Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Thursday, October 15, 2009
New Things...
To my 3 followers, LOL... I'm in the works of doing some interviews, with close associates (Rapper Deadlee, entrepeneur Calrton Morton & maybe my big brother and author Larry Wilson, Jr.)... really excited! Really trying to get the blog up and running, let me know if u have any suggestions! Love & Blessings
Monday, October 12, 2009
House Votes to Expand Hate Crimes Definition
WASHINGTON — The House voted Thursday to expand the definition of violent federal hate crimes to those committed because of a victim’s sexual orientation, a step that would extend new protection to lesbian, gay and transgender people.
Democrats hailed the vote of 281 to 146, which brought the measure to the brink of becoming law, as the culmination of a long push to curb violent expressions of bias like the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay Wyoming college student.
“Left unchecked, crimes of this kind threaten to ruin the very fabric of America,” said Representative Susan A. Davis, Democrat of California, a leading supporter of the legislation.
Under current federal law, hate crimes that fall under federal jurisdiction are defined as those motivated by the victim’s race, color, religion or national origin.
The new measure would broaden the definition to include those committed because of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability. It was approved by the House right before a weekend when gay rights will be a focus in Washington, with a march to the Capitol and a speech by President Obama to the Human Rights Campaign.
Republicans criticized the legislation, saying violent attacks were already illegal regardless of motive. They said the measure was an effort to create a class of “thought crimes” whose prosecution would require ascribing motivation to the attacker.
Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, the House Republican leader, called the legislation radical social policy.
“The idea that we’re going to pass a law that’s going to add further charges to someone based on what they may have been thinking, I think is wrong,” Mr. Boehner said.
Republicans were also furious that the measure was attached to an essential $681 billion military policy bill, and accused Democrats of legislative blackmail.
Even some Republican members of the usually collegial House Armed Services Committee who helped write the broader legislation, which authorizes military pay, weapons programs and other necessities for the armed forces, opposed the bill in the end, solely because of the hate crimes provision.
“We believe this is a poison pill, poisonous enough that we refuse to be blackmailed into voting for a piece of social agenda that has no place in this bill,” said Representative Todd Akin of Missouri, a senior Republican member of the committee.
On the final vote, 237 Democrats were joined by 44 Republicans in support of the bill; 131 Republicans and 15 Democrats opposed it. The Democratic opponents were a mix of conservatives who were against the hate crimes provision and liberals opposed to Pentagon provisions.
The military bill has yet to be approved by the Senate. But the hate crimes provision has solid support there, and Senator John McCain of Arizona, the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the overall bill outweighed his own objections to including the hate crimes measure.
Mr. Obama supports the hate crimes provision, though the White House has raised objections to elements of the bill related to military acquisitions. If signed into law, the hate crimes legislation would reflect the ability of Democrats to enact difficult measures with their increased majorities in Congress and a Democrat in the White House.
“Elections have consequences,” Mr. McCain said.
Similar hate crime provisions have passed the House and the Senate in previous years but have never been able to clear their final hurdles. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that it was fitting that Congress was acting now, since next Monday is the 11th anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s killing. The hate crimes part of the bill is named for Mr. Shepard and James Byrd Jr., a black man killed in a race-based attack in Texas the same year.
The hate crimes legislation would give the federal government authority to prosecute violent crimes of antigay bias when local authorities failed to act. It would also allocate $5 million a year to the Justice Department to provide assistance to local communities in investigating hate crimes, a process that can sometimes strain police resources. And it would allow the department to assist in the inquiry and local prosecution if requested.
“The problem of crimes motivated by bias,” the measure says, “is sufficiently serious, widespread and interstate in nature as to warrant federal assistance to states, local jurisdictions and Indian tribes.”
Senator Carl Levin, the Michigan Democrat who heads the Armed Services Committee, said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation recorded reports of more than 77,000 hate crimes from 1998 through 2007 and that crimes based on sexual orientation were on an upward trend.
“The hate crimes act will hopefully deter people from being targeted for violent attacks because of the color of their skin or their religion, their disability, their gender or their sexual orientation, regardless of where the crime takes place,” he said.
But Representative Mike Pence of Indiana, the No. 3 House Republican, said the measure could inhibit freedom of speech and deter religious leaders from discussing their views on homosexuality for fear that those publicly expressed views might be linked to later assaults.
“It is just simply wrong,” Mr. Pence said, “to use a bill designed to support our troops to reverse the very freedoms for which they fight.”
Democrats, however, noted that the bill would specifically bar prosecution based on an individual’s expression of “racial, religious, political or other beliefs.” It also states that nothing in the measure should be “construed to diminish any rights under the First Amendment to the Constitution.”
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Another Country...
Based on the award winning play by Julian Mitchell, the film explores the effect of Public School life in the 1930's on Guy Bennett (nee the Russian Spy Guy Burgess) as his homosexuality and unwillingness to "play the game" turns him eastwards towards communist Russia. The film features a 24 year old Rupert Everett, a young Colin Firth... among others including Rupert Wainwright. Released in 1984, a Cannes favorite... based on the West End play from 1982, which up-and-comer Everett also headlined. Only accolade was Best Artistic Contribution - Peter Biziou - 1984 Cannes Film Festival... its weird cuz I watched this movie and thought this was Rupert Everett's first movie!? I liked it... but really thought to myself, so because he was scorned because of his homosexuality he betrayed his country to become a Russian spy, really!? Seriously!? *For a more factual account of the Burgess-Maclean affair, see the TV movie An Englishman Abroad.
New York Times Review
Friday, August 21, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
What I'm Listening to Right Now... (Almost time for a new iPod)
I've had an 80GB iPod Classic with Video for two years now... only have 15.32 Gigs left... don't know what I'm gonna do LOL but anywho! There's a few albums & songs... I can't stop listening to:
Beyonce "Slow Love"
Ledisi 'Turn Me Loose'
2009 album from the Grammy Award-nominated vocalist featuring son
gs produced by Raphael Saadiq, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Chief XCel, Chucky Thompson, Rex Rideout and others. Although Ledisi was a seasoned artist before joining Verve, she says she is still finding herself musically. Turn Me Loose is a turning point in her artistic evolution.
*"I Need Love," "Alone, "Love Never Changes," & "Higher Than This"
Lupe Fiasco 'Live @ the Palace Theatre (Melbourne, Australia)'
Frankmusik 'Complete Me'
Frankmusik (real name Vincent Frank) is a producer, songwriter from Thornton Heath, South East London, England. He has lived there all his life and, one day, decided that it was high time that he made some pop music that was a little different. Through a combination of retro synths, Commodore 64 samples, fast chunky drum riffs, and tried and tested lyrics, Frankmusik decided to get the ball rolling in 2007 and was signed to Island/Universal December of that year. His debut album “Complete Me” was released on 3 August 2009.
At Glastonbury in 2009 (Frankmusik’s first performance there) it was announced that “Time Will Tell” will be the next released single.
[Courtesy of Last.FM]
*"Complete Me," "Vacant Heart," "Confusion Girl (Shame Shame Shame)," & "When You're Around"
LeToya (formerly of Destiny's Child), sophomore effort 'Lady Love'
LeToya Luckett, professionally known as LeToya, is an R&B singer-songwriter and actress, and a founding member of the multi-platinum-selling female R&B group, Destiny's Child, with whom she won two Grammy Awards and released many successful commercial recordings. LeToya's 2006 debut self-titled solo album for Capitol Records reached #1 on the Billboard Top 200 albums in July 2006 and was RIAA-certified Platinum (Dec 2006). The first single, "Torn", heated up BET's 106 & Park Top 10 video countdown, eventually closing out at #2, and that year LeToya was named "one of the best new artists of 2006" (AOL) and "Top Songwriter of 2006" (ASCAP). LeToya returns with her sophomore album, Lady Love. An intricate web of lyrical & melodic fiber that weaves in and out of the good, the bad, and the indifferent, Lady Love is a true testament to the ups and downs that come with love and relationships. "Not Anymore", written and produced by Ne-Yo, is an empowering mantra about being fed up with toxic relationships with a cleverly-scripted, powerful video set in the revolutionary period of the 1960s (directed by Bryan Barber). Other album highlights include LeToya's heart-wrenching, soulful rendition of the ballad "Regret", and works her way up from mid- to up-tempo tracks like the title track "Lady Love". Pop-influenced songs like "Drained" and the follow up track "She Ain't Got...", written by Chris Brown display LeToya's passion and vocal range. LeToya lays down a new chapter in her musical diary with Lady Love.
