So the B-Listers wanna be A-Listers..

Yes, Christina Milian. I love her. In fact she and Mya are thisclose to becoming my wives so I can get a little bigamy going on here! They are ridiculously sexy (Dip it Low anybody????), but I'm losing my point. Basically Christina can't have a music career to save her life, so I was surprised when I heard her new song "Us Against the World". It's a seriously hot song. Sappy and cliche like a Rihanna song, but artist's need gimmick's these days, so it should work for her. She doesn't have the most amazing voice, but she can actually sing. I don't know how strong this would be on radio, but it definitely deserves some shine. Now she and I can go on and plan our lives together!

Christmas came and went...

Boring, but whatever. I don't have the 'oh my god, we're such a close family' type of family so it was sleep, and random movies. (I watched "Richie Rich" because I could.) Anwyay, I got random giftcards, but bought myself some cool stuff from AE. So yeah. Another useless holiday. Oh and as a Christmas present (although I'm pretty sure that you won't necessarily care) two new songs that are interesting me

Solange- "Would've Been the One"

Don't ask. I heard it in my friends car, and she's trying so hard to be anti Beyonce that I think I'm just saying whatever and giving her a chance. Something about this song is banging. Or maybe I was just watching "The Temptations" movie too much so I'm in a doo-wopey mood. Anyway it's a good song and the album "Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams" seems like it's worth checking out. If I ever care enough about her I'll take a full listen. Don't hold your breath though.

Jason Mraz "Butterfly"

Again I think that Temptations movie got to me because this is another throwback sound. Very 70s dance disco-pop, and despite his nerdiness I like the song. I don't think he really has the swagger to pull of these lyrics, but I mean I guess it's a "Revenge of the Nerds" kind of thing. So yea. It's a clever song, in a weird way. I really don't want to know who/what inspired this however.

So, 2008 sucked musically...

I mean let's face it, the best year for music in a long time was 03/04. I mean that summer was crazzyyyyy. "Crazy in Love", "Baby Boy", "Cry Me a River", "Toxic", anything Lil Jon decided to scream on, everything Usher, Outkast, "If I Ain't Got You", "Change Clothes"....wow I miss it.

And then we flash forward to 2008. Hannah fucking Montana? Whatttt? Yea, I don't listen to the radio for this exact reason, but there were a few songs that I thought were good. Now this list really doesn't include the singer-songwriter people, but it's just good (or decent at best...hell maybe just catchy) mainstream music. Let's get it together people.

Oh and these songs are not a comprehensive list, and are in no particular order. and they will be updated

2008...it was what it was.

I don't want to grow up!

And I want T-Shirts to prove that I haven't! I love cartoon shirts (within reason) because they're normally nice, bright colors, and apparently I'm stuck in a "all i wear is emo black according to my friends" phase. So yea, I guess kids see the worlds in a skittles rainbow that I've forgotten about. But at the same time, I do generally hate the slogans and stuff because they're so cliche and appeal to so few people, so I guess I'm just a picky little big kid. But whatever. Put me in time out if you have to.

MTV TEE

Turn off Your TV Tee- ($17)
Yes, It's still black. I can't help myself. But I mean MTV is complete bullshit these days (Thank You Heidi, Spencer, and company) so this shirt gains awesomeness points.

Frozen Vapors

Frozen Vapors Tee- ($25)
First off, I'm tired of this model looking like he's in a police booking station. He and all of the other models bother me when I see them. Lighten up dammit. Ok, I'm done with that. Back to the shirt. It's a lot going on when you get up close, but I like the color and the basic design so yea. It's do-able. Still I want LRG to just get a little more creative. Also the name has nothing to do with the shirt. They're not Fall Out Boy, who names their songs things that have nothing to do with anything, but everything to do with nothing. (You like how I went psychological on you??) But yea. End of that rant.

Voorhees Tee

The Voorhees Tee- ($50)
Fifty dollars for Jason Voorhees? For a crazy ass white dude? REALLY? Never. Next.
But Jason is the shit. So he get's a post from me.

