Eminem The Warning: Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon Diss (Video)

Eminem and Mariah Carey picture via

Eminem has released a new track called The Warning in response to Mariah Carey and her latest video Obsessed.

The rapper threatens to release more details of his relationship with ex Mariah before she met and married Nick Cannon in the rant.

Check out the audio below:

Eminem The Warning video

L.A. Story, Part 1: "Getting There"

I still have trouble believing that I was there. Not just the historic Morning Musume concert, but Los Angeles in general. It was even bigger than I expected it to be, and I expected it to be HUGE. One thing's for sure, H!P picked a helluva place to send a notorious homebody like myself on a weeklong soul-searching excursion.

I was kinda disappointed that I wasn't able to attend Sakura-Con and meet Hangry&Angry in Seattle. I had a lot going on back then and also figured that Seattle was quite a ways away. But in my several years of watching Morning Musume in videos and TV appearances (especially Utaban), I made a vow that if they ever came to the U.S., wherever it was, I would go.

So in a conversation with Tom on MSN right before Good Friday service I said, not thinking too seriously about it, "I'm going to look into the LA gig, what's it called?" Next morning I had bought a plane ticket, registered for Anime Expo, and put in for a hotel reservation. Once I saw plane tickets for $300 it took about 20 minutes and I was officially bound for the Expo.

I made a list the weekend prior, of all the things I wanted to get done before I left for the Expo. Some of them were necessities for the trip, others were intended to ease my return, like cleaning my house so I didn't return to a complete junkpit. And some of my chores bordered on the macabre, just in case I didn't make it back. A few things in my house still have the labels I put on them: "Please return this to (name here), it's not mine, I borrowed it." The weekend came and went, and finally the big day had arrived.

I live about two minutes from the airport in Des Moines. Dad picked me up and took me there so I wouldn't have to pay for a week of parking, practically in my own neighborhood. He didn't even park, just pulled up to the entryway to let me out. No long goodbyes, no words of wisdom, just a quick "see ya in a week" exchange and I was off to wait for the plane to board. Not that we're a sentimental bunch, but I thought he might want to see me off in a more conventional way. It's not like he had anything else to do that day, but in retrospect it was nice to be on my own for the start of this landmark journey. I reflected on my life so far and felt my stomach do flips as I listened to Hiro songs in the terminal. It was *much* better than the music being piped-in.

I didn't make it through the Xray process very quickly because I went a little over-the-top on my present for Tom. I thought it would be appropriate to bring him something unmistakeably Iowa, since he probably won't be coming here anytime soon. A quick brainstorm with a friend led us to this, literally a piece of Iowa...


It's a geode, if you haven't already guessed, a little bigger than a softball, and cracked in half to display the pretty crystals inside. I took half of it with me to give to Tom, and you should have seen the looks on the NSA people's faces when they saw that through the Xray machine. They didn't say anything to me, I thought they might go all "Code Red" and shut the airport down until they realized that it wasn't a threat. I waited patiently (while they called for a supervisor) to explain to them that it would in fact make a really crappy bomb, then told them, "I know what you're questioning, and you're welcome to search the bag."

They never did open the box, just wiped it with an Oxy pad and told me I was free to go. But they weren't real nice about it.

I warned Tom about this as I gave it to him on my last day in L.A., but apparently he slipped it back to England unnoticed. Good for him, fight the power!

My good friend/next-door-neighbor/coworker/frequent dining companion (all the same person) was generous enough to give Tom a signed copy of one of her books, "Grasp the Stars" (hint: you can buy it on Amazon):

Luckily for him, Tom actually reads sci-fi, so I think he liked it. Jennifer knows I'm not a sci-fi reader, but gave me the copy that you're looking at above. I might read it someday...

So, two hours after boarding the plane, I'm in Dallas. No need to tell me we're over Texas, looking at all the brown grass and muddy ponds from overhead. It made me trip out a bit because it takes 11 hours to get there in a car, and I know that for a fact. My brother spent four years at UNT in Denton, so I made the trip probably a dozen times by car, and had already flown to and from DFW twice. So it was a strangely familiar place despite being so far away. I hit the airport McDonalds for some en-route comfort food, and an hour later, we were in the air again and headed to LA.

