R.I.P Frank McCourt

Pulitzer Prize winning "Angela's Ashes" is probably one of the most amazing books in the world. It tells the story of an impoverished Irish family struggling to survive disease, lack of funds and social shunning to gain a better life. The story, which was an autobiography & later turned into a film, was written by Frank McCourt who unfortunaely passed this weekend. If you haven't read the book or seen the movie I highly recommend you do. Two of the most profound pieces I've ever encountered. Watch the trailer below:

The Surreal-Est Ish I Ever Wrote

USTREAM = T M fuckin' I

Ok, so with all of the social networking overload that is flooding the internet, the line between celebrity and fan is getting more and more smaller. The cherry on all of this facebook/myspace/twitterage is  UStream. Recently, an array celebs (Dwight Howard, Bow Wow, Soulja Boy & Teyana Taylor included) have been using this website to broadcast live via video and respond DIRECTLY and immediately to fans in a conversation. Some might think this is good. I however, think it totally takes the fun out of shit?! I mean come on. What is it about celebs we love?? It's that they're fabulously unattainable. And by creating more mediums for fans to get "in touch" with their fave celeb the chase is taken out and they just become.... well.... dare I say, normal.... (shrieking at the thought). What ever happened to the good old days when you fantasized about your celeb idol, but knew you didn't have a shot in HELL at communicating with them. (sigh) Oh for how I miss thee.... 

Waste Of Paper: The Last Issue of VIBE Magazine featuring Christina Mili-Blonde & The Dream

As I am completely a magazine head, I was PISSSED when I found out that the magazine would be discontinuing after the next issue. What plagues me even more however, is the awkward timing & the fact VIBE, whose known for it's great tributes to deceased artists (i.e. Left Eye, Aaliyah & Jam Master Jay), isn't doing some sort of impromptu tribute to THE KING?! WTF?! True scratch my head moment... Instead, the issue will feature coughexaggeratedgroupiecough Christina Milian & boy toy The Dream (who up until this rather provocative cover claimed to be "just friends") as the headliners. The cover features the two completely nude from the waist up with Dream's arm covering X-tina's tat-tats in a Janet Jackson-esque style pose. The two who couldn't get a cover individually (Vibe passed on X-tina for Ciara in its October 2008 issue) now have their drab romance to be the lead of the fallen mag for all eternity. Sad ending for a great read....

Drake Responds to Pedophilic BET Awards Performance & Video Newness: Drake "Best I Ever Had"

Ok, so Drake & Lil Wayne's Sunday BET Awards performance left quite a few of us scratching our head's and questioning how they possibly thought it was appropriate to have a bunch of 12 year olds (including Wayne's OWN DAUGHTER Reginae) dancing around the stage during their performance of "Every Girl" (bka "I wish I could f%@k every girl in the world"). Drake responded however, to Complex to somewhat clear the air on the incident with a comeback that makes me think he was scratching his head just as much as we were:

Complex: Damn, that’s horrible. At the BET Awards this past Sunday, everyone was shocked to see you sitting on a stool. Did you ever think to yourself, Maybe I shouldn’t perform?

Drake: That, actually—to be honest—was a terrible idea that I’ll never do to myself again. [Laughs] But I was being pressed from different areas to perform, and I think what really happened at the BET Awards is with the passing of Mike, the climate really changed, as far as the award show goes. I don’t think it called for us to perform “Every Girl” and “Always Strapped,” and I think it was an award show filled with tributes and music and these genuine heartfelt speeches. And to sort of climax out of a very tongue-in-cheek point, and then people misconstruing Wayne’s daughters and her friends coming out on stage…

Complex: Yeah, it really was an awkward moment.

Drake: Yeah, it was just timed very poorly and it definitely wasn’t planned like that, but with that being said, it is what is. I believe in Wayne and myself and it’s nothing we can’t bounce back from. To anyone who was offended, my personal apologies, it wasn’t intended to offend anybody.

Complex: Watching it at home, the BET Awards seemed to be a mess. Did it seem that way in person?

Drake: Well, I can only speak for my portion of it. I had asked for something very specific for my performance and none of those were met, as far as production value, so…

Complex: That’s BET for you…

Drake: I understood my situation, as far as sitting in one place, and figured there was a way to make it interesting. But when I looked around and noticed that none of that was going on [laughs], I kind of just realized that it was going to be a loss for me. But at the end of the day, it is what it is.

Poor Drake :-( ... The saddest thing is however, I don't really think it's his place to have to respond to anything. If anyone should be responding it should be Wayne (or maybe his babymama, Toya whose probably to wrapped up in her own 15 mins of "reality" show fame.) I know it'll be a snowy day in hell before that happens... and the cycle continue.... SMDH..... And OFF of my Al Sharpton moment is the video newness of Drake's "Best I Ever Had" & here it is:

Jermaine Jackson Speaks Out

As the tragic circumstances of Michael Jackson death continue to flood the news & internet I recently watched the interview of Michael's brother, Jermaine by Matt Lauer (embedded below) and it truly touched me... Amidst, all the craziness people are forgetting that a family lost their love one, parent their son, siblings their brother and children their father. Just another reminder away from the crazy rumor mill to always love the ones who are around you because you never know when they won't be there.... R.I.P M.J.:

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