"Let's play a game"...[Totally not mean't to be said in the Saw voice;)]

I spy something small and loud. It has loads of potential and bares similarity to former legends. 

     It's the new generation of Hip-Hop.

So, lately on MTV and stuff, I've been seeing videos of young, up and coming hip hop stars. And ever since the Bieber phenonmenon, I can't help but wonder how old I'm getting, as the artists I grew up with have practically disappeared from the scene, and have been replaced by the "Young-ins." Here's a few examples.

1.  Upon the release of her first video, Youtube was going crazy advertising it.  She's heir to the Smith fortune, and daughter of the one and only...Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It's Willow Smith! 

She's got her daddy's signature ears

.
  One thing's for sure, her song isn't going anywhere.  Whip my Hair has received over 7 million views within one week from its video release on Youtube. You know what? I actually like the song.  It's quite addictive! And for 9 year old Willow, her voice is very mature.  What I also like about it, is the fact that you can see and hear the innocence in the song and video.  There's no raunchiness or hidden messages  Her meaning is clear; she rocks her style fiercely,and whips her hair back and forth. 

2.  I like this next kid.  He was born in Queens...my hometown. His father is a St. John's University alum, and he even started his own Hip-hop group, called Run D.M.C. back in the 80's.  You may have seen him on episodes of Run's House during the mid 2000s.  It's Diggy Simmons!

You might've heard his first release off of his new album, Airborne, on that new AT&T commecial.  It's called Great Expectations.  Unlike the Charles Dickens novel, it's about a young performer who, on his own, is about to prove to a discouraging and non-believing crowd, that he can make it big..... cuz he's got "Great expectations."

Rapping must be in his genes, because Diggy is really good at freestyling.  He writes his own raps, and the lyricism in his voice is better than some current rappers out there (cough cough Drake).  I'm not naming names...lol.  Anyhow, check out these lyrics and listen to his song.  The picture he paints is almost like reading a novel; so clear and vivid...it puts you right there with him on the stage. 

Here's a part of Diggy's first verse, provided from elyricsworld:

(Diggy Simmons)
"All the stares
And all the glares
They waitin' on him
All the weight
From all the hate
It's gainin' on him
The intensity as he rises
Nobody can disguise it,
It's like he got fire in his eyelids
The crowd is roarin'
It's so enormous,his blood is boilin'
His head is spinnin',he's focus
He wishes they'd ignore 'em
Who in their right mind
Want to let his light shine
He ain't even in his prime
Pressure of a lifetime
He standing steady,Head sweaty
He may be nervous,but ready
The skeptiscim lies heavy, he's about to make it..."

3.  This next group doesn't impress me much.  In fact, I find them a little annoying.  I simply chose to write about them because they remind me of another "boy band."  They're called Mindless behavior, which makes sense since they look like a bunch of 5 year olds tryna b G.  I can't find much info on them, but they seem to be little Tweenagers....out to be the next B2K.  Remember them? Well I think I've found their little copycat brothers.

B2K

Mindless Behavior

So, their inspiration ranges from Michael Jackson, Prince,  to P-Diddy, but if you ask me, I think they are just destined to make a little cash and fame now, and eventually split up like all the other groups (B2K, Pretty Ricky,112).  Nevertheless, their song, My Girl, is adorable! Eventhough these B2K munchkins freak me out a little, I wish them luck in reaching their dreams.

Click the link to check out their video for My Girl

Connecting to the World...one blog at a time

Surfing the net today, I came across some pretty cool site.  I've posted some tid-bits about them and you can find the links in the side bar.

The Debonaire

Having a sophisticated charm, The Debonaire is one of the first blogs I linked to.  The blogger is a singer/song-writer in NYC, but defines her blog as an outlet to post anything that catches her eye.  A majority of her posts are photos or videos, but they all are a unique blend of urban fashion, music, and must have gadgets.  Her blog yells “I’m a New Yorker,” and screams cosmopolitan.  But that’s exactly what I like about it.  The humor, and the awesome photos of unique places, gives the blog a versatile vibe.  Even though my blog is about entertainment, I find much of The Debonaire’s posts relatable, as they introduce new songs and cool trends on the pop scene. 