There's something about flying that makes me feel like we're all just pieces of dust floating around at random. You probably aren't the type that does this, but whenever I'm on a plane I make up stories about all the random people who I'm travelling with; you know, imagining the human-interest newswires about us some ten years from now, on the anniversary of the gruesome crash we'd all be in... 'Timmy had just reconciled with his father and hadn't seen him for twenty years... and he never got the chance.'

Well, I'm not that worried about plane crashes but there have been few happier moments in my life than when they tell me I can get off the plane. Otherwise I'm just stuck in there, breathing the same air as everyone, at the mercy of the crew. After a couple of hours of staring down into the nothingness that is West Texas/New Mexico/Arizona, the pilot comes on and announces, "we are beginning our descent into Los Angeles International..." and I'm freaking out by that point, for several reasons.

1.) The reality of Anime Expo is about to come. 2.) Midwesterner about to arrive in Los Angeles for the first time (sure, you can have my wallet!) 3.) No more air travel for a week, and the pilot was nice enough not to crash the plane!

Suffice to say we landed at LAX after I saw from overhead several of the famous 52-lane freeways I'd seen on TV so often. There's 'urban sprawl' and then there's the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Jeepers, it's huge.

As I boarded the shuttle to the hotel, an Asian-American guy a little older than me spied my MiniMoni t-shirt and says, "I know what you're here for..." and proceeds to talk my ear off about fansubs and how he's moving to LA from New York, and we wished each other well when we parted ways at the Sheraton. As we were driving in I looked out the window and could say nothing but "damn!" to myself as the shuttle driver drove like a madman past the Convention Center, the Staples Center, the Denny's Restaurant, Library Tower, all of which I had only seen in pictures. If I was still questioning whether these places really existed, here was proof-positive.

I figured that the driver knew how to get to the Westin Bonaventure, but knowing my luck I'd get the guy who says, "biggest hotel in town, you say? I've been driving shuttles for 20 years and I've *never* heard of it..." But he gets to the curb, and one of the uniformed bellhops opens the van door and says, "Welcome to the Westin Bonaventure!" I'm thinking 'holy crap, how did I get here?' Nothing at all had gone wrong!

I decided to get checked in and contact Tom from the room, although on my way to the elevator I thought I recognized him from afar in the huge lobby. Since we'd never met in person before, I didn't feel like going up to a random person and asking, "Tom?" as they gave me a blank stare in return. Turns out it *was* him, but how was I to know for sure until he came up to the room?

Before he arrived I took a moment to get a shot of the view from our hotel room. The second picture is a view of the crosswalk, right before AX pandemonium took over the town...



Next: Part 2: "Day -1, Day 0, and the Wonderful Registration Process. Til then...

Joe Jackson Confirms Omer Bhatti is Micheal Jackson's Son (Video)

Joe Jackson has confirmed that Michael Jackson was the father of Omer Bhatti in a recent interview with NewsOne.com / TV One.

"Yes, I knew he had another son. Yes, I did.” Joe said in the interview.

"He looks like a Jackson, he acts like a Jackson, he can dance like a Jackson…this boy is a fantastic dancer.” the 80-year-old father of the late king of pop continued.

Omer Bhatti, a 25-year-old Norwegian rapper, is alleged to be the secret son of Michael Jackson, the result of a rumored one-night stand with a Norwegian fan in 1984.

He was photographed sitting on the front row with The Jackson Family at Micheal Jackson's Memorial service on July 7.

Check out the video of Joe Jackson confirms Omer Bhatti is Micheal Jackson's Son below:

Zac Efron Bungee Jumping (Video)

Zac Efron Bungee Jumping Video

Zac Efron made his first ever bungee jump in Canada recently.

The 21-year-old High School Musical star took a death-defying plunge at Whistler Bungee in Vancouver, Canada on Saturday afternoon (July 18).

He is currently in Vancouver filming his upcoming movie, The Life and Death of Charlie St. Cloud.

Lindsay Lohan Goes Blonde for Movie

Lindsay Lohan goes to the hair salon after shopping in Beverly Hills

Lindsay Lohan goes blonde again.

The 23-year-old actress spent more than 11 hours at the Byron & Tracey salon in Beverly Hills yesterday, dying her naturally red hair into blonde.

However, it wasn't her decision. Lindsay revealed that she only dyed it for a movie role and she is sad about the change on her Twitter page.

"it's for a movie. i miss it too :( i was sad when i heard -i begged. lol”

Miley Cyrus “Party In The USA” Leaked (Audio)

Miley Cyrus’ latest single, Party in the USA, has hit the internet!

