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As if I wasn’t excited already with the New Moon release this week, I was even more pumped when my Twi-Parter-in-Crime (aka my niece, Megan!) came into town this past weekend so that we could embark on our New Moon Kick Off Weekend together.

DAY 1:  DATE WITH JASPER!

On Sunday afternoon, Jackson Rathbone performed with his band, 100 Monkeys at the Viper Room exclusively for his fans that were coming into town for the premiere.  Jackson was in full rocker mode since this was also his first time performing at the Viper Room.  Watching him in action was a pure slice of heaven. He’s got a sexy voice and played multiple instruments.  The best $10 spent ever! The highlight of the evening: After the show, all the fangirls were waiting by the exit door to catch a glimpse of Jackson and what does my nosey butt do?  Try to be funny and peek under the stage curtain like I always did as a little kid in elementary school. But whaddayaknow… just as we lifted the curtain, Jackson is right there bending over to pick something up!  Our eyes met.

Me:   “Oh! Why, hello there Jackson!”

Him:  ”Hey there”

And he’s smiling and his lips are moving, but guess what — MY FREAKIN’ EARS ARE SHOT AND I CAN’T HEAR A FREAKIN’ WORD HE’S SAYING!!!! hahaha  So I played it off with a few lines like ‘loved the show’……OMG! Freakin’ hysterical!  After we finished saying ‘hi’ to the rest of the band, the security guard pulled the curtain down in our face.  Ah, Good Times! I heart J. Action big time!  Will have to do a separate 100 Monkeys blog to show my other pictures, but here’s a few for now:

DAY 2:  NEW MOON PREMIERE

After the Monkeys show, we drove by Westwood for dinner and saw all the devoted fans camping out.  Trust me, they deserved everything for their time and devotion and were all set up with the prime spots lining the red carpet, so good for all of them.  Here’s a pic of the red carpet with all campout fans on both sides:

We decided to bear with the mayhem this year, after bypassing last year’s Twilight premiere.  So we headed out Monday afternoon and after scoping out the scene, we ended up across the street.  But here’s a shot of where we WISH we could’ve been! EEEEKKK!

Being across the street isn’t a bad place to be, but not close up either.  But you can’t be choosy when you’re not a member of the media or a fan who was camping out for a week!  I can’t complain.  Got to see just about everyone. First of all, this has got to be the most gorgeous cast EVER!  There was not one person who didn’t look stunning or stunningly handsome.  I was floored.  And the stylists were on the ball — everyone was fitted!  And they are all so gracious to their fans.  So many went out of their way to sign autographs and take pictures and just acknowledge them in some way.  What will follow are some of the shots we (really, Megan since my camera died!) were fortunate to get with the various cast members.  What you will not see (UNFORTUNATELY) are pictures of Rob or Kristen.  I decided early on that I was going to be ‘in the moment’ and just focus on Rob and not worry about taking a picture or getting an autograph.  More on that later.  In the meantime, here are the shots:

JAMIE CAMPBELL BOWER:  Unbelievably gracious and friendly.  The first one to cross the street and greet the fans.  And he made sure he covered most if not all of the fans that lined up!  Nothin’ but love for the Volturri!

DAKOTA FANNING:  Exactly what’d you expect: cute, tiny, sweet.  Other than the ‘Twi-Trinity’, Dakota was the only other cast member that got the young girls shrieking.

KELLAN LUTZ:  My best crowd shot of the night.  Kellan is so gung ho for the fans.  He was looking amazingly hot.  And that physique - he was wearin’ the hell out of that suit!

TAYLOR LAUTNER:  Megan’s best and only shot of Taylor! Getting a picture of Taylor was damn near impossible.  The swarms of young girls that converged on this tiny space in front of us was scary and surreal.  But he was a vision of beauty and I couldn’t hate on any of them!  They went WILD when he came around and he greeted them with his sweet smile.  He is one handsome kid.  And as always, he was stylin’ and looking dapper as ever.

The following pics were taken of the stars when they were on the interview podium, most of which did not come to greet the fans, so this was our only way to see them.  It was also hard for those who went up and had their back turned to you the entire time! They’re also not the sharpest since we are trying to hold steady and zoom from ACROSS the street!

