My last-minute costume suggestion

You need @ big cardboard box, toilet paper, glasses, a bald cap or some grey hair spray, slacks, big shoes, and, of course, a "large stance". Voila!

Common's New Vid: "I Want You"

Pick your poison:
AOL search for Common's new video -- YouTube, DailyMotion, etc.

OR watch it here...



Now, how come Wil.i.am, who produced the track, is not in the vid, but Kanye is? Not like I need to see the Pea. We all know who I'm here to see. All suited up, no less. Two words: Um. Hmm. I love Erykah*, but putting that man in a crotched pants? Criminal. Also criminal? CROCHETED. Not crotched. Oh freud...

W/ regards to the video, it's allright. In the final scenes, I think they could have emphasized the fact that Com was still watching Kerry, either on the security cam or from the balcony. While holding Alicia, his mind was lingering on that other woman. Wouldn't have taken much. Better editing to establish where the two (Kerry & Com) were relative to each other, hold the shots a little longer, more RAW emotion from Com. Hahah, okay, the last one I'll not hold my breath on. He may have his SAG card, but he needs to work on his acting game. Ask Alicia, she seems to know.

Even given his limited skills, I sat through "Smoking Aces". And watched this video twice already. Come on. Lot of good looking grown folk, ne?

*Living with Baduism. Lol.

Real Real.

I'd made a comment regarding r&b songtresses way back last summer, in which I lamented:

ASIDE: why isn't there room in the hiphop landscape for a smart + stanky singer? By "stanky" I mean raw sexy. ...R&B Beyonce-chics sell a safe "sexy" that never gets gritty-- the real funk that can come from a grown ass woman's relations, both sexual AND emotional. [Few artists] still fiercely [hold] on to her sexuality...Erykah and Jill, whom I both love, but are of the "sensual-earthmother-sistafriend" mode."

Okay, scratch that. Jill's "The Real Thing" definitely puts her sexy side on full display. And I like. Was this frankness jarring? Sure. But in context, it makes perfect sense. She's 32, newly divorced, and rediscovering/claiming the full spectrum of her sexuality. Blissful highs to raw, rugged (even remorseful) lows. Definitely not for kids, by her own admission. And, really, not "stanky". How she manages to make "your diesel engine I'm squirting mad oil on" not sound as crass as something from Lil' Kim's playbook is beyond me. I mean, look at it. That's not poetry. Yet I've had "Crown Royal" on the mp3, looping, for a minute.

For n00bs, get the The Sampler, or check out the music player on her website.

My one quibble is that she needs to put more live instrumentation on her albums-- real horns behind "Hate On Me", a guitar solo on "Whenever You're Around" ala the Live version.

Or, hah, I'll just QMB and grab some concert tix next year (god willing).

Photoshop Class "Notes"

Actually that class is worthwhile, since even w/ my extensive PS use, I haven't really explored CS3 and all the cool goodies. But, you know, can't. stop. drawing. Tho frankly, at least for me, if there are copious doodles on the sidebar of my notes that means that my synapses were firing, and I end up absorbing more than you'd think. However, if my notes are just writing, in all likelyhood the info went straight from ear to pen, like sieve, catching very little lasting info in me noggin.