Usher "Stands" On Shaky Ground

This is more a public announcement than an album review.

The Usher you once knew is gone. In his place is a Bill Cosby, of sorts. A family man with an adulterous past, and a new found passion for preaching to the masses on what he deems appropriate conduct, Usher and the "Jello Puddin' Peddler" are on the same tip right now. "Here I Stand", Usher's fifth studio album, finds him in a world of marital and parental bliss, but does this world resonate with his fan base? Usher explains, "the fans who were 21 when I was 21, are now 29, so we are growing together." Very true Ush. Yet, the fans who didn't know who Usher was when he released 1999's breakthrough, "My Way", or his 2001 smash "8701", only know Usher of the "Confessions" era. These fans aren't 29 and beyond the hit first single, "Love In This Club", Usher hasn't provided many records on this new album for the younger set. In addition, fans that grew to love Mr. Raymond's upbeat catchy gems such as "U Don't Have To Call" and "Yeah!", will feel left out in the cold, as the new record is very mid and ballad heavy. Standouts on "Here I Stand" are the Tricky Stewart produced second single, "Moving Mountains" and the title track written by former Rocafella crooner, Rell. The constant mention of marriage and monogamy, on such tracks as "Appetite" and "Best Thing", become more than a recognizance of Usher's new place in life, but a redundancy and lack of creativity in creating a new and exciting concept driven album. I honestly feel that the place that Usher holds in the music industry is one of prominence. With that pedestal, Usher should innovate. And innovate well. I give Ush props for trying to "grow R&B up", but I think he may have been trying to grow up too fast. Stick to what you do best Usher, because when you don't, you end up "standing" on shaky ground.

-Mike

It Was All A Dream...

Welcome Home Yolanda Renee King!!!

Martin Luther King III, and his wife Arndrea, welcomed their first child this week. Yolanda is the first grandchild of the late, great, Martin Luther King Jr. With his death happening so long ago, it seems crazy that this is his first grandchild, but the happy parents welcomed her right here in Atlanta on May 25th. 40 years after Martin Luther King Jr. was assasinated, his family gets another person to carry on the great legacy that follows the King name. I'm sure if Dr. King was alive he'd be the most proud grandfather we could imagine.

Congrats to the new parents!!!!!!!!!!

-Ant

"...knock off Obama"????

-Ant

Crazy Visual - "Moving Mountains"

I am not big on Usher, but I have to give props where it is due. This video doesn't look like anything else on the market. Directed by The Brothers Strause (who also directed "Make Love In The Club" video), this is Usher's second single, "Moving Mountains".



Usher's fifth studio album, "Here I Stand", lands in stores next Tuesday, May 27th.

-Mike

Public Service Announcement

This message is written specifically to graduates, especially recent graduates.

As I take my daily glance at Facebook, I have been bombarded with glaring mistakes that not only put a bad light on the perpetrator, but on the institution where they received their degree. This mishap has affected many recent grads and surprisingly, most do not recognize that they are in error. Please take heed to the critical information shared below. Do not find yourself guilty of this crime.

* “alumnus” (male singular)
* “alumni” (male + female plural)
* “alumna” (female singular)
* “alumnae” (female plural)
* "alum" (male or female singular)

Please take notice of this announcement and govern yourself accordingly.

Good Evening.

-Mike

'Ye in Outerspace

Kanye performs with naked astronauts... this guy is on another planet, lol. Yet another dope performance. Check it out.


G Shock Event - Can't Tell Me Nothing from kwest on Vimeo.

-Mike

The Recession Hits The Movie Theater ?!?

This week has been full of interesting developments for all you movie buffs out there. Advertising Age ran an enlightening piece on the looming surge in movie theater prices due to the increasing cost of popcorn. You read correctly. Popcorn is causing quite a stir in the movie industry right now. With the rising need for ethanol crops, popcorn crops will be cut, and concessions amount for as much as 45% of theater revenues. So what does that mean to us... a 30% hike in movie ticket costs! Surprisingly, 25% of ticket cost are subsidized in concession sales, so when popcorn costs rise, the ticket price has to rise as well. Mike Campbell, CEO of Regal Entertainment, the nation's largest theater chain, stated, "If we didn't charge as much for concessions as we did, the tickets to the movies would cost $20." Well, in my opinion, tickets will be mighty close to $20, if the price is going to be inflated by 30%!!!

