It has been the talk of the NBA in the past few months: whether Brooklyn native Carmelo Anthony would stay in Denver and sign a contract extension or dabble in free agency. It was almost as big (and aggravating) as when Lebron decided to go to Miami, but instead of waiting until he was a free agent, he decided to demand a trade and eventually return home to play for the Knicks mid-season.
This past weekend's NBA All-Star game was filled with "What will he do?" questions and reporters asking him about the progress of a possible trade every chance they got. There was talk about him going to the Nets, who will be moving to Carmelo's hometown in the next few years and are part-owned by hip-hop mogul Jay-Z. There was even talk about him going to the Lakers as the next big superstar to succeed Kobe Bryant. However, the trade with New York was finally official last night.
Although the Knicks were on the come-up and had to give up half of their roster, pairing Anthony with Amar'e Stoudemire will work out for the Knicks in the long-run. There is also talk about All-Star point guards Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets and Derron Williams of the Utah Jazz were both interested in following Anthony to the BIG Apple when they become free agents next summer. While I do think that it was a little immature of him to demand a trade and subsequently jam a wedge between him and the Denver Nuggets franchise, I do think that he will have a better chance to win an NBA championship with the Knicks in the long-run, not to mention a bigger market and more opportunities as far as endorsements.
I am a fan of Carmelo's, not just because he went to Syracuse like I do now, led them to an NCAA championship, and that he actually gave the college thing a try, before a one-year stay became a requirement for the NBA draft. The biggest thing that I like about him is that he seems like a classy guy and he FINALLY married my girl and fellow Brooklyn native Lala Vasquez last July after a prolonged engagement since 2004. I also love that he is 100% in the life of their son, Kiyan who was born in 2007 and is the cutest thing EVER!!!
I don't see the Knicks winning any title immediately and I sure can't say that they are going to beat my Heat (Lebron ALL DAY!!!!!) but I do think that with Carmelo, Amar'e and a point guard that is brought in, they can definitely shake up the East and bring the franchise back into the discussion. He was on Conan O'Brien last night, CONVENIENTLY right before the news broke that he was now a Knick.
It is very hard for me to imagine someone as beautiful as Janet Jackson having self-esteem issues and thinking that she is ugly.
However, the pop music icon revealed to Meredith Vieira that she has battled with not feeling good enough for years in an interview for Dateline.
Janet is one of my FAVORITE artists and I looking forward to reading her new book, True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself. In it, she talks about her struggles with body image and how she wants others to learn from her personal story. Promoting good self-esteem is one of my passions and it is refreshing to hear one of my favorite artists not only encourage this but also share her problems, especially one who is notoriously private.
Where do our feelings of being less-than come from? Why does emotional insecurity seem to follow us from the very start of our lives? If we’re going to figure that out, it might be helpful to go back to the beginning. The oldest stories are sometimes the most telling.
She also talked about her close relationship with her brother, Michael. One thing that bothered me though was when she talked about where these body image & self-esteem issues come from. It sounds eerily familiar to Michael's story, both of which say that they were constantly put down by their father, Joseph.
The 53rd Grammy Awards are going to be held next Sunday, February 13th. There will be performances by Eminem, Cee Lo Green, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry among others.
I took the time to actually buy and listen to whole albums this past year, so I was happy that some of the ones that I liked nominated for Grammys, such as The Lady Killer (Cee Lo Green), DooWops & Hooligans (Bruno Mars), and The Adventures of Bobby Ray (B.O.B.).
Here are my predictions for the 4 major categories (~Elle Shanice~ picks in BOLD):
Record Of The Year
NOTHIN' ON YOU (B.O.B. feat. Bruno Mars)
LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE (Eminem feat. Rhianna)
F*** YOU (Cee Lo Green)
EMPIRE STATE OF MIND (Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys)
NEED YOU NOW (Lady Antebellum)
I liked all 5 of these songs, but there was NO bigger song in the past year than "Empire State of Mind". This ode to the BIG Apple was an anthem for both New Yorkers AND wannabe New Yorkers (like myself). It was #1 on the Billboard Hot100 and it was even featured in the opening credits of Sex & the City 2....which was a MAJOR!!!!
Album Of The Year
THE SUBURBS (Arcade Fire)
RECOVERY (Eminem)
NEED YOU NOW (Lady Antebellum)
THE FAME MONSTER (Lady Gaga)
TEENAGE DREAM (Katy Perry)
This was a BIG year for Katy Perry; her 3rd album debuted at #1 on the US Billoard 200 chart and has three #1 singles on it ("California Gurls", "Firework" and the title track). Teenage Dream has sold 997,000 copies as of January.
Song Of The Year
BEG STEAL OR BORROW (Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs)
F*** YOU (Cee Lo Green)
THE HOUSE THAT BUILT ME (Miranda Lambert)
LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE (Eminem Featuring Rihanna)
NEED YOU NOW (Lady Antebellum)
I LOVE this song!!!! Controversial title aside, it is so catchy and I was pleasantly surprised by his album, The Lady Killer as a whole. This song was featured on the hit show Glee and peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 (although I think that it has gotten more airplay than that).
