembered for? Quite frankly you guys are 0 for 2 in the community PR department.
But, the video did stimulate my brain. It made me wonder, for all the degrading of women in hip hop, how can a real woman allow herself to be degraded for this or this or this or this or this or this! Women are going out of there way to look as sexy as possible for some of the ugliest men alive. I just can't understand why men think women want to be shaking it fast, dropping it like its hot, tworkin' it, and jigglin' it for guys that look like the spawn of Predator and Skeletor!
I recently got a post card from hell, and I was informed that Project Pat is planning on writing a book! Oh Jesus, the end is definitely near. Below is the story as Allhiphop.com reported it
As he gears up for the release of his new album "Crook DA Book: The Fed Story," rapper Project Pat is putting his experience behind bars in a new book. "I got this book I wrote and it's called 'The Fed Story 2,'" Project Pat told AllHipHop.com. "It's just about the situation and the feds, and how I got a blessing [from] God, blessing me through it." The book is the newest venture for Pat, who was convicted in 2002 of felony possession of a firearm after being pulled over by police for speeding in 2001. "This [is the] full transcript of everything that was said in the court," Project Pat explained, who predicted that readers will "trip off this book." Fans can expect to the book to hit shelves after the release of Pat's album, "Crook by DA Book: The Fed Story" in October.
No one loves LeToya and her grind more than I do. Her album is definately on my list of legitament purchases for 2006--actually it will be first legit purchase this year, and I already have 90% of the album downloaded anyways! That says alot because anyone who knows me, knows that I'm tight fisted.
Keeping you guys abreast of her lastest ventures will always be a priority to me. And since todays dosage has been litered with the mundane, I give you all hope that music may survive:
Letoya is joining BETs (yeah, I know) summer line up of music related reality shows, with "Letoya: The H-Town Chick", which follows her has she promotes her album and solo career. Apparently, BET (or her promo team) ran out of money and decided that they didn't need to run any type of marketing for her show, because I don't remember seeing not a one commercial for her debut episode (came on yesterday). In fact, I realized it came on after it had already ended. Thanks for nothing BET! Nonetheless, here is a link to the trailer that wasn't run on the network this past week.
LeToya is releasing, "She Don't" as the second single. Of course I like it, but I was looking forward to a more up tempo song. But this will do. Her "former" boo, Slim Thug plays her (you guessed it) "former" boo in the video. The song is dedicated to him and their relationship.
This story is hopefully just a rumor, but I figure can get a laugh out of it possibily being true.
Apparently you have not seen the last of Rodney Henry from this season's College Hill. There are reports that Rodney will be hosting BET's Rap City this week while filling in for the current host Mad Linx. This week Rodney will sit down with E-40 for a day and find out more about the hyphy movement as well as talk about his business ventures and new album.
Henry's manager will not confirm nor deny that Rodney will be the show's next host, he comments, "We are just thankful to Stephen (Hill), Reggie (Hudlin), and BET for giving Rodney an opportunity. He adds, “But hey, you never know what can happen." Rodney is currently reading scripts for a pilot as well as entertaining an advertising campaign deal for a popular urban clothing line.
Mr. T has given himself a makeover. The former television action star shed the piles of gold chains that were his signature look after witnessing the destruction from Hurricane Katrina.
"As a spiritual man, I felt it would be a sin against my God for me to wear all that gold again because I spent a lot of time with the less fortunate," the actor said Thursday at the Television Critics Association's summer meeting.
"I saw some, I call it 'sorry celebrities.' They'll go down there and hook up with the people to take a photo-op. I said, `How disgusting.' If you're not going to go down there with a check and a hammer and a nail to help the people, don't go down there."
Mr. T, whose real name is Lawrence Tero, stars in "I Pity the Fool" debuting in October on TV Land. He dispenses advice to viewers who are struggling with life's problems.
The former star of "The A-Team" said he's about more than his rough-and-tough image.
"Yes, I am qualified to beat people up. But I am pretty intelligent," he said. "That's what throws people off. If you've been through something, that gives you an authority that you can speak on certain things. That's why people relate to me. I pull no punches." Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.
