This was a tricky engagement. It was a singles party organised by Safra and SDU at a discotheque – Dragonfly at St James Power Station. The place was packed and the light is very dim. I came prepared with my battery operated LED light which is bright enough to illuminate the face of the person in front of me as well as my drawing board. Managed to position myself in a corner and started drawing in a standing position. Its fun to draw with good music in the background and its very entertaining for the guests who is in a good party mood and laughing at each others drawing helps to break the ice.

Sat on the bus thinking about song titles, because I had to check my iPod everytime a cool song came on, what the name of the song was. I don`t remember the song now – but it sparked the idea to set up top ten greatest song titles!

Now, this list holds my top ten greatest song titles, and when I made this list it also had to make sense how good the song was. Off course the song has to match the title. So here it is – what do you think? What would your top ten list be?

The titles are linked to the song in Spotify. Dont have Spotify – send me a comment and I will send you an invite.

Number 10 : Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley

Number 9: Regulate – Warren G & Nate Dogg

Number 8: Shout – Lulu And The Luvvers

Number 7: Paradise City – Guns`n Roses

Number 6: For The Love Of Money – The O`Jays

Number 5: Cobrastyle – Teddybears feat. Mad Cobra

Number 4: Smack My Bitch Up – The Prodigy

Number 3: Something In Your Mouth – Nickelback

Number 2: Koochy – Armand Van Helden

The number one greatest song title is : Blood On The Dancefloor – Michael Jackson !

Please leave a shout if any videolinks are dead!

I apologise for not having blogged in a little bit.  Real life has kinda taken over, and if you follow me on twitter (please do!!! – I have my latest tweets on the right —> ) then you’ll have an idea why.  Basically, although I’ve been open that I’m slightly envious of the fact that Mike likes someone other than me, and that other person seems to like him back (although there are marriages, children and mixed signals thrown into the mix), I’ve been handling it pretty well.  Yep, that’s right, you spotted the past tense.  Well, I’m handling it well again now.  But we had our Christmas meal on Friday night, and I might have got a little bit paranoid and possessive.  Allow me to elaborate.

Mike & me are HBICs on our course.  We do more or less everything together, we are friendly with everyone and everyone knows us as the smokers / naughty guys talking dirty at the back of the class / dedicated and working in the library on the sly / fun and easy to talk to / the ones who organise the social events on the course.  The third person in our equation is someone Mike noticed early on, but has only been included in our circle the last few weeks.  I knew that Mike was developing feelings before he admitted it to me, but it is still hard to accept.  I know he’s a straight married man, but what does a not-stunning 33-yo woman with 2 kids, an overly-possessive husband and an average wardrobe have on me?  Ok, she is a lovely lovely person, and admittedly has sparkling blue eyes and a shapely butt. But I’m 24, I apparently “look immaculate” (Julie), am “very pretty / beautiful” (Mike!!! and others), I can sing, dance, write and produce my own music, I smoke, play piano and guitar, I’m quite intelligent and “articulate” (Leanne) and “really good to talk to and understanding” (Penny, Emma, Mike).  What the fuck more can I do?  How many more hoops do I have to jump through?  I’m missing the point.  Sexuality is sexuality, although I firmly believe that although you can definitely be instantly attracted to physical traits, ultimately the body is the wrapping and the gift is the person inside (I mean that not in a sexual way, but in an emotional / spiritual / personal way).  Somewhere along the line, he’s my best friend but he doesn’t see all of who I am – otherwise if he has feelings for the woman, he certainly would have feelings for me as we share a good heart and a love of innuendo.  I’m going over old territory here, but although he’s my best friend at university and I utterly cherish that, sometimes it’s maddening that I can’t have more.