Best New Artist
JUSTIN BIEBER
DRAKE
FLORENCE & THE MACHINE
MUMFORD & SONS
ESPERANZA SPALDING
Bieber Fever is running rampant across the United States, and I don't think that anyone is going to be able to take this 16-year-old juggernaut down. His first album, My World 2.0, debuted at #1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and is certified 2xs PLATINUM!!!!! He can be seen EVERYWHERE (he was even on BET the other day).
Another season of the ATL "housewives" (using the term LOOSELY because only 3 out of 6 are married) is over...and only one word comes to mind in describing it...DRAMA!!!!!
Two new women joined the cast this season, celebrity lawyer Phaedra Parks and supermodel Cynthia Bailey, and both brought their own personality and success to the show. And of course returning cast members NeNe Leakes, Sheree Whitfield, Kandi Burruss, and Kim Zolciak brought the same antics and DRAMA that we have come to love.
This season saw a lot of ups and downs for these ladies, but it looks like they all got through it (until the reunion, of course). First off, Phaedra Parks learned how to juggle a career and motherhood, after giving birth to a beautiful baby boy named Aiden. I was turned off to Phaedra at first because of her "know-it-all" attitude and her constant referral of herself as a "southern belle". Honey, I am a SOUTHERN BELLE too, but we don't have to say it 24/7. Also, I didn't like her OVER THE TOP baby shower, "sit & see" (I am from NC & I NEVER heard of that...I think she made it up), and how she was lying about her baby's due date just to keep from admitting that she got pregnant before she got married. That is why I constantly referred to her on Twitter as "FAKEdra". However, I began to like her after she had the baby and saw that she was going to be a good mother, although she does have a husband who looks like he will take GREAT care of him too. I also LOVED her sense of humor and overall fun side (strippers...HELLO), plus how she was quick to confront Kim at the spa.
Speaking of Kim, I am 100% OVER this lady!!!!! Not only did she continue to try to sing, but she took her non-singing self ON TOUR w/ Kandi. I just can't how Kandi felt after that because I would have lost my mind w/ her calling her "slave" Sweetie all the time the whole time. I just can't take all of the wigs, smoking and drinking plus I also didn't like how she took some subtle jabs at my hometown (Charlotte, NC) when they stopped on the tour. And her love-hate relationship with NeNe is getting really old. I'm glad that she is done with "Big Papa" & moved on to her own unattached man, with whom she is expecting a baby.
I am glad that Kandi was able to make a little mini-comeback this season (even though I don't think her voice is what it once was). I am also glad that she FINALLY confronted Kim about getting her money for "Tardy for the Party". I also liked the work that she did for Lawrence, but I want to see Kandi with a LOVE interest next season, because she was getting a little too FREAKY on her web show & always talking about sex. She is supposed to be celibate but I just think she needs to get her some (LOL).
Sheree took a different road this season...no more She By Sheree for now...she's an ACTRESS now (-_-). Outside of her comical courtship with the fake doctor (which yielded its own funny moments from Sheree's gold digger/bougie mindset). But she did it legit...got a acting coach, took head shots, got an agent, and had several auditions. After all that, you would think that she would be humble and try to LEARN something...but NOOOOO. She argued w/ the panel at the audition, including a feisty Terri Vaughn...but SOMEHOW she got the part. Good luck w/ your "acting career" Sheree..SMH
Cynthia...Cynthia...Cynthia!!!!! In the "What Were You Thinking?" moment of the season, she married Peter amid ALL of their problems. They not only have money problems, they have communication problems and I don't think that they should have gotten married right then. They should have postponed their elaborate wedding (that they were scraping money together for) and just gotten married at the courthouse. A BIG wedding could have come later. I did find out a lot of things about her supermodel past & that her baby daddy is LEON (aka David Ruffin...my BOO cuz he is FINE) and that she might be a little crazy on the side (friend contracts and stuff).
Last but not least is my FAVORITE housewife is the one who may not be a "housewife" for much longer...NeNe Leakes!!!! Unfortunately, her marital problems were blasted in the media and on the show, but I am still glad that she tackled them head on & didn't try to downplay them. Of course, NeNe is OVER THE TOP but she keeps it real & doesn't apologize for it, which is why I keep watching. I do think that she needs to kick her "scrub" of a son Bryson OUT of her house, and I think she needs to work it out if she can with her husband, Gregg. She is a true character who comes up with the BEST one-liners and punchlines, plus some of the best moment of the season came from NeNe, like the infamous "slave" comment on the bus to her "Michael Jackson" joke (too soon???) after her nose surgery. I hope she gets a spin-off although I do think her spats with Kim do make for good TV.
The reunion is next Sunday, February 13th on Bravo!. The DRAMA should be at an ALL-TIME high & I can't wait!!!! Here is a preview:
