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In Memoriam
I would like to take a moment to remember the people we’ve lost over the year but especially I send my prayers and light to the people affected by the tragedies of Aurora and Sandy Hook Elementary.  You are not forgotten and will always be remembered. I hope that all the victims and families find a sense of peace and rebirth after the tragedies.

Royal Pregnancy
Last year, we were talking about the marriage of the year between Prince William and Kate Middleton.  Now we’re ending the year with the news that the royal couple is expecting a baby! Rumors were running rampant since September that Middleton was with baby but it wasn’t until earlier this month that the rumors were confirmed.  2013 is already shaping up to be an eventful year as many will want to catch a glimpse of the royal heir.

The Death of Whitney Houston
While we said goodbye to many of pop culture’s movers and shakers, the death of Whitney Houston rocked the music world the night before music’s biggest night, The Grammy Awards. Houston was found dead as a result of accidental drowning in The Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 11.  She is survived by her daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

The Fab Five clinch Gold.
It hadn’t been done since the 1996 Olympic Games when the magnificent seven gymnastics team clinched team gold.  Fast forward to 2012, we were introduced to five young girls known as the Fierce Five that managed to out-do the competition and clinch Gold in the London Games.  On top of that, member Gabby Douglas became the 1^st African-American to clinch individual gold in the all-around event.

Beyonce adds “Mommy” to her resume.
She’s a singer, actress, songwriter, fashion designer, and much more but nothing could prepare Beyonce for her next role. After rocking a baby bump for most of 2011, Beyonce and Jay-Z welcomed a baby girl named Blue Ivy.  Instead of going the usual route of doing a magazine photoshoot with their bundle of joy, Beyonce used social networking site, Tumblr, to introduce Blue to the rest of the world.

Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes call it quits
Some couples made it official by taking the vow of forever, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes called it quits after five years of marriage.  It was a surprise to many that the fairy-tale romance ended with Holmes filing the divorce papers and moving to New York. An amicable agreement was made by both parties with the focus being on the well-being of their only child, six-year-old Suri Cruise.

Surprise Weddings!
As always celebs were hitched right and left and yes, some of our favorites got married this past year.  The most shocking wedding of the year was between Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively as the couple tied the knot in South Carolina in September.  The other shocking wedding was the marriage of Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake. The twosome had their October nuptials in Italy and shared their wedding album with People magazine.

Break Up Heard Around the World!
If you think I am talking about Selena and Justin breaking up, you’re completely wrong.  Twilight powercouple Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattison were broken up late summer after Stewart was caught canoodling with Snow White and the Huntsmen director Rupert Sanders. Twihards were left in shock as it seemed that couple was over.  In October, signs of reconciliation between the two lovers were seen as they embarked on the last promotional tour for the Twilight series.

Musical chairs for TV judges
As many seats became available due to the departure of many judges to focus on their day jobs, many pop stars jumped at the chance to find the next generation of pop stars. Demi Lovato and Britney Spears made their debuts as mentors on the 2^nd season of X Factor which has surprisingly given new meaning to “It’s Britney, bitch!”. Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj, and Keith Urban joined, American Idol, which premieres next month. Usher and Shakira will be serving as replacement judges for the Voice as Christina Aguilera and Cee-Lo take a sabbatical from the show.

Gangnam Style Takeover
“Dress classy but dance cheesey” is the motto behind one of the biggest singles of the year.  Korean pop singer Psy invaded the American Shores with his international hit, “Gangnam Style.”  The video has managed to become the most-viewed YouTube video of all time and has garnered commercial success for the singer.  Psy signed to Bieber’s manager’s label, Schoolboy Records, and plans to release music stateside.

Kim K & Kanye are having a baby K.
In one of the biggest news to come last minute in 2012 is the announcement of Kim Kardashian expecting her first child with Kanye West.  Last year, we found Kardashian being called a fraud for her luxurious wedding to Kris Humphries and calling it quits all in the same year.  This year, West referred to Kardashian as his “baby mama” during an Atlantic City concert.  The proud parents-to-be will welcome their first child in summer 2013.  Let the photo shoots, begin!

The X Factor continues its massacre of dreams, ambitions, and the oh so happy thoughts of being on the show.  Another double elimination fell upon the contestants.  In usual X Factor fashion, there was no hesitation in pulling the ceremonial gun and announcing the first eliminated contestant of the night was Paige Thomas.  Gasps and boos were loud among the crowd as Paige graciously accepted the elimination.

“I am ready to go home and put some work in to show everyone what I can do,” said Paige about going home from the competition.  After the initial shock of Paige’s elimination, Season 1 runner-up Josh Krajcik  performed his new single, “One Thing She’ll Never Know”, which was met with loud applause from the audience.

Khloe and Mario announced the saved contestants were Fifth Harmony, Cece Frey, Emblem3, Carly Rose and Tate Stevens.  In another shocking moment, the bottom two were revealed to be Diamond White and Vino Alan.  Before the sing-off, Grammy winner Alicia Keys performed her single, “Girl On Fire”, which rocked the house with its beating drums and powerhouse vocals.

The sing-off lacked no powerhouse vocals with Diamond giving a stirring rendition of  Beyonce’s “I Was Here” with a great start but overall, it was a bit pitchy due to the pressure and emotions. Vino brought out the song he used during the open auditions, “Trouble”, and served as a reminder of why Vino made it so far but ultimately, the judges had the last word.  LA voted to send Diamond off while the remaining judges sent Vino packing his bags.

The hosts revealed the ranks of the contestants based on the number of the votes they received.

Rankings based on votes
1.Carly Rose
2. Tate Stevens
3. Emblem3
4. Fifth Harmony
5.  Cece Frey
6.  Diamond White

Who are you rooting for?  The Top 6 fight for a spot in the semi-finals.

X Factor airs Tuesdays and Wednesdays on Fox at 8/7c

It was a night of huge risks with The X Factor’s Top 8 taking the stage with their renditions of #1 hits.  The pressure was on as they brought their A-game to the show while fighting for a spot in the Top 6.

Team Britney kicked off the festivities with Diamond White singing Whitney’s classic, ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, which  showed White getting out of her comfort zone and moving a little bit on stage.  Vocally, it was a strong performance but as far as dancing, she felt a bit stiff at times but there was room for improvement.

While Vino showed improvement last week, it turned out to be short-lived with his rendition of the Righteous Brothers’ “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling.” It was a bit boring and lackluster that took a step back and felt like a familiar performance from the past.  Full blame should be taken by mentor LA Reid as he adamantly declared his want to change the song at the last minute. Britney & Demi felt like it was boring and needed to be spruced up.

As if working with the mentor that wanted to send you wasn’t enough, Paige and Demi didn’t agree on Paige’s direction in the show.  Paige took the stage with her version of Rick Astley’s  ”Never Gonna Give You Up” with an ease that made her likeable and didn’t have her looking like Lady Gaga’s sister.  Simon stated she sounded and looked like a pop star while LA called it her best performance yet.

Simon’s girl group, Fifth Harmony, delivered a fiery performance of Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” which felt more authentic in terms of the girls meshing well.   It was a change of pace from the ballads but overall, it was a better up-tempo performance compared to their “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” from the earlier episodes.

While some took the uptempo route, Carly Rose stuck to her ballads and took on Adele’s huge hit, “Rolling In The Deep.” It was a huge risk taken by Spears and Carly but it proved to garner mixed results as LA called it her second best while Simon stated she was not human…again.

LA Reid’s Tate sang Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You” which got the country crooner dancing all over the stage as he sang another ditty for his wife. Tate continues on his stride of improving week over week.  Demi and Britney agreed that it was a great performance while Simon pointed out his unimpressive dancing.

Cece Frey was unimpressed with yet another week at having to sing for survival but alas, America continues to place her in the bottom of the pack.  Demi and Cece teamed up to bring to life Cece’s version of “Lady Marmalade” which turned out to be interestingly all over the place with tons of dancers and metallic spots on Cece’s face. Simon, Britney, and LA weren’t fans of the performance but noted that Cece was fighting to stay in the competition.

Simon used the cliche,”save the best for last”, which didn’t turn out to be true at all with Emblem3′s “I Am A Believer.” It felt a bit repetitive and overall, cheesy with the video screens and dancers.  LA stated he would sign them but Demi disagreed and wondered what Simon was doing with them.

What two acts do you think will be going home tomorrow?

Tweet me or Facebook me

p.s. check out the entire video for Will.I.Am and Britney’s collab —  ”Scream and Shout”  

Rihanna kicks off the Unapologetic era with the debut of the “Diamonds” video in all its shining glory.  When the song debuted in September, it marked a departure for the songstress since it wasn’t a high octane dance number that could automatically trigger choreography from anybody.  Even though it wasn’t up-tempo, it still made itself memorable with the delivery and especially the pronunciation of “…Diamonds” a la Umbrella.

The videos for her last two lead singles, “Only Girl”, and “We Found Love”, found Rihanna reveling, dancing, and prancing around while this one finds her in a state of remembrance of a past love.   The treatment stars off with a nod to Riri’s choice of extracurricular activity then we’re shown a black and grey Rihanna singing with shots of her in a bedroom rewinding itself before it was trashed mixed with shots of her hand holding a male’s tattooed forearm.  While a majority of her songs have never lent themselves to be extremely personal, the video treatment for this single offers a girl looking back at a lost love and how it’s bright in her eyes.  In another shot, she’s in the desert watching two horses gallop around freely with no judgment. She’s shown in chaos among the fire and crowds signifying the turmoil that the love has caused her.

This may be her most powerful video yet since there’ no gimmicks except implied nods to Chris Brown and her emotions. We’re finally be seeing the Rihanna who just wants love with no apologies or regrets.  completely unapologetic.

The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards are coming to you live from Los Angeles. Kevin Hart will be hosting while Rihanna will be kickingoff the festivities. Other performers include Alicia Keys, Taylor Swift, and Pink.  Be sure to stay posted on Twitter and Facebook as I dish on what’s hot and what’s not at the VMAs.

Video of the Year
Drake – Take Care
Gotye – Somebody That I Used to Know
MIA – Bad Girls
Katy Perry – Wide Awake
Rihanna – We Found Love
Prediction:  It’s going to be a tight race for the biggest prize of the night but pop vixen Rihanna will walk away with her dance gem, ‘We Found Love’, which found the singer revealing more of her personal side in the aesthetics and art direction of the video.

Best New Artist
Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
Frank Ocean – Swin Good
Fun. – We Are Young
One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
The Wanted – Glad You Came
Prediction: 1D Fans will come out and garner the award for their boys. Have you not seen how crazy the girls go for these boys? They’re insane.  Sorry, Carly…we still love your song, though!

Most Share-Worthy Video
Beyonce – Countdown
One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
Justin Bieber – Boyfriend
Gotye – Somebody I Used to Know
Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
Prediction: Please see 1D fans as they’ve decided to hijack the VMAs and really welcome the boys to the states.  They spread this song like fire and even beat, Justin Bieber 2.0.  Another award for the boys as they continue to celebrate their stateside success.

Best Pop Video
Fun. – We are Young
Justin Bieber – Boyfriend
One Direction – What Makes You Beautiful
Maroon 5 – Payphone
Rihanna – We Found Love
Prediction: It’s a tight race with so many fan favorites up for this award but Rihanna might pull off the upset among all the boys plus each artist in this category is nominated in another category so they have their chances of winning. Besides, who isn’t a fan of  ”We Found Love”? I am listening to it right now.

Best Rock Video
The Black Keys – Lonely Boy
Coldplay – Paradise
Imagine Dragons – It’s Time
Linkin Park – Burn it Down
Jack White – Sixteen Candles
Prediction: The ultra-cool rockers dominate the field and take this campaign. Plus, who doesn’t like Coldplay?

Best Hip Hop Video
Childish Gambino – Heartbeat
Drake – HYFR
Jay-Z and Kanye – Paris
Nicki Minaj – Beez in the Trap
Kanye West – Mercy
Prediction: The biggest juggernauts in hip hop come together for one of the most catchiest songs and deliver a heart attack-inducing music video.  You really can’t beat this and no one even comes close to reaching the status of this song.

Best Female Video
Beyonce – Love on Top
Selena Gomez & The Scene – Love you like a love song
Nicki Minaj – Starships
Katy Perry – Part of Me
Rihanna – We Found Love
Prediction: A combination of sass and heartbreak earn the pop star an award for her supposed kiss-off song to Russell Brand. Katy, let’s move away from John Mayer because we can’t let him break your cotton candy heart.

Best Male Video
Justin Bieber – Boyfriend
Chris Brown – Turn up the Music
Drake – Take Care
Frank Ocean – Swin Good
Usher – Climax
Prediction: The re-introduction of Justin Bieber made everyone talk about his new look, sound, and voice.  It was a bit Justin Timberlake but regardless, the track was sent into the top of the charts and gave him another #1 album. Plus, anybody that can pull of singing, “swaggie”, gets my vote. Way cool, Bieber.

Best Electronic Dance Music Video
Avicii – Levels
Duck Sauce – Big Bad Wolf
Calvin Harris – Feel so Close
Skrillex – First of the Year (Equinox)
Martin Solveig – The Night Out
Prediction: Avicii’s track served as the basis for Flo Rida’s ‘Good Feeling’ which was on the radio non-stop all this summer so it should be no surprise that Avicii claims the prize.

Best Video with A Message
Kelly Clarkson – Dark Side
Gym Class Heroes – The Fighter
K’naan – Is Anybody Out There
Lil Wayne – How to Love
Demi Lovato – Skyscraper
Rise Against – Ballad of Hollis Brown
Prediction: A combination of powerful vibes, personal touch to the song, and raw simple emotion win the award for the former Disney darling. She’s graduated to the big leagues and this is just an add-on to her judging gig on X-Factor with freakin’ Britney Spears.