Anyway, I admit I’ve been a bit envious.  But I’ve also been more than there for him as much as I can, despite my own feelings for him (which he knows about).  The day of our Christmas meal, I was feeling extremely nervous and on edge, despite telling myself that they are adults, they can do whatever they like and it’s not my job nor my place to keep them apart.  I felt that I didn’t want Mike to be regretting anything the next day, that I might be a bad friend if I let him down by not keeping him rational, and that I would have my heart hurt in the process.  I played “Russian Roulette” multiple times, since that song, those lyrics and the whole Rated R album seem to be the story of my life right now, and nervously arrived at Mike’s house.  For a while I felt fine – we got to the restaurant, Mike said that after we went for late-night drinks and conversation the night before he was feeling more balanced about it all, I was confident and happy.  But then she eventually arrived, I felt the focus slipping away from me, I ended up having a lot to drink (note: 5 sambuca shots in one go is never a good idea), and then my hitherto good handle on the whole situation (which admittedly I had been managing pretty well, considering it’s a lot to bear) flew out the window.  I had to corral our whole group (who were splitting off in various directions, somewhat annoyingly – again I blame the alcohol!) into BSB on Corn Street, and then no matter how much I danced, smoke or drank, I couldn’t help but keep looking back at the two of them chatting in the corner.  In short, I was driving myself crazy, and Mike knew that I was really tense.  Apparently I said a couple of not-so-nice things about how little I trusted her (the drink talking, not that that’s an excuse), and I was dashing on and off the dancefloor and in and out of the club like a crazy person trying to keep my emotions and sanity in check, and then failing miserably.  I didn’t offend anyone, I didn’t do anything stupid or say anything revealing – I even managed to cover for the two of them when an observant Jenny remarked “how close they are… I wonder if they like each other?” (my reply – “Nah, we’re all just close friends” before linking my arm through Mike’s).  I am a good friend and my heart was and is in the right place.  But that night, my head was not.  More than my own envy or my own feelings, I wanted to be a good friend to Mike and stop him from doing anything he would regret in the long term.

At the end of the night me and Mike were walking back from dropping Jenny and her at the car park, and we had a little talk.  I was in a very bad mood, and it took me a while to work out why.  I called Mike to apologise for my mood, and he said it was ok, and I offered to explain what it was tomorrow.  First thing next morning, he texted me to ask how I was and why I had been feeling down.  I explained, he said I didn’t have anything to apologise for and not to worry or think so much. (For the record, “don’t think so much” is an astute but lousy piece of advice!!!)  I felt silly all weekend, but I thought that things were going to be ok and I was looking forward to seeing him on Monday.  Since I had his house key, I had arranged to give him that back.  Fast forward to Saturday night – Mike isn’t replying to my texts (this is unusual behaviour!), I was feeling fed up, caged at home, and decided to go out with Nick to a party and get drunk.  I had a fantastic time, and although I still had Mike at the back of my mind (or midway, maybe), it was whatever.  Life goes on.

Sunday I was in Starbucks working on my essay, when I get a call from Mike (after not replying to another text of mine telling him I had a crazy dream where we were both mercenaries undercover at an underground Nazi gathering led by Daniel Craig, except Mike was being hunted by the police for drug trafficking… yeah) to ask me if I was at home, and if I could give him his house key.  I had his key in my bag so I met him and his nephew Jack outside Harvey Nichols, handed it over (along with some tobacco, since I had run out of cigarettes on Friday night and smoked several of his rollies… it was also a little bit of an “apology offering”) and we had brief conversation.  Once again, everything seemed fine.  But then in the evening, we had texts which went unanswered, others which were answered and I just didn’t know where I stood.  Obviously I was overreacting, but nevertheless I couldn’t stop my own guilty feelings from colouring my judgement and thinking that I might have ruined our friendship.