Popbytes

This is probably one of my many guilty pleasure blogs because it, like the Tabloids, is obsessed with celebrity gossip.  It’s pop mania!  This blog has all the latest news on TV, film, music, and people.  Their motto is “When culture pops, we wipe it up.”  Wipe it up they do!  This site is loaded with so much information; it literally looks like Pop culture just vomited all over the page.  It seriously is a chore focusing your eye on one thing on this blog. At any rate, started back in 2003, Popbytes has a collection of writers/columnists from all over the world.  They pitch in stories from film to fashion, and fitness to television. The posts never cease to entertain me, no matter how irrelevant the subject matter. I chose this link because it’s the first to release groundbreaking news out of Hollywood, so it keeps me current. And since my blog involves entertainment, Popbytes really comes in handy when I’m looking for post ideas.

ODDEE

We used to say “OD-ed” in school when we over-did something or when we saw something just plain crazy.  This blog brings back the lingo by having countdown posts with some of the funniest, bizzarest (if that’s even a word), oddest things.  Their posts involve superlatives for some of the most strangest and randomest(here we go again with the made up words!) things one could even think of, like; 15 strangest contact lenses, 10 funniest typos ever, 10 most extreme body parts, 15 strangest people at Walmart, and this just goes on and on forever.  It‘s pretty much like Ripley’s Believe it or not series.  However, as weird as it seems, I like this blog because they put out some of the coolest and freakiest stories that I never knew were true.  In a way, this blog enlightens me to the wide variety of well…things that are out there.  I can’t even fully describe it.  It’s just one of those blogs you have to see to believe.  As far as its relation to my blog, I plan to use some of their interesting and mind blowing content that relates to the entertainment world.

The Daily Beast

It’s probably one of the more professional blogs out there.  Likened to the Huffington Post, the Daily Beast covers it all from politics, the arts, entertainment, to the plain old news.  The home page and site itself are very easy to navigate and very well organized.  They have a really interesting set up; a cheat sheet lines the center of the site with “must-read stories,” to the left of the page lies a slideshow with various stories, and they even have an international section with news from “across the pond.”  Since the site covers so much info, it’s no wonder why they have 8 different columnists presenting various articles.   I love this site because everything is in one.  It’s a great asset to my blog, because I’m sure I can find tons of relatable, interesting, and even debatable stories from a trustworthy source.

Oh no They Didn’t!

Much like TMZ, this blog has the latest on celebrity news, upcoming music and movie releases, and just plain ole silly Hollywood drama.  I first discovered this site during the World cup 2010, as they have a section devoted to soccer (ONTD_FB), and what I liked about it was the fact that it is an interactive forum site.  The people who created accounts to the site are the ones making the posts and spreading the rumors, whether true or false.  It may not be the most reliable source, but members are pretty convincing, and also very clever and down –right funny.  They make hilarious gifs, which poke fun at the celebs.  Although the comments can be mean, there really is no censorship and it’s kind of hard to understand what they are talking about, as they abuse computer lingo.  You really have to be up to date with the latest ikr, lol, LMAO, ftw, etc, or just have urban dictionary handy.  However, by linking this blog, I’m hopefully exposing others to check out the site and to get involved with the live discussion boards.  Even if one doesn’t want to write anything, just reading the posts and comments are entertaining in itself.

Gothamist

New York truly is a Gotham of a city, and it takes a cool blog like this one to handle it all.  The Gotham is one of my personal favorites, because it is soo00o New York.   It includes posts of all news related to New York and the Tri-state area, hotspots for food in the city and elsewhere, and introductions to cool events in the city.  As a New Yorker, I like to be in the know, and this blog is where it’s at.  I’m beginning to sound like some subway ad, but seriously this blog brings me up to date info on all things New York.  I can certainly use it to bring attention to cool or interesting occurrences in the city that never sleeps.  Furthermore, it gives my blog a more worldly appeal, as I can post relevant things which hit close to home.

ROFL Razzi

“I’m your biggest fan, I’ll follow you until you love me…ROFL… ROFL RAZZI.”  Ok I’m not that desperate for their attention, but this blog is probably # 1 on every celebrity’s kill bill list.  Why? Because they pose pictures in show business with humorous captions that twist what actually happened.  Some of the captions are just being sarcastic, some are mean, others just plain funny.  Perhaps, one of the cooler things about this blog is that you can actually submit your own funny celeb picture and caption and it could end up being a hit post.  This blog is just for goofing –off purposes, nothing serious can be drawn from it.  It is all in the love of humor.

