Do you beliebe?

I'm going to be frank with y'all: I'm a belieber... or at least, I have been.  Now?  I don't know what to beliebe.

We all knew about Justin Bieber when he came onto the scene.  An overnight sensation like no one before him, you couldn't help but know his name and at least be able to hum one of his songs.  Whether you liked him or not, you'd heard of him.

Brilliantly managed and marketed, he experienced a frighteningly fast climb to success.  In the face of it all, he seemed to manage it well himself.  You might not want to call him an artist, but he sure could perform.  Beyond that, he has a certain charm, too... charisma, even, and not just in the "tween" sense.  Have you ever seen him on "Chelsea Lately"?  Check out the video below.  He's not very articulate, per se, but he holds his own, and is funny (and even, dare I say it, smart!) in his own way.



So what did I think of him when he was first thrust upon us?  Not much, really... I was indifferent... I mean, although there is something unique about his rise to success (YouTube discovery, overnight sensation, etc.), it's just the same old story in a new context, isn't it?  I wasn't a hater, I wasn't a fan, I was just aware... and maybe curious... and maybe a teeny bit proud that for once an enormous star was Canadian?  Or maybe more angry at the fact that Justin was calling himself the first interesting thing to come out of Stratford.

I became a belieber though when I watched "Never Say Never", the documentary film movie about Justin's rise to fame and his "Never Say Never" tour in which he first performs in the legendary Madison Square Garden.  There's something almost hypnotizing about that movie.  I can't even remember what it was that made me watch it in the first place.  Again, I wasn't a huge fan, and none of my friends had seen it.  Regardless, I watched it one night and was totally mesmerized.  There is something so captivating about him and his story, and in the movie he is portrayed as very serious, sincere, caring, and hard-working.  He definitely is talented, too, but he's also so... earnest.  Yes, that is the word!  He seems to be so earnest, and there is something so endearing about him.

That brings me to now.

I'm not sure if you keep up with the Justin Bieber news, but he's been acting a fool lately.  There's been issues with his friend caught speeding in his car, photos surfacing of him smoking marijuana, getting kicked out of a London bar on his birthday, passing out on stage at his own concert, starting a concert two hours late, walking around shirtless, swearing at paparazzi..... Bieber is not 13 anymore.

So he's 19, and the old smile for the camera paired with a flick of the hair doesn't really work for him now.  That's fine.  Performers have to evolve with their age and with time.  Look at Justin Timberlake (I certainly enjoy looking at him); he started as a curly-haired, frosted-tipped boy bander, and now he's all dapper in a suit and tie singing us brilliant R&B.

But this isn't about a performer evolving, it's about an individual experiencing some growing pains, and the thing that I struggle with is: can we just chalk this up to a 19 year-old acting his age?  Does he have to be held to different standards because he's a massive celebrity?  Does any of it matter?  19 year-olds all over the world are doing this and much worse (minus what the money and fame afford him), but his discretions are displayed for all the world to see.  What does it all mean?

The funny thing is, I don't really care about his music.  Some of it is pretty catchy, but just because I call myself a belieber, you won't be finding me buying his albums and certainly not attending his concerts.  What I liked about him, as I said, was his earnestness... his charisma and hard-working nature.  I'm just not seeing that anymore.

However, as a belieber, I will hold out some hope.  I'd like to see Justin Bieber elevate to the levels of Justin Timberlake one day... maybe it'll never happen, but...

NEVER SAY NEVER.

EM-TEE-VEE

“MTV doesn’t even play music videos anymore!”

Have you ever said this or heard someone say this? If so, you or they are right! Rarely does MTV play music videos, and these days if it does, it’s not usually the whole video. When it was originally launched in 1981, MTV (Music Television) was intended to be a channel dedicated to music and music videos. In 2010, MTV no longer includes “Music Television” in their logo. They are not a music television channel. Perhaps it would be more fitting to call them an entertainment channel; they play reality shows, a little bit of music news, live talk shows, and sometimes documentaries. They don’t pretend they’re all about music, and they’ve shown that by rebranding themselves (and excluding the Music Television from their logo).

How do I feel about this? Well I love music, and when I was younger I watched the MuchMusic countdown the whole way through most Friday nights. However, I don’t really care about music videos anymore. I listen to music almost exclusively on my iPod, and I’m usually doing a bunch of other stuff while listening. I don’t sit down on the couch to “watch” music.

It’s not about me though. Even if I was a die-hard music video fan, I’d understand why MTV wasn’t catering to me. Most people don’t care about music videos anymore! If they do, they’re going to watch them on YouTube, and not wait for them to come up on a music channel’s rotation. Most people DO care about seeing celebrities on television, and say what you will about that fact, it’s a fact. Why would MTV cater to a small audience when they could meet the needs of the masses? It’s just the way it is.