*"Regret (featuring Ludacris), "Take Away Love (featuring Estelle)," "Lazy," "Good To Me," "Over" & "Tears"
JoJo "Forever In My Life" (from her upcoming 3rd album 'Forever In My Life')
Leaked track from the young chanteuse 3rd project... known for hits "Leave (Get Out)" from her self-titled debut and "Too Little Too Late," from The High Road the follow-up her debut, took a hiatus from music to enroll in college (Go, girl!).
JoJo has enrolled at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.
She writes on her MySpace page, "After much consideration and research, I have decided that Northeastern University is the place for me! In the past week I've taken tours and met with students and professors of other Boston based schools, and now that the time to commit has come, I'm happy with the idea of being a student at Northeastern. They have a wonderful cultural anthropology program (which is what I am interested in going for) as well as a dual major option in International Affairs/Anthropology. I'm so excited!"
Don't worry, she won't be putting music to the side: "I am not going to put my career on hold, however. Progress is being made right now in (record label) Blackground's legal/contractual negotiations that have been holding up the release of any new music for months now. But I am happy to say that it looks like things are about to (finally) get rolling. Whhhhewwww.!! Since I feel the need to cover all my bases, I think it is essential and beneficial for me to eventually have a college degree. My long term goal is to gain a doctorate.... but I gotta take it ONE step at a time!"
JoJo's new album is titles “All I Want Is Everything,” and is scheduled to drop later this year.
Daniel Bedingfield 'Second First Impression'
New Zealand-born Daniel Bedingfield grew up in southeast London. Mostly influenced by contemporary R&B artists, his sisters Natasha and Nicola teamed up with him to assemble their first band, called the DNA Algorhythm. Inspired by a girlfriend from Leeds, Daniel Bedingfield recorded "Gotta Get Thru This" in his bedroom with a microphone plugged to his home computer. In December 2001, just a few weeks after its release by the independent Relentless Records, his song went straight to the top on the U.K. singles chart. At the age of 21, the promising pop singer became a local celebrity. Signing to Polydor UK, Bedingfield worked on some new material and released his first album, Gotta Get Thru This, in the fall of 2002. Second First Impression followed in 2005. [Drago Bonacich, All Music Guide]
Daniel Bedingfield’s (Natasha's brother) highly anticipated follow-up to the massively successful ‘Gotta Get Thru This’, further showcases his talent to create some of the most enduring pop moments around. Produced by Jack Joseph Puig it consolidates his position as one of Britain’s most diverse and talented young singer-songwriters. UK pressing includes two bonus tracks, 'Draw You' (Demo) & 'A Kiss Without Commitment'.
*"All You Attention," "Show Me The Real You," "If You're Not The One" & "Nothing Hurts Like Love"
Whitney Houston "Salute" [from the upcoming album 'I Look To You')
Possibly the third single, produced by R. Kelly with thumping bass... tell her man you can leave and I wish you well, if that isn't class I don't know what is! She states:
Check out interview with French press in later post!
BeBe & CeCe Winans "Close To You" (from the upcoming album 'Still')
The Gospel brother & sister is back with a new album after almost 10 years, doing solo projects... time has flown back, and fans have gotten wait they are waiting on! Debuting on their on label B&C Records...
BeBe and CeCe Winans are not only sharing inspirational messages from the recording studio on Twitter, the duo gave fans a chance to witness a video shoot via pictures and messages Friday.
Tweeting during the shoot, CeCe Winans wrote "It's HOT out here ya'll! And this crew is working it! Did I say it was HOT? It's HOT!"
According to the "Close To You" duo's twitter, the video was shot Friday afternoon and lasted nearly eight hours. (view pictures from the shoot here)
In related news, BeBe and CeCe Winans have unveiled the official album cover for their anticipated effort, titled "Still" (pictured).
"Still" is due to arrive in stores October 6.
[Some info courtesy of singersroom.com]
Corneille 'The Birth of Cornelius'
French-Canadian R&B singer Corneille translated personal tragedy into pop music success with his 2003 debut LP, Parce Qu'on Vient de Loin, a powerful and often harrowing song cycle inspired by his family's murder at the hands of a Rwandan death squad. Born Corneille Nyungura in Freiburg, Germany, on March 24, 1977, he was born into a Rwandan family completing an overseas study program. He nevertheless spent the majority of his childhood in Africa, absorbing native musical traditions as well as the pioneering American soul of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Prince. As a teen Corneille also discovered his parents' collection of classic chanson records by Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour, and others, and this melting pot of influences converged to form a child prodigy who first recorded his own original songs at age 16. An appearance on Rwanda's national Discovery Awards broadcast soon followed, but in April 1994 Corneille's budding music career ground to a horrifying halt when a Rwandan military team stormed his home, killing his Tutsi father, his Hutu mother, and his brothers and sisters while he looked on in terror from behind the family sofa. Still reeling from his ordeal, Corneille joined up with a group of fellow Rwandan refugees and fled to Zaire, where he located a German couple who once befriended his parents. The couple took him in and brought him to Europe, where he remained prior to moving to Canada in 1997. Upon settling in Montreal, Corneille began studying communications while moonlighting in O.N.E., an R&B trio he founded with friends from Haiti. After scoring a Quebecois hit with the single "Zoukin'," the group became fixtures of the Montreal live circuit, opening for headliners including Isabelle Boulay. Corneille split from O.N.E. in 2001 to mount a solo career, earning attention and acclaim for a breakout performance at the 2002 Francofolies festival. The appearance earned him a gig alongside Eurythmics alum Dave Stewart, and the following year he issued Parce Qu'on Vient de Loin, a wrenchingly honest roman à clef documenting the loss of his family and subsequent escape from his homeland. The title cut and "Seul au Monde" were both huge hits, and earned Corneille nominations as Best Newcomer and Best Album at the 2004 Victoires de la Musique awards. After a well-received tour that included an appearance at the Nice Jazz Festival, he returned to studio to cut "Dix ans Ensemble," a duet with mbalax pioneer Youssou N'Dour for a fund-raising LP for the AIDS activism group Ensemble Contre le Sida. At year's end, Corneille returned to Quebec to collect the prestigious Félix award for Best Male Artist of the Year. At a special ceremony, he also became an official Canadian citizen. In 2005 he made his first return trip to Africa in the decade since his family's murder, performing at the N'Dour-organized Africa Live concert to raise funds for malaria victims. Corneille's much-anticipated sophomore effort, Les Marchands de Rêves, finally hit stores that November, painting a more positive portrait of African society while further embracing the Afrobeat, reggae, and soul influences that dominated his youth. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
[Content provided by All Music Guide Copyright © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC]
*"Back To Love," "Heaven," "I'll Never Call You Home Again," & "Sweet Dependency"
Anything from Trey Songz 'Anticipation' to 'Ready'
There are entertainers who sing for their people and then there are singers who speak for their generation. Stevie spoke for hearts and souls; Marvin crooned for his country; Fela sent the rhythm of Africa abroad; Curtis gave the ghetto a voice. Artists come a dime a dozen, but a spokesman for the masses who's been bestowed with a voice from the heavens, once every generation. With Songbook/Atlantic Records R&B blessing Trey Songz, the first generation to come of age in the 21st century has one they can claim as their own.
One thing that Trey does better than any young R&B artist today is to create songs that resonate with fans regardless of gender, race, age, or residency. His music soars above categorization. You'll be hard-pressed to find many who can't relate to the gorgeous "Last Time." With production by R&B sure-shot Bryan-Michael Cox, Trey documents the challenges of monogamy and the complexities of infidelity in one final episode with his female on the side. The song is beautiful. It's ugly. It's common. It's special. It's human.
