If a Nuclear Holocaust took over The Hills? The show would still go on...

This SuperNews! - The Hills (Post Apocalypse) cracked me up. The over the top cartoon versions of my favorite reality stars are pretty amazing, along with Spencer's rapping and Whitney's working.

Amanda Bynes is a dream in Sydney White

Just got back from seeing Amanda Bynes' newest movie Sydney White. While I'm almost positive that almost every reviewer in the world is ripping the film a new one (Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a 38%, but a lot of reviewers saw the good in it) , for what it was (a teen flick), I really enjoyed it.

OMG, let's be Kappas!!

Unfortunately, I think that too many reviewers watch teen movies and expect them to be Oscar winners or something more than they are. Loosely following the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sydney White [Amanda Bynes] and her Seven Dorks take on the evils of the Kappa sorority to help everyone on campus find their inner dork. Since I had only seen a couple previews of the movie, I really didn't know what to expect. I just know that I love Amanda Bynes, though she plays the same character in most every movie, which is ok with me because I love that girl. Not since "She's the Man," has Bynes been so funny and so great, which I think a lot of people think might be a joke, but I thought "Man" was a great teen flick. I thought it was funny how the movie did seem to poke fun at Gamma Phi Beta and Pi Beta Phi, but it was no Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities, nor was it meant to be.

Not the biggest hottie, but definitely one of my favorite Hollywood personalities.


Love her.

The movie had some good laughs courtesy of Amanda Bynes' trademark funny awkwardness and a feel-good storyline that was part Mean Girls, part Snow White.

In all, I just really liked it, as did the guy sitting at the front of the theater who clapped at the film's conclusion (although he also clapped at the end of the preview to Jennifer Lopez's new movie starring Omarion).

Nothing works...

My mind has been really restless lately and I took sleeping pills a little while ago to go to sleep. I need that Lunesta butterfly pretty bad.

Grammys, Emmy Party, American Idol finale, but... no So You Think You Can Dance Tour

Blogging So You Think You Can Dance is keeping up with the SYTYCD tour this summer/fall and I cannot say that I'm not extremely jelly (jealous) of all the people who get to go!

I wasn't able to get tickets to the LA show at the to-be-opened Nokia Theatre that my friend Art is actually working on, but I suppose there's always StubHub. Here some some of the cool videos that fans have posted on YouTube that BSYTYCD has gathered up.

Hok, Dominic, and Sara doing a breaking routine.

Lacey and Kameron performing Dancing, their Mia Michaels routine.

Oh Lacey Mae, you're a dreamboat.


One of my favorite performances from the season - Lacey & Neil's Lindy Hop.

MTV has also been marathon-ing SYTYCD all weekend, which I hope becomes a regular thing like they do with America's Next Top Model.

One of the things that kept SYTYCD so great all season was how we really got to "know" the contestants through these videos. Each contestant had a distinct character and it made you get really attached to your favorites (mine being Lacey and Dominic). While there are a ton of reality/contest shows out there that I watch and love, few did it as well as SYTYCD this past season.

You have new Picture Mail!

There may be a game, but I enjoy the Song Girls.

You have new Picture Mail!

At the game!

Temporary King of the American Idol Top 10 Insider Blog

As previously posted about, every week on AmericanIdol.com, my homey Marnie does a "Top 10" list on her official "Insider Blog" for the website. It's a ton of fun and there's definitely a little community that visits her blog all the time.

While I have a few wins under my belt that weren't posted about, in this week of blogging victories, I thought it was fun that I have been crowned the temporary king of the Top 10 list.

OMG, that is so effing great!

After getting a couple tickets to the Kelly Clarkson concert in November (woo hoo!)...

Hopefully more of this Kelly...

And just a sprinkle of this Kelly, though that won't happen as the tour promotes her newest CD

I'm now off to regain my masculinity at the USC game in the poopy rain. Happy Saturday, everyone!

Nothing says manly like awkward pictures of three dudes

AskMen's list of Top 10 Chick Cars

AskMen.com recently posted their list of "Top 10: Chick Cars."

Seeing as I enjoyed High School Musical and listen to Carrie Underwood on a fairly regular basis...

You know you love me too.

I was interested in seeing how many of the cars I was interested in made the list. Even more, I was going to be shocked if my effeminate Scion xA didn't make the list.

