It Takes A Village...

Movie Minute: Django Unchained (The Review)

2013-01-02T13:15:00.000-08:00

Synopsis: Set in the South two years before the Civil War, DJANGO UNCHAINED stars Academy Award(R)-winner Jamie Foxx as Django, a slave whose brutal history with his former owners lands him face-to-face with German-born bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz (Academy Award(R)-winner Christoph Waltz). Schultz is on the trail of the murderous Brittle brothers, and only Django can lead him to his bounty. The unorthodox Schultz acquires Django with a promise to free him upon the capture of the Brittles–dead or alive.

I must begin by stating that I am a HUGE Quentin Tarantino fan. I didn't think it was possible for him to top the sheer brilliance of Inglourious Basterds or the action in Kill Bill but clearly I was wrong because Django Unchained is his best film to date in my opinion!!

This film is highly entertaining and takes you on a wild ride. It's a classic Tarantino film with the usual offerings of incredible cinematography, strong graphic violence, viscious fight scenes, language and some nudity. The film is written and directed by Tarantino (who also makes a cameo) and is very well executed for a story based on a very controversial subject. It is a story about revenge with an underlying love story that is also unintentionally funny.

The movie has had it's share of critism with the most vocal against it being Spike Lee. Uhmmm, Mr. Lee, I went to see the movie for the entertainment value and not for factual information on history!

Cristism aside, this film is not for the faint of heart or easily offended but if you're looking for great entertainment this is it for you!! The casting is terrific with top calibre actors who deliver in a major way! Oscar award winner Jamie Foxx, is great in his role as DJango. Christoph Waltz, another Oscar Award winner, plays the role of Django's unlikely sidekick and if you are familiar with his work, he never fails to impress and is brilliant & comical as Dr. King Schultz - a dentist turned bounty hunter. Leonardo DiCaprio proves once again that an Oscar award to him is long overdue!! He plays a villain who nails his perfomance as does Samuel L Jackson.

Let's talk about the soundtrack!! The music picked superbly matches the story and just adds to the brilliance of Tarantino.

The run time for the movie is quite long at 2.5hours but that's a small price to pay for what you get in return - a wild ride!

There is lots of Oscar buzz surrounding this film that has already garnered 5 Golden Globes nominations.
Will you be watching? Have you seen it? Please share your thoughts.

Quotable Quotes: New Beginnings

2013-01-02T10:36:00.001-08:00

“Although no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” ― Carl Bard

It's a New Year with a promise of new beginnings. Every new year people make resolutions to change aspects of themselves they believe are negative. A majority of people revert back to how they were before and feel like failures. This year I challenge you to a new resolution. I challenge you to be yourself.

I wish my readers a very happy & blessed 2013.

xo SallyG

Music Minute - BET's Best International Act (Africa) nominees video

2012-07-01T06:42:00.000-07:00

The BET Awards will be held tonight in Los Angeles, California. The show will be televised live from the Shrine Auditorium at 8pm EST. While these award shows are exciting for the star power they pull, I am more excited about one category - Best International Act (Africa). If you are not familiar with the nominees in this category, fret not. Here's your chance to catch a glimpse of the artists - their videos are below. Press play!!!
1. Camp Mulla (Kenya), 2. Ice Prince (Nigeria), 3. Lira (South Africa), 4. Mokobe (Mali),
5 .Sarkodie (Ghana), 6. Wizkid (Nigeria)

Win or lose, to be nominated is great recognition and these artists who are obviously talented and should be very proud of themselves! Big ups Africa!!!

Movie Minute - Winnie Mandela Biopic Trailer Released

2012-06-26T07:39:00.001-07:00

At last! We get to catch a glimpse of the controversial biopic, Winnie. Starring Jennifer Hudson who plays Winnie Mandela and Terence Howard who plays Nelson Mandela. The biopic chronicles the life of Winnie Mandela who is known for her anti-apartheid activism long after her ex-husband Mandela had been improsoned.

The casting choice created a lot of controversy. Winnie Mandela threatened to sue the film makers because she had not been asked to consult on the film and because an American is playing her. While I do agree that Winnie should have been consulted, I still feel that casting Jennifer Hudson to play her was not a bad choice either.

