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!