VH1 is known for music programming and reality television; however, that will soon change as the network makes its bold, first attempt at a scripted film,”Crazy Sexy Cool: The TLC Story.” The long awaited film will take viewers on a ride from the group members’ beginnings, to their meteoric rise to the top of the music charts in the 1990s and beyond.

Hip-hop artist and television personality Lil Mama will have the honor of portraying the late Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez. Lil Mama emerged onto the scene in 2007 with her infectious hit single “Lip Gloss” from her “VYP: Voice of the Young People” album. The song attained a Gold certification from the RIAA in 2008, while the album went on to sell 19, 000 copies in its first week and 66,000 copies thereafter. Lil Mama then began serving as a judge on MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew“ in 2008 at the age of 19. This will be her first film.

Keke Palmer has been chosen to portray Rozunda “Chili” Thomas. Unlike Lil Mama, Palmer is not new to the film industry. The 19-year-old has appeared in films alongside Laurence Fishburne (‘Akeelah and the Bee’), Tyler Perry (‘Madea’s Family Reunion’), Ice Cube (‘The Longshots’) and Dolly Parton (‘Joyful Noise’), among others. Of her new role, Palmer tells the Daily News, “I’m excited to be a part of this amazing project portraying one of the members of such an iconic group that inspired my passion for music.”

Drew Sidora will round out the cast as Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins. Sidora’s most notable roles are as Lucy Avila in ‘Step Up’, alongside Channing Tatum, and as herself on “The Game”, a television series. When the news first broke of her involvement in the biopic, Sidora took to her twitter account to thank her fans and share a few encouraging words. “Be sure to always believe in yourself. Never give up! Stay optimistic and persistent and amazing things will come into play!”

Though some TLC fans have expressed doubts that the ladies will be able to pull off their portrayals, VH1’s Executive Vice President of Original Programming and Production is confident that the project will be a success. “With this cast, we are thrilled with the talent assembled both in front of and behind the cameras,” he said. “TLC are truly music pioneers and this movie is a fantastic way to expand our scripted push by combining our audience’s passion for music with their love of story. We know our viewers will be eager to go beyond the headlines and into the surprisingly personal, never before told stories of these groundbreaking women.”

TLC’s surviving members, Thomas and Watkins, will serve as the film’s executive producers.

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Some movies have so much hype before their release, but then fall short of expectations. Unfortunately, ‘Sparkle’ falls into that category.

‘Sparkle’ is a remake of the 1976 movie. It is about three sisters trying to make it big in the Motown scene in 1968. Sparkle is often overshadowed by her two older sisters, especially Sister. Along the way, the trio deals with drugs, controversy, abusive relationships and an overprotective mother.

Sounds familiar, right?  Does ‘Dreamgirls’ bring a bell to anyone?

The movie didn’t live up to Toonari Post’s expectations because it was lacking that extra sparkle. The plot of the movie focused so much on getting a record deal but did not dive deep into what happened after Sparkle scored a record deal, which made the movie feel incomplete. The movie focused so much on how Sister dealt with fame, drugs, fortune, her abusive relationship with her husband, and her sisters trying to help her fight her problems.

There was a lot of hype and excitement surrounding the release of this film because of the death of Whitney Houston. Unlike ‘Dreamgirls,’ it may not get any Golden Globes, Oscar nominations or awards, but I do think this was a great last performance from the late Whitney Houston. She was a great singer and actress, and in this film, it showed that she truly enjoyed being a mother.

However, the acting felt a little forced, especially during the make-out scenes.  But there were definitely some standouts in the movie. Whitney Houston, of course, was one of them. Playing a mother came natural to her.  Jordin Sparks did a good job as well, especially since this was her first movie, even though the interactions with other characters were a little painful to watch. Carmen Ejogo did a good job playing Sister, one of Sparkle’s older sisters who became involved with drugs.

The song choices in this movie were not that great at all because they sounded more “church oriented” than the sounds of Motown. Despite that, Jordin outshined everyone, including Whitney Houston, when it came singing.

Sparkle was more suited for the small screen and did not have all the glitz and glamor as one would expect. Overall, Toonari Post had high expectations for this movie, but it was lacking in certain vital places.

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London is bestowed with multitudes of international events this year. As Londoners get busy with preparations for the Olympics in July, the city gives its entertainment buffs an unforgettable experience. Terracotta Far East Film Festival has collaborated with the Hong Kong Economic Trade Office to bring the Hong Kong 15 film festival to the Queens City of London this summer. The festival will be held at the popular Odeon Covent Garden from July 2 until July 14. This is indeed a moment of pride for London, as its dissidents will experience cinema of a different caliber and prestige. The film festival will also mark the 15th centenary of the historical release of the British colony of Hong Kong to China.

The festival features 15 brilliant moments of cine magic from the world’s most advanced city. People can connect with Hong Kong in a way they have never connected before and experience the thrills, romance, drama, history, culture and arts of this vibrant city. To make this event memorable, organizers have selected versatile and diverse movies from varied genres to showcase the city’s historical past and its transformation through time.

On June 15, 2012, the festival website released the exciting list of up-coming movies being presented at the symposium. According to the festival website, “The diversity of Hong Kong cinema will be represented through a panorama of films divided in three sections: ‘Currents,’ ’15 Years Review,’ and ‘Shaw Brothers Classics.’” An extensive list includes films by national award-winning directors and brings to us internationally acclaimed actors such as Daniel Ip. The festival is gearing up to provide its audience with varied and multi award-winning movies. The world cinema has come a long way and these festivals are a testimony to the journey independent filmmakers, script writers, and actors have embarked on to make a difference in the art of filmmaking. Hong Kong 15 film festival will also expose the masses to upcoming Hong Kong film intellect from around the region.

The complete list of movies:

Current:

• ‘A Simple Life’ by Ann Hui
• ‘Big Blue Lake’ by Jessey Tsang Tsui- Shan
• ‘White Vengeance’ by Daniel Lee Life
• ‘Without Principle’ by Johnnie To,
• ‘The Bounty’ by Fung Chi Chiang,
• ‘The Detective 2′ by Oxide Pang,
• ‘East Meets West 2011′ by Jeffrey Lau,
• ‘Wu Xia’ by Peter Chan.

15 Years Review:

• ‘Made In Hong Kong’ by Fruit Chan
• ‘When Beckham Met Owen’ by Adam Wong
• ‘Infernal Affairs’ by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak,
• ‘Sparrow’ by Johnnie To,
• ‘Dream Home’ by Pang Ho-cheung.

Shaw Brothers Classic:

• ‘The 36th Chamber of Shaolin’ by Liu Chia-Liang,
• ‘One Armed Swordsman’ by Chang Cheh.

For booking and all other enquiries, please visit the Hong Kong 15 film festival website.

Image Courtesy of  lullabi / Shutterstock.com

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Mexico City, Mexico — KidZania, a global leader in children’s edutainment, have officially opened its largest children’s theme park yet, KidZania Cuicuilco, located in Mexico City. Not only does the park introduce children to new and relevant careers in a highly entertaining way, but for the first time, integrates innovative experiences to teach children environmental stewardship, empathy for kids with different abilities, how to make “good-for-you” food and recreation choices, hands-on driving and road safety via a fleet of kid-sized eco-friendly vehicles, and much more.  In this new expansive park experience, empowerment for kids has never been so vast, realistic and fun.

Fueled by a child’s natural desire to create, explore and collaborate, KidZania Cuicuilco is equal parts entertainment and education, making it one of the most progressive theme park concepts in the world today. Young visitors enter KidZania Cuicuilco through the park’s mock airport into the sprawling 150,000 square foot kid-sized city complete with 90 establishments, including city hall, a bank, restaurants, a hospital, sports stadium and more.  Once in the park, kids choose from among 120 different trades and professions that it takes to run a city.  It’s the ultimate role-playing experience for kids ages four to 14.

“KidZania Cuicuilco is our most inventive and engaging theme park yet,” says Xavier Lopez Ancona, president and founder of KidZania. “With KidZania Cuicuilco, we’ve introduced 21st century career choices, elevated awareness around global issues like the environment, and made certain that every child, no matter their level of ability, can participate. We’ve brought the most authentic and fun real-life experiences to life to help children understand and manage their ever-changing world. As we continue our global expansion, we look forward to bringing these new, relevant and awe-inspiring entertainment experiences to kids the world over.”

