Celebrities
Dakota Fanning struggles to find her inner evil vampire
by on Nov.12, 2009, under Celebrities
Dakota Fanning doesn’t look anything like a scary vampire does she? She may be playing Jane, the most sadistic vampire in the Twilight books, Dakota still looks like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth.
The super cute actress hit a New Moon photocall with Taylor Lautner in Beverly Hills (despite the fact that he was only in Paris yesterday!).
She’s admitted that it wasn’t all that easy to act like a bit meanie when the cameras started rolling, particularly as she’d become good friends with Kristen Stewart. Speaking to Teen Vogue, she said: “I’ve never been such an evil character, and because I do know Kristen so well, being mean to her was really weird. It’s like, ‘Sorry, dude!’.”
Mariah Carey Shoots A New Music Video
by on Nov.07, 2009, under Celebrities
When I first saw these pictures, I thought Mariah Carey had arrived to work dressed one way (see above) before getting into wardrobe for the video shoot. My first thought was, She dresses just to go to work!
Then I realized she’s wearing pretty much the same outfit; a cropped jacket was added, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same dress underneath.
This is a far cry from how she looks in ‘Precious,’ about which Mariah said:
“They totally changed me. I didn’t want to look in the mirror. It was beyond dressing down because Lee Daniels loved to torture me. He really wanted me to not just look plain, he wanted me to look homely. That was his goal. He wanted a mustache and an under-the-eye thing and the bad hair. Now I see why he wanted it because people didn’t recognize me and he didn’t want me to take people out of the movie because they were seeing Mariah Carey.”
Mariah certainly isn’t a plain Jane; these pictures make that evident.
Christina Aguilera Biography
by on Jul.12, 2009, under Celebrities, Music
Christina María Aguilera (born December 18, 1980) is an American pop musician. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel’s television series The New Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994. Aguilera signed to RCA Records after recording “Reflection” for the film Mulan. She came to prominence following her debut album Christina Aguilera
After parting from her management, Aguilera took creative control over her second studio album Stripped
Aside from being known for her vocal ability, music videos and ever-changing image, musically, she includes themes of dealing with public scrutiny, her childhood, and female empowerment in her music. Apart from her work in music, she has also dedicated much of her time as a philanthropist for charities, human rights and world issues. Aguilera’s work has earned her numerous awards, including four Grammy Awards and one Latin Grammy Award, amongst eighteen nominations. She has become one of the most successful recording artists of the decade, selling more than 42 million records worldwide.
Biography Book of Christina Aguilera
by on Jul.04, 2009, under Celebrities
Christina Aguilera: A Star is Made: The Unauthorized Biography, a biography book of the pop singer, focusing on her journey of self-discovery and struggle to find her artistic identity
Although much has been written about Christina Aguilera, this is the first analytical, serious and uncensored look at her life and rise to the pinnacle of the pop world. This biography reveals Christina Aguilera in a most intimate light, chronicling her early years, exploring her motivations and tracing the development of her career. It strips away the media hoopla and exposes the young woman at the center of it all.
No pop star has ever risen to the pinnacle of the music world and exploded onto the international scene with quite the same force, and with such an exciting frenzy as Christina Aguilera. A controversial and elusive figure, Aguilera has polarized and mesmerized audiences from the beginning. She took the world by storm garnering many accolades and recording industry awards, including three Grammys during her first three years as an RCA recording artist.
What people said about this book
“Christina Aguilera is lucky to have such a phenomenal biographer
in Pier Dominguez. He brings extraordinary gifts to his work.” — Kitty Kelley, #1 New York Times best-selling biographer of His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography and The Royals
“Christina’s transformation is detailed in a new unauthorized biography, A Star Is Made by 19-year- old Pier Dominguez.” — –The New York Post
Pier Dominguez is one of the best young writers I know. — Jack Olsen, New York Times best selling true crime author
Check Out Christina Aguilera: A Star is Made: The Unauthorized Biography
Colbie Caillat Biography
by on Dec.06, 2008, under Celebrities, Music
Los Angeles based R&B vocalist Colbie Caillat is a singer songwriter with songs based on a humble approach sounding like sweet honey flowing over rocks. Although her music is acoustic based, the arrangements go much deeper, culling from classical folk, jazz & pop, with her distinguished breathy vocals and dynamic melodies commanding the audience of the listeners she’s gained.
Colbie Caillat, born in California grew up in Malibu and Ventura County. Growing up surrounded by music with her father, Ken Caillat, who was most notably remembered for Co-Production and Engineer credits on Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours among several others. Every sound of Colbie’s soulful style unfolds a story of her many travels through life.
Colbie started her singing debut at an early age [eleven] with special performances around her house. Within weeks she ventured out into talent shows and school performances. Her parents citing her as the “little bird” would wake up at the crack of dawn to her singing her heart out waking the house. With the help of her parents she was charmed into the idea and the truth that she had potential and put herself into vocal coaching.
At the age of fifteen something happened to Colbie that would change her life completely. She met Michael Blue, a producer and engineer located in Westlake Village, Ca. Michael, having worked with artists such as Augustana, Five for Fighting, and Carrie Underwood among others, at the time was working on Runway music for St. John Knit’s seasonal clothing lines. To cut a long story short Michael took Colbie under his wing and began to use her voice on the tracks he was producing. Within the first season he knew she was something amazing and starting producing and collaborating additional songs with Colbie. Then at the age of 19 Colbie wrote her first song on the guitar, and has never stopped since.
