Coretta Scott King
Dear Jay-Z,
October 18, 2009 - One Response
I have really enjoyed your latest album The Blueprint III. Although it is not groundbreaking, it is a good modern hip-hop album. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a hater, I am actually a big fan of yours and an even bigger fan of your wife. But I digress. I have a lot of respect for you but I also keep it real and I have a problem with The Blueprint III.
Please don’t release a song called ‘Death of Auto-tune D.O.A.’ and preach about the end of auto-tune in the music industry on multiple tracks of your album when another track’s beat, ‘Hate’ feat. Kanye West, is based on an auto-tune voice. I know that you have an issue with T-Pain because he pulled a Lil’ Mama and jumped on stage with you, but please don’t be a hypocrite. I like you and I want to keep it that way.
Otherwise, great album. I love ‘Off That’ and ‘Empire State of Mind’ are my anthems right now. I look forward to that video with Alicia Keys. Tell Beyonce I love her.
Love,
Wil
Thank you McQueen. Thank you.
October 18, 2009 - 2 Responses
Fashion week just ended around the world and I must say. This year was good, but it was not enough for me. Although I saw a lot of things I liked, nothing really rocked my world or set major tend to follow. Until…
Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2010 Ready-to-Wear Collection
As a fashion designer, I usually go straight to the clothes first. But the main resason i loved the McQueen show, was not the clothing at all but the show.
The show was entitled Pluto’s Atlantis. Mcqueen put on an amazing show that I could only describe as a modern fantasy. Everything I read about the show makes me love it more and more. Lynn Yaeger on the Full Frontal Fashion Blog said:
What’s next? Flying Monkeys?
Well, almost — not monkeys, actually, but snakes with something naughty on their minds. They are crawling all over a nude Raquel Zimmermann and she’s writhing in ecstasy on the giant video screen Alexander McQueen has mounted as part of his spare-no-expense (what recession?) extravaganza entitled “Plato’s Atlantis” at the Salle Marcel Cerdan on the Boulevard de Bercy, a venue so difficult to get to in a car (I scammed a ride) that it might as well be Atlantis.
From the plastered stage make-up of the models, to the extremely detailed braided hair, to the press on nails, Mcqueen put on a show. The models must have been there all day.
But what has really made Mcqueen’s show stay with me for the past couple days are the 10 inch heels these women wore. They haunt me. I love them, I think they are so simple yet something I have never seen of. I think they are genius. Check them out.
I found this show inspiring. It completely ignores the economic crisis and take us to a world of fantasy. Thank you Alexander McQueen for the great show. CLICK HERE to watch the video yourself.
Not enough Lying.
October 16, 2009 - Leave a Response
Last night I saw The Invention of Lying. Here is my review:
WARNING: Mild Spoilers.
This film was an amazing idea, but not well executed. If you are looking to see it, rent it in 5 months. I laughed out loud a lot in the beginning. The humor is very dry and a little dark, but I enjoy that.
The plot was a bit underdeveloped to me. The plot seemed to be broken up into thirds. It begins with the world today if no one could tell a lie and says exactly what they are thinking. This worked great in the beginning of the film. It was really funny and a little heartbreaking. The next section deals with Ricky Gervais, played by Mark Bellison, as he “invents lying” and changes his life completely. The third section of the movie turns into a humorous yet powerful commentary on religion and our society as a whole. All of these concepts were great, but because they were crammed in one movie it left me wanting more, not to mention the major loop-holes in the plot near the end.
The cast was completely cameos. I am fairly good at remembering actors names and other roles, so this movie was like a game for me. Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman played a bartender and probably had six lines in the entire film. Bellison and Jennifer Garner were very good in the lead roles. Bellison is always hilarious and Garner is slowly winning me over. I love to see her play an uptight, slightly anal character as opposed to a “I will kick your ass” character which jump started her career. Jonah Hill is always hilarious. I don’t know what it is about him, but when ever he is on the screen I burst out laughing.
Overall, I would recommend this movie for for rental only. Don’t waste your money seeing it in the theatres. It is entertaining but it drags on. I almost wish it didn’t come out in theatres, because I think with a little more work, it could have been a masterpiece. Bummer.
Not even close to Normal.
September 22, 2009 - Leave a Response
Last night, Courtney took me to see Next to Normal on Broadway. Here is my review:
I feel like I say this a lot, but I was blown away. And if that cliché is now understated, I was blown to bits. It was by far the most emotional show I have seen on stage. From the first song to the last, I was fighting back tears.
