A look inside at the day in the life of video vixen hopefuls.

Buffie the Body, Melyssa Ford, Karrine “Supahead” Steffans. What comes to mind when you think of those names? Of course! All of these ladies made a career of being video vixens and made/make a pretty decent living from it. It’s the mentality of “Using what you got to get what you want.” Many young women believe that in order to be successful, they can just be sexy, shake their butt in a video and boom- Success.

Maybe that’s why at the CandiRedd video shoot Wednesday, January 13, many girls were a little overly anxious to get their face in at least one of the shots. CandiRedd, who is known for her hit “Independent B*****s” recorded her first video in the lavish Arena Towers Penthouse and was directed by Mr. Boomtown. Atlanta natives Kandi Burruss (Real Housewives of Atlanta, Xcape) and rapper Rasheeda, who are featured on the remix, were also in attendance to record their parts for the video.

Ladies who showed up for the shoot were able to get their nails done by Minx Houston, makeup done by a professional makeup artist and hair touched up by stylist Divo J. Sure the pampering was nice, I even enjoyed that part, but the glitz and glam definitely stopped there.

This video shoot was a looooong, all day event in which all of the ladies practically competed to get in shots of the video. The decision is ultimately up to the director to choose which girls he wanted in the shot or not. The girls who weren’t chosen just sit around for hours waiting to do the next take and only hoping to make the next cut. For an unpaid gig such as this one as far the “models” are concerned, my guess is that they felt that this video may be their ticket to stardom. That one half second shot may get them noticed and they could become the next Melyssa Ford (chuckling as I type).

 One young lady I spoke with drove all the way from Dallas to be apart of the shoot. She was turned down for one of the shots in which the “models” were required to wear bikinis. She was told that her body didn’t fit the requirements. I watched this young lady change at least 4 times throughout the day and was barely chosen to be in one of the crowd scenes.

Let me stop right there at the crowd scene….

Seeing as though myself and my friend Ashley Wyatt, a publicist, were doing this gig undercover, we had to partake in one of the shots. This is when it got funny. Prior to the shoot, I mentioned to Ashley that perhaps during the editing they wouldn’t use our take. The look on one of the “models” face was priceless. She looked at me as if I had just said the building was on fire. “They bet not” she said. As much as I wanted to stay in the back, Boomtown kept moving me closer and closer to the front of the shot. One young lady even hackled him about moving her out of the shot completely. He had to calm her down by telling her that he would use her in another shot so on and so forth. After calming her down, the filming began….As Ashley stood there during the shot just smiling, texting and twittering (hilarious) the girls behind her told her “Girl you betta get your shine.” Ashley told the girls to get in front of her and allowed the girls to “shine.” Hey, if their definition of shine is perhaps getting a second of camera time, get your shine on!!!

And lets not even mention when the food came! The people on set devoured that food like they had been living in third world countries. Later that evening, I caught a glimpse of CandiRedd (the star of the video) complaining that she and her crew had not yet eaten and didn’t even know the food had come earlier. “I didn’t know anything about no food,” she said sounding irritated (which she should’ve been). “The people that’s doing the real work haven’t even eaten.” I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of that. The girls who were just standing around waiting to get in a shot had eaten up all the food before the crew and the star of the video had.

Basically that’s it in a nutshell of my first “video vixen” experience. Beautiful and not so beautiful “models” waiting around for hours and hours hoping that their shot doesn’t make the cutting room floor. I’m sure the final product will look amazing and I’m extremely happy for CandiRedd. Instead of MTVs Making the Video, this is A.D.s Making the Video. Much love and success to CandiRedd. Can’t wait too see the final product.

(Article Courtesy of www.controversialcutie.blogspot.com)

Follow “A.D.” at www.twitter.com/adiva5

If Beyonce was right when she said “a diva is the female version of a hustla,“ then R&B songstress, Just Brittany is definitely just that-A Diva.
The 20 year old, beauty was prompt for her Indy Magazine interview at 10:30 a.m. after getting off from her main job as a dancer at High Rollers Gentlemen’s Club at 5 a.m in the morning.

It’s no secret what Brittany does for a living and she is not ashamed to admit what she does. “I dance at night, in the studio during the day, doing what I got to do to get up out the game cause I’ve been dancing for over a year now,” Brittany shared about her current profession. Being an independent artist pushing your music isn’t easy, nor cheap, which is why Brittany remains in the industry she is in to pay for her dream “I really want to do music and so I’m dancing because I’m trying to raise the money to pay for what I have to pay for to get out of it…until then I will just continue dancing.”

