Britney's Work Bitch Hits the Net

Britney's new track has leaked, and it has left me less than impressed. I guess I wanted another Womanizer, I'm A Slave 4 U, or Circus. Maybe this cut just needs a remix or something, but regardless of my opinion I know that it will probably zoom to # 1 on the digital download charts as soon as it's released.

Have you heard it? If so what do you think?

Wedding Bells Are Ringing!

 I just wanted to send shout outs to Zoe Saldana, LeBron James, and John Legend who all got hitched recently. Zoe was slick with hers having tied the knot in June with artist Marco Perego. Congrats everyone!

   

Love and War: Tamar Braxton Proving the Naysayers Wrong

Tamar Braxton’s desire to reach superstar status has been a main storyline on WE T V’s Braxton Family Values and its spinoff Tamar and Vince. Being a “do wop girl” for older sister Toni may have been fine for the other sisters, but Tamar wanted to do her own thing. And who can blame her? After listening to Love and War the new CD that dropped last week, I must say it’s been a while since I have been this impressed with a debut. A lot of you must feel the same way because it debuted at # 2 on the Pop Albums Chart and is currently the # 1 R&B Album in the country according to Billboard. This is no surprise because all of the songs are great, and it’s a wonderful mix of uptempo, mid tempo, and ballads.

Tamar has proven that she is more than just a breakout reality star,  new mom to son  Logan, talk show host (Tiny Tonight, The Real) and Toni’s kid sister. Tamar is a true force in the recording industry. With her husband Vince Herbert (the man who put Lady Gaga on the map) guiding her career, I don’t see Tamar ‘s star fading anytime soon. She has a Christmas album due in October as well as a tour with John Legend this Fall.

If you haven’t listened to Tamar’s Love and War, preview it now on I Tunes and catch the 2^nd season of Tamar and Vince now airing on Thursday nights on WE. 

If you have heard Love and War, what's your review? Comment below!

The Boy Next Door Will Star Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Lopez  is stepping into thriller territory with The Boy Next Door.  She plays a divorced mother of a teen son who has an affair with the son's friend. When the relationship runs its course, the kid goes psycho, and we know the rest. 

The producer of Paranormal Activity  Jason Blum will produce.

Crushed Finds Home At HBO

I never saw Peeples. The film did not do massive business at the box office despite having ultra talented It girl Kerry Washington as one of its stars. I think it's lack of appeal was the fact it was just a chocolate covered version of Meet the Parents. Nonetheless it launched Tina Gordon Chism's career and now she has a series in development at HBO. The plot of Crushed centers around an Afro American family in the Napa wine business. I can get behind this. This is territory that has not been ventured into before at least from an Afro American perspective. 

Between this and the Issa Rae project, I am psyched about the original series slate coming up on HBO. 

I will keep you posted on cast announcements and the air date.

Did any of you see Peeples? What do you think of Miss Chism's future as a player in Hollywood?

Katherine Heigl Joins the CIA

Katherine Heigl's short lived movie career has led her back to the small screen with news of an NBC drama being developed for her.

The former Grey's Anatomy actress has been tapped as the lead of an unnamed drama from the writer/producer of The Following. Heigl will play a CIA operative/White House briefer. This premise does not sound interesting to me, but who knows it could be a hit. I still say Heigl was a fool for getting herself banished from Shondaland and her Emmy winning role of Izzie.

Are any of you happy that Heigl is returning to the small screen?

Beautiful Stranger:My Review

Beautiful Stranger, the second book in the Beautiful Bastard series continues Christina Lauren’s reign as the queens of romantic erotica. Yes there is such a thing.  The leads in these novels are not passive silly creatures and the guys aren’t dark and brooding all the time with abusive pasts. In the first novel you met Chloe Mills and her bastard of a boss Bennett Ryan. The second novel centers around Sara Dillon, Chloe’s BFF who recently broke up with her social climbing jerk of a boyfriend Andy and relocated to NYC from Chicago to work at Ryan Media’s new office there. After meeting one of Manhattan’s most eligible bachelors, venture capitalist Max Stella at a NYC nightclub, the outwardly conservative Sara begins a relationship that defies every convention and winds up finding love in the process with the sexy Brit who at first is willing to play by her rules until he starts to realize that there is more between them than just the physical.