Below is the trailer:

I'm not sold on these actors accents based on the trailer. There have been American actors who have played African characters very convincingly; Don Cheadle in Hotel Rwanda and Forest Whittaker in The Last King Of Scotland. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing a better Idi Amin than Whittaker! He owned that role that led him to win an Academy Award for Best Actor. Cheadle also earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role.
There will be some Oscar buzz for Jennifer Hudson & Terence Howard next year.

Will you be watching?

Movie Premier - Hands of Time by Van Vicker

2012-06-12T13:43:00.001-07:00

I recently had the utmost pleasure when I got to sit down with one Africa's sexiest men alive! He is actor, producer, director - Mr. Van Vicker who has been featured in multiple films in the Nollywood film industry. He couldn't have been more gracious, smart & charming!

He was in town to promote and screen his latest film, The Hands of Time. This was not my first time meeting him and I have featured him on this blog before. See the story here.
Some incredible people enabled this meeting to take place and it is no small feat. I am very grateful that these people came through for me. Van & I talked about various topics and he gave some great advice. Check out the footage here:

Here's addional footage from the actual film premier in Atlanta;

BET Awards Nominations - Best International Act

2012-06-11T09:18:00.002-07:00

The BET Awards nominations were announced a few weeks ago - yes, I am indeed very late in posting this!
The usual categories were announced and the nominees were not much of a suprise to anyone! Kanye West led the pack with seven nominations, Beyoncé followed with six and Jay-Z with five.

The most excting thing about this years nominations for me was this:

Best International Act: AfricaCamp Mulla (Kenya), Ice Prince (Nigeria), Lira (South Africa), Mokobe (Mali), Sarkodie (Ghana), Wizkid (Nigeria)

I was very excited to learn about Camp Mulla's nomination. This is HUGE for them as this is the first time a Kenyan group/act has been nominated in this category. The recognition is great for this hip hop group that has certainly worked hard to get to where they are now.
This category is usually not televised unfortunately BUT I am very proud of all the nominees from Africa!! The show will air live on BET on July 1st, from the Shine Auditorium and I will be keeping up with it.

Vote, vote, vote for your favorites!!

A list of the nominees can be found here.

Product Placement: Coca Cola Africa

2012-04-29T08:53:00.001-07:00

Coca Cola has done it yet again!! Unveiling yet another great commercial highlighting their signature product/drink for the African market. As an African living abroad, my heart swells with pride & my patriotism just gets deeper for a continent that well represents me. This commercial is beautifully done, very well written & couldn't have been done better given the current state of the world. Enjoy!!

TV Minute - The 84th Annual Academy Awards

2012-02-28T15:47:00.002-08:00

The biggest night in Tinseltown is easily the night when the Academy Awards are given out to honor the year's best in film. This is the creme de la creme of award shows because it draws more than just film lovers. It is a night filled with glitz & glamour.

Last Sunday, the Academy Awards were broadcast live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. This is one of my favorite events to witness on TV and it was with great anticipation & excitement that I took part in them albeit from my couch. It is my dream that one day I will be present at the scene while it happens:)

Billy Crystal was tapped to host the show after the original host, Eddie Murphy dropped out in support of his friend Brett Ratner who was forced to step down. It would have been great to see Eddie play host because we are already familiar with Mr. Crystal's ability. This was his ninth time hosting. While he did good, it just seemed familiar & slightly boring. Chris Rock actually brought some much needed humor when it was his turn to present the Best Animated feature award.

Sasha Baron Cohen caused a stir on the red carpet when he (dressed in character from his upcoming film, The Dictator) poured the fake ashes of Kim Jong II on Ryan Seacrest's Burberry suit during an interview! Many thought that Ryan was in on the supposed publicity stunt but he has denied it. It was shocking and awkward but should we really be surprised by anything someone who wrote and played Borat does?
There was also lots of talk about the supposed nip slip from Jennifer Lopez! A blink & you miss it kinda moment that seemed to excite many! Perhaps the most talked about person from the award show was Angelina Jolie and her very prominent right leg that peered through her Valentino gown with a slit from here to well... there! This woman was built for the red carpet!! But her exaggerated poses to show off the slit was a bit much! She's already a sexy siren and does not need to accentuate what she already has.