A little over a year ago, Brittany says that she’d never stepped foot into a strip club until after a bad breakup with an ex. She says before then, the idea of dancing never crossed her mind. “I just walked in the club and I was just out of my mind and stressed over a past relationship so I (went) home and got some clothes, came back and just danced.”

Nevertheless, it’s always been a dream of Brittany’s to get into the music industry. It wasn’t until a year ago that she started taking her dream more seriously.

Shortly after she began dancing, she ran into promoter and artist C-Moe at a local beauty supply store selling his Cds. She admits that she has never been interested in buying cds off of the street, but after some influence from C-Moe, she gave in and purchased it. She was very impressed by what she heard. “His voice is amazing. I’ve never heard a man that can sing that good.” After a week of trying to contact C-Moe by calling the number listed on the cd she purchased, he finally gave her a call back. “He told me that he writes music and I told him I wanted to get with him and work with him and we’ve been together ever since then.”

Her first single, “Call me for that Good,“ written by The Narrators, has the potential to be a certified hit and top ring tone seller. The video, which can be found on YOUTUBE, is even hotter. The GO Djs, 90.3 Radio Hit List, and her manager, C-Moe have been pushing her single on a regular basis. At the time of my interview with her, her primary goal was to make it to Houston’s big hip-hop station, 97.9 The Box. “97.9 is so political, it’s more that what people think it is,” She explained about getting her song on the radio. “A lot of people have been asking why my song isn’t on the radio yet but everybody just thinks you make a song and it gets on the radio, it’s not like that. It’s very political.”

Well the votes are in and politics definitely worked in her favor. The station’s radio personalities expressed their interest in the song a few month’s ago. Now, Brittany’s song has peaked at #2 on 97.9′s countdown. Her next single will be a cover of the 80’s hit “Mercedes Boy” originally performed by Pebbles. “If you were to hear my music you wouldn’t know it was me. It’s pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop and rap. It’s just everything mixed together in one. I’m just so excited to let the world hear what I have to offer and I know I’ll be taking over all the radio stations.”

Follow Just Brittany on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/itsjustbrittany.  For booking info and more information please contact her manager C-Moe at 281-802-8222

(Article courtesy of www.controversialcutie.blogspot.com)

Follow Adrienne “A.D” Donnell at www.twitter.com/adiva5

Htownclubs.com reporter, Adrienne. A.D. Donnell, caught up with Robin Thicke at a private listening party to discuss his new album, his hip-hop blood, and why he loves Houston.

A.D. How do you like Houston?

R.T. I love Houston! It’s filled with beautiful women, its warm. What could be better than that?

A.D. So tell us a little bit about your album. That’s what we’re here for. You’ve got Nicki Minaj….

R.T. I got Nicki Minaj! It was Jay-Z’s idea. I played the album for Jay-Z and he hopped on the record and he told me ‘you should put Nicki Minaj on the Shakin’ it for Daddy record.” And she just murdered it….knocked it out the park and I’m very, very excited about it.

A.D. Who else you got (on the record)?

R.T. I got Jay-Z, I got The Game on the record. I got Kid Kudi, I got Snoop Dogg, I got Estelle….and Jasmine Sullivan.

A.D. You’re going straight hip-hop on this one!

R.T. I felt like people didn’t understand how much of a hip-hop head I am and I grew up listening to Curtis Blow, Public Enemy, and N.W.A. and everything. So this time I really wanted to rep my hip-hop blood.

A.D. Do you have any favorite tracks?

R.T. Right now the Nicki Minaj is nuts cause it’s the newest one. The last two records that I finished with it were the Nicki Minaj and the Jay-Z (tracks). But I think my favorite song is this song called “Two Love Birds.” It’s about me and my lady.

A.D. Awww. What is gonna be your first single?

R.T. It’s called “Sex Therapy.”And the name of the album is called “Sex Therapy.” It just came out this week. Which is why I’m here and the album comes out December 15^th.

A.D. When can we be looking for a video?

R.T. I just finished the editing so it’ll be out next week.

(As interviewed by Adrienne “A.D.” Donnell)

www.controversialcutie.blogspot.com

www.twitter.com/adiva5

In an interview this morning on 97.9 The Box, Rapper 50 Cent revealed to the Madd Hatta Morning Show that he may have ignited an old flame.

He admitted that his next video will feature actress Vivica Foxx. For those that don’t know, the two had a very nasty breakup that apparently ended with a restraining order against Vivica. Fifty admits now that he and Vivica have mended fences and are now friends.