Reports say that the new song will be featured on the teen queen’s upcoming album, which due out this fall.

Check out the audio above and the lyrics here.

Kim Kardashian Reggie Bush Split

Kim Kardashian, 28, and her New Orleans Saints football boyfriend Reggie Bush, 24, have broken up.

According to reports, the pair decided to end their two years of romance due to the “conflicting schedules”, and the split was a “mutual decision”. 

"They never get to see each other, ever.” a source close to the couple told People magazine. “It's been a long time coming. They still love each other and are part of their lives, but Reggie spends six months out of the year in New Orleans, so it's tough."

A rep for Kardashian has confirmed the split.

Joe Jonas Camilla Belle Split

Joe Jonas and his 22-year-old actress girlfriend Camilla Belle have officially called it quits, according to People magazine.

"Yes, it's true, they have broken up. There is no third party involved and they care deeply about each other and will remain friends.”a rep for Camilla confirmed the split on Monday.

Neither Joe or Camilla ever confirmed they were dating since November 2008.

Ricky Berens Splitting Swimsuit Malfunction

Ricky Berens, the 21-year-old Olympic swimmer and Beijing relay gold medalist, suffered a splitting swimsuit malfunction on Sunday during the World Swimming Championships in Rome.

The back of his swimsuit tore open and bared his rear end just moments before the race. But remarkably, the University of Texas senior continued to complete his contest as scheduled. 

"I kind of freaked out just for a second, I felt like [the hole] was almost down to my knees. I felt like I was putting on a pretty good show.” Berens said as he talked about the horrible awkward moment.

Joe Jonas Accidentally Hit Nick's Hand With Drumstick at Concert (Video)

Joe Jonas accidentally hit Nick's hand with a drum stick while he was trying to play his brother’s drum during the Jonas Brothers' concert in Philadelphia Friday night (July 24).

Luckily, Nick wasn't seriously injured. But he looked like he felt really painful as he had to take a moment break before continuing their show.

Check out the video of Joe Jonas accidentally smashes Nick's hand below:

Carrie Prejean Singing: Dethroned Miss California Sings With Bing at a Racetrack in California (Video)

Carrie Prejean, the dethroned Miss California 2009, tries to sing!

The 22-year-old former beauty queen, who gained wild public attention over her answer to a question about same-sex marriage earlier this year, sang a little tune at a Del Mar racetrack in California on the opening day this week.

Check out the video of Carrie Prejean sings with bing below:

LeAnn Rimes and Husband Split: LeAnn Rimes & Dean Shermott Separated Following Rumored Affair With Eddie Cibrian

LeAnn Rimes and husband Dean Shermott picture

LeAnn Rimes and her husband of seven years, Dean Shermott, have announced their separation after four months of rumors claiming the singer-actress allegedly having an affair with actor Eddie Cibrian.

"Le and Dean have been separated for quite some time now, but they're continuing to try and work through their relationship”, a Rimes pal told People magaizne.

LeAnn married Dean in 2002, when she was only 19.

Eddie Cibrianand and wife Brandi Glanville picture

LeAnn Rimes and her Northern Lights co-star Eddie Cibrian, who are both married, were photographed kissing and holding hands during a March 7 date this year. The two were reportedly caught again together on July 17.

Earlier this week, Eddie's wife Brandi Glanville announced on Us Weekly that they were splitting because “I want to do what is best for our children. Eddie and LeAnn deserve each other.”

Katie Holmes So You Think You Can Dance Performance (Video)

Katie Holmes showed off her legs, singing and dancing during a guest appearance for So You Think You Can Dance show Thursday night (July 23).

The 30-year-old actress performed Get Happy to pay tribute to Judy Garland on the 100th episode for the TV dance series. She donated all of her performance fees to the Dizzy Feeet Foundation, which funds dance lessons for kids.

However, the performance, which was actually pre-taped, draws mixed reviews from critics and fans.

Check out the video of Katie Holmes' So You Think You Can Dance Performance below:

Gwyneth Paltrow Cooking Lesson on Roasted Chicken and Potatoes (Video)

Gwyneth Paltrow shared her culinary skills with fans by posting an 8-minute video showing how to make a quick roast chicken and potatoes with salad.

In the video posted on her website Goop this week, Gwyneth talked about her love of cooking and food as she preparing for the roast. The 36-year-old actress revealed she learned to cook in her teens after getting sick of frozen meatballs.

