Reports have been confirmed that three-time Emmy winner James Gandolfini, known for his unforgettable role as conflicted mob boss Tony Soprano in HBO’s “The Sopranos,” died suddenly of a massive heart attack in Italy.
Gandolfini is survived by his wife, Deborah Lin, and two children, a son from his previous marriage, and an infant daughter.
Man, one never knows the day nor the hour. Death is constant reminder that we can take nothing for granted and assume that our favorite celebrities will always “be around.”
Women’s Wear Daily (WWD) reported today that Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, known to the world for their eponymous fashion line, have been found guilty of tax evasion. The duo has been sentenced to 20 months in prison.
This marks the end of a saga that started with an intense investigation of the fashion brand after the duo moved the brand to a Luxembourg-based company as a tax shelter to avoid paying corporate taxes in Italy (which apparently were too high, even for their taste).
Dolce and Gabbana plan to appeal the verdict.
What is going on with all of these public figures and their tax problems? Some of these folks may have to go back to the Nike shoe box or brown paper bag way of dealing with their money. Sheesh…
Joe Lindsay’s “What Do I Say?” is not an ordinary song nor video. In the midst of Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail hoopla and Miley Cyrus recent twerking on Juicy J’s peformance, coupled with an extremely draining spring, this song and visual was very much needed. The singer/producer comes with his second release from his upcoming project that is sure to garner attention from secular and Christian music heads alike. Here’s three reasons why you need to give this video a real hard look and this song a humble listen:
It masters the balancing act. There is a certain symbiosis between Lindsay’s lush production with faith-based lyrics that actually speak to listeners, thus creating an effective story that in turn, creates a great song. Basic Music 101 stuff to true musicheads, but you would be surprised how many “artists” out there cannot execute this.
The video and the song are actually connected. How many times have you watched a video for a song and the two are completely unrelated? You will not have that problem here as director Roberto Garcia nails it. The video serves the track justice.
Who hasn’t been in this position? Lindsay says that he wrote the song while in a very vulnerable state. Even with references to Christianity (the Bible and the church in the video state the obvious), faking the funk wouldn’t do you any good. It would be easier to admit that this track taps into and sheds light on a problem we all face and how we cope within our frailties, team Jesus or not.
At any rate, it’s a cool “come to Jesus moment” in my book. We’re hoping to interview Joe soon, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, you can follow Joe Lindsay on social media via:
Before I officially move on to the next, here’s my Rhona Rhetoric adieu to awards season, Oscars style…
1. Charlize Theron = Best Dressed at the Oscars. Hands down. The short cut with that Dior Couture gown was absolutely amazing. A close friend quipped “What about Halle Berry?” Halle looked great, too. In fact, Halle looks great consistently (as mentioned in previous posts). In my mind, she is in the Red Carpet Hall of Fame and has thus received her “yellow jacket,” if you will. Halle and red carpet glory is a given combination, but Charlize simply dazzled.
2. They Call Me Miss Wallis: People really went there and tried it with Quvenzhané Wallis. First Seth, then The Onion, and topped off with that dumb reporter wanting to change her name to a fictitious character. In the end, it is all a reflection of them, not that adorable and talented young girl. Oh, by the way, that punk apology from The Onion’s CEO doesn’t amount to jack scratch in my book. For the quacks who are defending that garbage as satire, let’s hope you have the same stance when someone calls your child an offensive name. Just saying…
3. How many people thought or said, “Spike Lee is having a coronary right now!” when Quentin Tarantino won Best Screenplay for Django Unchained?
4. Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey was awesome. Say what you want. The 50-and-over-set STAYS having skills (she’s 76). “Goldfingahhhhh…”
Of course, there were honorable mentions like after party dresses looking way better than some red carpet choice. The list goes on and on.
I can only imagine what next year is going to be like.
There were some things from Grammy Night that I noticed and simply had to say SOMETHING. Whether it garnered an eyebrow raise or a dose of side eye, RiaRob is going in. Here I go:
The Case of the R&B/Gospel/Hip-Hop Blackout. One of the best albums of 2012 was Black Radio by the Robert Glasper Experiment. It actually won the Grammy last night for Best R&B Album. Mary Mary, consisting of sisters Erica and Tina Campbell, are known for creating and singing awesome gospel music that appeals to all people. Their song, Go Get It, won the Grammy for Best Gospel Song. I’m a huge fan of both Robert Glasper and Mary Mary. Too bad I wasn’t able to see one iota of their acceptance speeches LIVE. See the problem? I thought you would. See, all the time the camera team spent keeping tabs on Chris Brown’s every move in the audience, could have been better spent allowing time for one of these artists to be seen around the world so their music and faces can have global reach. But I digress…
The Case of the Drinking Hip Hop Mogul. Ok, who caught Jay-Z straight sipping in the audience? Is the ceremony that boring to where you have to toss back a few? This is not a restaurant! Had Chris Brown had something to drink in the audience, he’d be drawn and quartered. In short, save the sauce for the after party or better still, don’t drink at all.
