I just stumbled across a great site that reviews EVERY lush soap product EVER.  Lushie.com! While many of the reviews are for now discontinued products, lots of the perennial stand-bys are there, and it’s a bit of a heartbreaking trip down Lush-memory lane. It seems Lush has discontinued more amazing products than most lines will ever have. I mean, Sparkle Bars? Come on! (The Glitterbug is all we have left, it seems, of a once proud Sparkle Bar tradition…) The site also offers interesting tidbits that novice Lush fans like myself might not know; the Mange Too massage bar is edible!? that black stuff on Demon In The Dark is not soap?!

In addition to that little morsel, I’m also gonna chuck a quick review of the EOS lip balm egg into this entry.

I’ve been seeing this balm around the blogs for awhile now and finally picked it up, but, I gotta say, it’s not worth all the hype it’s getting. The round packaging is interesting but a waste of space, and the rubberized exterior (rather like NARS’s packaging) is a dust and grit magnet. The rounded balm inside is very imprecise to apply so it’s all too easy to end up with “greasy mouth,” and as my roommate pointed out, some people might feel that the inner dome of balm “grosses them out.” In the plus column the scent is amazing (I got Summer Fruit) and lingers for, literally, 15 minutes. Surprisingly, it has no flavor, but that’s good becaues sweet balms just encourage you to lick your lips more and get in the vicious cycle of dryness. Is it worth it? Well, since I bought it I have been applying it obsessively for the delicious smell, but if you’re covered in the balm department (which I more than am) you should just walk on by.

especially when your big sister is international star Dionne Warwick. Hell, even the French call her the black pearl!

enter Delia Mae “Dee Dee” Warwick

I thought of her today since it’s been slightly over a year since this member of the Drinkard Music dynasty that gave us her, her sister Dionne, her aunt Cissy Houston and her cousin, Whitney Houston (*CRACK IS WHACK* sorry, you can’t help yourself with that now can you) passed away at age 63… and also how much it really sucks to be a very very talented person… in the shadow of your big sister, possibly because she’s thinner or more attractive.. or by the realities of birth order, just got to grab the brass ring first.

But Dee Dee also had the misfortune of recording great songs, for what I assume are labels with no idea how to promote them. Betty Everett can’t claim Linda Ronstandt stole “You’re No Good” from her (despite the extremely familiar arrangement) cause Dee Dee did the grinding original. Nor can Madeline Bell get all butthurt that The Supremes/Temptations version of “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” totally eclipsed her top 40 version a short 7 months later… since her version eclisped poor Dee Dee’s sweet original.

It’s enough to think a great soul sister should give up trying… but… then there were still stellar moments like her fantastic song about being totally embarassed by your husbands mistress, who has no clue he’s actually married, at a dinner party in “She Didn’t Know (She Kept on Talking).” I love how despite how angry and hurt Dee Dee sings the song, she seems most upset that her husband is fucking this brainless idiot.

The odd thing is, if you were to listen to Dee Dee not knowing who she was related to, you’d probably think she sounded familiar. Despite having a more deeply rooted alto than her older sister and her aunt, there is a similarity in tonality and phrasing between all 3 relatives that to me shows, “oh here’s a group of people that grew up singing together.”

Also, if you give her Mercury years a good listen you’ll get to see where early 1960s New York Uptown soul found it’s way up the Hudson River to Albany and basically died trying to absorb every trend in R&B within it’s smooth nonchalant gait, from Phil Spector pulverizing drumming (“You Don’t Know What You Do To Me” you can barely hear Dee Dee, a strong singer, in the center of the mono mix, a lot like the way he drowned out The Cystals) and weird Vandellas/Aretha hybrids (“Worth Ev’ry Tear I Cry”).

Long as she’s not the forgotten lil sis.. I’m totally ok with that.