If people care about celebrities (and by people, I mean people ages 14-28, which has always been the MTV audience), then MTV should work to be the network showing the best celebrity content, or even better – creating celebrities themselves. Did I know who Snooki or The Situation were before Jersey Shore? No. But I certainly know who they are now! If you don’t care about Jersey Shore, then I understand, but you are unfortunately of the minority.

As always, take what I say with a grain of salt. I just think that what MTV puts out meets and exceeds the desires of their majority audience. Music videos or not, they’re a force to be reckoned with.

Entourage Crush!

Obviously we know I love Entourage. Did you know Turtle was one of my (if not the only) favourite characters? Well he is. I've always liked him. In fact, I've even crushed on him a wee bit - since the beginning.












Now check him out!































Damn Turtle! Your arms are bulging and your face is so intense!


Mmmmm.

Chefspiracy

It wasn't really worth mentioning when I only found one case of it... but now that I have two? I have to tell you!

I think Food Network stars are pretending they're chefs when really they're professional actors and actresses.






Chef Michael Smith from Chef at Home? Or John Corbett, a.k.a. Aidan from Sex and the City?









Anna Olson from Fresh? Or Bonnie Hunt from Cheaper by the Dozen?

L.G.R.

Ok.

So you know how I hate Lady Gaga? Well, I'm not really sure why I do. Part of it stems from me always being wary of things that are really hyped up. Lady Gaga is huge! She's a relatively new phenomenon, and yet she's #4 on the Forbes Celebrity 100?!?!? Why? What's so special about her? She's fresh and genius and creative and artistic. Is she? Is she doing stuff that nobody else is doing or nobody else has done before? I dunno... I think people are a little blinded by her outrageous outfits...

But as much as I'm wary of things that are really hyped up, I'm also wary of intense feelings that I have that I can't exactly explain. I mean, I don't really listen to Lady Gaga, so am I really qualified to hate her or have a strong opinion either way? No, I'm not.

SO... it's time to begin my L.G.R. - Lady Gaga Research. I'm gonna take notes as I work my way through as much of her music as I can. I'm gonna read up on her. I'm gonna stare at dozens of Google images. I'm gonna form a real opinion, and I'm gonna report back to you.

Forbessss

I don't think I know very much about celebrities. I maybe know more than average... or maybe not... Anyway, I just looked at the Forbes Celebrity 100 and I was shocked (in some cases) about who was there.

I always forget about the huge celebrity of athletes. I also forget that athletes who are no longer playing in professional sports still have a huge impact - for example, Michael Jordan. I figured Jordan was set for life, but because I haven't seen him around much, I was surprised to see him on the Forbes 100. Then again - Air Jordans and all that stuff? I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

There are also a lot of actors/actresses who play a more behind-the-scenes role these days - executive producing, writing, directing, etc. They're still raking in the dough, even if they're not in the limelight.

I also forget that just because I don't like the hype of a particular celebrity doesn't mean the hype isn't HUGE. Lady Gaga is #4. She's huge. I have to admit it. Forbes doesn't lie. I'm just... not into her.

suGar & grAvY on some hot topics

Surprised, but I love it!

Always good to see someone using their power for good.


In other news, I saw Precious last night.

Precious... Precious... Precious...

Let's just say - when the film ends, the impact doesn't. The emotion in that movie! It was incredibly done, the acting was FLAWLESS, the writing was out of control... I don't even know what to say. I'm not even sure I am important enough to rate such a spectacular film, but if I was.

RATING = 4.9/5.0

Realness

Glee Gals - Photo Gallery

My thoughts... (keep in mind I love the show!!!)

Lea Michele - chill out on the "fierce" looks, girl, you're not high fashion
Dianna Agron - you look hot in the red lipstick
Jane Lynch - you look strange in a dress, but I idolize you
Amber Riley - yes!
Lea Michele - again... relax!
Kevin McHale - you are so Hel-Looks
Jayma Mays - no comment

"Celebrity"

I've had a lot of conversations these days about the way the world is now. Conversations about how when I say, "What's up?" to my friend, he replies, "NM", and that's totally fine with me. Conversations about whether or not Internet dating sites are representative of the deterioration of social behaviour in this century. My instinct is to always support the time we live in. We live in the age of iPhones and Twitter and text messaging, and it's a great age to be a part of! Information moves faster than ever. Technology is changing more rapidly than I can mentally process. However, there are lines being crossed that I question.

I just listened to the audio of John Mayer breaking down onstage.
He says, "I quit the media game. I'm out. I'm done. [...] I just want to play my guitar."