"Over the years, it's become a major passion. I think about cooking all the time. It's what I lie in bed thinking about at night, which is maybe a problem”, the mother-of-two said.

Check out the video of Gwyneth Paltrow’s cooking lesson below:

Britney Spears Latest Candies TV Commercial (Video)

Britney Spears looks amazing in the latest Candies television commercial for the Autumn/Winter 2009 collection at Kohl's.

The 30-second TV ad is an edited version of the music video for Britney’s newly released single Radar.

Check out the video of Britney Spears Candies TV commercial below:

Solange Knowles Bald Haircut (Pictures)

Solange Knowles, the 23-year-old singer, also the younger sister of Beyoncé, has shaved her head.

Following Hollywood's shaving trend, Solange was spotted cutting all hair off to go almost bald with her new hairdo in LA today (July 23).

However,the singer kept the look under cover with a bob wig while attended an Evening with Dita Von Teese at Hollywood’s Avalon yesterday.

What do you think of Solange’s new bald do?

Omer Bhatti aka O-bee: Michael Jackson’s Secret Fourth Child?

Omer Bhatti, a 25-year-old Norwegian rapper, is alleged to be the secret son of Michael Jackson, the result of a rumored one-night stand with Pia Bhatti, a Norwegian fan, in 1984.

According to reports, Omer has been introduced to Michael and impressed the singer with his dance moves in 1996. He lived at Neverland Island with the king of pop and his family for a few years since 1997. Michael reportedly told his close friends several years ago that he fathered Omer.

Omer was sat on the front row with The Jackson Family at the singer’s memorial concert on July 7. Now he is said to have asked for a DNA test to prove if he is the love child of the legendary star.

If he is, the 25-year-old would be the oldest brother of Michael's three children, Prince Michael, 12, Paris Michael, 11, and Prince Michael II, aka Blanket, 7.

Here is a video of Omer Bhatti aka O-bee’s performacne, The Beginning. Check out the clip below:

Andrea McNulty Suing Ben Roethlisberger For Sexual Assault (Pictures)

Ben Roethlisberger Accuser Andrea McNulty picture via TMZ.com

Andrea McNulty, a former Harrah's Casino worker, has filed a lawsuit against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for sexually assaulting her in a Lake Tahoe hotel room in July 2008. 

Andrea McNulty claims the 27-year-old footballer raped her after she was called to his room to fix his TV during a celebrity golf tournament last year.

McNulty also says that she didn’t reported it because she thought Roethlisberger is a strong man and the hotel would side with him. And she believes the Harrah's did not adequately investigate her assault complaint.

Andrea McNulty is seeking $440,000 in the civil suit, which names Ben Roethlisberger and eight others employees at Harrah’s as defendants.

Ben Roethlisberger’s lawyer has reportedly denied the charges.

Susan Boyle Today Show Interview (Full Video)

Susan Boyle, the 47-year-old Britain's Got Talent sensation, shows off her flattering new look on NBC’s The Today Show aired on July 22.

The singer talked about her international fame, voice, health and her new album on the show.

It was her first interview since she shocked the world with her incredible voice and became an instant global phenomenon on Britains Got Talent earlier this year.

Check out the full interview of Susan Boyle on The Today Show below:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Stephen Baldwin Bankrupt: Stephen Baldwin Files for Bankruptcy

Stephen Baldwin, 43, the youngest of the Baldwin brothers, has filed for bankruptcy in a New York court.

The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here star filed for Chapter 11 protection on Tuesday, claiming that he is $2.3 million in debt but only owning a $1.1 million New York property.

According to reports, Stephen Baldwin owes $1.2 million on two mortgages on the property, $1 million in taxes, and has about $70,000 credit card debt.

Demi Moore Mohawk Haircut Picture Posted on Ashton Kutcher’s Twitter

Ashton Kutcher posted a picture of his wife Demi Moore with a Mohican haircut on his Twitter page on Sunday, July 19.

Followed the photoshopped picture with a short message the 31-year-old wrote, "Wifey just got a new hair cut what do you guys think? I love it”.

In a quick response, Demi tweeted "I have the buzzer ready baby."

And Ashton's replied, "I'm just playing baby, but I think you'd look great with that cut."

Shortly after, Demi said: 'Thank you love. How' bout I shave your initials into my head.'

Then Ashton mocked by writing: 'You could shave them somewhere other than your head...'