*indicates a car that I have seriously considered

10) Mini Cooper Cabriolet (convertible)*
9) Pontiac G6
8) Mercedes-Benz C230 Kompressor*
7) Chrysler PT Cruiser Convertible
6) Chevrolet Suburban
5) BMW X3
4) Acura RSX*
3) VW Eos
2) Toyota Rav4*
1) Dodge Neon

I @M 4 W!MM3N$

That is pretty bad on my part... And I watch Wicked all the time... and I really enjoyed Hairspray... It's all downhill from this point.

Carrie Music Television

Tune into CMT on Thursday between 6AM and 12PM for Carrie Music Television!

Country Music Television will be playing Carrie Underwood's newest music video, "So Small," on a loop for six straight hours on Thursday morning to celebrate its release.

Proof of Carrie Underwood being the most beautiful woman on the planet is included below.

Watch me all morning and be late for workyyyy

Rest for the weary?

On Thursday, I'm going to buy a picture frame and then just go home for once.

It's been a pretty exhausting week after a pretty exhausting summer and really, I'm just a little wiped out at this point, so sleep sounds really good to me. 2008 Grammys, here I come! But I gotta rest up a little in the meantime.

Now that Billboard is on hiatus, some people have been asking what I'm going to do with all my free time.

1) See Marie' Digby at least one more time during her Hotel Cafe' residency.
Marie Digby's Version of "What I've Done"

Add to My Profile | More Videos

2) See Wicked every other week while Megan Hilty is still there because I love it and it's an affordable night of incomparable fun.

Megan Hilty (Glinda!), I love thee!

Popular

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Funniest cast ever with Megan Hilty as Glinda

3) Keep going to salsa class so that I can go salsa dancing with Ramiro upon his return to LA.

4) Continue going to one new restaurant every week. This week's choice? Don Antonio's on Pico so I can eat like Speidi on The Hills.

"How about you and me go to Don Antonio's tonight?" - Heidi Montag
That I will, Heidi!

5) I'd also love to redo the good ole' website. More space for text, maybe play with the color scheme a little now that I have some more time and aren't blogging on so many sites at the same time.

6) Frame all my good pictures and put them up in my room.

7) Clean my room/wax my car.

8) Recharge my brain from writing so many words, but I'll put some of the leftover energy back into the blog.

9) Continue surfing/doing other random activities that aren't normally suited for my people.

10) Do a peel off face mask and perhaps a couple days of beauty.

11) Get caught up on emails.

12) Rearrange my room.

13) Seriously consider getting a dog.

That's it for now.

And the winner of the Billboard/LG Mobile Beat Concert Blogging Contest is....

Apparently, it's me!

I just received a call from the Marketing Director at Billboard, informing me that I was chosen the winner of this summer's Billboard Mobile Beat Concert Blogging competition. After applying, I was initially chosen to blog with about twenty something other bloggers from all around the country, covering concerts in our region. After that, it was an all out concert blogging war as we tried to outblog each other, cover more shows, produce better content, and get the best pictures.

Apparently, I was good enough all summer long.

HUGE thank you's to everyone who read, advertised for, and commented on my Billboard blog this summer. Your support means the world to me.

To the artists, Damon Castillo, Alissa Moreno, Libbie Schrader, Arden Kaywin, Overnight Lows, and especially Marie' Digby, who hooked me up with comps and let me come to non-Billboard scheduled shows on my own, thank you all so much.

So, what did I win?

A trip to the 2008 Grammy Awards and hopefully the opportunity to blog about it on Billboard.com.

Thank you to everyone!

You have new Picture Mail!

Surprise appearance by Timbaland!

You have new Picture Mail!

One of the cooler stage set ups I've seen this summer.

You have new Picture Mail!

JT is dancing up a storm.

You have new Picture Mail!

At the JT Concert. About to bring Sexy Back.

Check out what might be my final Billboard Blog of the summer

I believe Confucius once said, "If you're going to go out, go out big with an Emmy party." While I attribute much of what has been a pretty unbelievable summer to being a part of this dark corner (really, the colors are dark) of Billboard.com, LG has also been such a huge part of this whole experience as well. From providing the bloggers with phones and random LG goodies inside our stylish Billboard backpacks (which I take to the beach with me in hopes of attracting women while I deliberately walk backwards and make declarative, minor lies like, "I MAKE LOTS OF MONEY!!!") to giving us this opportunity to share our experiences with a tiny slice of the online world, I am beyond grateful to everyone I've interacted with at LG and at Billboard for inspiring me to make the most of this summer. While the Billboard name has helped me out tremendously this summer, it was LG that gave me the opportunity to hang out in the outdoor LG lounge while I rubbed elbows with some of my favorite Hollywood stars at a pre-Emmy party on Saturday night.

