Baddie Bey

Her return back to the industry from her pregnancy began with a release of post-pregnancy photos in G.Q. Magazine’s “100 Sexiest Women of the Twenty First Century edition.” Grammy- award singer, Beyonce’ Knowles, graced the cover of G.Q. Magazine February 2013 edition, wearing only a cut cropped shirt revealing the bottom of her breast, and cheek panties. Of course, critics had a lot to say about this, but there was not much positive feedback. The cover and the photos stirred up controversy. Recently, Beyonce’ has seemingly began a streak of what may be “bad-girl” behavior by her revealing photos and most recent single named,” Bow Down.”

             This new bad girl image appears to be a new trend from Beyonce’. But is it a marketing scheme for Beyonce’ to remain in the limelight? After the release of her G.Q. Cover, many critics felt as though the G.Q. cover was a scheme to boost sales for Beyoncé’s upcoming solo and Destiny’s child album. Others assumed that she did it to heighten the excitement for her fans for her performance at the Super Bowl. Both reasons may be true; this new image is grasping the attention of the media and fans.

            The most recent controversial incident from Beyonce occurred about three days ago with the release of her new song “Bow Down.” “Bow Down,” along with “I Been On,” was released as teasers and are said to be the two hits of Beyonce’s upcoming album. However, many of her fans and other critics were not pleased with the release. The lyrics in the song suggest a more raw, bad girl attitude. It includes her constantly using the B-word, which caused critics and fans to question her squeaky clean, super-star image. However, Entertainment Weekly says that Beyonce’s new song shows that she is able to remain contemporary as an artist.

            With this new “bad-girl” image, Beyonce’ may begin to offend her fans and many others who are not used to seeing her in this light. However, after two years of not being in the spotlight, it is by no chance that Beyonce’ has decided to revamp her image, making it appeal more to what the market wants. If that means showing a little skin to stir up a buzz, then one can see more photos like the G.Q. cover to surface.

Here is the link to the new single from Beyonce.

http://cdn.mediatakeout.com/61796/well-looks-like-beyonce-s-album-is-gonna-flop-her-first-song-is-so-bad-it-sounds-like-this-is-a-joke.html

Rihanna and River Island

The edgy new line “Rihanna at River Island,” debuted at this years London Fashion week. The 120-piece collection showcased designs that were inspired by the 90’s and had a laid-back, chic, flirty, and sexy appeal. The launch of Rihanna’s line makes her the latest celebrity to cross over into fashion and design. However, this deal between River Island and Rihanna has brought about a lot of controversy.

The fashion industry has become very skeptical about the idea of untrained designers that put their work on the catwalk, particularly those who tend to be cashing in on their name. Many critics feel as though Rihanna has agreed to start this line with River Island, in order to cash in on the 800 million pounds promised to her in the deal. According to an article in the Guardian, fashion enthusiast who looked forward to London Fashion week were not pleased with the collection brought forth by the pop star. Critics’ reviews from the show were quite mixed. Many assumed that the line would make a sexy, creative, and influential debut to the fashion world but it was borderline pornographic. Based on the reviews, the deal between Rihanna and River Island may not become a cash cow as both parties hoped. Prior to the launch, the new partners began on rocky grounds.

On Valentine’s Day, Rihanna gave her new partners a headache by positing pictures on twitter of what looked like a flower- shaped cannabis bud that had the written text, “ Roses are green! Somebody knows how to make me happy.” River Island was not pleased with this. It was not the publicity they were looking for before the launch and words were exchanged. River Island sought it necessary to pursue damage control over this matter to protect their product and brand image. As a result, River Island reined Rihanna in for the weekend, in order to avoid any more scandals during their launch.

If the beginning of this partnership between Rihanna and River Island is an indication of what will transpire throughout the rest of the agreement, it could be a watershed moment for River Island; a chain that has been trailing behind.

Inside Chrome

            Talent agencies are known for bridging the gap between budding talent and career opportunities for the talent. Contracts are made between the talent agency and the talent, and the talent agency and business clients. The Vice President of Operations for Chrome Talent & Creative Group, Charles (Charlie) Reader, made this statement,” as a talent agent, one of the most important things you must be able to do is to be a good negotiator.” During an interview with Charlie, he discussed how he focuses on gaining mutual benefit, refraining from using dirty tricks, and most importantly separating the person from the situation.