ALEX MERAZ

MICHAEL SHEEN

ASHLEY GREENE

BILLY BURKE

THE ROB EFFECT:  Okay, this is a good time to mention why we didn’t get a picture of Rob on the podium.  When Rob was talking on the podium, it just happened to be the same time that I was caught in the Taylor Storm mentioned above! UGGHHH!!!  Yes, Taylor Lautner is a cockblocker! haha  So since I don’t have Rob pics, let me just give you a visual of what that experience was like. The buildup was incredible.  We all knew they were going to save the Top 3 for last.  My heart was pounding.  And after seeing limos and town cars with tinted windows pass through all night, you can imagine my surprise when Rob pulls up in this regular town car WITH CLEAR WINDOWS!!!! OH.MI.GOD!  And it happened in slow motion — this car rolls up and the  flashing lights are so bright that he looked illuminated!  And all you can see was that big, beaming smile.  My heart dropped and I damn near fainted.  The sound of the shrieking fans was indescribable.  I’ve been around the Jonas Brothers crowd before and even that pales in comparison to this!  Crazy!  But he got out of the car to wave and the crowd just went BERZERK (duh!).  Rob’s security team looked like an exact replica of the Secret Service.  I thought they were going to whisk him off to the red carpet, but all of a sudden they take him around the car and he starts crossing the street to where we are.  HEART, BE STILL!  Nothing quite prepares you for the vision of Rob Pattinson walking towards you.  And he wasn’t even walking DIRECTLY towards me, but it was still enough to stop me in my tracks!  He went to the barrier and began signing, taking pictures, etc. for the fans and was going down the line, but by yet another unfortunate twist of fate — he crosses the street before he gets to the section I was in!  NOOOOO!!!  But he went to greet those fans on that side and then headed to the red carpet.  Just seeing him walk from across the street was mesmerizing.  The hair… the grin…. the strut.  Pure heaven!  Yes, he too was workin’ the hell out of his suit!  I don’t even know how I’d react if I was front row at the barriers, but I’ll treasure those few instances until my next Rob sighting… (sigh)

THE KRISTEN EFFECT:   Do not underestimate the power of the KStew fans!  The girls went crazy upon her arrival too.  Pales in comparison to the guys of course, but still impressive.  And she did come all the way down to our section so that I could get a good look at her! :-0  She is the tiniest thing, but she looked beautiful.  Her gown was stunning and for once, her hair and makeup were right on point.  So proud of her!  She was so friendly and patient with all of the young fans.  I could never hate on her, because she obviously has a big heart when it comes to her work and her fans.  If she handles everything in her career with this much grace, she has nothing to worry about.

Well after what seemed like HOURS, they finally made it into the theater for the screening.  We had noticed that Rob, Kristen and Taylor had all gone into the first theater pictured here, while the rest of the cast went to the theater across the street.

All the fans cleared out after everyone went inside, with the exception of some who decided to hang around to see who they could catch on the way out.  We were on the same wavelength.  But we decided to grab a bite and come back in time for when the movie let out.  We strategized over dinner and decided that Rob, Kristen and Taylor will be impossible to get in contact with, so we opted to zero in on the Wolf Pack because if you’ve seen these guys on the promo tour thus far, they are a HOOT!  And they seem like such a fun group of guys.  So we decide to stake out the theater and wait for Jackson and the Wolf Pack.  Check out the prime spot we ended up getting….. to the right of the pic is the entrance to the theater!  No one or nothing obstructing our view whatsoever…. SCORRRRRRRRE!!!

After about 15 minutes or so, the movie ended and people started walking out.  We saw Emma Roberts (Julia’s niece) and a bunch of other celebs, but decided to only stop cast members! haha  I’m a Gleek, so seeing the Glee cast there was pretty cool, but again, had to maintain our focus.  Here’s a pic of two of the Glee guys with their friends:

Then I start to see some familiar faces.  I spotted Bronson Pelletier immediately and we called him over, but he just smiled and waved. Which was disappointing ’cause we thought he’d be the most down to come over, but he looked like he was caught up with his agents or something.  Oh well.  He did smile and acknowledge us at least!