When co-host Natae asked if he and Vivica were sexually involved, he vaguely answered by saying that they were not sexually involved….”on the set (of the video).” Well, I guess we know what THAT means.

Guess Fiddy had to go back to Vivica’s “Candy Shop” cause she couldn’t get enough of his “Magic Stick.” (Pun intended)

(By: Adrienne Donnell of www.controversialcutie.blogspot.com)

Twitter.com/adiva5

From wig pulling, to neck rolling, to “Who gone’ check me boo-ing” The Real Housewives of Atlanta kept us watching every Thursday with their drama filled episodes week to week. It is because of their wild and sometimes ghetto antics that their ratings are the highest of any of the Housewives.

So how is it that all of the sudden, they are all very zen and drama free come reunion time? It’s great to be friends and come together at the season’s end. But the ladies were very quiet and sometimes defensive towards their host, Andy Cohen, as he tried to get to the bottom of the season’s drama. Where was all this peace and class while the camera’s were rolling during the taping of the show?

One of the “realest” moments of the show came from the “realest” housewife Kandi as she fought to hold back tears as she discussed the passing of her ex-fiancee, A.J.

The show’s queen bee drama initiator, NeNe Leakes behavior came off very fake and vague during the reunion. It seemed as if all of the ladies got together and made an agreement to not answer any questions during the reunion for whatever reason. However, something was definitely behind their behavior.

Kim Zolciak came off very defensive as Andy asked her questions about her alleged illness, her hair, and her disagreements with NeNe. After she finished her horrid, off-key, off-rhythm performance of “Tardy for the Party,” all of the ladies coincidentally told Andy that the performance was “fun” and that they enjoyed it. When Andy asked NeNe if she still felt the same way about Kim’s singing she simply responded by saying “It doesn’t matter.” Well NeNe, here’s a word to the wise, your opinion NEVER really mattered! Yet throughout the season you felt the need to voice it. So where was all that spunk during the reunion?

Could it be the negative response towards NeNe got to the tough skinned diva? Is it possible that perhaps she has taken a look in the mirror?

Even Dwight brought it to their attention that they were being boring by not answering questions. The ladies then became a little defensive against him. The whole thing was fake and pointless. No questions got answered and none of the little insignificant quarrels were addressed.

I’m starting to believe that there is nothing “Real” about these Housewives (except Kandi Burruss). The whole show is a drama filled hoax to keep us watching. They all love each other now, but when the cameras start rolling next season, the hate will magically appear for ratings sake.

In the words of Bravo “Watch what happens next…..”

(By: Adrienne “A.D.” Donnell)

www.controversialcutie.blogspot.com

Twitter.com/adiva5

For those of you that missed the “Alter Ego” Halloween party this past weekend at Posh Lounge downtown you certainly missed a treat. Costumes ranged from everything from priests, to sexy nurses, to Playboy Bunnies.

The event was hosted by nationally reknown photographer, Derek Blanks who was recently featured on “The Real Houswives of Atlanta.” Htownclubs.com was able to catch up with Derek’s alter ego, D. Blanks outside of Posh Lounge for an exclusive interview. He talks about the differences between his two alter egos, how the “Alter Ego” photo phenomenon got started, and he warns people to not be fooled by photographers that are attempting to duplicate what he made so popular today.

A.D.: Tell me the difference between Derek Blanks and D. Blanks

DB: Well, ok. Derek Blanks is the laid back photographer, that’s easy going, humble person. And then D. Blanks is the celebrity photographer that has his shades on at the club….

(Both Laugh)

A.D.: Well I’m standing here with D. Blanks!

DB: Right, Right. (He’s) not as easy to approach, but you know, he’s cool too.

A.D. Ok. Well tell us some of the people that you’ve worked with.

DB: I’ve had the pleasure of working with celebrities such as Usher, Ciara, Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, Tisha Campbell, Ludacris….just to name a few.

A.D.: Lot of people. So tell me how the whole alter ego thing got started. Let’s make everything clear, you were the originator of this, right?

D.B. Right!

A.D.: So nobody can come and claim, “No I was doing this before.” You were the originator, you put the trademark on the alter ego thing…How did it all come about?