Monday comes, I’m talking with Henna outside university when Mike rolls up.  He’s fine, but melancholy.  I apologised, we talked a lot about Friday, but things just weren’t the same.  He seemed glum, I was sad, and although we were talking and spending time together it just wasn’t the same. No innuendos, no physical contact, and at one point he thought I was in a piss with him (when I wasn’t!) and I explained what I was feeling and he said that “although I promised I’d never hit you, if you keep worrying then I will!”  Despite that, it was like our friendship was a shadow of its former self.  I texted him in the evening, but no reply once again.  I felt like I was being punished when I had apologised, been told there was nothing to apologise for and not to worry about it!  I felt like I really was a product of my mother’s emotional fuckery and my father’s control freakishness, and yet I couldn’t stop my brain from over-analysing every little thing (I apologise to Nick, Adam, Nana and everyone else I stressed out to over the past few days – y’all are so understanding and I really appreciate it.  Thankyou. ).  I felt so down, that after everything our close friendship had been somehow ruined, that despite my ability to be truly honest with Mike about my deepest darkest secrets and tell him things I can’t remember telling anyone, he couldn’t come correct to me and tell me what the matter was.

This morning I waited for him at our usual block, on edge and feeling sorta upset.  We met up and went to the library, he apologised for not replying to my text (I pretended it was nothing) and the black cloud persisted for a while.  But I soon realised that it wasn’t to do with me – in fact, I was the only person he could spend time with but still be honest about his moods.  I didn’t press him, but I realised that his home situation was really getting him down.  I offered him reassurance, friendship and a hug where appropriate, and tried to give him space.  As the day went on, we perked up (despite the fact we were writing an essay!) and I felt finally reassured that I still had his friendship, and that I can’t be responsible for him always being in a good mood, or for him being down.  His being sad makes me feel sad for him, but however much I might drink on a night out or however much guilt I feel, I can’t hold myself responsible for his moods, no matter how good friends we end up being.  I learned that I really do take things too personally, that I can’t turn my brain or heart off however much it might be convenient sometimes, and that I can be someone’s best friend but I can’t stop them from making a mistake – all I can do is be there for them, give them space to breathe and a shoulder to lean on when they need it.  This weekend was an emotional rollercoaster for me, but it wasn’t without its lessons and I try to take that away from it.  Drinking and love doesn’t mix, and you can only hide your heart under a façade for so long before it nevertheless starts to chip. Now I’m repairing myself and we’re all taking a deep breath and gradually going back to normal, and that’s a relief.  But I promise not to forget what I’ve learned this weekend, and I appreciate (once again) my friendships so much.

By Michael MacLeod

A HOGMANAY disco inferno was sparked when a top Scottish DJ launched two giant fireworks into a nightclub.

Fire rained onto the dancefloor from the ceiling of Edinburgh’s Luna club moments after the midnight bells between 2008 and 2009.

Some booze-fuelled clubbers danced around the falling flames chanting: “The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire.”

But others suffered burns after the fire melted a plastic cargo net on the ceiling, sending a stream of flames across the 650-capacity room.

DJ Jason Cortez claimed he was wrongly advised that the six-metre pyrotechnics were suitable for indoor use.

But a Sheriff slammed his “unbelievable attitude” today (Tuesday), saying it was fortunate nobody had died.

Sheriff Graeme Warner compared the blaze to a nightclub tragedy in Russia earlier this month, for which the death-toll is currently 148.

Hardcore dance, house and trance DJ Cortez, 33 – real name Jason Cormack from Wester Hailes in Edinburgh – was fined £1,000 at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

He was due to stand trial but yesterday admitted responsibility for a catalogue of fire safety failures at the Picardy Place venue on January 1.

Video shown in court

He blamed a Glasgow supplier, insisting he was given fireworks with a range twice the height of those he ordered.

A three-minute video was shown in court of the aftermath of the firework blunder.

Fiscal Depute Gillian More said: “He has pled guilty to failing to carry out an adequate fire safety assessment.

“On arrival the fire and rescue service were told two fireworks had been ignited.

“They had set fire and burned away plastic netting above the stage and the fire crew entered and extinguished it.

“Two pyrotechnic devices were discovered on the stage.”

Luna’s general manager David Ross had the same charges against him dropped after Cormack admitted sole responsibility for the New Year bash.

“People had been burnt”

He pleaded with police later on New Year’s Day during an interview, saying “I didn’t intend to put anyone’s life at risk.”

He told them: “I organised the firework display tonight but I didn’t know I should have fire service approval first.

“I saw the ceiling netting falling and we started to evacuate people.