Read the rest here!

Celebrities galore, but photos tough to come by at the Emmy Pre-Party...

The Entertainment Weekly Emmy Pre-Party was filled with celebrities, but pictures were tough to come by! Pretty much, no one but me and about five other people were taking pictures and being losers, but I'm ok with that.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to walk the red carpet to declare "I am the Asian Perez Hilton, but I'm nice!!" to the cameramen who would undoubtedly ask "WHO ARE YOU??" It seemed like a lot of the celebs walked the red carpet and then walked right out instead of stopping by the party, but it was really packed inside the Opera and Crimson regardless.

It was another pretty hot day here in SoCal, so please excuse the sweatiness. Everyone else kept wearing their jackets and unfortunately no one did the Bar Mitzvah "let's just wear the t-shirts we had on under neath the dress up clothes" routine.

We're here!
(this was light on top of smoke in the entrance...not a crappy camera)

Dr. McSteamy and Alex Karev from Grey's Anatomy
(Eric Dane & Justin Chambers)
Ugly Betty's boss, Daniel!
(Eric Mabius)
Marc from Ugly Betty!
(Michael Urie)

I told Michael that I help out on the news section for AmericanIdol.com and then I said "I don't know if you watch that show..." He promptly replied "Now I will!!!"

I know he was lying, but I thought it was nice.
Hiro from Heroes!
(Masi Oka, who came to speak to one of my classes last year)

George from Grey's Anatomy
(T.R. Knight)

I also got a picture with Addison from Grey's (Kate Walsh), but it has to get emailed to me.

People I missed the chance to snap a pic with and am upset about:
- Andrea Bowen (Julie from Desperate Housewives)
- Eva Longoria (Gabrielle from Desperate Housewives... her security guy was about to murder me so I thought better)
- Jamie Pressly (Just shoulda done it and I didn't)
- Padma from Bravo Network
- Miss J from America's Next Top Model
- Olivia Wilde (Alex from The OC... She was just too hot! I couldn't do it!)

Others in attendance that I definitely saw with my own eyes:
- Neil Patrick Harris
- Heidi Klum
- Vanessa Williams
- John Stamos
- Kevin Sorbo
- Anthony Anderson
- Simon Cowell's girlfriend
- Sherry Stringfield
- A lot of incredibly hot women

Other notables who I caught glimpses of or heard were there from others:
- David Boreanaz
- Zachary Quinto (Sylar from Heroes)

People who I was looking for all night but came up empty:
- Lauren Conrad from The Hills
- Audrina from The Hills
- Heidi and Spencer from The Hills
- Whitney from The Hills
- Jason Wahler from The Hills (I wanted to tell him how much I enjoyed his rapping on Celebrity Rap Superstar)
- Ryan Seacrest
- Jenna Fischer (Pam from The Office)
- Anyone else from The Office
- Jennifer Love Hewitt (come on... Ghost Whisperer deserves an invite!)
- Gordon Ramsay from Hell's Kitchen
- Hilary Duff
- Anyone from Friends or Seinfeld
- Anyone from Everybody Loves Raymond
- Trent from Pink is the New Blog

Regardless, still a pretty amazing way to spend a Saturday night. It's now 4AM and I have to work on Sunday. Yikes.

Interesting day lined up today - Emmy Pre-Party?

So tonight, I'm supposed to head off to some Entertainment Weekly Emmy Pre-Party in Hollywood. I'm pretty excited about it, but I don't have a wingman or wingwoman so I honestly don't know how I'm going to pass the time while I'm there standing there like a douche by the buffet.

If Cresty is there and I can get a pic, it's worth it.

Regardless, I'm about to spend a lot of money to make sure I look nice. I'm not sure if it's going to be "industry peeps" or celebrities galore, but if there's celebrities, you know there will be pics.

Have a great Saturday, all.