Fortunately, the 46-year-old actress clarified that with saying: 'Like my armpit?'

Peter Andre Falls Off Stage at T4 On The Beach (Video)

Peter Andre suffered an embarrassing fall off stage while performing at Channel 4's T4 On The Beach on July 19 in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset.

The 36-year-old singer missed a step and quickly ran out of stage when singing live his new song Behind Closed Doors at the event.

Luckily, he was not hurt badly and was helped to return the stage later. Check out the video below:

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Performs Live at Nelson Mandela's 91st Birthday Concert in NYC (Video)

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, the First Lady of France, made a live performance at a gala to celebrate Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday in New York Saturday night.

The 41-year-old played her guitar and sang Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind with musician Dave Stewart at the star-studded music concert.

It was Carla Bruni's first live musical appearance since she married French President Nicolas Sarkozy in February 2008.

Check out the video below:

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy sings for Nelson Mandela's 91st Birthday video

La Toya Jackson “Home” Re-released as Michael Jackson Tribute Song (Audio)

La Toya Jackson previously recorded the track named Home for the Startin' Over album in 2002 as a tribute to her family.

Now, the 53-year-old singer is set to re-release the song Home to pay tribute to her late brother Michael Jackson.

The single is being available for download on iTunes from July 28.

It was reported that all proceeds from the single will be donated to the AIDS Project Los Angeles, a charity that was supported by the king of pop.

Fred Durst & Ester Nazarov Got Married

Fred Durst, the 38-year-old Limp Bizkit frontman, has officially tied the knot with his longtine girlfriend Ester Nazarov this week, just three months after their engagement in April.

"Cheers to the universe from me and my lovely wife Esther Durst!! We are now one and complete. :o)” the rocker announced the happy news on his Twitter page on Friday (July 16).

Fred has two children - a teenage daughter from his first marriage, and a 7-year-old son from a previous relationship.

The musician and his newly-wed wife, Ester, are currently honeymooning in Las Vegas.

Jon Gosselin & Hailey Glassman Engagement Confirmed By Jeweler

Jon Gosselin, the Jon & Kate Plus 8 star, has reportedly engaged to Hailey Glassman, his new girlfriend of two months, after his wife Kate Gosselin filed for divorce last month.

It was said that the father of eight has proposed to Hailey with a $180,000 engagement ring designed by jeweler Edouard Nahuma during the vacation in St. Tropez on July 12.

Though there is no official confirmation made by Jon Gosselin, the jeweler to the TLC reality star confirmed to In Touch that Jon has engaged to marry the 22-year-old party girl.

"Yes, we sold Jon Gosselin the engagement ring that he gave to his fiancée. It was a great pleasure for us to sell this ring. Our band is very well known by people and stars in Europe.” Edouard Nahum said.

Michael Jackson & Kids Never-Before-Seen Photos on OK! Magaizne

Michael Jackson on Prince’s sixth birthday in 2003

Michael Jackson and his children’s never-before-seen pictures have been revealed on OK! magazine, showing the king of pop as a loving father had fun with his three kids - Paris, Prince and Blanket - at Neverland island in Santa Barbara County, Calif.. 

Check out more pictures on OK! Online.

Lady GaGa Kermit The Frog Outfit On German Interview (Picture & Video)

 

Lady Gaga was wearing a 'Kermit The Frog' outfit on the interview with Germany’s RTL.

"I dress this way because my whole life is art, and my whole life is performance,” the 23-year-old singer explained.

What are your thoughts?

Lady GaGa German Interview - Kermit The Frog Outfit Video

Janet Jackson & Jermaine Dupri Split

Janet Jackson, 43, and her music-exec boyfriend Jermaine Dupri, 36, have reportedly broken up after nearly seven years of dating.

"His friends are telling people it's over, They have been moving in different directions for a while." a source told the new issue of Us Weekly.

A mutual friend revealed the reason for the split was due to different personalities and the conflicts arised when the couple worked together.

"You shouldn't mix business with pleasure, Janet felt their lives were too crossed and they should have kept things sepa­rate… Jermaine likes to be out there, mingling with everybody, and ­Janet's more shy."

Meanwhile, another insider said Janet is still deeply mourning the death of her big brother Michael Jackson.

"She's devastated. She's busy caring for Michael's kids. Janet's the family's backbone."

Dupri was noticeably absent from Michael's memorial service on July 7.