“I found out later that people had been burnt.”

When asked if he undertook a fire safety risk assessment, he said: “The company I bought them from said the conversation we had was a form of risk assessment.

“I was relying on the expertise of the company to supply me with the correct equipment.

“But I was unaware of the height restriction on the firework and I have no experience or training with indoor pyrotechnics.

“If I had any doubts about the firework I wouldn’t have set it off.”

Having played alongside some of the world’s biggest DJs, including Italy’s Mauro Picotto, and had songs played on BBC Radio 1’s Judge Jules show, Cormack is now jobless and on benefits.

“In financial ruin”

His defence agent Angus McLennan said: ““He is in financial ruin as a result of this.

“He ran his own business as an events manager and was also paid by this nightclub.

“It was a very unfortunate set of circumstances and very fortunately there wasn’t any tragedy arising out of this.

“It was thanks to the fire service and actions of staff that there wasn’t any more significant injury than being burnt by molten plastic.

“He had spoken to the company in Glasgow who supplied the fireworks, specifically a friend who was familiar with Luna.

“There was a suggestion these particular fireworks were suitable.

“Ultimately the wrong fireworks had been supplied.

“He set off the fireworks at midnight expecting them to go up three metres and instead they travelled six metres up causing the net to catch alight.

“Some people were treating this occurrence as part of the entertainment of the night.”

After watching a video of the fire, Sheriff Warner told Cormack that the maximum fine for breaching the Fire Act was £20,000.

“Foolhardy”

He said: “I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you I recall seeing an incident in the news recently about a similar event in Russia where over 100 were killed.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the comparison.

“It seems to me that to even consider setting off fireworks indoors was grossly risky and to say the least a bit foolhardy.

“You may as well have given a child a revolver handgun and then expressed astonishment when an injury occurs.

“I had in my mind a fine of £5,000 while I was watching the video.

“Your attitude was almost unbelievable in these days of health and safety.

“You had no risk assessment and no knowledge other than a chat with a guy who had been in the club once.

“It almost beggars belief.”

Only “sheer luck prevented a more catastrophic outcome” according to Mike Partington, the group manager of Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue’s Fire Safety Department.

“Warning to others”

He said: “This incident highlighted very worrying breaches in public safety and management control. There is no doubt that it was sheer luck which prevented a more catastrophic outcome.

“The decision to use fireworks indoors with no risk assessment carried out to consider the implications, put the lives of 400 clubbers celebrating the end of the year in serious jeopardy.

“Most shocking was footage shot from inside the club which showed clubbers dancing whilst burning debris fell from the roof. They were clearly oblivious to the danger they were in.

“When the fire service arrived there were still a number of people inside the premises and no sign of an organised evacuation process.

“Three people suffered burns from molten plastic and required medical attention.

“We want to stress that duty holders have a responsibility to ensure premises are safe for their customers.

“We are happy to give advice and help individuals and businesses comply with their obligations. But in cases where we find there has been a negligent approach to fire safety we will investigate and where appropriate report offenders to the procurator fiscal.

“We hope the outcome of these court proceedings will serve as a warning to others who hold positions of responsibility for the safety of the public.

“To neglect the importance of these responsibilities could quite literally cost lives.”

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

http://www.cobblestonejazz.com/

http://www.myspace.com/cobblestonejazzmathewjonson

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ou http://depositfiles.com/files/ooibh4spn
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By Michael MacLeod

A SHERIFF Court staff night out turned sour when a jealous clubber smashed a glass over a woman’s head for kissing her boyfriend on the dancefloor.

Window-dresser Emma McCulloch, 20, saw red when her boyfriend kissed a woman twice her age.

She stormed across the dancefloor in Edinburgh’s trendy Shanghai nightclub and poured her drink over Lorraine Cairns’ head.

Before Miss Cairns had a chance to explain that she had only got a peck on the cheek, McCulloch walked away and threw the empty glass over her shoulder, shattering on the Sheriff Clerk office worker’s head.