It's simple. Trey is at his best because for the first time we receive him in his entirety, as he makes a major leap forward from his debut. “I used ‘I GOTTA MAKE IT’ as a staircase to achieve,” he says. In the wake of the release of his first album, Trey found himself reaching into the mainstream at the same time that the underground was feasting on his mixtape releases. And Warner Music Group Executive Vice President Kevin Liles took notice. "On the new project, Kevin came in and he really got who I am as an artist," tells Trey. "Kevin always said 'I don't see "I Gotta Go" in the clubs. I see "I Gotta Go" on stage and then I see this guy in the clubs, poppin' bottles and throwing money. It's not matching.’ So he said the image is gonna match the songs this time."
The result is a gift for all. Everyone's a winner. The world will be able to enjoy the complete experience of Trey Songz, the future of R&B. "This album, though he's a little older from the first album, is who he is," states Taylor. "He's soulful. He's street. He's hip-hop. He's sexual. He's diverse."
So Trey's reign begins. The people of today are ready for their representation (over 400,000 of them are his Myspace friends!). They've actually been ready since day one. Just like Trey speaks up for them, they've reciprocated. "Before my first album came out, the fans on my website were calling the release date, "Trey Day." So I decided this time it's gonna be “TREY DAY” for real. The first album was an introduction and this is the arrival."
[Interview courtesty of singersroom.com]
*From Anticipation: "Does She Know," "You Belong To Me," "On Top" & "Make It Rain" From Ready: "LOL (Smiley Face)(featuring Soulja Boy & Gucci Mane)," "Brand New," "Successful (featuring Trey Songz)," & "I Need A Girl (Remix featuring Teyana Taylor & Fabolous)"
Jessie James... self-titled debut album
“I only want to be wanted by you,” belts out 20-year-old Georgia stunner Jessica Rose James, better known as newly minted pop diva Jessie James, on “Wanted,” the first single from her Mercury Records/Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJ) debut album, and it’s love at first listen.
A big talent in a petite, power-packed package, James has been ready for her close-up since she was the age of two, when the self-described, well-traveled “military brat,” (with a little bit of Greek and Italian thrown in there), born under the fiery Aries sign in a field hospital in Italy, started singing into a toy microphone and tape recorder, a gift from her mom. By nine, she was composing her own songs on a plastic guitar (the first called “It’s Gonna Be Alright”), performing as a youngster at events like the opening of Sea World and the Republican Convention, and working with a string of significant writers in Nashville at 15.
After one of her song demos landed in the hands of Mercury President David Massey, she aced an audition with IDJ boss Antonio “L.A.” Reid. “He got out from behind his desk, started dancing, hugged me and said, ‘We’re going to dinner…and welcome to the label!’
“I’ve known this is what I was supposed to do since I was 10,” adds Jessie, who cites her influences as LeAnn Rimes, Christina Aguilera, Janis Joplin and Bobbie Gentry. “I’m just anxious to get out there and let the world hear me. I’m just so excited. I’ve got a lot to say and I’m more than ready for this.”
With a message of female empowerment and refusing to play the victim, Jessie’s first single, “Wanted,” which she co-wrote with American Idol judge and hit songwriter Kara DioGuardi as well as Mitch Allen and David Hodges, shows off her intensity in a full-throttle dance-rock scorcher that catches and won’t let go.
“My mother taught me when I was growing up not to let myself be treated badly,” she insists. “I think it’s a real good message to young girls out there… don’t wait around for a guy to change. Just get out.
“I just don’t like doing what I’m told. That’s what I love about rock. Rockers are just so ballsy. They do whatever they want on-stage, which I really admire. You still have to be a lady, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to be like that. I feel like, in another world, I could have been in a ‘90s rock band.”
On songs like the twangy “My Cowboy,” co-written with Mercury Nashville artist Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser, first previewed by Perez Hilton on his popular website last year, and the sassy “Blue Jeans,” with its hip-hop swagger and tribal percussion—featured on the soundtrack of the hit Touchstone film version of Sophie Kinsella’s best-seller Confessions of a Shopaholic—Jessie shows she’s not afraid to strut her sexuality, either. She points out that lyrics like "Gimme some like I never had" ("Wanted") and "Saddle up and take me for a little ride" ("My Cowboy") may be just what they say, suggesting the latter could well be about hopping on a horse.
“You can take it anyway you want,” she laughs. “There’s nothing wrong with being a little sexy, if you do it with class. I’m not going out there taking my clothes off, but I do think it’s empowering to feel comfortable with your sexuality...within reason, of course.”
Working with producer Julian Bunetta (Hillary Duff, Sean Kingston), James’ debut album shows off a variety of musical styles and sounds, from the arena-rock belt of “Wanted,” the mix of banjo, fiddle and rock guitar in “My Cowboy” and the hip-hop beat and playful schoolyard rhyming of “Blue Jeans” to the torch song ballad “Guilty” and the stark, stripped-down, soulful blues intimacy of “Liar.”
“When I first tried to get a record deal, my real problem was, I couldn’t put my music in a single box,” she explains. “I just loved everything. That was part of me growing up in so many different places. I didn’t want to limit myself to just one kind of music. I just decided, why not just do all of it, and somehow blend it together. And I think I’ve done that. There are all different types of music, beats and instrumentation.”
And though based in Nashville, this “southern girl” wanted to “be a little more risky,” delving into other genres, especially on “Blue Jeans, co-written with Bunetta, a playful, hip-hop chant, inspired by her experience on the step team in high school.
“That song came about in the studio,” she recalls. “Julian and I worked for hours upon hours in the studio making hit happen. We were on the same page, young and hungry, and it just worked.”
Co-written with Josh Kear, who penned Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats,” and Mark Irwin (Garth Brooks), “Guilty” is similarly a song that turns the tables on the usual tale of women as victims, deciding, in no uncertain terms, what’s good for one is good for the other, with telling lines like, “I feel everything/But guilty.”
“That’s my favorite song on the album, production-wise, lyrics, melody,” says Jessie. “You can really feel the pain I’m going through. I was dating this rock musician at the time, who was always on tour. And I was thinking, ‘I bet he’s doing all these things, so why shouldn’t I?’ So I went into a writer’s session with Josh and told him how I was feeling about this guy, what was going on in my head. He started strumming the guitar and I just began singing. It just felt so natural, a really special moment.
“I’ve never written a song I didn’t feel true to. Everything I’ve ever done is a true story. I feel everything I write. I can’t fake it.”
For Jessie James, music is her life, her passion, her lover. She won’t even date, with her focus saved strictly for her career. She has no other choice. And now, she is fully prepared to see all those childhood dreams finally come true.
“I’m losing patience/Over the time you’ve wasted,” she wails in “Wanted” about a recalcitrant lover, but she may as well be talking about the release of her new album.
“I’ve always had too many fantasies to just settle in life,” she says.
“I’ll never quit chasing my dreams. I don’t care about the money or the fame. I’ve always been an old soul and able to relate to people older than me. That’s why I had a difficult time in school. I was ready to get out and start singing. I’d sit in math class writing songs in my journal, looking at the clock, waiting to leave.”
For Jessie James, school’s out. With her debut Mercury album, she’s graduated and on her way to the stardom she always envisioned for herself.
“I just want to be wonderful,” she writes on her MySpace page.
Jessie James’ self-titled bow proves she’s more than ready to seize her moment.
[This biography was provided by the artist or their representative.]
*"Burning Bridges," "My Cowboy," & "Girl Next Door"
Beyonce "Slow Love"
Ledisi 'Turn Me Loose'
2009 album from the Grammy Award-nominated vocalist featuring son
gs produced by Raphael Saadiq, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Chief XCel, Chucky Thompson, Rex Rideout and others. Although Ledisi was a seasoned artist before joining Verve, she says she is still finding herself musically. Turn Me Loose is a turning point in her artistic evolution. "During the making of this record, I was asking myself, 'How do I maintain the listeners I have now and be myself as I today? That was the struggle. But I knew I needed to stretch myself and be more open to different people."Features the first single 'Goin' Thru Changes'.
*"I Need Love," "Alone, "Love Never Changes," & "Higher Than This"
Lupe Fiasco 'Live @ the Palace Theatre (Melbourne, Australia)'
Frankmusik 'Complete Me'
Frankmusik (real name Vincent Frank) is a producer, songwriter from Thornton Heath, South East London, England. He has lived there all his life and, one day, decided that it was high time that he made some pop music that was a little different. Through a combination of retro synths, Commodore 64 samples, fast chunky drum riffs, and tried and tested lyrics, Frankmusik decided to get the ball rolling in 2007 and was signed to Island/Universal December of that year. His debut album “Complete Me” was released on 3 August 2009.At Glastonbury in 2009 (Frankmusik’s first performance there) it was announced that “Time Will Tell” will be the next released single.