Colbie has since then expanded her knowledge by working and collaborating with some of Los Angeles’s best singer songwriters. Working with and learning from Jason Reeves, a brilliant artist who has co-written many of Colbie’s songs and has a sound definitely worth checking out.
Ever since her mom gave birth to her in their Malibu home overlooking the ocean, Colbie Caillat has been the quintessential California girl. Her idea of a good time is hanging out with her friends at a beach bonfire or hopping in the car, tunes at the ready, and driving up the Pacific Coast Highway.
On “Coco
As befits the organic style of her music, Caillat’s fan base has grown by word of mouth, one person at a time. Last year, she began posting her songs on her myspace.com; tunes like “Bubbly
With no marketing push and only the power of the music behind her, Caillat became a sensation on the social networking site. Last October when she had 6,240 friends, Rolling Stone highlighted her as one of the top female artists on myspace. Ultimately, Caillat became the #l unsigned artist for over four months and her number of friends swelled to more than 100,000. Her profile has been visited over 3 million times, and she has more than l0 million plays.
As her online popularity grows, so does the recognition factor. “I’m not even famous yet and every time I go shopping, the young girls who work in the stores, they know who I am. They’ll ask, ‘Are you Colbie from myspace?’” she recounts with delight. Grateful for the recognition, the laid-back, natural beauty lamented, “Great, now I’m going to have to put on make up every time I leave the house!” But she quickly reconsidered. “I’m kidding. But I am hoping that I can show my fans that it’s okay to be yourself.” Indeed, even the album’s title reflects her desire to remain true to herself: Her parents nicknamed her Coco while she was still an infant and it’s a tag that has stuck.
Caillat started singing around home as a small girl, but a pivotal moment came when she was 11. “I heard Lauryn Hill sing ‘Killing Me Softly.’ I think her voice is absolutely beautiful and it made me want to start singing, so I sang one of her songs at a talent show in sixth grade.”
Her household was filled with music. Her father, Ken Caillat, co-produced Fleetwood Mac’s legendary “Rumours” and “Tusk” albums and later ran his own record label. “My dad was always producing and mixing and he has the console in our house. A few years ago, he remixed ‘Tusk’ so I’ve always been around music.” She recalls Mick Fleetwood and John McVie hanging around: “All of my dad’s friends are in the business, so I’ve learned from them.
Now that I’m in it, I can go to them and they have advice for me, so it’s really cool.” Her dad even suggested that the renowned drummer play on “Coco
But she still relied heavily on dad’s words of wisdom. “I just wanted to be a singer and he said if you write songs, you get respect from people; you’re having them relate to a part of you that you’re sharing with them.”
So the singer turned into a singer/songwriter and discovered an innate talent for observing and capturing nuanced, yet significant moments, such as that first blush of love or passage into adulthood. She also found two great collaborators in the process. Mikal Blue, whom she met when she was 15, hired her to sing the tunes he wrote for the St. John Knits’ fashion shows. Their professional partnership led to writing together and his producing her album. She also connected with singer/songwriter Jason Reeves. Together, they crafted the songs on “Coco.”
Writing happens organically for Caillat after a small gestation period. “I just let stuff build up inside of me and I’ll write three songs in a weekend. It’s a release,” she says. “I don’t pick something to write about. When I’m playing guitar, a melody comes out and whatever words come out, I go along with that.”
And at some point, she instinctively heads toward water, but of a different sort than one might expect. “I always go write songs in the bathroom because it sounds so good in there,” she says. “It’s like you’re in a cathedral! It makes it sound a lot better, which gives you more confidence. I think melodies come out easier.”
Inspiration comes from different places: conversations with family and friends or reflections on her own life. For example, her love of Hawaiian music is reflected on “Tied Down”: “I’ve been going to Hawaii twice a year since I was 12. At one point, I moved there for two months with friends and got a job and got a Rent-a-Wreck, went longboarding, it was lots of fun. I’ve always wanted to have a ukulele on a song. I just love that laid-back sound. Hawaii is a huge part of me.” Or the frustrations of trying to conquer a fear in “One Fine Wire”: I took an improv class at junior college because I’m really shy in front of people up on stage. I ended up dropping the class because I had a scene I had to do. My parents were so mad at me because I just quit something I was trying to overcome. So I went upstairs into my room bawling and wrote ‘One Fine Wire’.”
Luckily for Caillat, just as she continues to evolve as a writer, she is growing as a live performer. “I’m getting used to it. I have my band now, I just love these guys. I interact with them on stage. It’s so much fun.”
On a more serious note, the 21-year old realizes young girls will look up to her. “I think it will be cool,” she says. Indeed, who better than a young woman admired by her peers for her talent and work ethic, instead of for hanging out at nightclubs. A young woman who constantly wants to improve—she’s starting piano lessons as well as continuing guitar because she thinks it can open up another dimension to her songwriting.
“In the past few months I’ve been preparing myself for this crazy adventure. I know many challenges and frustrations lie ahead, and I am going to learn a lot. But if I can come home with some great new songs, amazing experiences, and new friends,” says Caillat, “it will all be worth it.”
Want to know more about Colbie Caillat read Colbie Caillat book Colbie Caillat Coco (Play It Like It Is Guitar)