With a world so obsessed with the idea of celebrity and real people becoming fictionalized... that must be a lot of pressure for celebrities. There are a lot of celebrities who became celebrities because they were passionate about their art - whether it be acting, or playing the guitar. However, because of us, they've become wrapped up in something they never signed on for.

That being said, I suppose it is what they signed on for. We all know that if you become a household name, that carries a lot of weight. Weight you might not want to take on.

Is there a choice? Can John Mayer really quit? I don't think so, because I found out about this on Twitter and then E! Online. I don't think you can escape it. It's just the way of the world... whether good or bad, it sells!

There's also those people that don't care about "their art" (if they even have one), because what they want is the celebrity. You don't have to have an art to be a celebrity now (see: Speidi), because we don't care what you do, we just care about which bar you were at, whether or not you flashed anyone, cheated on your boyfriend, or got in a cat fight with another "celeb".

I'm not bashing it though. I buy into it, too! I just find it fascinating.

Truthfully, there's no other age I'd want to grow up in.

Commercials with S-E-X

Commercials are usually pretty annoying, but every once in a while you see a few that make you laugh, cry, or perhaps feel a bit aroused?

Sugar & Gravy & Life & Style

I bought a celebrity news magazine today for the first time in a while: "Life & Style". It was the first time in a while just because - not because I have any particular opposition to celeb gossip. I don't exactly frequent the hot celeb blogs (especially Perez Hilton's site, because I find him to be a total bugger - mainly because of http://twitter.com/PerezHilton), but I find the gossip interesting enough.

Anyway, I bought the mag, and here are some of my thoughts on its content.

#1: Jon & Kate Plus Drama
Whoa. I didn't see this coming. When I started watching the TLC show on occasion I thought it was cute and entertaining - especially the sextuplet with the glasses. Aaden? Adorable. Then all of a sudden these TLC parents are CELEBS?!? Gracing pretty much EVERY celeb mag cover with their presence?!? Seriously. Man, we are really scraping the bottom of the barrel for celebrities these days. The article was talking about how Jon is a dirtbag and a womanizer. Seriously? That tubby, earring-ed, receding hairline-d father of 8?!? What is the world coming to?


#2: Who wears it best?
This particular issue of "Life & Style" had one of those "Who wears it best?" sections - you know the one, Kristin Cavallari & Ciara are both wearing a Charley 5.0 mini and 56% of readers think Laguna's sweetheart wears it best. Legit. Here's the jokes part: one of the duos wearing the same outfit are Courtney Cox & GAYLE F**KING KING! Are you serious?!? Gayle King? Oprah's lover. Hysterical. Once again - what is the world coming to?!? Thankfully 89% think Monica wore it best. Who were the 11%?!?

#3: Ed Westwick & Jessica Szohr are a couple.
I didn't know. I am jealous of both of them.


That's all for now.

FEY'd!

I wish I could've seen this live.

This makes my life.

Sugar & Gravy Movie Mania #4

Just one.....

#1 (and only): "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2"

Terrible. Really..... it was just bad. I laughed genuinely maybe twice, but aside from those two laughs, I just made fun of it throughout. It was cheesy, predictable, and lame. Ick! However, I read the first two books and truly enjoyed them, so it's not the story that's bad, it's the screen adaptation. Brutal.
Rating = 1.6/5.0 (and I think that's being generous)

That said, there was one upside:

Bridget Vreeland played by Blake Lively = YUM!

Lesbo Lovin'

+ +
= Ellen & Portia's Wedding!!!

If you don't recognize that handsome devil on the right, it's Joshua Radin aka. close friend of Mr. Zach Braff aka. singer on "The Last Kiss" soundtrack aka. Schuyler Fisk's partner in crime aka. my man crush!

Apparently he played 5 songs at the wedding of these power lesbos!

P.S. Please excuse the bad resolution on those photos - I just google-imaged them.

P.P.S. Please excuse the fact that Portia looks like a Barbie.

Flabberghasted!

Clay Aiken is straight?!?!?

Sexy Front

Apparently this performance as host of the ESPYs has him on the list for possible Oscar hosts.


Yeah, it's aight, I guess.
I'm just not really into sports...



That is a sexy front though.

I couldn't find a picture of his sexy back.

Obama and Ellen and Dancing, oh MY!

I know I'm posting a lot, but I couldn't deprive you of this:

Gravy with a "V"

I'm watching Liza Minnelli on Inside the Actors Studio. I'll be honest, I always thought she was a bit of a crazy woman. That's likely thanks to her character on "Arrested Development", whom I love, by the way..... and it's also due to portrayals of her on SNL and stuff.

Anyway, I find her incredibly beautiful, elegant, articulate, wise, and brilliant after watching her on this show.

Here's a segment of it: