After failed licensing negotiations in March with Prospect Park (the home of formerly cancelled soap, "One Life to Live”), ABC confirmed  that “One Life” actors Roger Howarth (Todd Manning), Kristen Alderson (Starr Manning) & Michael Easton (John McBain) would be portraying different characters on "General Hospital." Alderson & Easton's roles as Lauren Frank (Franco's daughter & lost Quartermaine heir) & Silas Clay (Stephen Clay's twin brother) were quickly revealed, but Howarth's role remained a lingering mystery with a lot of build up. GH fans gasped in awe with either subsequent anger or adoration when it finally came out that Howarth was the twisted and diabolical Robert "Franco" Frank. Immediate reactions focused on Howarth’s rendition (some felt his performance as Todd made him perfect for the part; others felt his Franco was too similar to Todd and began calling him “Franc-N-Todd”) and how James Franco, the herald actor who the role was originated by and named after, was shockingly replaced.

Feedback then turned to the storyline. Luring Jason Morgan's Port Charles connects with a party invite donning the presumed-dead hitman's image, Franco presented video evidence that he in fact didn't rape Samantha Morgan & never intended for Michael Corinthos to be raped in prison. He claimed previous footage indicating otherwise was planned to mislead and distress Jason. Franco also denied committing any murders for "artwork." Swiftly moving onto his shares at ELQ and moving into the Quartermaine mansion, he professed to be a changed man trying to make amends & reconnect with his daughter, Lauren Catherine (AKA “Kiki”). The once deadly “artist” now had a cleaner rap-sheet than Dr. Steven Webber. Some fans saw the "clean up" as a way to help the character be able to stay on GH, as Franco the way he was would make it hard for him to remain a free bird and function in Port Charles. Others felt Franco was made "too clean” and too easily moved into the Q mansion, implying the head-writer (Ron Carlivati, also formerly of “One Life”) was twisting things to the OL actors advantage. This advantage theory was first posed shortly after Carlivati and OL producer Frank Valentini took over in early 2012. Ratings for GH went up, but long-standing GH followers supposed the soap was becoming an OL spin-off. I saw where these viewers were coming from, but I was hesitant to believe there was any character favoring until Franco, Lauren & Silas came on the scene.

Before I dive head-first into my “advantage theory” observations, let me address a few other details related to the Franco reveal. I understand why Franco would use Jason to create his little “shin-dig” and that it would probably be a ratings boost to imply he knew something about Jason’s whereabouts, but JaSammer’s (fans of Jason & Sam as a couple) hearts were dragged right with Samantha’s into that business! One person even tweeted “I don’t care for Jason & Sam, but I think pulling on their fans legs like this was too much.” There have been a few “he might be alive” tricks pulled, but this one was the most grandiose and brutal. The other spec in my eye was how the topic of rape was handled for the next few days. I was glad Michael’s assault was FINALLY being discussed after being swept under the rug for so long, but we still haven’t aced tackling the issue in soap-opera land. Let’s add onto victim humiliation and terror by letting cats out of bags and showing videotapes in front of a whole group of people! At Franco’s “party,” Michael (played by Chad Duell) was all but forced to recount his attack amongst people who didn’t need to know and everyone got a visual of what lead up to Sam’s alleged rape (“TV Source” magazine further explores rape as a plot device in a great piece here).

Speaking of Sam (played by Kelly Monaco), just like Lacey Chabert couldn’t make fetch happen in “Mean Girls,” the writers are struggling to make Easton and Monaco happen. It feels just as forced, if not more than before. Instead of giving Easton a completely brand new character like his co-stars, the writers decided to be uninventive and redundant and create yet a third incarnation of John McBain. In a short span, Easton portrayed McBain, who had an inappropriate attraction and borderline fling with Sam that ended his OL marriage (a plotline that’s a part of Prospect Park’s breach of contract suit with ABC), then a man physically identical to McBain (Stephen Clay) who kidnapped Sam because she’s his dead wife’s doppelganger and now Clay’s twin, who is trying to take Sam’s foster child (Rafe) and will ultimately be the magic key to Danny (Sam’s biological son) surviving leukemia. Really? All of this because Easton and Monaco’s characters were a couple on the GH spin-off “Port Charles?” Homage to the defunct spin-off in the 50th anniversary year has been paid; let’s move on. Its bad enough they wrote Sam talking about her recently killed husband like he was a road-block to her next great love for Easton, which brings me finally to the advantage theory.

Album Review.
Likes: Black Skinhead, I Am a God, New Slaves, Blood on the Leaves
Dislikes: I’m in it
Overall: 5 tracks strong, 5 tracks creating West’s weakest moment

Kanye West & religion have always had an interesting relationship. In underbelly media, he’s been accused of being a part of a devil worshiping cult. His 2006 Rolling Stone magazine cover was considered blasphemous because he was wearing a crown of thorns, and now it’s assumed he’s likening himself to Jesus Christ, as the title of his new album, Yeezus, joins Jesus with his nickname, Yeezy (hardcore fans of pop singers aren’t offended; on Twitter, it’s standard to show how awesome you think your queen diva is by remixing her name with God or Jesus). Those who are hot under the collar are about to drip in sweat; the religious references don’t end there. On “I Am God,” West boasts about how he “brought real rap back” and addresses haters who criticized him in the beginning for miniscule things, like his “preppy” look and focus on college life. Speaking of having conversations with Jesus, his life being “in the hands of God,” and making alignments to Psalms 82:6 in the Bible (“I said, ‘You are gods, you are all sons of the Most High’”), he debunks presumptions he thinks he’s God and interjects that he was created by God to preserve hip-hop. Other mentions are heard on “Black Skinhead,” where he not only approaches religion, but racism and social ignorance. These are themes continued on “New Slaves,” that also discusses use of materialism and attainment to manipulate and control the oppressed, and how the oppressed doesn’t open their eyes long enough to acknowledge and fight it.

“Hold My Liquor,” “Bound 2” and “Blood on the Leaves” adds to West’s ongoing commentary on how his bad relationship behavior precedes the side of him that wants to settle down. “Leaves” (a sample of C-Murder, Snoop Dogg and Magic’s “Down for My Niggas” and the jazz classic “Strange Fruit”) is particularly interesting because it seems to be an account of how fame accentuates relationship drama and he attacks former Jay-Z groupies: “I don’t give a damn if you used to talk to Jay-Z, he ain’t with you, he with Beyonce`, you need stop actin’ lazy.”I found the sample of “Strange Fruit” to be awfully, and almost disgracefully, misused. “Fruit” was music set to a poem about the constant lynching of African-Americans in U.S. history. How that correlates to fame and failed relationships, I don’t understand. It would’ve been better applied to “New Slaves.”

Although Yeezus begins with conversation-provoking tracks, it falls on a less inciting note. Some of the lovelorn material sounds like watered-down, less endearing and sincere versions of what’s heard on the previous albums My Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy & 808’s & Heartbreak. Not helping the lag is the production. West is still a star of the art, but what normally attracts listeners to his concoctions-bright, flowing melodies or the intense and thematic- is not present. The music of Yeezus is made of strangely arranged effects & synthesizers. Another turn-off is the heightened sexuality. The graphic “I’m In It” is pornography on wax. Other rough lines are strewn throughout the album. 2 developing patterns in West’s discography are the dismal and dark and abrasive sexual content. I believe artistically, West is at a crossroads and a big change is coming. Time will only tell what the shift will look and sound like.

In observation of West’s anti-corporation rants this era, while I agree with his point that the laws of business and commercialism can often stifle or interrupt an artist’s freedom and creativity (an aim made by thousands of recording artists over the years), I find West’s position and attack on other mainstream, corporate-friendly artists (which included biting the hands that helped his career exist: he lyrically criticized Jay-Z for being featured on Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie” and implied he wasn’t cool with Beyonce’s Pepsi sponsorship) to be hypocritical. Wasn’t he just in a television advertisement for MTV with his current girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, one of the biggest product-pushing celebrities there is? Wasn’t your image and music featured in a NBA promo? Let’s not forget your past product endorsements for cell-phones and vodka.*Kanye shrug*

As I said in my review for Demi Lovato’s Demi, self-titled albums released after a debut are rarely ever worth the declaration. Only half of this record is deserving of the title of Yeezus. The rest is, ironically, West’s weakest moment.

Album Review.
Favorites: Gone, Down on Love, You’ve Changed, Street Life, #1
Dislikes: Sky Walker
Overall: Surprisingly good. Great vocal, decent lyrics, soothing music.

After the previous Here I Am and the sexed up 1st singles for the new Talk a Good Game, I was prepared to hear another dense, sex-a-palooza of an album from Kelly Rowland. Then, when I heard “Gone” (featuring Wiz Khalifa) & the deeply personal “Dirty Laundry,” I had hope for a brighter day and crossed my fingers as I sat down to listen to Game in full for the first time. To my relief, the record was surprisingly good and is the strongest in her collection, next to 2007’s Ms. Kelly. This time, the amounts of lustful tracks are sparse and any innuendos are matched with a little more romanticism or good musical production, providing dimension. The production for “Freak” is so seductive & catchy (Rowland is one of the few artists that EDM fits on like a glove), you’re not paying attention to its rated R content. I’m also pretty sure “Freak” is a sample; maybe Michael Jackson or Stevie Wonder, but I didn’t see any information indicating so. The track is, however, identical to Jamie Foxx’s forgotten single “Best Night of My Life.” I loathe track recycling, but I can see why Nate “Danja” Hills didn’t want to let that one go. Ironically, the most graphic song is so because of expletives, not sexual content. “Sky Walker” unnecessarily includes every major curse word except “ass.” Sometimes, I think Rowland makes too much of a hard-pressed effort to come off “hard” and depart from her former “clean-cut” Destiny’s Child image (I found that image to be positive and constructive, but what do I know?), but back to how Talk a Good Game sounds musically, there are pluses and minuses. It’s has a unified, smooth and relaxed tone with enough percussion to keep things from being sleepy, but there’s a very similar pattern between songs. Also, most of the production is too simple; it comes off like a hip-hop beat sample kit that you would install on a keyboard. Leave it up to Pharrell to bring some freshness with the jumpy “Street Life” (the most exciting track) and the Motown-inspired “Stand in Front of Me” (although “Stand’s” writing is terrible). Other unordinary musical moments can be found on the 80’s inspired “Red Wine” & “This is Love.” “You’ve Changed” gives me delicious Destiny Fulfilled taste and is 200 times better than the Destiny Child February 2013 reunion that was “Nuclear.”

As for the writing, we get to hear what kind of skills Rowland has in that department, as she co-wrote majority of the material. How did she do? Not bad. On the first half of the album, there’s angsty and interesting concept design to the usual topic of sucky relationships that makes Talk a Good Game a great “kick him to the curb” soundtrack. The second and more lovey-dovey half isn’t as strong, funnily. The lyrics there are over-simplified, fragmented or scattered. They lack a certain fullness and structure that would unveil a story. You know what the songs are generally discussing and can categorize them as “about love,” but what about love specifically? Why is the love or the person you’re with so great? Detail is missing. Vocally, Rowland remains primarily in the heart of her range, and thanks to the relaxed energy of the music, her voice is the star of the show. She sings in a very pronounced way that’s full of attitude. For every weakness on this album, there’s a favoring quality. Rowland’s sturdy vocal performance with efficient lyrics in the first half and soothing tunes in the second, there isn’t just “talking a good game,” she’s living it.

Directed by Louis Leterrier, “Now You See Me” is a visually dazzling, absorbing, fun and exciting film that’s sure to entertain. “See” follows the intense police pursuit of three on-the-rise magicians and one fallen star who get summoned by an anonymous figure with an ulterior motive to pull off a series of stunts and heists. Sure, that plot may sound cheesy at face value, but the way the story is executed gives you “X-Men” meets “Takers,” with all the “can’t keep your eyes off” action and “let me figure this out” mystery. The film’s strongest facet is that, with the exception of a few spots, it is truly unpredictable and each feat is done plausibly, rarely defying logic. Most motion pictures have some, if not multiple clichés and a plot that foreshadows itself, but with “See,” it’s hard to guess where it’s going, which makes it thrilling and kind of unique. Adding onto the film’s inventiveness is how everything is completely centered on purpose of the caper, not a romance between characters or their jaded backgrounds. Receiving tepid reviews, most critics complained that the cast’s talents were wasted and there wasn’t much character development, but it just wasn’t necessary to get the point across. The writing gives you just enough to find the characters likable and see their dynamic; going any further would’ve distracted from the intoxicating narrative. To feed my contention, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that most of the main characters aren’t “big names,” which I love. I only agree with the critics to the degree that I would’ve liked to know why the characters would easily follow the directions of a literal stranger and what they received as a result of their extensive efforts, but I'm hoping those details were left out because there are plans for a sequel. Other than that, I left the theater thinking the film was baller, I wish I knew magic and that the “Four Horsemen” (the magician’s moniker) really existed. I thoroughly enjoyed “Now You See Me;” it was definitely magical. Can’t wait to own it on DVD.

Grade: A-

A Career Analysis
(contains some synopsis by E. Sims)

I have a couple of friends that are about 5-6 years younger than me and when we chat about music, it stuns me how much those few years make a difference. Our perceptions of certain artists and their effect are poles apart. One of those artists is Brandy, who came on the scene in 1994 and quickly took the music world by storm. In a span of just 5 years, Brandy had hit albums and singles, headed a popular TV series (“Moesha”) and starred in a major film (“I Know What You Did Last Summer”) and highly-rated TV movies alongside the legendary likes of Whitney Houston, Whoopi Goldberg and Diana Ross (“Cinderella,” “Double Platinum”). She even was immortalized as a doll before it was trendy. She was one of the first, if not the first, young African-Americans to tackle such feats, and that meant the world to people my age. Loved by all with brown skin and braids, when that’s not the standard of beauty? What?! A black “Cinderella” with a multiracial supporting cast? Get out of here! It was kind of a big deal. However, by the time my pals who were born in 1990 and 1991 were age 10 and old enough to vividly remember anything in pop-culture, Brandy’s light had begun to dim. I know and view her as trailblazer, but to some of the younger set, Brandy is just some girl who had a couple of hits back in the day. What happened and how can Brandy regain her footing? Let us attempt to answer that question.

Instant success is usually to the detriment of young acts. It’s emotionally overwhelming being under high media scrutiny and analysis, not being able to enjoy “normal” teenage activities (like the prom) and having to decipher who’s a fake friend or “yes” person when you’ve barely begun to figure out who you are. Not to mention the lures of and unlimited access to drugs, sex and other hedonistic things your average horny, egotistical and impulsive teenager would run with. For Brandy, fast fame was the first thing that brought her down, both professionally and personally. The attention she garnered and the things achieved in 5 years, most artists do in 7-10. In the late 90’s, Brandy was involved in an abusive relationship, was suffering from an eating disorder and ultimately was hospitalized after having a nervous breakdown. It was at that point Brandy stepped away from the lights. Professionally, when you reach your prime so quickly, it creates a catch 22: you become overexposed and run out of gas trying to top yourself, or you take a break at the risk of returning to lost interest. Brandy experienced the latter.

After a hiatus, she released “Full Moon” in 2002; an album she said addressed her abuse. Critically, it was received fairly well; it was praised for its maturity and easy sensual allure, but Rodney Jerkins’ production was censured for being redundant. Jerkins’ part in the inability of Brandy’s career to rebound would expand; it will be revisited later in this article. First single “What About Us” charted 7th on the Billboard Hot 100, the title track charted 18th and “Full Moon” was certified platinum a month after release. I would consider that a success, but it was labeled as a failure in some media because it didn’t match the multi-platinum status her previous records did (ala` Mariah Carey’s “Glitter” soundtrack). Additionally, promotion for the album eventually slowed down as Brandy was surprised to find she was pregnant with her 1st child.

2004’s follow-up, “Afrodisiac,” could’ve kept Brandy’s return rolling, but despite high critical acclaim and a Grammy nod, management issues and shaky promotion arguably resulted in poor single and album performance. None of the singles from the album entered the Billboard top 20, and barely made the R&B top 20. Many of the singer’s fans felt the wrong tracks were chosen as singles. To top it off, plans for a major tour with her contemporary, Usher, fell through. Brandy changed her management and ended her over-a-decade long relationship with Atlantic Records. Some suggest that “Any press is good press” didn’t apply, as 1 month into “Afrodisiac’s” release, producer Robert “Big Bert” Smith (the father of Brandy’s daughter) revealed in multiple radio interviews that he & Brandy pretended to be married to avoid tainting her “clean” image with an out-of-wedlock birth. 2 years later, there was more negative press when Brandy was involved a multi-vehicle crash. Initial news stories stated that Brandy didn’t notice cars in front of her slowed, and she struck the back of a vehicle belonging to Awatef Aboudihaj. Aboudihaj’s vehicle subsequently hit another, slid to the side and smashed into a center divider, where it was hit by yet another car. Aboudihaj died the next day in the hospital. Despite later concluding reports by the California Highway Patrol that Aboudihaj collided with the vehicle in front of her and mashed on her brakes, causing Brandy to crash into her, Brandy was still viciously painted as a murder whose celebrity position “got her off.” Within 2 years, Brandy went from being identified as a singer and actress, to a liar and murderer. Any traction she gained for a return was dismantled.

Still, Brandy made an attempt in 2008 with “Human” on Epic Records. Now, we revisit Rodney Jerkins’ hand. Brandy felt the material Jerkins provided was lackluster and the pair creatively quarreled. She was equally, if not more, discontent with the offerings from the other “hot right now” producers injected by Epic (ex. RedOne, Bruno Mars & Toby Gad). Jerkins couldn’t do any wrong from the late 1990’s to the early 2000’s, but in my opinion, he failed to evolve artistically and has hit a plateau. It’s hard for his productions to not sound dated, as time has caught up with his once innovative style. Alternatively, the other producers attached a fashion so current, that it didn’t fit Brandy at all. With such extremes, no wonder Brandy professed to despise the project. Exacerbating her frustration was the vamped up, sexier image imposed by the record label, of which the singer said she didn’t sell well because she didn’t buy it herself. Not wasting another minute, Brandy again switched up management and her contract with Epic was dissolved. 4 years and a reality series (“Family Business”) later, here we are presently with “Two Eleven” (RCA Records), a date marking her birthday and the death of close friend and former colleague, Whitney Houston. Critics and fans seemed to enjoy the album; I personally thought it was a little sleepy and could’ve been written better, but that’s just me. Like her other post-breakdown albums, “Two Eleven” would be a decent effort (it was applauded for being “progressive,” incorporating futuristic with R&B) marred by external factors. There was a moderate amount of initial promotion and it didn’t hurt that Brandy is a regular on the well-liked BET series, “The Game,” but in true RCA fashion, they released 2 singles before “Two Eleven’s” October 2012 release date and no more afterward (RCA has bad promotion habits, especially with their R&B acts).

The 2nd external factor now affecting Brandy is the state of R&B and the industry as a whole. If you didn’t already know, R&B is a strange place where it’s dull and no cares to pay a lot of attention to it. This saddens me because I love the genre. Everyone has different suppositions on how this happened, but as I have submitted before on this site, I think that once R&B married itself heavily with pop & hip-hop, it was over-powered, washed and has now taken a back seat. The problem was not that R&B was mixed with other genres (I’m all for genre blending), the problem was that it didn’t have equal footing when it was mixed. It wasn’t a 50/50 composite. What needs to take place in order for R&B and its acts, like Brandy, to thrive is to again mesh with the mainstream, but have a more dominate, inventive presence. Also, specifically for Brandy, she needs to avoid working with whoever is the hottest producer and collaborate with up-and-coming, imaginative talent. It will be difficult getting record label executives to financially take such a risk, but it will be worth the shot. Well-known and consistently working producers are the most likely to hand-off tweaked or remixed versions of their previous work, consequently making the artists they worked with sound similar or like “copy-cats.” Brandy also needs to find a way to match her musical trademark with the contemporary. My next suggestion might seem like an irrelevant stretch, but maybe it would help Brandy to have a strong theme or signature look for her next project. Symbolism helps an album stick out in the audience’s minds. For example, Taylor Swift using a red microphone every time she performed a song from her “Red” album, or Beyonce’s leotard and glove during her “I Am…Sasha Fierce” era.

Brandy Norwood has a distinctive voice, a unique look, decent enough acting chops, the tenacity to make risky, but necessary business moves and with the exception of “Human,” she doesn’t have a bad record in her discography. The tracks she treaded early on are enough to show that she has what it takes to be a force once more. Eliminate personal strife, bad press and lukewarm business partners and add a solid and creative production and marketing team, it all belongs to her.

Thoughts?

Single Review.

Miley, Miley, Miley. It’s been about 3 years since we’ve heard from Miley Cyrus musically. At the height of “Hannah Montana” instant mega-fame, she took a well-deserved break that was probably the best for her personally and her career, because she would resurface a little older (she’ll be 21 in November) and could skip the awkward transitions that come with going from tween dream to young adult. As reports came that Cyrus was back in the studio, some eager and curious energy built as she was rumored to be working with many urban & R&B acts, like Mary J. Blige. Who knew what was coming, but it was sure to be interesting; indeed it is. “We Can’t Stop” hit the radio and internet today. The song itself has a nice flow and isn’t too overbearing on effects like most current pop tracks; it’s the lyrics that make “Stop” dismissible. The subject of often unnecessary criticism, Cyrus has been all about pushing social acceptance. “Stop” continues on that path with pro-LGBT lyrics like “It's our party, we can love who we want, we can kiss who we want….Forget the haters, 'cause somebody loves 'ya',” but such matter gets distracted from with the promotion of drug use (“We like to party, dancing with Molly…trying to get a line in the bathroom”) and girls bringing sexual attention to themselves (“To my homegirls here with the big butts, shaking it like we're at the strip club, remember only God can judge you”). The song’s purpose is counteractive to itself. Guess Miley is going to be catching more heat; this time it’s warranted. I don’t think I have to explain why glamorizing drug use and self-exploitation is a negative thing. Try again Miles.