(after the Gene McDaniels Phil Spector alike, Dee Dee sings her first two real chart successes, “I Want To Be With You” and “We’re Doing Fine.” We’re Doing Fine is one of my favorites)

By Nickie Wang

American singer Dionne Warwick’s concert at the Araneta Coliseum pushed through last Friday, Oct. 2, despite inclement weather, but only 17 percent of the tickets were sold.

Songstress Dionne Warwick

The concert, dubbed A Memorable Evening with Dionne, which was fronted by local R&B singer Jay-R and a band called Flow, was delayed for an hour because of poor attendance. It was scheduled to start at 8 p.m.

The concert came in the wake of storm Ondoy’s wrath, which left hundreds dead and thousands homeless. President Gloria Arroyo had already declared the entire country in a state of calamity, in anticipation of yet another typhoon, Peping, which was expected to hit landfall during the weekend.

According to the organizers, text messages circulating before the concert claimed that Peping had been upgraded to Category 5 and that power would be cut by 9 p.m. (later refuted by Pagasa) had already  affected the ticket sales.

Around 400 people showed up to watch the 68-year-old songstress perform in a venue with a maximum seating capacity of 15,000. And just like her previous concerts, Warwick did not do an encore. She opened the concert with her classic hit “Walk On By.”

According to some members of entertainment press who attended the concert, people were asked to move forward and occupy the empty seats in the VIP and patron areas.

“The concert was okay, she’s Dionne Warwick and we already know how she performs. The only thing that we didn’t like was when the time she spoke with the crowd, her voice was very soft. We could hardly hear her,” said one of the concert attendees.

Warwick, who is the aunt of Whitney Houston, is popular for hits like “I Say A Little Prayer,” “A House Is Not A Home,” “Always Something There To Remind Me,” to name a few.

When Warwick arrived on Oct. 1, she said that the proceeds of the event will be donated to the victims of storm Ondoy.

Australian duo Air Supply

Meanwhile, sales from Air Supply’s Now & Forever concert the following day were respectable enough to consider the show a success. According to Oscar San Pedro, the concert’s publicist, more than 4,000 people attended the event, which was also held at the Araneta Coliseum a day after Dionne Warwick’s concert.

“For this type of event, the number of people who attended [the concert] is enough for us to say that it’s very successful. Despite the bad weather condition, people still went out to watch the band’s sixth concert here in the Philippines. And the concert started right on time,” San Pedro said.

The publicist furthered that the income of the Air Supply’s concert will also be donated to the victims of floods caused by the recent storm.

Benefit concert

Considering the weather condition in Metro Manila, also brought by the super typhoon Peping, producers of Katy Perry’s concert decided to postpone the show. The Katy Perry Live in Manila one-night concert was scheduled Oct. 3 at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds.

The “Waking Up In Vegas” singer was saddened by the recent disaster that wreaked havoc in Metro Manila and to the surrounding areas and  promised to make the show bigger and more relevant. The producers of the Katy Perry gig announced that they are going to transform the concert into a fund-raising event for the benefit of storm Ondoy victims.

Rumors that American Idol runner-up David Archuleta would be joining Perry at the concert, which is now tentatively scheduled on Nov. 14, also circulated around the metro. Archuleta is a recent visitor to the Philippines and performed in a sold-out concert at the MOA Concert Grounds together with AI winner David Cook. The historical concert was attended by more than a hundred thousand people.

Another concert was also postponed due to rough weather. Rising Fil-Am star Stephanie Reese, whose show was initially slated on Oct. 2 at the Music Museum, moved her pre-Carnegie Hall concert on Oct. 12. At a press conference for the concert, Reese announced that she is raising funds to build a village for some 30 poor families in Bicol. Afetr the devastation, the Miss Saigon star has pledged to donate part of the concert’s proceeds to the victims of the calamity.

Quando si dice Angie Stone, si pensa immediatamente ad un certo soul, elegante e d’atmosfera, di cui nell’ultimo decennio è diventata una delle maggiori esponenti.

