Posts Tagged ‘Photo of the Day’

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

That is all.

[Related Post: Katy Perry Covers Bonnie Raitt]

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

So needless to say, yesterday was hella fun! Topless protest (sorta/kinda/not really a protest – see video below) in Bryant Park… The boys were lovin’ it! And I loved how happy it made them! I mean, look at those faces. Kinda makes me wish I had boobs. Anywho, I digress…

Meet Moira Johnston, a female rights activist from Philly who has become notorious for blaring her ta-ta’s this summer, to bring awareness to the fact that it’s a woman’s legal right to be topless in NYC. Crazy, right? I had no clue either! According to a 1992 law, female New Yorkers have the right to go topless anywhere men can, so long as they’re not engaged in commerce.

Learn something new errday!

On a separate yet related note, within hours of posting the above picture to my Facebook account, the photo was removed. Nothing says punk rock like violating Facebook! I don’t know if this was all Facebook’s doing, or if one of my “friends” turned me in first, but either way, I found it to be a complete joke! Which then, of course, circled back to why Moira has her boobies flappin’ in the breeze in the first place.

Oh, society. You and your stupidity never cease to amaze me.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

No, you’re not stuck in a vegan nightmare. This is actually a Bieber face cake, made out of ground beef and bacon (precisely placed for that magical Bieber hair allure). I’m assuming the teef are onions and the eyes are olives? This is worse than Paranoid Activity 3!!! Totally creepy.

Something that isn’t creepy is the fact that JB is the first artist on Universal Music’s roster to ever donate a portion of the proceeds from an album (with his new holiday effort, Under The Mistletoe) to charity.

That’s pretty cool.

Learn more via Chelsea Lately below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Aside from his serious work with the UN Foundation and Haiti relief, Kris Allen is usually a nut. Someone got hit with the looks stick and was also served a big fat bowl of lucky luck charms. He ain’t just a pretty face, he’s got a sweet soul’d out voice and quite the witty wit wit to boot.

Check out Kris Allen and his French Bulldog pup, Zorro, in action below + a live acoustic cover of MJ’s classic Man In The Mirror following. (Notice the comedic commentary before the song begins. Love this guy!)

By: Maria Ciezak
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

My goddess, Ms. Gwen Stefani, took some time to discuss the new No Doubt material, and I’m like a kid in a candy store. How will it sound? How much longer?! Should we call it a comeback? Either way, I yearn for the days of Tragic Kingdom.

Enjoy the tease from Stefani below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Let me state for the record that I’ve never fully been on the GaGa bandwagon. I know, can you believe it?! A gay dude who doesn’t think GaGa is the coolest thing since sliced bread? Well, it’s true. And no, I am not a hater. I repeat: I am not a hater. I actually admire GaGa for her drive and passion — specifically with wanting to ignite change — but at the end of the day, I’m not on board with the behavior that surrounds her image, nor am I certain I ever will be.

I’ve gotten in numerous discussions over why I have resisted the newly crowned pop icon and it always comes down to hysterics/aesthetics. For instance, I sometimes feel as if she truly contradicts herself. IE: If you are not attention-seeking as you once claimed in an interview with Barbara Walters, then why show up late to a Mets game and then flip the paparazzi the bird? So there’s that. Not to mention, showing up to airports in underwear and Armadillo heels. The attention-seeking aspect of her “art” really annoys me if I’m being completely blunt and simply comes off as being ungenuine and phony.

As far as music goes — yes, I can get into Bad Romance just like the next person but I just didn’t feel any sort of connection to her debut record, The Fame. Perhaps it’s because, to me, a majority of the music GaGa has released thus far seems to be shallow gay dance music. I don’t mean that as an insult as I see nothing wrong with shallow gay dance music — it has a purpose and there’s tons of mindless pop that I enjoy on the dancefloor. But the fact of the matter is that for me, once the lights come on and I leave the club, I don’t take that music to bed with me. Bottomline: I always have a hard time clinging to shallow gay dance music.

Do I think GaGa is talented? Of course. I’m just anxiously awaiting a delivery from GaGa that doesn’t feel like it has been dipped in an ink of contrived thought, an ink that’s too superficially pop. I honestly feel like The Fame is not the type of music that GaGa truly loves the most. Nor is it the type of music that fits her sound/vocal ability the best, either. It seems to me that it was a record that her label knew would sell and make an impact commercially. After all, labels (especially huge mainstream giants) are businesses and businesses thrive on money. Even the most creative talents often lose a sense of their identity when signing major record deals.