I really wanted to have this thing up and going at the begining of the month, in time for the BET Awards (Lawd knows my review of last year show still makes me laugh). Needless to say, time and I aren't the best of friends right now and I am just now getting things moving.
I realize it's been almost a month, and bloggers and radio and TV personalities have burnt these subjects to a crisp, but I just want to take a moment to reflect on some of the gems we miss (BET Award and otherwise) during my hiatus from the internet.
Well, I might have been the only person not disappointed in this year's BET Awards. If only because it was the hot crap on a roll that I had thought it would be.
The Waynes family needs to be banned from hosting anymore awards shows. Shawn and Marlon ruined the MTV Video Music Awards, now Damon has ruined this one. They just aren't funny live. They are so bad, that it makes you reconcider why you thought that they were funny in the first place.
Performance wise, the show was a D- at best. Beyonce and Jay-Z did a par job. Their preformance wasn't ground breaking nor earth shattering--certainly not living up to the hype of the "Grand Opening" performance BET marketed it to be. As a side note, I would like all Beyonce fans to realize and accept that the woman lip syncs. Yes, she has a naturally great voice. However, for all the running around, jerking, gyrating, and that calasping, how many of you can remember hearing her taking a breath? The woman stood there clapping with the mic in her hand for 30 seconds, even beat the mic against her chest! We never once heard any type of reverb or clip. I'm just saying since her performance is undoubtably going to be compared to others, who did choose to sing live (for many, this was an unwise choice), let's just include handicaps and advantages into our calculations.
Speaking of handicaps, I have a new found respect for T.I.'s skinny behind. When many rappers might have thrown a tantrum on stage, he kept on performing even with all the audio related mishaps. And a special thanks to Diddy for using his moment in the spot light to pull BET's card, and let the audience know what happened earlier was not T.I. 's fault but that of the show's production team. Nonetheless, Diddy and Yung Joc's rendition of "It's Goin Down" seemed out of place and quite frankly "wack" by Diddy standards.
Once again the veterans returned to the stage to show the young ones how this thing called music is susposed to be done. Chaka Khan's tribute and performance was hands down the best of the night--and she didn't have to fall on the ground and start convulging either!
Remy Ma once again came out the house looking a Hot A$$ Mess (HAM). She claims she doesn't trust stylists--well, she doesn't need to continue trusting herself either! However, the most Memorible Outfit goes to Kayne West. Let's over look the Ferris Bueller sports coat, or the scarf around his neck and take a moment to reflect on his white Air Napoleon Dynamites. Dude is he for real? Classic!
Love her or hate her--most of us fall in the latter category--we are going to miss Star Jones-Reynolds' presence on our morning television. Her departure from the Barbara Walters led, The View was iminent since there had been no reports of her signing a new contract following the announcement that Rosie O'Donnell (Star's arch nemisis) would be replacing Meredith.
However, nothing had been formally announced until Star, in true diva style, took it upon herself to make the announcement 2 days earlier than planned. Everyone can agreed that her syntax and word choice was eloquent, professional, and even endearing. However, her later comments in an interview with People Magazine, where she admitted she felt as if she was fired, caused a stir with ABC executives and Miss Barb herself.
I know most people hated Star and all, but I think Barbara's reaction to what I have been refering to as Stargate, was unbecoming, unneccessary, and uncalled for. Her 5 minute monologue at the beging of the show following Star's announcement, was not damage control, but rather a look at who Ms. Walters really is--the head bitch. The View has officially become Mean Girls with a side of Gertiol.
So what have we learned from this experience: 1) Old Hollywood; old, white, and jewish; still runs things. 2) America still wants its Mammies. Everyone will take a fat Star over the deflated alien looking Star anyday. 3) The powers that be want you to smile for the cameras at all times--even when you have a dager in the back.
Oh well, I guess their ratings are going to drop now--who is really watching for Joy and Elizabeth?
