TUESDAY'S R&B GRIND ...

My graduation ceremony is four weeks away so I am going to try and get my gown sorted out this week. Well it's for hire but it shouldn't cost too much. As each Monday I go to admin training. I don't particularly enjoy it. I'm only at the place for five hours (9am to 2pm) but I get like, all the boring shit to do, making phone calls, filing, writing letters, stuff like that. The people are really nice though but I think I'll just stick it out for another month or so. If updates are a bit slow then just chalk it down as me being really busy. A bit of other stuff kicked off so I was too tired to blog. I was on-line for about an hour, took my ass off to work, got back home, watched the repeat of Eastenders and just went to sleep. I like being busy though. I feel worthy when there's so much to do. It can get a bit stressful but everything I do is a challenge. Actually, I am not satisfied when I'm not doing anything. Call me weird. If I'm not doing anything, I find something to do and blogging fills that void in my life. Now that a lot of things are happening, I practically have to FIND the time to go on-line these days and that weren't the case before.

It was also my sisters birthday yesterday. My mom is feuding with her sisters because of some shit. They keep trying to call her but she won't pick up the phone. So my auntie (not the sick one) comes and posts a card for my sister through the letterbox. In the card it has £15 quid but she doesn't knock the door. She just posts the card and leaves. It's madness. I hate family feuds. What with my moms other sister who is the youngest out of the six, battling cancer, I'd have thought they'd have put that into consideration and realise that life is waaaay too short to fall out with your loved ones. My auntie is doing okay of course, she's only 36 (my mama is 10 years older and is the oldest out of her 6 siblings) but still, nobody understands why this has happened to her. She doesn't smoke, drink, doesn't have any kids, doesn't date or have sex. Hell, I don't think she EVER has, you know, done it. It's just weird. Anyway, I remember reporting a couple months ago about my aunts condition, she has some kind of stomach cancer but her treatment is going good. She has lost all of her beautiful long hair but it is gradually growing back and she's NOT going to die. She's going to be fine. Thank God.

Jennifer Hudson really is proving herself to be a hot sexy mama when she attended the 71st Annual New York Film Critics Circle Awards. With the amazing weight loss, glowing skin, beaming smile and gorgeous hair, Jennifer looked every single bit of your movie star. Now Beyonce says that Jennifer has always been the one she was rooting for during season three of American Idol. Beyonce has since remained tight lipped during Jennifer's high calibre of appraisal from all spectrums of the media but I guess she had to say something nice to smash the rumours that they are both feuding. Where was Beyonce's support when a bolt of racism pierced through the voting system which saw Jennifer get kicked out the competition really early?

Obviously, Jen has put that catastrophe well and truly behind her because look who is getting the last laugh now hmmmm?

Jen also looked nice when she did a spot of catwalking at the General Motors Style Show which was held in Detroit on Saturday night:

Everyone knows all about Jen's incredible star power during her Dream Girls adventure and everybody was just queuing up to get their picture taken with her. Other celebs that were there were Nick Lachey, Carmen Electra, Rosie Perez, Jay-Z, Vivica Foxx, Nick Cannon, Lady Sovereign, need I go on?

Speaking of Dream Girls, Beyonce did a gorgeous shoot recently. I don't know what magazine the shoot was for but this was a nice shoot:

Well, at least she wasn't doing the same boring poses as usual. I think these pictures are pretty artsy and creative. MUCH better than that recent GQ shoot which I posted a couple of days ago.

Another shoot from yet another unknown publication is one that Mya did recently and she looks hot:

I am totally feeling her new song but she needs to come out NOW! I am jamming to Ride, Ayo, and Lock U Down and they are great but the suspense is just crazy!

And here's a new picture of Mya celebrating the new year with her two cousins.

Since I keep bringing up American Idol, the show airs next week on Fox and it has been widely reported that Simon Cowell has set up slot for X-Factor winner Leona to perform on the show as a guest performer:

Simon is currently managing Leona and he is doing everything in his power to ensure that Leona is a big hit in the United States. Performing on American Idol will be the breakthrough that Leona needs and since 35 million people watch American Idol, this could be the real deal for her. I think Leona is mad talented and has what it takes to be our British Mariah Carey. I cannot wait to see her on American Idol in the later stages of the series. This is definitely the boost that she needs. She was out in London over the weekend with her mama Maria where they were seen shopping on the high street. Leona has just got back from her Barbados holiday which she spent with her boyfriend Lou, and her family as well as runner-up Ray Quinn, Simon and girlfriend Terri Seymour. The all-expense holiday was paid for by Mr Cowell himself. Lucky swines. If anybody has anymore Leona music from her pre-X Factor days hit me up. I have already posted five tracks (Dance With Me, Paradise, What You Do To Me, Lovin' You and Breath) NOT including A Moment Like This but I downloaded this the VERY night that she was announced the winner. I know there are more music because I heard it. She also did a cover of SWV's So Into You and that is like one of my favourite R&B songs of all time, so again, if you have that in full, don't hesitate to post it!

Lil Kim looks so plastified (the bitch has got me making up words and shit), that she can be an integrated part of the Jackson clan. With her bleached skin, blobby nose job, scary eyebrows, tacky weave and twisted mouth, Lil Kim not only continues to look like a severe stroke victim, but her hideous physicality is enough to have ANY tranny cowering away in embarrassment:

Kim was at the Hip Hop Weekly Magazine Launch Party in New York on Sunday. I am so sick and tired of posting pictures of pre-surgery Kim during her Hardcore days when she use to be a hottie. Well, okay, not hot but she was a cute girl at least. I can't get out of my head how someone can be so full of self loathing that they screw up their looks like this. I actually thought people took an example from Michael Jackson. When people get surgery, they will most likely tell their surgeon not to make them look like MJ but in Kim's case, it seems she wanted to channel herself after him and with dire consequences too.

Mel B is currently under round-the-clock police protection after suffering harassment from Eddie Murphy fans following her traumatic split with the cheating and lying DL actor:

Poor Mel is apparently receiving verbal abuse from a group of Murphy fans standing outside her rented home in Los Angeles. The abuse isn't warranted. If anyone should be getting the abuse it should be Murphy himself for denying the child. Mel is just exercising her rights and has every authority to do so.

Music Reviews

Woot! It's been quite a while since I've done this I know but a lot of new music is coming out as of late and 2007 will be a very interesting year, even though reports claim that R&B and Hip Hop music has been hitting the sales slumps lately so I hope that's not the case with 2007 because we have a lot of great artists coming out. Anyway, check out my first music review of 2007.

Paint Me Over - Amerie (snippet) [DOWNLOAD]
Here is a snippet and it's a track that will feature on Amerie's new album Because I Love It. This is a nice laidback track that's not too overly done. Her vocals are really controlled and she sounds decent. I think what works for Amerie is when she's not singing out of her range, but even better when she's SINGING and not shouting at the top of her lungs. This is definitely the type of laidback that I like. And it doesn't scream Rich Harrison because his beats have become really repetitive over the years, though I will miss his production on this album because he produced some of the hottest jams over the past few years or so.

When Loving You Is Easy - Amerie (snippet) [DOWNLOAD]
This is another upgraded track from the new album and I'm loving this track so far. It's a nice track because it has an old-skool feel to it and I like the guitar rifts in the background. I haven't been feeling an Amerie ballad since I Just Died. I need this track in full as this one sounds like a winner. I think her new album is going to be really hot and I can't wait to hear the rest of the new music. Neither of these songs are single material or radio friendly jams but they are for the appreciative R&B fan like myself who can recognise good material and appreciate it whole heartedly.