I simply wish GaGa would do a more piano/rock Elton John-esque record in the vein of her You & I performance — a record that showcases her seemingly deep nature and sensitive heart. The same sensitive heart that delivered this speech last night. Although I have resisted her before and most likely will again, I will say that she never fails to win me over with her humility and tender touch in interviews (I actually love this about her). And from the emotional little snippet she belts, I have a feeling GaGa may eventually win me over as an official little monster on her next release, as Born This Way sounds like a song that is everything but shallow gay dance music — a song I would certainly take to bed with me.

Check out GaGa’s beautiful acceptance speech, below.

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

Joke, Beliebers, joke.

When I first saw Justin Bieber’s Proactiv ad, I honestly thought it might be a spoof for Funny or Die. It begins with Biebs talking about big feet and hormones and I dunno about y’all but I thought that was hilarious, especially since he’s straight up talking like he’s some sort of mac daddy. Newsflash: you are not a pimp, JB. Well actually, now that I think about it, he kinda is? I mean he does have a bazillion little girls and Kim Kardashian on his side.

Kim Kardashian and Biebs — what an interestingly bizarre pair. The two toddlers just posed for a spread in Elle Magazine and I’ve got to give props where props should be given — the photos are adorably cool. Some are a little off putting though, since Kim is being her sexy ass self as usual and that’s a little weirdsy (yes, I just made that up) considering the fact that Justin is still a baaaby baaaby baaaby ohhh! Ya feel me?

All jokes aside, I think the media needs to lay off the kid. And not only the media but the entire business that seems to surround his name as well. I mean, an autobiography from a 16-year-old? I realize it’s showbiz, but there comes a time when one needs to learn how to say no, and unfortunately the kid just keeps on giving. Yes, he’s a product now, owned by the face of popular culture, but he’s also a teen — one who needs to breathe and to take a break/reality check from time to time for his own sanity. Let’s hope someone realizes this before his overexposure becomes a negative.

Check out Bieb’s Proactiv commerical followed by a behind-the-scenes look from Elle Mag, below. And be sure to check out Kim on the workout equipment — for some reason that part is hella funny to me!

By: Rob Brayl
For BiggerThanBeyonce.Com

A few days ago, before his face appeared on Idol Gives Back, President Obama arrived in Los Angeles to help raise money for the re-election of Senator Barbara Boxer. An exclusive dinner was arranged, and the guests in attendance had to pay $17,600 dollars per dinner plate. Let me state the obvious: most in attendance were wealthy corporate types or celebrities of various branches. When given a second thought, it’s clear that sometimes in order to feel you have a voice in America you need wealth (or at least the luxury of spending $17,600 for dinner). The ironic twist is the event took place in LA, a city on the verge of bankruptcy, with 80,000 residents homeless and 12 percent of the city’s population without jobs.

I mention the Obama angle, because I think it’s a common factor in deciding whether or not to give. Trust me, I’ve been there, to that place inside that selfishly overlooks the truth, by feeling as if I have nothing to give in comparisons to those with celebrity style bank accounts (which, let’s face it, should be giving in the first place, with or without the positive attention of the camera). The truth is, you do not need $17,600 to truly leave your footprint in the dirt of the world. Even as little as $10 bucks a month can literally feed children on the brink of starvation and catastrophic diseases.

Idol winner Carrie Underwood performed the beautiful track Change during the two hour event. Underwood talked to reporters after the show about the importance of supporting charitable causes: “This is the stuff that really makes a difference,” she said. “We’re coming up on 10 seasons of American Idol. Twenty years later, people might not remember who won what, but this is the kind of stuff that can make lives better and people will remember that.”

The track from Underwood’s Play On album was written by Katrina Elam, Josh Kear and Chris Tompkins. “[The song] talks about how the smallest thing can make a huge difference, and it really fits with tonight’s concept,” Underwood told reporters. During her fall tour, 36 cents of every ticket sold will benefit Save the Children’s programs in the U.S. The amount parallels a reference to “36 cents” in the lyrics of the song.

You can listen to the track, below. You can also check out Keep A Child Alive (a program I personally advocate), by clicking here.