'Girlfriends' preview for the first of 3 new episodes

Here is the preview for "Adapt To Adopt", the eleventh episode of Girlfriends Season 8, which is the first of the remaining three episodes that were finished before the Writer's Strike:



Be sure to tune in to TheCW on February 4, 2008 at 9pm!

Words & Sounds, Post 33

Thanks to a seller on eBay (DiscoGroovin), here is the Sole Channel Remix of "Hate On Me" from Jill Scott featuring Mr. V.

[Right-click to download, or regular click to listen]

Only 8 more days til the release of JILL SCOTT: LIVE IN PARIS+

More wonderful clips of Jill Scott: Live In Paris +

Head on over to the newly-designed "Discover" area of Hidden Beach's website to see clips of all the performances from the upcoming DVD, Jill Scott: Live In Paris +[< click here].

And be sure to read what's under the album cover and musical selection for a preview of the album that excites the heck outta me!

I cannot wait til February 5th!!!

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"Golden" (Live In Paris)

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"My Petition" (Live In Paris)

'Girlfriends' returns earlier than expected!

Woah, the week of February 3rd is going to be amazing!!



Girlfriends is coming back with an ALL-NEW episode "Adapt to Adopt" on Monday, February 4th on the CW at 9pm!!

Then either February 4th or 5th, Ashlee Simpson is releasing a 3-song EP with a new song called "Rulebreaker" from her new album!

And finally, and most exciting, Jill Scott is releasing Live In Paris + on CD and DVD on February 5th!!!

What an exciting week I have coming up! Only 1 week to go and then it's here :)

Jill Scott: Live In Paris DVD teasers

Promo


Teaser


"Whatever (Live In Paris)"

Ashlee Simpson to release EP on Feb 5th!

According to Geffen's email list,

>>>
Ashlee Simpson will release a three-song digital EP on February 4th, 2008!

The EP includes two new songs, Outta My Head (AY YA YA)" and "Rule Breaker" from her upcoming album plus "Catch Me When I Fall", a hidden gem from her last album.
<<<

I am SOOO excited for February 5th to come! First Jill Scott is releasing Live In Paris + CD/DVD combo and now Ashlee is releasing a new song and two great older ones! Woo hoo!

NEW Jill Marie Jones (Toni) from 'Girlfriends' interview

A huge thank you to Essence.com for doing this very clarifying interview with former Girlfriends star Jill Marie Jones:

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Jill Marie Jones is the total antithesis of Toni Childs, the sassy, materialistic real estate broker she immortalized for six years on the award-winning series, Girlfriends. Perhaps it's the infectious yet faint lilt in her speech, a by-product of her southern upbringing, that makes her more wholesome than her shallow, on-screen alter ego. Although Toni Childs lives eternally in her loyalists' hearts, Jones has been busy breathing life into new diverse characters on the big screen with the same fervor and diva-next-door appeal in three new flicks. In the straight-to-DVD indie dramedy Redrum, she plays a meek housewife turned blood-thirsty serial killer; in Major Movie Star she gets tough and dirty with Jessica Simpson as a single mom who joins the army for a promise of a better future; and in The Comeback she plays a school teacher who mentors a young female student who has joined the town's football team. Essence.com spoke to the Texan beauty about home sweet home, living in the swamp, and why she left her Girlfriends behind.

Essence.com: I love that you live in La La Land, but at heart you’re a true southern belle. Do you get home to Dallas often?

Jill Marie Jones: (Laughs) Yes and no because when you live in Los Angeles people want to come and visit you. But I was there for Thanksgiving and I’m going this weekend before heading to Shreveport, Louisiana to finish filming.

Essence.com: Do you come from a big family?

J.M.J.: No, I have two older brothers: one brother who is my mother’s child and the other is my father’s.

Essence.com: So do you still get treated like the baby?