Then I got totally excited when I saw Alex Meraz come out.  Oh.mi.god.  In addition to Rob and Jackson, I LOVE me some Alex!  He walked out with this beautiful wife.  They are a stunning couple.  They looked so great.  We called for him to come over, but he kind of waved at us like he wasn’t sure whether he could come over or not.  Then he looked over at us again and we were like “PLEASE?!” and he tells his wife he’ll be right back.  HOLY COW.  Alex Meraz walking towards ME was just as vicious as Rob crossing the street towards me.  EEEEK!  And just as he was walking over, Megan yells at Chaske and he comes smiling and running over to us!!! OH.MI.GOD.  Just as we expected, the Wolf Pack was AWESOME!!!!  Alex came and greeted me with the biggest hug and let me tell you — his hard body matched with his silky designer suit — PURE HEAVEN!!!  I greeted him with a kiss on his cheek like he was a relative! haha  Megan appreciated me starting that trend, since he went on to greet her with a kiss on the cheek too! Chaske came and greeted me with the biggest bear hug ever!!!  I told them both how proud I was of them.  I asked Chaske how the movie was and he was soooo EXCITED.  He said the movie was so GREAT and we’re all gonna just love it.  That was his first time watching the movie.  He said the fans are gonna go crazy!  Here’s the pic of us, which I had posted on Twitter earlier:

I am sooo Team Wolf Pack (second to Team Edward, of course!) But how HOT do these guys look?  WOW.  They looked so nice in their suits….. (sigh)

Cameron Bright did the same thing to us - waved at first, but then came back around.  Here’s our pic with him:

Megan couldn’t resist telling Cameron she loved him in X-Men too, which he was appreciative.  Shout out to my Twitter Peep @LilKel4 for tweeting her story about how Cameron and Kiowa went out to say hi to the campers, but they got their tents trampled on in the process.  I mentioned this to Cameron, so this is how our conversation sorta went:

Me:  That was so great what you did for the fans the other night.

CB:   Oh yeah, thanks - it was my pleasure.

Me:  But you know what (puts hand on his shoulder) - I don’t know if you realize the mayhem you caused.  Fans got crazy and trampled over my friend’s tent!

CB:   OH NO! That’s horrible.

Me:  YES… promise me you will never do that again…. that was very DANGEROUS!

CB:   OK!

He was such a sweetie.  I told him I was kidding… well half kidding on the endangering of my peeps…. but he was such a good sport.  He meant well and he is too cute.

VOLTURRI SPOTTING #2:   Only Megan could spot Christopher Heyerdahl (aka Marcus) in a crowd.  She called him and he came right over.  Very sweet.  I told him I didn’t recognize him outside of his costume and he smiled at me like I was crazy.  I know, I know… sorry, was still reeling from the Wolf Pack! :-0

WOLF PACK SIGHTING #2:  We saw BooBoo Stewart pass by, but I think he was unsure of whether we wanted him to come over or not.  But we caught Kiowa Gordon.  First of all, is it just me or do we look like we could all be RELATED?! hahaha

Megan and I love joking that we are Quileutes! ;-0  Anyhow, had to tell Kiowa the same story I told Cameron, so this is sorta how I remember it going:

ME:  That was so great what you did for the fans the other night.

KG:  Oh yeah, thanks - it was my pleasure.

ME:  Did you know you caused a commotion with the fans though?

KG:  I did?

ME:  Yes, and my friend’s tent got trampled on by your crazed fans!

KG:  WUUUUUTTTT…. no way!

ME:  Uh huh….. so promise me you will never do that again…. at least unless I’M there of course! haha

KG:  Well then you’re just gonna have to camp out next year!!!!!!!

OK, mind you while this whole conversation is going on, I don’t realize that I’m subconsciously feeling on Kiowa’s buffed biceps. WTF?  This was only discovered as he was walking away and Megan totally calls me on it,  which prompted Kiowa to say “Hey, hey!” Like easy there, you perverted ol’ lady!!! haha   Sorry, had a delayed reaction to what I had intended to do Alex. Darn! haha  Kiowa’s such a good sport….. love that kid, too!