[Courtesy of Last.FM]
*"Complete Me," "Vacant Heart," "Confusion Girl (Shame Shame Shame)," & "When You're Around"
LeToya (formerly of Destiny's Child), sophomore effort 'Lady Love'
LeToya Luckett, professionally known as LeToya, is an R&B singer-songwriter and actress, and a founding member of the multi-platinum-selling female R&B group, Destiny's Child, with whom she won two Grammy Awards and released many successful commercial recordings. LeToya's 2006 debut self-titled solo album for Capitol Records reached #1 on the Billboard Top 200 albums in July 2006 and was RIAA-certified Platinum (Dec 2006). The first single, "Torn", heated up BET's 106 & Park Top 10 video countdown, eventually closing out at #2, and that year LeToya was named "one of the best new artists of 2006" (AOL) and "Top Songwriter of 2006" (ASCAP). LeToya returns with her sophomore album, Lady Love. An intricate web of lyrical & melodic fiber that weaves in and out of the good, the bad, and the indifferent, Lady Love is a true testament to the ups and downs that come with love and relationships. "Not Anymore", written and produced by Ne-Yo, is an empowering mantra about being fed up with toxic relationships with a cleverly-scripted, powerful video set in the revolutionary period of the 1960s (directed by Bryan Barber). Other album highlights include LeToya's heart-wrenching, soulful rendition of the ballad "Regret", and works her way up from mid- to up-tempo tracks like the title track "Lady Love". Pop-influenced songs like "Drained" and the follow up track "She Ain't Got...", written by Chris Brown display LeToya's passion and vocal range. LeToya lays down a new chapter in her musical diary with Lady Love.
*"Regret (featuring Ludacris), "Take Away Love (featuring Estelle)," "Lazy," "Good To Me," "Over" & "Tears"
JoJo "Forever In My Life" (from her upcoming 3rd album 'Forever In My Life')
Leaked track from the young chanteuse 3rd project... known for hits "Leave (Get Out)" from her self-titled debut and "Too Little Too Late," from The High Road the follow-up her debut, took a hiatus from music to enroll in college (Go, girl!).
JoJo has enrolled at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts.She writes on her MySpace page, "After much consideration and research, I have decided that Northeastern University is the place for me! In the past week I've taken tours and met with students and professors of other Boston based schools, and now that the time to commit has come, I'm happy with the idea of being a student at Northeastern. They have a wonderful cultural anthropology program (which is what I am interested in going for) as well as a dual major option in International Affairs/Anthropology. I'm so excited!"
Don't worry, she won't be putting music to the side: "I am not going to put my career on hold, however. Progress is being made right now in (record label) Blackground's legal/contractual negotiations that have been holding up the release of any new music for months now. But I am happy to say that it looks like things are about to (finally) get rolling. Whhhhewwww.!! Since I feel the need to cover all my bases, I think it is essential and beneficial for me to eventually have a college degree. My long term goal is to gain a doctorate.... but I gotta take it ONE step at a time!"
JoJo's new album is titles “All I Want Is Everything,” and is scheduled to drop later this year.
Daniel Bedingfield 'Second First Impression'
New Zealand-born Daniel Bedingfield grew up in southeast London. Mostly influenced by contemporary R&B artists, his sisters Natasha and Nicola teamed up with him to assemble their first band, called the DNA Algorhythm. Inspired by a girlfriend from Leeds, Daniel Bedingfield recorded "Gotta Get Thru This" in his bedroom with a microphone plugged to his home computer. In December 2001, just a few weeks after its release by the independent Relentless Records, his song went straight to the top on the U.K. singles chart. At the age of 21, the promising pop singer became a local celebrity. Signing to Polydor UK, Bedingfield worked on some new material and released his first album, Gotta Get Thru This, in the fall of 2002. Second First Impression followed in 2005. [Drago Bonacich, All Music Guide]Daniel Bedingfield’s (Natasha's brother) highly anticipated follow-up to the massively successful ‘Gotta Get Thru This’, further showcases his talent to create some of the most enduring pop moments around. Produced by Jack Joseph Puig it consolidates his position as one of Britain’s most diverse and talented young singer-songwriters. UK pressing includes two bonus tracks, 'Draw You' (Demo) & 'A Kiss Without Commitment'.
*"All You Attention," "Show Me The Real You," "If You're Not The One" & "Nothing Hurts Like Love"
Whitney Houston "Salute" [from the upcoming album 'I Look To You')
Possibly the third single, produced by R. Kelly with thumping bass... tell her man you can leave and I wish you well, if that isn't class I don't know what is! She states:
I feel like doing my hair... feel like calling my girls... feel like going to the club...Colbie Caillat 'Breakthrough'
Check out interview with French press in later post!
BeBe & CeCe Winans "Close To You" (from the upcoming album 'Still')
The Gospel brother & sister is back with a new album after almost 10 years, doing solo projects... time has flown back, and fans have gotten wait they are waiting on! Debuting on their on label B&C Records...BeBe and CeCe Winans are not only sharing inspirational messages from the recording studio on Twitter, the duo gave fans a chance to witness a video shoot via pictures and messages Friday.
Tweeting during the shoot, CeCe Winans wrote "It's HOT out here ya'll! And this crew is working it! Did I say it was HOT? It's HOT!"
According to the "Close To You" duo's twitter, the video was shot Friday afternoon and lasted nearly eight hours. (view pictures from the shoot here)
In related news, BeBe and CeCe Winans have unveiled the official album cover for their anticipated effort, titled "Still" (pictured).
"Still" is due to arrive in stores October 6.
[Some info courtesy of singersroom.com]
Corneille 'The Birth of Cornelius'
French-Canadian R&B singer Corneille translated personal tragedy into pop music success with his 2003 debut LP, Parce Qu'on Vient de Loin, a powerful and often harrowing song cycle inspired by his family's murder at the hands of a Rwandan death squad. Born Corneille Nyungura in Freiburg, Germany, on March 24, 1977, he was born into a Rwandan family completing an overseas study program. He nevertheless spent the majority of his childhood in Africa, absorbing native musical traditions as well as the pioneering American soul of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Prince. As a teen Corneille also discovered his parents' collection of classic chanson records by Jacques Brel, Charles Aznavour, and others, and this melting pot of influences converged to form a child prodigy who first recorded his own original songs at age 16. An appearance on Rwanda's national Discovery Awards broadcast soon followed, but in April 1994 Corneille's budding music career ground to a horrifying halt when a Rwandan military team stormed his home, killing his Tutsi father, his Hutu mother, and his brothers and sisters while he looked on in terror from behind the family sofa. Still reeling from his ordeal, Corneille joined up with a group of fellow Rwandan refugees and fled to Zaire, where he located a German couple who once befriended his parents. The couple took him in and brought him to Europe, where he remained prior to moving to Canada in 1997. Upon settling in Montreal, Corneille began studying communications while moonlighting in O.N.E., an R&B trio he founded with friends from Haiti. After scoring a Quebecois hit with the single "Zoukin'," the group became fixtures of the Montreal live circuit, opening for headliners including Isabelle Boulay. Corneille split from O.N.E. in 2001 to mount a solo career, earning attention and acclaim for a breakout performance at the 2002 Francofolies festival. The appearance earned him a gig alongside Eurythmics alum Dave Stewart, and the following year he issued Parce Qu'on Vient de Loin, a wrenchingly honest roman à clef documenting the loss of his family and subsequent escape from his homeland. The title cut and "Seul au Monde" were both huge hits, and earned Corneille nominations as Best Newcomer and Best Album at the 2004 Victoires de la Musique awards. After a well-received tour that included an appearance at the Nice Jazz Festival, he returned to studio to cut "Dix ans Ensemble," a duet with mbalax pioneer Youssou N'Dour for a fund-raising LP for the AIDS activism group Ensemble Contre le Sida. At year's end, Corneille returned to Quebec to collect the prestigious Félix award for Best Male Artist of the Year. At a special ceremony, he also became an official Canadian citizen. In 2005 he made his first return trip to Africa in the decade since his family's murder, performing at the N'Dour-organized Africa Live concert to raise funds for malaria victims. Corneille's much-anticipated sophomore effort, Les Marchands de Rêves, finally hit stores that November, painting a more positive portrait of African society while further embracing the Afrobeat, reggae, and soul influences that dominated his youth. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide[Content provided by All Music Guide Copyright © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC]
*"Back To Love," "Heaven," "I'll Never Call You Home Again," & "Sweet Dependency"
Anything from Trey Songz 'Anticipation' to 'Ready'
There are entertainers who sing for their people and then there are singers who speak for their generation. Stevie spoke for hearts and souls; Marvin crooned for his country; Fela sent the rhythm of Africa abroad; Curtis gave the ghetto a voice. Artists come a dime a dozen, but a spokesman for the masses who's been bestowed with a voice from the heavens, once every generation. With Songbook/Atlantic Records R&B blessing Trey Songz, the first generation to come of age in the 21st century has one they can claim as their own.One thing that Trey does better than any young R&B artist today is to create songs that resonate with fans regardless of gender, race, age, or residency. His music soars above categorization. You'll be hard-pressed to find many who can't relate to the gorgeous "Last Time." With production by R&B sure-shot Bryan-Michael Cox, Trey documents the challenges of monogamy and the complexities of infidelity in one final episode with his female on the side. The song is beautiful. It's ugly. It's common. It's special. It's human.