(All of the above tees are by LRG)

Overspray 2

The Overspray 2 Tee- ($30)
Shirt by Fyasko. Well isn't this very Pharrell Williams/Chad Hugo?. Less is more. point blank. I love this shirt. So whoopee

The Light

The Light(Aqua Blue)- ($32)
By Methods NYC. This is what T-shirts should be. Art. Dope prize of the day. It says so much, but says nothing, and inspires everyone to come to so many different conclusions about life. Win. Game. Set. Match.

Progress Tee

The Progress Tee- ($40)
Shirt by Bean Dip. Two of my favorite modern politicians. I'd buy this shirt and never wear it. It's very Warhol-pop art inspired. And I love how their faces blend and are superimposed. Again. This is art. (And no, I don't know what that fuckery is on the model's head. I can't rack my brain to care)

Karmaloop

Another Radio Banger...

Key-lo,Ke-Ke, Keyshia, whatever you want to call her, Keyshia Cole is a bad chick. And even badder these days since she released her new album 'A Different Me'. New hair, body, and overall sexy hood chick image is making her one hell of a R&B diva these days. And she can sing, yes that means I've forgiven her for her yodeling fuckery on "LOVE". She's made up for it ten-fold on a song off the new album titled "Erotic". She had me on the title alone. I mean I wanna know how Keysh wants to get down, for personal reference...I mean creative criticism of course! Anyway, the song is total awesomeness. Slinky, sexy, smooth, and has excellent gas mileage haha. But no, this song is seriously some hot ish. Cop the disc if you haven't!

Erotic - Keyshia Cole

Art.....or something like it.

A photographer friend of mine is selling some of her prints online and I thought I'd share some of them with you. She's actually quite good, and it's definitely something to look into.

Some of my favorites available for sale.
Look Up

Glass

Soda Pop

All credits to Kendra Harriston

More Pictures, Pricing/Shipping info HERE

Video Revolution..

Ne-Yo "Mad"
I mean it's an ok song, but I'm waiting for him to expand his lyrics outside of relationships/relationship problems. But he's good at what he knows. But I will admit this is one of his better singles.


Pink- "Sober"
It's Pink. It's going to be a random video every time. But I like this song, so I like the video more. And I love the concept and story behind it all.

Random Shits and Giggles

I'm not much of a follower of 'high fashion', one because I know I can't afford it and it's impractical, and two I'm just not interested. But every now and then I find some things I'd rock the hell out of. So yea.


Hi-Top

D&G Hi-Top Sneaker- ($205)
Impractical as hell. But I want them. No more to be said.
D&G has some dope white sneakers with zippers on the side.
Yep.

Lemmy Belt

Fenchurch- The Lemmy Belt($42)
It's a little steep for a belt, but good all white belts are NOT easy to find at all.
At ALL.

Rupture Belt

Kr3w- The Rupture Belt ($25)
I'm a big fan of all black belts. But the detail on this cool, because it gives it more of an edge, without looking too ridiculous.

Big Ben Watch

Flud Watches- The Big Ben Watch ($90)
I can't really wear watches with big faces, so I seldom wear watches. Plus my cell phone is my clock, but I this one is amazing just because of the neon-blue. Immense swag coming from this watch. IMMENSE. But now I'll have to invest in matching shirts/shoes/hats, etc. I've become THAT guy. Who is overly obsessed with looking nice. Why??

Karmaloop

Tuesday Flyy Tracks

The Dream-"Rockin That" (New Album "Love Vs. Money")
I've been convinced that The Dreams voice is extremely odd. It just sounds weird. I mean like a nasaly child, but he has crazy talent. He's the king of writing songs that repeat syllables and needless words ("Baby"-LL Cool J; "Umbrella", etc). But this song is actually one of my favorite singles by him. It has the same sound as "Shawty is a ten" and a little bit of "Falsetto", but this time the vocal arrangements make this one hot. So as much as I hate to admit it, this will be on my ipod soon.

It's still cold out, right?

December's only halfway over, and it's still going to be cold for a little bit, so I guess awkward sweaters/sweatshirts are okay to pull out now. And I don't mean homemade sweaters, unless you're dad is Ralph Lauren.