There have been many great films in the past year that were nominated and the hotly contested award was the Best Picture that included ten films vying for the top prize. This was unusual as 5 films are nominated in that category traditionally.
The silent movie, The Artist, that has garnered critical acclaim won most of the top honors. I am yet to see this movie but something tells me that Hollywood or the academy that votes for the winners are quite nostalgic of an era of film that seemed dead! Silence does indeed speak volumes!! French actor, Jean DuJardin from The Artist, nabbed the top award for actor in a leading role beating out George Clooney (The Descendants) who was favored to win among others.
Hugo, a movie directed by Martin Scorsese cleaned up the awards in the technical categories.
The Help was favored to win the Best Actress/Best Supporting Actress/Best Picture but did not fair as well as expected. The incredible Meryl Streep took home the award for leading actress beating out Viola Davis among others. I do LOVE Meryl but was rooting for Viola and felt she was robbed. Octavia Spencer took home the supporting actress award as expected. She's such a gracious actress and it's wonderful to see how far she's come.

Christopher Plummer took home the best supporting actor award for his role in the Beginners At the age of 82, he's the oldest actor to ever win an Oscar. Well deserved. What a class act he is!

For a complete list of the winners click here.

Now let's talk fashion!! My favorite was Viola Davis who had the courage to wear her natural hair. She should really do away with those wigs! Her dress was custom made by Vera Wang and the color compliments her skin tone beautifully. Glad she didn't over accessorize.

Michelle Williams, best actress nominee for her role in My Week With Marylyn, also wowed in her Louis Vuitton gown with a peplum overskirt. Her pixie hair cut makes her look adorable!

George Clooney's main piece, Stacey Kiebler looked stunning in this Marchesa number. George didn't take home the hardware but he took her home so he didn't entirely lose:)

Milla Jovovich was stunning in her Elie Saab gown.

The Help actress Emma Stone was a vision in red wearing a Giambattista Valli gown. Emma hardly gets it wrong though many fashionistas claimed she committed the ultimate crime by wearing a similar style of gown with the oversized bow worn by Nicole Kidman a few years back.

Gwyneth Paltrow was perhaps the only actress to make a bold fashion statement. She wore an all-white one shoulder gown complete with a cape by Tom Ford. White seemed to be a popular color on the Oscars red carpet this year.

Jennifer Lopez underwhelmed me with this deep plunging neckline gown by Zuhair Murad. She's usually a knock-out but the sleeves ruined it for me on this gown...

For more Oscar fashion, click here.

RIP Whitney Houston...

2012-02-18T12:33:00.003-08:00

Today is a very sad day in the entertainment world!! The legendary Whitney Houston was given a homecoming ceremony at her home church in Newark, New Jersey, following her untimely death last weekend that sent shock waves around the world! Many including friends, family, mentors, co-workers came to pay their respects to the departed Whitney!! ...and what an incredible send off it was! I have never been moved to this extent!! I am all cried out! I don't remember being like this during Michael Jackson's funeral service yet I love MJ just as much.

Whitney Houston has given us decades of incredible music and film that will live on forever! Her music was part and parcel of my formative years to date. There can never be a voice like hers - the golden voice as it was fondly referred to. Today, I will focus on the positive contribution that she made to the world. Her struggles though a part of her, seem so trivial right now! I chose to celebrate her life!

RIP Whitney Elizabeth Houston. I will always love you! Rest with the angels. My prayers goes out to the family at this time of grief.

**I can't wait to see the remake of Sparkle that she recently finished shooting with Jordin Sparks.

TV Minute - The Golden Globes Awards Recap

2012-01-16T08:16:00.000-08:00

Last night, the 69th Annual Golden Globes awards were telecast live on NBC. The Golden Globes are a celebration of the best in film and television and are nominated by the Hollywood Foreign Press. The HFPA, which is made up of journalists representing international press outlets, remains a canny predictor in the acting categories for the Oscars.

The unpredictable Ricky Gervais was tapped to host the show for the third time in a row. Last time he hosted the show, it was riddled with controversy and many doubted he would be asked back as a host! He rubbed many A-listers the wrong way! His comedic style is rather brash. No celebrity is safe when it comes to Ricky's delivery. He's not known to brown nose celebrities but simply attack the over priviledged bunch - sometimes deservedly so. Last night, he was true to form but seemed rather tame in my opinion.

The stars did come out in droves dressed in their best duds. The mood at these award show is usually rather casual and alcohol consumption is allowed.