I do have some good news though! Netflix has announced this week that the company is gearing up to release a device, currently titled "Watch Instantly", that will allow for the high speed download of movie rentals directly to your T.V. set. Similar to the functionality of Apple TV, the Netflix set-top box will work as a transmitter that will pick up a wireless internet signal and allow for unlimited downloads for a subscription fee of $9.99 per month. CNN details that the device will be priced at $99.99, significantly less than Apple TV which retails at $229. I definitely will be investing in this box once it is made available. The ability to rent movies for one flat rate a month and not have to drive to Blockbuster or mail DVD's back and forth is well worth the $100 bucks for the transmitter.

What do y'all think - will you buy this?

Does anyone already use Netflix?

Will the rise in movie ticket prices influence your movie-going habits?

-Mike

(singing) Pleeeasse don't go, Pleeeease don't go

After reading Facebook status after Facebook status, and all the wall-to-wall conversations I could stand, I’m left with one burning question: HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GOING TO GO TO MIAMI!?!?!? I’m not a fan of text and instant messenger abbreviations, but OMMFG. I mean it’s like people only know of two states; the one they live in currently and Miami. Expand your horizons please! God forbid Miami disappears because where would my people go for fun in the sun? There’s no sun in L.A. or Las Vegas and no beaches in any of the other cities in Florida. Nope it just gets hot in Miami.

Here are 4 simple solutions to this problem:
1) If you have to go to Miami for spring break, Memorial Day, Labor Day or Black Bike Week, then choose ONE. Nobody who lives in Miami wants to see you five times a year.

2) If you have graduated from college, please, oh lord please, stay yo tacky ass away from a Miami spring break. This is worse than being the graduate who still hangs at school. Grown ups don’t have spring break, we have vacation time. Don’t use all of yours trying to look cool for the kids.

3) If you are in college and you’ve gone to Miami once, maybe twice during your years in school, then STOP RIGHT THERE! You wouldn’t want to spend every spring break at home, so stop wasting them all in Miami.

4) Isn’t a break/vacation supposed to be to get away from everybody that you see on a daily basis? So does it make any sense to go to Miami when everyone you know is going to be there?

Miami is a beautiful city, but if you’re going to go, then why not go during a normal weekend? Then you’ll allow yourself the pleasure of seeing the beauty of Miami. The local people of Miami are much more refreshing than that girl you went to school with who you obviously don’t want to hang with because both of you are still in Detroit yet you don’t go out together. The beaches are more beautiful when you’re able to look at the sands and not be stuck staring at how good your ex looks in a swimsuit because they worked out for a month before break.

If I wrote this too late and you’re already packed to go to Miami for Memorial Day then I’m sorry I couldn’t help you. But if this saves just one soul from having the same experience they’ve had four other times, then my job is done. To all Miami addicts, do me a favor, pick up a map, learn about the other cities that the rest of the world vacations in and come Labor Day, you better not have yo ass in Miami...or I'll know exactly where to find you!!

-Ant

Don't Hate...Congratulate!!!

Diddy gives Kanye his props on the "Glow In The Dark" Tour. There is some profanity in this one, for all those watching at work, lol.



-Mike

Take 'em to Church...

Just when the Miami Heat started to suck majorly, Dwayne Heat did something else to make you like him (besides the T-Mobile commercial…shout outs to Chuck). The young NBA star took some of his money and invested it in a church. No, this isn’t Wade just trying to be a better Christian; it’s him being a great son. The church he bought is for his mother, Pastor Jolinda Wade. She isn’t your typical pastor though, at one point she barely made enough time for her children let alone God.

Admittedly, Jolinda Wade owes everything she has to God and a family who encouraged her to be better even when she gave them every reason not to believe in her. She is a former prison inmate and drug addict. Through all of her trials though, her children remained a close knit unit and they could only pray that she stayed alive long enough for her to see them become something. Seven years ago, one of her daughters took her to church, and afterward Jolinda Wade began a journey toward a better life. She got help for her battle with drug and alcohol addiction. Soon after she turned herself into police to serve some time for a conviction she’d avoided. She was finally trying to do what God and her children had pleaded to her for so long.