Mike Welch came by and said hi, but made it clear that he was not doing pictures, only autographs - which was fine for us since we had met him at the MTV Awards and got to have some one on one time with him then.  Totally legit guy! :-0

By then everyone had pretty much emptied out of the theater except for Jackson.  We knew he was still in there, plus we saw the 100 Monkeys band members still hanging out in the lobby.  So we waited.  While we waited, as luck would have it, Rob comes walking out of the theater from across the street and gets into his car.  We shouted “ROB, WE LOVE YOU!!” and he looked up, smiled, and waved.  *SWOON*  And yes, we took that as a direct response to US and not the crowd of fans! :-0

What a wonderful end to our night….Well ALMOST!  We thought if we could score a pic with Jackson, our mission would be complete.  Jackson was NOT feeling the crowd that night.  He was avoiding us like the plague.  And I think I scared him?  Maybe he doesn’t like the chaos, but he was a good sport and saying hi and smiling (oh, that smile will be the death of me!), but he kept walking like he was being told he didn’t have time to stop.  Grrrr!!!  Here’s a pic of him talking to his friend, and acting like he can’t see or hear me calling for him! DAMN YOU, JACKSON!!!!! :-0

BTW, that friend he’s talking to is also the director of the band’s “Ugly Girl” video.  He’s a cutie too.

NON-TWI CELEB SIGHTING:  Jamie Kennedy and Jennifer Love Hewitt.  Jennifer is a HUGE Twilight fan and is also TEAM EDWARD! YAY!  We said hi to them as they walked by and I asked Jennifer if she enjoyed the movie, which she replied “OHMIGOD…  it was sooooo GOOD and AWESOME…. you guys are gonna LOVE IT!”

 And that concludes my New Moon saga!  I know it was wordy, but I just wanted to recap everything I could remember from that night.  So much fun….. hope to be able to do it again for ‘Eclipse’! :-0

 Going into this movie, I already knew Michael Jackson was a legend, pop icon and musical genius. But I have to admit that I didn’t realize how strong his voice was after all these years until I heard him belt out his hits like “I’ll Be There” and “Human Nature”.  It gave me chills.  His signature, velvety smooth voice was still a force to be reckoned with and it was wonderful to be able to experience this on the big screen.  What I loved most about this movie is that you could see how much attention to detail and how much a perfectionist he was in putting on the best show possible.  Mind you, this is no different from any other pop superstar out there, but watching Michael work was like getting a lesson on true showmanship, which is such a rarity in this world of electronic music and generic pop acts.  My wish would be for every young artist to watch this movie and see the importance of musicality in being an overall entertainer.  Michael knew what it took to be a true entertainer and his audience’s needs were always considered and honored in everything he did.  Watching his dancers in the beginning of the movie express their respect towards Michael as a mentor and icon, as well as their gratitude for being selected on this tour was one of the most heartwarming moments for me.  It made me realize how much work and time went into this production, and how proud everyone was to be a part of something so great and to share the stage with someone so legendary as Michael Jackson.  I’m just happy that their efforts didn’t go completely unnoticed.  God bless the Jackson family and all who were involved in making sure that didn’t happen!

Ohhhhh….. don’t get me started on my daily Twitter roll!  I love Twitter and everything about it.  I consider it the hub for the masses, which is probably why everybody n’ they mama is on this thing.   

Even celebrities have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon and have played a huge part in its current success.  Celeb Twitters like Ashton Kutcher and Diddy have helped pave the way in helping Twitter become a household name.  But once in a while, we get the overtweeters (don’t worry, I’ll mention no names here!).  But all of this has led me to the question:  To Tweet or Not To Tweet?

Was it better in the olden days when celebs just kept their thoughts to themselves?  And they aired their dirty laundry via their PR rep vs. a tweet on their Twitter page?

I mean, do I REALLY want to hear what Kim Kardashian is doing at any given time?  And did I feel better knowing Paula Abdul announced she’s leaving American Idol to me FIRST (as a faithful follower!), before letting it be known to Fox?  Hardly.

On the other end, I LOVE being kept in the loop by all the Twilight and True Blood fans and fansites, as well as the news outlets that keep me updated on current events. 

Speaking of ‘Twilight’, their stars seem to be the most affected by Twitter.  Kristen Stewart said in an interview once that Twitter has made it impossible for her to keep her privacy with media outlets, fans, etc. making her every step and location known on the worldwide web.  Rob Pattinson walks down the street or flies in to L.A. and causes a Twitter tidal wave every time.  In this sense, is Twitter the devil in disguise?  Does it do more harm than good? 

Inquiring minds want to know….. hit me up, my fellow Twit-a-holics! :-0

 With so many new shows this season, it’s virtually impossible for anyone to keep up. Even with my Tivo set, I never have enough time to even check out a new show. And by the time you do get around to watching it, you hope that you’re not emotionally attached to it since it could easily be cancelled by then.  Such are the dilemmas of any TV addict!