J.M.J.: (Laughs) I don’t think so, but someone else might think, Oh, honey you are definitely treated like the baby. When I’m home I don’t get any special treatment. You know what though? I guess I am the baby when I go home because I sleep with my mom and take over her bedroom and bring my two dogs, Ciao, a Yorkie poodle mix, and Luca, a maltese. So it’s usually the four of us and my mom is like, ‘How you gonna come to my house and [take over]? I don’t even sleep with dogs!’

Essence.com: And your mom is okay with having your pooches in-between her sheets?

J.M.J.: (Laughs) Yes, she isn’t necessarily an animal person, but she calls them her grandbabies.

Essence.com: So tell me about the film you’re shooting in Louisiana, The Comeback?

J.M.J: It’s a lighthearted drama about a working class town that loses all its hopes, dreams and ambitions when the factory closes because it puts a lot of people out of work. So they have a lot of heart in this town, but not a lot of money. And then this little girl, Jasmine (Keke Palmer), ends up playing the quarterback of this local football team. The town rallies around this team and it brings the spirit back to the town. I play Jasmine’s schoolteacher and her uncle’s (Ice Cube) love interest, and Tasha Smith plays her mom. It’s so cute; I was crying reading it because it just tugs at your heart.

Essence.com: We’re so used to seeing you play the fabulous “diva” roles. Can we expect you to get dirty in Major Movie Star?

J.M.J.: My character, Connie Johnson, is a single mother who’s been laid off her job for about seven months. She has dreams for her and her child’s future, so she joins the Army for job opportunities because it’s her last hope. And honey, this was not a fabulous role. If you consider swamp water and mud makeup, I wore that every day. It was real: we were in the swamps, we were dirty every day; so this was no “Toni Childs” character.

Essence.com: And let me tell you, Toni Childs is sorely missed.

J.M.J.: It was so much fun playing Toni Childs. I don’t walk that walk in my daily life. I like to think that I’m a pretty nice person, but to be able to play the diva and say some of the things those types of characters say was a lot of fun.

Essence.com: Do you miss being a part of "Girlfriends"?

J.M.J: I do miss Girlfriends. I don’t know if people know this, but Girlfriends was only my third audition. I booked my first audition for City Guys, a Saturday morning show. My second audition I didn’t book and then Girlfriends was my third, so you have to understand that I still very green to this industry and there was the whole film world that I didn’t know. So when I left Girlfriends after six years, there was just so much I wanted to know and do. I’ve just been having a ball having opportunities to do movies. It’s just been great.

Essence.com: Were you unable to pursue a film career while on the show?

J.M.J.: You have to understand when you do a television show that you go to work every day and come home and sleep in your own bed, which is great. It’s like having a regular 9-to-5. But you’re on hiatus for about two-and-a-half to three months in the summer. In order to do a film you would really have to book a job and shoot it in those few months. And because most television shows are in Los Angeles, it limits you. Already I’ve been to Louisiana twice to shoot two different films. I love the consistency of television, but it keeps you in Los Angeles and away from traveling to do other projects.

Essence.com: Nothing wrong with spreading your wings, which brings me to your departure from Girlfriends. Tracee Ellis Ross said in an interview that the reason you didn’t return was because the cast did not receive the huge raise they were expecting. Is that true?

J.M.J.: First of all, let me tell you why I left. I left because I wanted to do movies. My contract was up after my sixth season and people forget that just like the network can choose whether or not to renew your contract, I can also choose and evaluate whether or not I want to come back. My actor’s chair that has Girlfriends and my name on it, you know the director’s chair? Well, on the very last day of my sixth season, I told them to grab my chair and put it in my car for me. So why would I take my chair if I thought I was coming back? Believe you me, I would tell you. I’ve never made a decision based on money. I was on the show for six years and I think that’s a good run. There’s so much more I want to do in my career and so much more I want to know and learn, but my departure definitely had nothing to do with money.

Essence.com: So were you aware that this was the explanation given for your departure?