Before I go on, I really want to say that NOT EVERY FLANNEL/PLAID SHIRT SHOULD BE WORN! I hope I was clear. I realize it's back in style now, but I believe that these shirts don't look good in half the colors they're being sold in (Neon Green? Really?), so people need to be careful. Especially the ones with the bigger pockets. This is especially true for smaller built guys. They make you look like you're drowning in your shirt, especially the people who stay buying a size larger than what they should. The big white tee phenomenon should be left to tees.

Now let's move on.

Lee Hawk 2

Know1edge- Lee Hawk 2 Button Up Shirt ($59)
I like the shirt. It's simple and exactly what a flannel shirt should be. It's in a normal color. I will NOT pay $59 for this for those exact reasons. It's too normal to cost that much. I'll look some other places or sit down and wait for a sale. It's not worth it.

Eagle Flannel

AE- Eagle Flannel ($39.50)
Okay, this would be in my closet already, and most likely will be soon. My style, my price. I just need AE people to STOP wearing those pinstripe shirts that look dumb without a suit everyday. It's not cool. You just look like you didn't finish dressing.

All-Son Algiers Shirt

Urban Outfitters- All-Son Algiers Military Shirt ($40)
Yes, it's another black shirt. But I think it looks like crap in the other 'Fatigue' and 'Sand' colors. Another classic shirt made fly by the epaulets (shoulder thingys). So yea. It works.

Raglan Sweater

AE-Raglan Crew Sweater ($40)
Honestly, I'd rather have one of these, a jacket, and go on about my life. It shouldn't be a task to get dressed in the winter. Especially when chances you won't take your jacket off if you're like me. Plus if your jacket is bangin, would you even want to take it off? lol. But this sweater is great, and just throw a white or black plain tee on underneath.
Waffle Crew shirts ($24.50)AE Waffle Crew are an even better idea if you want a lighter shirt for layering.

AE Striped Hoodie

AE-Stripe Full-Zip Hood ($60)
Just a regular hoodie, but if you're going to wear a striped hoodie under your coat, wear a solid color jacket (or something without a lot of patterns). You'd think that be common sense, but I've seen some bullshit out here. And make sure the colors are complimentary also, especially when you're dealing with patterns. People out here lose their minds sometimes.

AE
Urban Outfitters
Karmaloop

Jackets, Coats, etc. I really don't care...

So it's obvious that all I wear are track jackets (all season long) and I need
variety. Personally I feel old in jackets/coats, but whatever. So I found some that don't totally make me look like someone's grandfather. A definite plus.

Gap Jacket

Gap Wool Short Jacket ($70)
It's wool, so basically it's warm. It's all I care about. Nice design. Moving on.
I'm really making an effort to be excited about coats.


Gap Wool Jacket

Gap Wool Private Jacket ($118)
Okay, so this is more expensive, but it looks really nice, and it's wool, right? I shouldn't be rationalizing paying more unnecessarily, but cut me some slack. I can't help it if I have an issue with paying a little bit more to look good. But it's clean, classic, and simple. Next

Kenneth Cole

Kenneth Cole Soft Shell Hipster Jacket ($139.98)
I'm beginning to realize all the jackets I like aren't even warm at all, but you know what, I don't care? I've realized I'm still over coats or anything that will keep me warm. I like my track jackets dammit!

Express Cire Puff Jacket

Express Cire Puffer Jacket ($106)
It's warm, so I can stop this now. I really could give two flying you know what's about this. So I'm off to a warmer climate. Or I'll have to make my own coats. There's an idea.


Nylon Puffer Coat

Express Nylon Puffer Coat ($106)
Now we're making progress. This is a style I can get with, and I guess it serves that winter weather purpose also. So yeah.



