I <3 Solange. I also happen to love Beyonce, but for different reasons. I don’t subscribe to the idea that in order for me to adore Solange I have to be anti Bey.. I’m not that kind of person. They satisfy two different parts of the matrix that is me.
Solange’s music radiates to my soul, her whole style and persona speak to me. Maybe its because she actually seems to have a personality. My ex said he thought Bey was very plastic, and I agree but I still love the part of me that she satisfies. But Solange, I want to actually hear what she may have to say. I completely adore her ‘if you don’t like it, It wasn’t made for you’ attitude. Its exactly how I feel. I also love her funky style. I love that she acknowledges that people would give 2 shits about her if she wasn’t Bey’s sister. She rocks. Her article in Refinery 29 rocks!! (I am also in <3 with them now!) Peep the ar
What’s your secret style weapon?
“Shoes! I’m all about the shoes! I order a ton of them online and play with my entire wardrobe until I find the right shoe. Unfortunately, so many people get it right from the head until the ankles. The shoe is very important. I can’t even fuck with you if your shoe game is slacking.”
her shoe's for the photoshoot!
But because I’m Beyoncé’s sister, I’m an easy target to say, ‘There’s no way those two had the same parents, and have one be naturally this way…this has to be a ploy for her to appear cool!’ It makes me want to pull out pictures of five-year-old me next to nine-year-old her wearing a tutu over polka dot stockings and an old scarf over my head. It would be so much easier for me to put on a little black dress, straighten my hair, and sing about dancing in the club, but it’s not my job to prove anything. I’m here to make music, to inspire myself. I’m not selling my likability, I’m sharing my journeys. If you don’t like it, believe it’s real, or understand it…then keep my name out of your mouth.”
LOVE this photo
Here are some of my fav Solo tracks .. I incidentally like Beyonce songs written by Solo, like Why don’t you love me, which I featured a few posts back ..
Even though I know how the story ends, I swear I’m Team Jacob. Even though he’s childish and tempermental and volatile. I <3 Jakeypoo! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE how ‘IN LOVE’ Bella and Edward are, but they are so mushy its disgusting.
Eclipse was suuuccchhh a better movie than New Moon. But then again, New Moon was a horrible book- filled with Bella’s brooding and crying. That’s the great problem the creators of the movies have to deal with. I say that because these books are a bunch of teenage angst, so to take that and make it a motion picture that people swoon over is awesome talent. But New Moon was too heavy on special effects to make up for the weak story line.
Eclipse had a story line + some action so it just HAD to be a better movie- right? I mean, I’m not a die-hard Twilight fanatic, but here are a list of my pros and cons for the flick:
My cons::
One thing I didn’t enjoy was the way they ‘disposed’ of the vampires. Really though- they were hard concrete?? It was like breaking dishes.. Not cool.
Jacob always had a dramtic entrance. I mean, seriously? Does he need a surprising head turn for each entrance? For EVERY one of his scenes? And someone give this boy a shirt. This is kiddie porn.
Hate bella’s engagement ring.
The fight scenes are over so quick
Pros:
I loovvee how creepy Jasper is. He is amusing
Loved her graduation speech.
Can’t remember if that was in the book..
I don’t rememeber Jane having that role in this movie .. I might have to reread the book.. But I don’t remember her being in the clearing or even watching the newborns wreck havoc. #whoknows
Because I’m a food network geek I have been eagerly anticipating the premiere of Next Food Network Star. And boy oh boy was it a good premiere.. mostly due to the eye candy that is Darrell , aka Das .. YUM-O!
So I of course had to learn more about him. (you know, so when I casually bump into him on the streets of LA while I’m there for grad school) and I had to find the important things:
He’s 28 and lives in LA. and he was trained in the culinary arts at Atlanta Technical Insitute.
Favorite books: Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Robert T. Kiyosaki), The Coldest Winter Ever (Sista Soulja) and Food Lover’s Companion (Sharon Tyler Herbst and Rob Herbst) — well whaddaya know. I too enjoyed Coldest Winter Ever. We have a starting point of discussion. GREAT!
Favorite movies: The Five Heartbeats and The Count of Monte Cristo — Now, being the girl I am, OF course I have seen the Five Heartbeats so this is yet another focal point for our convo .. isn’t the Count of Monte Crisco a book as well? Well I can ask him that too.
And when he’s not trying to get his own show he teaches in the culinary program at Beverly Hills High School. My heart is swooning. He has the patience to work with teens. *faints* These are some qualities I’m looking for in the man of my dreams.
Sad news: He said he has a girlfriend. So he can’t be the object of my affection. But I still wish you well Das.
I wish there were more pics on the interwebs of him .. but for now we work with what we got!
**image courtesy of lalist.com via foodnetwork.com**
808′s & Heartbreak no matter what you say is a GREAT album. He is showing some harcore emotions on that LP ..
Anywho, ‘Ye is back with his new track, ‘POWER‘ .. I dig it .. but why would I not? I don’t have a audio player plug-in so you’ll have to head over HERE to Nah’ Right to check it out…
I can’t wait for his new project to come out. I don’t like to listen to each track as the ‘leak” ..I like to wait for the full experience. I know he would ‘Never let me down’ lol..
