Ad of The Week

Ok so this may not technically be an ad...but it's (in the words of C Nic) Dopeeeeeeeee! Gucci is killing me softly with their collection and its heavy 70s inspiration. And check out that guy's skinnys...loves it! We'll as you can see their having a sale, so head over to Gucci and spend 2 stacks instead of 3! lol

-Doni W.

21 & Up

So who would want to drink out of a bottle of 1800 Tequila looking like the ones above? Ok, I would...but I would most definitely keep the bottle! Lol.

1800 Tequila now has a "Design Your Own" feature on their website so that you can upload a photo, sketch, or any other piece of art, and 1800 Tequila will use it to customize the bottle. DOPE!!

This is a great birthday gift, don't you think?


-Chtistopher Nic.

A Word Of Advice

In a recent interview with Interview Magazine, Karl Lagerfeld was asked by model Sigrid Agren what would be his advice on how to become a supermodel:



Lagerfeld :...You want to know what the real secret is?

Agren : Tell me.

Lagerfeld : It’s not being perfect.



-Christopher Nic.

Count The Ways...

American Apparel, the basics go-to store, has come out with a dress that I can definitely appreciate. The Le Sac dress is a drape dress with long straps that allow you to where it in countless ways. If you can think of it, you probably wear it. It's genius! Because honestly...who wants to be seen in the same thing twice??? Not I. So it's the most bang for your buck. And ladies....we all know how essential a dress is for the summer, so pony up $38 and invest in your new summer go to dress(es).

Yes...this is all the same dress.

-Doni W.

Martin Louis The King Jr....

When it comes to the sneaker/rapper collaborations, hands down Mr. West snags the crown....over and over again! I mean, honestly lets recap the competitors...Nelly (nope), Jay-Z (1 good pair), Hurricane Chris (LMAO!!!). When you take the most creative man in show business, and back him with a crazy design team in Louis V, can someone say SUCCESS!!!? The photo below shows a new concept design that Kanye is working on with the Vuitton design team that seems really dope. The color schemes are what sets these off. I'm sure that they'll require an arm and a leg, but at least that one foot you have left will be stylin'... =^) -$YD K3MP

$5 Holla!!!

$5?!? That's my type of price! Urban Outfitters is having a heck of a sale online and in stores with most merchandise priced all the way down to $4.99. Here's some of my favs.

Happy Shopping.

-Doni W.

Scarlett Johansson to become new face of Mango

Washington, May 28 : Actress Scarlett Johansson is set to replace Penelope Cruz as the new face of Spanish clothing line Mango.

The `Vicky Cristina Barcelona' star will be seen promoting firm''s 2009 Fall/Winter campaign.

Fashion bosses insist that Johansson embodies the "chic, independent, and cosmopolitan" qualities of the Mango woman, reports Contactmusic.

Meanwhile, Gwyneth Paltrow is said to be furious with Johansson for hogging the limelight on the sets of `Iron Man 2'.

Paltrow, 36, is once again playing the part of Pepper Potts, assistant to comic book hero Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jnr, in the second sequel.

"Gwyneth has become very frustrated with Scarlett," said a source.

"They come from different worlds and have completely different styles.

"Gwyneth has found Scarlett very demanding of the attention of the crew. It's not a happy set," the source added.(ANI)

Nicole Scherzinger ‘Hush Hush-ly’ strips naked for bath

London, May 28 : Pussycat dolls vocalist Nicole Scherzinger has set the pulse racing with a revealing new video for Hush Hush; Hush Hush.

The 30-year-old singer, who's dating F1 star Lewis Hamilton, is seen singing naked in the bath tube in the new video, reports the Sun.

Meanwhile, American pop star is reportedly hunting for a dazzling engagement ring for her forthcoming engagement ceremony with beau Lewis Hamilton.

Nicole is currently hunting for an exquisite diamond ring, and has been visiting multifarious jewellery stores to buy one for the occasion.

Nicole has been dating Brit formula one racer Hamilton for a year. (ANI)

Serena Williams survives the first round in Paris

Serena Williams returns to Klara Zakopalova during their first-round match at the French Open on Tuesday.
Reporting from Paris -- Normally Serena Williams exhibits all the nervousness of a shark in a goldfish pond, so her confession of jitters here illuminates a French Open task she labels "uphill."

It's no wonder she hopped up and down on the Court Suzanne Lenglen after her 2 1/2 -hour, first-round squeaker in the wind Tuesday afternoon, considering her 2009 clay-court preparation amounted to three tournaments, two countries, zero wins, three losses and one retirement.