There were many great films and TV shows nominated this year. The Help was favored to win in all the categories they received a nod for but only got the Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture that went to Octavia Spencer. She truly shined in her role on The Help. Viola Davis who took the Screen Actors Guild Award just last week for Best Actress in a motion picture for the same movie was favored to win - but Merryl Streep took home the Golden Globe for her role as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. She seemed very surprised to have won. She always slays the competition in every category she's nominated in so no surprise there.

A list of winners is below;

Best Actor, Drama: George Clooney, "The Descendants"

Best Actress, Drama: Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”

Best Director: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.”

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn.”

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help.”

Best Foreign Language Film: “A Separation.”

Best Animated Film: “The Adventures of Tintin.”

Best Screenplay: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris.”

Best Original Score: Ludovic Bource, “The Artist.”

Best Original Song: “Masterpiece” (music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry), “W.E.”

TELEVISION

Best Series, Drama: “Homeland,” Showtime.

Best Series, Musical or Comedy: “Modern Family,” ABC.

Best Actor, Drama: Kelsey Grammer, “Boss.”

Best Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, “Homeland.”

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Dern, “Enlightened.”

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy: Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes.”

Best Miniseries or Movie: “Downton Abbey (Masterpiece),” PBS.

Best Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Kate Winslet, “Mildred Pierce.”

Best Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Idris Elba, “Luther.”

Best Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story.”

Best Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones.”

To see who rocked the carpet and who fizzled,

click here

The Golden Globes Awards lead up to the prestigious Academy Awards that will be held later next month on February 26th at the Kodak Theatre. The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 5:30 a.m.

New Year, new found wisdom

2012-01-03T18:39:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you haven't already broken the resolutions you so steadfastly made just three days ago! I stopped making resolutions for that very reason! I never keep em'! I'm lucky if I last 20 days in... Instead of focussing on making resolutions, I have opted to have aspirations instead. There is far less pressure this way. I did however find this piece of advice that I plan to live by;

Start focusing on the possibility of positive outcomes. – The mind must believe it CAN do something before it is capable of actually doing it. The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful. Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Regardless of how a situation seems, focus on what you DO WANT to happen, and then take the next positive step forward. No, you can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you react to things. Everyone’s life has positive and negative aspects – whether or not you’re happy and successful in the long run depends greatly on which aspects you focus on.

No pressure right? Just the power of positive thinking. As you start yet another year filled with uncertainties, I wish you the very best of health, success and happiness in 2012!!

Happy Halloween!!

2011-10-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone!! I just love this day so very much! I especially love the costume parties! This is the only day dressing up slutty outside of the bedroom is actually excused! How can I not love that?! Jk!! This coming from someone who once considered Halloween a very dark and evil time and I refused to play part in any activities that hailed the devil! Ignorance is NOT bliss!! I was obviously mistaken and was limiting myself from the fun!

The purpose of Halloween was originally to mark the end of summer and the harvest, the beginning of winter and to commemorate the passing of the dead.
Halloween (or Hallowe'en), a contraction of All-Hallows-Eve ("evening"), is an annual holiday observed on October 31, and common activities include guising/trick-or-treating, attending costume parties, carving jack-o'-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, visiting haunted attractions, playing pranks, telling scary stories, and watching horror films. Source: Wikipedia

So as you can see, there is no harm in it!! I am glad I eventually saw the light and decided to embrace this day because it has turned to be one of my favorite festivities! Just this past weekend, yours truly was in the running for the best costume (Foxxy Cleopatra/Pam Grier) at a venue I visited! The cash prize was $1000!! Moolah baby! I needed it too! I lost to some guy in a somewhat lame superhero costume but I was gracious in my loss because it was a lot of fun to participate.

I look forward to seeing the neighborhood kids in their cute, funny or scary costumes when they get to my door for candy this evening. In the meantime, please enjoy the spectacular display of lights set to LMFAO's "Party Rock Athem" song below! Pretty cool!!

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

2011-10-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. It is a month dedicated to increasing awareness of the importance of early breast cancer detection.

Earlier today, my favorite entertainment news reporter, Giuliana Rancic of the E channel announced she has breast cancer! It is incredibly sad. She has struggled with infertility in the recent years and now faces this diagnosis!
This should be a reminder to all of us ladies to make our health a priority!! Get checked regularly and regular self-breast exams must be done. The earlier you catch something amiss, the better the chances of recovery.

