Recap of Spring Fest and Best of the Best 2011

The biggest names in reggae, hip-hop, R&B, dancehall & soca converged in Bicentennial Park for two days of music, food & fun!

The longest running Memorial Weekend destination event, Best Of The Best celebrated its 5th year with two huge music festivals held without incident on Saturday, May 28th and Sunday, May 29th at Bicentennial Park in downtown Miami.

Day one, dubbed Spring Fest, featured the best of the best in contemporary R&B and Hip-Hop, including Miami native Rick Ross, Chris Brown,Trey Songz, Drake, Keri Hilson, Lloyd, Jeremih,Miguel, Marsha Ambrosius (formerly of the duo Floetry), Travis Porter and Big Sean. Nationally syndicated radio personality and comedian Rickey Smiley hosted the event with Russ Parr.

Without further adieu, here are the recaps of a few performances according to my good friend Kevin Ross.

"Lloyd performed his smash hits "All around the world," and "Lay It Down." Towards the end of his performance he brought out Ace Hood to perform "Hustle Hard." Great performance.

Despite the Chicago Bulls losing the series against the Miami Heat, Jeremih came to Miami representing Southside Chicago heavy and was extremely thankful for his fans. Songs like "I'm A Star" and "Birthday Sex" showed his talent as well as his dedication to keep R&B alive.

Chris Brown was hands down the best performer of the night! Not to take anything away from other artists, but the energy he brought was undeniable. Brown even brought a young lady from the crowd on stage for his steamy, almost rated R performance of "Take You Down." 

Miguel definitely put on a phenomenal show. Everything from the choreography, to his light up mic stand kept the crowd fully engaged. "All I want is you," and his current smash record that has everyone buzzing, "Sure Thing" had the audience rocking & singing in harmony. This performance was nothing shy of great! 

Travis Porter hit the stage and had the girls "shakin what their mama's gave em" when they opened up the show with the song "Bring It Back". For some reason this group reminds me of a younger version of the Ying Yang twins... only there's three of them. After they performed "Make It Rain," the group brought out Big Sean to perform "Dem Girls." 

Big Sean performed the song "Gang Bang" from Wiz Khalifas mixtape Cabin Fever. He also brought out Trae Tha Truth to perform "Phone numbers" together.

Rickey Smiley's crazy sense of humor never fails to make even the most serious person die of laughter. Smiley brought out his friend Juicy to sing Kelly Rowland's "Motivation" which definitely had the audience gasping for air they were laughing so hard!"

Dancehall icon, Shabba Ranks rocked the house on day two alongside some of the top acts in Reggae, Hip-Hop, Dancehall and Soca, including Stephen and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, DJ Khaled, Vybz Kartel (who appeared on the big screen with his band live via satellite from Jamaica), Tarrus Riley, Alison Hinds, Trina, Assassin, Etana, Sanchez, I-Octane, Ace Hood,Stephen McGregor, Chino, Richie Loop, Demarco, Gappy Ranks, Romain Virgo, Tifa, ZJ Liquid.

Best Of The Best Weekend 2011 was presented by FEVER -- The World's 1st Stimulation Drink (www.feverusa.com). Additional sponsors included Swift Kick Sneaker Wipes(www.swiftkickproducts.com), now available at Walgreens.

New Video: Beyonce – “Run The World (Girls)”

Despite really despising this song, and the weird ticking seizure like thing she does in the beginning, I actually love the video.

I hate to be critical, and I love Bey, I really do...but is there a reason her weave/wig (whatever it is) looks extra raggedy in every scene in this video?

At least she rocked the hell out of this white dress...love it!

Kim Kardashian Promotes Her Latest Fragrance "Gold" at Macy's in Aventura Mall

Kim Kardashian stopped by Macy's in Aventura this past weekend to promote her latest perfume "Gold." Needless to say, the second level of Macy's store packed to capacity with screaming fans eager to get an autograph, a picture, or simply catch a glimpse of the television reality princess herself.   

Those who purchased a Kim Kardashian fragrance package of $130 between the dates of May 1st and 14th were able to receive a complimentary photograph with her. Seems kinda pricey for a picture? Yeah I thought so too, however her fans had no problem...the line seemed to be never-ending. Even the crowd of on-lookers was nearly impossible to navigate through.

Not even having a bulky baby carriage stopped this mother from getting a picture of Kim Kardashian. 

 She took to her blog after her appearance and said this: 

"Thank you so much to everyone who showed up at my Gold fragrance launch at Macy’s in Miami on Saturday!! So many people turned up!!! I swear, Miami fans are on another level. I love you guys!

I don't think even Kim expected that type of reaction from the crowd. To say it was bananas would be an understatement. 

Kim showed love to her fans and also spoke with the media for a while. Maybe an hour or so before she took to her adoring fans she answered some questions from the media in a small but cozy executive suite on the third floor of Macy's about the inner workings of "Gold," the sibling rivalry between herself and her sisters,  and the upcoming season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians. 

On the inner workings of "Gold," Kim said she wanted it to reflect her thoughts of summer  as well as herself.

“To me, summer is sexy, beachy and glamorous with thoughts turning to romantic evenings, I wanted something powerful yet not too sweet. I got stressed out while developing the scent because I wanted it to be just perfect.”  I am very hands on with my fragrances, I really didn’t want a square bottle of any type. I am curvy and think my fragrance should represent me. So I picked a sleek round vessel in gold with ebony accents.” 