Victim Miss Cairns, 40, was today (Friday) paid £100 compensation as part of McCulloch’s £300 fine.

A non-resident sheriff had to be drafted into Edinburgh Sheriff Court to hear the case from an impartial viewpoint.

“She threw a glass over her shoulder”

The attack happened just 20 minutes before the George Street nightclub was due to close for the night on January 18, according to fiscal depute Trevor Smith.

He said: “Miss Cairns was dancing with her friends and colleagues when a male friend approached her and kissed her on the cheek.

“On being kissed, she was aware of being approached by McCulloch who pushed the male.

“On walking away she threw a glass over her shoulder which hit Miss Cairns on the head, causing a cut.

“When spoken to by police she said she had no intention of hitting her on the head with the glass.”

Miss Cairns, of Bilston in Midlothian, was treated by first aid staff at the night club and did not need to go to hospital.

“very serious indeed”

Defence agent Andrew Gilbertson said McCulloch, of Polton Street in Bonnyrigg, “deeply regrets” injuring Miss Cairns.

He said: “The male concerned was Emma McCulloch’s boyfriend and she spotted him in the arms of this older woman.

“She threw her drink over the complainer then turned on her heels and threw the glass.

“She deeply regrets doing this.

“She is still in a relationship with the male.”

Fining her £300, Sheriff Raymond McMenamin told her: “This was, no matter your reason, an act which could have been very serious indeed.

“There is no excuse for your behaviour.

“However, taking into account your circumstances and early plea, I can deal with the matter by way of imposing a monetary penalty and compensation order for the victim.”

See more of our pictures at our Flickr site and videos at our dedicated channel,  Deadline TV.

Hi everybody,

today´s first blog entry is about Julia Collection. I have blogged Julez Odigaunt`s  amazing opening freebie here.  You must visit this store! I am in love with every single piece there,  even I am  not into this kind of furnishing. But I could watch Julez` creations for hours. The wealth of ideas, stunning textures and colors, and all the little details amaze me. Oh well, I know … a customer only  gaping at the  goods  in pure delight is not the best for the sellers business I think, there´s a good chance that all in a sudden I  make  a purchase. Denying that  I have no use and no free prims  for more furniture. This would not be the first time )

Mini Backyard Park with poses  – Down The Chimney Hunt Gift

Look for Santa`s book. Hint: the book makes me sleepy

Vine Swing – Frostbitten Hunt Gift

Look for snowflakes. Hint: where do a goldfish go when it´s dead?

Velvet Chair with different poses & Dance Floor with “Private Dance”-Animation – Bitten Hunt (Bitten Path)  Gift

I have to admit I am confused with all the hunts. Is the Bitten Hunt the same as the Frostbitten Hunt?  I found a  red snowflake  behind anything on the 2nd floor (hint, hint *cough*).  However, I found this great gift

Happy Hunting!

A big Thank-you over to Julia Collection!

****

Skin Katherine – Free Speerit

Hair Sophia blonde – Vignette

Tweed jacket & Tweed Capri pants – Prelude

Stilettos – HOC Apparel

c’est vendredi. Après une semaine de dur labeur, on va enfin pouvoir aller se faire refouler à l’entrée des boites à la mode, ou si ce n’est pas le cas, claquer la paye de la semaine dans une tournée de malibu-ananas, avant de chauffer les meufs sur le dancefloor.
Ca va être bon putain.

No dancing on this surface (London 2005) ©DVLS

Non j’déconne, je ne sors pas le week-end, y’a trop de monde, pas assez de taxis, trop de saloperies de djeunz.

Ou alors rapide, juste un petit tour à la Fav’ pour me trémousser sous les ordres de Mademoiselle Stéphanie, et au Régine pour découvrir le son de La Peña.

En plus j’ai révisé ma danse du Robot, ce serait du gâchis de l’avoir fait pour rien

http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/61075970/file.html

(clicky) Quiet Storm (album download) (clicky)

Okay, this is the final part of the stories behind the tracks on my album Quiet Storm.  Parts 1, 2 and 3 can be viewed if you click on those little numbers, and I want to thank everyone once and again for supporting my album and my blog.  I really appreciate it, and I hope that these behind-the-music notes have added a little to your enjoyment of my music.  On with the show!

