Sunday, December 30, 2007

Words & Sounds, Post 28 (New Year's Edition)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! (almost ;] )

To ring in the New Year, here are a few of my favorite songs that'll get me movin' into 2008!

+ Jill Scott - "Hate On Me (Remix f/ MC Lyte)"

+ Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z - "Crazy In Love"

+ Ashlee Simpson - "Boyfriend"

+ Maroon 5 - "Kiwi"

God bless!

Friday, December 28, 2007

Jill Scott: Live in Paris DVD - NEW DATE!


According to Circuit City, the long-awaited DVD of Jill Scott: Live in Paris will be released on February 5th, 2008!

The most exciting part is that there is also a Deluxe Edition CD and DVD combo called Words, Sights, and Sounds, Vol. 1!

Now, like its last release date, this may turn out not to be true, but we can always hope!

Great news? Oh Hell Yes!

To get ya'll ready for the release, here is the JOINT-EXCLUSIVE video of "The Fact Is (I Need You)"[Live in Paris]:

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Words & Sounds, Post 27

Here is my current obsession "Love Song" sung by the talented Sara Bareilles:

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Words & Sounds, Post 26 (Holiday Edition)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

This post of Words & Sounds will feature three of my favorite Christmas songs:

+ Ashlee Simpson & Jessica Simpson - "Little Drummer Boy"



... Dio ti benedica ...

Here's another great way to give back this holiday season: FreeRice!

To top it all of, here is the Joint-Exclusive Bailey's commercial featuring Jill Marie Jones for the Christmas season:


Monday, December 24, 2007

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!


I wanted to wish ya'll a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Oh Hell Yes!

In the words of Tiny Tim, "God bless us, everyone!"

And, to celebrate in true Girlfriends fashion, here is a recipe for Joan's famous holiday cookies, pfeffernusse

If you make 'em, let me know how they come out... I always wondered what they taste like.
------------------

To make a difference this holiday season (and every day), follow this link where all you have to do is Click To Give to several charities that benefit all. All it takes is one click each day...

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Jill Marie Jones opens up about 'Girlfriends'

Thanks to a poster on the official CW Girlfriends lounge, here is an excerpt from a recent interview with Jill Marie Jones. 

Having played Toni Childs on the show for the first six seasons, Jill Marie Jones has not been part of the show for the last two years.

In her first interview that really addressed her Girlfriends departure, here's what she had to say:

As you are venturing off in the film world, do you believe your TV work has helped you or the opposite? Do you feel you may be typecast for parts?
JMJ: You know what, it has definitely helped me. No one would even know who I was if it weren’t for ‘Girlfriends’. There’s a lot of talented women and men in this town that have no representation and go after audition and audition and don’t get parts, so of course, being on television helped me. I owe all of that to Mara Brock Akil, UPN, and Paramount for giving me a shot and also giving someone a shot with nothing on her resume. I came very green and I just wanted to act. I just wanted to be an actress. I didn’t care about the pain, I didn’t care about money, I just wanted to work and they gave me that opportunity, so of course that is why. You second question was about being typecast, and I say no a lot, which is okay, but also I knew with my first season on ‘Girlfriends’, I had some credit stuff I needed to clear up. If this show doesn’t go pass the first season, I’m going to clean up my credit and that’s what I did. I positioned myself in a way where I can say no. I’m all about movie forward and not necessarily lateral move in terms of my career so I do say no a lot. I do get that, ‘Can we do that type of role?’ again and unless that turns me on in some sort of way, I won't do it.

When you’ve been on a show that is both dramatic and funny, and you’re working with comedians on the screen, do you think you have ‘funny bones’?
JMJ: No, not at all. I didn’t even know or think I was funny. When I studied, I studied dramatic acting. In acting class, I studied drama stuff and then I got ‘Girlfriends’. I didn’t know til ‘Girlfriends’ that I was funny, and I have to say that I feel like I was in a university of girlfriends with Tracy, Golden, Reggie, and Persia. Who I am today is a culmination of all my experience up to this point. I feel as if I learned so much from those people from Mara, the writers. I was literally in class when I was there. I was so green. ‘Girlfriends’ was my third audition. I booked my first. I booked my second. I booked my third. ‘Girlfriends’ was my third. I was learning throughout the whole process. If you look at seasons 1-6 when I was on, you can see the growth.

It’s been two seasons since you left the show, do you miss playing Toni Childs?
JMJ: Oh my God! I feel like I gave birth to her. Obviously, Mara created the character, but for six years that's all I had and her back-story and everything I worked on, I feel like I gave birth to her. I totally miss Toni. I love the fact that people still come up to me in the street and be like, ‘Toni Childs!’ It brings a smile to my face.

Would you consider coming back for a cameo or an episode?
JMJ: Anything’s possible. The life that I have right now is because of Mara Brock Akil, Kelsey Grammer, UPN, Paramount took a chance on a girl with talent or that they saw had talent that on my resume was blank. I don’t know how much you know about in this town, but that doesn’t happen all the time. So, everything I have at this moment and the life that I’m being able to live is because people gave me a chance.

With so much done in six seasons, do you think the character ran its course?
JMJ: No, I think if Toni came back and when I say no, I say it because there are brilliant writers on ‘Girlfriends’. There is so much more that you can do. For me and my career, my contract was up after six seasons and there’s a whole film world that I wanted to experience and that’s what I’ve been doing. I think if Toni came back to the show, there would be so much more to write and much more to bring. That’s a testament to how great Mara and the rest of the writers are.

So that was a very interesting and informative article, and it is nice to hear what Jill really had to say about her Girlfriends past... hopefully she'll be coming back for some sort of farewell!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Ashlee Simpson names 3rd album!

Revealed exclusively to MTV, Ashlee Simpson has decided to name her album Bittersweet World

The interesting title comes from a song on the record and also from the state of our world today.