LRG- The Absence of Light Denim Jacket ($99)
I really don't like much of LRG at all. I hate, hate, hate their track jackets/hoodies, and basically everything else they make. They're just pointless uses of ugly bright colors and random shapes/patterns with no shape. If you're going to try and be creative, have a story or cohesive theme please. They're super trend driven, which isn't always good. Anyway, apparently I like their plain jackets. And only a FEW of those lol. My outerwear style needs to classic/clean, but most def needs to be modern. And by clean I mean I don't want 100 dumb zippers, HUGE pockets, and military-style braids on the shoulders ALL one one jacket. I hate that. That's a sign of trend overkill. But this jacket is very urban and on point with the trends without being so ridiculous you'll look dumb wearing it two or three seasons later. My goal especially with jackets and shoes is to potentially wear it for a good time period and still look fly. Females are better at that than guys. We tend to be very in the moment with clothing. (Remember Rocawear,FUBU, Southpole?) I know so many guys, myself included have so many of those clothes lying around in their pile of wasted money because they're not hot. But back to the jacket. The color is dope. It's a nice departure from black.

The Midnight Show Jacket

LRG- The Midnight Show Jacket ($450)
The jacket is fucking amazing in white. I'm sure it's ridiculously annoying to constantly be paranoid about getting something on this, but it's really a great jacket. Simple in design, but it works well with the few black accents. Again another ridiculous price, but this def a nice jacket.

(All LRG jackets found on karmaloop)
Kenneth Cole
Gap
Express
Karma Loop

Thank You Adidas

Y-3 line has some dope stuff. Really Adidas in general has hot clothes. Kind of not promoted enough. Really. The only issue is that the prices are insane.
I guess sports designers are experimenting with high fashion prices.
So it's just more motivation for me to get my paper right.
I will.


Hayworth II Mid ($270.00)
I'm really upset. These shouldn't be so expensive AT ALL. They're dope.
So I will be hoping for a gift, or a winning lottery ticket.


Tenji Winter Hi ($315.00)
Again, Adidas is blowing my life with these prices, but Because I really like these shoes, I'll cut them slack. I guess I'm one of the few realistic males out there because I won't blow that type of money on shoes especially if they're going to be touching dirt. And for that price, they better be worn every day of my life.

And now I'm going to stop because the rest of their prices are so blatantly insane for shit you can find other places for cheap. The shoes are the dopest part. The rest, not worth it at all. But regardless I'm still a fan. And I'm hoping to win the lottery still.

Now for the cheaper, but just as dope shoes.


Rod Laver Mid ($70)

I'm not too crazy on the grey color, but it's simple and has a really nice flow to the construction of the shoe. So it works. And clearly the price won't make you say WTF like the Y-3 line

Conductor Felt DP

The Conductor Felt DP ($130)

This is probably the best knockoff from the Y-3 line, and this price is a little more reasonable. Part of me thinks it's a little exaggerated in design, but this is why I like black shoes. It's a good detractor from the other stuff. But this is a definite option for the shoe closet.

Decade Mid
Decade Mid (DJ) ($100)

I really want this in another color, mainly because I just haven't committed to grey shoes yet, but I guess it fits the metallic theme. But once again, the design is really nice.

Y-3 Store
Shop Adidas
Nizza Hi DP

Nizza Hi DP ($75)

Now this is the Y-3 on a much smaller scale, and I'm ok with that. It has more of an everyday look to it, but the design is definitely on point. I like the Chuck Taylor feel that it has, and thank god Adidas shoes feel much better. The Nizza Low DP is also dope, and is the same idea, only low top and in white. So I won't really post it lol

All of the prices I posted are adidas.com prices. So clearly you should find it elsewhere for cheaper.

Are UK Imports a fad here in America?.

Ok. Duffy, Adele, and Amy Winehouse are all similar in a few ways.
*They're from the UK
*They're all women (obviously)
*They're all 'alternative', soul, throwback singers
*They were all released to critical acclaim.