Following are just a few of the many unique, hands-on activities and experiences now available at KidZania Cuicuilco:

• More than 120 careers, including guide dog trainer (complete with real dog), mechanic, power plant operator, surgeon, CSI investigator, tortilla chef, road paver, and more.
• World’s most authentic driving experience for children – complete with driver’s education, auto insurance, and the largest fleet of electric kid-sized vehicles (minivans, SUVs, ambulances, city buses and police cars).
• Fully immersive environmental job experiences featuring an electric power plant, wind turbines, solar panels, and water treatment facility to emphasize the global importance of conservation.
• Recyclables drop-off center for the surrounding community, which is integrated into park activities.
• Three-story disaster center, which simulates flood, fire or earthquake and teaches children how to respond.
• Tools to help special needs children (and KidZania staff) navigate the park independently, as well as activities that allow typically-able kids to experience what it would be like to have a disability.

KidZania Cuicuilco also features a state-of-the-art security system to ensure a safe and fun experience for children navigating the park with or without their parents. Every child and parent/chaperone entering the park receives matching RFID-bracelets, providing the location of child and parent within a mere meter of the person’s location. While the children play, parents can relax in the parent’s lounge, which features a spa, movie room, restaurant and Internet (WiFi) cafe.

KidZania Cuicuilco has more than 90 global partners present in the park, including Nestle, LAN, Toyota, DHL, Berlitz, Evenflo, Manpower, Cartoon Network, Banco de Mexico and others. They are an integral part of the experiences and add authenticity to the career-based, role-playing activities.

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The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, the two premier entertainment media brands of Prometheus Global Media (PGM), are making their content available worldwide for use on digital platforms to customers of The Associated Press.

Starting this month, the entertainment feed of breaking news and feature stories from Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter can be purchased for online use under the content-distribution arrangement with the AP.

“We’re thrilled to be able to provide The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard material among our content offerings to customers,” said Lou Ferrara, AP’s managing editor for entertainment. “It makes for a one-of-a-kind, comprehensive package of entertainment stories every day.”Named Entertainment Publication of the Year by the LA Press Club, The Hollywood Reporter is a leading source for breaking news and in-depth reporting on the entertainment industry.

Providing exclusive, all-access features on Hollywood and scooping stories that range from the History channel’s decision to drop The Kennedys miniseries amid political pressure from the Kennedy family to CBS’ decision to replace Charlie Sheen with Ashton Kutcher on Two and a Half Men, THR has garnered more than 55 billion media impressions during the past year.

Its website, which draws 10.4 million unique monthly visitors, now receives more web traffic than its three biggest competitors combined. ”Being part of AP’s massive distribution network will open THR to huge new audiences from around the world,” said The Hollywood Reporter editorial director Janice Min.

THR’s co-partner in the AP content-distribution deal, Billboard, is widely considered to be one of the most authoritative voices in music. The multiplatform, trend-setting brand has been responsible for breaking some of the music industry’s biggest headlines, including putting a then-largely unknown Adele on itsJanuary 2011 cover, breaking news of Mattel’s plans to create a Nicki Minaj Barbie doll and scooping the story of Enrique Iglesias’ decision to pull out of Britney Spears’ North American tour last year.

With 11.6 million unique monthly visitors, Billboard.com is one of the premier online music destinations worldwide. ”Billboard is already synonymous with ‘music’ all around the globe, but the reach of the brand’s content will now be increased exponentially thanks to the AP,” said Billboard editorial director Bill Werde. “AP is truly the top news agency in the world when it comes to distributing entertainment stories, and we’re pleased and excited to contribute to that effort.”

Said Michael Dutton, global director of AP entertainment products: ”In-depth coverage from two leading entertainment media brands offers AP’s distribution partners a whole new layer of vibrant and rich content for their readers.”

The AP has covered the entertainment industry since the early days of Broadway, the London stage and Hollywood. Today, it covers entertainment worldwide in video, photos, text and audio for all platforms and devices and is one of the top outlets for breaking entertainment news. It was the first outlet to report the divorces of Katy Perry and Demi Moore as well as the Feb. 11 death of Whitney Houston.

Image Courtesy of   Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

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Spike TV has picked up three new original non-scripted series that furthers the network’s mission to create broader-appealing shows with real stakes involved.

Spike has ordered 10 episodes of “Full Bounty,” a reality competition series featuring 12 aspiring bounty hunters who risk life and limb to chase down actual fugitives; six episodes of “Tattoo Nightmares,” a show chronicling people’s often-hilarious horror stories behind their awful tattoos and their attempt to have them fixed; and six episodes of “Rat Bastards,” a series following the adventures of a group of guys in Louisiana who hunt down a nasty invasive species of giant swamp rats that wreak havoc on the Mississippiwetlands.

Spike TV has also ordered 13 new episodes of the popular series, “World’s Wildest Police Videos,” which formerly aired on FOX, and announced plans to air a two-part special, “Urban Jungle Man.”

Premiere dates and times for the new series will be announced shortly. ”These three new non-scripted shows share a theme of larger-than-life characters in extreme situations where the high stakes are real,” said Sharon Levy, Executive Vice President, Original Series, Spike TV.  “They are perfect complements to our upcoming launches of “Big Easy Justice,” “American Digger” and “Diamond Divers,” which have similar distinctive characters.”

“Full Bounty” – In this unique reality competition series, 12 aspiring bounty hunters attempt to hunt down real criminals who are running from the law in an effort to win the actual bounty.  Each competitor will be doing this for the first time in their lives with the aid of law enforcement supervisors.

The contestant that tracks down and apprehends the most fugitives will win and advance while others will be eliminated in each episode.  The overall winner of the show will win a position with a prominent bail bond and fugitive recovery agency.  The stakes couldn’t be higher for each contestant as they risk their lives to rid the streets of potentially dangerous criminals, and live out the dream of becoming an actual bounty hunter. The series is created by Barry Poznick and John Stevens of Zoo Productions, an All3 media company.

“Tattoo Nightmares” - Real people with really bad tattoos seek the help of some of the best cover-up artists in the business to fix them.  The tattoos range from hilarious to downright disturbing, with reenactments that will show how these people wound up with their awful, ugly and embarrassing ink. The contestants will go under the needle of top tattoo artists to see if they can work a miracle and cover someone else’s mistake. “Tattoo Nightmares” is created by Sally Ann Salsano (“Jersey Shore”) and 495 Productions.

“Rat Bastards” – An invasive species of giant swamp rats are ravaging America’s Southern wetlands and are especially dangerous to the tenuous ecological system of the Mississippi delta region.  This non-scripted series follows a pack of industrious guys dubbed the “Cajun Commandoes” in Louisiana who hunt these elusive 40-pound menaces both to sell and to eat.

These determined rat hunters compete over a limited four month window to earn big bucks by capturing these loathsome pests for a bounty.  The series is co-created by Eli Holzman and Stephen Lambert of Studio Lambert and Royal Malloy, Duke Straub andColt Straub of American Chainsaw. They are also the production team behind the upcoming Spike series, “Diamond Divers.”

Spike will also create new episodes of “World’s Wildest Police Videos,” which will give viewers access to shocking and outrageous police footage never-before-seen on television.  From high-speed car chases that turn deadly and bank robberies gone wrong to international hostage holdups, the wildest police videos from around the world are on display.

Retired Sheriff John Bunnell hosts the series that is produced by Pilgrim Studios and Pursuit Productions. Executive Producers are Pilgrim Studios’ Craig Piligian andScott Popjes, and Pursuit Productions’ Paul Stojanovich, Jr., Robert Ballantyne and John Bunnell.  The original version was created by Paul Stojanovich Sr. and aired on FOX from 1998-2002.

Spike will air a two-part special, “Urban Jungle Man,” which follows the country’s preeminent extreme animal handler, John Brennan, who rescues, captures and relocates dangerous and exotic animals in New York City’s urban jungle. This non-scripted series chronicles Brennan’s daily adventures as he runs the Urban Animal Relocation team, a privately-owned exotic and dangerous animal relocation service whose perilous missions runs the gamut from removing an alligator from a bathtub to capturing an escaped deadly python.  

Bitten or stung by nearly every animal in existence, Brennan is fearless when it comes to apprehending nature’s deadliest creatures.  “Urban Jungle Man” is produced by Asylum Entertainment and will be shot throughout the country.

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With her one-year disappearance act from the stage Beyoncé fans needed something to quench their “Single Ladies” thirst, well she came back with vengeance and did not disappoint. Her album titled “4” is her fourth album debuted June 24, 2011.

A great kick off to Summer 2011. Her first single and track 12 off the new album is a female anthem entitled “Run The World (Girls)”. The aggressive anthem paid homage to all estrogen carriers and all the possibilities we posses. The song borrowed collaborative music project from Major Lazer’s eclectic and funky beat as a base.