As she moves toward her remarkable 38th second round in 38 Grand Slam tournaments, this clunky preparation didn't mean much, for this is a 27-year-old who has the phoenix routine down well enough to have once won an Australian Open from 81st in the rankings.

Sure, her 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-4 endurance over 100th-ranked Klara Zakopalova may have forged the only suspense of a rainy and chilly day when the other top-fivers -- Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin Del Potro, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Jelena Jankovic -- won breezily.

Still, it's not necessarily foreboding that Williams said, "I played junior tennis or even worse."

It's far from unprecedented that she said, "Couldn't you tell how tortured I was? I think my face said it all."

Her frowns and grimaces through a match that took her nine match points to win might not say anything more than her mother Oracene's big laugh from the stands after Williams couldn't convert on the fourth match point following a 30-shot rally longer than a French lunch. Eighteen three-setters dot the 70 wins of Williams' 10 Grand Slam titles, and it's a wide-open women's game even if she hasn't graced so much as a semifinal in this clay pit since 2003.

"I think Serena will be playing better and better each round, so it was the best chance to at least play with her or beat her," Zakopalova said.

Williams' father and co-coach Richard Williams, having watched as his ex-wife wore a winter coat and the crowd dressed in veritable Big Ten football garb, even brought up Julia Mae Williams, the highest praise he can offer.

His late mother "wouldn't let all the evil forces of hell stop her," Richard Williams said, and "didn't believe in turning around or giving up or giving in." She died "the first Sunday of May in 1985," he said, "and I haven't had two good days since then."

What he saw Tuesday, he said, "was a champion that found a way to win on a day that she didn't play good. In order to be a champion you have to win when you should lose."

And what were the thoughts of the No. 2 player in the world, the reigning U.S. and Australian Open champion, the player who most everyone -- including herself -- reckons is really No. 1?

More than anything, "I just wanted to win a match on clay," Williams said. Imagine.

Taylor Swift: "I Don't Compete" With Pal Miley Cyrus

Miley Cyrus has nothing to fear. Taylor Swift is not her competition.

"I've always approached this from the place where I don't compete with other girls," the 19-year-old country singer tells the Associated Press about pals Cyrus and Selena Gomez. "I don't compete with other people in the industry. I compete with myself."

Swift adds that she wouldn't have the two 16-year-old Disney Channel stars as friends if she was more cunning.

"If I looked at every other girl in the entertainment industry as competition, my life would be really lonely," she says. "I wouldn't have some of the coolest friends that I'm so glad I've gotten to know over the last couple of years... It's really awesome to get to hang out with those girls and to call them friends."

Still, Swift -- who was famously dumped by Jonas Brothers' Joe Jonas last year -- worries that it's difficult finding a boyfriend in the spotlight.

"When you strategize a relationship too much, like, 'We're not gonna be public about it, and we're gonna say this in interviews,' when you think it all out, I think that complicates the relationship," she says, adding that she doesn't care what her love interest does or how he would affect her career. "I think that's unfair for the relationship."

She adds that she's not in search for a new beau at the moment.

"I don't look for boyfriends," she says. "I don't really scour the awards shows for who I'm going to date, but I think love happens when you're not looking for it, and when it happens, I'm not going to be the one to overthink it."

Dope or Doper?! Liv Lux Magazine x Vivid Braille Contest!

Liv Lux Magazine is looking for the person who thinks their style can not be matched! If you think that your wardrobe can put others to shame, show us and all of your friends how dope you really are.

All you have to do is upload a picture of you in your DOPEST fit onto our Facebook.com event page and your friends will take it from there...

Whichever picture has the MOST "likes" at the deadline of the competition will be the winner.

There will be one female winner and one male winner. Both winners will each receive a FREE tee from clothing line Vivid Braille. Check them out here - http://vividbraille.com/

That's not it! The winners will also get there pics posted on LivLuxMag.com for all our readers to see how dope you are as well!

The contest begins NOW! and will go up until Tuesday June 12, 2009.

Rules:
- Only 1(one) picture per person.
- NO group pictures.
- We are judging fits, not faces!
- The picture needs to be a FULL body shot. Head to toe.
- You cannot "like" your own picture.

That is all. Get to it & may the dopest person win!

-Christopher Nic.

Transformers x Kitson

With it being the 25th anniversary of the animated series Transformers, there was bound to be some type of celebration. Kitson l.a. is selling a line of exclusive! tee's and hoodies going right with the release of the series sequel. The prices range from $38-$78. Below is the video from the May 09 issue photoshoot in Nylon.





-Christopher Nic.

Did You See???