I cannot wait to hear more from Ashlee as the March release date approaches!

Ashlee Simpson "Outta My Head" Video Premiere

Here's the new video from Ashlee Simpson for "Outta My Head" on Yahoo!Music:



What did you think?

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Jill Scott featuring MC Lyte "Hate On Me" Remix

Thanks to KrazeeKool over on the Hidden Beach Family Reunion, here is a great remix of "Hate On Me" by Jill Scott which features MC Lyte.


Enjoy the goodness and please comment.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Jill Marie Jones in "The Perfect Christmas" OUT NOW

Sorry for the lateness, but Girlfriends alum Jill Maries Jones is in a new movie that just came out yesterday, December 12th, that stars Gabrielle Union and Queen Latifah. The movie also features a small role from Rachel True of good ole Half & Half.


Here's the trailer... go out and see it!

Pictures from Ashlee Simpson's video for "Outta My Head"


Thanks to MTV News, here are two new pictures from the set of the video for "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)" from Ashlee Simpson.

The accompanying article is a great read and outlines the whole video, which sounds so cool and wacky. 

I can't wait to see the premiere of the video on Yahoo! Music on December 19!

Follow the link to read the article and let me know what you think...

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Words & Sounds, Post 25

To celebrate my 25th post of Words & Sounds, I have 1 song from each of my five favorite artists for ya'll!

1. Jill Scott - "Epiphany"

2. Beyoncé - "Flaws And All"

3. Ashlee Simpson - "Surrender"

4. Shakira - "Objection (Tango)"

5. Missy Elliott - "Hot"

Enjoy the beats and please try to comment...
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I've also added some personal information about myself in the section "Get Me Bodied" towards the end of the right column, so check it out and get to know me a little better ;)

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

GREAT new article on 'Girlfriends'...

Thanks to a poster on the CW's official Lounge, here is a wonderful article about the longevity and success of Girlfriends. This article offers a lot of great information about the current season and offers some insight into the mind of series creator Mara Brock Akil.

Worth the full read, the article stated that Girlfriends Season 8 has 13 of its 22 episodes completed due to the writer's strike, which is more than I had originally heard, so that's a good thing. Fresh Girlfriends episodes will be following us into the new year! And what's even better is that the January 14th episode is directed by series star Tracee Ellis Ross!!

Read the article here, and let me know what you think.

Ashlee Simpson "Outta My Head" on iTunes!

Today marks the release of the new Ashlee Simpson single "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)" on iTunes so go over and buy it!

The song has a fun 80s vibe to it and is produced by Timbaland!

Here's the link to her artist page: Ashlee Simpson on iTunes

And here's the link to the new single: "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)"

Woo Hoo!!! Enjoy
------------------------------------
Song Review:
I think the new sound of "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)" is really fun and just makes you want to move around and shake it... It's a very silly song but Ashlee Simpson has not lost her sense of self; she still doesn't take any shit and, like most of her older songs, declares that "I am who I am and I can't be no one else." I just love that Ashlee can be strong, she can be tough, she can be vulnerable, and in this song, she can be silly and poignant at the same time. I am looking forward to the album!

Monday, December 10, 2007

'Girlfriends' S8.9 Review: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Find Out What It Means to William"

Sorry for the delay, but here is the review for the ninth Girlfriends episode of Season 8 that aired two weeks ago called "R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Find Out What It Means to William".

This episode was good because it felt like old times again for the second week in a row which was really nice! The girls were up to their same old high jinks which made for a funny episode.

So, the issue at hand in this episode was that William was considering quitting the law firm because he is not being respected as much as he deserves. After weighing his options and talking to Monica, he decides that he is resigning his position as a lawyer. Meanwhile, Monica worries that he will not be able to provide for their new baby. With his mind set on quitting, William goes to work and realizes that his family means much more to him and that sacrifices must be made in order to succeed and be prosperous, so he stays with the firm and keeps his prestigious job.

Now with the funny: Joan gives Lynn an odd-shaped sculpture as a house-warming gift and instead of Lynn just saying she doesn't like it, she gives it to Maya who then gives it to Monica who then gives it right back to Joan telling her that no one likes the bizarre piece. Joan is offended and makes Lynn put it up in her house because that's what friends do.

While all this is going on, someone from the neighborhood asks Maya to write for the local newspaper and she decides to write a gossip column. This becomes a problem for some people when she calls them "ho-ish" and other such funny terms to keep her column poppin.

All in all, a good episode but not the best.... I am really looking forward to tonight's Christmas episode!
-----------------
Here's the preview for "R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Find Out What It Means to William" from my YouTube:
Be sure to catch an all-new episode of Girlfriends tonight on the CW at 9pm!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

New feature on 'Girlfriends' website...

Hey ya'll, the CW added a new feature to the Girlfriends website which shows all the music featured in the current season's episodes. It's pretty cool and I like that the CW seems to have taken some interest in Girlfriends...

And what's even more interesting is that under the Season 8 episode "Snap Back" they list Erykah Badu's "Vibrate On" as part of a Girlfriends Sountrack! I have no idea what this means, but it would be SO cool is the show finally got an official soundtrack after 8 freakin years!

So, check it out for yourself and see if you can make some sense of it... and be sure to come back with your comments!

Saturday, December 8, 2007

EXCLUSIVE: Beyoncé "Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Live)"

A new Oh Hell Yes! EXCLUSIVE is Beyoncé's performance from Movies Rock of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Live)"!

Enjoy the new B audio and be sure to comment.

Jill Scott nominated for 3 Grammy Awards!

A huge CONGRATULATIONS to Jill Scott on her three Grammy Award nominations!!

Here are the categories in which Jill was nominated:



Best R/B Album
THE REAL THING: WORDS AND SOUNDS VOL. 3

Best Female R/B Vocal Performance
“HATE ON ME”

Best Urban/Alternative Performance
“DAYDREAMIN” Lupe Fiasco featuring Jill Scott

Wishing Jill all the best! Good luck girl!

