A family portrait

Icon Madonna in the new Dolmio Dolce & Gabbana ads.

The musings of a pessimist

This week the newspapers in the UK have been abuzz with stories of one particular national sweetheart being struck down with a potentially life threatening disease.  The story has been confirmed by her 'people' and has meant all scheduled work (including a major part in one of the UK's biggest Saturday night TV shows) has had to be postponed for the foreseeable future.
Now this is pure speculation and only my opinion, but what if this story was actually a curtain to cover a much darker, more sinister one involving the same star?  She has had a fare share of pressure placed on her in the last year including her TV gig, recording two albums, criticism for her abilities as a stage performer and not to mention an impending divorce from her adulterous husband.  It's enough to make a girl crazy - perhaps even contemplate trying to kill herself?
Headlines like '******* ****** IN DRUG OVERDOSE' or '****** ****** IN ANOREXIA SHOCK' might sell papers, but do incredible damage to the image of a star like the one we've described.  However, if her people can intercept it with a story that does no damage to the star's persona (like said star contracting a deadly disease) and still sells papers, then everybody wins - especially the newspapers, who can use this leverage to command unrelated exclusives with the star that will sell even more copies down the line.
As I've said, this is all speculation based on purely my own scepticism over not only the relationship between PR and press in today's media landscape, but also over what we as the public get to know and not know about public figures.  We shall see what happens next.

(this post is dedicated to Rot and Pot)

Mean Judges

In celebrity entertainment news, Lindsay Lohan has literally (and dramatically) just been sentenced to 90 days in jail, as well as a further 90 days in a inpatient rehab program by the judge in her DUI case for violation of probation due to her not attending numerous alcohol education sessions.  Of course, the gossip mongers have been vying for blood in this case almost since it began and even more so in the month since Lohan had a SCRAM bracelet attached to her ankle to monitor her alcohol intake (Lindsay is banned from consuming drink under the terms of her probation).
Hopefully, finally, Lindsay can now realise the state her life is in and perhaps during the course of her time in jail and rehab go some way towards getting it back on track.  She's the last of the 00's 'it' girls left and her drunk girl shtick has been getting old for years now - DUI is one of the most reckless, irresponsible crimes you can commit and this sentence really is something she should have been given first time round.  Many will feel justice has been served today, however it's truly a sad state of affairs for a young star who has been on a downward spiral for a long time.  The victim of a bad childhood, fame and excess Lohan is the poster child for the pit falls that too much, too soon can bring.
Here's hoping this is just the beginning of something positive for Lindsay.

Song of the Moment: Alexandra Burke - Start Without You

Today's 'Song of the Moment' is the brand new single from former X-factor winner Alexandra Burke, 'Start Without You'.  This track has been doing the rounds for a while now, however it's not the type of song that is instantly likeable - in fact, it's quite un-likeable if you only give it one listen.  Sampling elements from the The Carpenter's cover of the Hank Williams song 'Jambalaya (on the Bayou)' the track packs RedOne-produced dance hall/reggae verses (similar to that in Rihanna's 'Rude Boy') with a more Vengaboys, cheesy pop chorus.  Hardly the cocktail for a hit single in 2010.
However 'Start Without You' is what is referred to as 'a grower' - although not immediately obvious, it is literally filled with hooks and it's also pretty fun, which is always something looked down upon by artists trying to get established with any kind of credibility.  The fact that Burke has decided to release this instead of a mid tempo ballad (which she is more than capable of) may mean that not only does she recognise a good song when she hears one, but she's more concerned about pleasing her existing fan base than trying to prove anything.  The woman sang live every Saturday night for ten weeks - she's proved herself.
It's not yet clear what 'Start Without You' is - it could be Burke's first single from the re-release of her platinum début 'Overcome' or from a completely new second disc (rumoured to be titled 'The Beast').  Either way it could well be her next big hit, if listeners will give it a chance.  Enjoy the track below....

?

In case you weren't aware, pop icon Prince recently announced he would be releasing his latest album '20Ten' exclusively via newspaper publications in Europe like he did with his previous record 'Planet Earth'.  During an interview with one of these newspapers 'The Mirror' (which is more of a tabloid these days) Prince justified his decision of releasing '20Ten' through such medium and not the internet like many other artists, saying “the internet’s completely over".  He also compared the web to MTV stating "The internet’s like MTV. At one time MTV was hip and suddenly it became outdated".
All I can say is pot, kettle, black - if anyone should know what it's like to be outdated, it's Prince.  I mean can anyone name the last song he released, or even one that was any good?  The last one I can think of is 'The most beautiful girl in the world' which is nearing 20 years old now, hardly at the forefront of cutting edge music is it?  Prince's place in pop culture, in particular pop music history is undeniable.  He has clearly influenced several generations of musicians who have come since his hey day of the 1980's, not least Robin Thicke, Usher and even Michael Jackson.  But, like Jackson, Prince has become somewhat of a media oddity and his credibility tarnished by such ridiculous comments like the internet being 'outdated'.
A fun fact about Prince is that he was born in 1958, the same year as Michael Jackson and Madonna - three artists who it's debatable have had the biggest impact on music and music videos today.  Yet out of all three, the one who has been written off the most, yet consistently proved the critics wrong is Madonna who is still enjoying chart success nearly 30 years since her first single was released.  If Prince would only embrace new trends and evolve with the times (and get his head out of his behind) he may also remain not only culturally, but musically relevant too.