D.B.: Right well you know, I am the originator of actual interaction between the two alters. It’s been done before but not how I’ve approached it. It’s been done before on like (America’s Next) Top Model shows and stuff like that, but there’s never been any interaction. It’s always been kind of copy paste,cut paste where there’s one subject on the left and one on the right. So after “Daughters of Man” which is a portrait of successful African American women and their fathers, I thought it would be cool to do my very own project….So I thought it’d be cool since I built up the clientelle of celebrities, to approach them about doing the alter egos. So, I approached the celebrities one by one, they gravitated to it and I thought it’d be different because people are intrigued by celebrities. So I thought it would be really cool to show the alter of that celebrity. So I started the project about two years ago, and I had a reveal in Atlanta and that happened to be the day that T.I. was released on house arrest so he decided to come by. So actually when he came by everybody came by and supported. It was on the blogs the following day. So it was great press for the project and it kind of build and build. In the meantime, I’ve worked with Nene from “The Real Housewives.” And she was so thrilled with her images, that I thought it would be a cool project to ask the ladies to do it, and also for it to be televised. So I thought it’d be excellent publicity.

A.D.: So the way that it looks on t.v. is that they all did it together. That’s not how it went?

D.B.: Well, they did it together, but I went and shot NeNe previously, where we kind of gave her a new look. I brought in the glam squad and we just did new publicity photos for her. So I thought it’d be a good idea to include all the ladies, so NeNe approached all the ladies. So originally I shot solo shots of Nene and then decided to do alter egos of all of them.

A.D.: O.K. And why did you decide to choose NeNe…Or how did NeNe become the director of everything?

D.B.: Well you know t.v. has it’s way of editing so I just let NeNe play on that. But you know, we actually came up with the ideas together and she coached the ladies on the set which was really helpful. But I had already planned their glam squads, hair and makeup and wardrobe stylists before hand. So it made it that much easier for NeNe to direct them on set and a lot of things she said, I actually agreed with. So she was a good help on set, I’m not gonna lie about that. But I’m just grateful that she gave me the opportunity to bring it to the “Housewives” cause it took the exposure of the project to whole ‘nother level.

A.D.: And what has the response been like since the show, cause you were already established before. But I know the show just pushed you out there into the mainstream past Atlanta……..

D.B.: Response has been great. Immediately after the show, we had about 100 emails and phone calls and anytime the show repeated throughout the week, we could tell cause we had numerous emails and phone calls. So everybody want an alter ego, and it’s kind of cool to be the originator of it because now I’m seeing knockoffs all over the country people are doing alter egos and the thing is, they may be able to do it now but I’m really the trendsetter for the project. And there are several knockoffs like the Louis (Vuitton) knockoffs, but you always know the difference.

A.D.: You know photographers are going to be biting you.

D.B. Right.

A.D. So what projects do you have coming up that you want to let people know about and how can people get in contact with you?

D.B.: I just finished Bebe and CeCe (Winans) their first album probably in about 15 years. I did Mo’Nique for Uptown Magazine. And the promo photos for her show as well as Monica’s show. I also did Monica for Upscale Magazine as well as Black Hair Sophisticate’s. I’m working with Jermaine Dupri’s artist and I’m the personal photographer for Jennifer Hudson just did her baby announcements photos which were published in People Magazine.

A.D. You did those?

D.B. Yeah

A.D. We have those on our website actually….

D.B.  O.K. that’s whats up. So I’ve been blessed to build relationships with these certain clients and pick them up as personal clients like Jennifer Hudson, I’m her personal photographer, Monica and several other celebrities want to work with me and I’m blessed and honored to be a part.

For more information on Dblanks:
www.Dblanks.com
www.twitter.com/dblanks

(As interviewed by Adrienne Donnell-www.controversialcutie.blogspot.com or Twitter.com/adiva5)

He’s worked with some of the world’s biggest producers and recording artists in the industry. And now J. Lacey, AKA Lacemode has his very own top of the line, state-of-the-art recording studio, The Lion’s Den located right here in Houston. He is no rookie in the entertainment industry as he started his career in musical engineering while in college. And while he is still under the age of 30 his roster of clients is tremendous.

Lacemode’s engineering credits include: Slim Thug (Boss of All Bosses 2009), Jim Jonsin (Multi-Platinum, Grammy Award Winning Producer “Lollipop”), Chamillionaire (Grammy Award Winning Platinum Recording Artist), Bun B. (Platinum Recording Artist; Rap-A-Lot/Asylum Play N Skillz (Multi-Platinum Grammy Award Winning Producers Asylum/Warner), Brian Angel of Day26 (Bad Boy Records), and the list goes on.