There is no shortage of hawt wimmenz in FOX's "Nashville"

At this point, I'm pretty sure that I'm into anything that comes out of the Liz Gately/Adam Divello factory. From Laguna Beach, to The Hills, to the beaches of Newport Harbor, to the new FOX series Nashville, I am not afraid to admit that I love them all.

Hotties for DAYS in Nashville

There will be money. There will not be houses, but there will be "estates." There will be horses. There will be some good music. There will be moments with lots of hugging like this.

"OMG, you're prettier!!"
"No way, you're prettier!!!"
"OMFG, ok fine, we're both so pretty, eeee!!!"
"Soooo happyyyyy!!! Spin meeee!!!"

While the show follows the mold of Laguna, Newport, and The Hills by following upper class white people (for some reason, I feel like there will be zero minorities in Nashville) having a grand ole' time, some of the singers actually seemed pretty talented based on last night's premiere. From Terry Bradshaw's daughter and aspiring country singer Rachel Bradshaw, to a daughter of a coal miner with the good looks of a girl from Laguna, Mika Combs, everywhere you go in FOX's Nashville world, there is good country music...and hotties.

Don't look at my daughter that way, kids...

I'll be watching the drama as the singers look for deals and cross their fingers that they'll make the stage (in some cases, again) at the Grand Ole' Opry.


It's almost enough to make me want to leave Los Angeles, pick up and move to Nashville so that I can work at Panda Express and serve hot food to beautiful White people all day. If Mika came to the spot, I'd consider derailing my career and life plans to scoop up Panda bowls all day long.

For Mika, looking at this all day would be a small price to pay.

Ah semi-scripted reality TV...how I love thee...

Please check out my Billboard Blog on Marie' Digby's residency kickoff in Hollywood!

Depending on who you talk to, the drama that was last week for Marie' Digby came at either the best or worst possible time. While most would love to be on the front page of the Wall Street Journal like Digby was last week, the rising star was portrayed in an unfavorable light in the nationwide publication. On her end, Marie only her MySpace page, live shows, and fans to defend herself from an article that filled the blogosphere (and even took over the comment section of my previous post as of late) this past week. The article made its way onto breakfast tables the week before the YouTube star was about to kickoff a month long residency at the famed SoCal music hot spot, The Hotel Cafe'. Coinciding with the release of Digby's new four-song EP to iTunes, for the first time in a while, there was some question as to whether Digby's positive momentum would continue after the article cast a shadow on her recent success. As I walked up to the venue an hour before the doors opened and saw a line already forming against the wall. It was clear that Digby's fans were still coming out to support her and they would continue to come out in a very big way. Perhaps surprisingly, Marie' was not about to shy away from addressing the events of the past week. But not surprisingly, Marie' continued to impress with her original music and stage presence, and ultimately left everyone excited about what the future holds for the up and coming star.

Read the rest here!

Jennifer Hudson joins the cast of "Sex and the City: The Movie"

Jennifer Hudson might not have won American Idol, but after winning an Oscar for her performance in Dreamgirls, she's moving on and taking on Manhattan as Carrie Bradshaw's assistant in the Sex and the City movie. Doing big things!

Don't look at me... or my cleavage

Marie' Digby Kicks Off Month Long Residency at Hotel Cafe' in Hollywood

And thanks to Marie' for letting me be there for it!

Official blog to come later this week, hoping to end some of my temporary insomnia tonight.

My favorite Marie' song - Unfold
(Shot by GeorgeBui101, who I'd love to meet one of these days)

Please check out my write up on Kings of Leon and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club

On Saturday, I drove down from LA to the hot blonde-filled SDSU campus to take in two popular rock bands that I was unfamiliar with, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Kings of Leon. Honestly, rock music is probably the genre that I'm least familiar with out of all the radio friendly genres. Rock music has just really never been my thing, despite the fact that I grew up in the Pacific Northwest during the peak of the Nirvana/Pearl Jam grunge rock days (I think I was too busy listening to Sir Mixalot's "Baby Got Back" in my parents' Ford Taurus and waving my hands wildly while I sang "Emotions" by Mariah Carey). Some of my friends had seen this duo perform the night before in LA and told me that I was in for a great show, so after a morning of surfing (AKA Dave Chung falling repeatedly in the water in front of hot women) I was excited to take in some real rock music - not punk rock or pop rock - just rock. As the enthusiastic audience that spawned the first mosh pit I've seen this summer would tell you, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Kings of Leon turned it out on Saturday night with performances that halted all academic activity on the college campus and invited everyone to come down to the Open Air Arena and rock out with the bands.