Currently I am reading the third book in the series, the novella Beautiful Bitch so be looking for my review on that one to be published very soon!

Have any of you read any of the novels in the Beautiful series yet? If not, what are you waiting for?

Charlie and Dakota:The New R Pattz and K Stew

The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy made a star out of E.L. James and the characters of Ana and Christian a cultural phenomenon.The books were reviled and revered equally, but despite what side of the fence you were on you could not escape all things Grey.

Well in August of next year, you will finally get to see your favorite Red Room scenes played out in all their celluloid glory when Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson bring the famed characters to life. These two scored the biggest roles since Bella and Edward in a story based loosely on the Twilight characters.

With al the hype surrounding the project, do you think that it will fail miserably like Mortal Instruments and Beautiful Creatures did at the box office, or do you see the S & M trilogy doing Twilight type numbers?

Sound off below on the casting of these two and your feelings on the book to film translation?

Being Mary Jane : My Review

When I first saw the trailer for Being Mary Jane starring Gabrielle Union, I wasn't initially impressed. It just seemed like another play on the tired, sad, single, successful Black woman formula we have seen time and time again on t v and film. I am willing to admit when I am wrong, because I am floored with how much I loved the backdoor movie pilot for BET's first dramatic series.

Gabrielle Union was awesome as Mary Jane Paul, a successful newswoman with all of the material trappings minus the hubby and kids. MJ seems to be stuck in her love life, not being able to resist the advances of her married off and on again lover and having to be the primary breadwinner of her family which includes: two ne'er do well brothers, a niece who is more than content with being a baby mama, a sickly mother, and a beyond frustrated father. Things aren't perfect at work either due to the network making it impossible to tell the stories MJ wants to tell, especially ones which deal with cultural issues. With the help of her Latina producer, MJ learns how to carefully navigate the frustrating world of network politics.

BMJ won't become a permanent part of the BET landscape until 2014 which sucks since that seems like ions away for those of us who thoroughly enjoyed Gabby in this role. I have been patiently waiting for Gabby to get a role that fits her like a glove, and she's finally found it. Losing out on the role of Olivia Pope was a blessing in disguise for Miss Union, because this show was tailor made for her talents since it is a great mix of comedy and drama which is what she does best!

The Heat: My Review

When word first broke that Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock would be co stars in a buddy cop comedy, I got excited. Oscar winner Bullock has more than proven her comedic chops in movies like The Proposal and Miss Congeniality. McCarthy is an Emmy Award winner for Mike and Molly and an Oscar nominee for the chick com Bridesmaids which was a big hit a few years back. With these two ladies on board and a great script to accompany them, Paul Feig's second directorial effort, (he directed Bridesmaids) is going to be a summer smash. The reason I say this is because I saw the movie today and the laughs are never ending. McCarthy is pretty much playing the same character she played in Bridesmaids, but this time she is over the top policewoman Shannon Mullins who is teamed with by the book FBI agent Sarah Ashburn on a case to nab a notorious drug runner. As expected Mullins and Ashburn do not get along when they first meet,  but as the case progresses a friendship is born especially when the case begins to hit a little too close to home for Mullins.

There is already talk of a sequel, and I hope one happens, but only if they could recreate the magic of this first effort. If not, I would like to see McCarthy and Bullock in another film together with an entirely different premise because they have great chemistry on screen.

Being Plumville: Book Review

Every girl loves a good romance, especially if its in the vein of best sellers like The Help and The Notebook. When you combine the elements of those two books and set it against the backdrop of a racially divided college campus, you get Being Plumville.