Rihanna New Shaved Hairstyle (Picture)

Rihanna was spotted showing off her new half-shaved hairdo as she arrived at London's Heathrow airport after flying in from New York on July 17.

Heavy on top but bald on the back and sides.

What are your thoughts about the styled haircuts of the Umbrella singer?

Madonna Tour Stage Collapse Accident In France

Madonna’s Sticky and Sweet stage set partially collapsed at Velodrome Stadium in Marseille, France on Thursday.

The stage is being built for her concert on Sunday July 19. The accident occured after a crane collapsed that caused the upper part fell down. Two workeres was killed and eight were injured.

"I am devastated to have just received this tragic news. My prayers go out to those who were injured and their families, along with my deepest sympathy to all those affected by this heartbreaking news." The singer said in a statement.

The weekend concert has been canceled.

Kim kardashian Twilight Vampire Look (Picture)

Kim Kardashian changed her look to the Twilight vampire recently.

Kim Kardashian posted this picture on her official website on Wednesday. The reality star looked mysterious with the pale skin and dark makeup. Even interesting, her eyebrows were hidden with an eyebrow concealing wax. Kim said the makeover was inspired by Prada's fall 2009 runway show.


"Since vampires are all the rage right now, Troy Jensen and I thought it would be cool to try out a more gothic, almost sinister look! This look was inspired by Prada's fall 2009 runway show and it is so unlike anything I've ever done! And no, I didn't actually get rid of my eyebrows, haha. Troy used an eyebrow concealing wax to hide them! Pretty creepy, right? I call this my Twilight look! What do you think?” 

Frankly speaking, Kim kardashian has been changed so much that I can hardly recognize her.

Blasphemy!

Another impossibly-long rant. (Pause to dust off soapbox.)

After returning from Los Angeles I felt a bit burned out on the whole Jpop thing, so I've been listening to a wide variety of music since then. Mainly, my new favorite form of music has turned out to be "post-war optimism" stuff like Guy Lombardo and Les Paul. I'll sneak the occasional Aiko/Mi-chan/Perfume songs in just to be fair, but as far as new-era Morning Musume is concerned, I'll be back to it in a while.

I ran out of the Hello!Party for a short while to avoid hearing a karaoke version of "Yume no Naka", from the very first Morning Musume album. Apologies to whoever that was, but I don't care if you're the reincarnation of Karen Carpenter; that song is just sacred in so many ways. So I got the urge to listen to that song a couple days ago and played the whole album for good measure, what the hell...


In many ways, the latest incarnation of Morning Musume is like Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos; they didn't exist a while back, and they're really good. By comparison, 'old-school' Musume is like the Cool Ranch Doritos we were downing by the metric ton in the '80s. It just felt right. My point with this admittedly goofy analogy is that, to be sure, what we saw at AX was certainly the same brand of Morning Musume, but what we saw was certainly not the same group it was 11 years ago. I know what you're thinking, it's not the same members, but there's more to it than just who's holding down the stage.

With the exception of "3, 2, 1 Breakin' Out" and maybe a couple of others, they've abandoned group harmonies in favor of a more powerful lead vocal style. The group has gone from the old-school cool harmonies to balls-out chaos (think 'Koko ni Iruzee!') to uber-cuteness (like 'Ai Araba...' and 'Mikan'). It's taken them this long to get back to a more mature, dare I say 'sexy' style with 'Shouganai Yume Oibito'. And I place the blame squarely on the 4th Gen.

Look at the numbers. Musume recruits Goto Maki, the world's head explodes, and Love Machine/Koi no Dance Site sell a collective 400 billion copies. Then comes the 4th Gen to KILL THEIR SALES. As much as I love them, once you bring in Rika, all the girls in the audience turn their attention elsewhere, then the crazy man-fans show up and take over the place.

To be fair, I'm pretty sure that Yossie has kept a lot of girls in the buying mood. Ladies, I'm not suggesting that you're *that way* but it's pretty obvious that the chicks dig Yossie, so don't freak out on me yet. She did what she could.

Aibon and Nono were good role models for girls for about eight weeks or so, until (as I've discussed) they decided to *not* be role models and just do whatever-the-hell.

It was Tsunku who took the group in the direction they went, who went for the male demographic overall and decided to stop catering to more feminine tastes. And suddenly, in place of the original group is this over-caffeinated group who's bouncing off the walls instead of paying tribute to the jazz masters of old. Maybe it's Ichii Sayaka's fault.