Best wishes G!! I hope you pull through and continue to raise awareness on the disease.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

RIP STEVE JOBS

2011-10-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

Late last evening I learnt via Twitter that Steve Jobs had died. He had lost the long battle with pancreatic cancer - a disease he battled since 2004. Jobs had recently stepped down from his position as CEO of Apple. This is incredibly sad! The world has lost a genious, a visionary but his legacy will live on for years to come.

President Obama mourned Jobs passing, saying he exemplified American ingenuity and innovation "Brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world and talented enough to do it"

I LOVE Apple products and I can't be more grateful to Mr. Jobs for creating products that have made my life easier. The iPad2 is my favorite to date!

RIP Steve Jobs. You have made your mark and shall be greatly missed. Thank you for inspiring me to soar to great heights!!

Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week 2011

2011-09-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

The Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week is currently underway! It is one of the major fashion weeks held around the world along with Paris, London & Milan. Many top-name designers have been showing their collections at various venues in New York City to an audience that includes editors and buyers. The event draws celebs, athletes, models, etc who want a piece of the fashion or to have a chance to be photographed in the latest designer duds while sitting front row.
Thanks to YouTube, I too can enjoy the display on the catwalk from the comfort of my house! For the Live Fashion coverage click here.

Supermodel Iman has been making the rounds at these shows. I have a soft spot for Iman. She never dissapoints! What a classic beauty!!

The current Ms. Africa-USA, Nyasha Zimucha, was also spotted at the Akoo event. Is it me or does she need some lessons in poise?

The much-anticipated launch of a new collaborative line between Italian designer Missoni and Target caused the megaretailer's website to crash several times Tuesday - according to CNN.

"Target.com is seeing greater item demand than we do on a typical Black Friday, and the excitement for this limited-time designer collection is unprecedented," the store said in a statement. "We are slowly bringing the site back online to ensure we can provide a positive shopping experience to our guests."

Ms. Selita E Banks wearing the new Missoni for Target line

I totally understand why they got an overwhelming response! I LOVE the bold prints and can't wait to get my hands on a thing or two from the collection. Click here for a preview of the line.

Here are some more pics from the fashion week;

I can't wait to take in all the sights and fashions from NY's Fashion Week!

African Pride - Miss Universe 2011

2011-09-12T20:41:00.000-07:00

Extra! Extra!! We have a new Ms. Universe and she hails from Angola!! The beautiful Ms. Leila Lopes who was a crowd/fan favorite from early on was impressive in all the categories. She mainly shined during the Q&A session that top five finalists must face. Beauty & brains in a wonderful package! She beat out 88 other contestants to be crowned the winner! Congratulations Ms. Angola! Enjoy the run as Miss Universe 2011! Yaay for Africa!

African Pride - Major Endorsements

2011-09-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

Smartwater just got a whole lot sexier!! Idris Elba has been named as the face of SmartWater. Move over Jennifer Aniston! There's a new sexy spokesperson in town!

Idris (British born actor; born to a Ghanaian mother & Sierra Leonian father) is a great choice for the Smartwater ad campaign. He is every bit good looking and a really nice guy. *My fellow blogger, Shoppatunistic & I had the pleasure of meeting him a few years back and he was very gracious! We were somewhat star struck!

The Smartwater brand, which is owned by Coca-Cola, is featuring Elba in a print ad campaign that will run in upcoming issues of GQ, Essence and Men's Journal magazines. Get it Dris!!

...and in other endorsement news; South African born actress, Charlize Theron who's the current spokesmodel for Dior has graced the latest ad for J'Adore perfume. But she wasn't the only memorable face in the spot. By splicing footage through CGI, legendary actresses Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Marlene Dietrich exchange glances and even some conversation with Charlize backstage, making the spot both eerie and fascinating.

Check out the ad below;

Story credit: http://www.eonline.com/

TV Minute - MTV Video Music Awards (the recap)

2011-08-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

Another night, another award show! This one on MTV honoring the best in music videos. An odd thing considering MTV hardly plays any music videos in favor of reality tv which seems to have revolutionized television in the recent years. That being said, the best had to be honored last night at this annual event.

The show started out with an hour long pre-show that showcased some music, celebrity interviews on the black carpet, fashion and all the outrageousness that go along with a show of this magnitude! The set design was a little odd for me for a pre-show.
Minutes before the actual show began, Beyonce confirmed that she was pregnant by flaunting a baby bump and actually rubbing it to further prove it!! MTV immediately sent out a tweet confirming that the chosen one was indeed with child! Seconds later, the world was abuzz with the news!
Beyonce pretty much upstaged everyone by making that announcement! She was positively glowing!