Read the rest here and please leave me a comment on my Billboard page so I know you stopped in!

Shock, Awe, and Thank You's

Over the past couple days, I saw a huge spike in traffic on the site, which I expected to come as a result of Marie' Digby news and Vanessa Anne Hudgens news.

What I didn't expect was to be indirectly linked from CNN.com via its "From the blogs - Controversy, commentary, and debate" section powered by Sphere for my post on Vanessa Anne Hudgens.

If you want to share in my joy, visit this page on CNN and then click on "From the Blogs" at the very bottom of the page. For now, my humble site appears in the "Blogs Talking About This Topic" section as the Number 2 blog (More Thoughts from the Shower).

I think we're going to do a bit of a shift again on the site and get back to its editorial column roots a bit. To keep my brain working, I think we're going to move back to having more of my actual thoughts on topics of interest instead of just posting pics/video with my silly one liners (though that will definitely still be here as more Carrie Underwood and Katharine McPhee pictures just demand to be posted).

Hooray!

Thanks to everyone who is visiting via CNN, the DaveChung.com regulars (who really have made this site relevant and I hope you all take some ownership of this mini "big break"), and of course to the Sphere people for choosing my blog to be featured on CNN!

In more Xanga/bloggy news

I'm off to go surfing for the first time this morning before heading down to San Diego to work a concert tonight.

Weeeee!!!!

I'm so California-ed right now.

Avril Lavigne is not modest

Do not look at me. I am much too successful, strong, giving, and if you don't believe it, you're a loser.

Let's look at some stellar quotations from Avril Lavigne's recent interview with Britain's Q Magazine.

On dealing with her incredible success:

"Selling 24 million albums hasn't really affected me, but it has changed things. I can't walk into a room full of people any more without everybody turning their heads, and I can only eat in certain restaurants where I know I won't get hassled. But that's OK. I was born to do this, and so I've learned how to cope."

Hmm...that's interesting... So I guess you were always pretty full of yourself and enjoyed number dropping, even before selling 24 million albums...

OMG, you are like so effing stuck up.

Preach on, Whitney from The Hills!

On her competition:
"Someone like Kelly Clarkson is beautiful and has a pretty voice, but with me you get a much stronger image. I'm tough, I have a look that girls want to copy, and I sound a particular way. It's good if you're not easily ignored. And I'm not."

OMG, have you heard Before He Cheats?

OMG, Carrie is so pretty and I want copy her look

On her generosity:
"I am a very giving person. When the hurricane thing happened, I went to my closet, filled six boxes of stuff and said to my assistant, 'Take it to Katrina!' I also like to give stuff to people who are my 'workers,' especially if they don't make much money."

Ok, no picture on this one. If you're so giving, fill more than six boxes and freakin take it to the post office yourself instead of giving more work to your underpaid worker bees who straight iron your hair every morning.

Yeah, at least like do 7 boxes...

(I couldn't resist using the picture)

On her polarizing personality:
"People love me and people hate me, but I'm comfortable in my own skin and that's what counts. And anyway if you do hate me, you're the loser, not me."

Every person on earth other than Avril just got sold out.

Responding to Marie' Digby editorial in WSJ

Let's talk Marie' Digby for a minute because well, a lot of people have been asking me about it.



Just days after I did a write up on Marie' Digby's show for Billboard.com, the Wall Street Journal wrote a pretty scathing editorial about the YouTube phenom - accusing her of being a pawn and the "Lonelygirl15" of music.

Marie' answered back via her MySpace blog:

Media 101

I think today will be the first ever blog that I write ... as i'm furious. fuming. angry beyond words.

Thank god for blogs because I can say whatever the F.. i want to .

So basically, I got a call recently that some shmuck from the Wall Street Journal wanted to do an article about me. He interviewed some people at my label and then asked to talk to me on the phone. I talked to this guy for an hour, told him every detail of my journey so far in music...

Here's Lesson 1 for me in Media - The writer will use whatever quote he wants of yours to make it fit his 'angle'. This loser was desperate for a good story... he knew what he wanted to write before he ever even talked to me.

The guy's angle is this : that I am a complete phony and fake and a pawn of my record label in some brilliant marketing scheme.