J.M.J: Someone sent that article to me a long time ago when it first came out, and you know, I love Tracee, I love Golden, I love Persia, I love Reggie. I really do feel like I was in the University of Girlfriends. I learned so much from them. I mean, where I started on Girlfriends and where I ended up is like night and day and that’s because of the great cast I had to learn from. It’s difficult when something has been set up for six years and then something changes. I didn’t get upset about the comment. It’s all good.

Essence.com: That’s great to hear. I think most folks speculate that you all had beef because you never responded. But that’s not the case is it?

J.M.J: Well, no one asked me a question. I don’t believe in adding grease to fire. If I were doing an interview about something I’m working on and someone wanted to ask me something, I have no problem answering it. But for me to make a statement or a rebuttal, to me it’s just silly.

Essence.com: Well, the second part of Tracee’s quote expressed her sadness that after six years of working together you didn’t share your decision to leave with the cast. Is that true?

J.M.J: I’ll be completely honest: I just didn’t really. I wish I had a better answer or could tell you that I even thought about it. Maybe it was a lapse of judgment, maybe I should have called—I didn’t really think about it. When my call came in to say, ‘We’re going to pick up Girlfriends for another season, does Jill want to come back?’ My management and I were like, ‘Thank you, but no thank you.’ So maybe I should have made phone calls, but I didn’t really think about it. When the cast first came back for their seventh season, I sent them all—individually, every single person of Girlfriends—a big bouquet of flowers. I didn’t leave Girlfriends because I was upset or wanted more money. It really wasn’t that deep. It’s so disappointing that because I wanted to dream bigger or experience something new, it received all this hoopla and drama around it. I really just wanted to do movies. It really was just that simple.

Essence.com: Do you still keep in touch with the cast?

J.M.J: I’ve talked to them individually at different times. I have so much love for all of them. But are we hanging out and having some wine and cheese on a Saturday night? No. Do I think of them as friends? Absolutely. In a way, I think of them as extended [family], like cousins. I’ve talked to them individually throughout this, but I don’t talk to them on a regular basis. I wish them all well and I still watch the show.

Essence.com: Would you ever return to the show?

J.M.J.: You know anything is possible; it just has to make sense in terms of the direction I’m going in my own career.

Essence.com: Thank you for setting the record straight because people always want to pit Black women against one another.

J.M.J.: Yeah we do that and it’s disappointing, especially when it’s Black women, and I don’t like that. I just had lunch with Mara [Brock Akil, the show’s creator]; we met for a coffee like a month and a half ago. When I say we’re all good over here, we’re good.

Essence.com: Good and busy! A lil’ birdie tells me that you’re a screenwriter. What’s next for you?

J.M.J: I write and I’m developing and writing scripts. I’ve just been living my dreams and having the time of my life. I was able to go to New Jersey for a month and work with one of my best friends, Gabrielle Union, for Perfect Holiday. It’s been great.

Essence.com: Well how does it feel to be immortalized in Kanye West’s song “The Glory” from his album Graduation when he says “House on the hill two doors from Tracee Ross and I'm asking about her girlfriends yea the dark skined one"?

J.M.J.: (Laughs) Really? That’s really cool. I wasn’t aware that he references me, I actually have that album and I’ll have to listen to it again.

Essence.com: So are you a hip-hop fan?

J.M.J.: I love all genres, even country. I love Jay-Z, Kanye, Common, Talib Kweli, Mos Def...I guess people would say I like all the conscious rappers.

Essence.com: Would you ever consider doing a hip-hop video?

J.M.J.: Yes, for sure.

Essence.com: As a former Dallas Cheerleader can you bust a move that isn’t choreographed?

J.M.J.: Hmmm, that’s a good question. I’ve studied modern, jazz, ballet. I would say yes. I loved when Golden and I used to go out to a party and make up choreography and dance and not have a care in the world.

Essence.com: Well you’re pretty fit. Do you still box?

J.M.J.: I do still box but I took a little break for a minute. I like to find fun ways to work out because I’m not that type of person who just wakes up and lives for working out. I do it because I know it’s the healthy thing to do.

Essence.com: Do you have a special someone who might be a little jealous of you appearing in a hip-hop video?

J.M.J.: No, I just got out of a two-year relationship, and have been dating and enjoying it the last six months.

Essence.com: Are you interested in getting married?

J.M.J.: It’s not the first thing on my mind in the morning when I wake up, but all my friends back home are.

Essence.com: (Laughs) I hear you. So when folks talk about you and your success, what do you hope they’ll say?

J.M.J.: That I’ve inspired somebody, somewhere. I think success could be a birth of a child but I’d like to think in some small way that I helped somebody in life breathe a lil’ easier.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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Words & Sounds, Post 32

With just two weeks to go until the release of Jill Scott: Live In Paris +...

From the upcoming DVD of Jill Scott: Live In Paris, here are two of those performances which will be on the exciting DVD which hits stores on February 5, 2008!

"The Way" (Live In Paris) - thanks to Hidden Beach for the sneak-peek!


"The Way" (Live In Paris)[FULL] - thanks to MTV!

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

"Golden" (Live In Paris) - thanks to MTV!

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

And let's not forget the Oh Hell Yes! JOINT-EXCLUSIVE video of "The Fact Is (I Need You)" (Live In Paris)


Now, I haven't watched these videos because I don't want to spoil myself for the CD/DVD combo, but I did want to share these with ya'll so here they are! Enjoy!

I seriously cannot wait for this DVD to drop! And then one week after that, Jill Scott's movie "Why Did I Get Married?" and 'Girlfriends': Season 3 come out on February 12, 2008! What a delightful month :)

Words & Sounds, Post 31

Hey ya'll, here's another song I dug up that features the lovely Jill Scott!

It's from the album Phrenology by The Roots and the song is called "Complexity". It's a really great song and I like the beat of it and the flow of Jill Scott's voice.

{Download: Complexity (f/ Jill Scott) - The Roots}

Enjoy!

Brand new Ashlee Simpson promotional photos!

Oooh la la, Geffen has just posted brand new Ashlee Simpson promotional pictures on her official website and they are beautiful!

She looks really great and funky.





The last one is my favorite.... she looks so sexy!

I can't wait for the new album!

{Oh Hell Yes! is once again the first blog to have photos! :) }

Jill Scott recent performances

Woah, Jill Scott has been all over the place these last few days which has been so incredibly awesome!

Wednesday night she performed "Whenever You're Around" on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Last night she performed "The Real Thing" and "Hate On Me" on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

And just right now she performed a special version of "Golden" on the Ellen show, which was fabulous! I will always love "Golden" and Jill just nails it every time... it's so wonderful to hear her singing it again, and Ellen was really into it too.

I'm going to try to find all these videos for us as part of something special, but we'll see how that goes.

I love Jill Scott!!

New songs revealed from Ashlee Simpson

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Ashlee Simpson is in a good place. She has two multi-platinum records that debuted back to back at the top of the charts and collectively sold more than four million copies in the U.S. alone. She has two sold-out tours under her belt, a tight-knit family, a loyal fan base, and a burgeoning second career as an actress. So when it came time to create her third album, she wanted the music to represent where she was at in life.

"Life is really good right now. I'm young. I love my life and I enjoy my time off too. I wanted to celebrate all that on my next record. I wanted to make music people could shake their booties to and use beats for the first time. I wanted to sing fun songs. Basically, I wanted to make a party record."

Ashlee teamed up with power producer Timbaland on her new single "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)" making it destined for dance-floor anthem status. The track immediately rocketed to the Top 20 pop singles on iTunes and received its TRL debut. The video for the hauntingly catchy song takes your imagination on a wild ride through a dreamlike world of surrealism.

When an artist wants to get the party started, who better to call than Timbaland? The producing powerhouse, who helped shape recent smash hits by Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado, toiled on half of the tracks on Ashlee's upcoming release, tentatively titled Bittersweet World. He lent his expertise on "Out of My Head (Ay Ya Ya)," "Murder," "Can't Have It All," and "Rulebreaker" while the rest were guided by the Neptunes' Chad Hugo and critically acclaimed Ethiopian synth-hop savant Kenna.

Ashlee explains, "The room was so blessed with talent. I was very lucky to work with people who are at the top of their game". She quickly learned that hip-hop heroes move at a different pace than pop stars. "I have never worked until 4 a.m. before. I wouldn't go in until late in the afternoon and then we'd work until the wee hours of morning if we had it in us. I started bringing a blanket with me. I got a little loopy and punchy late at night, which affected some of the songs. It was so cool for me to be able to step outside of the way I had always done it before and try new things."

More help came courtesy of Travis McCoy, the frontman of Gym Class Heroes, who raps on "Murder." The two run in similar circles and she's a big fan of his MC skills. "The band's so huge now and he's so busy that he had to send me his part from overseas. I was happy he made the time because he just gets me and it completed the song." Don't let the somber title fool you. The 23-year-old has not gone gangsta. "No, it isn't serious, based on a true story or a threat," she explains laughing. "It's a metaphor about a girl who can get away with murder because of who she is".

She also touches on the cattiness of girls on "Hot Stuff," a coquette-ish sassiness on "Boys" and how fun it is to sometimes do the wrong thing on "Rulebreaker." She was trying "to capture that badass feeling you get sometimes after watching a movie like True Romance. You think you can take on the world and you want to color outside the lines and get a tattoo or mouth off to someone way bigger than you."


Her personal favorite is the slow jam "Never Dream Alone," because "it is a sweet emotional song that has been stripped down to piano, strings and vocals."

She also wrote or co-wrote every track and the final product is a mix of ballads, radio-friendly anthems and dance floor ditties per usual. "I never want to be handed a song to sing. I don't work that way. This is my art and it's personal. If someone else writes the song without my input, it doesn't feel honest."

Ashlee continues to pull from her own experiences or things she witnesses those around her weathering for lyrical subject matter, but says most verses aren't as literal as they have been on past singles. "Lyrically this album is a bit more abstract and quirky than my past stuff was although I'm still singing about things I've gone through or friends went through. The topics are diverse and universal so I think people will be able to fit the songs into their own lives too."

Her favorite collaborative partner is still her childhood friend/band guitarist Ray Brady. "I trust him completely. He plays on every track and is my sounding board. We sit in a corner writing and working out alternative versions to play live. He's always introducing me to new music that helps me evolve as an artist."

One such act Brady brought into her life was Missing Persons and Ashlee's never been the same. "I love those strong women from the late '70s and '80s. They are strong and vulnerable simultaneously, yet they still make you want to dance. Women like Chrissie Hynde, Debbie Harry and Pat Benatar have really inspired my music for the last two years and you will definitely be reminded of that era when you listen to the new album."

The veteran of two sold-out tours can't wait to get back on the road again. "That's my favorite part of the job. I love playing live and seeing up close and personal how your music affects other people. I love seeing the reactions on fan faces and hearing them sing along. I want them to go on this journey with me. When it comes time to tour, I'll still experiment with different or acoustic versions of songs. I hate when I go to concerts and it's like I could've stayed home and listened to the CD and gotten the same experience. I wouldn't feel right doing that to people who shell out money to see me."

Now with accolades such as Billboard Artist of the Year (2004), two Teen Choice Awards, countless magazine covers and appearances and performances on shows as varied as MTV Video Music Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and the American Music Awards to her credit, and an exciting new album to look forward to, no doubt the future will continue to be bright for Ashlee Simpson. "The most important thing is that this is something I really enjoy doing," she says. "I love creating and participating in projects people can connect to."
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[Credit: StarPulse]

EXCLUSIVE: Ashlee Simpson "Boyfriend" LIVE @ The Borgata Video

Hey hey, 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 "Boyfriend" LIVE.

This concert was so much fun and I really enjoyed the setlist that Ashlee chose. The song "Boyfriend" was her first single from her second album titled I Am Me and is a really fun song.



Enjoy!

Discrepancy on Jill Scott: Live In Paris?

While obsessing over the release of the CD/DVD combo of Jill Scott: Live In Paris for February 5, 2008, I was looking over the tracklisting I posted on Oh Hell Yes! a few days ago when I noticed a slight discrepancy...

When I compiled that list of bonus tracks and exclusives for the release of The Real Thing, Walmart's bonus track was "Family Reunion (Live In Paris)", but it does not appear on the upcoming DVD. What happened??

Hopefully the tracklisting is slightly off or something, because and 8-song concert seems kinda short, especially considering that when I saw Jill Scott in Paris on November 25, 2007 she performed a whopping 18 songs! So now I'm questioning, were songs cut from the DVD release or did Amazon not post a complete listing??

Jill Scott on Jay Leno last night + Jimmy Kimmel tonight!

Last night, Jill Scott performed "Whenever You're Around" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and she looked fiiine! I have been looking for the video, but nothing yet... hopefully it'll surface soon.

Her stage presence was great and her voice was of course flawless, and upon second view of the video (see below), I really like this performance of "Whenever You're Around". I love this song and it was a nice surprise to have Jill perform it live... let's see what she does on Jimmy Kimmel tonight...



It's so nice that she's making the rounds on latenight and I look forward to her performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight!

Jill Scott announces Butterfly bra line @ Ashley Stewart

Here is the press release for the new line of bras designed by none other than the unstoppable Jill Scott:

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“THE BUTTERFLY” PERSONALLY INSPIRED AND DESIGNED BY JILL SCOTT DESIGNED NEW LINE INTIMATE APPAREL FOR PLUS-SIZE WOMAN – TO BE MARKETED EXCLUSIVELY ON LINE AT WWW.ASHLEYSTEWART.COM AND AT 220 ASHLEY STEWART STORE LOCATIONS

Association with Ashley Stewart stores began with non-traditional marketing of new album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, now RIAA Gold

Jill Scott’s first corporate venture recognizes her brand attraction to corporate America as new Urban entrepreneur

Charitable Blues Babe Foundation to benefit from association with Ashley Stewart stores, starting with renovation of Cecil B. Moore recreation center in North Philly

(January 14, 2008 – New York, NY) 2008 three time (3) Grammy nominee and Multi-platinum, two-time Grammy Award-winning recording artist, singer-songwriter, poet, actor and philanthropist Jill Scott is stacked for success as she enters into an exclusive joint venture between her firm J Heather Inc. and Ashley Stewart Stores the nation wide specialty chain with 220 stores..

The initial product line developed in the partnership will be called “The Butterfly Collection By Jill Scott”, a new brand of intimate apparel for the plus-size woman. The entire clothing line be personally inspired and designed by Jill Scott, in conjunction with Ashley Stewart whose name and image will be utilized in all marketing and merchandising concepts.

The Butterfly bra, in particular, was created and inspired by Ms. Scott’s own needs as a consumer to create what she was unable to find, a design that is both comfortable and attractive for females who have a larger than average cup size. Times have changed since Wallace Reyburn wrote decades ago in Bust-Up (Macdonald & Co., 1971), the definitive history of the bra, that “the big-busted woman’s lot is not a happy one.”

Ms. Scott’s partnership with Ashley Stewart Stores began with the release of her latest album The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3 in September 2007. Sold in all Ashley Stewart stores nationwide the partnership played a major role in the non-traditional marketing campaign behind the album, which has now reached RIAA gold for U.S. sales in excess of a half-million copies.


Based on Urban consumer reaction to The Real Thing, which was programmed in stores and given high visibility, Ms. Scott was inspired to go to the next step with Ashley Stewart. Consumers will soon encounter full-color window-sized posters of Ms. Scott in every store, as the introduction of the Butterfly line dovetails with ongoing promotion of The Real Thing, sponsorship for Jill’s US “The Real Thing” tour and support to Jill’s non profit Blues Babe Foundation which seeks to nurture college bound students of color, ages 16-21, artistically and academically.

“The partnership with a world renowned artist of Ms. Scott’s caliber is a special partnership for Ashley Stewart stores. We have always admired Jill’s commitment to her music and the integrity tied to the artistry of her body of work. We look forward to not only working with her on this product line but helping and enriching our communities by using the partnership to inspire others,” says Marla K. Minns – Executive Vice President and General Manager – Ashley Stewart Stores.

The ability to create economic opportunity out of actual need, not greed, is characteristic of Ms. Scott, whose Blues Babe Foundation will benefit from the association with Ashley Stewart Stores Community Foundation. This has already begun with the launch of the Cecil B. Moore recreation center in Ms. Scott’s hometown of North Philadelphia. Condemned to be closed by the city due to funding shortages, an initial donation of more than $100,000 by the Foundation was able to renovate the auditorium, bathrooms, floors, and swimming pool, and provide new outdoor basketball courts and a new kitchen. With the city’s help, the roof was repaired, the gym was renovated and the Center is now a safe haven for many kids, with attendance more than doubled for most programs.
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The line of bras will be at Ashley Stewart and will be called The Butterfly.

Ashlee Simpson's Bittersweet World releases in March

According to Suburban Chicago News, Ashlee Simpson's third album, entitled Bittersweet World, will release in March 2008. Here's the blurb about the upcoming album, featuring "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)":

>>>
Ashlee Simpson, "Bittersweet World" (March)

With Timbaland, Kenna and the Neptunes' Chad Hugo providing the beats, Simpson indulges her '80s fetish on her third album. The sassy "Boys" imagines the Cardigans' "Lovefool" atop a Chic rhythm, and there's a "Beat It" vibe on the chugging "Rag Doll." "I almost wish I lived my 20s in the '80s," says Simpson, who was born in 1984. "A lot of the record is a bit cheeky. Sometimes I'm writing about something serious, but it was fun for me to kind of goof around as well." Simpson put in a fair share of 14-hour days in the studio; often she'd leave at night and return the next morning to find that Hugo had crafted a song based on conversations from the previous day. "Everybody really had their hands in this album," she says.
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I cannot wait for this album, it sounds fun!

Words & Sounds, Post 30

Here is a special throwback edition of Words & Sounds on Oh Hell Yes!

Browsing Jill Scott videos on Yahoo!, I came across a video that was made for the opening track from Who Is Jill Scott? Words & Sounds Volume 1, "Jilltro". Enjoy!



I have been trying to rip it so I can make it an Oh Hell Yes! Exclusive download, but I haven't been successful. I'll keep trying though for sure!

I thought that it was really cool of Hidden Beach to make such a promo video for Jill way back when, so I do hope I can find a way to download it for my iPod and for ya'll!

Tracklisting for Jill Scott: Live In Paris DVD

Thanks to Amazon.com, here is the tracklisting for the upcoming DVD due out February 5, 2008 of Jill Scott: Live In Paris!

DVD
LIVE IN PARIS
1. The Way
2. Whatever
3. The Fact Is (I Need You)
4. Golden
5. My Petition
6. Bedda At Home
7. Rasool
8. He Loves Me
LIVE AT HOUSE OF BLUES
1. Crown Royal
2. Hate On Me
3. My Love
4. All I
DOCUMENTARY
Featuring Jill's fans on the streets in Paris

Bonus CD only available in DELUXE EDITION:
LIVE IN PARIS
1. The Way
2. Whatever
3. The Fact Is (I Need You)
4. Golden
5. My Petition
6. Bedda At Home
7. Rasool
8. He Loves Me

Woo hoo! I am so pumped for this great release, and it is so nice to see that there will be current performances from The Real Thing as well. Go out and grab your copy of the Deluxe Edition CD/DVD combo on February 5, 2008!

'Girlfriends' star speaks out on state of show

It seems that everyone, including Girlfriends star Persia White (Lynn), is sick and tired of the way the show has been treated for the past eight years.

Taken from PageSix:

>>> PERSIA White has pulled out the race card to explain why her CW sitcom, "Girlfriends," isn't more popular. "We always hoped it would get the same kind of credit that other shows like 'Sex in the City' got," White tells Steppin' Out's Chaunce Hayden. "But sadly enough, the fact that we're a female minority show, the press has been really, really hard on us. It has a lot to do with why we don't get much attention . . . the press has kept us segregated and kept us out of the mainstream." <<<

'Girlfriends' nominated for 8 NAACP Image Awards!

A huge CONGRATULATIONS is in order for my favorite show Girlfriends ... the show was nominated for 8 NAACP Image Awards!!!

Girlfriends was nominated for the following for the 39th Annual NAACP Image Awards:

+ Comedy Series

+ Actor in a Comedy Series: Reggie Hayes (William)

+ Actress in a Comedy Series: Tracee Ellis Ross (Joan)

+ Actress in a Comedy Series: Golden Brooks (Maya)

+ Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series: Keesha Sharp (Monica)

+ Directing in a Comedy Series: Samil Akil (S7 episode: "To Be Determined ... It's Been Determined")

+ Writing in a Comedy Series: Karen Gist (S8 episode: "Spree To Be Free")

Good Luck Girlfriends!

Shakira just performed on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'

Shakira just performed the great song "Despedida" from the Love in the Time of Cholera soundtrack on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and it was flawless, lovely, and full of raw talent.

Hopefully the video will surface soon so I can post it on Oh Hell Yes!

*It has!! Here is Shakira's wonderful performance of "Despedida":

'Girlfriends' Returns on Sunday, February 10th!

According to this article of the Hollywood Reporter, The CW has decided to move Girlfriends to its first time slot on Sunday nights. 

This new night of comedies will begin airing the few original episodes left on February 10th, so be sure to tune in on SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2008 to catch the latest episodes of our beloved Girlfriends. 

Hopefully the show does well, but who would even know that they were going to air on Sunday nights instead, because Lord knows that The CW does not promote Girlfriends one bit... It's actually very annoying, but it just goes to show how great Girlfriends is because it has lasted these past 8 years, which is huge! 

Gotta love the girlfriends :)

Words & Sounds, Post 29

Thanks to Wikipedia's page on former Girlfriends star Jill Marie Jones, I was informed that a song from the latest Kanye West album Graduation has a song that mentions Tracee Ellis Ross, the show Girlfriends, and makes reference to Jill Marie Jones' Toni on a track called "The Glory."

Give it a listen at around 2:20 to hear the quick reference to our beloved show!

>> Download: Kanye West "The Glory" <<

What did you think? How cool is that?!

More great news on Jill Scott: Live In Paris (DVD)

Well, Oh Hell Yes! has even more exciting news to ring in the New Year...

Hot on the heels of the announcement made by me a week ago concerning the release of the long-awaited DVD of Jill Scott: Live In Paris on February 5, 2008, here are the images for the DVD and CD/DVD combo covers:

- DVD

- CD/DVD Combo

[Thanks to Amazon.com]

EXCLUSIVE: 'Girlfriends' S7.1 "After the Storm" Episode Download

Oh Hell Yes! is ringing in the New Year with an exclusive download of the Season 7 premiere episode of Girlfriends entitled "After the Storm."

>> Download: Girlfriends S7.1 "After the Storm" << 

This was the first episode without Toni so it's a very important milestone in Girlfriends history. Plus, it was a great episode and a great start for our beloved Joan, Maya, Lynn, and William on the CW.

Look for more exciting things coming to Oh Hell Yes! in 2008... stay tuned!