The show did not have host. I guess after Chelsea Handler last year it was their best bet to go host-less! She sucked really bad! Kevin Hart did some behind-the-scene video clips that a regular host would have done.

Lady Gaga opened the show with a perfomance of You and I. All this while in drag. She played her male alter-ego through the entire show. While she did great as always, it was odd to see her this way! We are used to Lady Gaga showing up at award shows in outrageous garb/vessel! I expected no different but I guess that does get tiring after a while! But this didn't do her any favors given the fact that there have been doubts about her gender! No doubt, she was born that way - which ever it is!!

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Lady Gaga

There were several noteworthy perfomances during the show which I will highlight below.

Neyo & Pitbull performed their smash hit dance record, Give Me Everything Tonight. I absolutely love this song!! Seems like every collaboration Pitbull does turns to a smash hit!

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Pitbull

Jay Z & Kanye West performed Otis from the album Watch The Throne that's currently leading the charts in record sales. The duo have the most over-zealous fans! Some dude in the audience had the balls to bum rush the stage while they were perfoming before quickly being whisked away! Is that you Lil Mama? lol!!

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, JAY Z and Kanye West

Adele was simply put, AMAZING!!! No frills, no shrills just thrills & pure talent! Oh how I love thee Adele!

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Adele

Beyonce finally hit the stage with Love on Top after setting the twitterverse ablaze with her announcement on the black carpet!! It was great a perfomance and those lyrics really hit home for her! Wait for the big reveal.... Congrats B & Jay!

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Beyoncé

Chris Brown was by far my favorite of the night! His was quite the perfomance! There is no doubt that Breezy can dance his ass off but this performance was exciting and had elements of danger with that high flying trapeze act! Way to go Breezy! If only JayZ could have at least applauded that act because it was GREAT! Still bitter about the Riri saga? Let's get over that already! She has!

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Chris Brown

Amy Winehouse's tribute - The tribute was good but lacking! While I ~~love~~ totally swoon over Bruno Mars vocals, British songstresses Adele (who was available) & Duffy should have been part of the tribute! Let's hope the Grammy Awards will honor Amy, right.

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Bruno Mars

The WTF moments went to the entire Young Money crew!! Nikki Minaj was doing way too much!! That whole getup was weird and a total fashion failure! Drake had on a button down sweater! Stop raiding your grandpa's closet! Lil Wayne on other other hand was just a mess!! From his awful getup to the angry performance and mic hurl! Was that really necessary?! Yes, the world is well aware that you're beefing with Jay Z but please spare us!! From the wise words (terms used loosely) of PaulyD from Jersey Shore please STD - Stop The Drama!! ...and for for goodness sake, kill the auto-tune already!

Get More: 2011 VMA, Music, Lil Wayne

Honorable mention goes to Jessie J for her amazing perfomances going into the commercial breaks! Even with a broken leg, she had more stage presence than most able bodied folks! She has some great vocals!!

For a list of all the winners click here.
For the fashion pics click here.

Quotable Quotes

2011-08-29T08:41:00.000-07:00

"A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor" Unknown

Movie Minute - 2 reviews

2011-08-07T17:10:00.000-07:00

I have been fortunate enough to catch plenty of movies before they are released to the general public at the movie theaters thanks to screening passes. I rarely turn down an opportunity for a movie screening because I LOVE film. This is also a fine chance for me to watch a movie before film critics have had a chance to praise or rip it to pieces swaying my opinion.
A few weeks back I had the chance to see The Change-Up & 30 Minutes or Less all in the same week:) My review is late...

The Change-Up (Comedy)
I was really looking forward to seeing this one because the main characters, Ryan Reynolds & Jason Bateman have had quite the success in comedic roles. Jason's comedic timing is what I appreciate the most about his acting. Also the director & writers involved with this film has had great success with films such as The Wedding Planner, The Hangover, etc etc What could go wrong with that in mind? Plenty!! My expectations were high and i was ready for a good laugh! Alas, that was not the case. Well, not completely, there were a few laughs but it was still underwhelming. There was extreme use of profanity that I felt was unnecessary at times. Yes, I know the movie is rated R but more great dialogue and less profanity would have worked too. There were also cringe inducing scenes in the movie that I felt were out of place. The best parts, and I use the term best loosely were jammed in the movie's trailer. The script needed a lot of work! It is average at best and I wouldn't advice anyone to rush to see it. The DVD would suffice!