IS this guy completely insane. You think it's that easy? That you get signed and suddenly everything's taken care of for you!!!?? DO you think that my record label came to my house, my bathroom! and told me what songs to sing and told me that in a matter of weeks i'd be some 'youtube ' phenom??!?!

Wake up - I am GRATEFUL to be signed but you know what, Labels are wonderful for mostly one thing - A loan. It is a bank and they lend you money to make music. THey don't come to your house, hold your hand, and direct youtube videos for you .

I have so many dear friends who were signed to the biggest record labels in the world, made amazing albums and were DROPPED. that's it.....

I was in a situation with my label where I didn't know where the hell i stood amongst the Hilary Duff's, ALy and AJ, Jesse Mcartney.. the HIGH school musical kidS!!!!

I was STRANDED! I was completely lost and desperate... I knew that if i didn't do something, that I would end up like my friends.. that i would have this amazing record which would never see the light of day. Oh, and something else, as many of you have asked me, i STILL don't know when I get to actually release an album !! I mean, I 'm hoping that thanks to all of this good stuff lately, that it will get the chance it deserves but i still don't know for sure.

What hurts the most is that this loser took every genuine thing i said and made it sound like I am acting, that this whole thing is scripted. The dude is desperate to be onto the next ' lonely girl' or whatever.. i've actually never seeen that but its obvious that's what he wanted me to be.

I just had to write this because this is a place for me to say whatever's on my mind.. and I want you to hear what I have to say about this article.

It's really upsetting but i guess it's also a lesson learned.. this is my first taste of what media might be like.

OK. i'm not angry anymore :)

I guess it's that easy for me to get over it. good thing.. write songs or write blogs, i guess that's my therapy.

Now, what do I think? Honestly, I never really expected to be left of center of this whole controversy, but it's a pretty interesting story. While I don't agree with much of what was written by Peter Lattman and Ethan Smith, I think they built a compelling narrative with a controversial article that moved papers and is making them the talk of the town and the blogosphere.

Before I saw Marie' by my own choosing for Billboard, I knew that she was already signed to Hollywood Records. I was sure that she was working on a CD for a major label. I also thought that her YouTube videos were a great way for her to continue to try and leverage her talent and popularity so that she will one day be able to put out her own album of original music. However, I thought that she was still an incredibly compelling story because she really "made herself" via YouTube. Many people have been messaging, texting, and IMing me saying that it's a huge shock that Marie' was already signed, but I already knew that she was signed so it really came as no shock to me, just wanted to clear up that part.

When you have some decent exposure to the entertainment industry, you quickly realize that if someone is signed to a label, it doesn't necessarily mean that they are guaranteed to put out an album or that they are suddenly set for life and filling venues around the world. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people don't realize that.

Many hear about the big signings, like American Idol Runner-Up Blake Lewis getting signed to Arista, and think that the artist has finally made it and that they're a guaranteed success because really, that's just what we hear about. I can't necessarily blame people for thinking this way because most of the stories we hear about are the good ones and really, not everyone lives in an entertainment saturated area with friends that are in bands, which gives people different perspectives on "the biz."

What we don't hear about are the artists who get signed to labels and yet never get to put out a CD, or don't get the promotion that puts them on the front cover of every magazine in town, and maybe a couple wardrobe malfunction shots on TMZ. While I wouldn't have a problem believing that a record label would tell an artist to put up some videos on YouTube, like any up and coming artist would to build a fan base, I do have a problem with people believing that Hollywood Records was behind all of Marie' Digby's videos on YouTube - an impression that a lot of people are somehow coming to after reading the Wall Street Journal article (even though that's not even said) - or at a larger sense, responsible for all her success.

In terms of real life personality, Marie' is an incredibly genuine person with her fans and her humility is something that makes you happy for the newfound success that she has found of late. While the Wall Street Journal implies that label executives were planning Marie' s every move online, I find this hard to believe, not only based on my conversation with Marie', but in terms of logic as well. When a label is managing some of the biggest teen acts in the world (High School Musical), I have a hard time thinking that a label would take the time and effort to make a plethora of YouTube videos for an artist who has yet to sell them a single CD.

Even if Hollywood Records asked Marie' to put out a few YouTube videos, it was Marie' who made her YouTube success happen in an incredibly crowded music space and made them successful well beyond "Umbrella." While a brief mention, even the WSJ article has to admit that "though all involved say that Hollywood Records' role in her online rise has been limited," but this part of the article is just part of a sentence instead of an actual topic because it would take away from the story's angle - which implied that Marie' was an artificially produced McArtist of the YouTube generation.