Friday, December 7, 2007

Jill Scott announces The Real Thing Tour!

Visit this amazing website for more information on The Real Thing Tour of the incredibly talented Jill Scott, and be sure to buy your tickets to her show!

Also, her official website says that she will be coming to Madison Square Garden around New Year's which is HUGE so stay tuned for more info on that excitement.

I can't wait to be part of the Jill Scott experience once again when she comes to the NY/NJ/and Philly areas!

Thursday, December 6, 2007

New Ashlee Simpson promo picture!

Here is a hot new promo picture for Ashlee Simpson's third album, due out in March 2008. With her single release for "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)" on December 11th at iTunes, Geffen released this beautiful picture!

I really love the evolution of Ashlee's style, with her long messy hair and dark eyes. I also really love the cross that hangs low and it's very sexy that she has no shirt on underneath her jacket and suspenders :)

I am really looking forward to the full release of "Outta My Head" and of course the full album.

(I'm pretty sure I'm the first blog to have this picture up, so that's pretty exciting! Credit me and Geffen. Thanks)

Words & Sounds, Post 24

Here is a new single from Kelly Rowland entitled "Work" which I think is a really great song from Ms. Kelly.


Enjoy!

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Words & Sounds, Post 23

I wanted to share with you all my favorite performance from The Beyonce Experience Live DVD, so here is "Flaws and All". I really love this song for its simplicity and message, and Beyonce totally killed on this performance.


Friday, November 30, 2007

First Listen: Ashlee Simpson "Outta My Head" NEW single (+ Cover?)

Click here to hear the premiere of "Outta My Head", the new single from Ashlee Simpson!

AOL Music has the first listen of the song, so head on over, check it out, and comment back here to let us all know what you think!

Also, could this image be the single cover? 
It looks like it and it's on Ashlee's official site, but we'll have to wait and see what iTunes gives us on December 11th.

EXCLUSIVE: Ashlee Simpson "Autobiography" LIVE Concert Video

Hey ya'll, here's another Oh Hell Yes! Exclusive video!

Taken by me from the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, NJ on July 2, 2006, this is Ashlee Simpson performing "Autobiography" LIVE.

I absolutely love this song and that whole concert tour was amazing... I have been watching all my concert videos recently since I went to the phenomenal Jill Scott show in Paris last weekend.... I still can't believe they made me check my camera! Think of all the Oh Hell Yes! Exclusive Videos we could have had then... :( Oh well! Better luck in Philly in 2008!!

Anyway, here's the video.... give it a chance. I know it may seem weird that I can like R&B/Soul royalty like Jill Scott and Beyonce and then turn around and enjoy the music of Ashlee Simpson, but I do not like to be put into a box where I can only like a certain type of music just because. I feel that I am a very well-rounded individual and my musical tastes reflect that kind of openness. So, I ask you to simply give it a watch and a listen, and if you don't like it, that's okay. Just try not to judge a book by its cover.

Oh and above is an exclusive picture from the concert as well.... Enjoy the video and let me know what you think:


Thursday, November 29, 2007

What will Jill Scott's next single be?

This is completely unofficial, but out of curiosity and anticipation for the next great single release from Jill Scott, I want to know what you think the next single from The Real Thing should be... 

After the amazing "Hate On Me" and the emotionally-evocative "My Love", which track from the incredibly crafted Words and Sounds Volume 3 do you think the next single should be?

I thought these three options were pretty fair, so what's it gonna be: "Whenever You're Around", "Crown Royal", or "Epiphany"? 

[Click each song title to listen to a clip - thanks to HBR]

Tell me how you feel!



Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Jill Scott LIVE @ Le Bataclan in Paris

On November 25, 2007, Jill Scott put on an incredible live show at Le Bataclan in Paris.

Full of energy and talent, Jill Scott brought the crowded and excited audience through her non-stop setlist of hits and new material. The show was spectacular and really made you move, made you feel, and made you happy.

The unmatched talent of Jill Scott had the whole crowd feeling it and made one thing clear: that Jill Scott is The Real Thing.

If there were questions before as to Who Is Jill Scott?, this live show certainly gave some sort of puzzle-piece answer into the complexity of this Beautifully Human artist. 

Dressed in a black coat and sexy stockings, high heels, hair fro and pushed to one side, Jill Scott tore the house down with this incredibly satisfying setlist of songs:

1. Let It Be
2. The Real Thing
3. Epiphany
4. The Way
5. Crown Royal
6. Whatever
7. Whenever You're Around
8. A Long Walk
9. Hate On Me
10. My Love
11. How It Make You Feel
12. Celibacy Blues
13. All I (with Cross My Mind)
ENCORE 1
14. Breathe
15. It's Love
16. Golden
17. He Loves Me
ENCORE 2
18. And I Heard

The last song, "And I Heard" was a new original song which Jill said were not even her words; she was inspired and heard the entire song in her mind. Here's how one part of the poem went: "Do you understand what you feel inside?/ Let me light you/ Let me guide you"
Now this kinds of inspiration only comes from one source, and in my opinion, that is God.

God has truly bestowed a blessed gift on Jill Scott, and in turn, she has blessed us with her lovely gift of song, talent, and truth. 

And I was fortunate enough to have an even bigger blessing: My Dad and I spent the entire weekend in Paris together! It was truly a wonderful weekend.

The concert was SO amazing and I cannot wait til I see the wonderful Jill Scott again. And she is gorgeous and sexy and classy all at the same time... what a woman!

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Ashlee Simpson new single news

Happy Thanksgiving indeed! According to Ashlee Simpson's official website:

Ashlee Releases "Outta My Head" on December 11

Posted 11/21/2007 by Geffen

The first single off her upcoming album, "Outta My Head" releases on December 11. Stay tuned for the arrival at iTunes and digital stores.


