Gavin DeGraw Jumped In East Village

I realize that the East Village/Lower East Side area is a lot nicer now than it once was, but you still have to be careful, Gavin.  According to the New York Post, Gavin was walking through the East Village last night at 4AM when he was attacked by a group of thugs, that apparently, did not steal his wallet.  I guess they didn't realize who he was...  I don't know.  Although all of the things I have heard about Gavin make him seem like the King of Douchebagia (that's the homeland of douchebags for those of you bad at geography), and I hate the appellation "blue-eyed soul" because it sounds stupid, I still am a fan of a couple of his songs.  Namely: "I Don't Wanna Be" and "In Love With a Girl", even though I realize that this leaves me open to practically universal ridicule.  Obviously, I am not happy to hear that Gavin got his nose broken and is now in (shudder) Bellevue Hospital, but I am curious to know what the real story is.  What was he doing in the East Village at 4AM?  Was he banging a "chick" in that neighborhood (and by chick I mean a guy named "Bruce")?  I have to know!  (NY Post via dlisted)

Gavin: "Who the hell is Kristin Cavallari?  Oh, she's standing right next to me?  Whoops."

RIP, Amy Winehouse: Dead At Age 27

Amy knew when to let her hair down.

By now, you have all heard about this news, and everyone seems to be jumping the gun and assuming it was a drug overdose (which is not far-fetched considering how young she was and her previous history of drug abuse, which Ms. Winehouse documented in gross detail in her music).  But, according to dlisted, Scotland Yard is telling people that the autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow and that they should not jump the gun and assume that Amy's death was due to a drug overdose.  I have to admit that I was not the biggest Amy Winehouse (primarily because of one Halloween about five years ago when everyone and their mother decided to go dressed as her), but she was talented in her own way and it is sad when someone talented seems to be called away before their time.  For that reason I humbly say: Rest in Peace, Amy Winehouse!

"I love you, guys!"

Derek Blanks Delivers A Silicone-Pumped Version of Brandy

"I'm runnin' on empty, y'all, and Mama won't stop calling me!"

Okay, correction: Derek Blanks is the guy that created a new "Alter-ego" for pop legend Brandy, who I guess has nothing to do since her VH1 reality show got canned.  Brandy has spent the last three albums (and more than 5 years) trying to revive the success that she achieved in early life with her hit show Moesha and her singles "The Boy Is Mine", "Have You Ever", etc.  Brandy had an almost successful run on Dancing With The Stars and continues to insist that she should have won (blame America for that, Brandy).  The singer also clearly has an obsession with going under the knife and, honestly, I am not the one that is going to say that no one should ever get plastic surgery ever (because if I had the money and the surgeon was sure he could give me a good one, I would be first in line at Dr. Chop-en-stein's Rhinoplasty Clinic), but there comes a point in which one has to stop.  This is really the issue with getting plastic surgery in the first place: people do not know when to say "Enough is enough".  Well, Brandy, I am here to tell you enough is enough.  We all see you spiraling down fast (like when you got a tattoo of the Hindu god Ganesh and tweeted about your new "Egyptian" tattoo), and some of us want to help (by writing acerbic blog posts about you, obviously).

"I'm channeling Tutankhamen here.  He's the Chinese god of beauty, right?  You know Mama took me outta school when I was ten, y'all!"

Brandy is a beautiful girl and she has an incredible voice.  Frankly, she is much more talented than the Britneys, Lady Gagas, and Katy Perrys of the world, but it seems like her time is passed.  I don't know if her plastic surgery addiction is an issue of merely body image, or if it has to do with wanting to stay competitive in L.A.  It is probably a combination of the two, but it IS interesting to analyze Brandy from the point of view of a child star, which is really what she was.  Brandy's female pimp Mom had her doing singing tours with that bluebird voice from an early age and she was landing acting gigs in her preteen years.  Brandy was a teenager on Thea and Moesha and then achieved superstar status right when she was on the cusp of womanhood (Woohoo! I found an excuse to use the word 'cusp'!).  As a child star, it is natural that Brandy would have self-esteem issues and feel a deep need for external validation (by her parents and fans).  One way to do that is to stay beautiful, especially when you have Mama Norwood calling you ever five minutes because she's standing in line at the Check Cashing place and she wants her damn money.  Having watched an episode of Brandy and Ray J: A Family Prostitution Ring, or whatever it is called, I can see that Mama Norwood still has her hands tightly on the Brandy puppet strings and she is not letting go.  And so here we are with the new Brandy by Derek Blanks: a silicone-pumped version of the Brandy Norwood that we (or maybe just me) have come to know and love.  As much as I hate Dr. Drew, maybe we need to get him to give Brandy a psych assessment, because she damn sure needs it.  (via bossip)

In Case You Missed It: Linkin Park Covers Adele's Rolling in the Deep

...in Hamburg at the LPU Summit two weeks ago.  The best part was the clapping at the end (and laughing at the people in the audience that could not keep beat with the clapping).  Seriously, do some people not know how to clap?

Bjork On The Cover of Dazed and Confused

We love you Bjork!  Even when you're eighty and clucking hysterically on an Icelandic beach in ostrich feathers because of Alzheimer's disease you will still be the best!