Word on the street is that Kanye & Amber broke up and he paid her some $$$ for her silence (aka a GAG order). Well, at least he rather pay up now than have his business in the street. I’m just mad that girls are gonna be trying to use that as the new come up. . . (you know its true … every body wants to be the next SuperHead)
I’ve been AWOL lately because I took a trip to Boca Chica, Dominican Republic to bask in the glorious sunshine! (I do have to live up to my name!)
Anywho, the hotel I stayed at, Hotetur Dominican Bay (review to follow) held nightly shows, my favorite was their Michael Jackson show. They did an AWESOME job. I don’t know if they hired people for this, or if these were every day employees, but they got a standing ovation from me. This is why Michael’s legacy will not die.
This was my first time using Window’s MovieMaker.. and I was trying to do my best film job on my little Canon digital camera ..Enjoy!
Good day folks. I am the Man in the Moon (no relation). I will be a part-time contributor to Cleo’s cause of bringing sunshine to your everyday. She’s shining some of her light on me, so that I may shine some light on you. . . .cause isn’t that how the moon works anyway?
My first post will be about one of my favorite topics: Hip-hop. I love music, but hip-hop speaks to my soul. It’s in my heart. I love H.E.R. She lives in my lap. . .
That’s why I get upset when I see talent wasted. Not everyone can rap. It’s a combination being able to say the right thing, the right way, at the right time, to the right rhythm. . . .to the left, to the left. . . .
Case in point: Nikki Minaj
Umm, you're not selling sex. . . no, not at all. . .
Raw talent like this comes along once in a blue, but in a female who gets exposure: priceless. She can flow with the best of ‘em and piques my interest . . . plus, she doesn’t look like Grace Jones.
The problem is she’s a gimmick. Everything about her persona (now) is an elaborate front. Research her on YouTube and see that she used to be a straight-forward rapper. Raw talent. Kashi. . .
It’s disappointing because people still haven’t learned that rappers worth their weight in the CO2 that they emit don’t do gimmicks. Costumes are not necessary. Weird inflections and goofy faces are not needed to be a legend. Just be yourself.
Just a few modern examples of rappers who have left their mark without being a cartoon character: Fabolous, T.I., Kanye West (although he’s an a$$, he is himself at all times), DMX (he’s just effin crazy).
For females, I understand it’s hard to make it in a male dominated realm, but there are women who held their own without the mask: MC Lyte, Missy, Eve, Trina, Foxy, Lil’ Kim. Each of them seemed so genuine. Trina is about her paper, Kim is . . . loose, Eve is a tom-boy, Missy is strange, Lyte was a girl from the hood just trying to get out, telling her story to whoever would listen, and Foxy was def even before the hearing problem.
WHAT? OK!!!!!
It just seems to me that 18 months from now, people will still be rockin out to her stuff, but only if it comes on the radio. She’ll get no burn, No smoking sign.
To her credit, in an interview with Fadar Magazine, she says: “I think it’s … important that people get accustomed to seeing a female rapper again,” Minaj says. “Before I drop an album, people need to come out and see. People don’t even know what a female rapper does. We’re so not used to seeing it. It’s nonexistent in categories. I don’t know where I fit in the spectrum of rap yet; I think now I’m kind of proving myself, but before, people thought I was more of a sex symbol or wannabe sex symbol. That’s why I make the goofiest faces; I don’t want people to think I’m up here trying to be cute. I’m trying to entertain, and entertaining is more than exuding sex appeal. I don’t think that’s fun. I don’t find it fun watching someone trying to be sexy. It’s wack. I’m trying to just show my true personality, and I think that means more than anything else. I think when personality is at the forefront, it’s not about male or female, it’s just about, ‘Who is this weird character?’”
Ok, so she’s a goof ball, admittedly. . . But a Barbie though? You don’t want to exude sex, but you walk around naked and accentuate your, umm, assets. . . and boobs. So you’re entire style is a contradiction? In your old stuff, you were a borderline lesbian with an ill flow, nothing remotely goof troop about you. So which one is the real you? If this is you now, please lie to me and take off the wig. . .
If you keep this up Nikki, you will fall the way of Stagga Lee and D4L; it’s not that no one knows where they are now, it’s just that no one cares. . . .
Last week I had the great opportunity to go check out Alice Smith at Highline Ballroom in NYC. I’ve seen maybe about 3 concerts at Highline and its always a great time, I love it because tickets are almost always under 30 bucks. Anywho, I was GEEKED to see Alice Smith. Never heard of her? You need to.
People kept asking me to describe her sound, and I just found the best way to say it was eclectic. It’s r&b, bluesy, and jazzy all in one. She weaves many genres. Her voice is so dope to me. She has some range on her. I guess I’d say that if you like Amy Winehouse, you might like her. I dig her 100X more than Amy though, and I love Amy, so that says a lot.
Here’s some of her material:
Woodstock is one of my fav songs!
Fake is the New Real is also a must listen.
Her song Dream was featured on an episode of Entourage before. I remember watching and as the show was going off, I was like “wwaaiiit a minute, I k now this song!”
