Christina Milian and The-Dream Wedding!

For weeks, both either denied it was going to happen or ignored the question all together but according to many sources singer Christina Milian has wedded songwriter and singer The-Dream.  The dream place?  Las Vegas.  The blissful time?  During Labor Day Weekend.  The likelihood that this union will last longer than the time it will take for us to bring out our white garb again?  Doubtful.

There is always something rather foreboding when celebrity couples just on a whim up and do the deed.  There is something to be said about taking your time not to only get to know someone but to include all of your loved ones in the festivities when you do decide to wed.

Celebs can tout over and over again the virtues of wedding under these shot-gun-esque methods to get away from the peering eyes of the paparazzi but everyone knows you can avert the media thunderstorm in other ways as well.  Vegas weddings just always seem so doomed!

Reportedly, the pair will re-wed in Milan soon and may even have a third ceremony for those who were unable to attend the first two.

File under: Overkill?  Noooooo!  Not at all!

<<REWIND: Nelly's "Mi Plan"

Though it’s common place in the world of “plastic”, “hollow” music, I am never not amazed that bopper fans like — crave, even — for the artists they love to continue to spew out the same material over and over again.  Change a leading sentiment there or a lyric or two here, regardless of how many years you have been on the scene, and the fans seem content.  I have seen fans drop like flies for artists who try to brave that wave of defying expectations when it comes to follow-up albums.

Let’s take one of my forever true loves Tori Amos for example.  Her move from that “me, and a gun, and a piano” acoustic flare that made her a cultish following in the early 90s to having a full-on band and incorporating synthetic/computerized beats and electrical outlets in the latter part of the 90s seemed a death sentence for her album sales.  Though she still remains the disaffected youth’s queen with very successful tours, it’s her older tunes that get more praise and tour air time than her experimentation since album From the Choir Girl Hotel and on.

Grammy Award-winning Nelly Furtado hasn’t been immune either.  Furtado’s magnum ooopus would probably be her sophomore album Folklore, a brilliantly written and produced romp through culture, loves, life and fame’s effects.  The album was a brave, bold, and artistic move for Furtado but some critics and fans alike panned it, wanting a more happy-go-lucky Furtado, a la her debut Whoa, Nelly! Furtado’s third release Loose seemed more rally cry of all the tricks that worked for her before and, as expected, was a major success, racking sales that surpassed 10million copies.

In a world of very little grey and way too much black and white, Furtado may have finally found a happy medium with the upcoming release of her 4th studio album, Mi Plan.  With a nod to “doing her own thang” she recorded it entirely in Spanish but listen to the first single “Manos Al Aire” and you will definitely hear influences beyond that, incorporating popular beats that will placate her rabid fans.   The single is already an international success.

File Under: Good Luck, Furtado.  LOVE YOU!

<<REWIND: Greg Scarnici's “12 Inch Freak”

Photo Credit: Jeff Eason

TMZ, Perezhilton, MTV and many others are in love with Greg Scarnici, the New York comedian who has been a viral video hit with over seven million hits.  His parodies of Britney Spears, Beyonce, Amy Winehouse and others have garnered him a lot of attention and it’s time to capitalize, baby.  You go, boy!

Scarnici has 12 inches for his fans and he wants you to put it in your slot.  Your CD-rom (to transfer to ITunes) and/or CD player of course!  He will release 12 Inch Freak, an album that moves away from ripping apart the celebs and instead parodies dance music genres such as Hip Hop, New Wave, House, Electro, Slow Jam.

Some of the singles featured will be the ode to bisexuality “Curious” (featured on MTV), “Oooh…Yeah…”, “I Wanna…” and “Hater Anthem.”  The latter video will debut on September 15th on YouTube.

more about “Gimme More (Pills) – Greg & Mario vs….“, posted with vodpod

Danny Gokey Dokey

USA Today reports that last season American Idol third-placer, Danny Gokey has inked a deal with 19 Recordings/RCA Nashville.  Yes, the Nashville part means he will venture into country musicdom for his album (no producers have been assigned yet).

Though he did sing several country tunes on the show, it still seems a rather peculiar move for someone who seems to possess R&B/soulful stylings more than anything else.

Gokey says during his time on Idol he was “wet behind the ears” and was still trying to figure himself out but found he could “relate most” to country. Boy, you could put that pain and loss into a great Scott Storch remix.  Kidding but come on!  Doesn’t seem inventive to just switch over to country so unceremoniously!  As he was one of the last to ink a deal, I wonder if he has really thought this all out or if desperation was a culprit.

Call me a bitter skeptic but though middle-America and those below the Mason Dixon Line may find this ultra-exciting, I think it is yet another calculated and erroneous move, putting Idol and its winners dangerously close to being even more out-of-touch and blah!