The Case of the Producer Who Can’t Dress Himself. The Dream ought to be ashamed. To be this sartorially challenged (and by choice, I bet) and think you are still fly is downright sad. And with that, I’ve said too much already.
The Case of the Jacked Up Grammy Snub. First, it was Miguel about a year or two ago. It was obvious that Miguel should have won a Grammy first time out for music from his first album, All I Want Is You. This year’s Grammy snub star: Carly Rae Jepsen. This left me stumped. I am starting to see that the Grammys have a recurring theme with breakout stars with great success: totally diss them on their first Grammy night, then reward them a few years and an album later with a Grammy or two. Think I’m joking? Ask India Arie.
So there you have it. There are more. But I choose to keep things on the up and up. What’s done is done. Time to work on Grammys 2014. Pronto.
Fresh off the Super Bowl (and thus no more football season), the Grammys rolled in. One year after the tragic death of Whitney Houston, music’s biggest night aimed to be a lot more festive. Here are RiaRob’s top Grammy moments:
Prince. If you don’t know by now, you never did and you never will. The only man who can walk on stage, utter a few syllables, give a glowing endorsement and simply exit stage left. It’s his world and we simply take up space.
I love a revolt. It became more than obvious that everyone either sidestepped, worked around or completely ignored the now infamous Grammy memo that warned against artists wearing clothing that exposed anything they really didn’t want to see. Between Katy Perry’s “display” and Jennifer Lopez continuing the Angelina Jolie leg deal, artists were not really concerned. Big ups to Kelly Rowland in that amazing George Chakra dress and Rihanna who looked absolutely amazing in a red Azzedine Alaia gown.
The men showed up! Lanvin, Tom Ford and Moschino pretty much had the red carpet covered for the men. Suits and tuxes were everywhere. Three words: It’s about time.
You can’t stop the Timberlake. Everybody was too excited to see the (musical) return of Justin Timberlake. He is a Grammy (and CBS) darling. I wasn’t so into the performance as Bruno Mars already had that “visual” on lock a year or two prior, but I am glad to see Timberlake doing music again. What I will say is that Timberlake is a very astute businessman and has great people to make sure his return was complete with TWO commercials during the telecast. After his album release on March 19, the JT takeover will be monstrous.
The Bob Marley Tribute. All I can say is that Bruno Mars and Sting were every bit of all that. The two joined forces to perform Locked Out of Heaven which smoothly transitioned to Walking On The Moon. Soon after, Rihanna and Ziggy came out and I was dancing all over the living room. By the time Damian Marley came out on stage, I totally lost my mind, complete with a dutty whine to boot!
Great moments indeed. But you know there were some things that really burned my toast. I’ll elaborate in my next post.
This week has definitely been a time for catch up on many levels. Rest, writing, cleaning and planning. Here are some things on RiaRob’s mind this week:
Baltimore Ravens win the Super Bowl. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a big Ravens fan and to see my home team go all the way was just too much for the kid! Even with a power outage, my team managed to pull out a win. Baltimore fans are possessive of our team so you know we have been absolutely hysterical! By the way, did you see that victory parade?
Stop blaming Beyoncé for nearly every thing. When the power outage occurred, I joked with a friend saying, “They’ll probably blame Beyoncé,” and totally dismissed it. Lo and behold, while watching Tuesday’s episode of The Talk, I was shockedsurprisedtaken aback shaking my head that it actually morphed into an actual point of conversation. To have NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell “exonerate” the singer for any wrong doing was completely unnecessary. All I can say is “hateration in the dancerie.” Leave that girl alone. Oh, and stop getting on Alicia Keys for sitting while playing her piano during the national anthem. Did you expect her to stand and play the piano. Next, you’ll want her to rub her belly and pat her head at the same time. Sheesh!
Barbara Walters is a stone cold “G.” After suffering a fall prior to the Presidential Inauguration which caused a concussion AND battling the chicken pox (at the same time), Barbara Walters will be returning to The View in about three weeks. Just think, some of you get a paper cut and think it is the end of the world. At 83, Babs is showing no signs of slowing down.
For some folks, it will always be about the donk. Yes, I said it. These shriveled up cats in government and media need to watch their mouths, especially when it comes to the body parts of the First Lady of the United States of America. Never have I seen a president’s wife objectified in such a manner. Sometimes I wish the President Obama could simply step to these individuals and ask them to meet him outside. Check out Kryssah Thopmson’s recent article for The Washington Post.
Happy Grammy Week! While still in my Ravens/Super Bowl euphoria, I have to remember that it is in fact Grammy Week. Shout out to all the members of the Washington DC Grammy Chapter who took the trip to L.A. Have a great time!