Jolinda Wade’s first ministry came while she was incarcerated. She continued to preach and when she got out, she led a ministry of around 50 people. As her congregation grew so did her faith and she began looking into buying a larger facility to hold her services in. She’d applied for a loan in January of this year, to get a building that would maintain her much larger following. In April however, Dwayne Wade bought the building for his mother as a surprise gift to her. They fixed it up and began services this past Sunday at the Temple of Praise on the South Side of Chicago.

Having grown up with a father who was incarcerated and who battled addictions of his own, I understand the type of strength that it took for the Wade family to stay faithful amidst trying times. That same faith led my father to be the man that he has become and it led Jolinda Wade from wayward addict, to Pastor of many. What Dwayne Wade did for his mother was a small gesture in comparison to what she did for herself. He said of his mother, “Everybody thinks I’m the miraculous story in the family. I think she is. I think what I’ve done means I’ve been very blessed, but she’s been more than blessed. She’s been anointed.”

-Ant

That's My Word and I'm Stickin To It

-Ant

"The Mike Jordan of the Mic Recordin..."

If you think you're watching ESPN around 8:00pm, and then you see Jay-Z, you're not watching the wrong channel. Hov will be sitting right there on ESPN suited up an representing the New Jersey Nets at tonight's NBA Draft Lottery.

No other minority owner is as closely connected to his team as Shawn Corey is (I've hardly ever seen Nelly at a Bobcats game or Usher at a Cleveland game). No other entertainer will be representing any of the 14 teams in the lottery either (once again no Nelly no Usher). Jay is once again setting a precedent and showing the world why he (and Puff) are so far ahead of the game it's not even fair.

Sitting alongside some of your favorite basketball players, some management members and right next to NBA Legend, Larry Bird, will be a man who at one time didn't seem like he would belong there. Nevertheless, Jay-Z is showing the world the different between a "business man and a busi-ness maaan."

When asked about the opportunity to represent the Nets, Jay said, "This is very exciting and I hope my nickname Lucky Lefty holds up." He's a half a billionaire and he's with Beyonce...how much luckier can this guy get.


-Ant

600 People Scrappin?!?!?

We're In Our Last Days

-Ant

The Blackout

Last night culminated another incredible season of the CW's highest rated sitcom, The Game. The episode revolved around Derwin vying to win back Melanie, Tasha's budding romance with Rick Fox, the demise of Jason and Kelly's marriage and the new union of Malik and Robin Givens. On the heels of a stellar season closer, The CW has announced its fall lineup and has delivered a paralyzing blow to The Game and the only other black comedy on the network, Everybody Hates Chris. Both shows will be moved from their Sunday night time slots to Friday nights (i.e. the proverbial sitcom graveyard) in the fall.

So, its come to this. The day when, in addition to there not being more than a handful of black television shows on the air to begin with, the black shows that are on the networks are being blatantly sabotaged! Such is the case with mini-network, The CW. Not only were All Of Us and Girlfriends abruptly pulled form the air with no completion and no forewarning, but now the only two black sitcoms that remain are being set up for failure in the upcoming new season. Yet, shows such as Gossip Girl, with significantly lower ratings, are keeping their timeslot and garnering more advertising and non-traditional marketing opportunities. I've said in previous posts that we need our black networks to step up and provide more black original programming, but I think the time has come for our voice, the viewers, to be heard at these mainstream networks. If you are a fan of The Game, Everybody Hates Chris or just think that there needs to be a dialogue about the lack in black programming, I am calling you to action! Let's start with the CW. Here is the contact info for the key programming executive at the network. Let's open our mouths and be heard.

Mr. Michael Roberts
Executive Vice President, Current Programming - The CW Network
michael.roberts@cwtv.com


To read more on this story, check out the full article at adage.com

-Mike

When Unprofessional People Get Good Jobs..

Somewhat old clip of BET host Rocsi dissin' 50 Cent.



-Mike

Want an iPhone? Go to school...

Go back to the first day of your freshman year of college. Remember going through the processes of registration, waiting in the long lines to get your room assignments and the packets full of “helpful” information that they give you? Then you needed to wait on a cart so you can start moving your things to your dorm room. Remember how irritating it was? Imagine not having to do that anymore. This time you just have to wait in one line; the one where you pick up your iPhone. That’s what incoming freshman at Abilene Christian University will be doing starting fall 2008.