Sal's rating - 4/10

30 Minutes Or Less (Comedy)
I did not know what to expect with this movie. I had not seen a trailer for the film and the actors on the movie's poster were relatively unknown - save for Jesse Eisenberg who's was introduced to movie-goers with the box-office success and critics favorite Social Network.

Synopsis: Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) is a bit of a slacker, and living a fairly miserable life. He delivers pizzas for a living, while his roommate Chet (Aziz Ansari) has just started teaching in a local elementary school. On the last delivery of the night, Nick gets jumped by two wannabe- criminals, Dwayne (Danny McBride) and Travis (Nick Swardson). They want to have Dwayne's father killed, but cannot come up with the money in order to get it done right. So they strap a bomb to Nick's chest, and give him ten hours to rob a bank and bring the money back to them.

This movie was hilarious from start to finish! The chemistry between the main characters, Nick, Chet and the supporting cast worked very well together. The wildly funny lines in the movie are delivered with such great timing. I don't want to give away anything but I do highly recommend this movie to those who like a good laugh without any unnecessary gags. You are in for a good time.

Sal's rating - 8/10

Cyber Minute - Is Google Plus worth the buzz?

2011-07-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Will g+ eliminate the competition #angrybirds style?

In my quest to stay relevant on the social media scene, I decided to check out Google Plus . Google Plus has been buzzing in the recent weeks and I had to see for myself if this social media outlet was worth it's salt - as if we don't have enough already! I can hardly keep up with my Twitter account but curiosity always gets the best of me.

Without a doubt, Google is a powerhouse as the go-to search engine and the many other great services they have to offer which include eblogger that supports this blog:) Besides Google Buzz which didn't garner a huge response, they hardly steer you wrong.

When I initially tried to sign up for google+ I got a rather rude (not really but I am sensitive) message stating that I had to wait for an invitation to become part of this 'exclusive' club! Wasn't my google account enough?! Way to exclude an important member of the cyber community! Jk! Well, just recently my long awaited invitation finally came. I signed on immediately and started to form my social circles. Cool kids club here I come!

While it seemed slightly familiar with Facebook, I felt like the new kid at school - no friends and trying desperately to fit it. Lucky for me a cheat sheet was provided by one of my tech savvy friends. Click here for the cheat sheet. Trust me, if you are anything like me it will come in handy for tips and tricks. I like google+ so far but I am still waiting for the spark that will keep me coming back. I am yet to try the mobile web app.

This morning it was announced that google+ now has 20 million members and growing!! It is yet to be determined whether it will be a force against the social media giant that is Facebook. Only time will tell.

Quotable Quotes

2011-07-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

'Progress always involves risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first" Unknown

TV Minute - America's Got Talent

2011-06-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, the show is called America's Got Talent! This would mean that the acts on that national stage would be showcasing the best talent America has to offer right? Think again!! This week, a dance troupe from Mombasa, Kenya were featured on the show during prime time on NBC. They kicked some major ass impressing the hard-to-please judges!!! Word on the cyber space is that they are already featured acts in Las Vegas. Nonetheless, they are super talented! Check it out for yourself below. I hope they make it real far on the show! Kudos guys!

Product Placement - The iPad2 Review

2011-06-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I am not a techie!! I repeat, I am not a techie!! Just a gadgetnista of some sort. Here comes the layman's review of the iPad2!

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So I finally got my hands on the iPad2! Exciting times! I have pondered on whether to get the Ipad since the first generation device was unveiled back in January 2010. It seemed like the device of the century... so cool, so portable, so ME!! The thing that held me back from getting it was the fact that i already owned a smartphone, iPod Touch & a Macbook! Plus I am not exactly Ms. Money Bags! So why get a device that will do the very thing the devices I had could do?

Well, I was wrong!! I never thought I was capable of loving any device as much I have loved my iPad2 so far! It is a thing of beauty and great function!

PROS:

The out of the box functionality - I have an iTunes account so set-up was a breeze!

Resolution - The resolution on this thing is unbelievably sharp! It makes for a great experience for photo viewing, web browsing, gaming, movies etc etc.