The song both fun and upbeat also deliver a message that can’t be faulted, another gold star for her achievement in the Women’s Movement. The video for her first single, was released May 18, 2011, was very much empowering like the song itself. Beyoncé donned a tall Egyptian like crown with 50-100 other girls danced and pranced their way around the deserted location with lions and hyenas in toe.

The fashions featured the late great Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, and a Gareth Pugh intricately cut gold-mirrored mini dress matched with McQueen heels a personal favorite of mine from the video. Nevertheless a great opening to her new album and spark back in her fans.

The album itself like her 3 previous solo albums is a work of art and takes you on a ride into Beyoncé world that were not always able to reach. If “art imitates life” than Mrs. Carter is a lot deeper than we thought or than she lets us on to believe. The album starts off with “1+1, I Care, and I Miss You”. These 3 songs are smooth melodic that show the bootylicious diva’s more intimate and vulnerable side.

“I Miss You” one of my favorite tracks on the album and was produced by upcoming producer Frank Ocean of OFWGKTA. As soon as you get to track 4 “Best Thing You Never Had” you get the more common Beyoncé we have all come to love. This is also the second single off the album; the song puts you in the mind of her 2006 hit “Irreplaceable”.

Track 5 “Party” is the only song on the album featuring another artist beside herself, Kanye West and Andre 3000 (from Outkast) gifted the singer with their versatile and unique sounds and it has been said to be the third single released from the album.

Track 6, 7, 8 “Rather Die Young” “Start Over” and “Love On Top” are very strong ballad songs and have a very old school feeling to them and seem like timeless pieces. When you get to track 9, 10 “Countdown” and “End Of Time” are really the only up-tempo songs on the entire album, which is a shock to me because she’s mostly known for her radio friendly dance songs.

But don’t get me wrong these songs can sell the whole album by themselves. “Countdown” takes a sample from Boys II Men “Uhh Ahh”. “End Of Time” is a fast paced song with drums and horns galore.

And what Beyoncé album would be complete without a declaration song track 11 “I Was Here” is a song about all her accomplishments and leaving her mark on the world. All in all “4” is by far my favorite Beyoncé album from its humble beginnings, loud and retro core, and uplifting ending; it’s classified as a classic in my library.

arvzdix / Shutterstock.com

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Ever since the debut of her 2007 single, “Bubbly,” 26-year-old Colbie Caillat has identified herself with sunny vibes, laid-back rhythms, and romantic optimism. Born and raised in California, Caillat is an American pop singer-songwriter and guitarist known for pop songs with a surfer feel. This singer is back with her third album, which includes the same style of music she is always known for.

Debuting in July 2007 with Coco, placing at No. 5, she sings with a girl-next-door charm about love, romance, and everyday situations. While it may be easy to dismiss her as a girly-girl, Caillat is a master of tuneful, upbeat pop songs that become stuck in the head for days to come.

Fans are blessed with another album from this singer, All of You, released on July 12, which lives up to the promise of previous releases. The album kicks off with “Brighter Than the Sun,” along with a music video, proving that Caillat is serious about keeping her style the same. Co-written by One Republic’s Ryan Tedder, the song explodes with staccato vocals, rapid guitar strumming, hand-clapping, and a soaring chorus. Put this song on the “must listen” list of summer songs. This track stands out as effervescent, with the choice of clapping for percussion.

“I still incorporate all the styles that I love that were on Breakthrough and Coco, but it’s a new chapter,” Caillat said in a Billboard interview. “I’ve experienced more and I’ve written with new songwriters who are really talented, but it’s still my same music, feel, and sound. The songs are more up-tempo on this record, and it’s like a full-on summer album.”

Her second single, “I Do,” debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100—in February, according to Nielsen SoundScan. “I Do” jumps headfirst into the vivacious happiness of falling in love. Her inspiration for this track came from finding that person who makes you feel like you are ready for the next big step, marriage, and being unafraid to taking that step. The percussion helps set the mood with a sidewalk-skipping beat.

“Dream Life, Life” takes a look into the hopes and dreams of life and wanting to make them turn to reality. In the song, Colbie remains realistic about her wishes: “There’s no more wasting time on what I think I’m supposed to do/ My clock is standing still so I can have my dream life/Life with the ones I love playin’ all day long.”

“What if” and “Favorite Song” featuring Common, stray from Caillat’s usual sound; the former replaces acoustic guitar with electric and the latter has a hip-hop sound. The title track, “All Of You,” preaches accepting everything about your lover — the good, the bad, and the deep secrets. Featuring a mellow guitar line, the lyrics begin to sound almost like an apology.

“All of You” received an average score of 67 at Metacritic, based on five reviews, indicating “generally favorable reviews.” Entertainment Weekly’s Kyle Anderson was positive, saying that the album “proves there’s more to her than a smile and a hair toss.”
“Caillat plays with rhythmic touches (the high-spirited handclaps on “Brighter Than the Sun”) and adds a dollop of country heartbreak to both her voice and her lyrics,” says Anderson.

On the other hand, Sputnikmusic called this album “her inconsistent album, saying that she deserves some credit for trying to shake up a formula that was beginning to get stale, but unfortunately, she falters more often than she succeeds.” Sputnikmusic gave “All of You” a 2.8 out of 5.

Whatever the case may be, “All of You” is another album on the summer hit list. All the songs have a sun-kissed sound of finding summer love with upbeat tempos. So just sit back, drink a nice glass of lemonade, and blast this album and enjoy the rest of the summer sun.

Track List
1. Brighter Than the Sun
2. I Do
3. Before I Let You Go
4. Favorite Song (featuring Common)
5. What If
6. Shadow
7. Think Good Thoughts
8. Like Yesterday
9. All of You
10. Dream Life, Life
11. What Means the Most
12. Make it Rain
13. Stereo
14. Maria

Image of Courtesy of  http://www.flickr.com/photos/mil8/1776643104/in/photostream/

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According to Beyoncé’s debut single Girls Run The World from her latest album 4: “My persuasion can build a nation. Endless power our love we can devour. You’ll do anything for me” – the album hit stores June 28.

This anthem was the lead single from Beyoncé’s latest solo album 4. The song samples “Pon De Floor” by Major Lazer and has been met with mixed feelings. The radio doesn’t seem to be picking it up as a summer hit. Some feel this song is controversial because it sends messages of false hope; this song has a nice beat and interesting dance pieces in the music video.

“It’s definitely riskier than something a bit more…simple,” Beyoncé told Billboard.com of the single. “I just heard the track and loved that it was so different: it felt a bit African, a bit electronic and futuristic. It reminded me of what I love, which is mixing different cultures and eras — things that typically don’t go together — to create a new sound.”

Despite ridicule, 4 is doing well, it debuted at #1 last week on the Billboard albums chart, and most likely will remain there a 2nd week.

“You’ve got to remember that Beyoncé, being typical Beyoncé, her albums generally are anchored by really big hits; this album doesn’t have those hits yet,” Us Weekly senior music editor Ian Drew told MTV News. “It’s not to say that it won’t. There are some very strong songs on the album, but they have not been released yet. There are those songs on it, but they have not come out yet and they haven’t struck yet. Beyoncé is coming out at a time when radio is very crowded.”

4 is definitely different from Beyoncé’s first solo albums. This album focuses more on her vocals and shows she is growing and experiencing life, like any newly married 29-year-old woman. You can hear this in the lyrics of some songs, “When I think of the time I almost loved you/ You showed your ass and I saw the real you,” Best Thing I Never Had the second single off the album 4.

4 is an inspired title, Beyoncé gave her fans the credit with coming up with it. In addition to it being her favorite number. “It’s the day I was born. My mother’s birthday, and a lot of my friends’ birthdays are on the fourth . . . April 4th (or 4/4) is my wedding date,” Beyoncé explained.
More than 60 songs were recorded for this album.

This past year Beyoncé ditched her father as her manger and is currently managing herself. “I’ve only parted ways with my father on a business level. He is my father for life and I love my dad dearly. I am grateful for everything he has taught me.” Beyoncé said in a statement.

Her father, Matthew Knowles oversaw all aspects of Beyoncé career, from music to movies to fashion and more, he was there from the beginning, Destiny’s Child to her solo career, Beyoncé’s publicist stated.

“At this point, I really know who I am, and don’t feel like I have to put myself in a box. I’m not afraid of taking risks – no one can define me,” Beyoncé said.

4 is a deep, soulful album, some of the tracks are very romantic, dealing with being in love, to getting your heartbroken.

Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

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As advancement in technology continues to develop, there are numerous of creations from Applie iCloud to 3D televisions. On June 30, technology had once again proved its power when Janet Jackson took the stage at Royal Albert Hall in London to perform a virtual duet with brother Michael. The singer performed a version of their 1995 duet ”Scream” on stage.

In an interview with radio station Heart FM, Jackson said ”it’s therapeutic, you know and it makes me smile inside. I mean the energy of the song is fierce but makes it makes me smile inside when I hear him, when I hear his voice.”

The reworked duet followed the footsteps of Nat King Cole and his Daughter, Natalie Cole. In 1991, Natalie turned her father’s famous 1961 song “Unforgettable” into a father-daughter duet. Jackson said that she did the original duet at the request of her brother years ago.

“I was on the Rhythm Nation tour and Mike asked me to do a song with him, and at first I said no because I hadn’t come into my own and I didn’t want to ride anyone’s coattails,” said Jackson. “And I remember being on the Janet Tour and he asked me again and by then I was ready to do it, so I agreed.”

Her London concert, five days after the anniversary of Michael’s death, was designed as a tribute to her brother and it turned out magnificent; much better than what happened last time she performed at Royal Albert Hall. Last time the singer performed at the venue, she accidently flashed the Queen. She performed “Rhythm Nation” in front of Her Majesty the Queen and as the singer danced, she bent over, and she accidently ripped her pants right down the middle.

For the Entertainment section on CNN.com, Samuel Burke wrote that Janet Jackson opened up for the first time about a duet with her brother two years after his death. However, this is not the first time she performed this virtual duet.

At the 2009 VMA’s, the awards show began with a tribute to Michael Jackson. The opening began with at least two dozen dancers dancing to a mix of three songs from Michael from “Thriller” to “Smooth Criminal” before sister Janet jumped onto the stage. Janet performed a virtual duet of “Scream,” deeply moving the audience and viewers who watched.

As Janet danced on stage together with Michael on screen, the crowd cheered. The performance ended with the brother and sister hugging on screen, completing an incredible and emotional opening.

One fan who attended the concert uploaded a clear fancam onto Youtube of the concert in London. While it is difficult to see Janet, a video of the music video is played on the big screen in the back.

Though the singer declined to comment to the press on the two-year mark of her brother’s death, she made a comment on her Twitter on the June 25 anniversary: “I miss you. I love you.”

Image Courtesy of http://www.facebook.com/JanetJackson?sk=photos

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Selena Gomez & the Scene is back in 2011 with its third studio album, When the Sun Goes Down, released June 28, 2011.

The first single, “Why Says” had its world premiere on the radio show On Air with Ryan Seacrest on March 8 and was officially released on March 14. The accompanying music video, directed by Chris Applebaum, premiered on VEVO on March 11. “Who Says” was co-written and produced by Emanuel Kiriakou and Priscilla Hamilton. The song was met with generally positive reviews from most music critics, with many praising its theme of self-empowerment. Bill Lamb of About.com even called the band “the most consistent Disney pop hit-maker in recent year. The single was moderately successful, debuting at No. 24 on the Billboard’s Hot 100 and has gone to sell close to 900,000 copies in the U.S. The song also reached No. 17 in Canada and No. 15 in New Zealand, becoming the band’s highest charting single in those countries.

“Who Says” follows a succession of several self-empowerment anthems including “Firework” (Katy Perry), “Perfect” (Pink) and “Born This Way” (Lady Gaga). According to Gomez, this song was intended to inspire people and fire back at the “haters,” particularly those involved in cyber-bullying.

This single, “Who Says,” marks a distinct departure in sound for the band, as it has an acoustic and organic feel, compared to their other dance-pop and club-oriented singles. Gomez sings in the chorus: “Who says you’re not perfect/Who says you’re not worth it/Who says you’re the only one that’s hurting/Trust me that’s the price of beauty/Who says you’re not pretty/Who says you’re not beautiful/Who says” inspiring listeners not to listen to the gossip and hateful words spread about them. What matters is what you think of yourself. However, while Bill Lamb stated that the band is consistent in sound, this song lacks in originality, and said that it was another pop song with a theme of self-esteem.

Gomez wants to party with title track, “When the Sun Goes Down” as the up-tempo kicks off with a stuttering synth melody and an electric guitar riff energizing the opening verse as Gomez sings about looking forward to the evening after a long, tiring day. By the time the infectious chorus enters, Gomez sings “The party doesn’t start ’til the sun goes down/That’s when everything starts moving/Everybody up when the sun goes down/The music isn’t on ’til it’s way too loud/That’s when everybody starts dancing/Everybody shout when the sun goes down.” This song definitely sounds like the perfect way to kick off Friday night and dance through ‘til morning.

USA Today claims that in this album, Gomez takes on a bit of Britney Spears’ clubby femme fatale and a little of Katy Perry’s sexy role tweaker (both who contributed songs on this album), but she hasn’t turned her back on the young female audience that look up to her as a role model. Even the album’s most overtly sexual song, “We Own the Night,” tells a story with tame language. Compared with recent Top 40 hits, lyrics like “is it all right if I’m with you for the night” sound positively modest and the least bit risqué. Her undeniable catchy singles “Who Says” and “Love You Like a Love Song” suggest that Gomez is on the right track as she transitions into adulthood.

Track List

1.            Love You Like a Love Song

2.            Bang Bang Bang

3.            Who Says

4.            We Own the Night (featuring Pixie Lott)

5.            Hit the Lights

6.            Whiplash (written by Britney Spears)

7.            When the Sun Goes Down

8.            My Dilemma

9.            That’s More Like It

10.          Outlaw

11.          Middle of Nowhere

12.          Dices (Who Says-Spanish Version)

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Matt Nathanson, an American singer-songwriter, is known for writing songs with a blend of folk and rock music. In addition to singing, he plays acoustic (usually a twelve-string) and electric guitar, and has played both solo and with a full band. Nathanson has become more known for his platinum-selling song, “Come on Get Higher,” off his sixth studio album, Some Mad Hope (2007). He has recently released his seventh album, Modern Love, on June 21, 2011, which will be the second album under Vanguard Records, following his success with his last album. He released the first single from the album, “Faster,” as a free download to his fan mailing list in March.

Nathanson sat down with Spinner to chat about touring with Sugarland, leaving major label Universal, and the inspiration for his new album. Describing his album, Nathanson states that it’s a bunch of short stories about people he knew and of himself.

“Right before I started writing for the record, I felt like everybody I know went into crisis,” Nathanson said. “Either [they] were having affairs or were getting divorced … there were all these sort of volatile things happening. So, all the songs are sort of informed by that idea.”

He started with the idea of keeping a groove steady throughout a song. He said that he “wanted things to breathe and hang off these songs in a way that defied the fact that they were written on an acoustic guitar.”

The lead single, “Faster,” has a bubbly, burst of energy and sound, while talking about the heart beating faster and the excitement of love. As stated in the chorus—“You make my heart beat faster/Own me, you own/you rattle my bones/you turn me over and over/’til I can’t control myself” –this is definitely a love song, but filled with craze and passion. His second track “Run,” which features Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, shows the singer-songwriter’s sexier, romantic side. In the opening lyrics, — “I wanna watch you undress/I wanna watch you glow/let hair down, all around/and cover us both,” — just proves his ability to sing romantically. The combination of his vocals with Nettles’ intensifies the song’s overall chemistry and emotional connection.

Entertainment Weekly gave the album a 67, stating that this is “more of the inoffensive same [type of music] from the friendly folk-popper.” This score does not give justice to this album. The songs may as well be the summer’s theme songs. With provocative lyrics, Modern Love is the album to be played all summer long, to dance to, and to continue to enjoy all types of love.

Track List
1. Faster
2. Modern Love
3. Love Comes Tumbling Down
4. Room at the End of the World
5. Kiss Quickly
6. Mercy
7. Kept
8. Run (feat Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of Sugarland)
9. Queen of (K)nots
10. Drop to Hold You
11. Bottom of the Sea

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The Wonder Girls are a Korean girl group under JYP Entertainment. Each of the five original members were selected through auditions. Debuting in early 2007, they became popular in the fall of that year with the song “Tell Me.” They have scored three consecutive #1 hit singles: “Tell Me,” “So Hot,” and “Nobody.” In 2008, they won two “Artist of the Year” awards. The group embarked into the American market in 2009, with the English version of their hit single “Nobody.” They are co-managed in the US by JYP Entertainment and Jonas Group.