Here is my first ever youtube video. It’s kind of loud and you might hear someone (not me *i swear*) singing in the background.
I cannot wait for her new album. She performed several songs off of it at the concert and it really sounds good so far.
HBO is pushing 12-week viral campaign that leads up to the show’s third-season premiere on June 13. I knew about the June 13th premiere a few weeks ago. I remember tweeting it as SSSOOONN as I found out. I can’t wait to see more of these ads they are pushing. You know I’m all things True Blood.
FYI, I love Kid Cudi. I blogged about him when I first discovered him. And after a 2nd mixtape and an album I still rock out to him. I decided to re-blog about Cudi after seeing his 2nd video for his single, Pursuit of Happiness. The first video was eh, ok .. but this video is dope. I love the trippiness…
I happen to one of the few American’s who is into Kelis … Or at least I used to be. I ADORED her album Kelis Was Here. In fact, many songs off that album are still getting heavy rotation. I actually BOUGHT that cd. I also happen to think Kelis is a really pretty woman. So this is why it pains me to see her looking so … BAD these days!! It’s like she is just trying wayyyy too hard to be unique.
Look at these pics, this is the Kelis I like:
(yes, I really took the time to create a collage of Kelis looks.. and I don’t have Photoshop!!! I won’t reveal how I made it happen lol)Kelis was HOT in these pics!! Exuding Sexxxyy!! But now.. just stamp a big old FAIL sticker on her!! I
The best picture on these is her Acapella promo shot .. What is with this dead possum hair? And why Grey?? People with Grey hair don’t want it! Kelis, I need you to get on the good foot. ASAP!!I mean, is this what a bad marriage will do to you?? Say it ain’t so Joe !!
In case your new to this, you should know I have been looking forward to Alice in Wonderland for quite some time. Way back hen, in NVvember of 2008, i first came across the images on Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter and began patiently waiting.. Then I came across these real scans .. and was in LOVE still. I watched every preview and eagerly anticipated my Imax 3D experience.
So this weekend I did it. I sat there in front of a row of 8-year olds and watched Tim Burton bring it. And I think it was brought! Some reviewers online said that it wasn’t good. I disagree. I think I had extremely high hopes for this movie, being the ultimate J.Depp and T.Burton fan. I know that because it was a Disney movie it couldn’t be as creepy as I’d like it, but it was good.
Storyline: We all know that Alice falls down a rabbit hole into Wonderland where she battle the Red Queen .. The story doesn’t change, except that in this adaption, Alice has been to Wonderland before. She’s 19 and not 6. Alice was my least favorite character. She was so … insolent. She looked great though. I totally adored the dresses they styled her in. This was my favorite:
Besides the fashion, She was just so blah. She didn’t add anything extra to Alice. The other actors carried this movie.
I loved Helena Bonham Carter in her role as Red Queen. I don’t understand why she had such a huge head. I do wish they would have elaborated on that. Johnny Depp was creepy. I don’t know how I want to describe his character. He definitely was ‘Mad’. His make up was flawless! And the Dance (you have to watch the movie to see this) was like WTF. I think that that was odd. I loved Professor Snapes Caterpillar. He was creepy. His voice is so creepy. Snape is a win in my book. Anne Hathaway’s White Queen was good. Her role was small, but well played. Her gliding everywhere kind of irked me. I kept thinking, ‘Why is this B!tch gliding all over the place?” LOL. OH, and the Jabowokee? I thought he was really out of place for this movie. His ugliness was just soo .. un Wonderland. HE should have been more colorful and more of a slickster fighter. IDK .. I’m sure he’ll make a cool action figure though.
All in all this film was entertaining to watch. Not Tim Burton’s or Johnny Depp’s best. But good nonetheless. Now that I’ve seen the movie, I’m going to read the book, because apparently some critics out there are upset about this adaptation. I want to see what all the fuss is about.
I like to get all my fashion and celebrity news in one spot. And when I’m not spending time on Dlisted laughing at people’s fashion choices.. I’m searching for a good site that can combine the two for me without being too blah. What do I then discover? Stylecaster.
This is important to me, because I don’t have as much time to get all my news links on Twitter (it really is like that sometimes..) so I need to quickly peruse while I’m at work and some sites are now blocked from my job ( ) . My guilty pleasure is Celebrity news and fashion. I enjoy my serious news and world news but sometimes you just need strict entertainment. Stylecaster has celebrity news (like all the cute Academy Awards dresses that I missed *bbm sad face*) and they also have just straight out Fashion Industry News (like that Solange & Zooey are the new faces of Rimmel London).
Do you know what I also found out on stylecaster? Gossip Girl returns tonight! I have missed this show so much. I don’t have much time for TV, but I NEEEEDDD my guilty pleasure of upper echelon NY teeny boppers. I need it! It makes me feel like I belong!
Also feel free to check out We are the Market for more fashion news.
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Cleo Sunshine is a lover, friend, blogger, writer, journalist. I love to live life and enjoy it. I'm a Jersey girl tried & true! This blog isn't strictly news or entertainment, but its definitely opinion. Come join me & experience life under the sun w/ Cleo.
) . My guilty pleasure is