Daily Tranny Infusion: Like A Cheese Stick (An Ode To "Like A G6") by Lady Bunny

If you live in NY (or the Tri-state area) this is so spot on that you gotta love it!  Love this line: "In this recession I can't afford to throw up my lunch!"  Too good.  Oh yeah, this is very NSFW!  via dlisted.

Amerie and Lenny Nicholson Tie The Knot

Amerie and Lenny Nicholson, a former executive with Columbia Records

Apparently, Amerie spells her name with two 'I's' now (so it should be: Ameriie), but I think that's a little ridiculous so I am just going to ignore it for the time being.  Amerie, one of the most stunning songstresses of Hip Hop and R&B, has finally taken herself off of the market by tying the knot with boyfriend Lenny Nicholson, a recording executive.  They followed the usual trend of destination wedding, choosing to tie the knot in Anguilla in the British West Indies.  Unfortunately, no pictures of the event have leaked yet, but according to Bossip, Amerie wore a white Monique Lhullier dress and "Yves Saint Laurent" sandals (I put this in quote because somehow this does not seem plausible to me).  Believe it or not, Amerie is 30, and I for one am looking forward to seeing some of the drop-dead gorgeous babies she'll be popping out sometime in the future.  Congrats, Amerie!

Amanda Lepore's New Album: I... Amanda Lepore

Love the title of transgender icon Amanda Lepore's new album.  The album was released last week and here is the cover art.  Amanda epitomizes what this blog is all about... she's a SICKENING (that's a good thing) transsexual sexbot... and we should all be worshiping at her size 12 feet!

I don't understand what is holding everything in this picture up, but I love it!

The Most Likable Woman In Music, Shania Twain, Goes Down

If there's someone that does not deserve to fall down live during the Country Music Awards it is Shania Twain.  But she's still beautifully Canadian and a songbird, so we'll all get past this.  I don't know what I just said, but I'm gonna run with it.  Shania was able to joke about it after saying "No, I don't need a stunt double."  Maybe you do, Shania.  Maybe you do.

Bjork Listens To Her New Single Crystalline in the Car

...in Iceland.  Somehow this is strangely fascinating.  The fact that you can only see Bjork's black hair and crazy eyes while she changes gears on her car makes this a winner in my book!  (via omgblog)

björk - road to crystalline from Björk on Vimeo.

YSL's New Sneaker Ad Inspired By Woodkid's Iron?

First of all, these sneakers are pretty awesome and if I could afford them, I would be all over that.  But was this video inspired by the vid for Woodkid's "Iron"?  You be the judge!  The YSL vid was directed by Karim Sadly.

"Iron" by Woodkid:

Who is Wissam Al Mana, Janet Jackson's New Squeeze?

Janet Jackson, like most members of the Jackson family (including her parents), has not been lucky in love.  Other than a long-term relationship with Hip Hop mogul Jermaine Dupri, Jackson has not been successful at holding down a steady relationship and many of her fans must have wondered over the years if there were men out there capable of keeping up with a magnetic and powerful woman like Janet.  Although Janet did not suffer the fate of her older sister Latoya in ending up with a man that was controlling and abusive, Janet must be wondering when her Mr. Right will stroll her way and it seems like she may have found it in Qatar-native Wissam Al Mana.

Wissam Al Mana's family controls the Qatar-based Al Mana Group

Wissam Al Mana, 36, is an executive for Al Mana Group, a large family-controlled business concern in Qatar, of which he is the head of the important retail division.  According to VMAN Magazine, Al Mana was the first to bring luxury brands Hermes, Balenciaga, and Dolce & Gabbana to his corner of the Middle East.  He was educated in America and controls the family empire along with his two brothers.  So what is he doing with Janet?  It may be love.  Certainly Janet is a beautiful woman with an incredible voice (a talent known to bring many a man to his knees) and has much to offer to any man that thinks he's man enough to handle her.  Could there be more to it than that?  Could it be that Mr. Mana is pulling a Kris Humphries by allying himself with someone who is certain to get him media exposure?  This is the 21st century and power in America hinges almost entirely on recognizability in the media.  Perhaps Mr. Al Mana hopes to expand the family business over to our shores.  Frankly, it is more likely that both Al Mana and Jackson perceive a future benefit from their relationship: Janet might need a financial bailout in the future and Wissam has the cash, and Wissam wants to get his face out in the media.  Who knows?  The reality is, Janet has always come across as a sensitive soul and the pairing may just be that of two kindred spirits coming together.  Whatever the case may be, one is compelled to offer Mr. Al Mana a word of advice: "No one messes with the Jacksons so treat her right, Wissam.  The world is watching!"

Wissam and Janet in NYC

Wissam and Rock & Republic's Andrea Berkhovitz

Ice Cream by Battles

This is like one of those European films where you don't really know what's going on, but it's still strangely appealing (The Best Way To Walk, anyone?)...

Introducing Oh Land!

If you haven't heard of Oh Land yet then it's about time that you got in "the know".  She's Danish and she began her career as a ballet dancer in Copenhagen.  Come meet her!