Non è un caso se, solo nel suo passato recente, può vantare collaborazioni con mostri sacri della scena black come Stevie Wonder, Prince, Ray Charles, Betty Wright e Dionne Warwick. Giusto per citarne qualcuno. E, non è un caso, se a lei hanno guardato spesso anche realtà muicali completamente diverse come Moby o Groove Armada.

A distanza di oltre due anni dal notevole album The Art Of Love & War è davvero un piacere, per le orecchie e per il cuore, accogliere questo atteso ritorno: I AIN’T HEARING U è il singolo con cui Angie torna sulle scene, confermando già dal primo ascolto che la sua classe è rimasta intatta ed è pronta a riscaldarci ancora.

Si tratta di un brano r&b dal sapore old school, particolarmente easy, che non può non parlare d’amore ed è cantato, neanche a dirlo, in maniera divina. Senza virtuosismi gratutiti e con stile inconfondibile. Anche gli arrangiementi sono estremamente misurati ed esaltano quel sapore senza tempo (e, per fortuna, mai artificiosamente vintage) di tutta la produzione della Stone.

I Ain’t Hearing U anticipa il nuovo album, per cui ancora non c’è una data certa di pubblicazione ma c’è già un titolo: Unexpected.

Siamo sicuri che, ancora una volta, ad Angie basteranno poche note per ricordarci che, nella vita, è tutta questione di stile.

Website: http://www.angiestoneonline.net/

Fuck Katy Perry.

“The Katy Perry concert, originally scheduled on Oct. 3 at the SM Mall of Asia open grounds, has been postponed in deference to the state of calamity in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.” (Inquirer)

Dionne Warwick is the shit.

“With the entire country still reeling from the devastating effects of recent typhoon Ondoy, Warwick said she hopes to at least soothe the hearts and minds of the Filipinos even for a single night through her music… ‘At this time of crisis, I certainly hope to bring a little bit of joy to you through my music. I hope that it would somehow ease some of the pain that we’ve all been going through,’ she said… Proceeds of the concert will be donated to the typhoon victims. Dionne is also a humanitarian having served as United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agricultural Organization. She also continues to work tirelessly with various organizations dedicated to empowering and inspiring others.” (GMA)

No, really.

Legendary singer Joe Longthorne is all set to sign with one of the UK’s fastest growing book publishers within the next fortnight. His autobiography is scheduled for release in Spring 2010 – just prior to his 50-date UK tour, followed by his US and Worldwide tour taking in Las Vegas.

Joe Longthorne - who is set to sign the book deal with his publisher within the next 2 weeks

Joe is presently lined up to appear on the same bill as Joan Rivers or Dionne Warwick. He is also set to receive a silver heart in March, the top award from the Variety Club of Great Britain, who have already honoured him previously. Writer and performer Chris Berry is working closely with Joe and is delighted with the news. ‘We have worked very hard to ensure that we have the right publisher, one that understands and is fully committed to Joe. We see the autobiography as being a potential chart topper and the whole of Joe’s tour next year will be The Book Tour.’

www.chrisberrysingerandwriter.wordpress.com      www.the-fog.talktalk.net  www.myspace.com/chrisberrysinger    www.myspace.com/cmcacoustic

Chris is also on Facebook

Here’s a story about Dionne Warwick…from Joel Tabor (@thepetfoodguy).

Dionne Warwick stopped in my pet food store one day when she was moving from California to NJ.
No one recognized her, she had a cap pulled down wearing jeans, etc. I offered to help her once. Then I offered another time about a 1/2 hour later.
She said as a going away present, someone gave her 2 dogs. So she had nothing… just stocking up. I ended up helping her.
The bill came to about $ 300 and all she had was a $1000 American express Money order. I had no change. I looked at her, asked her if she was indeed Dionne Warwick.
I said once she settles down, she can come in to pay me, so I let her take everything home.
She came in the next day!!! All dressed up up like she was going to a concert and she had her 2 dogs!
She wanted to show them to me and said that “no one ever did that for her” She paid me and gave me a big hug.