Nas is Bringing the N-Word Back

[Seen above] are rapper Nas and his wife, singer, Kelis wearing N-word emblazoned attire at the Grammys on Sunday to promote Nas's upcoming album of the same name.

Reportedly Nas is using the word more as a form of artistic expression, than as a marketing tool to incite controversy.

Nas insists the epithet is symbolic of the oppression and discrimination experienced by people of all ethnicities.

He told a CNN reporter:
"We've all at some point felt discriminated on, whether it's in Dominican Republic, whether it's in China, whether it's in Iraq with soldiers getting their heads blown off for reasons we don't know why. The meaning of the word is supposed to be ignorant.So no longer are Black people still niggers, it's also me and you (a white correspondent). I want people to think about what I'm thinking about today."

When asked, even Jay-Z backed Nas. He called Nas's use of the word "art," saying people afford power to words. He added that if we expunge the term from the English language other racist diatribes will replace it; the sentiment and feelings will still exist.

I'm reserving my final judgment for when, and if, I hear the album. But as of now, I don't like the idea. I think the word is highly offensive--I rank it right up there with cu*t. And I think the message will be lost on too many people for it to be effective. But that's the cynic in me.

For more insight check out Blackvoices.com and jovanmiles.net.

Natalie Portman & Scarlett Johansson do "W"

The cover of this month's issue of W magazine seems to be generating a lot of interest, namely because Natalie Portman and Scartlett Johansson are plastered across it, striking a sexy S&M-style pose--but let's give the chihuahua some credit.

Portman and Johansson, are gearing up for the release of their new movie The Other Boleyn Girl, which hits theaters next month. The two play sisters in the film and W is touting them as "Hollywood's hot new duo."

Here is an excerpt from their joint interview with the mag.:On monogamy:

Natalie:
“I’m into monogamy. But I’m not really into marriage right now. I sort of hate the legal aspect of it. What does the state have to do with it? Why are they making rules that say my lover can stay in the United States if they’re foreign or share my health care benefits because I’m straight -- but if you’re gay, you can’t have that?”

Scarlett:
“I’ve been battered for saying that I don’t believe humans are monogamous by nature. The response was, like, ‘What a ho-bag!’ I didn’t mean that I don’t practice monogamy in my own life — of course I do! I’m not going to be in some tarty relationship… I remember another time. I said I get tested for AIDS twice a year, and again that got spun as me being promiscuous. But I was single at the time, and I think it’s important to do that!”

On trying to stay out of the limelight:
Natalie:
“I don’t want people to have a juicy read about me. I’ve been trying to watch more TV [in an effort to better] converse with people. People talk about TV way more than you think.”

Scarlett:
“You’re never going to find me at the Ivy. I don’t care how good the Cobb salad is. These tabloid magazines — I think they’re hideous and the downfall of society,” she said, referring to a recent Us Weekly story accusing her of having had a nose job. “It was as ridiculous as if they’d showed side-by-side pictures of me at 11 and 20 and saying, ‘Look, she grew breasts!’”

On who they’re voting for:
Scarlett:
“I will continue stumping for [Barack] Obama until he’s elected. The past eight years have been painful for a lot of people. We’re in a state of emergency.”

Natalie:
"I met with about 10 representatives… and Hillary [Clinton] was by far the sharpest. Did you read Gloria Steinem’s op-ed piece?” Natalie asks, citing Steinem’s January 8 column about the presidential hopeful in the New York Times. “Hillary’s just so experienced.”

The issue will be available in a grocery aisle near you on Feb. 26.

BTW: did anyone else get a prerecorded telephone message from Scarlett Johansson asking you to vote for Barack Obama? I sure did. It was weird and kinda cool. Not saying it got my vote though.

Portions of this blog entry courtesy of PageSix.com.

Shaking Up the Polaroid Picture Business

Shaking it like a Polaroid picture will soon have new meaning.

Polaroid Corp., which is best known for bringing instant film photography to the masses, has announced plans to halt all manufacturing of instant film by the end of the year. The company will focus its efforts on digital endeavors, including digital cameras and a digital mobile photo printer for cell phones.

Apparently, the company quietly, very quietly, stopped production on their instant cameras over a year ago.

Polaroid is reportedly interested in licensing its instant photography technology to a third party, so loyal customers can obtain the product. But negotiations are tenuous, and could fall through. If that happens instant film consumers will have to switch over to a different photo format, as Polaroid only plans to make enough instant film to last until 2009 or 2011, depending on who is doing the reporting.

Portions of this blog courtesy of The Boston Globe.

Post-Strike TV Schedule

Members of the Writers Guild of America may be heading back to work as early as Wednesday, effectively ending their 3-month-long, industry-wide strike.

But that doesn't mean your favorite shows, which have been forced into rerun mode, will be airing fresh new episodes any time soon.

According to Sonia Zjawinski over at The Underwire:

• 24 has been officially postponed for a year.
• Heroes is rumored to have no plans to return this season because its special effects cause production to take too long.
• Lost, although finally back, may air only 13 of the 16 episodes it has in the can.
  
• When The Office returns, which is rumored to be in five weeks, the show may extend its season past May.

According to Reuters, "industry executives say it will likely take eight weeks to restore favorite shows like House, CSI, Grey's Anatomy, and Desperate Housewives to prime time once the strike ends."-- I've read that it will take the same amount of time for new episodes of Ugly Betty to air as well.

Also according to Reuters, "viewers are unlikely to see original episodes of returning hourlong dramas before early April. The same is true for single-camera comedies such as Scrubs which like dramas, are shot more like a film and without live audiences. Multi-camera sitcoms like Two and a Half Men" How I Met Your Mother "and Back to You take less time to make -- three to four weeks from start to finish -- and could be on the air before mid-March."