Two cameras - Front and back camera that work together and are just perfect for FaceTime and HD video recording. While Skype is a still a great option for video chat, you need an intro to FaceTime especially with the great resolution on the iPad2.

Apps - if you own an Iphone, then you are no stranger to the endless Apple apps available!! Like a kid in a candy store, I couldn't contain myself at the 'store'! I especially like the fact that most of the cool apps are designed specifically for the Ipad. There truly is an app for anything and everything!

10hr battery life - I have owned an android phone for sometime and the most frustrating thing about it is the limited to almost non-existent battery life!! Imagine, my excitement after learning that I could work/play on my iPad2 for countless hours without the need to recharge! Score!!

Smart cover - now this right here is pure genius!! Unlike most cases/covers that are bulky and completely alter the device's aesthetic, this one is completely different, and has been designed to not only work with the iPad2, but be symbiotic with it. The cover attaches via magnets. This makes sure it is never mis-aligned. The coolest thing about it is that it awakens the iPad 2 or puts it to sleep when you open/close it.

Design - look around, look closely at all the tablets currently out in the market and there is no doubt that the designing team at Apple does their job and they do it well!! Apple products are far superior than their competitors and imitators. The Ipad2 is designed to perfection.

Free iPad engraving from Apple - I love to personalize my things so what better way to do it than to get the tablet engraved with a personal message?

CONS:
Yeah, yeah...all's not well with my fave device unfortunately.

Flash - the IPad2 does not have a flash player!! For someone that is constantly web surfing and checking out lots of video content, this was a disappointment!! Flash is necessary for a complete web browsing experience.

Glare - the screen is reflective. It is difficult to read or check out any content in direct sunlight or bright light. This doesn't bother me much though.

While the dual cameras are great, they are not good for still photos but I doubt I would be holding up the IPad2 for point and shoot photography. It is not even designed for that and I can live with that:)

They say good things come to those who wait but having to wait about 2 weeks for the iPad to be shipped to me kinda sucked! Kills the instant gratification most people seek.

In conclusion, i have no regrets about getting it and I am still happily exploring the device. Would you like to test it out? Sure you do!! Just head to nearest electronics store and check it out! Chances are you will want it to buy it!

Click here for more from Apple

Music Minute - Billboard Music Awards: The Recap

2011-05-24T03:42:00.000-07:00

It was that time of of year again!! Another award show, a very happy camper in me! On Sunday night the Billboard Music Awards aired live from Las Vegas on FOX drawing the biggest audience the show has had since 2003 according to the Nielsen ratings! Eminem and teen pop sensation Justin Bieber dominated awards, each taking home a total of six awards. There was a six-way tie for second place between Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Usher, Taylor Swift, Mumford & Sons and Taio Cruz, who each won three trophies.

I must say the show was very entertaining though I was disappointed by the host, Ken Jeong, of the Hangover fame; who was not in his top form. I tuned it for a variety of reasons but my main reason was to witness Beyonce receive the Billboard Millennium Award. This was really the highlight of the night without a doubt!! Her performance of "Who Run The World" was EPIC! This woman has to be part beast! She was incredible and the dancing was superior! She then received the monumental award from her mom who was on hand to present it. Most surprising was the fact that she acknowledged her love for her husband, JayZ publicly during her speech. Lovely!

Ceelo Green played a medley of his hit songs complete with a piano stunt!! I very much admire his creativity that has always set him apart from the
crowd.

Rihanna who took home several awards which included the award for Radio Artist Of The Year performed S&M the remix with Britney Spears! Sexy! Sexy! Sexy! Wouldn't expect anything else from this duo but I'm I the only person who feels that Britney's iconic dancing glory days are dead and gone? She barely moves on stage these days!

Neyo & Pitbull hit the stage with their new song, "Everything Tonight"! Nicely done! I am totally loving this song!! Pitbull has been getting lots of radio play lately!! Seems like every song he's featured on becomes a hit!

Lady Antebellum who won for Country Song Of The Year for "I Need You Now" also performed "Just A Kiss". Their music always leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside. *sigh*

I would not post this and leave out The Black Eyed Peas! They have been dominating the billboard charts for a while now. Here's their medley of hits.

The wtf mention goes to Nikki Minaj. Her performance left me confused. It was completely luck luster until Britney Spears stepped in and gave that snoozer the jolt it needed!!

For the carpet photos click here.