I feel like every few years we have to have a new hot import singer with a 'fresh voice' (as vh1 likes to call them) and a 'unique style' hit the States. Don't get me wrong I love all three of these artists, but it's a little pathetic that it takes one sometimes purposely sugary song to make them big on radio here. Now some people will say, they have talent, so why should it matter how they became popular? Well, that's true, but I think it's dumb that they either have to wait an album or two to even get the time of day over here, or rely on an extremely late album re-release for some shine. I'm sure within the next two years, another girl (or guy hopefully; James Blunt or Daniel Powter anyone?) will come along and sweep us away with some amazing song. Then they'll spend a year or so plastered across magazines with the same title "America's hottest import", (or something similar) and be the go-to artist for all people who want to seem 'edgy' until the cycle starts again and they're back to only seeing popularity overseas.
But hey, I enjoy the music, so maybe the cycle is for gullible listeners like me who don't really take the time to search outside the Beyonce/Rihanna bubble we live in. And hearing the song on a cheesy reality show (The Hills, Gossip Girl, etc) doesn't count.

"Circus" Official Video

This is how music videos should be now.
VMA nominations for sure.

The Grammy's= Complete Irrelevancy

It's obvious people are only nominated based on popularity or because of bought votes. The whole show has been a joke for years now. Get it together Grammy voters.

Full Grammy Nominee List

*Katy Perry- Should've gotten best new artist, and that's about it. Pop Female is ridiculous to include her.
*Danity Kane- It's COMPLETELY obvious "Damaged" should've been nominated. I mean they were actually a pop group with a huge top 10 single. Gnarls Barkley? And "Apologize" by OneRepublic is ridiculously old.
*Maroon 5 and Rihanna- I mean the song wasn't even written as a duet. She just got on it, because she's a overexposed mediawhore, who is jumping on any song she can. M5's original version deserves a grammy, but not the version with Rihanna.
*Leona Lewis- No Best New Artist nom? Have they heard her voice? And she had a solid album, not to mention she's become a complete international star.
*Pink- "So What" was a good single, and I guess given the songs out in the past year, she deserves the nomination.
*Britney Spears- Honestly "Best Dance Recording" should be her category. It's the only place she'll see grammy gold (2005 "Toxic"). "Piece of Me" or "Break the Ice" are much more worthy than "Disturbia" by Rihanna.
*Beyonce- "Me, Myself, and I" It's 2008! That song was released in 2003! Are you seriously nominating it 5 years later? I feel like that shouldn't even be possible.
*Carrie Underwood- This is getting ridiculous. "Last Name" was a good single, but definitely not her strongest. It's like she's nominated just to be nominated, and not even with a song she has a shot at winning with. Wasted spot.
*Mariah Carey- Bottom line, the E=MC2 was not an amazing album, but she definitely deserved a nomination for at least "Bye Bye" or "Best Contemporary R&B". I mean J. Holiday over her? WTF.

Happy Spots- Jazmine Sullivan is doing the damn thing. Congrats on her 5 nominations!
And big congrats to Janelle Monae for getting nominated for "Many Moons"
Semi happiness for Ne-Yo. For some reason as talented as he is, I just have never seen Grammy's for him, at least not on the vocal side. But congrats to him.

Now let's hope they televise the major awards in every category, and not present them in bullshit side ceremonies.

For The Record...

Britney Spears is misunderstood. Maybe I'm one of the few that really gives her sympathy, and it's not even because I like her music, or even her as a person. I guess it's because we live in a world where it's too easy to believe anything we hear. It really sucks to live life with people out in the internet world diagnosing you saying you've done this drug, you have this issue, when they know nothing. Because a 'source' said something obviously doesn't make it true. But whatever. I just think she can't ever catch a break.

On to the show.

The documentary was done brilliantly. From filming to editing, to the background music, this almost didn't feel like it should be on MTV. It was so raw and artificial, and a refreshing change from MTV 'reality' TV. For all of the nitpickers who say she didn't go into enough detail about her struggles, all I have to say is would you really spill your deepest secrets to the world? Didn't think so. She surprised me with her ability to take stock of the last few years of her life, and her mental awareness contradicted all the stories about her being so completely out of it. I don't even think I could assess the doc in a normal way, because her life is so unnatural. But the video showed her in the best way she could be shown now. She's healing, and growing, and all the fuzzy stuff. I think she's ready to go back to her old life, hopefully with a stronger psyche.

Maybe the crazy masses will give her peace.
She's human.
Circus is the best description of her life.