I do not want to give a lot away, but there is a huge plot twist early in the first act that changes the entire dynamic of the show. I thought it was just another dysfunctional family reminiscent of August: Osage County, but it was more. August: Osage County is my far the best play I have ever seen. Its writing and plot twists are in my thoughts to this day, and now I feel like Next to Normal will be right there with it. It is hard not to compare the two but they both shine in different ways. The clearest way I can break it down is August is deep and Next to Normal is emotional.
Alice Ripley plays Diana, the mother of the family who seems to cause most of the stress. She won the Tony this past year for ‘Best Leading Actress in Musical.’ In an earlier entry, I picked my favorites for this years Tony’s but I was unaware of how powerful Ripley was in this role. There was no contest in that category. And in retrospect, Next to Normal was an extremely close second to Billy Elliott for the top prize of Best Musical, in my opinion.
Not only was the story great, but the overall production was quite impressive. The set was simple and modern and left just enough to the imagination. The music was great as well as the writing. I am a little hesitant to upload the soundtrack to my iPod because it was that heavy. Even with two under-studies, the acting was brilliant and completely convincing. I lost myself in that show.
If you are looking for a Broadway show to see, I would highly recommend Next to Normal. It is anything but normal. It is haunting and I hope I get to see it again. And hurry! Alice Ripley might leave the show any day now.
United States of Toni.
September 20, 2009 - Leave a Response
Tonight, Toni Collette won the Emmy for Best Leading Actress in a Comedic Role and boy, did she earn it. Her show United States of Tara on Showtime is phenomenal and despite the great cast, she truly carries the show.
Toni Collette plays Tara, a mom who has multiple personality disorder. We follow her life in modern suburbia as she struggles to main any shred of normalcy while her family copes with her other personalities or ‘alters.’
Her ‘alters’ include T, a 16-year-old slut who holds nothing back; Buck, a raunchy, red-neck truck driver; Alice, the perfect housewife who seems to be stuck in the 1950’s and now Gimmy, an out of control animatistic creature who we are still trying to figure out. Any ‘alter’ can appear at any time and Tara is completely lost in her own body.
The show itself is amazing and I am a huge fan. I hope that this Emmy win will give the show a little more popularity so it will stay on air for longer. I also hope they keep up the impeccable writing. Everyone from the sassy young aunt to the sarcastic ‘old-souled’ gay son are written so well, I care as much about them as I do Tara.
If you haven’t already starting watching United States of Tara, you should. It is one of my favorite shows. Toni’s performance in the season finale where she switched from ‘alter’ to ‘alter’ with out costumes changes in a single scene and still remained convincing blew my mind. I actually said “give her an emmy” while watching it. United States of Tara will be returning to Showtime on January 18th. And congratulations to Toni Collette. Truly an Emmy well deserved.
Sapphire is a Gem
September 20, 2009 - One Response
About a month ago, I finally finished Push: A Novel by Sapphire and here is my review.
It was great. I really enjoyed it. It is a very short read, but it was hard for me to get through. It is extremely well written, but it is written in the first person of Precious Jones, the protagonist. Precious Jones is a 16-year-old girl who is illiterate and has a an unbelievably rough life, so the beginning of the novel is written almost completely phonetically. Sapphire really impressed me with her writing skills, because as the story progresses, you can see Precious’ spelling and writing gradually become better. On top of that, the content is so intense, I really had to take my time to get through it.
Previously, in a ‘trailers to watch’ posting, I wrote about the highly anticipated movie Precious coming out. This is the book that that movie is based on. The movie debuted at Sundance this past year and won multiple awards including the Jury Prize for Mo’Nique role as Precious’ mother. Now Mo’Nique is already being considered for a Best Supporting Actress Nomination in the 2010 Academy Awards.
The story takes place in the late 1980’s in Harlem, blocks away from my old apartment. The book was so rough and so real that I am not sure how much they will have to edit down to make it a major motion picture. Precious’ history with her mother and father was nothing but negative and her life was an uncontrolled downward spiral. The ending of the book was a little hopeful and uplifting, but still completely depressing. I am sure things will have to be lightened up for the movie.
Overall, the book was excellent and I would highly recommend it. And I cannot wait for the movie. And to top it off, Oprah is an executive producer, so I feel like it is going to be an instant classic. The release date for the film is November 6th, but I recommend reading the book ahead of time. You will be blown away.