File under: Now, I am much more interested in hearing the upcoming releases from the other three finalists (Chris Allen, Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta) who have all landed deals and have releases in the fall.

DJ AM Found Dead

According to a number of news sources, Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein was found dead in his New York City apartment on Friday.  

Star Magazine reports a rep for the deejay said “The circumstances surrounding his death are unclear” but the mag expects it is “a drug-related death.”

Formerly the beau of Nicole Richie, DJ AM narrowly avoided death last September after a plan he shared with Blink 182’s drummer Travis Barker crashed.  

Twitter  is abuzz with condolences from celebrities and beyond.  A source tells Star that Richie is very distraught and has been crying nonstop since the news was broken to her.  

Rest in peace, DJ AM!

<<REWIND: David Guetta's "One Love"

I have always thought myself one of the errant few who couldn’t wrap his ear cochlea around dance/house music.  Try and try as I might, there was always something lacking there for me — even when a stellar voice reverberated in the foreground of the what many describe as the “booming” beats of this gay club mainstay.  

A former/reformed raver (or, more appropriately dubbed “party kid”) well before it was ever deemed cool, I was more into the almost carnal throb of drum & bass and/or jungle.  

So color me skeptic but my utter love of David Guetta’s hit and collaboration with former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland “When Love Takes Over” seemed it would be a fluke of epic proportions more than anything else.  Of course, I was surprised when after getting an early listen of Guetta’s new album One Love before its August 25th release (courtesy of his marketing/pr peeps stateside) I was actually grooving to many of the tracks.   

This is Guetta’s 4th studio album and, admittedly, before this release I hadn’t heard of the well-respected producer/DJ, though his career spans almost two decades.  The album is chockfull of some memorable beats all my gays will surely be dancing to — if they aren’t already.  Each collaboration — with the likes of Kelly Rowland, Will.i.am, Ne-Yo, AKON, Estelle — not only highlight some amazing production skills on the part of Guetta but doesn’t shy away from some serious great vocals by the aforementioned and more.

“…infused with all the best flavors of contemporary pop music that will appeal to such a broad audience both on and off the dance floor,” Guetta says of the album.

It is all worth the listen!  Guetta gets nothing but love from me!

File under: My faves: “Sexy Bitch” (collaboration with AKON), the #1 Black Eyed Peas’ hit “I Gotta Feeling” and all of the Rowland collaborations.

Fashion Note: Cassie

I have to admit that I have had more-than-a-little-crush on hottie (and reportedly P Diddy-sig-0ther), Cassie, for quite sometime.  Yeah, as for most, the crush has very little to do with her singing chops/career and more to do with the undeniable fact that she is absolutely GORGEOUS!  Even after chopping quadrants of her hair off to look like a client of a ravenous Edward Scissorhands, I still got love for this exotic beauty.

Obviously taking some advice from her reported beau about longevity and diversifying, Cassie is said to be starting her own line this coming fall.  According to People.com the budding mogul will do a collaboration with the label DimePiece.  The line within a line called Nine Lives will feature tee shirts.

File under: YUM!  I need a gay intervention, yet again.  Pass me those platforms circa 1995, STAT!

Madonna’s “Celebration” Teaser

Here is a little sneak peek at Madonna’s forthcoming video for the single “Celebration”!

more about “Madonna’s “Celebration” Teaser“, posted with vodpod

Kings of Leon Remixed, Reloaded…

Photo Credit: nme magazine

Kings of Leon’s ONLY_BY_THE_NIGHT remains one of my fave albums in recent years.  There is nothing better than that undeniable inflection in a singer’s voice that makes you recognize him/her from the hint of one note.    And it’s front man Caleb Followill’s distinctive voice that truly takes this album’s well-written and masterfully-produced songs into a total different stratosphere.  Honestly, I hadn’t felt this blown away by an album since Radiohead’s OK Computer!

So it is no surprise that I am sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for what Billboard and MTV report will be the release of a ONLY_BY_THE_NIGHT remix album.  Both sources report collaborators would include Linkin Park, Pharrell Williams, Mark Ronson and Justin Timberlake.

I am not one for remix albums.  As the old adage goes: don’t try to fix something that ain’t broken.  However, I have a sneaking suspicion that this Leon project will take some errant course much like the beloved and very successful Bjork remix album, Telegram — which was comparable and in some regards even better than its predecessor Post.

File under: Please do a remix of “Sex on Fire” with J.T.

Joel Madden baby drama solved?

Yesterday, I gave you the scoop about Joel Madden and the baby for sale .  Well, seems like he saw the offending couple of the year on Melrose in Cali and they told him it was all a joke.  On his Twitter page, Madden writes “Ran into the people that tried to sell me their baby today on melrose.Told me to tell you all they were joking. I thought 10k was a bit high.”

File under: real funny, really funny; still calling children’s services!