#PrayForSeanKingston

As anyone who is on Twitter would know, prayer requests for Sean Kingston are in abundance this morning. Yesterday, May 29, 2011 around 6 p.m., Kingston crashed his Jet Ski into the bridge connecting Miami Beach's Palm Island to the MacArthur Causeway. His injuries were so severe that he was immediately brought into the trauma unit at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida, and is currently in critical condition. He was said to be accompanied by an unknown female passenger who's health condition has not been released. His rep told TMZ, "Sean Kingston was in an accident today. No further details are available at the moment. He and his family thank everyone for the well wishes."

Well wishes are coming from celebrities like Justin Bieber, Tory Lanez, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna and many more. Twitter topics like #PrayForSeanKingston and #WeLoveYouSean have been created to help spread the word.

At this point, with the little information that the public has been given, we must respect his privacy and hope for the best. Prayers can be more effective than you think!

OPRINALE! (Oprah Finale) - POST Spectacular

The final episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show was nothing short of spectacular.

It's not the kind of spectacular that one would assume, however. There were no massive giveaways, surprise guests, makeovers or typical over-the-top segments that Oprah is known for.

Instead, her giveaways were with her words. She shared 55 minutes worth of sacred knowledge that comes from 25 years of learning, adversity and growth.

Inspiration wasn't lacking in this final episode. Winfrey urged her audience to listen to their calling. Pay attention. People have a tendency to listen to the doubts and discouragement, which is inevitable in life, but overlook their abilities. "This is what I was called to do...Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to find it."

Oprah did not go without crediting her life and success to the higher power, God. When referring to Him, she said, "I'm talking about the same one you're talking about. The Alpha and Omega. The Omniscience, the Omnipresent, the Ultimate Consciousness, the Source, the Force, the All of Everything There Is, the one and only G-O-D."

Her references to God were tastefully done, and acceptable to the general audience. There was no religious overkill. It was simply gratitude.

Her finale was essentially a prolonged "thank you" to her dedicated viewers, and people who have taught her valuable lessons through their own struggles.

"I thank you for being as much of a sweet inspiration for me as I've tried to be for you. I won't say good-bye. I'll just say, Until we meet again. To God be the glory."

OPRINALE! (Oprah Finale)

Today is the day we have all been waiting for... Yet, it is also the day we have all been dreading. Today, May 25, 2011 is Oprah Winfrey's final show.

What can we expect?

Those who were fortunate enough to attend the final taping, which was taped yesterday, said there were no crazy giveaways. Camera crews were posted outside the studio in Chicago to speak with some of the audience members after the taping, in hopes to get any information they could about the finale "spectacular". Apparently, according to an audience member, before the show even started, Oprah said there will be no cars or elaborate gifts given away at this final taping. No gifts? No cars? None of Oprah's favorite things? This leaves one to wonder what the accomplished mogul has in store for everyone.

On her last episode, 25,000 trees were planted in her name. In addition, libraries were built in her name for underprivileged children. It seems as if these final shows are geared toward surprising Oprah herself. Seeing as Oprah could essentially get anything she wanted under the sun, people are thinking outside the box, to repay her for creating such a movement.

Honestly, what could one possibly surprise Oprah with? One of the most accomplished and inspirational women in the world, who happens to be a billionaire.

Watch today, at 4 p.m. est. on NBC, to see for yourself.

Rapsody and my experience with the MC herself

Last night I went to the Mac Miller show in Fort Lauderdale, FL, which featured Rapsody: a truly talented and passionate individual. She is a 28-year-old MC "that happens to be a female," as she puts it, and she represents artists like Lauryn Hill, MC Lyte and Latifah.

As a 21-year-old "white girl," I deal with adversity on a daily basis, with people not taking me seriously, and someone like Rapsody, who characterizes leadership, talent and independence, inspires me.

When I spoke with Rapsody last night, we briefly discussed the music industry, substance, and lack thereof.