Being Plumville centers around soul mates Coralee Simmons and Benjamin Drummond. Coralee is the daughter of the Drummond family maid and Ben is the only child of one of the town's wealthiest families. Ben and Coralee are each other's best friend and confidante. Ben's protectiveness of Coralee terrifies his mother which drives her to tell Patty, Coralee's mother to not bring Coralee to their home anymore in fear of the two becoming romantically entangled. The silliness of keeping apart a four year old and a seven year old over what may potentially happen in the future is a bit hard to swallow, but interracial relationships were taboo back then so even the hint of one was enough to take drastic measures. 

Luckily for Ben and Coralee fate drives them back together during the tumultuous 60's at Solomon College and the feelings they once had for one another return a thousand fold. Family and friends do not make things easy for the two of them, but the love Ben has for his "Ceelee" runs deeper than the racism and ignorance that runs prevalent on their campus.

Savannah Frierson is a dynamic author whose work I will be following from here on out. Being Plumville is about to be re released, and I hope those of you who have never heard of this author and her work will take the time to visit her website at http://sjfbooks.com/ .  Let's get Being Plumville on the NYT Bestseller List where it belongs!

The Great Gatsby: My Review

I tried reading what everyone called one of the greatest American novels, The Great Gatsby but could not finish it. In fact I got bored. Call me crazy, but Fitzgerald’s language did not move me to continue reading past the first two chapters. I wanted to get it read before I saw the movie, but did not succeed. I have seen the movie though and must say I was highly impressed with Baz Luhrmann’s take on the 1920’s set saga of Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) , Nick Carraway (Tobey McGuire), Daisy Buchannan (Carey Mulligan),  and her boorish husband Tom (Joel Edgarton).

For those of you that were not forced to read the novel in high school or are familiar with the original film starring Robert Redford, Gatsby is about Nick Carraway, an aspiring writer who is the cousin of socialite Daisy Buchannan. He lives next door to the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby who throws lavish parties every weekend and who unbeknownst to Nick had a love affair with Daisy, 5 years prior. Jay, as it turns out has been on a mission after getting out of the army to win Daisy back by becoming the sophisticated and wealthy man a woman of Daisy’s station deserves.  Daisy in his absence married Tom Buchannan, an heir of one of America’s wealthiest families and who is cheating on her with the trashy wife of a gas station owner.

The movie starts off slow, but catches fire when Leo hits the screen. I loved him in the role of Gatsby and he brings the desperation and sadness needed to play a man wanting the love of his life back.  Why Gatsby is so hell bent on Daisy is beyond me because she comes across as a flighty, shallow woman that just sits around her big mansion and sighs a lot.  Gatsby pulls out all the stops to win back her love with Nick’s help. Nick is all too glad to assist Gatsby whose wealth and fabulous persona he is clearly fascinated with and knowing of Tom’s affair, he feels less inclined to stop Jay from pursuing Daisy.

A lot of people have criticized the hip hop influenced soundtrack (produced by Jay Z) and the gaudy opulence of the film, but that just adds to its appeal. It’s a tribute to the 20’s, the boozing, partying, and ridiculous decadence of that era. The hip hop soundtrack fits in well.  The visuals and clothing were also excellent, and I think come awards season the film will be recognized in these two areas.

If you have seen The Great Gatsby, what was your take on the film? Does it rate as one of Leo’s best performances? 

Why I Disliked Iron Man 3

After watching Iron Man 3 Friday I came to the conclusion that it's time for Robert Downey Jr. to give up the tin suit. Don't get me wrong. I love RDJ , but Iron Man as a standalone hero, I think those days are over. Especially if Hollywood continues to churn out mess like the latest installment. I know I am in the minority but bringing Shane Black on board was a big mistake. Tony's angst over the whole Loki situation in The Avengers was too much to handle even though he was still as snarky and charming as ever. The whole Tony in Tennessee subplot (complete with a cute kid) was a tad too much to swallow as well and don't get me started on Ben Kingsley's faux villain.

Maybe the reason for my rant is that after the greatness of The Avengers, I was expecting more from Iron Man 3. Unfortunately the perfection that was The Avengers is going to be tough to top, not only for Tony Stark, but the next installments of Thor and Captain America as well. We shall see!