Staying true to my favorite shows is a full time job, but the one new show I seem to make time for every week is ‘Glee’.  I just can’t say anything bad about this show. The pilot was so great, that I almost set myself up to think that it couldn’t possibly get any better beyond that.  Yet I’m happy to report that I was completely wrong.  Week after week, I’ve been getting more and more attached to this quirky cast of characters.  Set in a high school with the usual jocks vs. geeks, we get to see a teacher with a big heart take a stand when he decides to save the school’s Glee Club.  The cast is great in their respective roles and whaddayaknow…. they can actually sing!  The writing is pretty consistent, so you always get a happy-go -lucky episode which is such a warm welcome from all the CSI’s and Law & Orders of the TV World.  

And what other show can you have someone burst out in song every episode without getting on your nerves?   You’ll never see that on ‘Heroes’, that’s for sure.  Which is what makes this show so great - it not only stands out, but it completely stands on its own.

    That’s the title I’ve dubbed the CW’s ‘The Vampire Diaries’.  I have to admit that for TV, it was watchable and managed to hold my attention for an hour.  But whether I remain a faithful follower still remains to be seen.  Am I jonesing for it? Hell Naw!  I’m sure that coming out post-Twilight may be a good and bad thing for them, but I couldn’t stop giggling to myself with all the similarities. So without further delay, I bring you my list of comparisons:

• THE EDWARD FACTOR:  Okay, duh…. no one can fill in Edward Cullen’s shoes, but Paul Wesley does the brooding, mysterious Stefan well enough to keep me watching.  If I could be picky, I’d say his jaw is too square for me.  But that’s just me.

• THE UNTOUCHABLE:  Much like Edward, Stefan is also the hottest guy in the school that every girl wants, but is completely obsessed with the homely sweet girl with a heart of gold.

• THE STALKER FACTOR:  Much like Edward, Stefan can’t seem to stop following Elena and mysteriously pops up everywhere.

• THE HOT SIBLING:  Uncontrollable vampire brother who happens to be a hottie? CHECK! As Stefan’s brother, Damon, Ian Somerhalder does his thing, but I find it distracting that he looks so much like Chace Crawford.  Where does the CW find these cloned creatures?!!!!

• THE BELLA FACTOR:  Sweet, petite brunette who is extremely vulnerable and dealing with parental issues (Bella, divorced parents — Elena, parents killed in car crash).

• THE PROMO POSTER:  I’m sorry…. the possibilities are endless as far as promoting this show, yet you go with the three main stars laying down in a meadow? Hel-looo!!

• THE BFF FACTOR:  Much like Bella, Elena has one friend who genuinely cares for her and one who is completely self-absorbed! :-0

• THE JACOB FACTOR:  Naturally, Elena’s ex, Matt, is still in love with her.

• THE GLAMOUR FACTOR:  Although Edward charmed the pants off the school faculty in the books, he was unsuccessful in transferring out of biology class.  Stefan, however, was able to glamour his way through his fake school enrollment! :-0

• THE KNOCKOFF TWI-SCENE:  In mid-conversation, Elena notices Stefan’s eyes changing color and asks “Are you okay?  Your eyes look different”.  heehee

Don’t get me wrong… I’m not calling TVD a ripoff by any means, but you’ve just gotta laugh.  I will say that if next week’s episode shows Elena riding in a beat up pickup, jumping off a cliff, or rushing off to Italy for any reason, I am OUTTA HERE!!!!!

Holy Moly!  All in the Twilight/New Moon world is not right these days.  And when the fans of Twilight are enraged, you can best believe a Twitter storm will follow. 

With all the commotion, you would’ve thought Rob Pattinson or Taylor Lautner were re-cast or that the Robsten Pregnancy Rumor was true!  Nope, all this was over the re-casting of one of the nomadic (albeit lovely) vampires.

The latest news of the re-casting of the role of Victoria is what sent the fans in a TwiFrenzy on the Twitter website yesterday.  It’s becoming apparent that Twilight fans suffer from OCD (and I don’t mean Obsessive Cullen Disorder!).  The fans are completely obsessive when it comes to their Twilight Cast.  They definitely don’t like their cheese moved.  And they sure in the hell don’t like re-casting changes in any upcoming movies. 