Woo hoo! Finally we have some news on the new album which should be released in March. Stay tuned!

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Sidenote: I will be away in Paris seeing JILL SCOTT this weekend so check back on Tuesday for new posts about the concert and everything!

'Girlfriends' S8.8 Review: "Save the Last Dance"

This week's episode of Girlfriends had a good old-time feel that made me think of the silly girlfriends of years past. Seeing Joan, Maya, William, and Lynn on the dancefloor made me so happy to see the four of them being themselves and silly with each other. 

While the episode itself was kinda "filler" material, I still love Girlfriends and I still enjoyed the drama-free episode which showed that Girlfriends still has its wild side.

I'm not going to give a play-by-play like I usually do, because not much happened, but here's a little catch up:

+ Lynn runs into Xander who is still mad that she blew off his benefit concert; they end up leaving the club together by the end of the night

+ William pretends to relive his faux glory days with a ridiculous purple shiny shirt and realizes that becoming a father will create even better memories that mean so much more

+ Joan and Maya are not old! (haha) And they are not "going through the change" either, which was possibly the funniest scene in the episode

+ Joan misses Aaron and feels guilty about being out when he's fighting a war

+ Maya and Joan apparently like to sit home and knit to a wack TV show about knitting

Oh and here's this episodes preview:


Catch an all-new episode of Girlfriends ("R-E-S-P-E-C-T Find Out What It Means to William") next Monday at 9pm on the CW!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Words & Sounds, Post 22

To celebrate the release of The Beyonce Experience Live DVD, here is a video of the ripped audio of Beyonce performing her "Dangerously In Love" song with bits from Jill Scott's beautiful "He Loves Me". So I thought this would be a good item to post since it features two of my favorite artists...



Go out and buy that DVD! It's sure to entertain and I can't wait til I get mine. Also, if you're only interested in the audio, iTunes has the live album for sale.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Jill Scott & Common's "I Am Music" featured on...


Woah this crazy, ya'll! 

The loading page on the official website of Girlfriends star Tracee Ellis Ross features the great funky song "I Am Music" from Common and Jill Scott! How cool is that?!

Two of my favorite things once again coming together... I was shocked to hear Jill's voice while I was waiting for the beautiful pictures of Tracee to load up. Head on over and check it out and don't forget to catch an all-new episode of Girlfriends tonight at 9pm on the CW!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

New Jill Scott collaboration with Jay-Z!


Thanks to HisHopIsRead, here for download is an odd collaboration between Jill Scott and Jay-Z along with Don Byas. When I first read about it, I was so excited because I thought that Jill Scott and Jay-Z had really made a song together, but it's really Jay-Z rapping, Don Byas singing, and a short little clip of Jill Scott singing "Love Rain".

But anyway I found it interesting and thought maybe ya'll would like to add another Jill Scott song to your music collections... So here is "Heart Of The Black City"

If you download, please try to comment and show some appreciation. Thanks.

Jill Scott's "Golden" featured on...

...clips for 'The Starter Wife', a series which aired this past summer on USA Network.

I know this is extremely old news, but I just thought it was cool that a big show starring Debra Messing was using the amazing song "Golden" for their advertisements.

Here are the four clips (thanks to txcany on YouTube and to SongFacts for the heads-up):
Clip 1

Clip 2

Clip 3

Clip 4


I don't know if the show was any good, but if anyone has seen it, let us know what you thought!

Friday, November 16, 2007

'Girlfriends' S8.7 Review: "Snap Back"

The seventh episode of Season 8 of 'Girlfriends' was the best episode of the season yet! Written by series star Golden Brooks (Maya), the episode perfectly gave voice to each specific character and connected so deeply with each of the girlfriends.

Besides this being a big episode because Golden Brooks wrote the episode, there was the performance by Erykah Badu. It was a really good song called "Vibrate On" and that whole scene with Joan being all loud and funny when Erykah Badu was performing was classic crazy Joan. Also in that scene, I thought it was probably a cute little shout-out by/for Golden Brooks' character of Maya to be classified as Lynn's best friend according to her manager's assistant. Also during that scene, Lynn is informed that she got a deal with Dirty Girl Records! As the episode progresses, she demands more money ($150,000 advance) and a 3-album deal, among other things, which she gets also! Such a great thing for our girl Lynn! She is really coming up and having some much-needed success in the music business.

The episode kicks off with William and Darnell playing basketball and having guy-talk. When Darnell tells William that things about a woman's body changes after giving birth, William begins to obsessively freak about the thought of a stretched-out Miss Kitty on poor Monica after their baby comes. The whole "snap back" thing becomes a running joke throughout the episode, and when William shares his fears with Monica, she nonchalantly tells him that she had always planned to just get a tightening done.

So anyway, after that whole conversation, we cut to Joan throwing a celebratory get-together for William and Monica's pregnancy. Serving some wack water with cucumbers and herbs from her very own "herb bed", Joan, Lynn, Maya, and Darnell toast the happy couple. After the toast, Maya makes some half-jokes about the baby being hers and talking how Monica took what's hers right after the Wilkes lost their baby.

Darnell begins worrying about Maya and how she's dealing with the miscarriage. He later discovers that Maya has been taking pills to cope with the tragic loss and he confronts her. Clearly out of control, Maya starts screaming and yelling at Darnell, telling him that he could never understand, but he asks her to help him, as her husband, to understand what's going on. He talks her into giving him the pills, but she was reluctant because she felt she had to be strong because once you let your guard down, you lose. But Darnell says that they already lost and that it's time to let it out and deal with their loss. Maya breaks down and sadly cries out why couldn't she have had a little girl...

