22 Dec

Posted at 23:56h in Music, Throwback
0 Likes

One of the biggest errors of music journalism was the creation of the narrative that Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were similar beyond the blonde dye in their hair and both being Sagittariuses born in the early ‘80s.

While you could argue that their music was the same kind of “pop” delivered differently, the fact of the matter is that Britney and Christina were never in the same league vocally.

To help make this point, I present “Come on over Baby (All I Want Is You),” the fourth single from Christina’s self-titled debut album and the third No. 1 from the project. Christina’s vocal prowess is on full display all over the album, but on this particular song, she is in her bag in a way that exemplifies why she simply wasn’t one of them.

17 Dec

Posted at 20:41h in Crime, Music
0 Likes

According to multiple reports, Megan Thee Stallion’s bodyguard, Justin Edison, has been missing-in-action since Thursday. He was scheduled to testify in the Tory Lanez trial on Friday. The Los Angeles Police Department has not officially opened a missing person case, but it is currently looking into his disappearance.

Justin, who has appeared in multiple Instagram posts with Megan, is a key witness since Tory apologized to him via text message after the alleged shooting. He is also the person Kelsey Harris texted when she said, “Tory shot Meg.”

According to TMZ, Megan’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, suggests foul play. The Shade Room’s sources claim that Justin’s lawyer hasn’t heard from him since Thursday.

17 Dec

Posted at 15:04h in Music
0 Likes

A 33-year-old mother of two named Rebecca Ikumelo has passed away just two days after she was injured at the Asake concert in London. The concert, which took place on Thursday, is making headlines after several people were injured in a stampede. Eight people — including Ms. Ikumelo — were taken to the hospital, with four of them in critical condition. As of today, two of them, a 21-year-old woman and a 23-year-old woman, are still in critical condition.

According to reports, more than 1,000 people showed up to the concert venue — O2 Academy — without tickets. Many of them are said to have tried to force their way in, which led to the concert being suspended just 10 minutes after it started.

In a statement released via Instagram, Asake says he is “overwhelmed with grief” and extends his condolences to the loved ones of Rebecca Ikumelo.

15 Dec

Posted at 18:33h in Uncategorized
0 Likes

Sade worship is not something we do around here, but that being said, we always give credit where it’s due. And on “Is It a Crime?,” it is well-earned.

Released as the second single from the group’s second album, Promise, is a jazzy lamentation by a forlorn ex-lover who wants that old thang back even though it’s bad for her. The song lasts for over six minutes, and even at its conclusion, you’re left wanting more because heartbreak and desperation have never sounded so sweet.

The question of whether Sade is overrated is a valid one that not enough people are willing to have, but what is not up for debate is that the group has a few gems in its catalog. “Is It a Crime?” wasn’t a major chart hit, but as we all know, the charts don’t tell it all. Click play.

14 Dec

Posted at 10:52h in Television
0 Likes

DJ and producer Stephen Boss (a.k.a. Twitch) has reportedly died by suicide.

According to TMZ, Twitch’s wife, Allison Holker, went to the LAPD on Tuesday after he left home without his car — a move that she described as uncharacteristic. Soon after, the LAPD got a call about a shooting at an LA hotel, where the DJ was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Twitch was the resident DJ on The Ellen DeGeneres Show from 2014 until its conclusion earlier this year. He also became an executive producer on the show in 2020.

In addition to his wife, Twitch is survived by three children. He was 40 years old.

09 Dec

Posted at 22:56h in Sports
0 Likes

Grant Wahl, the American journalist who was detained a few weeks ago in Qatar for wearing a T-shirt with a rainbow on it, reportedly died a few hours ago. According to the Associated Press, Grant “fell back in his seat” and called for assistance while covering the Argentina vs. Netherlands, and later passed away.

The 49-year-old had written about feeling sick on his website, explaining that his body “finally broke down” after three weeks of little sleep and “high stress.” However, in a video posted online, his brother, Eric Wahl, insists that he was healthy and suggests that he was killed.

09 Dec

Posted at 00:00h in Music, Throwback
0 Likes

“Don’t You Want Me” by The Human League has one of those hooks that make for a good soundtrack for a commercial, and in the four decades since the song’s release, advertisers have certainly worn it out. Its simple, repetitive, and borderline silly hook goes well with just about any product. That being said, the hook belies a rather interesting dialogue that takes place in the song’s verses, which are basically a conversation between a big shot who thinks he’s owed love by a former waitress whose life he changed — and who then went parlayed her come-up into greater success independent of her sponsor.

In essence, this short and otherwise playful song explores the themes of sex, sexism and agency over a synth-y production. We just have to stan.

Released as the fourth single from the group’s third LP, Dare, “Don’t You Want Me” was almost never released as a single. After the success of the album’s first three singles, lead singer Philip Oakley was worried that a fourth single would be flirting with overexposure — especially one that he had considered a filler on the album.

Luckily, the band’s label, Virgin Records, insisted. The song went on to top the charts in both the US and the UK, and is largely credited as the seminal hit of the Second British Invasion.

08 Dec

Posted at 11:38h in Politics, Sports
0 Likes

Brittney Griner was released in exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout in a prisoner swap this morning. Paul Whelan, the other American in Russian custody who had been proposed as part of the swap for Bout’s release, is still in prison.

BG’s wife, Cherelle Griner, joined President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House for the announcement of Brittney’s release.

08 Dec

Posted at 11:31h in Crime, Music
0 Likes

The jokes really do write themselves.

Tory Lanez was charged with a third felony — firearm with gross negligence — this past Monday as jury selection continues in his shooting case. This new charge carries a possible six-year sentence, but will elapse concurrently with his other charges if convicted.

The Canadian (born Daystar Peterson) was accused of shooting Megan Thee Stallion in July 2020 and had previously been charged with felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm and carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle, to which he pled not guilty. The alleged shooting occurred after the two had been at a party hosted by Kylie Jenner, who may now be called to testify. Corey Gamble (Kris Jenner’s boyfriend) has also been listed as a potential witness as he was also at the party that preceded the alleged shooting.

Following the news about the new felony charge, Tory tweeted, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper… EVER.”

03 Dec

Posted at 15:27h in Television
0 Likes

With over 341 million hours in just one week, Wednesday has set a new record for the most hours viewed in Netflix history. The record was set in the November 21-27 tracking week, which means the show set this record in four days — it premiered on November 23.

The record previously belong to Season 4 of Stranger Things, which got 335 million views in from May 30 to June 5 of this year.