Blake Lively looked real cool last Thursday at the CT Network Upfronts at Madison Square Garden in New York City. She wore a turquoise silk play suit from ADAM's Spring 09 collection. I also liked how she let the dress pop with the nude pumps.

If you wanna look like Lively, you can pick up this fit at www.net-a-porter.com.


-Christopher Nic.

Mel Gibson's Girlfriend Is Pregnant

It's official: Mel Gibson's girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, is pregnant.

The actor confirmed the news during a taping of NBC's The Tonight Show With Jay Leno to air tonight.

"I guess Im 'Octo-Mel,'" says Gibson, who already has seven kids with his wife of 28 years, Robyn.

Robyn filed for divorce six weeks ago amidst speculation that Grigorieva, a singer on Gibson's record label, was expecting a child.

"My wife and I, our marriage ended three years ago and weve been separated ever since then," Gibson tells Leno. "These things happen. It's unfortunate, it's sad, but you know she is an admirable woman -- we still got kids together, we're friends.


"Look," Gibson continues. "When it's all said and done, I did a pretty good hatchet job on my marriage myself. I'm to blame. If you're inclined to judge, put it here."

Gibson also says his separation from Robyn had nothing to do with Grigorieva, whom he didn't meet until 2008.

When asked by Leno if they would wed, Gibson says: "Why would you get married twice?"

According to reports, Grigorieva is in her second trimester and due this fall.

Grigorieva, 38, and Gibson, 53, came out publicly as a couple at the April 29 premiere of X-Men Origins: Wolverine in Los Angeles.

The duo became close after Grigorieva was hired to compose a song on Gibson's thriller, Edge of Darkness, which filmed last summer in Massachusetts.

"They would come out and attempt to walk around separately, but then at the end of the day, they both returned to the same hotel," an on-set source told Us Weekly. "She was there on and off for a week, but it was clear she had no business there other than to be with Mel."

Two Lumps Of Sugar, Please

This is why I adore Lady Gaga, she's never afraid to try something once. Gaga reused McQueen's Ronald McDonald version of the baby doll lips and turned it into a everyday look. I'm not sure you'll catch me on the streets of LA sporting the baby doll lips, but its fun seeing others try it out.

Thanks Gaga, LivLuxMag adores you!

-Shaeveon La'Trey

The Plea...

Is it just me, or does it seem like the fashion world lacks substance (particularly in America), originality, and most of all variety? I would contend that it does. If I want any originality to be in my wardrobe I must spend a fortune, and that’s only for a limited amount of options that many times are sub-par. This is not to attack any particular brand of clothing, on the contrary, such clothing lines like Moschino (as mentioned in Christopher Nics photo article) do a perfectly stupendous job at keeping mens fashion-line vibrant, but at a price of course. (Then again you don’t see many men in America wearing high-top leather combat boots with a pinstripe producer dress pants tucked in, in France you might, but then again that’s France, where originality & beauty runs rampant in the streets.) No, this is more directed towards the close-mindedness not only we have as customers, but also the clothing designers who are simply scared to come out of their box. As a customer we need to break boundaries for ourselves, this means buying the unexpected and making a name out of it, for designers it means to be bold, and I don’t mean taking away a zipper and putting a button in it’s place. Let us all remember, the only good art is the original art, and fashion is the most unique of the arts.....


-Boulevardier

Happy Memorial Day!

Here's some goodies from the man who created All-American style! Let's be thankful for those who risk their lives for us by showing a little American pride.

-Doni W.

Did You See???

Ms. "Good Girl Gone Bad" was seen this past Friday leaving Kanye West's apartment(don't ask) wearing a body-hugging, strapless, two toned dress from Alexander Wang's Pre-Fall 09 collection. I personally think she could've kept the hairstyle at home but besides that she looks bomb...much better than the model they used on the runway, lol. She's always able to give any outfit she has on personality and make it the object of every fashionistas next purchase.


-Christopher Nic.

Unlikely UK sensation Susan Boyle sings rousing 'Memory

Surprise singing sensation Susan Boyle made a new television appearance Sunday, showcasing once again her soaring voice — but refusing to compromise on the frumpy look that made her an Internet sensation.

The shy church volunteer gave a rousing, but occasionally nervous, performance on the "American Idol"-style show "Britain's Got Talent," with a version of the song "Memory" from the musical "Cats."

Members of the public voting in a telephone poll picked her as the best of eight performers who appeared Sunday, meaning she will sing again in the contest's final next Saturday.

Flashing a broad smile, Boyle danced in delight as results were announced and said had relished the chance to perform. "Fantastic, absolutely fantastic," she said. "What pressure? I've really enjoyed myself tonight."