under rated - grease 2

i do believe that you can tell a lot about a person depending on whether they are a grease 1 or 2 fan.

there's no doubt that grease set in place the foundations for teen musicals - Zac Efron is just the new John Travolta! but it was iconic because it was a manifestation of what we all wanted to be...cool, sexy, in a gang......own an endless supply of gum etc.

aside form the totally unnecessary flying car at the end the only thing i'll say for grease 1 is that it had a better storyline - what lifts grease 2 head and quiff above however is its flamboyant and theatrical soundtrack.
michelle pfeiffers turn as the popular by day, grease monkey on the weekends girl is no doubt a role she'd rather forget - but who doesn't love songs like 'score tonight' and 'reproduction' how could the you not be endeared to this 1982 bubblegum pop cult classic? no film is without it's faults, point in fact max caulfields awful english accent despite actually being english!! and then of course there are the god awful filler tracks like 'girl for all seasons' which made me want to hit rewind on my vcr (that's the old box like thing that we had before dvd players) just so I could watch michelle climb the ladder again as she busted some sexy hip moves while singing cool rider!
the only thing i really missed from the original film was rizzo.....but that's largely due to the fact that i used to have a crush on her, and truth be told that's never really gone away. older women are sexy, tarty girls are fun (although they never make it home to meet mum) and some people just look super fine in tight black shirts and a pink jacket.
If you've never watched grease 2 or you did but it was years ago and you thought it was bloody awful - well then i urge you to give it another chance, tell me the songs didn't pull you in and make you want to be an extra on high school musical 13! .....yeah i didn't think so

One picture can answer so many questions....

The picture to the left has been doing the rounds for just over a week now and at first I was really against posting it (pictures of celeb kids I've always thought to be incredibly distasteful), however upon reflection I find it interesting how one picture can say so much.

The boy in this picture is Prince Jackson the eldest child of Michael Jackson who until recently along with his two siblings, was not thought to be biologically related to Jackson. Although when looking at this photo (which has not been retouched) it's obvious that Prince has been stripped of the pigmentation at the top of his right arm - suggesting, perhaps, that he suffers from vitiligo, the disease that for years Michael had insisted he suffered from. So not only could this photo prove that Prince is indeed the late superstar's biological son, but that Michael really did suffer from vitiligo and was not 'bleaching' his skin as had been widely assumed by most of the press and public.

I find it fascinating that in death, we have learned more about Michael Jackson than we ever did during his life. The fact that he probably could have scuppered rumours of his children's true biological identity and his own skin condition by showing Prince's loss of pigmentation, suggests that his children's dignity mattered more to him than his own public persona. Michael Jackson, the perfect father? Perhaps not, but he certainly couldn't be anywhere near as terrible a father as his own.

On a related note, I never found it that strange that Jackson always tried to hide his children's faces and identities in public (before his death last June, the Jackson children were normally only seen behind masks and vales) - it's easy to understand that someone who grew up in the public eye and had been scrutinised since childhood would want to shield his own kids from a similar fate. I mean, it hardly did Michael's psyche any favours. Here's hoping that Prince and his siblings continue to grow up away from the public spotlight, although this very post suggests otherwise.

Equality in Ireland

This week, The Dail in the Irish Republic passed a bill recognising civil partnerships between gay couples.

This is a major breakthrough in human and gay rights, especially for a country as drenched in religious and conservative thinking as Ireland is. Of course the hard line Catholics were outside protesting the bill, but it's expected to become law by end of August. This is just another step in the long battle towards equality for all. Congratulations to the people of Ireland and in particular to the gay people of Ireland.

Now if only America would take notice of this most basic of human rights....

The king is dead

Probably the most over-rated musician of the last decade, Kanye West returns after that whole Taylor Swift incident with his new track 'Power'. Everyone will tell you it's brilliant, they are wrong. The single cover however is quite genius.

So it was a costume the whole time?

Well it's safe to say this is a tad controversial...

World's gayest movie is nearing release

Having been talked about for the best part of half a decade, finally the movie 'Burlesque' starring Christina Aguilera and Cher is being released at the end of the year.

Here is one of the first promo shots for the film and I can already tell that it's going to be awful. Which means not only will I LOVE it, but I'll go see it at least 3 times at the cinema on the day of release and wait in line to buy the DVD.

THIS is what Madonna thinks your daughter should be wearing...

This week Madonna officially launched her 'Material Girl' line in the US and the item to your left is just one of many pieces Mad's has helped design for the collection.

My problem isn't really with the clothes themselves or even just this one particular garment - my problem is that this whole project is so beneath her. I mean seriously, what does Madonna have to gain from this? She's already mega-rich, she's already a living legend and she already has a huge fan base. What is it about designing clothes for 14 year old girls that seemed like such an attractive offer? For someone who has always been a trendsetter and not a trend-follower, a clothing range is very unoriginal.

Then again this is Madonna, and she has yet to really let us down in almost 30 years. So maybe this a small blip? Or maybe it's a case of a mother doing something to help her daughter (Lourdes has been a major part of the design process and promotional campaign for the range) get a head start in the industry. Either way I'll be buying every last piece, obviously.