As a group, the Wonder Girls were initially introduced through a program called MTV Wonder Girls. The first four episodes outlined the characteristics and profiles of each member and showcased their schedules for the day. After those episodes, a fifth member was added and the Wonder Girls had their first showcase in the MTV Studio. They performed “Don’t Cha” by the Pussycat Dolls as well as some of their own songs, including “Irony” and “It’s not Love.”

The girls officially debuted in early 2007 on a Korean show “Show! Music Core” singing their song “Irony” a single from their debut mini-album, The Wonder Begins (February 2007). The mini-album sold over 11,000 copies and established a fan club. Unfortunately, 2007 was not the best year for these girls. All the members were beset by various injuries and health problems. One member, Sohee, was sidelined for a month after tearing a knee ligament in a fall from a running motorcycle during the filming of her movie. In late July, the parents of member Hyuna had withdrawn her from the group permanently due to health problems. She was later replaced in the fall of that year.

Although there were many unfortunate incidents, the girls released their first mini-album and their debut single “Tell Me” reached #1 on various Korean television and internet music charts. On May 22, 2008, the lead single of their CD single was released; “So Hot” topped online music charts. After a brief hiatus, the group returned in early fall of 2008 with a music video and song for their next single, “Nobody.” The song went to #1 on several Korean television music charts and remaining there for four consecutive weeks, as well as winning “Song of the Month” award for two months: September and October 2008. At the end-of-the-year awards show, Wonder Girls took home three awards, including the highly-desired “Song of the Year” award as well as “Best Video” for “Nobody” and “Best Female Group.”

The Wonder Girls got an amazing break in June 2009 when it was announced that they would be joining the Jonas Brothers for the North American leg of the Jonas Brothers World Tour 2009! The group would be one of the opening acts. JYP Entertainment announced that “Nobody” would be the first English single, followed by “Tell Me,” and that an English album would be forthcoming. However, in order to fully concentrate on their American debut, members Sohee and Sunmi had to drop out of high school. The group was originally contracted for thirteen shows, but eventually went for forty-five shows!

Almost one year after the Jonas Brothers Tour, the Wonder Girls headlined their own tour across the US and Canada: Wonder World Tour, which included fellow label-mates 2PM. The tour was to be a combination of the English and Korean versions of their title hits, covers of popular English songs, and their new songs from their upcoming album. Currently the girls can be seen in both Korea and New York recording their songs for their American album as well as attending different events in New York, including many fashion events.

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Dong Bang Shin Ki (DBSK), also known as TVXQ, was originally a five member group with Leader U-know Yunho, Hero Jaejoong, Mickey Yoochun, Xiah Junsu, and Max Changmin. Like label-mate Super Junior, DBSK began under SM Entertainment in 2003. Debuting on December 26, during a BoA and Backstreet Boys showcase, they performed their debut single “Hug” and an a cappella rendition of “O Holy Night” with BoA.

The group released their debut single “Hug” on January 14, 2004; it peaked at #4 on the monthly charts and sold about 170,000 copies, making it the fourteenth best-selling record of the year. Their second single, “The Way U Are” (July 2004), debuted at #2 on the charts, selling more than 200,000 copies, becoming the ninth best-selling-record of the year. DBSK released their debut album, Tri-Angle, in October 2004, selling more than 200,000 copies, making it the year’s eighth best-selling record.

In April 2005, DBSK debuted in Japan with their singles “Stay with me Tonight” and “Somebody to Love” before returning to Korea and releasing their second Korean album Rising Sun. Rising Sun became the fourth best-selling record of 2005 with over 200,000 copies sold.

With the success of their first two albums, the group had their first international tour Rising Sun 1st Asia Tour in 2006, making stops in China, Thailand, and Malaysia, making them the first Korean performers to hold a concert in Malaysia. From 2004 to 2010, the group released four Korean albums, one Korean compilation album, four Japanese albums and one Japanese compilation album. However, in 2009, the group began to have a falling out.

On July 31, 2009, three of the members: Jaejoong, Mickey, and Junsu, submitted an application to the Seoul Central District Court to determine the validity of their contract with SM Entertainment. The members stated a list of complaints including a thirteen-year contract being excessively long, schedules were held out without confirmation or permission from the members, and the group’s earnings were not fairly distributed amongst the members.

Early termination penalty of their contract would have cost them twice the profit that it was estimated the group would earn the rest of the contract period. The Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the three members; thus, after many months, DBSK split into two groups: JYJ (Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu) and DBSK (Changmin and Yunho).

Under the new group, DBSK, Yunho and Changmin released their fifth Korean album (ninth overall), Keep Your Head Down, on January 5, 2011 as a special edition and on January 14 as a normal edition. Their repackaged version was released in mid-March with the addition of a new song “Before You Go.” The normal edition sold about 130,000 copies the first day, placing them #1 on the Oricon daily singles chart. With about 230,000 copies that first week, Keep Your Head Down topped the Oricon weekly chart. This was the ninth time, overall, the group had ranked #1 on this chart, setting a record for the highest amount of #1 by a foreign artist.

Regardless of the fact that this group had go through an unfortunate lawsuit splitting the group into two, DBSK has always created amazing songs and music videos. They have also made it into the Guinness Book of World Records twice. The first time was in 2008 for having the largest official fan club. Cassiopeia, the group’s official fan club claimed of having more than 800 thousand members and counting! The second time was on March 19, 2009, for “most photographed celebrity in the world.” These five members are estimated to have been photographed indefinite times in magazines, album jackets, commercials, etc, including individual photos.

How many times can you say that a single group has had both accomplishments amongst the many chart toppings and albums sold? Clearly, they hold the title of “Asia’s Star” for a reason, even until today.

Even though the group may have split into two, these boys are never short of funny moments. For example, when all five of the members try to speak in English, the end result is always laughing too hard that your abs hurt. One moment that always makes me laugh was when one of the members, Junsu, was playing badminton and he could not hit the birdie. When his members asked why not, Junsu replied “I can’t see it, OMG SUN!” (He was trying to explain that the sun was blinding him so he could not see the birdie). I could sit here and recite all the crazy times this group has gone through but we’d be here for a while. But, one thing is for sure: whether they are a five member band or two separate bands, these five members are always entertaining their fans.

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What do the following boy bands have in common: Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and New Kids on the Block? All of them have at least five members. These three will forever be remembered, even if boy bands rarely exist in American music. However, on the other side of the world, boy bands are high in demand in countries like South Korea. They are so popular that one boy band was nominated to be in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the boy band with the highest number of members: lucky 13! This group is no other than Super Junior!

In 2005, under SM Entertainment, Super Junior debuted with twelve members: Leader Leeteuk, Heechul, Han Geng, Yesung, Kangin, Shindong, Sungmin, Eunhyuk, Donghae, Siwon, Ryeowook, and Kibum. SM’s original plan was to create a rotating project called Super Junior 05 where the members would “graduate” and new members would be added. However, in May 2006 before the release of their second album, a thirteenth member, Kyuhyun, was added and the project was abandoned. The thirteen members became Super Junior.

On May 25, 2006, Super Junior released their single “U” online for free download. With over 400,000 downloads within five hours of release, the single had crashed the server. The single became one of Korea’s most popular songs of the year, yielding #1 spots for five consecutive weeks on two of Korea’s top music programs. By the end of the year, Super Junior had collected over seven awards, including “Best New Group of 2006.”

Under the main group, there are four sub groups: Super Junior K.R.Y., Super Junior-T, Super Junior-Happy, and Super Junior-M. The first sub group, debuting in late 2006, consists of three members: Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, and Yesung, and they mostly sing ballads. The members of Super Junior-T sing trot songs, while Super Junior-Happy’s music style involves the common style of contemporary dance music and bubblegum pop. Finally Super Junior-M (M stands for Mandarin) targets the Chinese music market, but not limited to only China. Only K.R.Y. and Super Junior-M are still active, as well as the parent group Super Junior. In fact, on February 28, 2011, Super Junior-M released their latest EP “Perfection.”

After their second album, “Don’t Don,” Super Junior released their third album “Sorry, Sorry” in 2009, with their title track of the same name. About 150,000 copies of “Sorry, Sorry” were pre-ordered, and 30,000 copies sold after release, making it the biggest opening day for the group. The album debuted #1 on Hot Tracks Gayo Best 5 by the third week.

This album was also the first Korean-language album to sell over 215,000 copies in 2009. The following year, the group released their fourth album, “Bonamana” on May 13, 2010 with 200,000 pre-ordered copies and over 36,000 copies sold on the first day of release. According to the South Korean album chart Gaon, a cumulative total of almost 300,000 copies of all versions were sold, awarding the album “Best Selling Album of 2010.” The group has also headlined three tours and has been affiliated with three tours with their company’s other artists. The group, along with a few other SM artists, just completed a two-day concert event in Paris on June 10 and 11 as part of the SMTown Live ’10 World Tour.