Movieset

It’s pretty self-explanatory, but this blog is all about movies.  One of its cool features is that it provides a behind-the–scenes look at some of your favorite movies and shows.  We tend to admire the magic of a movie and wonder how they did it.  Well, this blog shows you.  With people in the industry writing the posts, Movieset posts info on upcoming films, marketing of movies, and even provides live streams of certain films.  This blog will definitely help educate and inform the public of what it takes to make a film.  It will certainly help me find interesting new releases to blog about as well.

Stuff No-one told me…but I learned anyway

This blog is created by a cartoonist from Barcelona, who draws naked…. I’m not kidding; it says so in the About me section.  The blog isn’t about his live, but rather about the little things in life that are not explicitly taught by parents, but are learned through experience.  Each post has a cartoon that he drew and a little “life lesson” written on it.  It has nothing really to do with my blog, but I find it cute and assuring; we don’t all have the answers to life’s little problems, but we learn to deal with them no matter how big or small.  Besides, the drawings remind me of the Disney show, Teacher’s Pet, and they’re not too shabby either.

 

Some blogs that I find interesting and that relate to my topic are not limited to, but include;

What do You think?

http://mediacritiqued.blogspot.com/

Like my blog, this one has an entertainment theme and seeks to arouse discussions on various media topics.  Mazer’s latest post has delved into the recent obsession with 3-D movies and how technology influences such media.  She also introduces news TV shows that could be promising hits this fall season.  Furthermore, the peachy-orange background is a sure-fire way to make viewers feel happy/ light-hearted when reading the posts.

Nation of Sports

http://nationofsportsss.blogspot.com/

For all the guys and gals out there who are passionate about their favorite teams, this blog is a must.  As it says in the header, this blog is “for the most dedicated sports fans out there,” but you don’t have to be a fanatic to enjoy the site.  As you know, sports is a branch of entertainment that encompasses defending your team against the enemy haters, staying up late to see final scores, and showing excessive pride through athletic wear.  At any rate, watching sports is a great way to distract you from the banalities of life and to provide good ole competitive entertainment.  From game highlights to reaction discussions, this blog, created by an avid ESPN watcher (so you know he knows his stats!) keeps all you sports- lovers up to date.

Beyond the Box
http://beyond-thebox.blogspot.com/

This blog is all about art.  By art, I don’t mean mere paintings and abstract photos.  The creator intends to get viewers thinking about art, immersing them into the vast world that is art.  Art, of course, is a hobby, and like any hobby, its purpose is to entertain, to get someone involved in something they are passionate about, to inspire, to share, to enjoy.  So if you entertain your mind with creative ideas, like expressing yourself through art, this blog is for you.

Has reality TV gone too far? (blog#3)

Like many people out there, I am a reality TV junky. Even though people say “it is scripted-it’s not reality”-there’s something about the rawness of it all that makes it exciting to watch. Furthermore, the fact that average Joes agree to go out and make fools of themselves by doing wild and wacky things; like in ABC’s Blowout or CBS’ Survivor, is a break from the fantasy we all wish we could experience in the glitz of Hollywood movies and shows. However, it seems that reality shows are becoming all the more raunchy and possibly a little too real to handle.

Take for instance, MTV’s hit show: Teen Mom, a documentary type program, produced by Morgan Freeman, with the intention of showing the hardships of being a mother and dealing with relationships at such a young age. Now, MTV is no stranger to publicizing the lives of random people living together or struggling through tough things. Remember, they originated documentaries like: True Life, The Real World, The Challenge, Jersey Shore, and Teen Mom. Honestly speaking, in every one of these shows there has been an act of violence committed against a cast member, and MTV stands there continuing to film the aggression. You know why? Because people like a good fight. It’s what raises the ratings. And in these days…MONEY is everything.

