Reverb: The Official UTF Blog

Unless you’ve been living in outer space, Lohan was busted for the second time in approximately two months for DUI and cocaine possession. Those are the exact same charges Lohan had before she went through her second stint at “rehab” at the Promises facility. Nearly two weeks later, she’s allegedly carjacking a white Denali, running over an innocent young man’s foot, and kidnapping two passengers in the vehicle…all of this just to chase after her ex personal assistant. To top it off, she claims the cocaine found in her pocket was not hers (eye roll) and that “I wasn’t driving, the black kid was driving” when officers arrived on the scene. Note that the so-called “black kid” she referred to appears to be of Latin descent yet I digress. The gossip flowing about Lohan has been nothing short of shocking and almost too good to be true yet sadly, it is. It’s a huge tumble down the heights of Hollywood, and Lohan’s career as a starring actress may be nearly extinct.

A few hours ago, I caught the early morning showing for Lindsay Lohan’s flick, “I Know Who Killed Me” for $4.00. I wasn’t about to pay full price for it. I’m sure many of you might wonder why I even bothered. The truth is, I use to be “Li-Lo” fan…before she started partying like it’s 1999 every night of the week. I knew that she had talent after catching her in “Freaky Friday” and felt that if she played her cards right, she could become a player in Hollywood. Obviously, I was wrong. Lohan has had approximately five bombs in a row, with “I Know Who Killed Me” more than likely making it number six. Now, I’d seen the trailer and thought the movie somewhat interesting. The press and hype surrounding her recent arrest did not deter that. Read more

I’ve been following the Paris Hilton story since it first broke that she would be doing some time. Not electronic monitoring. Not community service. Not work release but actual jail time for violating her probation. While I am not rejoicing in her going to jail, I feel satisfied with the judge’s decision to make her do time. If any other ordinary citizen breaks the law, we suffer the consequences. So, why does Paris think she’s so different? Because she’s Paris Hilton, of course.

She’s the celebutante who is “famous” for doing nothing. Since the Simple Life first came out, I have rolled my eyes at the stupid antics she’s orchestrated to remain famous. I shook my head when her sex tape got leaked to the public. I asked myself why is Paris constantly strutting the red carpet and calls herself a “Hollywood starlet” when she’s only made one film, the House of Wax, in which she plays herself. I cried in horror when she made her “singing debut” and released her album. Maybe it’s her “I’m better than you” attitude that initially polarized me from the beginning, but over the years, it’s become more than that. Paris Hilton is a racist, has no morals, lacks intelligence, and has gotten on my nerves since I first started hearing about her. I have wished she would just go away, like much of the public. Now, it looks like we’ve gotten our wish…at least for 45 days.

What annoys me with Paris is that she refuses to accept any responsibilities for her actions. She messed up, not her publicist. So instead of saying, “I broke the law. I didn’t do what I was suppose to do, and now I have to face the consequences of my actions.” she blames it all on her publicist! Last time I checked, Paris is a grown woman…at least in terms of her age. I mean, she is 26 years old, believe it or not. If Paris relied on her publicist to take care of her legal problems, then it’s her fault for “not knowing she didn’t have a suspended license,” not her former publicist. Read more

MTV hasn’t been MTV in over 10 years. It has gradually become another “regular programming” network like CBS (its owner) or NBC. I use to be an avid watcher of the cable network – when they actually played videos. Now, it’s become a hot bed for stupid reality tv shows; do we really care about watching ex Real World/Road Rulers battle it out on The Gauntlet? I could care less about watching people who are famous for doing absolutely nothing try and extend their 5 minutes of fame by doing dumb challenges. But, I digress. The point I’m really trying to make is that MTV has lost its way. It’s become corporate and uncool, the total opposite of its roots. They’re more concerned about image and corporate sponsors, especially after the infamous Super Bowl incident. The network that once dared to be different is dead. Oh, I’m not pointing out anything new, but recent evidence definitely nailed the final nail in the coffin for MTV.

An Icon is Banned

One of MTV’s first icons, if not the first, has been banned in the wake of Nipplegate. Of course, you should realize that I’m referring to Janet Jackson. America lost its mind after feeling that a 3 second boob flash traumatized their children to the extent that some even tried to sue the pop icon. Yes, I know I’m speaking on this rather late in the game, but it continuously troubles me how they flaunt Justin Timberlake on MTV while banning Janet. Oh, if you’re lucky, you might catch a Janet video on one of the other MTV channels…maybe. However, you will not see her on the “regular” MTV. Bottom line, MTV banned her because she cost them money…lots and lots of money from the “indecency” fines they had to pay. Yes, she was wrong for doing the flash act, but her co-partner in crime, Justin was just as responsible for the incident. Okay, I can maybe understand why they would ban this video, though; however, she’s having a Glitter moment with this album. Read more

There’s very little about the current popular music scene that interests me. A lot of the music being shoved down our throats is very stale and sounds pretty generic. Of course, this is nothing new, but there are a few bright spots out there. There are even a few artists whose albums are on my to purchase list. Here are a couple of those artists.

1. John Mayer – I was never a fan of John until I saw him at this year’s Grammy’s. He really wowed me with his guitar playing and the blues feel he’s adopted. To put it bluntly, I didn’t know John could play like that, and I can see why many people have been raving about his recent album.
2. Ciara – She hales from the music capital of the south, the ATL, and has really impressed me with her growth as an artist. Ciara’s first single from her sophomore effort, “Promise,” has a very distinct Prince sound to it. In fact, I can easily hear Prince singing the lyrics to the song; perhaps they should do a remix with the purple one as a duet partner? In any case, I’m loving it.
3. Nelly Furtado – Working with hitmaker Timbaland has gave Nelly a whole new audience and fan base. I’m one of them. After recently downloading the “Maneater” remix, I love the new sound. It’s R&B but not R&B; it’s something different, and I like it.
4. Lloyd – I wasn’t impressed with his first single, “You,” probably because Diddy wore me out with sampling throughout the 90s. Fortunately, Lloyd scores with his new single, “Get it Shawty.” It is going to be this summer’s club banger. Like many others have said, he reminds of a young Michael Jackson; I’m talking “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” era here.
5. Nine Inch Nails – The new album is due out soon, and I can’t wait to snatch it up. After hearing some more NIN tunes on Pandora, I’ve grown to love Trent’s talent more than ever. Plus, for the first time, it hasn’t taken him 4-5 years to release a new album!

Over the past few years, there has been a pandemic rash of remakes by Hollywood. To give you an example, here’s a sample list:

• War of the Worlds
• The Hills Have Eyes
• The Hills Have Eyes II (upcoming sequel for the original film)
• When a Stranger Calls
• The Amytiville Horror
• Hairspray (upcoming remake)
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• The Ring (remake of original Japanese version)
• The Grudge (remake of original Japanese version)
• The Stepford Wives
• Darkwater
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

If Hollywood isn’t busy remaking prior films, they’re finding ways to squeeze out as much money as they can from existing film franchises by making pointless prequels/sequels. It’s a disturbing trend, and it appears that the studios are seeking out an easy profit rather than buying/developing new (good) scripts to make movies that haven’t been made before. Oh, I’m not against remakes – if the original film was of poor quality. But, did we really need an Americanized version of the terrible Godzilla film from 1998?

P.S.

Someone please explain how Godzilla bypassed the entire continental United States – without wrecking any city – and landed in New York to lay eggs in Madison Square Garden? Okay, I just spoiled the movie, but you weren’t missing anything anyway.