Presently, the group is down to ten members in the parent group and twelve members, including the two members from Super Junior M. This is due to one member, Kangin, serving his mandatory two years service in the military, Kibum who is pursuing his acting career, and Han Geng who left the company, under a lawsuit.

However, this has not stopped the members from continuing to produce new songs, especially with a fifth album soon to be released. The members are also radio show hosts, MCs on different shows and continue to be guest stars on variety shows. They are still an amusement to watch, each not afraid to show their comedic and silly sides.

The group recently finished their Super Show 3 tour across Asia. During the middle of each concert, one member would turn into “Lady Hee,” as a parody of Lady Gaga and would sing “Poker Face.” Right after Lady Hee would exit, three more members, dressed in one piece black leotards and girl wigs, would start singing and dancing to “Single Ladies” by Beyonce. At the end of this comedic feat, the trio would meet up with Lady Hee to sing and dance to “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce. This just proves that the boys are not afraid of dressing up as girls and creating laughter and amusement for their fans.

Most of all, they still have one of the largest fan-bases across the globe, and that is a feat! While it may be easy to read about this group, it is much more enjoyable to look them up and listen to their music. Just because a listener doesn’t understand Korean, doesn’t mean he or she can’t enjoy the different styles that this group conveys. So check them out, you won’t be disappointed.

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CNN.com is always a good news site to read about top stories in all categories. They are always up-to-date with journalists on-site and live videos. CNN tries to find stories from across the globe, so it is no surprise that they have a talk show, “Talk Asia” dedicated to all things Asia.

Broadcasted to nearly 280 million people around the world, CNN Talk Asia is a documentary-style interview-based half hour show that has spotlighted numerous large names; including Former President Bill Clinton, Lady Gaga, Jackie Chan, Roger Federer, as well as many Koreans, including Rain, Lee Byung Hyun, and Park Ji Sung. Epik High is the first Korean hip-hop group to be on the show.

On April 21, 2010, Korea’s very own hip-hop trio Epik High appeared on Talk Asia. Regarding this opportunity, member Tablo expressed, “I found it very cool that CNN had a keen interest in the depth and diversity of the Korean music scene—it is an honor for us to represent Korean hip-hop on such a huge worldwide stage.” The group conducted an interview with the show’s anchorwoman Anjali Rao, where they discussed their difficulties, success, and future ambitions. The half hour episode was very informative on the lives of the members of Epik High, as well as the music market, and answered some questions as to why the Korean music critics behave in the method they do. However, it is much easier to watch it yourself to receive the full message of the video.

Epik High, composed of Tablo, Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz, debuted in 2003 with the album Map of the Human Soul, and gained popularity with the success of their consequent albums High Society and Swan Songs. The trio has released eight albums, their recent Epilogue released in March 2010. They are a Korean indie hip-hop group, who are currently on a break while members Mithra Jin and DJ Tukutz are serving mandatory military service.

Epik High has been hit from every direction, from controversies to banning of their music, but none of that has stopped this group from creating music that has depth and truth behind it. Sure, most of their songs have been banned from Korean music market, but that just intensifies the urge to hear their music, and that is just what fans around the world have done. When Epilogue was released, it was ranked on the US iTunes Hip-hop Album Chart at #1, beating out performers such as Ludacris, Kayne West, Jay-Z, Beastie Boys, and Black Eyed Peas. Yet, there are many anti-fans who tried their hardest to bring down Epik High, especially member Tablo.

In 2010, anti-fans claimed that Tablo falsified his graduation from Stanford University. Even with the diploma, friends at Stanford, and professors stating that Tablo did indeed go to the university and graduate, the anti-fans still claimed he had lied. After months of accusations and numerous actions, on October 8, 2010, the Korean police justified Tablo’s educational background, which finally shut down the controversy.

However, in the midst of these accusations, Epik High found themselves in another. A community café named “We Require the Truth from Tablo (TaJinYo) claimed that the group had plagiarized almost forty songs, and had even gone to the lengths of making YouTube videos with the Epik High songs alongside the “originals”. After a few months of these accusations, the claim had finally died down and the group was free.

Aside from the accusations that the anti-fans have claimed, Epik High has also had their songs banned from several channels. Some songs from their fourth album were banned due to issues dealing with sexual crimes, war, education, and religion. They have also had music videos banned due to the theme being suicide or containing violent scenes of torture.

Yet, it falls down to the same concept: ban an artist or their songs/music videos and people are that much more3 interested in the artist. So the bans actually increased Epik High’s popularity as one of the few groups to risk their careers and sing about such issues, as well as create such music videos like “Breakdown.”

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Insomnia affects millions of adults in the United States. Not being able to sleep bothers many people: how does this affect my work or school, how will I get through the day, and what do I do with my time? However, one person uses his insomnia in a positive way: writing music. Adam Young, known as Owl City, gets inspirited to make music when he can’t sleep. While loud noises agitate most people when they want to relax, Owl City must constantly have fans running at full blast.

Once he even plugged in a vacuum, turned it on, and slept with the noise. Maybe that would explain his hit single “Fireflies.” In his interview with Contact Music, his inspiration for “Fireflies” was being up one night in his basement fooling around on the keyboard. He wasn’t trying to write anything, but over the next couple hours he created the song he is known for.

Owl City’s first album, Maybe I’m Dreaming, was released in December 2008. Despite having been self-released and not recorded by any major producer, it reached the top 20 on the Billboard Electronic Music Album Chart. Following the surprise success of his second album, Ocean Eyes, released in September 2009, Maybe I’m Dreaming was pressed and re-released by Universal Republic. “Fireflies” was released in July 2009, two months before the actual release of the studio length album, which made the anticipation much higher.

Owl City is an American electronic/synthpop musical project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young, formed in 2007. Young created the project while experimenting with music in his parent’s basement. Before he signed with Universal Republic in 2008, he had already self-released his first album, gaining much interest. Young has stated on many occasions that he is inspired by disco and European electronic music, as well as instrumental genres such as drone, ambient, and post-rock. He cited his biggest influences as Johnathon Ford of Unwed Sailor and Thomas Newman. Owl City has been compared to The Postal Service for his combination of fuzzy synths, ironic lyrics and use of female guest singers.

Recently, on June 14, 2011, Owl City released his third studio album, All Things Bright and Beautiful. For the most part, Young stays true to his synthpop roots. However, he seems to dip his toes in indie rock, folk, and hip-hop, as can be heard in his track “Alligator Sky,” featuring guest rapper Shawn Chrystopher. Following the release of “Alligator Sky,” the single shot to #1 on the iTunes top Electronic songs chart. On April 19, 2011, the second single “Galaxies” became available for purchase on iTunes.

Young stated that “Galaxies” is about the listener in place of an astronaut going up into space in a rocket. He continued saying that “if a tragedy was to occur and the rocket was to explode and you were to go from this life to eternity, what might be going through your head? What might you do?” This album also features two other guest musicians: LIGHTS, and Breanne Duren.

Based on all the background information, Metacritic rates this new album a 46 based on seven critics. Alternative Press gave a 70, stating that the album “is much more mature, dynamic and well rounded.” On the other hand, The Phoenix gave the album a 12 stating that there is no maturity in sight and it is “12 sterilized laptop clunkers that are indeed bright but far from beautiful.” Finally, No Ripcord gave this album a 0, complaining that the production is lazy and unbelievably dull! Personally, I like this album. He continues his synthpop style and is like the rest of his albums: soothing. That’s my opinion. Listen for yourself and make your own judgment.

Track List

1.        The Real World

2.        Deer in the Headlights

3.        Angels

4.        Dreams Don’t Turn to Dust

5.        Honey and the Bee (featuring Breanne Duren)

6.        Kamikaze

7.        January 28, 1986

8.        Galaxies

9.        Hospital Flowers

10.     Alligator Sky (featuring Shawn Chrystopher)

11.      The Yacht Club (featuring LIGHTS)

12.      Plant Life

iTunes Bonus Track

1.       How I Became the Sea

Owl City Galaxy (fan club) tracks

1.       Lonely Lullaby

Japan Edition

1.       How I Became the Sea

2.       Shy Violet

3.       To the Sky

Image Courtesy of Owl City

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Eurodance, a genre of electronic dance music, originated primarily in Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and Italo-Disco. Songs as such are perfect for dance clubs and parties, bringing the crowd out and enticing a great time. Among the different artists can be found played at clubs, Cascada has definitely made its way in.