----
I thought that this was the absolute best episode of the season so far... it was so well-written and each character was just done perfectly by the multi-talented Golden Brooks. The progression of the season has been wonderful and this episode furthered Lynn's career as well as continued to deal with Maya and Darnell's miscarriage. I also like the William and Monica pregnancy storyline, and it was nice for Lynn to mention Aaron to Joan. The ending with Maya and Darnell's confrontation got me teary-eyed from Maya's questioning why she couldn't just have had a baby girl, and Darnell consoling her was touching too. If you can and if you don't already have the iTunes Season Pass, I would completely recommend buying this episode from iTunes because it was such a wonderful episode (due to the writer, the special guest star, and the progression and personalities of the characters)!
-------
Here's the episode preview uploaded by me!


*And don't forget to download the EXCLUSIVE song from the episode from Erykah Badu entitled "Vibrate On."

Next week: 8.8 “Save the Last Dance” - Monday, 9pm on the CW

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Words & Sounds, Post 21

To celebrate the release of Shakira's Oral Fixation Tour DVD (which was just released this past Tuesday, November 13th) and the forthcoming release of The Beyonce Experience Tour DVD (coming out next Tuesday, November 20th), this installment of Words & Sounds will showcase some great music from the incredible Beyonce and Shakira, two of my favorite artists!

Of course, to kick it off, here is "Beautiful Liar" - Beyonce and Shakira

Then we have "Green Light" from Beyonce, followed by "Something" from Shakira.

How do ya'll like the tunes?

Be sure to buy your DVDs of the tours of Shakira and Beyonce!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

EXCLUSIVE: Erykah Badu "Vibrate On" from 'Girlfriends' mp3


This Oh Hell Yes! EXCLUSIVE is the song called "Vibrate On" from Erykah Badu which is an original song used in the performance for the 'Girlfriends' Season 8 episode called "Snap Back".

This exclusive is the audio ripped from the previously posted video from Phillips-Entertainment on DailyMotion, so thanks to PE!

While there is some audio from Joan and Lynn, the song is there and the clips from the characters of 'Girlfriends' are hilarious anyway! :)

Enjoy!

Erykah Badu's performance from 'Girlfriends'

Thanks to PhillipsEntertainment on DailyMotion, here is the performance of Erykah Badu singing "Vibrate On" from last night's amazing episode of 'Girlfriends'

Monday, November 12, 2007

Exciting magazine covers!

Thanks to The Best Damn Blog, here are three exciting magazine covers for this month!

Sarah Michelle Gellar ('Buffy'), Ashlee Simpson, and Beyoncé all appear on covers of Maxim, CosmoGIRL!, and Cosmopolitan.... be sure to run out and pick up your copies of these hot hot hot covergirls!





And thanks to JustJared and Maxim online, here is the hottest of the pictures of the scorchingly hot Sarah Michelle Gellar from the December 2007 issue!

How "Snap Back" came to be...


From TVguide, here is an interview with Golden Brooks, star and writer of this week's episode of 'Girlfriends' entitled "Snap Back".

>>>
Strike, strike, strike. No matter how hard we try to carry on like it's business as usual, we can't. Normally, this article would start with something like, "This is a big week for Golden Brooks, when 'Snap Back,' the Girlfriends episode she wrote about how Maya secretly deals with her miscarriage, finally airs." But when we called the actress to talk about her career mile-marker, we ended up discussing the more pressing show business at hand. The CW's Girlfriends airs Mondays at 9 pm/ET.
TVGuide.com: Am I calling you in your trailer at work?
Golden Brooks: Yes. This is my last day. Thanks to the strike.

TVGuide.com: Does Girlfriends have enough episodes to last through February sweeps?
Brooks: You mean in terms of what we shot? I think so, but it all depends on what they've edited. Because a lot of people have walked. But I think we should be good. Although I can't say for sure.

TVGuide.com: Is it weird?
Brooks: It's very weird. I drove into the studio today and I felt so bad because all the strikers are there, right in front of the driveway that leads into our studio. It's serious. It's a really, really big deal. So no one's happy about it.

TVGuide.com: Speaking of writing, you wrote tonight's episode, "Snap Back." Could you not work even if you wanted to because you've written an episode and now there's a strike?
Brooks: It's weird because I'm wearing two hats. But, no, I'm still here. I'm in the Writers Guild. But I am contracted here as an actor, so I have to finish my obligations.

TVGuide.com: How'd you end up writing this week's episode?
Brooks: Mara Brock Akil, the creator and show-runner, asked me what I'd really love to do in the last season and I just said, "You know I love to write." I went to undergrad for theater and I went to graduate school for writing. So writing has always been something that I've done.

TVGuide.com: Was this your first TV-script writing venture?
Brooks: This was my first TV script. I mean, I've written treatments for shows, short stories and poetry. But nothing that had to be so formulated like a sitcom. You know, you've got to set up the person's joke. Everything is very strategic. So it was pretty interesting. And it was good because I actually got to write the words that I would want Maya to say.

TVGuide.com: When did you write it, and how long did it take?
Brooks: I started in July. With rewrites and everything, [it took] three weeks to a month. And it was like being back in college. Every day I'd come home and tell my boyfriend, "I can't go out tonight, I've got homework."

TVGuide.com: How much did it change in rewrites? Did you have scenes axed because producers thought, "That's way out there"?
Brooks: They toned some things down and pumped some things up. But they kept my true voice, which was important.

TVGuide.com: Give us an example of a scene we won't be seeing.
Brooks: There was a Monica-and-William scene that I loved. It was about two people thinking they're talking about the same thing, but they're really talking about something different. Monica was thinking that William was talking about the fact that she's fat. But William was talking about the fact that, after you have a baby, certain things happen to your anatomy. They switched it around. And I was kind of hurt. That's the thing that a lot of people don't know. Rewrites are kind of painful because it's like watching someone throw red paint all over something that you've painted.