All of this doesn't afford much time for shows to crank out a bunch of new episodes. Most will only be able to air four to six new episodes before the season wraps in May.

According to Entertainment Weekly:

• Samantha Who? may, however, have the time to air nine new episodes since its pre-strike episodes remain unaired.
• And first-year drama Gossip Girl aims to be back on the CW in late April, and could complete its 22-episode first season by running original hours through the summer.

According to The Huffington Post:

• ABC's Dirty Sexy Money and NBC's Chuck, also aren't expected until fall.
• A minimum of four weeks will also be needed for producers to get the first post-strike episode of comedies such as NBC's My Name Is Earl back on the air.

According to E! Online:

• 30 Rock is expected to produce five to nine new episodes, slated to air in April and May.
• Dexter will absolutely have a season three, but exactly when remains to be determined.
• Big Love will go back into production in March and is likely to return on HBO sometime this summer.

Lastly, Yahoo! News says that "ONLY HITS WILL RETURN. Not all of the roughly 65 scripted series bumped off prime time by the writers' strike will come back this year. Lower-rated shows whose futures already were in doubt will either be placed on hold for possible relaunch in the future or be canceled altogether, in part because networks lack the time to build up marketing campaigns for them." I've read shows such as NBC's Bionic Woman and CBS' Moonlight fall into this category and may not be returning at all.

Ooooh! New Leona Lewis Video

I love X-Factor winner Leona Lewis. I've said it before: she puts all American Idol contestants to shame! Yes I still like Kelly Clarkson.

I posted her music video premiere for the song "Bleeding Love" back in October.

Now that her debut album, Spirit, is set to be released in the states on April 8th, she's made a new U.S. version of the video.

Watch it below.



The only thing missing is the dope-ass "crystal-encrusted" Dolce & Gabbana dress she wore in the first video.

Half Man, Half Tree?!?!

I try not to be insensitive when it comes to other people's plight. But WTF?!?!

I found this YouTube video, while I was surfing around, documenting Dede, 32, who lives in a remote Indonesian village. The guy "has root like structures growing out of his body - branches that can grow up to 5cm a year and which protrude from his hands and feet, and welts covering his whole body. He is known locally as 'Tree Man' and his condition has baffled local doctors for 20 years."

At the risk of sounding ignorant, how is this even possible? Do you think this is real?

Update: Okay I watched it again. I kind of think it's the real deal.



Update: There may be hope for Dede.

Déjà vu: Britney Spears/Kristin Cavallari

Blender may have beaten Rolling Stone to the punch by putting Britney Spears on the cover of their magazine first--according to reports, Rolling Stone's Britney issue won't hits stands until a week after the March issue of Blender goes on sale.

But even with a Mouseketeer cap full of cigarette butts, Blender might as well have Photoshopped Spears' head onto the body of Laguna Beach alumna Kristin Cavallari in this photo [seen right] that was featured in a Rolling Stone pictorial in 2006.

The March issue of Blender comes out Feb. 12, in case you're wondering. I saw a preview of the article. Meh.

Song from MacBook Air Commercial

I first heard the song "New Soul" by singer songwriter Yael Naim, featuring pianist David Donatien, on the MacBook Air commercial. I liked the tune instantly--it's catchy, sweet-sounding and refreshing. I think you'll like it too.

I wasn't able to find a lot of info. about Naim on the Interweb. But what I was able to gather is that she is an Israeli musician hailing from Paris. "New Soul" is featured on her eponymously titled second album. The record is a compilation of Hebrew and English songs; a mix "between pop and folk"-- it even features a haunting, and very cool, cover of Britney Spears' "Toxic."

Enjoy the video below. And check out her official Myspace page for more info.

Valerie Plame Wilson: Not a Likeable Character

So I just finished reading the Valerie Plame Wilson memoir Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House. And I have to say, I don't really like her now.

Prior to reading the book I felt bad for her--after all top ranking members of the U.S. government played a role in outing her covert identity as a C.I.A. "operative." The betrayal ruined her career; and to say that it adversely impacted other aspects of her life would be an understatement.

But Wilson plays the victim role too well.

And she has a hard time owning to up to mistakes she made throughout her ordeal. She points the finger at other people, calling them on their blunders, when it isn't necessary-- it's a shitty tactic for trying to deflect blame off of herself.

Note to people out there who do this: it only makes you look worse.

One such example, in Wilson's case, occurs on pages 170 and 171. Wilson admits that posing for Vanity Fair magazine, alongside her husband in his Jaguar in front of the White House, probably wasn't the best idea; especially since the investigation into her leaked identity was underway; and because she was still working for the C.I.A at the time.

She says:

"Caught up in the glamorous moment and feeling somewhat beaten down, I reluctantly agreed [to pose for the magazine], but only if I could not be recognized. To be honest it was a 'what the hell' moment. I did not listen to my instincts and threw my extreme caution about public exposure to the wind."

Wilson should have just left it at that. A lapse in judgment is understandable. But annoyingly she continued. She goes on to say that she was called to the Chief's office at work where someone, known simply as Mark, gave her an angry "dressing-down" for appearing in Vanity Fair. She said she was humiliated and left his office "nearly in tears."

Then Wilson goes on to try to deflect blame, or at least attempts to make herself appear less bad.

She says:

"Almost two years later, I found out that during that very same time period [when she was given the dressing-down], he [Mark] had started an affair with someone in his direct chain of command. When I heard stories about their escapades circulating throughout the Division, I thought back to my dressing-down and mused that even Mark's judgment suffered sometimes as well."

Not very classy Valerie Plame Wilson!