After the hit single, “Every time We Touch” released on January 5, 2006 in the US, the group became very popular. However, the breakthrough happened in June 2009, after the group released “Evacuate the Dance floor.” The song featured German rapper Carlprit and debuted at No. 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart for the week of July 5, 2009. It also became the group’s third No. 1 single on the US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart and second top 40 hit on U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Coming back on June 19, 2011 in the UK with their fourth studio album Original Me, the group is definitely kicking it up a notch.

Cascada, founded in 2004, is a group of three musicians: Natalie Horler (singer), DJ Manian (DJ/Producer) and Yanou (DJ/Producer). This group is widely considered one of the leaders in bringing Euro-dance music stateside and adding in the transition to a more electro-pop oriented mainstream sound. Cascada has sold over 20 million albums worldwide and about 15 million digital downloads.

After receiving much criticism of its previous album, mainly the lack of cohesiveness linking the album as a whole, the group decided to experiment with a new release strategy, planning to produce and release different singles and then attempting to bind them all into an album.

The group released its first single, “Pyromania,” in Germany in March 2010, continuing their electro-pop sound. Cascada’s second single, “Night Nurse,” was a promotional single featuring guest vocal from male singer, “R.I.O.” It was released in Nov 2010 on a U.K. compilation CD.

“San Francisco” was released as the album’s lead single on June 3, 2011. The song had originally premiered on Cascada’s official YouTube account in a music video on April 28, 2011. The video features Horler with a group of people dressed up as modern-day hippies out on a night in San Francisco for a party, ending with them having a party on a rooftop.

Horler begins the song with “I take you back to 1969/Let’s hit the city of freedom like old times” taking listeners back to the days of hippies in “city of freedom.” “San Francisco” has been met with generally positive reviews from critics, though it continues to be compared to Katy Perry’s “California Gurls”, with allegations that Cascada “ripped-off” Perry’s song. Despite these claims, the song has become the most successful single since “Evacuate the Dance floor” in countries like Austria, Germany and the Netherlands.

The latest album will be released in four European countries in June before making its way overseas to Canada and the United States on July 5, 2011. On June 17, the album was released in the Netherlands followed by digital releases in U.K. (June 19), Australia (June 21), and Germany (June 24). Since the album has yet to be released in US (July 5), there have been no album reviews. But, after listening to the album leak and at first glance, all the songs continue the electro-pop sound. However, their second track “Au Revoir” sounds like a mixture of Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus. Horler’s voice sounds like Cyrus’ until the chorus when it turns into a mixture of Spears’ and Cyrus’ voices combined.

Overall, Cascada uses different styles apart from electro-pop with a slow melodic song “Unspoken” back to its genre. Now we just have to wait until July 5 for more in-depth music reviews.

Track List

1.            San Francisco

2.            Au Revoir

3.            Unspoken (feat Carlprit)

4.            Pyromania

5.            Enemy

6.            Independence Day (feat Carlprit)

7.            Stalker

8.            Night Nurse

9.            Sinner on the Dance floor

10.          Original Me

11.          Hungover

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Five guys with powerful voices, who can sing perfectly solo, but when put together in one band, make an explosion with every song. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Big Bang. They are not any theory or a television show, but a boy band from South Korea. While boy bands may have died here in the US, they are still lively in South Korea and Big Bang is far from the exception. The band is made up of leader G-Dragon, Taeyang, T.O.P., Daesung, and SeungRi. Making their first official debut on August 19, 2006, these boys are no strangers to the entertainment industry.

Two of the members, leader G-Dragon and lead vocalist Taeyang had signed with YG Entertainment since they were both twelve years old (thirteen years old Korean age), while a third member, T.O.P. was an underground rapper. Shortly after, the band released their first mini, mini album known as a single, on August 28, which reached #5 on the South Korea Monthly Chart. Exactly one month later, on September 28, the boys released another single, followed by a third in November of the same year. Big Bang finally released their first album, “Bigbang Vol. 1” on December 21, 2006, reaching #1 on the weekly charts and #10 on the monthly charts.

Since their debut in 2006, Big Bang has released four EPs, four concert albums, three singles, two studio albums, and one compilation album—and that is just the Korean discography. They have also debuted in Japan, releasing five singles, three studio albums, two EPs, and two compilation albums. Big Bang released their first live concert album “The First/Real Live Concert” in February 2007, which after the initial sell-out, the album continued to be in such a high demand that YG Entertainment were forced to repackage and resell the album by the end of 2007.

Riding on their success of their mini-album, the group received many awards, including “Best Male Group,” “Song of the Year” and “Artist of the Year.” In early 2008, the group ventured into Japan, releasing their first Japanese EP, which charted at #10 on the Oricon chart with little promotion. By 2009, and enough fans in Korea and overseas under their belts, the group decided to take a break and pursue solo activities. Leader G-Dragon, SeungRi, and Taeyang released one album each, while rapper T.O.P. and Daesung collaborated with other artists.

After two years on hiatus as a full group, Big Bang returned in 2011 with their Big Show concert along with their latest EP, “Tonight” on February 23, 2011. “Tonight” was the first album to reach the top 10 on US iTunes, and is the only non-English language album in the top 100. The album had a pre-sale order of over 10,000 copies. In a week, over 100,000 album copies were sold! The EP gained much popularity in countries all over the world, and was received quite positively. The group has also been the models for various commercial films (CFS) in Korea. From cell phones to cameras, beers, automobiles and even ice cream, Big Bang has endorsed a total of ten products from June 2010 to May 2011, ranking them second highest paid males in Korea, in terms of CFs.

From 2006 to present day, the members of Big Bang have been very busy. They have released a total of twenty-two albums and singles both in Korea and Japan. They have been in many CFs over the years, collaborated with many artists, and even traveled to Las Vegas to film their music video for their latest lead track “Tonight.” These boys have class, style, and skill, which will definitely take them as high as they possibly want.

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The Pains of Being Pure at Heart sounds like a title for a book similar to Chicken Soup for the Soul. This is no book but a New York based indie pop band. Debuting in 2007 with their self-released EP under Painbow label, the band released their second album, “Belong” on March 29, 2011, through Slumberland Records. The album was recorded in 2010 after extensive touring off their debut album. Produced and mixed by U2 and Nine Inch Nails collaborators Flood and Alan Moulder, vocalist/guitarist Kip Berman explained that the band wanted the songs to exist in an immediate and instinctual place. The first record had a lot of remembered experiences lyrically. Thus, Berman wanted to continue on that feel of making an impression on the listener.

When released, the album was positively received by music critics, earning a 76 on review aggregator site Metacritic, indicating “generally favorable reviews” and a user score of 8.2. Billboards.com stated that the 10-track set has barely any weak moments, and actually ended much too soon for taste and rated the album a 93. Similarly, Pitchfork gave “Belong” an 82, stating that the album is a bigger, brighter and bolder follow-up that adds new dimensions to Pain’s sound. Mojo gives an 80 stating that album stands up to the touchstone indie classics it references. On the other hand, NME gave the album a 30, stating that the album is “sexless, meek, and flaccid.” They continued to state the band approaches the subject of sex with an “embarrassed grin and to your disappointment.” For example, NME asserted that “track ‘My Terrible Friend’ is a Wendy house dry-hump between The Cure and The Only Ones, with choice lyric Everyone is pretty and fun/Everyone is lovely and young.” The site continued to ridicule the rest of the tracks with the overall subject of a sad portrayal of sexual references. Q Magazine also felt the same, rating the album a 40 and stating that only the title track matches the idea with execution.

Personally, I think NME was very harsh with their comments. When I listened to this album, I liked it, but in no way did I think that this album was strictly based on sex. I thought this album had a relaxing texture to it, like background music to writing or reading. Maybe I did not fully listen to the lyrics, still I enjoyed this album. I would have to say that my favorite track would be “Heart in your Heartbreak.” I wouldn’t place this album as my top of 2011 but I would most likely put it somewhere in the middle of my list. Thus, I agree with the Metacritic’s score of 76.

Track List
1. Belong
2. Heaven’s Gonna Happen Now
3. Heart in Your Heartbreak
4. The Body
5. Anne with an E
6. Even in Dreams
7. My Terrible Friend
8. Girl of 1,000 Dreams
9. Too Tough
10. Strange

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She did it again! PJ Harvey released her eighth album, “Let England Shake” on February 15, 2011 in UK. The title’s simple message is the political situation in England, PJ’s homeland. The topics are as bleak and violent as most of her previous works. However, this time the subjects are soldiers falling in battle and land torn up, both physically and spiritually. Her fourth track, ‘The Words that Maketh Murder’ sings that the soldiers fall like lumps of meat/blown and shot out beyond belief, painting vivid images of today’s battlefields and the masses of dying soldiers on the ground. The rest of her songs continue on the theme of England, war, and the political downfall. The Great War continues to remain a resonant subject for art because it briefly caused the world to step back, afraid to think or even picture what it had done. The trauma from World War I shook England and for that artists continue to portray this epic war in their work. Though the tunes in Harvey’s new album are happy and melodic, the lyrics are filled with agitation, despair, fear, and sadness. The theme is further supported by Harvey singing in her higher register. Overall, the album is depressing but the subjects are factual and bring listeners to light of the events of The Great War in England.

As stated by Pitchfork, when PJ Harvey debuted in the early 90’s, her “gravelly voice, outsized personality, and often disturbing lyrics gave the all-rock world a crucial shot of excitement.” By listening to her eight albums, one thing is clear: she does not like to repeat herself. Throughout her musical career, she has experimented with diverse musical styles from rock to pop to folk. She is also known to change her appearance and mode of dress or hairstyle from album to album, incorporating herself into the album’s artwork, music videos, and live performances. Her major music influence is American musician, singer-songwriter and artist Don Van Vliet, best known by his stage name Captain Beefheart, active from 1964 to 1982.

PJ has received many awards. She had been nominated five times for a Grammy Award. Rolling Stone named her “1992’s Best New Artist” and “Best Singer-Songwriter” as well as “1995’s Artist of the Year.” She was rated the number one female rock artist by Q Magazine in a 2002 reader poll, and was awarded “Outstanding Contribution to Music” in 2011 at NME Awards. There is no doubt in my mind that she would win any awards for her recent album. She speaks her mind through her music, and that is one talent that cannot be silenced! I hope she continues her music career and I hope to hear more from her.
Track List
1. Let England Shake
2. The Last Living Rose
3. The Glorious Land
4. The Words that Maketh Murder
5. All and Everyone
6. On Battleship Hill
7. England
8. In the Dark Places
9. Bitter Branches
10. Hanging in the Wire
11. Written on the Forehead
12. The Colour of the Earth

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In 1997, Park Jin-young (JYP) founded JYP Entertainment, primarily based in South Korea, but there is a US branch, JYP USA, which opened in June 2007. JYP is one of the three biggest management companies in South Korea, along with SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment. JYP is home to many Korean idols, including the originally seven-member 2PM. 2PM is one of the two subgroups that branched out from the eleven-member boy band One Day. Currently, they are a six member group, after an Internet controversy in 2009 forced the former leader to leave.

JYP created this band based not on a “pretty-boy,” but rather a “mature” image. He trained these boys to sing and dance, but to also perform acrobatic moves. On September 4, 2008, 2PM debuted with their song “10 Points Out of 10 Points.” One month later, they began promotion of their second single “Only You.” When their third single “Again & Again” released in April of 2009, they achieved No.1 for the first time. This song has break-dancing beats with an R&B feel. The music video did not let down many fans with simple and original choreography and acrobatics at the end.

On November 10, 2009, 2PM released their first studio length album, The First Album 1:59PM, symbolizing their leader’s absence after the Internet controversy in September 2009. This was also the last album that the leader would sing in. The very same day, their title track, “Heartbeat” was also released, and made an explosion on the charts reaching No.1. From that moment on, the boys of 2PM have produced many songs, including some for commercials. They have also debuted in Japan, Thailand, China, Malaysia, and the Philippines. They made their first overseas performance in Thailand in late February 2009 before releasing their “Thailand Special Edition Album” on June 25th. In 2010, 2PM was the supporting act for the Wonder Girls World Tour. They have also taken part in several endorsements ranging from modeling for a clothing company, EXR, to becoming representatives of foreign artists by the Thai government and many commercials. In fact, member Nichkhun is currently the Thailand Ambassador, urging outsiders to visit the country. Currently, 2PM is overseas promoting in Japan after releasing their latest single “Take it off.”

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College students’ fantasies of becoming “famous” are quickly becoming a reality. With the rise of social media in our everyday lives, college students are taking advantage of social networking to get their talent recognized. These days, you no longer need a producer or an agent when you have a business, music, graphic design or  journalism major in your dormitory hallway.

Our society is accustomed to our celebrities having “connections,” knowing someone notable to help them make it big in the industry. However, what defines “connections” nowadays? It used to be knowing someone that could help you on the road to becoming famous, but now with the rise of Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc … “having connections” is not as exclusive. Now connections to any music sensation or artist are merely a click away on the World Wide Web.

College students and artists with a passion for their talents are benefiting from this. Aspiring artists are realizing that the power of a college network and friends can create opportunities to make a  name for themselves.  Only the rich becoming famous is a slowly dwindling stereotype due to the possibilities of social media. The ability to download movies, pictures and music for free on the internet is causing controversy with established artists all around, yet everyday musicians, especially college students, are not complaining.

From the dorm room to the studio is an increasingly common story that we hear coming from upcoming artists. These include Asher Roth and Sam Adams, two successful rappers who started from their college dorm room. In 2009, “I love college” was released by Asher Roth; a song about college parties he went to while attending West Chester University in Pennsylvania. After posting his verses and sending a friend request to a producer on Myspace, he quickly became a college sensation. The music video was shot at a fraternity house, put on Youtube and quickly climbed its way to the top of the charts. All Roth needed was his talent and social media to get his voice heard.

Who needs a professional studio, when you have your own microphone and video camera on your laptop for free? Just from one Youtube video, your music can spread like wildfire. MTV studios is noticing this and helping college students take their talent to the next level.  Launched in 2007, MTV studios run a college network called MTVU.  It is now the largest college network site and channel; broadcasting to over 750 campuses in the United states. With over nine million users MTVU has dedicated their site to college music, videos, contests, shows, and news.

Websites such as FratMusic.com and Collegeplaylists.com are websites for students made by college students themselves. College students are increasingly more interested in partying to music from their own peers, since they are one of the largest demographics in the music industry. Who knows better what they want to listen to than themselves? According to Billboard.com, in everything from country to rap, 2011s hottest artists are all under the age of 21, and what is the most appealing about them? They’re just getting started. College artists create a fan base that not only grows but lasts.

The power of a college network and social media gives college students the tools to make it big on their own. Most college artists are already well known on the web or at parties before they even get to perform live, which is slowly becoming a reality for some artists instead of a fantasy. Younger generations are slowly taking over the music industry, and it doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon with each new artist getting younger and younger.  The rise of social media and the effect it has on the music industry makes it easier for artists to be recognized for their talent instead of who they know. Why go hire a manager and producer when all you have to do to start your career is to create a Facebook account?

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”I hope that Toonari has a future. The website looks great and professional. The users and readers can participate, they can interact with us, and they are able to leave their comments and suggestions, so its a more personalized experience form reader to author and vice-versa.”

Natasha was born in California, but now lives in Ohio while finishing her University studies. She is part of the Toonarian’s team, and is focused on the Entertainment Journalism sector. In a personal interview, she told us her experience so far in her first internship is ever:

How did you get involve in ToonariPost?

Well, basically I went online to surf on the web for a while and look at online pages where they were offering internships. I remember going to internweb.com and finding where I applied for ToonariPost. It was amazing because I just applied with not many expectations at first, and after a couple of days I received the call and I was in!

What do you think about the virtual part of this internship?

I like it a lot, because we do so many different things. It is a really great opportunity to learn because all interns are provided with personalized training. Also, the international side is really great since you get to create these relationships with your work colleagues, and learn about sharing ideas and different cultures. I went abroad, to England and Scotland, with the American High School Theater Festival. I personally love this experience that allows me to learn but meet new people every time.

How would you define your way of writing when it comes to your articles?

I tried to make it as engaging and honest as possible. So many people have different tastes, and want to read cool things. I try to be really entertaining and funny. I know how to do my research now, and every article I write is easier to put things together. We just need to get to the people, and provide them interesting stories. Besides writing, I work in retail. But I need to do something related with writing, because I honestly just love it. I love expressing myself into written words.

What are the things you’ve appreciated the most so far?

Getting to see my work published is something really cool, because I can see the work on my own. The good thing is that it gets a lot of publicity. It’ s something to build my portfolio. And it is great when I Google my name and something pops up!

To wrap up the interview she wanted to share a message to all ToonariPost’s readers out there. “Keep reading because we work very hard, and if you feel that you can do this, there is always a place for you”.

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