It's simple. Trey is at his best because for the first time we receive him in his entirety, as he makes a major leap forward from his debut. “I used ‘I GOTTA MAKE IT’ as a staircase to achieve,” he says. In the wake of the release of his first album, Trey found himself reaching into the mainstream at the same time that the underground was feasting on his mixtape releases. And Warner Music Group Executive Vice President Kevin Liles took notice. "On the new project, Kevin came in and he really got who I am as an artist," tells Trey. "Kevin always said 'I don't see "I Gotta Go" in the clubs. I see "I Gotta Go" on stage and then I see this guy in the clubs, poppin' bottles and throwing money. It's not matching.’ So he said the image is gonna match the songs this time."
The result is a gift for all. Everyone's a winner. The world will be able to enjoy the complete experience of Trey Songz, the future of R&B. "This album, though he's a little older from the first album, is who he is," states Taylor. "He's soulful. He's street. He's hip-hop. He's sexual. He's diverse."
So Trey's reign begins. The people of today are ready for their representation (over 400,000 of them are his Myspace friends!). They've actually been ready since day one. Just like Trey speaks up for them, they've reciprocated. "Before my first album came out, the fans on my website were calling the release date, "Trey Day." So I decided this time it's gonna be “TREY DAY” for real. The first album was an introduction and this is the arrival."
[Interview courtesty of singersroom.com]
*From Anticipation: "Does She Know," "You Belong To Me," "On Top" & "Make It Rain" From Ready: "LOL (Smiley Face)(featuring Soulja Boy & Gucci Mane)," "Brand New," "Successful (featuring Trey Songz)," & "I Need A Girl (Remix featuring Teyana Taylor & Fabolous)"
Jessie James... self-titled debut album
“I only want to be wanted by you,” belts out 20-year-old Georgia stunner Jessica Rose James, better known as newly minted pop diva Jessie James, on “Wanted,” the first single from her Mercury Records/Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJ) debut album, and it’s love at first listen.
A big talent in a petite, power-packed package, James has been ready for her close-up since she was the age of two, when the self-described, well-traveled “military brat,” (with a little bit of Greek and Italian thrown in there), born under the fiery Aries sign in a field hospital in Italy, started singing into a toy microphone and tape recorder, a gift from her mom. By nine, she was composing her own songs on a plastic guitar (the first called “It’s Gonna Be Alright”), performing as a youngster at events like the opening of Sea World and the Republican Convention, and working with a string of significant writers in Nashville at 15.
After one of her song demos landed in the hands of Mercury President David Massey, she aced an audition with IDJ boss Antonio “L.A.” Reid. “He got out from behind his desk, started dancing, hugged me and said, ‘We’re going to dinner…and welcome to the label!’
“I’ve known this is what I was supposed to do since I was 10,” adds Jessie, who cites her influences as LeAnn Rimes, Christina Aguilera, Janis Joplin and Bobbie Gentry. “I’m just anxious to get out there and let the world hear me. I’m just so excited. I’ve got a lot to say and I’m more than ready for this.”
With a message of female empowerment and refusing to play the victim, Jessie’s first single, “Wanted,” which she co-wrote with American Idol judge and hit songwriter Kara DioGuardi as well as Mitch Allen and David Hodges, shows off her intensity in a full-throttle dance-rock scorcher that catches and won’t let go.
“My mother taught me when I was growing up not to let myself be treated badly,” she insists. “I think it’s a real good message to young girls out there… don’t wait around for a guy to change. Just get out.
“I just don’t like doing what I’m told. That’s what I love about rock. Rockers are just so ballsy. They do whatever they want on-stage, which I really admire. You still have to be a lady, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to be like that. I feel like, in another world, I could have been in a ‘90s rock band.”
On songs like the twangy “My Cowboy,” co-written with Mercury Nashville artist Jamey Johnson and Randy Houser, first previewed by Perez Hilton on his popular website last year, and the sassy “Blue Jeans,” with its hip-hop swagger and tribal percussion—featured on the soundtrack of the hit Touchstone film version of Sophie Kinsella’s best-seller Confessions of a Shopaholic—Jessie shows she’s not afraid to strut her sexuality, either. She points out that lyrics like "Gimme some like I never had" ("Wanted") and "Saddle up and take me for a little ride" ("My Cowboy") may be just what they say, suggesting the latter could well be about hopping on a horse.
“You can take it anyway you want,” she laughs. “There’s nothing wrong with being a little sexy, if you do it with class. I’m not going out there taking my clothes off, but I do think it’s empowering to feel comfortable with your sexuality...within reason, of course.”
Working with producer Julian Bunetta (Hillary Duff, Sean Kingston), James’ debut album shows off a variety of musical styles and sounds, from the arena-rock belt of “Wanted,” the mix of banjo, fiddle and rock guitar in “My Cowboy” and the hip-hop beat and playful schoolyard rhyming of “Blue Jeans” to the torch song ballad “Guilty” and the stark, stripped-down, soulful blues intimacy of “Liar.”
“When I first tried to get a record deal, my real problem was, I couldn’t put my music in a single box,” she explains. “I just loved everything. That was part of me growing up in so many different places. I didn’t want to limit myself to just one kind of music. I just decided, why not just do all of it, and somehow blend it together. And I think I’ve done that. There are all different types of music, beats and instrumentation.”
And though based in Nashville, this “southern girl” wanted to “be a little more risky,” delving into other genres, especially on “Blue Jeans, co-written with Bunetta, a playful, hip-hop chant, inspired by her experience on the step team in high school.
“That song came about in the studio,” she recalls. “Julian and I worked for hours upon hours in the studio making hit happen. We were on the same page, young and hungry, and it just worked.”
Co-written with Josh Kear, who penned Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats,” and Mark Irwin (Garth Brooks), “Guilty” is similarly a song that turns the tables on the usual tale of women as victims, deciding, in no uncertain terms, what’s good for one is good for the other, with telling lines like, “I feel everything/But guilty.”
“That’s my favorite song on the album, production-wise, lyrics, melody,” says Jessie. “You can really feel the pain I’m going through. I was dating this rock musician at the time, who was always on tour. And I was thinking, ‘I bet he’s doing all these things, so why shouldn’t I?’ So I went into a writer’s session with Josh and told him how I was feeling about this guy, what was going on in my head. He started strumming the guitar and I just began singing. It just felt so natural, a really special moment.
“I’ve never written a song I didn’t feel true to. Everything I’ve ever done is a true story. I feel everything I write. I can’t fake it.”
For Jessie James, music is her life, her passion, her lover. She won’t even date, with her focus saved strictly for her career. She has no other choice. And now, she is fully prepared to see all those childhood dreams finally come true.
“I’m losing patience/Over the time you’ve wasted,” she wails in “Wanted” about a recalcitrant lover, but she may as well be talking about the release of her new album.