Soccer's the New Black:
Congratulations to Italy on winning the World Cup. America was doomed from the begining, so I found myself rooting for some random foreign countries. The only criteria for my enthusiasm--hot musclar men. Therefore, the Beckham led England squad had my allegiance for a minute, along with Brazil and ulimately Italy. Good Lord, soccer players are gorgeous. I had always been impartial to Basketball and (American) Football players, but Soccer? They came out of no where. I think I might have to invest in some tickets the next time a European team comes stateside for a expedition game.
Radio Killed the Internet Star and other FM fun...
Power 99FMin Philadelphia, along with its local and syndicated DJ's, has been on its grind the last few weeks, offering its listeners some of the funnest intereview to grace the airways.
First, The Hot Boyz (Mikey Dreb and Uncle O) invited Cassie into the studio for her first Philly interview late last week. I'll warn you, it didn't go well. They didn't pull a Wendy Williams "swoop down," but they did make the girl and her handlers squirm. The tragic part is that she and her people pretty much dug themselves into a hole.
When asked to sing (in the most sincere of ways) Cassie, who had been fun filled and perky, suddenly got quiet. The silence was to be broken by the faint voice of her manager telling the radio hosts that she wouldn't be singing on air. Uncle O's reaction helped to shed light on what listeners couldn't see. The young poptart had actually became quite upset by the request, probably because she knows as well as anyone else, that she really CAN'T sing. Now, don't get me wrong I love her music--for what it is, I've been bumping "Me and U" since this time last summer--but, her role in the industry is interchangable and unfortunately she is probably doomed to Flashie Status.
This week, Uncle O alluded that Cassie may have been moved to tears at the terrifying prospect of singing live on the radio! Lawd, Bad Boy and Next Selection PR representatives need to get on top of this mess before it gets out of hand.
Thursday, Sharmara AKA the "Mid-day Princess" interviewed West Philly native Lee Daniels, the producer of Monster's Ball (Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thorton) and the dircector of Shadow Boxer (Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Mo'nique). Mr. Daniels or should I say Queen Lee was a riot. There's something about a flamboyant gay man that just brighten up a drery day. However, the conversation did shed light on some of pop cultures greatest mysteries.
First, we can all stop blaming the white man for the gritty and graphic sex scenes Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thorton had together in Monsters Ball. Although, I always took them for what they were worth, understanding their purpose, and never was made to feel unconfortable about their presence, many people don't not share my opinions. Nonetheless, Daniels fully took responsibility and wore the decision as a badge of honor.
Second, he confirmed the highly scrutinized reports that Janet Jackson's massive weight gain was actually for the purpose of a movie role. Most people and gossip wags questioned the validity that Janet would purposely endanger her signature body. Many believed that it was the result of post-molestation trial stress, old age, or just plan laziness. Once again Queen Lee took responsibility, proclaiming, that he, "wanted the bitch fat" for his upcoming film, Tennessee. He went on to claim he was "stuffing food in [Janet's] mouth," whenever he saw her. However, Janet pulled out when filming endangered her latest album's, 20 Years Old, release date and subsequent tour. He then announced that Mimi herself, Mariah Carey, who will be ending her Emanicipation Tour before filming is scheduled to begin, has decided to make another forray into acting, assuming the role vacated by Jackson.
Lastly, the Fill In Morning Show (the result of Star and Bucwilds untimely departure from the airwaves) had Miss Jackson call in to talk about her new album last Friday. She echoed Queen Lee's earlier statements, admitting that she put the weight on "healthly" because "that is the way [she] saw the [character]." However, she also confided in host Q Deezy that the extra 60lbs was taxing on her body, specifically her knees and back, but that her her weight lost was aided by her "great muscle memory."
Even though her call was supposedly to promote her upcoming release, she was tight lipped on details. She revealed no real details, only saying that "nothing is eched in stone yet, so [she] won't speculate." Even still, Miss Jackson is not intimidate, nor jealous of Beyonce's recent and expected success with her sophomore release "B Day" schedule to debut September 5th. Although, she is "very competitive" she still believes "there is room for everyone to shine" in the industry.