Take This Waltz: My Review

                                                  

Michelle Williams has made a career out of playing women in unfulfilling marriages (remember her Oscar nominated turns in Brokeback Mountain and Blue Valentine). In the indie, Take This Waltz, Michelle adds another young wife role to her resume as freelance writer Margot, who after five years of being married to Seth Rogan's character Lou, a boring cookbook writer she finds herself falling for a sexy artist/rickshaw driver named Daniel (Luke Kirby).

Daniel meets Margot while she is on a writing assignment and they sit together on the plane ride back and also share a cab to their respective homes. As it turns out, sexy Daniel is Margot's neighbor from across the street (awkward) and the cat and mouse game begins.

I could see why Margot would be attracted to Daniel: he's funny, charming, easy on the eyes, with a wicked sense of humor. Lou on the other hand is nice enough, but I see his and Margot's relationship as more brother/sister than husband and wife. There is also a serious lack of sexual chemistry between the two, in fact you never see the two of them act sexual towards one another, although in one scene it is implied.

For a twenty eight year old woman, I can see where a marriage likes this would feel like an albatross and an emotional affair with a sexy guy would be just the thing that the doctor ordered. Even though the attraction is mutual, Margot and Daniel tread carefully, but I feel the rubber met the road when Daniel gave specifics to Margot as to how intense their encounter would be if they ever had sex. After that scene you saw the disintegration of Margot's marriage to Lou coming from a zillion miles away!

I never got the jest of why Margot and Lou got together in the first place. I wish Sarah Polley would have given the viewer more of a background on how these two crazy kids met, fell in love, and got married so young. I felt cheated by that, but no movie is perfect. I did enjoy Sarah Silverman's turn as Geraldine, Lou's alcoholic sister whose attempt at sobriety is an epic fail. The role isn't big, but Sarah does a good job in the few scenes she has.

The resolution to the love triangle was a little pat for my taste and the ending was too open ended.  Did Margot remain with Daniel, or did she go off on her own? That was not clear, but all in all I would suggest this as a movie worth seeing.

Have anyone of you seen it, and if so what did you think of the performances and the film overall?

The Authors of Beautiful Bastard Score Major Deal

Congrats to writers (and friends in my head) Lauren Billings and Christina Hobbs who wrote the bestseller Beautiful Bastard and the soon to be released Beautiful Stranger. They just signed a 5 book deal with Gallery Books to continue the saga of Chloe, Bennett, and the people that inhabit their world. 

Beautiful Stranger will be released in May with the Target exclusive going on sale later this month and after that readers will be blessed with another Beautiful Bastard spinoff and three (yes!!) three novellas featuring Chloe and Bennett. 

We fans can also expect another full length novel to hit book shelves just in time for summer 2014, and the Beautiful Bastard film is still underway. I can't wait!

Readers have you read Beautiful Bastard yet? If so will you continue to follow the characters and the various spinoffs?

Halle's Expecting!

Halle Berry and Olivier Martinez are expecting their first child together. Halle released a

statement today that she is three months pregnant with a baby boy.

 Congrats to Halle and Olivier!

My Take On the Latest Entertainment News

First of all I must give major kudos to the Queen B herself for waking up the Beyhive at 9 AM this morning with the 60 second Pepsi commercial/teaser for her single Grown Woman that will be released this coming Monday. I am happy to know that Bow Down will not be the first single since that cut did not catch on with listeners, plus the sound of it was so not the Beyonce we are familiar with. Grown Woman from I have heard sounds like a summer banger so I'm ready to hear the full track which will be released on I Tunes on April 8th.

Rihanna's 777 documentary will debut on 5/6 on Fox. This is a look at Rihanna's last tour where we will get a behind the scenes perspective to Ri Ri's world, a la Bey's Life Is But A Dream.