When Rapsody went on stage, she wore a green long sleeve top, jeans, and sneakers. She didn't wear anything accentuating her slim, petite body. She simply came out as Rapsody. Her motive was to move her audience with her music. When she performed, she represented talent and passion. Her appearance immediately became irrelevant when you heard the words that were coming out of her mouth. It wasn't noise, it wasn't words. It was poetry, it was real. She is so confident in what she is capable of, that she did not have to rely on her beauty (which is obvious, even without make up) and femininity to aid her performance. Image is secondary to her. I cannot name ONE male OR female that has the ability to do that.

There is a lot of irony in the term "image." The image is a visual picture. However, the image tends to blind people of the truth. The power of the image can cause one to lose sight of what is real.

Sometimes, people forget what hip hop is. Hip hop is a culture and an art form originating in the South Bronx, dating back to the 1970s. Hip Hop was initially a way for young, underprivileged kids to express themselves by dance (break dancing), art (graffiti) and battling (MCing). In times of struggle, people would utilize these art forms as means of outlets to express their emotions. Instead of crime and violence, togetherness and communities were created to rechannel their adversity into something positive.

As Ms. Rapsody likes to say, "Culture Over Everything."

Thank you for preserving the culture of Hip Hop and proving that substance overpowers image. One's image is short lived and ever changing. Talent and passion is lifelong. People are often too shallow and unsure of themselves to embrace that.

Check her out:
http://www.rapsodyonline.com/

Ashton is #WINNING!

Via Twitter, it seems as if all is well between Charlie Sheen and Ashton Kutcher:

 

On May 13, Charlie tweeted: @CharlieSheen: #Winning Congrats to the cast and crew...CBS & WB..! My best to @aplusk !! The show must go on... You got the right guy! c

 

Ashton replied: @aplusk: #2.5 @charliesheen Thank man. Always been a fan, always will be! BTW you were "born big"

 

Is it really all peachy, though? The Huffington Post said that Kutcher finalized his contract for a replacement for Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men on May 12, 2011. After hearing of the news, People.com quoted Sheen saying, "Ashton Kutcher is a sweetheart and a brilliant comedic performer. Oh wait, so am I!!" the actor griped Friday. "the show America, Enjoy seeing 2.0 in the demo every Monday, WB. Enjoy planet Chuck, Ashton. There is no air, laughter, loyalty, or love there."

 

Chuck, the creator and executive producer of Two and a Half Men, is the one who is allegedly responsible for Sheen's termination from the show. 

 Hmm... Seems to me as if Sheen is a bit salty about the situation.

 

However, he can't be too spiteful, seeing as Kutcher will be making $650,000 - $750,000 an episode, which is a far cry from Sheen's previous 2 million per episode, according to People.com.

Regardless of the feedback, Ashton says, "I can't wait to get to work with this ridiculously talented 2.5 team and I believe we can fill the stage with laughter that will echo in viewers' homes," said Kutcher. "I can't replace Charlie Sheen but I'm going to work my ass off to entertain the hell out of people!"

On Thursday we found out that Hugh Grant almost got the role, but last minute negotions did not go through. Rumors swirled about other replacements before Kutcher was chosen, including John Stamos and Rob Lowe.

PERSONALLY, I think John Stamos would have been a great fit. The 47-year-old is handsome and known for his diverse roles. His history of substance abuse and recklessness would give a sense of reality to the show, and make him more similar to Charlie Sheen's old character. However, Kutcher and Sheen's differences may be positive for the show. But will we embrace this change? We shall see next fall, when season nine airs on CBS.

The Terminator "terminates" his marriage

Wow. One of the most powerful duos, Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Governor of California, call it quits. After 25 years of marriage, Shriver, 55, and Schwarzenegger, 63, decided to separate. They have reportedly been separated for weeks, but only made their split public on Monday, releasing a joint statement that said they were "amicably separating." Maria Shriver has been seen in the past couple of months without her wedding ring, raising questions.

“At this time, we are living apart while we work on the future of our relationship,” the statement reads. “We ask for compassion and respect from the media and the public.” If only that was possible. The media loves the fact that this legendary couple's relationship has failed. Their marriage proved that couples in Hollywood could challenge stereotypes and be powerful together.

Publically, their lives seemed to be picture perfect, but “This has been a time of great personal and professional transition for each of us,” the couple also said in the statement. Shriver, has experienced trauma and loss in recent years, with the death of numerous family members. After Schwarzenegger's run as Governor of California, he often claimed how he yearned to return to show business. This period of transition put a lot of stress on their seemingly perfect relationship. 