Sayaka (who, if I'm not mistaken, was referred to as "Kaa-san" by the other members) should never have left. Watch for her in old concerts, she's got soul (*and* she's super-bad!) She certainly looked and acted more like a grown-up than any of the current members, and for whatever reason, when she left it allowed the Nacchi's and Rika's to take over and wreck up the place. Observe, then, the cover of the second Morning Musume album with most of the old-school members:


Notice anything? Like the fact that they're not wearing any makeup? If I was a record-buyer of the female persuasion I'd be thinking to myself, these girls are bold. They're not afraid to be their true selves. And despite it all, yes, they're still really pretty. Would you expect the same kind of attitude from the group now?


Uh, don't hold your breath. And it's not that I don't like what they've become, far from it. But as I'm listening to the Kaa-san era albums, there's no mental connection, no spark in my brain that says "this is the group I saw". But you know what? Technically, this *was* the group I saw, where the name and the forces behind it are the exact same. Beyond that, it ain't selling quite as well these days as Love Machine did. The audience has shrunk. Where did all those women go?

What makes a hit record? Let's look at some contemporaries. SPEED, in some two-and-a-half years, sold enough records that when Morning Musume finally surpassed them it was a bona-fide ACCOMPLISHMENT. Women bought the hell out of those SPEED records because they didn't stray from the formula that made them big in the first place. Look hot, look cool, and you've got buyers on both sides of the aisle.

The Beatles sure sold a lot of records, just as many (if not more) to women who were totally after them like stalkers. It was their wide appeal in songwriting and general aloofness that gave them mystique. People bought their records in the hope of unravelling some of that enigma, and to this day it's still intangible in many ways. They're *still* selling records, forty years after they broke up.

And the greatest-selling record of all-time? Thriller. Why? Young, old, black, white, male, female... it doesn't matter, that record broke so many boundaries and has an appeal to almost any buyer on the planet.

Back to Morning Musume, July 2009. They're raking in the cash, they're arguably more successful than ever; but their goal should be nothing short of world-domination, to be the talent behind the as-yet-unnamed greatest-selling record of all time. One that makes Thriller look like some slip of the world consciousness before we all started buying really good music.

They *can*. But all this motto-kawaii-ness is keeping a few people from buying into the hype. It's time to get *real* again, and they're headed in that direction, it seems, so keep your fingers crossed. Before long, they'll each have a zoo and a theme park in their back yards, if they can remember how to keep everyone's attention. "Yume no Naka", indeed.

Last order of blasphemy is this: as far as every Japanese girl, famous or not (as I've heard) wants to be blonde and Pam Anderson-esque... again, let's get real. Every one of them in their current state, be they Kayo Aiko, Nagasawa Nao, Saito Michi, Hoshii Nanase, the Morning Musume's, the girls from SPEED (especially Hiro, no question) is cooler than I could ever hope to be. I'm just buying records, trying to unravel some of that enigma.

Miley Cyrus Admires Zac Efron: Miley Cyrus Tweets Her Admiration For Zac Efron

Miley Cyrus, the Hannah Montana star, has recently revealed her admiration for the High School Musical leading actor Zac Efron on her Twitter account.

The Disney star said she and her mother Leticia Tish Cyrus had been looking at Zac’s photos on the web and she thinks Zac is a gorgeous man.

"Me and mom are seriously sitting here staring at zac efron on google images. Girls I totally get it! He is gorgeous!" the 16-year-old singer/actress tweeted.

It is not known if Zac knows about the matter.

John Mayer Caused Jessica Simpson & Tony Romo Breakup?

John Mayer and Jessica Simpsonn pictured in May, 2007

John Mayer was reportedly linked to Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo breakup.

According to reports, Tony Romo flew into Los Angeles to reunite with Jessica Simpson on Thursday July 10, the night before her 29th birthday. However, the footballer dumped the country singer shortly after he checked Jessica's phone and found messages from her ex-boyfriend John Mayer.

"They were hanging out and he picked up her phone and she got defensive about it. Tony found messages from John and went ballistic.” a source told Radaronline.

It was said that Tony accidently learned that Jessica joined John for lunch in Hollywood last month. So he reportedly had an idea that Jessica possibly cheating with John.

"Tony dumped her right then. He walked out and that was it.” the source added.

Tony and Jessica had beem dating since November, 2007.