The iPhones will offer 15 custom applications for the university and its freshman to have a better medium between them. Some of these applications allow for course registration, lesson texts, emergency alerts, surveys and campus maps. How much more convenient would your first day of school have been had you known all you needed to pick up was an i.d. and an iPhone?

Abilene Christian, located in Texas, is the first college or university to provide the smart phone learning environment to its students, but it probably won’t be the last. The idea to do so came from the 2008 Horizon Report, which does an annual review of emerging technologies and ideas in education. I think this is the dopest idea to ever happen to education, and some of these bigger schools need to catch up. I have a feeling Abilene Christian is about to get a lot more applications than they’re used to.

To read the 2008 Horizon report and see what other budding ideas may appear in the classroom, click here.

-Ant

Happy Mothers Day (again)!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't care that it's three day's late, I thought this was nice, and I still love my mama so I don't need the holiday to say it! Plus it's another gem from The Ant and Mike Show favorite, Ryan Leslie, so here you go...enjoy.

I Love You Mommy!!!...and Mike Loves You Too Mrs. Fair!!!

-Ant

All The Girls Standing In The Line For The Bathroom...

You guys know I am a music person and I take a personal responsibilty to highlight the people that I think are breathing new life into the music game. That said, I am all over the new N.E.R.D. record. For those not up on N.E.R.D., the group is comprised of front man Pharrell Williams, his Neptunes counterpart, Chad Hugo, and their childhood friend, Shae Haley. They have a new album, entitled "Seeing Sounds", hitting stores on June 10th. The video for the first single, "Everybody Nose (All The Girls Standing In The Line For The Bathroom...)" premiered today online. Check out the video and a recent interview with Pharrell below.

-Mike

Question of the day????

On Monday jury selection began in the R. Kelly Trial. I've been reading updates trying to see if anything major has happened, and one article was kind of thought provoking. It was talking about how the prosecutors are trying to make sure they select a jury of people who aren't "fans of his music," so there is no bias.

At first I thought that this was a good method to keep this trial on an even keel. Then I asked myself, can it really be done? Think about how many times Michael Jackson has been acquitted of child sex related charges. I'm sure those prosecutors were hard pressed finding jurors who weren't fans of the King of Pop, and I'm pretty sure it's gonna be hard to find jurors, in Chicago, who aren't fans of the King of R&B (minus the Double Up album).

So my question is: Can a fan, or even someone familiar with R. Kelly's work, make a good juror?

Bonus Question: Who's brave enough to tell me this aint him on the tape?


-Ant

Obama in '08???

"We're not living in the ‘40’s. Look at him . . . the hairline, the ears -- he looks just like Curious George." That’s what Mike Norman had to say about the t-shirts he’s selling, that depict Barack Obama as a monkey. The owner of Mulligan’s, a bar in Marietta, GA, Norman said he doesn’t see anything wrong with the t-shirts and that they’re “cute”.

This is not cute, the t-shirts with George Bush depicted as a monkey weren’t cute, shirts with Ross Perot depicted as a monkey weren’t cute. However, of the three of them, Obama is the only man who’s black; therefore he’s probably the only one who would be able to understand why being called a monkey is not only unfunny, but also classless and distasteful. I’ve read some threads with people’s opinions on the matter and there are plenty of people defending the t-shirt by saying the owner of the bar is exercising his right to free speech. Well then lets all support the next Klan rally too, because free speech apparently makes everything racist in America acceptable.

There is nothing wrong with political satire; it goes as far back as the history of politics in this country. However, the politics that allow for satirical behavior are the same ones that allowed for slavery and Jim Crow Laws. I have a feeling that as long as Obama is on the campaign trail, this kind of thing is to be expected. He will continue to be undermined because of his race, just as Hilary Clinton will be undermined because of her sexuality. Neither of them fit the mold of the typical American president, but that is one of the main reasons their potential candidacy is so intriguing. They are more different than any of their predecessors, yet they are just as qualified so why bash them with this type of trash.