Let's finish that fragment from the WSJ article: "Though all involved say that Hollywood Records' role in her online rise has been limited, label executives say they did nothing to discourage Ms. Digby from conveying the impression that she had stumbled into the spotlight." ...though it seems as though they didn't necessarily encourage her from conveying that impression as well. So basically, that doesn't really say a whole lot.

Just to speak on Digby's personalty, not only does Marie' actually read her own emails, but she remembers fans from particular emails when she's at shows. She recognizes people by name and by the things that they've said to her and remembers more about any fan than any PR spin doctor could ever train an artist to do. Her genuine personality and warmth is something that just can't be trained.

And yes, Marie' went on radio shows, TV shows, and live performances and was completely surprised and in awe of her newfound fame even after being signed to a label for two years. Yes, many of these appearances were booked through Marie's label, but so what? If you have representation, you should use it to your advantage and that's what Marie' did.

Very few artists come on the radio and say "Hey, I'd really like to thank Virgin Records for booking this for me." And in terms of her shock of being on the radio and being starstruck being in the spotlight? I think we call that normal human reaction to finally achieving a dream - not putting on an act to fool people into thinking something completely opposite to what is actually the truth. What I feel like is getting lost in all this is that being signed doesn't necessarily mean that you suddenly have an audience.

Great artists in Los Angeles play shows in front of a crowd that you could count on two hands. If they got signed to a label, there's a good chance that the crowd would remain the same size. Marie' did her thing and leveraged herself to help her cause to show that she was deserving of putting out a full length CD. I can respect that.

For Marie' to be shocked at the size of her audiences and say things like "I just turned on my little iMovie, and here I am!" isn't something that I believe to be dishonest or misleading at all. Marie' built an audience for herself by creating her space online that she had "executive" control over and that's ultimately what made her the success that she is today. Without her own work on YouTube and interacting with fans on MySpace, Marie' wouldn't have the opportunities to benefit from having a label in hercorner to help her out with getting songs on iTunes or radio play. While Marie' was signed, it was her work and her music that kept fans coming back. Being on a label guarantees nothing and Marie' took that opportunity and owned it by helping her cause to show her label that she could develop an audience on her own and become a success without overwhelming promotion.

Do I feel like Marie' misrepresented herself? Not so much, because the road to filling up venues and hearing one's song on the radio is a long one. Marie' was finally making it big after years in the industry and any artist would be surprised at the newfound success. While yes, she went on the radio and on TV and didn't mention being on a label, but who does do that other than P. Diddy (Bad Boy, baby) and old school Busta Rhymes (FLIPMODE SQUAD!!!).

Marie' gave credit to her YouTube videos for bringing her to where she is and the funny thing is, that IS ultimately what brought her to where she is. So yes, Marie' might have got worked by a couple writers who did actually make a compelling, albeit twisted argument, but I don't believe for a second that she misrepresented herself because I think that her reactions are completely normal of anyone who is suddenly finding the success that she has found - and I think she should be proud of how she got there. The YouTube videos, which Marie' ultimately took ownership of, opened the doors for her to finally get the full support of her label and she made herself matter.

Marie' Digby differentiated herself from a VERY crowded music environment on the largest online video sharing site in the world. She hustled, won over fans with her voice, and most importantly her music, and now she's worthy of the front page of the Wall Street Journal.

Do your thing, Marie'.

Vanessa Anne Hudgens says Goodbye to High School Musical?

Vanessa Anne Hudgens' Nude Pictures Hit the Internet.

Goodbye High School Musical?

"I want to apologize to my fans, whose support and trust means the world to me...I am embarrassed over this situation and regret having ever taken these photos. I am thankful for the support of my family and friends." More here

I hope she and Zac Efron get married because those pictures might cost her a LOT.

Or at the very least, I hope he really liked the pictures because everyone else is looking at them right now, which probably includes Disney execs who are being forced into making a tough decision.

G1b m3 n00d$!!

By now, most of us have heard that High School Musical hottie and ultimate sweetheart Vanessa Anne Hudgens (AKA Gabriella) recently had some nude pictures leaked onto the Internet (which I really could post here, but I am trying to maintain some morals...though it is difficult... and since idontlikeyouthatway is getting bombarded, they're also here).