The latest incident has possibly gone too far, causing enough attention that the media is all over it. Apparently, the Teen Mom star… well “Person” (Lauer claims calling these cast members "stars" glamorizes thier situaton), Amber Portwood, is allegedly facing an investigation after she repeatedly committed domestic abuse against her on/off again fiancé, Gary Shirley, in front of their child, Leah. In the state of Indiana (where they live), “domestic violence in front of a child under the age of 14 can result in felony charges.” Amber could be facing some time.

After Gary threatened to take Leah away from her, Amber “kicked and punched him seven times before kicking him in the back as he walked down a flight of stairs.” There have been numerous other times when Amber has lashed out on Gary, and he just stands there and takes it. Perhaps if the tables were turned, you know Amber wouldn’t hesitate a minute to call the cops on him. But what’s striking is that the film crew didn’t even intervene. They continued to watch the abuse over and over. Furthermore, they didn’t mind to edit it out, allowing the crimes to project through the screens of TVs and computers in millions of American households.

What’s got everyone talking is the realization that reality TV and magazines, in some way, glamorize this behavior. As Matt Lauer mentioned in an NBC interview, "look at all of the attention these cast members have gotten for having a baby at 16!" They probably get a fat cut out of the revenue for the show as well. I mean, accidents happen, and perhaps MTV’s purpose with the show is to convey how hard it is to be a teen mom, possibly to dissuade teens from ruining their lives at such a tender age.

But others feel differently. One reporter describes “Reality shows [as preying] on featuring people who appear to be undereducated, narcissistic and full of anger...Teen Mom is not the national image Anderson wants. We don't push our loved ones down stairs. We don't take pride that our teenage girls are 16 and pregnant. We don't all drop out of high school."

It’s the image that people are worried about. They see teens entangled in such volatile lives and they fret over its influence on the teens watching it. This makes sense, sometimes we see something cool, and we want to imitate it. That’s why they have those warnings before a dangerous stunt is shown; “please do not try at home.” But I think the real purpose of Teen Mom is to educate. You don’t see the Moms all decked out in fur coats, going to the jewelry store to buy some bling-bling. This isn’t the life of footballer’s wives. This is probably the most unglamorous show out there. Judging by the delivery episodes, childbirth is messy! And the problems that come with it are too. These kids are going through so much! For instance, Farrah’s story is hard to swallow: her boyfriend died before she told him she was pregnant, now she’s a single mom and her relationship with her parents hasn’t been that well. Maci is also a single mother, and Catelynn has to deal with the pain of giving a child up for adoption. These stories happen every day, and these ladies just had the guts to invite cameras in to show the reality of it all.
As for Amber, I don’t condone her behavior. If you know the cameras are filming you, have the courtesy to Not abuse your baby’s daddy. Guess what, Amber? Now the prosecutors have evidence. Perhaps, Amber just needs some anger management.

At any rate, the violence is a part of ever day life. And no matter how much people want to protect their kids or just complain about the censoring on TV, they have to realize that kids will experience this one day for themselves in the REAL WORLD. Parents you can’t hide everything from us kids; you can only shield us for so long. And while people get all heated over this, it should serve to remember that this is TV…there is a thing called the one/off button. If you don’t like what you see, just turn it off.

In terms of the domestic abuse and the media coverage, I want to hear from you guys: Do you think these Teen moms are being glamorized? Does Amber need anger management? Is Gary doing the right thing? What would You do in their situation? Sound off by writing a comment.

Source:  1."'Teen Mom' Under Investigation for Domestic Abuse in Front of Child | PopEater.com." Celebrities | Entertainment News | Celebrity Gossip | Celebrity Photos | PopEater.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2010.
 2. http://starcasm.net/archives/29094

The Miracle in Chile

Amazing! I don't even know how to start this blog because I’m overwhelmed with joy and happiness for these miners. And I’m not the only one; twitter posts from celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, Missey Elliot, Ryan Seacrest, and plenty more were exploding with joy of the rescues. Home pages on Facebook probably shared similar sentiments, and I’m sure many of you had discussions at home about the great news.