In a March 28th YouTube of Shriver, she said "It is so stressful to not know what you're doing next." This quote represented the stress and uncertainty of what is to come, which clearly contributed to the split.

“After a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion, and prayer, we came to this decision together.”

The couple has four children together, and they will continue to dedicate their lives to the well being of their kids.

MAKE SURE TO WATCH MY SHOW 'CURTAIN CALL WITH ABBEY' ON THURSDAY NIGHTS AT 7PM ON http://www.wrpbitv.com/ WITH THE LATEST IN ENTERTAINMENT AND TALENT.

Rapsody: New artist to look out for

9TH WONDER presents RAPSODY from Pricefilms on Vimeo.

Rapsody: New artist to look out for

This week, I will be interviewing Rapsody. Return of the B girl. Check her out

http://vimeo.com/15888529
http://vimeo.com/17715023

n. Lady Gaga / adj. bizarre

I was watching Guiliana Rancic interview Lady Gaga last night on E! News, and I couldn't help but wonder WHAT inspires Ms Gaga to wear the things she does. She truly epitomizes 'bizarre' and I wanted to post some images of her most notable get ups. Maybe someone can enlighten me? Don't get me wrong, I think she is phenomenal. I saw her perform on Oprah on Thursday, and she is a true entertainer. She is her own brand and I have an incredible respect and appreciation for that. I applaud her for standing out. Her ability to appeal to such a wide demographic of people while pushing equality in our society is so brave. But still... I'm no stylist, nor do I know much about fashion, but some of this stuff I simply cannot explain!

Here we have Lady Gaga emerging from an egg. Totally normal.

 

Here we have... I don't even know. I really just don't. I couldn't even tell you what this was symbolic of. Fire maybe? The Slim Jim guys?

Is this even safe? Is she able to see, let alone BREATH?

Addams Family Member that the family disowned for being too sexy

Dr Dre is thinking, "Why do I have to be the one standing next to her?"

Angelic Scarecrow maybe?

The infamous meat dress

Kermit the frog(s)

That's just a button on her head... no biggie.

So many things going on here I wouldn't even know where to begin. The balloon material robe or the cowboy hat/sombrero.



If I was going to meet the Queen, this is totally what I would wear too.

Even though she is known for her bizarre outfits, she does have her sexy 'dress-down' days:

Even this... could be sexy.

Even with these yellow decorations that I can't really figure out, I still think she looks SEXY!

See THIS is normal? The shoulder pads are a little extreme, but this outfit is classy, in my opinion!

Oprah Redefines 'Spectacular'

As if Oprah hadn't proven herself enough over the past 25 with legendary guests and incredible giveaways, she bids farewell by going above and beyond. On Monday, May 2, 2011, she had the President of the United States on her show. Not just the President, but his famous wife (if not just as famous as the President himself), Michelle Obama!

The night before the illustrious couple appeared on the Oprah show, Osama Bin Laden was killed. Not only was this a milestone in talk show history, but it was a milestone in our nation's history. I don't think there could possibly have been a more perfect time for them to appear on the show.

Despite the fact that Ms. Winfrey herself does not like surprises, she is making an exception with her "Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular" show, that will air May 23 and May 24. The final show will air May 25.

If giving the entire audience brand new cars, endorsing products to make people millionaires over night and the 44 million viewers a week was not "spectacular," I can't even fathom what surprises the final episodes will have. So far, we have seen Johnny Depp take the entire audience to a premiere of his latest Pirates of the Caribbean film, and Lady Gaga perform on a stiletto. Yes, a ten foot tall stiletto. She never seizes to amaze us.

Those involved with the show are keeping tight-lipped about what is to come, however, we do know this: . "We intend to make the most of that opportunity. It will be something to see!” says executive producer, Sheri Salata. But if the past is any indication of what to expect, I will be watching. This is the Superbowl of talk show finales. NBC claims that ads during the final show will cost 1 MILLION! Talk about an economic boost! That is more than the season finale of Lost which cost $900,000.