            In order to gain mutual benefit, Chrome has diversified it’s business in such a way that any one willing to use their service will benefit from more than just representation. For example, the state of Florida prohibits talent agencies from charging for representing or acting as an agent of a person. Chrome’s goal is then to contract talent, under the circumstances that they receive a full professional portfolio from Chrome and a commission from bookings. This contract is negotiated individually and the terms may vary from talent to talent. However, the ultimate aim is for both parties to gain mutual benefit.

            During the interview, Charlie also talked about the importance of an agent being able to handle different personalities and being cautious of any dirty trick that might be used during a negotiation. He stated, “some clients do not posses the best attitudes, and as an agent your must be able to remove all emotions from the situation and remain professional at all times.” This indicates that in order to be successful in booking clients, you must be able to handle pressure, lies, poor attitudes, or any dirty tricks that might be used against you. You must remove yourself from the situation and act in the best interest of the person that you are representing and the company. 

            It can be said that negotiations play a big role for a talent agent. Therefore, the ability to negotiate effectively is extremely important within the talent agency industry.  

Celebrities for Charities

           It is not uncommon for a celebrity to become philanthropic and donate to a charity. Many charities and non- profit organizations gain tremendous amounts of their revenue from the assistance of celebrities as well as in the form of holding fundraisers to raise money. However, it has become a trend where celebrities join forces, using their talents, and put on an event using the proceeds from the event as a donation to a specific cause or charity.

On February 9^th, 2013 New York City will welcome a fashion show event called, “ The Realtiy of Fashion, The Reality of Aids,” that will bring together 20-30 American reality TV stars set to take the catwalk. As a noble philanthropic event, this fashion show will be featuring couture pieces from New-York Based designer Dominique Auxilly.  After the show, the couture pieces will be auctioned offline and donated to the 2013 Aids Charity of Choice. Another philanthropic event schedule to be held in the upcoming weeks is UNCF An Evening of Stars.

The UNCF event will premiere nationwide on Sunday January 26^th, 2013 on BET. This event will feature Grammy award winner Usher, Steve Harvey, Kevin Hart, Chaka Khan, and many others who will present scholarships to deserving college and college-bound students. UNCF is an organization focusing on a crisis facing African American’s, which is Education. As a result, they award up to 15,000 of the 60,000 students who apply for financial aid every year. Since it’s inception in 1979, UNCF An Evening with Stars has been able to raise over $200 million dollars, which has helped hundreds of thousands of college and graduate college students. However, the most popular and current event showcasing the unity of celebrities for a cause was the Hurricane Sandy Relief concert.

On December 12, 2012 an all-star line up of music legends joined together to rather funds for the victims of the storm Sandy. This nationally broadcasted event showcased stars in particularly black or grey clothing (representing a somber tone), that continually encouraged viewers to donate. This event raised over $35 million dollars in ticket sales alone, according to USA today.

            It is then evident that events such as these have become a main element in the financial life of charities with the help of celebrities. 

The Price of being a Beauty Queen

Copyright- Miss Junior Grand Bahama

It's every girl’s fairytale to become a queen, and what better way to do that than by entering a pageant. Pageants are known to be extravagant, attracting mostly females who are looking to win the crown. Although the glitz and glamour might be blinding, the financial aspect of pageantry is very important. According to an article from DailyFinance.com, a former pageant participant named Hillary Beulah stated that “pageants are a financial endeavor; the travel, the coaches, wardrobe, make up, hair, and in some cases fees are staggering.” This financial endeavor requires a great deal of money, time, and commitment.

            The pageantry industry typically children’s pageants, thrive on the excess amount of money parents spend to ensure that their child has the best chance at winning the pageant. It has been reported that some parents spend anywhere from $20,00 – $100,000 annually. This includes, the entrance fee, wardrobe, coaching, photos, hair and makeup, props, hotel and lodging, transportation, paraphernalia, etc.  In 2008, T.L.C. began airing a show names “ Toddlers and Tiaras,” that clearly showed how expensive pageantry is. A great deal of money is invested into pageantry as well as a great deal of time and commitment.

            Time and commitment are two key factors needed when considering entering a pageant. The coronation ceremony (crowning) may vary from 3 hours – to a 2-week process. However, the preparation for a pageant requires a great deal of time and commitment and can take up to 6 months of preparation. There are some contestants who practice year round, but for others they are bombarded with the times of strenuous rehearsals. If these two elements are missing, it is very unlikely for one to win the crown.

            The advantages of becoming a becoming a queen are a great deal, yet the road to winning the crown is not an easy one. It requires tremendous amounts of commitment and time, and money.