No longer a wildcat?

One would assume the pictures were taken for her boy toy Zac Efron, but the pictures are making their way around the web in a very big way and spammers are taking over Vanessa Hudgens fan sites via forums (which I'm sure have some of the nicest people in the world on them, seriously... because Gabriella is so unbelievably sweet in High School Musical) and posting pictures of the High School Musical hottie all over the place (and yes, she is legal).

If you aren't a High School Musical fan, Hudgens plays Gabriella, girlfriend of Troy Bolton (real life boyfriend Zac Efron), the school's star basketball player ("playmaker" HOLLA!!). Overall, High School Musical is one of the cleanest forms of family entertainment and kids' movie goodness that you could ever see. While Gabriella breaks the mold of an academic decathlon participant with her dazzling personality and ability to hang with the "cool crowd," she also helps Troy "break free" from just being a basketball star so that he can prove that he's more than that. Together, they're opposites. On stage, they are a singing dream.

While Disney currently denies published claims that the previously pristine teen star would be fired because of the pictures' release on the Internet, it'll likely only be a matter of time before Gabriella is written out of East High School's story lines. It would be easy to do because Gabriella's mom in the movies moves around a lot and her family never really gets the chance to settle anywhere. Additionally, because Gabriella is the smartest girl in school, saying that she skipped a grade and went to college early wouldn't be the biggest stretch in the world either. No matter what, I'll be shocked if Hudgens' Michael Vick-like fall allows her to be in High School Musical 3.

Why you gotta bring that up, dawg? Aw crap...

Or they can just say that she met some weirdo online and disappeared. That's believable too.

Sorry, I really like the movies. Anyways!

Interestingly, the pictures really don't even look like Hudgens (ok, I had to see what the commotion was about). At the very least, they look less like Hudgens than videos of R. Kelly peeing on an underaged girl.

Hold up, "allegedly peeing on an underaged girl."

As easy as it would have been to deny the legitimacy of the pictures, Hudgens' rep made what I thought to be a shocking move by confirming that the pictures were indeed of the Disney star.

Really? For a picture that doesn't even look like her? As much as I value honesty and am a terrible liar myself, I thought this was an interesting move by Team 'Nessa. I think it's a little bit too early for her to go Jessica Biel or even a more tame Anne Hathaway with the public.

Devil Wears Prada?

In Havoc, Hathaway wears nothing.

Not only are the pictures a huge blow to Hudgens' pristine image, but they're potentially going to be extremely damaging to Disney's new powerhouse franchise. With all the money that Disney is making off High School Musical everything that's invested in the movies, it'll be interesting to see how the Mouse handles what could be the fall of one of their most popular characters.

When I heard that the pictures finally leaked, I was surprisingly (really surprisingly) pretty bummed about it. It seems like everything has been tied to scandal lately, even my LC had some sex tape rumors floating around...followed up by rumors that her sex tape was "very vanilla" (YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!!!) - which really broke my heart.

Best of luck to Vanessa. I hope she stays on High School Musical because while Vanessa messed up, Gabriella is the perfect girl to play a perfect girl in a perfect high school.

To conclude, I'll just say this.

Do NOT go there, Hannah Montana.

Wicked Wednesday

A Wicked Good Wednesday Night (so corny, but so good...)

One of the wonderful things about living in Los Angeles is that you can spontaneously do unusual things because you feel like it.

Psst...Elphaba... some little Asian is coming to see us!

At lunch today, my friend Linda and I thought that we should try to go see the musical Wicked in Hollywood after work. And so, being people who like doing things, we went.

Me and Eden Espinosa (Elphaba)

Not only did I get Megan Hilty's (Glinda) and Eden Espinosa's (Elphaba) autographs , but we hung out after the show so we could meet them (both dreamy!). Megan was looking glamorous with some tall heels on and her hair nicely poofed after the show and Eden was just stunning when her face wasn't all green!

Me and Kristoffer Cusick (Fiyero)
We stood in this pose for a good minute, which was not as awkward as you'd think.

Me and Megan Hilty (Glinda)
*sigh* Dream come true...best Gah-linda ever.

I was definitely hoping to sleep early, but what a great Wednesday night! Well worth it.

This song makes me emo.

I'll be back soon!