So if you've been keeping up with current events, you'd know that 33 Chilean miners were trapped in a mine for more than two months. Two whole months in the dark abyss of the earth! Thankfully with aid coming in from dozens of countries, they all are out tonight, alive, healthy, and I'm sure feeling very blessed. What amazes me is the remarkable story behind this entire effort. Our boys at NASA pitched in and made that pod, which brought all miners, one by one, to the top. Tons of volunteers from all over helped out. Furthermore, the Chilean prime minister was standing by these miners, from the very beginning of when news broke that they were found alive.

Something about this story is just so inspirational. The unity we see of everyone coming together for the common goal of rescuing these men is truly what the world needs right now. It's just sad that it often takes a tragedy, although this one had a happy ending, for people to realize the fragility of life and the importance of working together and helping each other out, regardless of our differences. What's also very cool about this story is that it brought people together in so many other ways, and I'm not just talking about those who were actually there to give aid and physically help in the recovery. I’m talking about us! Just think about how many people from all over the world were watching live footage of these miners reunite with loved ones at the same time. For a moment, we were all connected. It doesn't matter what language you speak, if you were watching the Spanish news stations, the Japanese stations, or the European stations. At that precise moment in which the first miner was pulled from the ground and saw daylight for the first time in months, and ran to hug his crying son who had missed him a lot, I'm sure we all felt a sense of overwhelming happiness, relief, and we probably shed some tears of joy for such a profound event. It was a universal experience that everyone who had heard of the situation and had seen it on TV, had now shared.

What a miracle! I'm pretty sure this will be a Hollywood film in the near future. The reality of what happened will be the talk for weeks, and its affect on everyone will go into the archives as one of the most inspirational moments of this decade.

This story truly shows the power of faith and hope. And while we bask in the beauty of this reunion of all 33 men, we shall also remember the countless other men who died in unfortunate mining accidents. For instance, just earlier this year in April, West Virginia had seen one of its worst mining disasters, with all 29 miners of the Performance coal company never making it alive.
The reality is that mining is one of the most dangerous jobs out there; these men risk their lives to travel thousands of feet below ground to bring up valuable, raw materials that power the planet and sustain life. There needs to be better safety systems to protect the lives of these miners so fatal accidents or trapped situations do not occur.

Google TV!!

Seems like Google just invited itself into our living rooms. I’ve heard of being able to access Facebook and Youtube on TV, but pretty soon you’ll be able to access the entire web on your TV. You’ll never have to leave the bed! You can check your email, or the latest news videos, or even blog all from the comforts of your bed or couch.

Google has created their latest invention or shall I say Monopoly; Google TV. It’s basically a web platform for your television. It will be compatible with nearly every cable or satellite TV provider. You can think of it as converting your TV in to a giant ipad. Complete with apps, a default channel (similar to a home page), and a television search engine, Google TV seems to have it all. Heck! You can even use your phone as a remote control for it. It seems like technology in the future will involve putting a million different things into one easy-to-use item. I mean pretty soon we’ll be able to type our assignments and print them straight from the TV. The computer will be obsolete; shopping stores will be obsolete because you can do all the shopping you want straight from the net, which will be right on your TV. Maybe no one will ever leave their house! You can download movies from Netflix; get groceries delivered from the web. But seriously, the way technology keeps shifting our lives…it kind of makes you wonder. Well, what do you guys think of it? Is it cool? or just another step towards Google's domination of the planet? lol. Anyhow, you can read about it here; http://googletv.blogspot.com/ and be sure to check out Google’s new TV website that also has more info http://www.google.com/tv/ .

Situating the Situation:)

Ok so here's the situation:

 Ugh... not quite. The situation I'm talking about has to do with my blog.  We all know that entertainment issues are covered in a variety of ways.  You have TMZ (show and website), ontd(Oh! no they didn't- a celebritiy forum/gossip site), entertainment news shows (Extra, Acess Hollywood).  Then there's that whole station E! devoted to all things entertainment, packed with dirt dishing(E! news) and dirt spitting(Chelsea Lately Show, and The Soup).  You can't forget the tabloids, however false their stories may be.  And the morning radio shows, like z100 and 92.3 Now.  I can go on forever.  But all of those entertainment media basically spread gossip and speculation of the lives of the rich and famous.  I don't intend on doing that.  My blog, instead, will be what they do as part of their job; what kind of movies are actors starring in? Are their characters relatable? What new albums are artists working on? What are their songs really about? What are their videos portraying? What cool TV shows are out? These types of questions are what I seek to address.  Basically, I'll include all sorts of random stuff that has nothing to do with the personal and private lives of celebrities.  My aim is to explore the entertainment world for the sake of pure, natural, good-old entertainment.

