Going Astray

I sat down with Michigan rapper Astray. Check it out below!

Didn't Khloe learn ANYTHING from her big sister?

I've watched MAYBE a total of five episodes of Keeping with the Kardashians, but in that short time it was made VERY evident that Kim should be the only one barring her bottom (and that's only because it's too late to un-do her sex-tape). So why Khloe thought it would be a good idea to bare all for a PETA spread is still beyond me.
Is Khloe really that starved for attention? Has big sis Kim been getting too much of the spotlight lately? Or, as she's told reporters, is the cause just that close to her heart? Either way I'm thinking PETA could have come up with a more enticing spread. The ad actually makes me WANT people to wear fur, just so they DON'T go naked.

Miley's Hand-me-Down

Miley Cyrus and I finally have something in common: We both got used cars for our sixteenth birthdays. Granted mine was a platinum colored 1986 Mercury Cougar fondly nicknamed "Goldmember", while Mileys was well...a Porsche.
The sixteen year old Disney starlet didn't just get the car, remember a month ago her folks shut down Walt Disney Land resort to throw her a kick-ass party too. Come to think of it, I had a party for my sixteenth also. Only no celebrities showed up, and tickets to attend didn't cost a couple of hundred dollars.
Cyrus has another reason to celebrate this month, the dual threat nabbed a Golden Globe nomination for her original theme song to the animated feature Bolt. Cyrus and John Travolta teamed up to sing "I Thought I'd Lost You" which has become an iTunes favorite.

Hilary Duff returns to TV

It's been a while since Hilary Duff made a name for herself as a tween queen on the Disney Channel's hit series "Lizzie McGuire". Since that time the multi-media mogul has graced just about everything BUT television. That absence won't last for much longer though.

Duff has reportedly inked a deal with NBC to star in a new sitcom. In the meantime she'll be casted in a number of guest roles on previously existing series. Note that Hilary turned down the starring role in the CW's new hit "90210" (Shenae Grimes was fortunate enough to nab the part).

Britney's Birthday: Big Deal?

  Maybe it's just me. I'm not all that big on birthdays (I blame it on the fact that mine is only five days away from Christmas, so it often gets overlooked-which oddly enough doesn't seem to bother me).  I have just always wondered why we as a culture are so fascinated with celebrity birthdays.

  Are we shocked that Britney Spears has survived another year on this Earth? Or, are we surprised that she has survived another year in the headlines? Are we celebrating her coming into existence, or coming into the spotlight? Do we secretly envy the ways in which celebrities get to celebrate their 'big' day, with extravagant gifts, custom cakes, and VIP guests?  If anyone has any ideas let me know because I'm still totally at a loss.

  

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By the way, I broke down and watched the Britney MTV special (it was on Demand). I was not impressed. I felt absolutely NO sympathy for Brit and instead felt cheated by the people at MTV. I thought it was supposed to be a "no-holds barred" interview. I thought Brit was supposed to answer all the lingering questions.  I thought wrong. Instead it was an hour of "feel sorry for me because the photogs make my life impossible".  I was aching to see more of Britney the mom, and less of Britney at her video shoots and dance rehearsals (it was the same crap MTV marketed years ago with "Making the Video").  Did it take months of shooting to get that? I think not.  All I got from this was that Brit's life isn't that interesting, she likes cheese-grits instead of Wheaties, and she has relationship issues with her family. I knew two out of those three things before wasting the hour of my life.

I didn't quite see the "Twilight" at the end of the tunnel

***POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT***

 I know that millions of teenage girls are going to kill me for saying this. But I have to tell the truth. "Twilight" just didn't do it for me.  Maybe it was the two hour wait for a seat, or maybe it was the fact that I haven't read the book, but when all was said and done I could not have been more disappointed. 

  They will teach you in any basic screenwriting class (of which I have taken) that the key to any good film rests in characterization.  You have to create some sort of character sympathy in order to engage audiences.  I felt as though unless you read the book, and already had sympathy for the characters, you were left hanging.  Bella's character was cold and unappealing, which I would have excused had a cared for Edward Cullen in the slightest. His characterization was rushed, as was the love affair between the two. And, I'm sorry, but in a movie about vampires, a love story won't carry the entire film. There needed to be more drama. One fight scene is not enough. Tension usually is a thread used to hold a film together, here it was a dangling line to which the movie was barely holding on. 

  I wanted to know more about the family.  Kellen Lutz and Peter Facinelli anchored a well cast Cullen clan, but they were underused. The film tried also to establish relationships between Bella and the Fork's High School clan, but besides some scenes invented to instigate some awkward teenage sympathy, they became more of a nuisance than an aid to the plot. 

  I am glad that the film has found a niche in the teen audience. Not since the late 90's, early 2000's has there been a truly successful love story aimed at that market (think back to the good ole days: "10 Things I Hate About You", "She's All That", "Cruel Intentions".)  

  A guest on "Table Talk" attempted to compare "Twilight" with the "Harry Potter" series. She thought that "Twilight" would find as much, or more, success.  The problem is that with the "Harry Potter" franchise, people who weren't fans of the book, or who didn't read it, can still enjoy the films.  With "Twilight" I fear that non-book fans won't find the film nearly as amusing. The good news is that if the creators decide to make the second and third novels into motion pictures, then they'll have two other chances to get it right. 

Stephen Baldwin's Hannah Obsession

So I thought it was great last year when University of Michigan wrestler Steve Luke admitted his love affair with Disney's hit show. When macho men admit they have a soft spot for chick flicks and Disney movies, I suddenly have a soft spot for them.
I'll admit, however, that I don't feel the same way for Stephen Baldwin after discovering his permanent display of "Hannah Montana" pride. The buff Baldwin brother revealed a Hannah Montana tattoo (shown here). A poster on your wall, maybe. A DVD box set, sure. But a permanent display of affection for a show almost certain to leave the air in just a few seasons-you've got to be kidding me!
Apparently during a trip to the Whitehouse, Stephen tried to talk his way into a part of his daughter's favorite show. Miley told Stephen that he could have a role in her show if he showed his true dedication to the cause by getting a tattoo. At a book signing in Nashville, Baldwin unveiled his latest work of art. Miley has said she'll keep up her end of the bargain and has secured a guest spot for Stephen on the show.