Reverb: The Official UTF Blog

Similar to my love of Timmy as a performer and musician, I have that same love for Wendy and Lisa, former Revolution members of Prince’s iconic band. They’re back with their first album in a decade, White Flags of Winter Chimneys, which they are releasing totally independently through their website. As an owner of the new album, I highly recommend it. Ever since I bought it, I’ve been regularly listening to it on my iPod and in iTunes. It’s definitely one my favorite albums of 2008, if not the best.

Don’t dismiss Wendy and Lisa as former 80s icons who aren’t musicians in their own right. They have scored various films (Hav Plenty, Something New) and TV shows (Heroes, Crossing Jordan). They also have released several solo LPs in the post-Revolution breakup.

If you ever were fans of the duo and liked them as Revolution members, please check out the following:

• 5 Reasons Why I Love Wendy & Lisa
• You Can Always Come Home
• Listen to and buy Wendy and Lisa’s new album at their official website.

In case you missed the snooze fest (aka the 2008 Grammy Awards), Tina Turner performed shortened versions of “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” “Better Be Good to Me,” and my favorite tune, “Proud Mary” with Beyonce. Check out the video versions below.

“What’s Love Got to Do With It/Better Be Good to Me” Melody & “Proud Mary” with Beyonce

YouTube Video Link:

Tina looks amazing! I was happy to see her pop up at the Grammy Awards, but…I must admit the performance was underwhelming. Read more

I’ve already wrote a previous post on Britney Spears’ first “5150″ mental evaluation and my opinion on the events that led to her first trip to the hospital. Now, she’s being held on another mental hold in less than a month.

YouTube Video Link:

UTF fans, this entire situation is just beyond sad and no longer funny. I use to laugh at many of Spears’ antics prior to her first 5150: her odd and frequent trips to gas station bathrooms, her compulsion to visit drug stores in the middle of the night, and the infamous “comeback” tour that she launched last summer that led to her “MTV performance” last fall. Of course, like everyone else, I knew that something was wrong with her. And even though I laughed at her antics, I never wished ill upon her or anyone for that matter. I’ve been telling friends and family whenever the topic of Spears came up that she needs to get professional help from a psychiatrist. It looked like she was finally going to get the help she needed with her first trip to the hospital in January, but unfortunately, she was released way too soon. Therefore, I’m not surprised that she’s back in again. Hopefully, this time they will keep her the entire 72 hours and beyond that. She needs help, and she needs it on a continuous basis. Read more

If you have not seen the Tom Cruise Scientology video, then you have to check it out before the “Church” snatches it back down.

I have seen the video a couple of times, trying to figure out what he’s saying, and I still don’t have a clue what he’s talking about. All I know is that he comes off sounding crazy and appears a bit off, especially when he’s laughing like a maniacal mad man in this video.

YouTube Video Link:

Like many who follows entertainment news, I’ve been watching the downward spiral of Britney Spears. Some believe her spiral towards a 5150 mental lock down began January 2007 when she infamously shaved her head. I personally think it all began when she split from Justin Timberlake because she hasn’t been “normal” since. Let’s take go back in time for a moment.

After being [allegedly] dumped by Timberlake for cheating with choreographer Wade Robson, rumors began circulating that she had a thing going with Limp Bizkit frontman, Fred Durst. Spears, then still considered America’s Pop Sweetheart, denied the allegations. Many of her fans, buying into her carefully manufactured image, called Durst a liar. However, I was one of the minority who believed him. I know that the music business is about manufacturing fiction, and I had a feeling that Spears’ image of the “sexy virgin” was false, although I’m sure many men wanted to believe otherwise. I remember getting into light debates with friends over the Durst/Spears affair because they refused to believe she could “sully” herself with the likes of Durst. While a light-bulb affair with Durst is not the mark of insanity (at least for some), it was an early indicator that the real Britney Spears was starting to surface. Read more