Ode to the TV- (Background)

  Well, "98% of Americans have one, 38.7% of kids from the ages of 2-17 have one in their room (I confess…
I’m guilty), and 1 in every 4 Americans has been on it"…yep I’m talking about the TV.    The radio’s number one competitor, the television has been our go to for news information, prime time entertainment, sports games, blockbuster movies, and even music. It's such a vital source of our life.  And since we have it on for nearly 7 hrs a day, I figured I’d share the history behind it.

  All inventions start from a vision.  A series of Victorian aged trade cards (from the 1890s) showed the future of technology.  The cards were mainly used for advertising, but you could say they predicted the future.  Check this out. 

  Instead of going to the opera, one could experience ...or at least see what’s happening in the comforts of one’s own home.  I don’t think they realized that a projector only shows pictures and not the sound, but pretty visionary for over 100yrs ago. 

 You might call them crazy: flying tennis …really? But their imagination gave way to some of the inventions we have today. Check these out!



Early motorcycle by chance?

Flying bus..or Aeroplane?

  

 



 

       At any rate, the word “television” was first used at the Paris exhibition in 1900.  And by 1926, a Scotsman, John Logie Baird, had developed the world’s first mechanical TV. set to be mass produced to the public. As you can image it was mad expensive: $58 back then…which today is valued at $738.22.  And TV. then was nothing like today. It was basically a big box which by the mechanics of a spinning disk and a neon bulb, projected images the size of a business card.  It’s like buying a flipbook for several hundred dollars...totally redic! But if you were rich, it was totally awesome! What's not awesome,however, was the scary make-up actors had to wear, just so you could make out their image. 



*cringes with fear* that is Bat U-G-L-Y!







Who knew a farm boy, by the name of Philo Farnsworth, would’ve invented the key to which all TV images are shown, even today.  By engraving lines on the field with his tractor, 14yr old Farnsworth realized that a “beam of electrons could paint a picture, faster and finer than a spinning disk.” Basically, we should thank the cathode ray tube for projecting such fine images of movie stars, singers, and live events into our living rooms. 

Like any great invention, there’s always competition.  Farnsworth had a patent battle with Russian inventor, Vladimir Zworykin, who was in cahoots with the RCA director of patents.  So basically, Zworykin visited Farnsworth’s lab, and stole some of his trademark inventions for the TV. They duked it out in court, and Farnsworth won.  Unfortunately, after WWII, Farnsworth’s patents had expired and his name was since erased from the history books.  Zworykin is credited with the invention of the television. 

But it wasn’t until then, after the war, that TV made its debut into the home of nearly every American, bringing with it an era of network competition; sitcom shows, variety shows, cartoons (betty boop, felix the cat),talk shows (Yea! Oprah didn’t invent the game, but she sure made it famous!), comedy shows… the list goes on and on.  

Felix the Cat was the first cartoon shown on TV.

  In the 1950's color TV came along, with a host of reality shows, satirical cartoons(the Simpsons), HBO and other movie channels, and the whole slew of censorship, and the “V-chip” debate.



 Soon enough, with the advent of the world wide web, television saw itself in big trouble as the big 1990’s boom of the internet, threatened its existence.  Now, you can access Facebook and Youtube from your TV.  Well only if you have Verizon Fios(subliminal messaging guys!).



So from imagination in the 1890’s, to its not too shabby production in the late 1920’s, to its mass craze in the 1940’s, to well, now- the era of HD, flat &large screened TVs- Television has been evolving and will continue to evolve as time changes. 

Sources:



"History of TV." Television History - The First 75 Years. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. http://www.tvhistory.tv/History%20of%20TV.htm.



"Facts & Stats: The Television | Fun Facts." Stumblerz - Fun Stuff Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. http://www.stumblerz.com/facts-stats-the-television/.



"Television History - The First 75 Years." Television History - The First 75 Years. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. <http://www.tvhistory.tv/index.

Helpful video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGzFz2Nrq6s&feature=related