TV Guide.com: What did you learn in the process?
Brooks: That in sitcoms, you really can't be too ethereal. You only have 22 minutes. So you really have very little time to get your point across in each scene and to make sure everyone has a voice. I also learned that you can't hang on to the words. "You're going to cut the 'the,' how can you cut 'the'?!" [Laughs] [The words] are your own, but you have to have a little bit of freedom and allow other people to have a voice in the story as well.

TV Guide.com: In this episode, Darnell discovers that Maya is using pharmaceuticals to help cope with the loss of the baby. Which drugs does she take and why did you decide to go that route?
Brooks: She's on a prescription drug from a doctor. It's not an antidepressant. It's more something that kind of gives you pep. Uppers. The studio didn't want us to actually name the drug because you can get into trouble — pharmaceutical companies, that kind of thing. So we kept it vague. But I also chose the arc for Maya to lose the baby, too. I pitched that to Mara and she loved it. Maya was so happy to have this baby. But miscarriage is a [growing] epidemic. And I thought, "How wonderful is it to explore what losing a baby does to someone? Does your sex life fail?" You kind of feel like a failure. Like you're not good enough. "What's wrong with my body that I couldn't do it?" There's a lot of self-reflection, and through that self-reflection Maya didn't want to deal. So I chose to have her numb the pain, if you will, with the medication. I tried to make something that probably wasn't so regular, regular.

TVGuide.com: Do you think you'll write another episode this season?
Brooks: I don't know. With this strike...

TVGuide.com: Oh, yeah. Strike.
Brooks: I know. It's OK. I keep forgetting, too. But then I'm like, "God, this is really happening. [Mara]'s not here. She's out there right now striking, picketing." It's a little bizarre. It's not an easy place to be in, but we're making the most of it. This is our last episode, then we shut down. We finished the last show that was already in preproduction before the strike. And we'll finish this one, and then we just get on our knees and pray.

TVGuide.com: Isn't the cast more involved behind the scenes in general this season? Persia White's a music director. Tracee Ellis Ross is going to direct.
Brooks: Oh, that's another thing. Guess what episode Tracee's directing? This one, the one we're doing just as everyone goes on strike. Great. But, you know what, she's getting through it. We're a family here and we're just getting through it.

TVGuide.com: This is tacky, but I've got to ask: Since the writers are on strike but the actors aren't... do you still get paid?
Brooks: I was just on the phone with my lawyer asking that. But, no, we don't. It's jacked up. Look, I agree with the strike. This needed to happen because the writers are just not protected and they're not treated with the respect and the value that they should be. Let's say "Snap Back" airs and it airs over and over and over again and I don't get any type of compensation for that rerun or for that DVD. It all comes back. And everyone — from craft services to grips — needs to be protected, respected and taken care of. And that's what it is at the end of the day.

TVGuide.com: Now that you've written an episode, I bet you appreciate writers even more.
Brooks: It's not easy to sit there and slave over the computer and make sure all the actors are happy. Before, I would be like, "How come Maya doesn't have enough to say?" Now I'm thinking, "Oh my god, we're writing for six, eight, sometimes 10 characters [in 22 minutes]. It's a lot of pressure!" Now I am much more sensitive to that. I'm like, I got it. You have to write for 10 other people. It's OK.

TVGuide.com: Well, good luck. I hope the strike ends really quickly.
Brooks: Me too. Say a prayer for us.
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'Girlfriends' Season 3 DVD Package Art

Coming to DVD on February 12, 2008 is 'Girlfriends': The Third Season!

And thanks to TVshowsOnDVD.com, here is the cover art:

You can pre-order the 24-episode set at Amazon!

I am so happy the seasons are finally being released! Let's hope they keep on coming even quicker!! :)

Sunday, November 11, 2007

JOINT-EXCLUSIVE: Jill Marie Jones' Bailey's Ads

A joint-exclusive with Bailey's official website, Oh Hell Yes! is happy to make available on YouTube the series of television commercial ads featuring Jill Marie Jones of past 'Girlfriends' fame!

Formerly Toni Childs on 'Girlfriends', Jill Marie Jones now appears in a worldwide Bailey's ad campaign as Kelly.

Ripped from the official Bailey's website, these seven videos are used to promote the tasty alcoholic beverage which also promotes the incredible songstress Jill Scott... so to add to the delicious experience that is Bailey's over vanilla ice cream, they also promote two of the greatest Jills, making Bailey's good in my book ;)

Here are the seven television ads!
Commercial #1: Ice Bucket

Commercial #2: Magic

Commercial #3: Pool

Commercial #4: Driver

Commercial #5: Cubes

Commercial #6: Door

Commercial #7: Surprise


Former 'Girlfriends' star Jill Marie Jones now appears as Kelly in a series of Bailey's commercials promoting the tasty alcoholic beverage. Oh Hell Yes!

'Girlfriends' S8.6 Review: "Spree To Be Free"

The sixth episode of Season 8 of 'Girlfriends' focused on dealing with the various emotional problems of the girlfriends.

When Maya comes knocking on Joan's door after 11, Joan is already in her classic jammies, robe, and glasses. Maya pops in for some wine and to just be with Joan, and Joan questions how Maya is dealing with the loss of the baby. Maya quickly says that she is coping just fine and honestly states that she is completely over the miscarriage. To top it off, Maya says she is more concerned and upset about the loss of her book deal and her halted career. Maya just wishes that everyone would stop checking in on her and wishes that everyone would stop asking her how she's doing when she is over it.

As the shock of her statements set in on Joan (and me), Joan concludes that Maya is in complete denial and is not dealing well with this tragic loss. So she calls Lynn, who is being fitted for a wacky blue full-body costume to go along with her stagename Indigo Skye. Joan wants the three girlfriends to go retail therapy shopping, a trick Joan learned from Toni back in the day. When Lynn says she's busy, the vintage clothing therapy session becomes a duo of Joan and Maya.