I thought she would shy away when I asked her if there was a sibling rivalry going on between herself and Khloe since "Gold" and "Unbreakable" are both on department store shelves but didn't and here's what she had to say:

"I'm just like, now you see it was really hard work and you get it. We all wanted to do a fragrance together and when that didn't happen that way I think there was a little bitterness you know? So I tried to explain to them that this is so much work to come up with a scent. It's not that you just say, here's a few flavors or smells that you like, it's really hard to describe what scent you want it to smell like. When you think gardenias are gonna smell one way, the pure extract of it smells nothing like what you think so you need to mix it with other things... it's just a lot of work. To see Khole go through that... and hers must so much more difficult cause for me I can go with what I like but her and Lamar had to both agree on it, and so she realized how hard it really was. I think she was like, I get it, i get it! I think we're over that completive phase, which is good."

Kim also talked about Keeping Up With the Kardashians and says that the show will be less about the older siblings and the audience will see more of Kendall and Kylie "coming into their own."



More pics of Kim at Aventura

  

Macy’s Welcomes Kim Kardashian To Aventura Mall

Entrepreneur, actress, and fashion designer Kim Kardashian is one of the most admired women in the world. She has tons of loyal fans that emulate her by mimicking her attire, her hair styles, and there are even tutorials online showing people how they too can get the "Kim Kardashian look."

While Kim's fans may not be able to look like her, they can definitely smell like her when they purchase the Kim Kardashian fragrance at Macy's Aventura Mall.  

On Saturday, May 14th, at 2:00pm Macy's shoppers have the opportunity to meet the reality star herself as she celebrates her new fragrance with her fans.             

The first 300 customers that purchase the Kim Kardashian Fragrance Package for $130 will meet Kim Kardashian and receive a complimentary photograph with her. Limit one photograph per person, as time permits so get there early! 

The Kim Kardashian Fragrance Package includes a 3.4 oz. Eau de Parfum Spray, and a 3.4 oz. Spray of Kim Kardashian Gold.  Purchases must be made at Macy’s Aventura Mall store between May 1 and May 14, 2011.   
   

Bobbi Brown and Macy's Partner for "Dress for Success" Organization

Celebrated makeup artist Bobbi Brown will be joining her beauty team at Macy’s Dadeland Mall to show you how to look and feel your best. Her appearance is celebrating the partnership between Bobbi Brown and Macy’s in support of the Dress for Success organization. Not only can you learn about how to make a difference, you can also receive a makeup lesson with Bobbi’s Beauty Team and personalized face chart. 

For those of you who may be living under a rock and have never heard the makeup artist extraordinaire Bobbi Brown, not only is she a makeup artist, she is the founder of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.

Bobbi Brown first arrived on the beauty scene in 1991 with the launch of Bobbi Brown Essentials, and changed the face of makeup with a handful of 10 brown-based lipstick shades created to fill a void in the market of simple, flattering and wearable makeup. Her unique approach to cosmetics was a long-awaited gift for women who wanted a more natural look, and therefore caught the attention of cosmetics empire Estée Lauder Companies, which acquired Bobbi Brown Cosmetics in 1995. 

Almost 20 years later, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is a global brand, having expanded beyond lipstick to a full range of color cosmetics, fragrance and skincare. Today, with a presence in 56 countries, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is coveted by world renowned makeup artists, celebrities and style makers who appreciate Bobbi's unique approach to beauty and her ability to translate the latest trends into wearable, real-life looks.  

On May 19th from 1:00-3:00pm shoppers will have the opportunity to meet the makeup guru herself Bobbi Brown, and Bobbi's Beauty Team will be around until 7:00pm for any additional inquires or makeup advice. Customers are invited to walk in but appointments are suggested.  Make a reservation by calling (305)662-3666.

The event will take place on the 1st floor (Cosmetics Department) of the Macy’s Fashion Store at Dadeland Mall. The address is 7303 SW 88th St. Miami, FL  33156.

The Game Has Been Renewed For 22 More Episode On BET

For those of you who felt like you were left hanging last season, it looks like there will be more drama unfolding for 22 new episodes. The Game, which is BET's most popular show on the network has been renewed.

"The Game," which debuted its 4th season on BET this year, raked in a record breaking 7.7 millie viewers for its season premiere.  And the numbers stayed uber high all season with 3 to 4 million viewers per episode.

Filming of "The Game" will continue in Atlanta with production of the fifth season starting soon.  The show is created and directed by Salim & Mara Brock Akil.

New Movie Trailer: From the Rough Starring Tarji P. Hensen

Finally!!! A movie where Taraji doesn't play a hoodrat. Hollywood is starting to see Ms. Hensen's talent, and I love it! Taraji will be starring in an upcoming movie entitled "From The Rough," a film based on the true story of Catana Starks, a former swim coach at Tennessee State University who became the first woman ever to coach a college men's golf team. The golf coach played by Ms. Hensen is tasked with building Tennessee State's first golf team and finding only one available African American golfer “ Craig" (played by Robert Bailey Jr.). Catana opened up the HBCU’s roster to underprivileged kids from other countries like France, Austrailia, Hong Kong and the UK. The film also features Michael Clarke Duncan, LeToya Luckett, Henry Simmons and Robert Bailey Jr. Check out the trailer below.