Apparently, Rachelle Lefebvre has gone on to greener pastures in some way, shape or form. I say that only because articles are saying she wanted to stay, but the studio wanted her gone, she had schedule conflicts, etc.  In the end, she will NOT be in the third installment of the Twilight Saga, “Eclipse”.  Which is a shame, because this is the story where Victoria really gets down and dirty.  However, if I had to pick a worthy alternate in the land of young Hollywood redheads, I would have picked Bryce Dallas Howard in a heartbeat.  Trust me, she’s going to be great!

I can relate to the fact that Rachelle was great in this role and we can’t picture anyone else as Victoria.  But in the same way I thought there could be no other Bond than Pierce Brosnan or no other Batman than Michael Keaton, trust me when I say there is ALWAYS room for change, kiddies!  Take a big deep breath and accept this new addition in your Twilight World.  You can do it!  Bryce is more than qualified for the job and I’m actually excited to see what she’ll bring to this role.  But much like the Matrix trilogy, you can never go wrong with the original!

gcogo1@gmail.com

  PLEASE….. STOP!  If I read one more tweet/blog on this topic, I’m going to SCREAM! I admit I’ve often referred to True Blood as “The Adult Version of Twilight” (which it IS!).  But other than the fact that their debuts coincided with each other, they can’t be compared.  HOWEVER…. I’ve broken down a few similarities that could be the cause for such comparisons:

• Bill and Edward are vampires that are over 100 years old. 
• Both have been lonely for almost a century, until they met their young, irresistible, mortal soul mates. 
• Both are willing to put their vampire lives on the line to save/be with their girlfriends.
• Both have English accents in real life, but have different accents on-screen (Bill - Southern; Edward - American).
• Both vampires seem to have money, despite not having jobs.
• Bill sleeps in hiding all night and will burn in the sunlight.  Edward’s a permanent insomniac and sparkles in the sunlight.
• Edward’s old fashioned and believes in no sex until marriage.  Bill’s ready to knock boots after the first date!
• Sookie’s brother, Jason is the beefcake in True Blood.  
• Edward’s brother, Emmett is the beefcake in Twilight.
• True Blood has an african american character who kicks butt & name starts with an ‘L’: Lafayette
• Twilight has an african american character who kicks butt & name starts with an ‘L’:  Laurent
• In True Blood, the vampires drink True Blood and live openly amongst the town folks.
• In Twilight, the vampires drink animal blood and live strictly on the DL!
• Edward can read minds, but Bill can’t.
• Sookie can read minds, but Bella can’t.
• Both Sookie and Bella have been the target of a killer.
• Both girls are smart, independent young women, but become clueless when told to stay away from vampires.
• Both girls live in small rural towns, yet have somehow managed to find and hook up with a hot vampire!
• Sam is just like as Jacob:  He’s a shape shifter who’s in love with a girl, who happens to be in love with a vampire.
• Twilight saga has the Volturri, who reigns in Italy.  True Blood has Eric the Vampire Leader who runs the vampire club “Fangtasia” just outside of town and will lead you to a ‘Vampire Council’ when you betray the vampire world.
• Newborn vampires are uncontrollable in the Twilight saga.  Newborns in True Blood are controlled by one sentence:  ”As your Maker, I Command You!”

 gcogo1@gmail.com  

I realize I’m a bit delayed on this one, but I just had to mention all the criticism surrounding this year’s BET Awards show.  Some people loved it, others thought it could’ve been better.  I personally thought they did a pretty good job.  Some thought they could’ve made the Michael Jackson tribute a bit better. 

Honestly, I think the BET Network needs to be commended for pulling off the impossible.  Do the critics realize that Michael Jackson died on a THURSDAY and the BET Awards show was on SUNDAY?  For them to do what they did in that short amount of time is mind boggling.  They obviously had their own production locked down at that point, and then had to do a complete 360 to turn the show into an all-star Michael Jackson tribute.  Yet viewers are going to criticize them for not doing a ‘better’ job?  Cut them some slack.  Better yet, give them a hand for doing more than a half-ass memorial ’shout out’ to MJ.  They got their hustle on to give a memorial that was far more deserving for a musical icon like Michael Jackson. They called on their friends and fellow artists and asked for a favor.  And the artists all responded out of their loyalty to the BET Network and their love for Michael himself.  This in itself is an overwhelming display of love that should not be overlooked. 