Joan is running all through the store, grabbing clothing and reserving dressing rooms. When Joan suggests crazy things for Maya, who is not at all interested, Maya goes for Joan's purse and car keys so she can get outta there. When Maya opens Joan's purse, there are emails and news clippings about Iraq. Realizing that Joan is not dealing with the departure of Aaron, Maya calls Lynn to come to the store and help their girl.

Lynn arrives and she and Maya confront Joan while she is in the dressing room. As Joan starts opening up, she breaks down and wishes that people would ask her about Aaron and stop acting like he's dead (damn!) because she knows he is going to come home. She just wants some comfort and support from her friends - Joan needs to be asked how she's doing and not made fun of for sending care packages. The three girlfriends end up on the dressing room floor, consoling Joan...

Meanwhile, BIG NEWS for William and Monica - they're pregnant!!! Definitely an exciting twist... and when they call to tell Joan, Maya, and Lynn the great news, Maya makes an outburst that Monica stole her baby.

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I though this was another great episode and I really think that Season 8 of 'Girlfriends' is still going strong and keeping everything fresh, relevant, and classic funny. I really cannot wait to see how this season progresses, as I think the episodes so far have been great and keep me looking forward to each episode the following week. Speaking of, be sure to tune in on Monday for episode 7 because it was written by Maya herself, Golden Brooks!! And also Erykah Badu guests and sings an original song, so should be great!

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Here's the episode preview uploaded by me!

Next week: 8.7 “Snap Back” (written by Golden Brooks!!) - Monday, 9pm on the CW

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Words & Sounds, Post 20



Here's another great video of Jill Scott performing "Golden". I am in love with this song and this woman, and I just enjoy her "exercising her freedom" when she changes up songs when she feels like it!

[Thanks to KrazeeKool on YouTube]

Sunday, November 4, 2007

'Girlfriends' S8.5 Review: "Good Grief"

The fifth episode of Season 8 of 'Girlfriends' focused on the aftermath of the miscarriage of Maya and Darnell's baby.

"Good Grief" picks up a few days after Maya had the miscarriage and sees Maya just sitting on the couch and Darnell attending to her every need. The tension is thick, but no one says anything. Everyone's walking on eggshells because of the sensitivity of the subject, and only Joan is willing to go over to the Wilkes' residence to try to lighten the mood. Joan's wack story about the cheese woman was funny but in a pointedly-awkward way, and Joan kind of scurries off and out of their home.

Back with Lynn and Monica, Joan asks how their visits to Maya have been, and both women feel guilty for not actually going to check on Maya in her time of need, but they are nervous about the situation and how to handle such a sadness. When Joan says that they have to go see her, Maya comes bouncing into Joan's house looking fresh and fine. The girls share odd glances but decide to carry on normally and Maya even suggests that they talk normally and not focus on the sadness. And of course Lynn takes it one step too far and half-jokingly asks Maya how life is after the miscarriage. It's not a disaster though which is great, and Monica moves on to planning her and William's first dinner party.

The dinner party, meant to thank Joan and Darnell for being the maid of honor and best man in their wedding party, should be a good distraction to what's going on, and everyone seems onboard with the idea of a fun friends night. When Monica reveals she hasn't done much planning, of course Joan kind of freaks because she's the party queen. In her freaking, Joan continuously makes snide comments about the underpreparedness on Monica's part and the incorrectness of ordering Chinese take-out. By the end of the night, Monica has had enough and puts Joan in her place by pointing out how rude she was when everyone has always supported her "lame" parties. Joan apologizes and William makes her pick up the Chinese noodles from the grass with chopsticks for her punishment.

Throughout the night, Maya seems way way way too okay with her miscarriage and Darnell is clearly hurting. When he brings it up, Maya accuses Darnell of blaming her for the miscarriage, but he insists that he doesn't blame anyone and that the doctor even said they couldn't have done anything differently to alter the outcome. By the end of the episode, all the emotion was released when Darnell breaks down and cries about the loss of their baby. After Maya finds a book that Darnell bought to read to their child, Darnell really brings out all the emotion of the situation and mourns the miscarriage. I actually teared up when Darnell was sobbing because the situation is so sad, and it was nice to see someone really dealing with the miscarriage.

Oh and Joan finally convinces Lynn to open a bank account with the help of William but by the end of the episode, we find out that Lynn has split her money in two piggy banks. A funny moment after the emotion of Darnell's scene. I really liked this episode although I expected something different from the look of the preview. Still a great arc for the season and another great 'Girlfriends' episode.

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Here's the episode preview uploaded by me!

Next week: 8.6 “Spree To Be Free” - Monday, 9pm on the CW

"Insomnia" EXCLUSIVE video featured in Mami magazine!

Wow! This is amazing! My Oh Hell Yes! Exclusive video montage for Jill Scott's "Insomnia" is feature on page 45 of Mami magazine!!! That is soooo awesome!

A very special and surprised THANK YOU to Algie from the incredibly well-done Mami magazine! Check it out!

Saturday, November 3, 2007

EXCLUSIVE: Jill Scott clip on 'Girlfriends'!



This is such an awesome Oh Hell Yes! EXCLUSIVE because, as you know, I am obsessed with both Jill Scott and 'Girlfriends', so to have both in the same video is awesome. The video quality is a little poor because it was taken with my digital camera from my camera phone from the television, so it's been through a lot ;)

I thought Jill played an important role on 'Girlfriends' and I was so happy to be able to capture such a funny moment of Joan's as well. I love the Cinco de Mayo song! Haha

And what a coincidence: The episode of 'Girlfriends' called "He Loves Her, He Loves Me Not" is the 88th episode of the series!!! And as ya'll know, 8 is my favorite number! So this clip could not get any better!