18. Role Model (Interlude)

This was originally an entire song which was a rap song with a sung chorus. You can hear the original full version on my High Fashion mixtape but although the lyrics were kinda cool, I wasn’t too keen on my flow in places and I thought that I would rather not have the raps as part of my album.  Nevertheless, I appreciated the idea of the chorus and feeling misrepresented in society as a young person, a gay man, a singer, my music tastes, where I come from, my heritage… all those things are categorised and yet how many of us actually fit the stereotypes for those categories?  I felt that it led into the next song well, as it is about exposing who I am as a person, and not letting anyone’s pigeon holes or preconceived notions dictate who I am.  This is me, and this is…

19. The Truth

This song is probably the most heartfelt I’ve been in any of my songs recorded to date.  It discusses my relationship with my family, life and death, my emotional state and insecurities, my childhood, my education, and music.  It is the truth of who I am – sometimes we feel sad or hard done by, and other times we remember how happy we have been and whatever happens, we just have to keep going and get on with it anyway.  This song is a bit scratchy due to the fact that I have recorded myself playing acoustic guitar on the track (yes, that is me!) and it didn’t work perfectly, though I think it did the job.  I liked the guitar and the piano and the beat – it combined together well to be a midtempo R&B joint that was musically quite stable and almost sunny, yet anchored in place by some really heavy lyrics.  I thought it would originally have been the album closer, but then you’ll see I changed my mind about that.

20. Last Chance

I wanted the last song proper on the album to be a dance song – something that really went out with a bang! I decided this because sometimes (in keeping with the nocturnal theme of the album) you’re not ready to go home at the end of a night, until the DJ has played one final song that really gets you to annihilate the dancefloor and you can just let yourself go with the music before calling it a wrap.  This song is that song – I was inspired by “Work” by Ciara (sampled on the track!), “Get Me Bodied” by Beyoncé, “Boom Boom Pow” by the Black Eyed Peas and just any song that really makes me want to move.  Other songs sampled in this are Paulina Rubio’s “Sexi Dance” (at the very end when the track fades out) which gives the song a late-night / early morning sensuous hue, and Beethoven’s “Für Elise” – just because it worked! I was crafting this track for a really long time, and between utilising the beat at the end of “All Night Long” to give the album a sense of circularity and closure, and trying to really fire up the beats and make them incendiary, I just tried to be as crazy as possible.  The rap, the off-kilter song structure with multiple hooks and instrumental at the beginning, the extended coda – it’s really going for broke! And that was what I wanted for the last song.

21. Close

To once again fit with the theme of closure and circularity, this is the “outro” of the album, to pair with the “Open” intro – again, I wanted to use the word “Close” in two different ways, both signifying the end of the album and also bringing in the idea of just wanting someone to hold you close, and desiring that intimacy (not necessarily sexually) at the end of the night, just before the sun rises and you’re feeling contemplative.

22. Lucky To Have You (Bonus Track)

My grandfather passed away during the creation of this album, and I remember being at Oxford and hearing on the telephone from my mother and grandmother that his health was really deteriorating. I wrote this song to comfort him (though he never heard it, and neither has anyone else in my family) as he passed away – I wasn’t allowed to go home and see him because it was in the middle of my finals, and he died and the funeral was held all while I was stuck in Oxford and expressly forbidden to come home.  I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forget that – feeling so helpless far away and yet just glad his suffering was over (his illness was long and protracted).  This song is really personal and dedicated to him; it doesn’t fit with the rest of the album, but I nevertheless wanted to include it somewhere so I thought a bonus track was the best opportunity.

—

That’s it!  Once again, please download my album if you haven’t already, and check out my blog! Thanks for all the support – I really appreciate it and I’ll keep the posts coming!

(clicky) Quiet Storm (album download) (clicky)

This was a spanish class assignment I had. unfortunately I had to write a  story about crabs because my spanish teacher hates homosexuals.                      