Truth is, we could sit and debate about which musical numbers we loved (Maxwell, and anything with Ne-Yo!) and hated (Lil’ Wayne, for starters), but I think the real star here is the BET Network for showing that their love and respect for Michael Jackson was worth every bit of trouble it took in re-working their show.

So I decided to give in and see what the whole Perez/Will.I.Am. drama was all about.  I started with Perez’s video statement.  I totally agreed with him that “violence is never the answer”.  In the end, a man was assaulted and that is WRONG in every sense of the word.  I also think that anyone who’s willing to give any serious thought to anything that Perez Hilton writes or says, has got to find something better to do with their life.  Imagine my surprise when that someone turned out to be Will.I.Am.

Yes, we are talking about THE Will.I.Am., as in mega-watt producer/lead man of The Black Eyed Peas.  I could understand Will defending his group and/or Fergie against an industry executive or anyone who may have been questioning their integrity as a band, but Perez freakin’ Hilton?  C’mon, Will - you can do SO much better than that!   

Perez claims that it all started with Fergie approaching him not once, but TWICE that day about how she thought ‘things were cool’ between them.  Seriously? The girl is married to the hunky Josh Duhamel (who’s promoting the million dollar Transformers movie as we speak) and is a member of a chart-topping band.  Yet she’s preoccupied about why things aren’t ‘cool’ between her and some blogger?  Note to Fergie: Who Cares?  You’ve got so many great things on your plate right now, so why even waste your breath on this guy?  Trust me when I say that I doubt Perez is losing sleep over whether you approve of his website.  

True, it wasn’t Will that hit Perez - it was the band’s manager “Polo” Molina.  I agree with Perez that someone in management should be more professional, and not running around hitting people.  Then again, you can’t provoke someone and not expect them to act irrationally.  Bottom line is that these are two grown men, who could’ve handled themselves better.  Will should’ve been partying and celebrating that night, but instead he opted to get Perez’s panties in a bind.  Perez claims he was  ’threatened’ by Will’s stance and admitted that he wanted to say something that would set Will off.  In an effort to show he can’t be intimidated, he proceeds to call Will a ‘faggot’ - a word that I believe no one should ever use.  Perez can’t fly his anti-violence flag, yet provoke people in such a way that you know will result in a violent altercation.  And if Will was following Perez around like he made him out to be, then Will can’t act innocent either. Going out of your way to follow someone shows you had intent to cause trouble, too. 

Honestly, I feel like I just broke up two kids from fighting in a playground.  That’s how juvenile this whole situation is turning out to be.  Perez said he “doesn’t need this kind of drama” in his life, but again, you reap what you sow.  I guarantee if you walked up to a complete stranger on the street and called him a ‘faggot’,  that person’s going to give you a reaction that will be violent or extremely unpleasant to say the least.  Hopefully next time, you guys can go to an industry event and celebrate the wonderful lives you lead and not worry about senseless things like name calling and mindless confrontations. 

gcogo1@gmail.com 

Once upon a time, there was a show called Grey’s Anatomy that I absolutely could NOT live without.  I’m talking Top 3 on the Tivo Season Pass, people.  I was a true fan who loved the show for all that it’s worth.  Then out of the blue, it just started to SUCK.  Big time.  It were as if all the great writers jumped ship and moved to ‘Private Practice’.   But that wasn’t my only reason for the lack of interest.  Izzie Stephens, the character played by the lovely Katherine Heigl, began to annoy me to no end.  So much so, that it became painful to tune in every week.  So I stopped watching. Seriously.   

Now Katherine had all of Hollywood buzzing this week over her renewed contract for next season - a deal that sealed her character’s fate in last season’s cliffhanger. But honestly, she should’ve been long gone by now.  Her character has run its course.  Not to mention, ABC should’ve kicked her to the curb last summer when she dissed the show’s writers by asking that she not be considered for an Emmy - a direct reference to her character’s lack of material.  So now I can’t help but wonder, why the change of heart?  Did she realize that just because she did ‘27 Dresses’, she probably shouldn’t quit her day job just yet?  Or did she love the great writing in her supposedly last season, that she’s just jonesing for more ‘emmy worthy’ plotlines?    

Either way, she’s signed on for another season, and I doubt I’ll be tuning in. Mind you, I was also a fan of the ‘Prison Break’ character Michael Scoffield, but even he realized when it was time to end his run. Now if only Izzie Stephens would follow his lead!