Enjoy!

Words & Sounds, Post 19



Here is Jill Scott reading from her book of poetry. I love the inflection and the character that Jill gives to her words. Enjoy!

[Thanks to KrazeeKool on YouTube]

Friday, November 2, 2007

Hidden Beach just sent this out...

I guess if the Grammy academy accepts these, then those will be the categories Jill Scott will be nominated for this year. How exciting!

When I was reading through the choices, I was like "Yeah! Totally... those are totally perfect options for those categories!" I mean, really, we all know that this album is The Real Thing, so that goes without saying. And "Hate On Me" is just a spectacular display of talent. "Whenever You're Around" is an amazing song and it is nice to see that the instrumental talent behind the powerhouse voice of Jill is being recognized as well. And well who could not watch the video for "My Love" and not get the overwhelming sense that Jill Scott really is The Real Thing, with all that raw emotion and moving ability for storytelling?!

I don't really know how the Grammy Awards work at this stage, but here's hoping Jill gets the loves she deserves...

Words & Sounds, Post 18

Here is a fun little post surrounding one song performed by two lovely artists...

"Good Morning Heartache" was a Billie Holiday original which was pretty recently covered by the wonderfully talented Jill Scott on her album Collaborations with Chris Botti.

Now, let me say this: This is in no way a comparison of these two fine artists. I just like cover songs and thought ya'll might enjoy hearing an original and a cover put side-by-side. Let me know if you like these kinds of posts!

Here for download is the original from the legendary Billie Holiday, and here is the video of Jill Scott and Chris Botti performing it live:

Jennifer Hudson in the 'Sex and the City' Movie!

I know this is old news, but I saw this beautiful picture of the talented Jennifer Hudson from the set of "Sex and the City: The Movie". I think she looks wonderful!

In case you don't know, Jennifer Hudson will be playing Carrie Bradshaw's assistant in the feature film based on the hit TV show that aired on HBO for six years.

Being a guy, I was originally turned off by the concept of the show, but after watching a few episodes for more than the female nudity, I realized how funny and good the show was. So I went back and watched much of the series, and I guess now I am looking forward to the movie.

And of course, having J Hud in the film didn't hurt at all ;) I think she'll add a lot to the already-talented cast. Speaking fo which, all the girls are back (Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda), and I found a great picture of them too:

Thursday, November 1, 2007

'Buffy' Reunion of Sorts...

Woo hoo! This is such exciting news for a hardcore 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' fan like me!

TVguide.com is reporting that Eliza Dushku (Faith on 'Buffy') and Joss Whedon (the creator of 'Buffy') are teaming up to make a new television series for Fox. Here's the full article:

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Short of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reunion movie, this is just about the best news you could ask for: Eliza Dushku and Joss Whedon are reteaming for a new series! (Told ya it would be worth tearing yourself away from the candy corn to drop by The Ausiello Report.) Here are the five things you have to know about the show, and I mean now:

1. It's a one-hour drama produced by 20th Century Fox to air on Fox. The first of the seven episodes to which the network has committed could premiere as early as spring.

2. It's called Dollhouse because that's the nickname of the high-tech lab where a group of human chalkboards are kept between assignments.

3. Human chalkboards?! Yes! What else would you call characters like Dushku's Echo who can be given new memories, skills and even personalities, then stripped of them just as quickly, leaving them virtual children.

4. Whedon is the creator, head writer and executive producer, and perhaps in part because Dushku convinced him to do the show, she's getting a producer credit. (Fellow Buffyverse alum Tim Minear is also on board.)

5. I just got off the phone with both of them!

First things first: How in the hellmouth did Dushku get her Buffy and Angel boss to do it? In a word, food. Shortly after she signed a development deal with Fox in August, "I called the one man that I knew I wanted to do [a series] with and had to have to have the best show possible" and invited him to lunch, she says. "And he was seduced!"

Actually, hypnotized, Whedon counters. "Eliza was wearing a hat with a big spiraling wheel on it, and she kept saying, 'Look into the wheel. You want to make television. You want it to be about me… ' It sounds hokey, but it really worked."

And how. Not only did Dushku get Whedon to agree to work on the project, but what she calls their "contagious, freaky, awesome energy" at that very get-together inspired him to create it. "I came up with [the concept] at lunch completely spontaneously, based on my conversation with Eliza," he insists. "It wasn't [an idea] that I was nurturing or that I tailored or I tried to retro-fit to her."

So what is the concept, exactly? Explains Whedon: "Dollhouse is a suspense drama about a girl who can have any personality except her own." So it's part Alias and part Quantum Leap, "because Echo is literally changing who she is," he continues. "She gets into people's lives a little bit."

Even Dushku's. "I relate so much to this character," she marvels. "Echo is essentially the story of my life. I've lived a crazy life the past 16 years, traveling around the world and then tripping and falling into this business. Everyone wants you to transform and be a different person every week."

Great chemistry and intriguing premise notwithstanding, you'd think that after Fox snuffed Whedon's Firefly and hung up on Dushku's Tru Calling, one or both of them would have been more than a little hesitant to get back into bed with the network. "Honestly? Walking back into that building was pretty damn strange," Whedon admits. But "I always had a good relationship with [20th Century Fox], and on the network end, it's a completely new bunch of people, and from what I’ve seen, a fairly impressive bunch."

Dushku seconds that emotion. "I really get the sense that they're committed to [this show]… It feels right."

Besides, as Whedon notes, "I told them I was interested in writing a pilot, and they gave me seven episodes. They’ve already shown more support for it than I have."

Now it's your turn to show the comeback kids some love. And, like Dushku, I don't think you'll let them down. "We have the best fans in the business [in the] the Buffy and Whedon universe," she says. "It’s going to be pandemonium when this [news] hits." And it's only just begun.
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How exciting!!! I cannot wait to see what this series holds...