  1.)I could see the sun rising, through the large window of the airport Starbucks I sat in. 2.) Faceless people from all over the world passed without acknowledging my existence. 3.)I still haven’t grown used to not having you with me, I wish I could have told you how i feel before your departure. 4.)You wouldn’t care anyways, I’m just a reject who stepped into the warmth of you life, only to be left in the cold of my own sorrow. 5.)Your probably not interested in people of your own gender any- 6.)My thoughts were interrupted by the most beautiful face I’ve ever seen. 7.) I wanted to reach out and touch you just to make sure you were real, but my body was completely frozen. 8.) suddenly, your lips were pressed against mine, I could read your emotions through your lips and I knew your loved me too. 9.) I could feel the caffeine race through my veins, along with my newly found happiness. 10.) “Come with me.” You said. I don’t know exactly where you were going, but no matter what it was the place I wanted to be.♥

A atmosfera disco, o hedonismo, a experimentação visual da década
de 80 e a cena efervescente da noite paulistana dos anos 90 foram
o ponto de partida para a criação da Danceteria, nova festa semanal
comandada pelo promoter Rodrigo Fernandes, que estréia no dia 12
de Novembro no Hot Hot, em São Paulo.

LEIA MAIS NOS SITES
:: SORTIMENTOS.COM >> http://www.sortimentos.net/?p=4188
:: GEBBEG >> http://gebbeg.com.br/?p=7242

.

//not my photo.

Estelle began to get involved with the Forever Angels charity when she went to visit some of her family in Mwanza in Tanzania.
Estelle and husband Scott Maslen started by sponsoring a child and the relationship has since evolved as she is at the moment helping the charity to get celebrities involved for the Forever Angels Ball in London on the 13th Nov with the guest list growing every day, so much so that Hello! magazine are covering the event!

As for her music, we are getting closer every day, we were in the studio with her a few weeks ago and got a nice idea of how her debut Ep is going to sound, gigantic is the word, really looking forward to it! I even hear a video is on it’s way featuring some great cameo’s and Estelle as a sexy ‘1940’s private detective!

EDIT: peep the full Rated R album review HERE!

Thankyou to everyone for reading my review of Rihanna’s first single “Russian Roulette”, from her forthcoming album Rated R. Together, you guys have made it the most popular post out of all of the posts on my blog!  So I really appreciate that.  If you get a moment, please also take a look and a listen to my new album, Quiet Storm, available on this post here.

So since my review of “Russian Roulette” seems to have gone down well, I thought that I would review the other songs that we now have from Rated R, which are: “Wait Your Turn”, “Te Amo” and the recently-leaked “Hard”.

Wait Your Turn

Before “Russian Roulette” was officially released on Rihanna’s website, there was a metallic “R” (her new logo, as you can see in her album cover above) and a countdown timer bearing the message “The Wait Is Ova”; that message is this song’s main refrain.  Although the production of the song is suitably dark and the lyrics are tough, the song takes a while to stick in the listener’s mind, especially as the chorus seems somewhat weak.  Out of all the songs we’ve heard from Rated R so far, this is the weakest track, despite the fact it is the first one we have a video for:

The plus sides to this song: Rihanna embodies swagger, which comes across in both the dark, grainy video with her strutting through various shadowy landscapes in fashionable outfits, and in the thick island accent she employs on the verses: “I pitch wit a grenaaayaaaade”! The electric guitar in the background amplifies the song’s confidence.  Overall, it’s not awful, but still far from Rihanna’s best, and falls short as a declaration that she is ‘back’ – if anything, it plays more like a buzz single than a confident statement of intent.

Te Amo

This song was the first track to be leaked from Rated R, though nobody knew this at the time; it only became apparent when the album’s tracklisting included this title.  Of course, it’s possible that the song may have been remixed or improved with additional production / vocals, but the song as we have it currently is an undulating, mid-tempo ballad (if there can be such a thing).  Rihanna sings about a female friend who tries to express her love for her while they dance together; however, Rihanna is happy to have a friendship but wants nothing more.  Nevertheless, their dance is depicted with a sense of romance and longing, and the sadness in her voice when she sings “‘Te amo’, somebody tell me what she said, don’t it mean ‘I love you’?” is palpable.

