How’s it goin’ everybody? Five days of work are giving way
to two days of relaxation as details surface about the guy who went on a
shooting spree at an L.A. fitness club, Paula Abdul surprising American Idol fans by Tweeting her resignation from the hit show
and Judge Sonia Sotomayor finally getting her confirmation to become the first
Hispanic member of the Supreme Court.
Thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the fitness
center shooting as well as family and friends of revered ‘80s teen film director
John Hughes who died Thursday (Aug. 3). Shout out to former President Bill
Clinton, who played a big role in the release of American journalists Laura
Ling and Euna Lee and the sounding boards for making me grateful for the little
things in life.
And now the scoop of the day…the Last Word for the week
ending Aug. 7, 2009.
1. Trey Songz Gets His Adult On; Shares Porn Support
After years of getting his harmonic gangsta on behind the
mic, Trey Songz is elevating his talent and status to the realm of the grown
and sexy with the release of his forthcoming opus, Ready.
In an interview with Billboard, the R&B crooner labeled his new project as “very adult, very
easygoing and very sexy” while stating how the album “feels cohesive and
reflects the changes you see in me physically, with my new haircut, and
everything else that represents me evolving into manhood.”
Fans can expect cameos from rappers Drake, Gucci Mane and
Soulja Boy Tell'Em on Ready as well as
production from Stargate, Johnta Austin, Troy Taylor, Carlos “Los DaMystro”
McKinney, Eric Hudson and Bryan-Michael Cox. According to Songz, the new album
comes as a natural progression from his previous releases.
Look for Ready to hit
stores on Sept. 1. In the meanwhile, Trey has no problem supporting the cause.
That cause being porn with him admitting that “porn is cool.”
“I think that porn is a way to broaden your horizons as far
as sex is concerned,” Songz told Honey
magazine. “I remember when I first started watching porn my favorite porn star
was Lacey Duvalle, Lindy Foxx, and I like the free will of porn all in itself.”
And with that, you could say that Trey has used his own free
will in the bedroom as he detailed a rather unique habit he partakes in while
spending that all important quality time with the object of his lust.
“I like to choke girls right before they c*m, but you gotta
continue hitting it at a rapid momentum,” the entertainer confessed. “And I
like girls that can take the whole d**k.”
Spoken like a true adult. There’s nothing like a little
grown up insight into making that special moment something that you’ll remember
until it’s time for move on to the next jump-off.
2. Joss Stone Wages War on Label for Musical Independence
Joss Stone is through playing Miss Nice with her record
label EMI. And she’s not taking it anymore.
So much so that the folks at Britain’s Daily Star say the songstress will perform songs from her
fourth studio album Colour Me Free next month at a charity music event at London’s 02
Arena.
So what’s with all the beef? Apparently, Colour Me Free originally was scheduled for release in April, but
the big bosses at EMI have put their foot down and postponed the release of the
album indefinitely. Stone wanted to be released from her contract with the
label, but EMI heads have refused to honor the singer’s request.
As a result, Stone will perform tunes from Colour Me Free for those taking in the charity event.
“I’ll sing some of my new songs. They’re just jams and I
love them,” said the vocalist, who kept the recording of the album secret from
EMI. “They were recorded about two years ago but I have been in a war with my
label.”
Needless to say, this may not blow over in a short time. But
don’t think Joss is gonna throw in the towel so easily. To hear her tell it,
she’s looks ready to display her gangsta for the cause.
“I’m just going to sing anyway and if they would like to
turn out my album one day that would be nice. I’ve no idea when it will be
released as it’s not up to me,” she said “Maybe they’re trying to shut me up
but good luck because they’ve picked the wrong girl.”
You would think that EMI would’ve released the album, if
nothing more than to make some money. But as record company rule 4,080 states,
Record company people are shady.
With her album shelved, Joss seemingly has nothing to lose. Which means,
she could become a problem. Stay tuned…
3. Anthony Hamilton Exposes Holy Influence on Music
Anthony Hamilton may have struck a nerve with R&B fans
with his brand of homegrown music but the crooner is touching human souls in a
different way with his song “Pass Me Over.”
According to Gospel News,
the track, which is featured on Hamilton’s latest album Ain't Nobody
Worryin', has found a place on many gospel
music stations with heavy rotation status. For Hamilton, the influence of
gospel is a natural extension of what he was brought up on.
“It comes from my grandmother. It's a way of life from the
south that I adopted,” he revealed. “My mother taught me to uplift God's name
and to never be ashamed to show respect for God and for others. First, I am a
man of God. Because of who I am, I have a right to do that. There's no need for
me not to."
And while It may be questionable for Hamilton to go the
secular route rather than the way of the choir, the singer maintains that
success outside of gospel doesn’t conflict with his faith in light of the fact
that his music “music always is respectful.”
“I don't feel that anything I sing is contradicting my love
for God or my love for people,” he said. “I know that I'm exactly where God put
me; I am properly placed.”
4. Aubrey O’Day Parties With Remake of Eddie Murphy Hit
You kinda new that it was bound to happen. One day someone
would take it upon him or herself to cover Eddie Murphy’s Rick James-assisted
hit “Party All Time.” So who would have the nerve to do it?
Aubrey O'Day. According to reports, the former Danity Kane
member has recruited Young Money producer Shanell Woodgette (aka SnL) to help
put her own stamp on the 1985 single. According to O’Day, “Party All the Time”
was a perfect choice to cover.
“This song is a classic!” the former Danity Kane member told
Celebuzz.com. “Shanell and I are 80's babies, and we felt like us signing the
lyrics to each other put a hot new twist on it, plus we added our own lyrics to
make a bridge which the original didn't have... We wanted our remake to embody a 'TaTu' (the artists) vibe.”
As for the motivation behind the remake, SnL summed it up as
a chance to bring a female perspective to the Eddie and Rick’s track.
“Aubrey and I always get into trouble when we go out
together, so in thinking of a fun song for us to remake, 'Party All the Time'
was perfect,” she said. “Even though the original was written from a guy’s
point of view to a girl, we decided to keep it the way the late great Rick
James wrote it - and besides Aubrey will always be MY GIRL for life! This is
our way of saying 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!'"
Hearing Aubrey’s version, I got my opinion about it. But
I’ll fall back and let you take a listen to the track for yourself and let me
know if it’s a party starter or a party wrecker. My only question is what would
Rick think about this? Something tells me the phrase, “I’m Rick James, b**ch!”
would be a tame reaction from Mr. Cold Blooded. But I digress. If anybody decides
to check it out on Celebuzz, let a brother know. I can only imagine what the
reaction will be.
In Other Words…
* As Michael Jackson has proved, even the afterworld cannot
provide peace for entertainers who have passed away. Case in point: Duke Ellington.
Apparently, the family of the jazz great is not too happy with the people
behind Duke Ellington XO Cognac. TMZ reports that Ellington’s grandson filed a
federal lawsuit in New York on Wednesday (Aug. 5), claiming that proper
permission was not granted to the cognac makers to use the entertainer’s name
and signature on their product. In addition, the Ellington estate also claims
that the folks behind the cognac "once attempted to negotiate with [the
estate] ... but no agreement was ever reached between the parties." As a
result, the estate wants all profits earned from the sale of the cognac, which
sells for $150 a bottle, as well as the company to quit selling its
controversial project.
* Dania Ramirez is in a good space now as the newest face of
CoverGirl. And the X-Men: The Last Stand
and former Heroes star couldn’t
be happier as she told People.com that her newest gig allows her to bring “my
story, a story of struggle and hard work. Not speaking the language [when I got
to America] and trying to figure out my definition of beauty, you learn to
recognize the beauty in all of us.”
“It takes a strong person to get where I’ve got,” said
Ramirez, who joins Queen Latifah Drew Barrymore and Ellen DeGeneres as a
CoverGirl spokesmodel.
* We can now add Monica’s name to the long list of
entertainers doing the reality show thing. The songbird will be featured in the
BET reality series Monica. According to
the network, the show will give viewers a look inside Monica’s world while she
works on her fifth solo album, Still Standing, designs and launches a high-end boy’s clothing line
called Regions of Rock and works to raise her two young sons.
The Regions of Rock line will offer apparel that ranges from
infant sizes to boys’ size 20. The Monica reality show is set to premiere Oct.
27 on BET. Still Standing is slated to hit stores and digital retailers this
fall.
* Toni Braxton is expanding her musical arsenal as she gears
up for the release of her forthcoming album. The Jamaican Observer reports the first single from the still untitled
release is due out in September. In addition, fans can expect a couple of
features from the world of reggae. “I'm doing some stuff with Sean Paul,” said
the songbird, who also put in studio time with Shaggy. “I think I've reinvented
[myself].”
Despite the appearance of her guests, the new album will
display will display Braxton’s traditional song stylings. “It's a lot of
traditional stuff on the album, but I think people are going to be surprised
cause I switched it a little bit, doing different things,” said Braxton, who
added that the album should come out in November.
* Joining the November music brigade will be Mary J. Blige,
who plans on a tentative Nov. 24 release date for her follow-up to 2007’s Growing
Pains, which will be called Stronger. For Blige, the new project’s title fits in with
where she’s at now in life.
“The album represents who and what I am right now. I'm a
stronger human being after all the growing pains,” the vocalist told
Singersroom.com. “It's all about life, love, change, strength [and] really
knowing who you are and being confident in that.”
The lead single for Stronger will be “One” featuring Drake.