Mulligan’s once had a sign out in front that said “No habla espanol…and never will.” That type of thing isn’t offensive to anyone though right? If I were of Hispanic origin I shouldn't have a problem with this kind of edgy musing. If anything, I think it’s cute.

-Ant

Can We Pleeeease Hurry This Up?!?!?

I hate to be a cynic about the whole situation, but I am tired, tired, tired of these Democrats. They have taken what was supposed to be a positive election and turned it into countless months of arguing, bickering, fighting, suspicious campaigning, and questionable fund raising. Meanwhile, this is all just to get a Democratic nomination. Nobody’s thinking about John McCain, and the lack of focus on the real competition will only be a hindrance on the Democratic nominees’ actual presidential campaign.

As of Sunday, Barack Obama has virtually tied Hilary Clinton in the superdelegate vote (he has 273, she has 273.5). Sen. Clinton has repeatedly said that despite the onslaught of superdelegate endorsements that Sen. Obama has received recently, she has no plans on dropping out of the race until one of them has enough delegate votes to win the nomination. This means that the blowout she just got in North Carolina didn’t scare her away. In fact, headed into their next primary in West Virginia, polls show Clinton has a substantial lead (43%), which means the seesaw battle between the two is nowhere near over.

I just want a winner to surface and surface fast, because neither of them has saved the world yet, and honestly may not have the opportunity to. The Republican presidential nominee is somewhere making preparations for what is sure to be a strong campaign. He’s had months to sit back and watch Clinton and Obama debate, and while he’s becoming familiar with the opposition, the two of them are still stuck on each other. Whenever one takes the lead, the other one fights back, and they are both using every dollar of funding that they can get for their campaign against one another.

At first I was excited to see these two take command over the democratic nomination, and draw such positive attention to the election process. However, I think what was once a good thing, has now become a nuisance on the actual goal; the presidency. While the two of them are fighting to beat each other to the front steps of the White House, McCain is standing in the Oval Office making himself familiar with the décor. I hope that both Democratic nominees save some preparation and some funding for the fight they’ll have against Sen. McCain, because in all honesty, if Clinton and Obama are throwing their best punches at each other, they may not have enough to compete in the main event.

-Ant

Keeping Up With The Huxtables

At the Ant & Mike Show, We love to highlight people in the blog-world who are doing their thing. We don't hate because we know there is enough room for all of us to have our very own lane. That being said check out Keeping Up with the Huxtables (keepingupwiththehuxtables.blogspot.com). It is a cool blog by a fellow Detroiter.

Sidenote: A "Different World" is now on weeknights on BET! Am I the only one who loves that show more than the "Cosby Show"?

-Mike

100

I had to acknowledge the 100th post of the Ant & Mike Show. We wouldn't have a blog if we didn't have loyal readers - So thank you for all the support! Look out for big things coming from us very soon - We are a business man!

Sidenote: Please comment! We read all comments and we will respond back! We want to know what y'all are thinking.

Sidenote 2: Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers out there!

-Mike

This Has To Stop

"...You think our lives are cheap - And easy to be wasted" - Lauryn Hill - "I Find It Hard To Say (Rebel)"

Race in America - A Non-Issue???

That’s what the Philadelphia Mayor and Police Commissioner would have us believe in regards to the recent brutal police beatings of three restrained African-American males. Dawayne Dyches, 24; Brian Hall, 23; and Pete Hopkins, 19; were dragged from their vehicle after a pursuit by Philly PD and beat by over a dozen officers. Two of these brothas were struck close to 20 times!!! Despite this blatant showing of brutality (that was caught on video, might I add), the African-American Mayor and Commissioner had the audacity to say that they feel this was a "police conduct issue." To that I say, BULLSHIT!

How many times will the police have their way in our communities? How many times will we have to bury young brothas at the hands of our supposed "law enforcement"? How many times will we have to concede on this issue?




Today also marked another noted development in the aftermath of the Sean bell Tragedy. Sean Bell, 23, was gunned down by a barrage of over 50 bullets from the guns of NYPD, hours before his wedding. Hundreds of outraged protestors took to the streets today in New York City staging acts of "Civil Disobedience." Congregations appeared outside of city official buildings and at one point blocked the Brooklyn Bridge. Al Sharpton was one of many protestors arrested today, including Bell's fiance, Nicole Paultre Bell, being cited for "disorderly conduct". Minutes before his arrest, Sharpton offered, "In the spirit and teaching of Dr. King, we come to nonviolently say it's come to this point, and we raise it to this level of attention and ask the federal government to step in." Many demonstrators said that these disturbances will continue until the federal government looks into the acquittal of three detectives involved in the shooting, late last month.

