‘Watch The Throne’ Released Without Leak

Those Watching the Throne will have a hard time looking away.

If there was anyone that could keep this mega-project from being released to the public before the scheduled release date, it was this duo of Jay-Z and Kanye West. With Watch The Throne being distributed digitally first and then physical copies hitting Best Buy shelves August 12th, there seems to be a plan in place to make the most cash possible. The news that these CDs would only be released at Best Buys nationwide caused uproar amongst independently owned record shops- indie stores and privately owned places that have been struggling to stay afloat in a time and age when no one pays for music anymore. But this phenomenon has taken its toll on the entire industry, and that includes the musicians themselves. It seems the only ones making out in all of this are us as the listeners.

John Meneilly, Jigga’s manager, has come out to say this Best Buy only deal was to avoid a leak. I guess the probability of a privately owned record shop employee swiping a copy of the heralded product is higher than a Best Buy employee doing the same- seems bogus. In all reality, a deal may have been worked out between Roc-A-Fella and Best Buy to exclusively push this album. If you look at it from Jay and Kanye’s point of view, they won’t be paid anyways with millions of kids downloading their beats for free, so they might as well take the commercial cash from a big-time distributor and turn some sort of profit. Otherwise, this masterpiece would have been out a week or two ago and the hype would have already died. But let’s not let all the politics surrounding this bad boy bring it down- this quality rap indeed.

Invest Wisely: Jay-Z Buys BBC Clothing Line From Pharrell

Jay-Z has bought Billionaire Boys Club from Pharrell.

“I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man.”

Jay-Z founded Rocawear, a hip-hop inspired clothing line that blew up on the same scale as his career in the late 90s and 2000s. And with Watch The Throne dropping tomorrow, Sean Carter has made more news with the announcement that he has bought the Billionaire Boys Club clothing line from it’s brainchild, producer/rapper extraordinaire Pharrell. With Rocawear now owning the license to manufacture and distribute BBC clothes, sources have confirmed that Jay and Pharrell will work together to see the line grow- Jigga Man using his business prowess and Pharrell using his creative genius. Hova gives the streetwear line a huge financial re-vamp that lots of other brands simply can’t match- it should be interesting to see where the company goes from here. And for those concerned about seeing the prestigious BBC in department stores like Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, and JC Penney’s just because its under the Roc umbrella, the two business moguls have made it clear that this will not be the case. A good business deal on both ends, I’d say.

 

 

Quentin Tarantino Lands All-Star Cast for ‘Django Unchained’

Jamie Foxx will star as Django, a freed slave out for revenge.

Quentin Tarantino films aren’t your run-of-the-mill thrillers. The legendary director brings a style of production and an attitude unlike anything in the history of film. With a resume including box office smashes like Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and Inglorious Bastards, his newest project will be sure to entertain.

The flick centers around a released former-slave (Django) in the deep south during the height of slavery, and his meeting of Christopher Waltz (The bilingual ‘Jew Hunter’ from Bastards,) who plays a German bounty hunter. After significant time with one another, Foxx is compelled to rescue his wife from the evil plantation owner known as Calvin Candie, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Samuel L. Jackson plays the role of a loyal house slave in the film, and even Kevin Costner will be making an appearance as a deranged organizer of slave deathmatches.

Coming out on Christmas Day 2012, it seems that Tarantino has once again struck gold with his twist on a spaghetti western/slavery storyline.

The Maldives Conrad Rangali Island

Conrad Rangali Island of The Maldives on the Indian Ocean.

If Cape Cod, Florida, or even the Bahamas isn’t doing it for you anymore, dropping some serious coin on a place in The Maldives could bring you as close to paradise as you can get. The luxury resort is located in the heart of the Maldives Islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The luxury resort runs you $1,770 a night and gives couples the option of staying in their underwater suite, located five meters below sea level and surrounded by beautiful exotic fish. They have 50 houses on stilts as well as 79 private and beach villas. Doesn’t get any better than that.

Dayglow Comes to Worcester @ DCU

The Dayglow Sensation.

If you haven’t bought tickets already, you’re probably out of luck. Declared as the “World’s Largest Paint Party,” Dayglow features nonstop DJs spinning house and rave music in front of a massive crowd, toting paint-blasting cannons and even bigger speakers- and it’s coming to the DCU Center. Their new tour, called ‘Blu: Beats. Love. Unity.’ requests participants wear white, per tradition of the tour. Dayglow is taking college campuses by storm, beginning in Florida and recently seeing success at massive party schools like UMass. You can get tickets at Ticketmaster locations or online, also available at the DCU Box Office. Drug dealers in Central Mass should consider a re-up towards the end of August- the party starts at 8pm on September 3rd.

The Escape Known As Entourage Returns for 8th (and Final) Season

E, Drama, Vince, and Turtle.

HBO struck gold when they decided to produce the series Entourage, the magical show based around the life and acting career of Vincent Chase (played by Adrian Grenier). Producer Mark Wahlberg couldn’t have done any better in formulating a captivating, lovable group of guys to follow in theirs adventures around Hollywood. Last night, Entourage began it’s final season- and these last episodes are sure to be an emotional rollercoaster.

It isn’t hard to find yourself rooting for this gang of guys taking advantage of Vinnie’s situation. Eric Murphy, (Kevin Connolly) who is known as ‘E’, finds himself as Vinnie’s manager after growing up as his best friend. The lines between business and friendship are drawn throughout the series, as the characters seem to always be finding themselves in one compromising situation or another. Vince’s brother, Johnny Drama (Kevin Dillon) plays the roll of the struggling actor still grasping for his career in a fast-moving town. Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) portrays the fun-loving, pot-smoking driver that makes the most of every wild party, movie screening and ski trip even if the other guys aren’t.

But everyone knows these guys. Throughout the seasons, America has fallen in love with these characters. Season 7 began to reveal the dark side of show business, inevitably getting into pornstars and cocaine. Hell, the season finale involved Eminem snuffing Vinnie in the face. The superficial aspects of the show are hard to ignore- but that’s Hollywood. There are dope million dollar cars and gorgeous women and insanely huge mansions, and that’s why America (and other countries, too..) love to watch Entourage. It’s an escape from the droll, monotonous lives we tend to lead. This final season has a number of interesting storylines, one being if the concept of friendship can overcome the greed and materialistic mentality of showbiz.

Queens Boulevard, Aquaman, Medellin- this group goes through a number of adventures introducing them to a number of A-list celebrities ranging from Mandy Moore to Mark Cuban. Ari Gold’s career as an agent and struggles as a father give viewers a look inside major talent agencies as well as the upper-class family dynamics. Entourage gives us some insight with regards to the cut-throat industry, but it also gives us some truly heart-felt moments. Vinnie Chase still has demons to battle, and we will watch the rest of the season expecting (and ultimately, hoping) that the gang sticks together, even if Vinnie’s career goes to shit and they end up completely bankrupt back in New York. It’s almost a shock that it took Chase as long as he did to develop a coke habit. Buckle up, it’s gunna be a wild ride to the end.