 July 2011 Cover of PCWorld I really need a new phone. I think that I am going to join the Android revolution–goodbye Black Berry. I was all set to get the Thunderbolt, but then the Charge came out. Now, I’m considering sticking it out with my dying Black Berry Storm until the Motorola Droid Bionic is released. The latest issue of PCWorld has an article on the best phones. I read the article in hopes that it would help me reach a decision. I also got a chance to read-up on some other cool phones. Here’s the top 5 according to PCWorld:
- HTC Thunderbolt
- T-Mobile G2X
- Motorola Atrix 4G
- Samsung Droid Charge
- Samsung Epic 4G
* Apple 16GB iPhone 4 ranked number 8.
New phones to watch for included the aforementioned Motorola Droid Bionic, the HTC Evo 3D, Samsung Infuse 4G, and the HTC Sensation. Here is a rundown of the best phones for certain categories:
- Best Gaming- Sony Ericsson Xperia
- Best Camera- HTC Droid Incredible 2
- Best Keyboard- T-Mobile Sidekick 4G
- Best Display- Samsung Galaxy S II
Droid phones have come a long way since their inception. There are plenty of options to choose from and the extremely fast 4GLTE network is now available. Knowing myself I’ll probably go with which ever I can get a better deal on, but one things for certain: I can’t go wrong with a Droid.
 "Cause this is what happens when bad meets evil, and we hit the trees til we look like Vietnamese people, hes evil and I'm bad like Steve Seagal , against peaceful, see you in hell for the sequel!"
The wait is over for the sequel–Eminem and Royce Da 5'9" have dropped their Bad Meets Evil project Hell: The Sequel earlier this week. The two caused quite a buzz in 1999, with release of The Slim Shady LP containing the song "Bad Meets Evil." Since then, much has gone on between the two Detroit mc's: beef between D12 and Royce, Proof of D12's death, Eminem's drug woes. Now the two have patched up their differences and are back together to deliver something that should have happened a long time ago.
I'm excited about this project because when I think of Bad Meets Evil I think of that song on The Slim Shady LP when Em and Royce went back and forth lyrical acrobats. I believed this project marks Em's return to Slim Shady, and not the more pop Eminem sound that we've heard on the last few releases with songs like "Love the Way You Lie." Eminem made quirky pop songs since the beginning of his career, but I feel he became progressively more pop since the Slim Shady LP; that album is still his best, in my opinion. Royce has maintained his lyrical prowess throughout his career, so It is to be expected that he would maintain that on Hell:The Sequel. There is a pop song on this project, "Lighters" featuring Bruno Mars, but the EP as a whole is filled with lyrical intensity from both Royce and Eminem.
The EP has received good reviews for the most part, so can expect to hear a solid EP. what's more, Eminem signed super group Slaughterhouse (Roycee is a member of the group), so I'm sure the chances of hearing more from these two in the future is very likely. For now, just enjoy a trip to Hell: The Sequel.
 I read an interview that Vibe Magazine did with Luther Campbell, better known as Uncle Luke. Many of you may be familiar with Luke for bringing bass music out of Miami and into the music world at large with such hit songs as "Me So Horny," but Luke is looking to be known for more than his Miami bass sound; He is running for Miami-Dade County Mayor. He and 11 other candidates are looking take the seat of unseated Mayor Carlos Alvarez for the remainder of his term
I have to say, after reading the interview, I am rooting for Uncle Luke. He impressed me when asked, "What made you decide to jump in this race?" His answer:
"I've been involved in politics pretty much all my life. From Djing at the park and then you find out you need a permit, and then the police officers come and harass you, then it becomes a riot, then you have to go downtown. And then getting into the music business and trying to be productive, and Djing in buildings and now you dealing with the nuisance board and sound. So you find yourself getting involved in politics, and you're just trying to make a living. And then dealing with controversial lyrics, and before you know it you have governors and vice presidents and chiefs of police and commissioners speaking out and using that as part of their platform–understanding that whole process. And before you know it, you're caught up in a legal battle going to the Supreme Court, defending the constitution and my right of free speech. All these different issues eventually put you in a political process even when you're not trying to be in one directly."