50 bullets??? No gun was drawn by Sean or his friends. 50??? How are we to believe that was just.

Its hard to believe that the year is 2008. And many say the Civil Rights movement is over. It may have just begun.

-Mike

Check out the video below of Lauryn performing "Rebel" on her Unplugged special - It definitely reflects the sentiments of what is going on today.

He Can't Stop, Won't Stop...

So last time we saw Ryan Leslie (on The Ant & Mike Show, that is), he was crafting a "remix" of sorts for Lil' Wayne's first #1 record on the Hot 100, "Lollipop." Well this time, Leslie is in the studio crafting a new hit for himself, and with clever editing, we get to see him fufilling the roles of producer, musician and artist. This one is called "Addiction" and it features Cassie on the hook. Witness Genius.



-Mike

"Every lick is like taking a hit."

Have you had your Kronic Kandy (or Chronic Candy…two different companies) today? What about your Pot Sucker? Marijuana flavored lollipops are apparently the new thing to buy when you run to the convenience store. These candies are supposed to be a “part of a lifestyle, like hip hop and rap music,” according to the President of Hydro Blunts, the company that produces Kronic Kandy.

The Marketing Director for Chronic Candy says that the candies are specifically for the “70 million people in the United States who smoke marijuana.” What they don’t realize though is that this 70 million includes a lot of children. I’m not judging anybody that smokes weed or does any other drug, do what you do, but do it when you’re old enough to make conscious decisions. However, when Purple Haze, Acapulco Gold and Rasta flavored suckers are available for ANYONE to buy from the corner store, it’s a major problem.

With these candies being sold at convenience stores in minority communities, the sale of them basically went under the radar. Recently however, Georgia lawmakers caught wind of this trend and put a stop to it. Starting July 1, 2008, people under the age of 18 will be prohibited from buying these candies, much like cigarettes. As of now, Georgia is the only state to ban the sale of the candy to minors, but that doesn’t mean it was an easy process. One of the State Representatives in favor of the ban, Judy Manning, got death threats over the bill when it was presented to state legislature.

At the end of the day, the candy has no ill health effects. The ingredient that gives it the marijuana flavor is hemp oil, and that’s used in a bunch of everyday goods including hair and beauty products. My main beef is that it’s available for my 9 year old cousin to go buy if she has a dollar. The companies selling the candies say they encourage all the stores that sell it to only give it to consumers who are 18 and older, but with a slogan like “Every lick is like taking a hit,” they’re encouraging a lot more people than they care to admit to.

-Ant

R.Kelly Starring As Goldfinger...

R.Kelly's new video for "HairBraider" - I actually like this song, despite the wack concept.

R.kelly(new album 2008) hair braider the original music
Uploaded by surfeur9

-Mike

The New Nino Brown

I was surprised to read this story on CNN.com this morning, since so often when it comes to reporting negative stories in regards to fraternities and sororities, they focus on African-American organizations. It seems that instead of promoting philanthropy and brotherhood, Theta Chi fraternity in San Diego has been pushing that "white girl." After a drug bust on the Theta Chi house that produced Two kilograms of cocaine, 350 Ecstasy pills, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, hashish oil, methamphetamine, illicit prescription drugs, several guns and at least $60,000 in cash, close to 30 individuals were taken in to custody by the San Diego Police.


Taking a page out of Detroit Mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick's book, these frat guys were text messaging messages out to clients about cocaine "sales". How dumb can you be? Messages such as, "Attn faithful customers both myself and my associates will be in Vegas this coming weekend," the 19-year-old student wrote in the text message, according to the DEA. "So stock up, we will be back Sunday night." Police were tipped off when two separate cocaine overdose deaths occurred in frat houses on San Diego State University. I thought it was Jeezy the Snowman, not Johnny! (Couldn't help myself - I had to get a one-liner in there, LoL) Let's see if this story gets as much national attention as we know it would if the dudes in question were brothas.


For more on the story, head over to CNN.com

-Mike

Tired of Paying $4 Bucks for Gas???

Chrysler is trying to help out some of the folks who have issues with gas being around $4 bucks per gallon. Chrysler announced that it will subsidize the price of gas for all of its vehicles (Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge). Anybody who buys or leases a Chrysler car or truck, between today and June 2nd, will be paying $2.99 per gallon for gas for the next three years.

I’m not the greatest fan of Chrysler vehicles, mainly because they aren’t always of the most dependable quality, but they do have some nice looking cars and at $2.99 per gallon, they’re starting to look better. You can get a Charger or you can get a Durango, and it’ll all be $2.99 when you go to fill up. That’s dope for anybody looking to buy a vehicle in the next month. The fuel economy is fraudulent right now, and crude oil is $117 per barrel and rising. What’s funny, $2.99 is ridiculously high too, but we’ve been so corrupted by the extreme price hikes, that paying under $3 bucks seems like love. Nevertheless, Chrysler’s “Let’s Refuel America” campaign is trying to provide a reasonable solution to the one of the many problems we have in this failing economy.

To read more about it, click here

-Ant

MVP! MVP! MVP!

The best basketball player on the planet just won an award that he should have gotten about three times already. No use crying about the past though, they got it right this time. Kobe Bryant...NBA 2008 MVP

-Ant

The Tour Of The Summer.

"The Biggest Star In The Universe"

Those words, uttered by a plastic Takashi Murakami inspired female "shooting star", rang true in reference to the front man of the Glow In The Dark Tour, Mr. Kanye West. The highly anticipated tour ran through Atlanta Sunday night at the Gwinnet Arena and became home, if only for one night, to Kanye and his spaceship, Jane. After crashing somewhere in the galaxy, Kanye, with the help of "Jane", took the crowd on a literal non-stop (Kanye did a seamless, non-interrupted 90 minute set) ride of countless hit songs. Opening the show, with "Good Morning" and transitioning in to the "stadium status" smash single, "Stronger", 'Ye delivered a rousing performance on the level of a Broadway play or Las Vegas show, a la Cirque Du Soleil. From the stage length LCD screen to the actual design and automation of the "spaceship", it was clear that Kanye and his creative team wanted to create an experience unlike anything seen in the music community. Speaking of music, the band for the evening played at a stellar level, utilizing Congo drums and a "Roger & Zapp" vocoder throughout the show. "Flashing Lights" with it's descending glow in the dark lanterns and "Can't Tell Me Nothin" with it's immense crowd participation, were the standout performances in West's set. West closed the show by speaking directly to the audience about his critics and how this entire tour process has been a labor of love that has aided his grieving process in regards to his mother, the late Dr. Donda West. He called this tour a gift to his fans. A true gift indeed.



Opening the show, Lupe Fiasco ignited the capacity crowd with a set that included hit single, "Superstar" and "Little Weapon". He was outfitted in all red, as was the rest of his "1st & 15th" crew. Vocalist Sarah Green gave a great backing to Lupe's conscious-cult hits. Lupe was seen again later in the night joining Kanye for "Touch the Sky", where Lupe took a fall on the stage, but recovered quickly. Next up was the proverbial rock-star, Pharrell. Sans his N.E.R.D. crew, Pharrell rocked out with the aide of StarTrak rapper, Fam-Lay. Pharrell brought the Gwinnett arena to it's feet with a new song, "Spaz", from the forthcoming N.E.R.D. album, Seeing Sounds, with the help of a celebrity mosh-pit that included Bow Wow, Chris Brown, Fabolous and Musiq Soulchild. Last but not least, Rhianna hit the stage, giving the ladies the best of her "Good Girl Gone Bad" swag. In a skin-tight leather get-up, Rhianna opened with fan-favorite, "Breaking Dishes" and quickly ran through a host of hits from her first record, "Music of the Sun." Rhianna performed her ballad, "Unfaithful" in perfect voice and showed she is a unique vocalist in her own right.

GITD was the best concert I have ever witnessed. Hands Down. Thanks Kanye.



-Mike

Tomorrow: GITD

Glow In The Dark Tour Review - Coming Monday.

-Mike