The setting of a dancefloor “underneath the candelabra”, followed by seemingly walking along the beach gives the song an exotic setting to match with its use of Spanish phrasing.  Production wise, this track could have easily fit within Good Girl Gone Bad, but nevertheless it carries itself well and along with “Russian Roulette”, displays Rihanna’s more vulnerable side, which contrasts with…

Hard

The most recently-leaked of the Rated R tracks, this song really does go hard!  The most urban of the Rated R tracks (and it features a rap from Young Jeezy), it once again embodies swagger and non-stick confidence.  ”Meet me at the top top top, it’s gettin’ lonely”… Rihanna sees herself as a “lion”, a fierce defender of her crown as a survivor (hmm, of what? Chris Brown and domestic violence? Bloggers and haters (who are picked up on in the lyrics)? General negativity and envy?) and as a superstar.  The clashing drums and sinister trumpets give the song a menacing, dense backbeat over which Rihanna yells what sounds like a call to arms.  It’s a very confrontational song in its production, vocal delivery (none of the light fluff of “Shut Up And Drive” here!) and lyrics: the opening lyric in one way says it all: “They can say whatever, I can do whatever, no pain is forever, yep, you know this”.

Out of the three songs, “Hard” is probably the best of the bunch, and I’ve heard some people saying that it should have been the first single.  I think that a video for this track has to happen, as Rihanna’s dark fashionista style and haughty pout would suit the message of the song perfectly; it’s easy for me to imagine the video for “Wait Your Turn” suiting this track much better.

Nevertheless, both “Hard” and “Te Amo”, like “Russian Roulette”, are promising indicators of an album which shows not only a growing maturity but also a hardening and darkening of Rihanna’s persona and style (only “Wait Your Turn” is a bit of a disappointment). Whether this is a result of just being older and more experienced in the music industry, having survived her turbulent relationship and subsequent media hoopla in the past year, or worshipping Satan (!!!!!!!!!!! I had to LOL when I read that story!  But you never know…), it seems like Rated R will be a cohesive work and an evolution from Good Girl Gone Bad.  Whether the new album has the hit factor that its predecessor contained is debatable – Good Girl Gone Bad was an album chock full of production-savvy uptempos and attitude-laced bangers that might prove hard to top – but what’s evident is that Rihanna’s not afraid to do something different from the other big females in the game, and she’s not afraid to take it to a darker place, as evidenced by the “Wait Your Turn” video.  I eagerly await the album, and when it leaks, you know that you’ll be able to catch my review of it right here soon after!  Thanks for your support, keep it locked kids

Eurodance, often called Dancefloor in Europe, is a genre that focuses on heavy and exciting danceable beats. Usually there is a male rapper and female for the chorus. E-Rotic — being one of my personal favorites — is a prime example of Dancefloor. When I expose E-Rotic to people at first they are taken back by the very VERY  sexual-as-hell lyrics.  (My lova lova lova King Kong do it right Oh Baby ! It’s a ping pong deep inside I want your ding I want your dong I want your ringa ding dong My King Kong). Honestly though these lyrics were not written to be taken seriously. You want a serious pop song you look up new queen diva Lady Gaga….. Seriously don’t just listen to what you hear on the radio, or even the album, seriously listen to her live stuff. Bitch will move you and make you think different about pop music almost guaranteed. Anyway, when it comes to Eurodance, the lyrics are just a fun bonus — for me it’s the beat. My mind is going a mile a minute, way too fast for a normal reality. But when I listen to the fast pace happy music my mind is finally able to keep up and for once I’m able to relax because my mind doesn’t feel like it’s in a hurry.

Note: Parts of this were discussed in much more detail in Alvi and Ace’s latest Pop!Sesh, which will be up as soon as we’re finished transcribing!

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