Wearing a plum colored beaded dress — and a touch more makeup than during her last performance — but with the same unruly shock of hair, Boyle overcame early jitters to deliver a powerful vocal.

Producers said the 47-year-old's appearance was being posted on the Internet almost immediately, after about 60 million people watched her last performance via YouTube.

In her first performance last month, judges who'd raised eyebrows at Boyle's dowdy image were won over by her bold voice and surprisingly confident performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables." The sometimes awkward looking Scot won praise from celebrities, including Oprah Winfrey and Demi Moore, and even won a name check in her favorite cartoon "The Simpsons."

On Sunday, the show's judges and audience rose to their feet to applaud, but those posting comments to the Twitter Web site appeared divided. While some hailed her performance, others appeared underwhelmed.

Bookmaker William Hill has made her a runaway favorite to win on May 30.

Contestants are competing to perform at Britain's annual Royal Variety Show — attended by members of the royal family — and win a 100,000 pound ($159,000) prize.

The singer, who lives alone with her cat Pebbles in one of Scotland's poorest regions, said before Sunday's performance that she wouldn't transform her appearance. "I just want people to see me for who I am, and do my best at singing the song, that's what I am focusing on," she said.

Boyle, who says she's never been kissed, grew up the youngest of nine children in Blackburn, a community of 4,750 people 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Edinburgh, in Scotland, and a district blighted by unemployment and crime. She suffered learning difficulties as a child and was bullied by other children.

As an adult, she's struggled for work but had been a regular on her local karaoke circuit and performed in church choirs.

In an interview with The Associated Press at her home last month, she said the death of her mother had inspired her to enter the TV talent show.

Britney appears calm, composed at cousin’s wedding in Louisiana

Washington, May 25 : Pop star Britney Spears attended her cousin sister Laura Lynne Covington’s wedding in Louisiana, where she appeared to be very calm and composed.

Britney, who was the "honorary" bridesmaid at the wedding, enjoyed the wedding with her loved ones.

"When her brother walked her down the aisle, she looked stunningly calm and beautiful," People magazine quoted a source as saying.

"She was very pretty, low-key. She was not the centre of everything, just pretty and calm and collected,” the source added.

Despite her celebrity status, Britney did not steal way the attention from the bride and allowed the day to be a complete bride’s day, as there was no fanfare.

"There was no fanfare. With all the star power Britney and her family command, it was still the bride''s day,” the source added.

Scarlet Johansson second album set for September release

Washington, May 25 : Scarlet Johansson’s second album has reportedly been slated for a September release.

The actress made her debut in the music world with her first album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, with cover versions of Tom Waits songs, last year.

According to USA Today, her second album boasts of a collection of duets with singer/songwriter Pete Yorn entitled Break Up, reports Contactmusic.

Serge Gainsbourg''s 1960s recordings with Brigitte Bardot were said to have played muse for the latest collection, which recorded in 2006 has reportedly taken three years to be released.

StarGazing | Ghostbusters again; Jessica Biel’s looks; life with Bristol

Biel’s too sexy for her job, apparently
Sounds like Jessica Biel thinks her face (and body?) hold her back from getting all the good roles.

She tells Allure magazine that she longs for juicier parts that Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman score.

“It really is a problem,” she says about being so attractive. “I have to be blunt.

“I just want an opportunity. If you don’t like the audition, then don’t hire me! But if you don’t want to even see me — that’s hurtful.”

We’ll take a minute here to muster up sympathy.


The mag also asked Biel about boyfriend Justin Timberlake. Any wedding plans?

“I have no idea if I want to get married,” Biel says. “I have a lot to do, careerwise.”

Maybe she should wear a paper bag over her head.

Bristol: If you only knew, you wouldn’t have sex

New mom and high school graduate Bristol Palin has learned it the hard way.

“If girls realized the consequences of sex, nobody would be having sex,” the first daughter of Alaska tells People magazine in an exclusive interview. “Trust me. Nobody.”

She gave the magazine insight into what life with her 5-month-old son, Tripp, is like on a daily basis.

When the magazine asked Bristol, the oldest of Alaska governor Sarah Palin’s five children, if she missed not going out with her friends after graduation, Bristol said: “I have other things to worry about.”

She told the magazine she usually gets up twice during the night to feed Tripp, who sleeps in a hand-me-down crib in her bedroom. She breastfed him for a month, pumping milk before class and rushing home to feed him, all the while working two part-time jobs to help pay for the diapers and formula her parents buy for the baby.

“Girls need to imagine and picture their life with a screaming newborn baby and then think before they have sex,” she said.

SJP worried for surrogate
Sarah Jessica Parker is “incredibly outraged” and concerned for the safety and well-being of the surrogate carrying her and husband Matthew Broderick’s twins.