It seems that Luke's heart is in the right place; he want's to truly effect change in the Miami area. Being a native of the city, he understands firsthand what the issues are.
Luke's background may not be that of the typical mayoral candidate, but he certainly has enough experiecne with the law to be looked at seriously. As he puts it, "...if Jesse Ventura, Arnold Schwarzeneger, Steve Largent, Ronald Reagan, Sonny of Palm Springs–If they could do it, I could do it!"
Check out the June | July 2011 issue of Vibe and read the full story:
 Last night I went to see the musical Sister Act, and I thought it was great. The musical is based on the early 90's movie and produced by the movies star, Whoopi Goldberg. It is the tale of an aspiring disco singer looking to make it in the business, but everything changes on night after witnessing her boyfriend murder someone. She then must go into witness protection in a convent—the most unlikely place she would be found in Philadelphia. At the convent, she builds a special bond with the nuns and brings new life to the convent.
Sister Act was held in one of the nicest theaters I've been to so far. The Broadway theater is spacious, adorned with a hug chandelier hanging form the ceiling, and draped in red velvet. Unlike many other theaters I've been to, there were virtually no obstructed view sections. I sat in the mezzanine and had a great view of everything on stage.
The stage design was one of the first things that impressed me about the musical. It was simple yet tasteful. Also, there were many stage changes that helped move the play along, in a sense. The changes happened effortlessly with the help of the rotating stage.
I thought the actors in the play, especially the nuns, were cast very well, matching closely to the characters from the movie. The lead actor Patina Miller (Deloris Van Cartier) is a fantastic vocalist, with great attitude for the character. Miller has great vocal range and great rich tone to boot. At times I felt that she was holding back vocally—I wanted her to take me to church on some of the vocal runs she did—but she still delivers a powerful performance. Also, her charisma on stage is something to be noted.
The music was catchy and the arrangements were well-done. There was everything from Disco numbers, to hymns, to comedic songs, and a nun even rapped. Alan Menken and Glenn Slater, the composer and lyricist respectfully, have both done work in Disney films. This is evident in the melodic lines of some of the songs, but I'm not complaining; I love Disney songs.The beginning of the show seemed to be a little too big, but after the first number the rest of the musical unfolds nicely.
If your hoping to see a Broadway show anytime soon, Sister Act will answer your prayer. Here's a little taste of one of the numbers being performed on The View:
Hip-hop phenom Eminem is suing car manufacture Audi for illegal usage of his song "Lose Yourself." When I first read this story on AllHipHop.com ( click here for the story), I first thought about the legal implications. After watching the Audi commercial, I feel that this will go down as one of the classic legal cases regarding copyright law. A copyright gives the originator of a piece of intellectual property the right to produce and authorize others to: make recordings, print, perform, make derivative works, and to display the work publicly when regarding movies and visual art. For more on copyrights, click here.There are, however, certain limitations to the copyright owner. The government has put in a place compulsory license, which allows someone to create and exploit their own version of a recording as long as the compulsory royalties are paid to the originator and notice is given. With each original recording, there are two rights to be considered: that of the actual recording, and that of the composition itself. Record companies usually hold to rights to the recordings, and the songwriters and composers hold the rights to the compositions. Since the Audi commercial did not use Eminem's actual recording, we are dealing with an issue regarding the song itself, and Audi only has to deal with the music publisher and not the record label. Musicologists should be called in as expert witnesses to make arguments on each litigants behalf. The advertising agency who produced this commercial probably sent a commercial music house the "Lose Yourself" track as a reference for the composers, in order to give an example of the feel they wanted for the music. This is common practice in commercial music. After listening to the final song submissions, the ad agency probably felt that the song was similar enough to "Loose Yourself" to fit the direction of the commercial, but dissimilar enough to not be infringement. Take a look below. You be the judge: Audi CommercialChrylser Commercial
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