Marie Digby...Traitor.

Marie Digby is a fake! A liar! A cheater!

She's the farthest thing from an inspiration or a testament to the magical qualities YouTube posesses in enhancing the American Dream.

Ugh, I feel so betrayed. Am I really surprised? Not at all. But it really sucks when someone successfully pulls the wool over your eyes. So I was shouting praises about this young lady here, and come to find out it was all an elaborate ruse perpetuated by her record label Hollywood Records. I'm too disappointed to elaborate, so please check out this Wall Street Journal cover article here and legendary music business afficionado Bob Lefsetz's response here. Both are very imformative, and overall very disturbing. This is what happens when I jump out of my area of "expertise" and into the fast-changing and ever complicated world of music.

Marie Digby, on her way!

MARIE DIGBY
I'm trying not to talk about too much music stuff overall because its a genre I know very little about (For real music knowledge head on over to Music Ramen blog), but I just have to mention this girl b/c I know she's gonna grow. Only a few short months ago, Marie (pronounced Mari-eh) posted her cover of Rihanna's "Umbrella" on YouTube. That video was seen by quite a few people and next thing we know it is the featured song on the premiere episode of this season of "The Hills." Now, Marie is sure to be taking off in a big way. She's adorable and young and really talented. I wouldn't be surprised if that little cover of hers launches not only a lucrative music career, but also one in film or tv as well. I hear she's already taking meetings all over Hollywood...

Its amazing what one can accomplish in 3 short months. See the video that started it all below:

OneRepublic Rock.

Okay, so I don't normally do music posts, but I had to write this up for our company newsletter (!Nerd Alert!) because our usual music guy is chilling on the beach in Hawaii (Side Note, music guy is actually the real Douchbag McGee featured here in this entertaining and popular blog post by Sunny of SillyPipeDreams). Anyhow, I think this band is worth a mention.
OneRepublic
Music Spotlight on... OneRepublic, a pop-rock band from Colorado consisting of Ryan Tedder (lead vocals/guitar/piano), Zach Filkins (guitar/vocals), Eddie Fischer (drums), Brent Kutzle (Bass/Cello/Vocals), and Drew Brown (guitar). Tedder is a grammy-nominated song-writer and producer, responsible for many popular tracks on the albums of superstars like Natasha Bedingfield, Jennifer Lopez, Bubba Sparxxx. OneRepublic is the perfect product of the online age: despite never having released an album, they have gained tremendous notoriety and popularity through the MYSPACE online community. They have been ranked in Myspace Music's Top Artists since summer 2006, and are currently the #1 ranked unsigned band. Myspace users aren't the only ones taking notice of this band, Timbaland featured a remix of their most popular song "Apologize" on his 2007 album Timbaland Presents: Shock Value. Most recently, they performed live on Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance? after "Apologize" was featured in one of the dances (contemporary routine w/ Danny and Anya). Their self-titled album OneRepublic is set to release this fall.

Here is the video for the remix version of "Apologize" featuring OneRepublic and Timbaland:

Music to my Ears!

DEBORAH CADE

Hey Y'all. My roommate is playing her first big show at the HOUSE OF BLUES--SUNSET STRIP tonight at 8PM. I'll be out to support along with a whole slew of people. So if you're feeling an awesome rock music vibe, please come check her out. For more information or to purchase her tracks online visit her website www.myspace.com/deborahcade. She's fab!

When 5-become-1...again.

So...embarassing reveal #357...I was a huge Spice Girls fan in Jr. High (What? I was 12!!). Anyhow, the SPICE GIRLS reunited on stage today for the first time in 9 years for a press conference at London's 02 Arena to announce that they will be doing a World-Wide Reunion Tour with all five members: Emma Bunton (Baby), Melanie Brown (Scary), Melanie Chisholm (Sporty), Geri Halliwell (Ginger) and even Victoria Beckham (Posh). The tour is expected to kick off in Los Angeles on December 7th of this year, then go on to make other appearances in the US, UK, China, Australia, and further abroad. Now, naturally, I hope to be in attendance. If for no other reason than to relive my glory days as a rambunctuous pre-teen...the nostalgia is already setting in. For any other former Spice fans out there, go to www.thespicegirls.com to register for a chance to buy tickets once they're released. They've assured the press that they're not in it for the money, but we'll wait until ticket prices are revealed to be the judge of that.

The Girls are certainly looking a bit different these days. Maybe they should change their name to the Spice Women as they're all looking a bit mom-ish in this pic...with the exception of Victoria who looks like a female terminating robot from outerspace, despite actually having the most children and the hottest husband (David Beckham...yum!). At least they've still got their signature high high heels. Should be interesting...GIRL POWER!!

Big Girl, You are Beautiful!

This just makes me happy. It's a positive step and fun music to boot.Mika "Big Girls (You Are Beautiful)"

On a similar note, newcomer Nikki Blonsky, star of this summer's much-anticipated musical HAIRSPRAY is getting a lot of positive buzz. Could she be the next Jennifer Hudson? She's pretty cute and sweet as can be. She's so well-spoken, poised, and well, Happy. She's a ball of energy and excitement and is really a joy to watch. A bit of a cinderella-story, 17-year-old Nikki found out she got the part via Access Hollywood cameras while she was scooping icecream at Cold Stone; since shooting she has even been a guest on Oprah.I'm a sucker for a good musical so I'm really excited to check this one out and see how she fairs. Plus, its got my boy Zac Efron in it, so of course I'm gonna be there to support. I really think this could be the big hit of the summer!!

Star on the Rise: Christina Milian

CHRISTINA MILIAN
This girl has real Talent with a capital "T," and she's got serious superstar potential. This beautiful young actress of cuban descent isn't new to the scene. In fact, she's been in it since she was a teenager. She started (as so many young'ns do) on the Disney Channel as one of the "Movie Surfers," but that's probably not what got your attention. You see, not only can Christina act, but she can sing, dance, and even produce. This is perhaps how she's best known, being nominated for a "Best Contemporary R&B Album" Grammy Award in 2005. So you're wondering...If she's really got it, then why isn't she big already? Well, I've got a few theories on that. First, she came onto the scene as a DC kid, a pop princess with the bubblegum rep. After a few years of this, she switched her rep around entirely. She became the R&B sexpot whose albums get sold and whose talents get recognized. She became the singer, the rapper's girlfriend with some urban flavor. This worked for her and really helped to skyrocket her music career. But she's older now, and I think this 25-year-old has finally found her niche. She's cleaned up her look, less sex and more glam (ala Angelina Jolie) and I know its only a matter of time before her true acting talents take center-stage. People just don't know the new and improved Christina Milian just yet (I got my first glimpse in the yet-to-be-picked-up pilot 8 Days a Week). She's a name that's never gone away, but one that will certainly start making it on some shortlists once word gets out. There's something to say about a new sophisticated look and when you've got the talent to back it, the sky is the limit.