On Its Way

I like Madonna. While everyone in the world has an opinion about her as both an artist and an individual, I think she embodies creativity, innovation, and style. So needless to say I'm anxiously awaiting her new album, due for release sometime early this year. Promotion has begun, buzz is good....

Until the unnamed album is officially pushed out to the marketplace, there's an online poll for users to vote for the ''Most Elegant Woman of 2007," for which Madonna is currently in the lead. Here's where the "style" comes into play.

Who do you think should win? To cast your vote for Madonna click here.

This Time I Am the Critic

I'm a fan of entertainment award shows, I must admit. The Oscars. The Grammys. The Golden Globes (which are actually being canceled this year). I know, I know, it's a weakness of mine. I hate watching them, mostly because of crappy talent and poor writing. I don't even necessarily agree with ''awarding'' individuals simply for doing their jobs (which is, after all, what they're doing). I've always felt that way. But there is something fun about seeing a mass of celebrities in one place at the same time. It's almost always amusing, particularly when they're walking down the red carpet.

So when VH1 aired the Critic's Choice Awards last night I just had to watch. While I haven't seen any of the movies being recognized, it did seem many of them were non-mainstream, which I always enjoy. I was a bit hesitant to watch at first though, when I discovered ''comedian'' D.L. Hughley was hosting. Firstly, he's not that well-known, so that was surprising. Secondly, I don't think he's funny at all (Bravotv.com agrees), and after the show last night I feel even more strongly about my opinion. Most of his jokes seemed to be race-centric, with many references to "you wouldn't see a black actress getting caught in that situation" or "a brother would never be cast in that role.'' I was seriously, seriously turned off, and thought he was severely miscast.

Wow, am I Debbie Downer or what?!?!

Music Monday: Freedom '90

The early '90's were an interesting time in American music. The [painful] period of hairband rock was on its way out, mainstream grunge was on its way in, and europop acts started dominating the charts. In the midst of all of that came a song that captivated my attention the very first time I heard it. Actually, it was the video that captured my attention, and what's ironic about that is the artist behind the song was nowhere to be found.

''Freedom '90'' was a groundbreaking, beautifully shot video featuring some of the most famous supermodels of the time including Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, and Naomi Campbell. They could be seen lazing around a loft in anywhere, USA, lip-synching to the track off of George Michael's brilliant ''Listen Without Prejudice, Vol. I'' album. The interesting thing is Michael was in the middle of a brawl with his record label Sony because of the image they'd created for him during his ''Faith'' album, and he boycotted them by not appearing in any of his videos from the former album. And by choosing models to represent his song, it's the perfect concept -- what, really, better represents American culture than a supermodel? (This isn't necessarily my personal opinion, but certainly one that hangs around through the years.)

George Michael - Freedom '90
Uploaded by jpdc11

Political Thoughts: Part II

American politics is severely heating up, particularly given the next Presidential campaign is less than a year off. A few weeks ago I had a post titled ''Political Thoughts: Part I,'' and the center of the topic is about celebrity involvement in politics. Everyone has their own opinion on the matter. On top of this, religion and politics are most often very controversial (see Mitt Romney article), and mostly always heated. It's because of that I'm not going to go into much detail about my personal opinion -- I'm mostly interested in finding out what other people think.

Many people believe a candidate's religious background should play a major role in their campaign. The idea being that religion equals character equals how individual choices are made. Others, however, hold the opinion that religion has no impact on a political campaign, and does not belong in the government.

What's your opinion? Let others know by participating in the following poll:

Tony Oh-no!

I am not a fan of [American] football, and I am most definitely not a fan of Jessica Simpson, so it's really quite amusing that I'm even spending time on this post. But I felt like addressing this whole situation currently happening in the media with Tony Romo and Jessica. Now, as I understand it Dallas Cowboy fans are up-in-arms about Jessica attending their games. They seem to think Tony Romo is an incredibly weak-minded football player who is constantly distracted by his celebrity girlfriend. (Way to have confidence in your star player!) Jessica's such a distraction--people think--that they have publicly said they wish she just wouldn't come to their games; they believe she's the cause of all of Tony's recent ''poor'' playing.

Actually, I see no problem with that. I just think the only fair thing is that all the wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, and partners of all the rest of the team don't attend the games. Actually, now that I think about it I don't really believe their families should attend either. Family is most certainly a distraction. I wonder, too, if all the screaming fans are a distraction? I know that would definitely throw my concentration. Perhaps football games should only be televised...with no audience? No, that wouldn't work. The players would get all freaked-out thinking about all the people watching through the televisions, from millions of homes and bars.

Hmmm, what is the logical compromise here? I'm thinking football should just be done away with altogether. That's a good solution. Doesn't matter to me. After all, I'm not a fan....

(Just for the record, if I were getting paid millions of dollars to throw a ball around, I can guarantee you I'd find a way to concentrate at games.)

A Keen Ear

Stuart Price is the next big thing, I think. He's young, he's talented, and he's got the support of many, many hot musicians. The man who unarguably had a hand in the success of Madonna's 2005 ''comeback'' record, ''Confessions on a Dance Floor'' is most recently at the helm of Seal's new release, ''System.'' While I don't have many male artists in my library of music, you will find all of Seal's albums -- I think his voice coupled with his style of music makes for a great listening experience.

''System'' is a fantastic record, and has the Stuart Price trademark all over it. In fact, it could be a younger brother of ''Confessions.'' Believe me, this is a good thing. Seal's latest effort is, for the most park, a non-stop dance-o-rama, and well worth the purchase. Price's ability to take the "norm" and make something interesting is really keen, and certainly one of the things that keeps ''System'' interesting.

It'll be interesting to see what projects Stuart Price takes on next. Whatever artists he works with, their music is sure to be a great addition to their current catalog.

Click here to purchase Seal's ''System'' from Amazon.com.

The Most Awkward Celebrity Moments of 2007

The more I keep telling readers I'm not really into celebrity gossip, the more I find myself writing about it. Sometimes it's just too good to pass up, although please understand I don't find pleasure in the pain of these people -- I'm just constantly dumbstruck about how silly they are. I would most definitely not want to live my life under the continuous scrutiny of the American media.

Having said that, I recently saw the ''Top 10'' list for the most awkward celebrity moments of the year, and some of them are moments we won't soon forget. Thanks to site HerGossip.com and TIME magazine, here’s the list:

1.) Columbia University President Lee Bollinger invites the Iranian president to speak on campus.
2.) Paris Hilton cries for her mommy.
3.) Alec Baldwin rips his daughter a new one.
4.) David Hasselhoff drunk in the shower.
5.) Family values Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) admits his number is in the so-called D.C. Madam’s little black book.
6.) Britney Spears’ zombie dance at the MTV Video Music Awards.
7.) Rosie O’Donnell calls co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck a coward on “The View.”
8.) Fox TV censors Sally Field at the Emmy Awards.
9.) Miss Teen South Carolina says Americans don’t know about geography because they lack maps.
10.) Rudy Giuliani’s kids won’t back him for president.

Are there any you think were left off the list? Personally, I thought Kathy Griffin's Emmy acceptance speech was pretty awkward, as well as Paris Hilton's interview with Larry King. Maybe we can make these honorable mentions?