Within the next few months, recording artist, Baby Bash, will be releasing his first single entitled “Butter Cup,” that was mixed by Lacemode. His latest single being pushed right now is “The Streets Love Me” (Instrumental can be heard throughout the interview) by Big Sid featuring Slim Thugg and Chalie Boy.

In this interview, Htownclubs.com, talks to Lacemode on how he got started, explains his position as a mix engineer, and discusses what his biggest turn-offs are in working with certain artists. Also watch Lacemode in action as he makes Htownclubs.com reporter, Adrienne Donnell, sound phenomenal singing “Tardy for the Party.” It’s hilarious.

The Lion’s Den from Htownclubs on Vimeo.

Comedian Lil Duval, who is known for his misogynistic comedic style, unexpectedly fired in on some ladies on Twitter last night.

Apparently as a means of entertainment for himself and his nearly 130,000 followers, he decided to criticize random women on Twitter. He began his rant by asking his followers “send me some people that need a wake up call im bout to tell they a**.” From there he began degrading individual women, some who had quite provocative pictures for their avatar, by saying things such as “hey bitch @sexxychaz your never gon make it” and “u either bitch @GiGiBABiE id f**k u but thats where it stop.”   

He then went on to criticize the season 2 winner of Real Chance of Love, Hot Wings. “hey @VH1sHotWings you’ll be struggling in a year.” Hot Wings fired back at Lil Duval by suggesting that she wasn’t struggling before the show. She later thanked him for the shout out because she apparently gained 500 more followers because of his rant.

 Not long ago there was twitter page created called @unfollowduval because of his harsh disrespect towards women.

In one aspect, it’s understandable that Lil Duval is doing this for publicity and laughs. But it shouldn’t have to always be at the expense of others. These young ladies were verbally attacked and called bitches without reason. It should never be O.K. for any man to disrespect a woman in this manner. It is because of such behavior, so many young men have little to no respect for women.

Why is this guy popular anyway?

www.controversialcutie.blogspot.com

Twitter: adiva5

Tonight, Bravo will air The Real Housewives of Atlanta 2 reunion special, hosted by Andy Cohen. He will help the women hash out the issues that they faced while on the show, from broken friendships, to the death of a loved one, to new business ventures. Today, he took the time to speak to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview and gave us a little glimpse into what we can expect when Kandi, Sheree, NeNe, Kim, and Lisa sit down together to lay it all out on the table.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did you start hosting the reunion specials on Bravo?
A. Andy: It started with my online show on BravoTV.com after Top Chef each week. Bravo needed someone to host a Housewives reunion, someone who really knew the show. They decided, last minute, to have me do it. It seemed to work out and from that, came the “Watch What Happens” specials.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Have the Atlanta housewives been together since the show wrapped?
A. Andy: That’s a good question. Some combinations have been together and there have been some photo shoots. Their relationships change week to week and this is the first time that they’ve sat down to discuss the issues that took place on the show.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: When things get heated or out of control on these reunions, how do you handle it and maintain order?
A. Andy: What I do is let them say what they need to. That’s why we tape for so long. We tape for 6 or 8 hours per reunion. Everybody can get out what they need to say. I just let them go. The show is about wrapping it up and talking things out.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What can we expect to see on the first part of the reunion special?
A. Andy: Tonight, there will be a debate of whether or not Kim is a mistress. Kim and NeNe will try to figure out their relationship. Kandi will discuss the death of her ex-fiance, AJ. There will be a whole lot more…

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It seems that every housewife from Atlanta is trying to branch out and do their own thing, from wig lines to clothing lines to books. Have you ever given any thought into doing something else besides tv?
A. Andy: No, no, no! You will never see an Andy Cohen wig line. I think that these Housewives can do anything – speaking engagements, books… I mean, look at Bethany Frankel. She has had great success outside of New York.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What is it about the Real Housewives series that people are drawn to?
A. Andy: I think some people watch to say, “Oh my god, what is this? Who is this?” They watch to see the train wreck then stop and say, “Wait, I love this one. I hate this one. This one is interesting.” It’s fun. You see how they react to these everyday… and not so everyday… situations. It’s produced and edited well and it’s oddly relatable. Oddly relatable.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What else coming up on Bravo that you’re looking forward to?
A. Andy: I’m really excited. I have my show every Thursday night at midnight, which is just like my web show but on tv. I’m excited about Top Chef. The caliber of chefs is very high this season. Tabitha’s Salon Takeover is coming up as well as Million Dollar Listing and a new show, Launch My Line.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta 2: Reunion Special airs tonight at 9pm CST on Bravo.

(Source: Realitywanted.com/Gina Scarpo)