The Walking Dead which has taken a lot of criticism in the past from viewers due to its lack of diversity will be adding the characters of Tyreese and Sasha as regular members of the cast, along with  The Governor played by David Morrissey. Melissa Ponzito will reoccur as Karen, the lone survivor of The Governor's murderous rampage on Sunday's finale. The Governor is a great character although I hope the writers do not mess up a good thing by bringing him back for another season. From what I have read there is some great story ahead for the Governor, so we'll see.

Zoe Saldana may be expanding her alien role resume with Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. She is being considered for the role of Gamora, and if Zoe gets this, she will have 3 franchises to her credit (we cannot forget Star Trek and Avatar). Whether you are a fan of Zoe's or not, she is making things happen. I personally want to see her in a second installment of Colombiana which I really enjoyed.

Tyler Perry's The Haves and Have Nots will be getting a big launch thanks to Oprah Winfrey. The show will debut on May 26th and will be preceded by a Next Chapter episode featuring the movie mogul and a look at the making of the new OWN series. Oprah and TP are a powerful combination so I hope this new show draws in even more viewers for Oprah's network.

Leighton Meester may no longer be on t v but she is making great strides in her movie career. She will be joining Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall in the new movie The Judge. Leighton is set to play a one night stand of RDJ's. Lucky girl!

The Fault In Our Stars Casting News

Shailene Woodley who stars on the soon to be ending teen dramedy Secret Life, and charmed critics with her role as a grieving teen in The Descendants has landed the lead role in the much anticipated teen love story The Fault In Our Stars.

The Fault In Our Stars is based on a best selling YA novel by John Green and centers around two teens dying from cancer who fall in love. When I read the book I must say I saw Hailee Steinfeld as the lead, but Shailene has proven she has the chops for drama and angsty roles so I am looking forward to this one. Plus she is a young actress on the rise and her track record thus far is pretty good with upcoming roles in The Spectacular Now and the sequel to the The Amazing Spider Man. The male lead has not been cast yet, but I am hoping they pick a strong actor for Gus who has great chemistry with Shailene.

If any of you have read the book, who do you want to see as the male lead? Comment below!

Beautiful Bastard : Book Review

After 50 Shades of Grey came out there was an influx of erotic novels to hit the shelves. With the exception of the Crossfire series by Sylvia Day I haven’t gotten into any of the others, but then Beautiful Bastard was released.

BB (which started as a Twilight fanfic called The Office),is the story of Chloe Mills, an intern at Ryan Media Group who has the boss from hell. Bennett Ryan, the son of the head of the company is her boss, and Bennett is one tough M F, but has the looks of a Greek God. The two constantly butt heads but things quickly take a turn after an intense sexual encounter early on in the book. From that point on the fights continue as well as the sex and that’s what makes this couple so captivating.

Chloe and Bennett are a fun couple even when they argue. I think that is what makes this book, and hopefully the followup so enjoyable.  Romances should not be dark, and they certainly should not have such weak characters as Anastasia Steele. Sorry I am not a fan of the 50 Shades series and the doormat character of Ana is one of the main reasons why, not to mention EL James’ corny writing style which needs to be seriously re tweaked for the film version of those novels.  Plus the sex scenes in 50 Shades are not sexually appealing to me like BB’s.  I guess because Bennett wasn’t so dark and twisty (except for the panty fetish) and he was a man that genuinely admired Chloe’s business sense and independence which made him way sexier to me than a guy with a Red Room of Pain!

Christina Lauren are two writers who really appreciate strong female characters, and that’s why I will continue to follow their careers closely especially since BB is being made into a film and the next book is due out soon in the Beautiful series. Yeah I know 50 Shades hasn’t been cast yet, but I hope this film gets to the screen first. The story is better and with the right casting choices it could prove to be a huge hit.  I wonder if Bradley Cooper could free up his sched to take on the role of Bennett, and opposite him I would like to see Mila Kunis, Ashley Greene, or Jennifer Lawrence for Chloe. (Christina Lauren when you read this take note of these names! ;) 

If you have read Beautiful Bastard what was your opinion of the book? Who would you like to see take on these roles? Comment below!