“I’ve always had too many fantasies to just settle in life,” she says.“I’ll never quit chasing my dreams. I don’t care about the money or the fame. I’ve always been an old soul and able to relate to people older than me. That’s why I had a difficult time in school. I was ready to get out and start singing. I’d sit in math class writing songs in my journal, looking at the clock, waiting to leave.”
For Jessie James, school’s out. With her debut Mercury album, she’s graduated and on her way to the stardom she always envisioned for herself.
“I just want to be wonderful,” she writes on her MySpace page.
Jessie James’ self-titled bow proves she’s more than ready to seize her moment.
[This biography was provided by the artist or their representative.]
*"Burning Bridges," "My Cowboy," & "Girl Next Door"
Mary J. Blige "Stronger" from the upcoming track titled album and to be featured in the soundtrack to the Lebron bio-docu, Jay-Z "Run This Town (featuring Rihanna & Kanye)" which I recently saw the video for and it really matches the track... Yuksek "Tonight," honestly I'm a new fan of dance/electronic music... something about it makes my soul jump, LOL! Teedra Moses "Everybody Rock!"... really hopes she releases an album sometime in the future because this track is sick! Sean Paul "Double Safety Lately." which isn't a featured track on Imperial Blaze but should've been included on the album, makes me think of a black sand beach at night! Paramore "Ignore" from the upcoming, highly anticipated album 'Brand New Eyes'. Kelly Rowland "Blaze (featuring Rock City)" is an unreleased track from the Ms Kelly album, song goes hard!
NOTEWORTHY TRACKS that I'm slowly overplaying:
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
ALLIES HAVE NO PROB WITH GAYS IN ARMED SERVICES
NEW YORK (AP) - When it comes to dealing with gay personnel in the ranks, the contrasts are stark among some of the world's proudest, toughest militaries - and these differing approaches are invoked by both sides as Americans renew debate over the Pentagon's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
In the United States, more than 12,000 service members - including dozens of highly trained Arabic linguists - have been dismissed since 1994 because it became known they were gay. Current targets for discharge include a West Point graduate and Iraq war veteran, Army National Guard Lt. Dan Choi, and a veteran of combat missions over Iraq and Afghanistan, Air Force Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach.
In Britain, on the other hand, gay and lesbian service members marched in crisp uniforms in the annual Pride London parade July 4. Gay Australian soldiers and sailors had their own float in Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras parade. In Israel, the army magazine earlier this year featured two male soldiers on the cover, hugging one another.
America's "don't ask, don't tell" policy - which prohibits gays from serving openly in the armed forces - is the target of intensifying opposition, and President Barack Obama says he favors lifting the ban. But he wants to win over skeptics in Congress and the Pentagon, and a fierce debate lies ahead that will inevitably touch on the experiences of allied nations that have no bans.
U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, the first Iraq war veteran elected to Congress, has just launched a campaign for a bill to repeal "don't ask, don't tell." He observed British troops in Iraq operating smoothly with a serve-openly policy and bristles at the contention that America's armed forces would suffer morale and recruiting problems if they followed suit.
"I take it as a personal affront to our warriors," said the Pennsylvania Democrat. "To say that other countries' soldiers are professional enough to handle this and American soldiers aren't is really a slap in the face."
Those seeking to preserve the U.S. ban question whether the allies' experiences have been as smooth as advertised and depict America's military as so unique that lessons from overseas should be ignored anyway.
"We are the military leaders in the world - everybody wants to be like us," said Brian Jones, a retired sergeant major who served in the Army Rangers. "Why in the world would we try to adjust our military model to be like them?"
With such polarized views as a backdrop, Associated Press reporters took an in-depth look at how the militaries of Israel, Britain and Australia have managed with serve-openly policies, and interviewed partisans on both sides of the debate in the United States about the relevance of those experiences.
___
Israel:
A nation in a constant state of combat readiness, Israel has had no restrictions on military service by gays since 1993 - a policy now considered thoroughly uncontroversial.
Gays were permitted to serve even before then, but not in certain intelligence positions where, at the time, they were deemed possible security risks vulnerable to blackmail. Now, gays and lesbians - among them several senior officers - serve in all branches of the military, including combat duty.
"In this regard, Israel has one of the most liberal armies in the world," said Yagil Levy, a sociologist from the Open University of Israel.
The army recognizes the partners of gay officers as their bereaved next-of-kin after their deaths, eligible for benefits. Gay officers at promotions and other ceremonies often have their partners by their sides.
Maj. Yoni Schoenfeld, a gay officer who is the editor of the military magazine, Bamahane, said there was very little friction in the ranks related to gay soldiers.
He served as a combat soldier and as commander of a paratrooper company, and said his sexual orientation - though known to fellow soldiers - was never an issue. Gay jokes would sometimes surface, unusually not malicious, he said, while receptiveness to gays in combat units could vary.
"If you're gay and live in the 'manly' world, there are no problems," he said. "Those who are more feminine in their speech and appearance have a harder time fitting in."
He sympathized with gays in the U.S. military who don't enjoy the same liberty he did.
"There shouldn't be a problem with it," he said. "It's the nature of man, and when you allow it to happen (serving openly), it's not a problem anymore."
Schoenfeld's magazine has reflected the evolving attitudes. In 2001, it was shut down briefly after featuring an interview with a retired colonel who had come out of the closet. Yet this year, there was no adverse reaction to the cover picture of two male soldiers embracing.
A gay magazine, meanwhile, named a major as its "man of a year" a few years ago; he continues to serve without harm to his career.
The military also provided the backdrop for Israel's precursor to "Brokeback Mountain" - the 2002 movie "Yossi & Jagger" about two Israeli combat soldiers who fall in love on the front lines. It was a hit with critics and the public, and was even screened on military bases.
___
Australia:
Back in 1992, Anita Van Der Meer was threatened with discharge from the Australian navy for being a lesbian. She denied the charge to save her job - and later that year the military's ban on gays and lesbians was lifted.
This spring, Van Der Meer marched proudly with more than 100 other service members in Sydney's annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade under an Australian Defense Force banner. Even a general joined the march.
Now a chief petty officer, Van Der Meer was a junior sailor in 1992 when someone reported she was engaged in a same-sex relationship.
"It was very traumatic for me, but I still had the cooperation of my supervisors and my peers," said Van Der Meer, 41. "In the end, I had more support than I expected."
Chief Petty Officer Stuart O'Brien, who joined the navy 19 years ago, said being openly gay has not been an issue, even when working alongside U.S. military personnel in Baghdad in 2006.
"They valued the work that I did and that's all that it comes down to at the end of the day," O'Brien said. "Sexuality has nothing to do with anything any more within the services."
The lifting of the ban on gays was preceded by years of heated debate, yet the change itself was relatively uneventful aside from a few unexpected coming-outs of high-profile commanders.
"Everyone said, 'Good heavens, that's a bit of a surprise' and after five minutes the conversation reverted back to football," said Neil James of the Australian Defense Association, a security think tank. "After a while it was met with a collective yawn."
Among opponents of the change at the time was Australia's main veterans group, the Returned and Services League, which has now withdrawn its objections.
The league's president, retired Maj. Gen. Bill Crews, said concerns about lowered morale and HIV transmission on the battlefield had proved ill-founded.
"I was there in the early days of it. ... I thought there'd be a continuing problem because of prejudice that exists in parts of the community," Crews said. "I don't see any evidence now that homosexuals are in any way discriminated against. ...A homosexual can be just as effective a soldier as a heterosexual."
Some skepticism lingers, however.
Brig. Jim Wallace, who commanded an elite Special Air Service mechanized brigade until retiring in 2000, argues that gays and women should be barred from combat roles.
"Do you want an army which is already likely to be outnumbered wherever it fights to be fighting at its most effective or its least effective?" Wallace asks. "If you want to sacrifice fighting effectiveness for political correctness, then all right, go ahead."
He referred to the traditional 10-soldier units commonly deployed in Australian combat forces.
"Now if you introduce into that 10 men a love or lust relationship, you immediately damage the phenomenon of mateship," he said. "There is some discrimination that has to be done to maintain the effectiveness of society or the effectiveness of fighting units."
___
Britain:
British policymakers had been wrestling for years with whether to scrap a long-standing ban on gays in the military - but the pivotal decision was made abroad, by the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.
The court ruled in 1999 that Britain had violated the rights of four former service members who were dismissed from the military for being gay and lesbian.
King's College professor Christopher Dandeker said there had been significant opposition to the change among military officers. There were predictions - not borne out - that unit cohesion would suffer and that large numbers of personnel would leave the military if gays could serve.
Once the ban was lifted, Dandeker said, the opposition dwindled, and the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair embraced the chance to be seen as a beacon of tolerance.
Lord Alan West, former head of the Royal Navy and now Britain's terrorism minister, served before and after the ban was lifted.
"It's much better where we are now," West said in an interview at the House of Lords. "For countries that don't do that - I don't believe it's got anything to do with how efficient or capable their forces will be. It's to do with other prejudices, I'm afraid."
As for Britain's trans-Atlantic ally: "I think the Americans really need to make the move," West said.
Peter Tatchell, a London-based gay-rights activist often critical of the government, praises the military's handling of the change.
"Since the ban has been lifted, there hasn't been a word of complaint from senior military staff," he said. "They've said that having gay and lesbian people in the services has had no damaging effect at all."
Mandy McBain joined the Royal Navy at age 19, in 1986, at the most junior rank possible. Now a lieutenant commander, she remembers what it was like to serve when being a lesbian had to be a secret.
"It's exhausting," she said. "It's quite incredible to look back and see how much time and energy I spent leading a double life."
In one past assignment, she processed the paperwork of comrades being dismissed because of their sexuality. "That," she said quietly, "I found very difficult."
Military expert Amyas Godfrey of the Royal United Services Institute, a London think tank, was serving with the British Army in Northern Ireland when the policy changed.
"I remember our commanding officer at the time called the entire battalion together and said, 'This is how it is going to be now. We are not going to discriminate. We are not going to bully. If someone in your group says that he is gay, you treat them as normal,'" Godfrey recalled.
"And that, really, was the implementation of it. For all the years I served after that, it was never an issue."
___
United States:
For those in the U.S. military community who oppose letting gays serve openly, there's a widely shared sentiment that America has nothing to learn from the roughly two-dozen nations that have no bans.
"Who's the only superpower military out there?" argued Maj. Brian Maue, a professor at the U.S. Air Force Academy, in a debate in June at the McCormick Freedom Museum in Chicago. "This is hardly convincing to say, 'Ah, the others are doing it. We should too.'"
Maue - who says he's been speaking out on his own, not as a military spokesman - suggests that repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" would prompt straight service members to complain of privacy violations and "dignity infractions."
"An openly gay military would be the heterosexual equivalent to forcing women to constantly share bathrooms, locker rooms and bedrooms with men," he wrote in a New York Times online forum.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis, another supporter of the ban, contends that some field commanders in nations that allow gays to serve openly have resorted to "tacit discrimination" - excluding them from front-line units for fear that problems would surface in rugged, close-quarters living conditions.
Maginnis also cited America's multiple overseas missions.
"You have a large part of the world with no tolerance for open homosexuality, and if we were to deploy there, it would be a serious problem," he said.
Repealing the ban would trigger the departure of some career service members who object to homosexuality and deter some people from enlisting, said Maginnis. "It doesn't matter what general population thinks - it's what the young people who have a propensity to enlist think."
Prominent advocates of open service for gays and lesbians acknowledge there would be some hitches, but predict the overall change would be smooth and professional.
"There's been very little trouble in the nations that lifted their ban on gays," said professor David Segal, director of the University of Maryland's Center for Research on Military Organization. "My guess is there will be slightly more in the U.S. - we have a somewhat higher level of intolerance."
However, Segal doubted the change would spur a large exodus from the military or hamper recruitment.
"There will be some gay bashing at the unit level, and that will be a problem in the short run for NCOs and junior officers," he said. "But they will deal with it, just as they dealt with racial integration and gender integration."
Nathaniel Frank, a research fellow at the University of California, Santa Barbara's Palm Center and author of a book on "don't ask, don't tell," says his studies of allied nations suggest that lifting the ban in the U.S. would not impair overall military effectiveness.
"There will be some forms of de facto discrimination and prejudice - a policy change is not going to wipe that out of people's hearts and minds overnight," he said. "But more and more people in the military are seeing it doesn't serve them to have this policy in place."
There's no question, Frank said, that the U.S. military is unique - the most powerful in the world. But he said it should be embarrassing that "our allies can tell the truth about gay soldiers and the U.S. stands with China, Iran, North Korea among the nations that can't."
The key to a smooth transition, Frank added, is emphatic direction from top commanders and the adoption of a code of conduct that would deter disciplinary problems by spelling out unacceptable behavior.
Dan Choi, the gay lieutenant facing dismissal from the Army, says the current "don't ask" policy is disruptive - forcing the gays who are serving to be furtive and dishonest.
"Closeting is what causes instability," he said. "It's the most toxic poison."
As for the U.S. being different from its allies, Choi agrees.
"We are exceptional - because we take the lead on things," he said. "To me, it's an insult to the idea of American exceptionalism to say we're somehow scared of gays."
___
Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Danica Kirka and Jennifer Quinn in London, Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, and Aron Heller in Jerusalem.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Jackson Memorial in Hometown
GARY, Ind. (AP) - This gritty steel-making city where Michael Jackson got his start playing on street corners with his brothers and competing in talent shows said goodbye to the King of Pop with a show that featured experienced homegrown talent, as well as youngsters who hope to follow in his footsteps.
More than 6,000 people showed up for Friday's upbeat memorial event, which included performers singing and dancing to his hits, video montages of Jackson and comments from the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Gary's mayor and people who knew Michael Jackson when his family lived in the city located 30 miles southeast of Chicago.
People in the crowd said the celebration was fitting for the King of Pop.
"It brought back a lot of memories," said Betty Nicholson, 52, of Gary, who said she used to perform at some of the same talent shows as Jackson and his brothers. "The show was fantastic."
Some of the biggest applause came before the three-plus-hour event started, when Jackson's hits were playing over the public address system at the Steel Yard, Gary's minor league baseball park, and young children and teenagers went out to the dugout and mimicked his moves.
Two Gary natives - Chester Gregory, who has appeared on Broadway, and Deniece Williams, known for her pop hit "Let's Hear It For the Boy" from the movie "Footloose" - sang music that wasn't Jackson's. Gregory sang Jackie Wilson's "(Your Love Keeps Liftin' Me) Higher and Higher" because Wilson was a singer Jackson tried to emulate. Williams sang "Black Butterfly," a song about a caterpillar's struggles to change that she recorded in the early 1990s. She said it fit Jackson.
"Because that's what he did. It was a struggle through the pain, through everything. At the end of the day he still was a beautiful, beautiful creature with wings that flew and touched not only the United States but the world and will continue to touch the world forever," Williams said before her performance.
Jackson spent the first 11 years of his life in Gary, until the Jackson 5 struck it big in 1969. By that time, the steel industry, in which Jackson's father had worked, had started to decline. Over the following decades, the city's unemployment and poverty soared, crime increased and the population dwindled.
Jackson came back to Gary just once, in 2003. A speech he gave then was featured in one of the memorial's video montages. In it, Jackson finished by saying: "Gary, you are family, you always will be, I love you."
Mayor Rudy Clay said Jackson made the city known worldwide.
"He's going to put on those golden slippers and he's going to dance all over God's heaven," Clay said.
He later unveiled a 7-foot-high granite slab with an etching of Jackson standing on his tiptoes with the words "King of Pop" and his birth date and death date. Clay said it would be the first item in a Jackson museum he hopes to see the city build.
Organizers said more than 30 members of Jackson's family attended the event, including his father, Joe Jackson, who arrived surrounded by security just as Jesse Jackson was finishing speaking.
In his remarks, Jesse Jackson praised the pop icon's parents for the job they did raising their family while living in a small two-bedroom house in a working-class neighborhood.
"Today we thank and praise God for Michael and we praise God for the Jackson family," he said.
Obama Visits Ghana!
ACCRA, Ghana — President Obama traveled in his father’s often-troubled home continent on Saturday as a potent symbol of a new political era but also as a messenger with a tough-love theme: American aid must be matched by Africa’s responsibility for its own problems.
“We must start from the simple premise that Africa’s future is up to Africans,” Mr. Obama said in an address to Parliament that was televised across the continent. “I say this knowing full well the tragic past that has sometimes haunted this part of the world. After all, I have the blood of Africa within me, and my own family’s story encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the larger African story.”
But, he continued, Africa must put the past behind it. “It is easy to point fingers and to pin the blame for these problems on others,” he said. “Yes, a colonial map that made little sense helped to breed conflict. The West has often approached Africa as a patron, or a source of revenue, rather than as a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants.”
The continent’s future, he said, depends on good governance, “which has been missing in far too many places for far too long.”
“That is the change that can unlock Africa’s potential,” he said. “And that is a responsibility that can be met only by Africans.”
The sight of the first black president of the United States, the son of a onetime African goat herder, electrified this small coastal nation and much of the region. Cheering crowds lined streets to catch a glimpse. Billboards with his picture dotted the city. His name and campaign theme became the refrains of songs played in his honor.
But while the history of the moment was lost on no one and Mr. Obama bathed in the rapturous welcome, he also delivered a strong and at times even stern message.
“No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers,” he said. “No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top, or the head of the port authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end.”
“Africa doesn’t need strongmen,” he added. “It needs strong institutions.”
These words, had they come from any of his predecessors, might not have been received the same way. Instead, it was cast by the White House as hard truths from a loving cousin who could say what no one else could.
As he did in his address to the Muslim world in Cairo last month, he used the details of his biography to soften the sometimes blunt language.
“My grandfather was a cook for the British in Kenya,” he said, “and though he was a respected elder in his village, his employers called him ‘boy’ for much of his life.”
Accompanied by his wife and two daughters, Mr. Obama arrived here after high-powered summit meetings in Russia and Italy, making the case that even a one-day visit showed that Africa should be part of the world community rather than be relegated to a once-a-term weeklong journey.
He visited a women’s clinic to highlight American help in combating infant and maternal mortality and later flew by helicopter to Cape Coast Castle, a notorious slave port visited by Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush but never a black commander in chief and a first lady who is a descendant of slaves.
The excitement over his visit was captured at a morning breakfast with dignitaries on the government compound. As Mr. Obama made his way down the center aisle with President John Atta Mills, a reggae song played in the background. “Barack, Barack, Barack Obama.”
An announcer kept up a steady patter of commentary. “The first black president of the United States!” he called out. “History! History! History is being made today in Ghana where democracy has become the watchword of all Ghanaian people. Africa meets one of its illustrious sons, Barack Obama.”
A minute later, he called out: “Africa be proud!”
And then: “Enjoy and savor the moment. History in the making!”
Although it was Mr. Obama’s first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president, this visit was his fourth to the continent that has played a distant yet central role in his life, given that half of his bloodline comes from Kenya.
The first time he came, as a college student to discover his roots, he had little more than a backpack and train ticket. The arrival by Air Force One on Saturday, less than two decades later, underscored his rapid American rise.
But Mr. Obama’s ties to Africa barely go beyond biography. He met his father, a Kenyan, only once as a child, and he has written that he struggled to come to terms with his biracial upbringing as not a product of traditional African-American culture in the United States or as a native son of Africa.
Many Africans, however, have clearly been following this son of the diaspora with special interest. Before his speech to Parliament here, the legislators were chanting, “Yes, we can! Yes, we can!”
“We must start from the simple premise that Africa’s future is up to Africans,” Mr. Obama said in an address to Parliament that was televised across the continent. “I say this knowing full well the tragic past that has sometimes haunted this part of the world. After all, I have the blood of Africa within me, and my own family’s story encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the larger African story.”
But, he continued, Africa must put the past behind it. “It is easy to point fingers and to pin the blame for these problems on others,” he said. “Yes, a colonial map that made little sense helped to breed conflict. The West has often approached Africa as a patron, or a source of revenue, rather than as a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants.”
The continent’s future, he said, depends on good governance, “which has been missing in far too many places for far too long.”
“That is the change that can unlock Africa’s potential,” he said. “And that is a responsibility that can be met only by Africans.”
The sight of the first black president of the United States, the son of a onetime African goat herder, electrified this small coastal nation and much of the region. Cheering crowds lined streets to catch a glimpse. Billboards with his picture dotted the city. His name and campaign theme became the refrains of songs played in his honor.
But while the history of the moment was lost on no one and Mr. Obama bathed in the rapturous welcome, he also delivered a strong and at times even stern message.
“No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers,” he said. “No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top, or the head of the port authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery. That is not democracy, that is tyranny, and now is the time for it to end.”
“Africa doesn’t need strongmen,” he added. “It needs strong institutions.”
These words, had they come from any of his predecessors, might not have been received the same way. Instead, it was cast by the White House as hard truths from a loving cousin who could say what no one else could.
As he did in his address to the Muslim world in Cairo last month, he used the details of his biography to soften the sometimes blunt language.
“My grandfather was a cook for the British in Kenya,” he said, “and though he was a respected elder in his village, his employers called him ‘boy’ for much of his life.”
Accompanied by his wife and two daughters, Mr. Obama arrived here after high-powered summit meetings in Russia and Italy, making the case that even a one-day visit showed that Africa should be part of the world community rather than be relegated to a once-a-term weeklong journey.
He visited a women’s clinic to highlight American help in combating infant and maternal mortality and later flew by helicopter to Cape Coast Castle, a notorious slave port visited by Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush but never a black commander in chief and a first lady who is a descendant of slaves.
The excitement over his visit was captured at a morning breakfast with dignitaries on the government compound. As Mr. Obama made his way down the center aisle with President John Atta Mills, a reggae song played in the background. “Barack, Barack, Barack Obama.”
An announcer kept up a steady patter of commentary. “The first black president of the United States!” he called out. “History! History! History is being made today in Ghana where democracy has become the watchword of all Ghanaian people. Africa meets one of its illustrious sons, Barack Obama.”
A minute later, he called out: “Africa be proud!”
And then: “Enjoy and savor the moment. History in the making!”
Although it was Mr. Obama’s first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president, this visit was his fourth to the continent that has played a distant yet central role in his life, given that half of his bloodline comes from Kenya.
The first time he came, as a college student to discover his roots, he had little more than a backpack and train ticket. The arrival by Air Force One on Saturday, less than two decades later, underscored his rapid American rise.
But Mr. Obama’s ties to Africa barely go beyond biography. He met his father, a Kenyan, only once as a child, and he has written that he struggled to come to terms with his biracial upbringing as not a product of traditional African-American culture in the United States or as a native son of Africa.
Many Africans, however, have clearly been following this son of the diaspora with special interest. Before his speech to Parliament here, the legislators were chanting, “Yes, we can! Yes, we can!”
Thursday, June 4, 2009
6.4.09 VICES
^_^ Vices... are what is in constant play on my iPod, what I can't stop eating right now... new hobbies, newness, new addictions, maybe!?
//:VICES for the week of June 1st://
Krisitina DeBarge "Goodbye (Na Na Na)"
Esmee Denters "Outta Here" [Outta Here]
Rich Girl "He Ain't Wit Me Now (Tho)"
Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)
Vanessa Williams "Breathless" [The Real Thing]
Chrisette Michelle "What You Do (featuring Ne-Yo)" [Epiphany]
Drake "Bria's Interlude (feat Omarion)" & "Night Off (feat Lloyd)" [So Far Gone]
WHAM! "Everything She Wants" [BIG!]
T.I. "Remember Me (featuring Mary J. Blige)" [Paper Trail: Case Closed]
Dorinda Clark-Cole "Work to Do" [Live in Houston: The Rose of Gospel]
Asher Roth "Be By Myself (featuring Cee-Lo)" [In the Bread Aisle]
James Morrison "Broken Strings (feat Nelly Furtado)" [Songs for You, Truths for Me]
Corneille "Back to Life" [The Birth of Cornelius]
Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies)
Electrik Red: How To Be A Lady, Volume 1
Nu 2 This!
I'm so new to this... but why not join the gain... shoutout to the other Bloggers I follow! B. Scott, Dorian, JR Taylor, Ray Bleu, Rod, Roc... love u guys!!!
Keep it positive... God bless and Much Love!!!!
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