The “Sex and the City” star told “Access Hollywood” that all the attention over the impending births has led to a horrible invasion of the woman’s privacy.

She told NBC that the surrogate’s telephone and computer have been hacked into and that the woman, her friends and family have all been threatened.

Parker said a pregnant friend of the surrogate was even chased by the paparazzi.

“She’s had a friend who was thought to be her chased down a highway. ... This friend is nine months pregnant … chased down a highway by photographers, and dare I call them ‘reporters.’ I guess that’s how they identify themselves,” Parker said. “It’s crossed lines. Pretty much all the lines have been crossed.

“I think even given the unfortunate way we live now in this unending appetite for the more salacious information, it has still shocked me, and it has still really disappointed me.”

When Lisa Gutierrez isn’t trying to steer clear of salacious information, she’s StarGazing among published reports of celebrity news.

Bob Dylan Biography

Born: 24 May 1941
Birthplace: Duluth, Minnesota
Best Known As: Singer of "Like a Rolling Stone"
Name at birth: Robert Allen Zimmerman

Bob Dylan is a towering figure of late 20th century pop music, known for such songs as "All Along The Watchtower" (made into a hit by Jimi Hendrix), "Like a Rolling Stone," "Tangled Up in Blue," "The Times They Are A-Changin'" and "Lay Lady Lay." Dylan has been recording and performing since 1962, mixing folk, country, blues and rock; he sometimes startles his fans but almost always pleases the critics. Although Dylan was an influential pop figure during the youth movement of the 1960s, his first number one hit, "Knocking on Heaven's Door," didn't come until 1973. During the '80s he toured extensively, and in the '90s his songs found a new audience and more acclaim from the music industry: in 1991 he was given a Lifetime Achievement Grammy; his 1997 album Time Out of Mind won three Grammys; and in 2001 Dylan won an Oscar for "Things Have Changed," from the movie Wonder Boys (2000). In 2006 he released his first album in five years, Modern Times. It included the song "When the Deal Goes Down," which was made into a video directed by Bennett Miller and featuring Scarlett Johannson. Dylan's albums include Blonde on Blonde (1966), Nashville Skyline (1969), Blood on the Tracks (1975), Infidels (1983) and Knocked Out Loaded (1986).

Dylan has recorded with a variety of other artists, including Eric Clapton, Johnny Cash, Paul Simon and The Grateful Dead... His son Jakob Dylan is the lead singer for the band The Wallflowers... The film of Dylan's 1965 tour, Don't Look Back, is considered one of the great rock-n-roll documentaries... Dylan's tune "Like A Rolling Stone" was named the #1 song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine in November 2004.

Biography
Bob Dylan's influence on popular music is incalculable. As a songwriter, he pioneered several different schools of pop songwriting, from confessional singer/songwriter to winding, hallucinatory, stream-of-conscious narratives. As a vocalist, he broke down the notion that a singer must have a conventionally good voice in order to perform, thereby redefining the vocalist's role in popular music. As a musician, he sparked several genres of pop music, including electrified folk-rock and country-rock. And that just touches on the tip of his achievements. Dylan's force was evident during his height of popularity in the '60s -- the Beatles' shift toward introspective songwriting in the mid-'60s never would have happened without him -- but his influence echoed throughout several subsequent generations, as many of his songs became popular standards and his best albums became undisputed classics of the rock & roll canon. Dylan's influence throughout folk music was equally powerful, and he marks a pivotal turning point in its 20th century evolution, signifying when the genre moved away from traditional songs and toward personal songwriting. Even when his sales declined in the '80s and '90s, Dylan's presence rarely lagged, and his commercial revival in the 2000s proved his staying power.

For a figure of such substantial influence, Dylan came from humble beginnings. Born in Duluth, MN, Bob Dylan (b. Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) was raised in Hibbing, MN, from the age of six. As a child he learned how to play guitar and harmonica, forming a rock & roll band called the Golden Chords when he was in high school. Following his graduation in 1959, he began studying art at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. While at college, he began performing folk songs at coffeehouses under the name Bob Dylan, taking his last name from the poet Dylan Thomas. Already inspired by Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie, Dylan began listening to blues while at college, and the genre weaved its way into his music. Dylan spent the summer of 1960 in Denver, where he met bluesman Jesse Fuller, the inspiration behind the songwriter's signature harmonica rack and guitar. By the time he returned to Minneapolis in the fall, he had grown substantially as a performer and was determined to become a professional musician.

Dylan made his way to New York City in January of 1961, immediately making a substantial impression on the folk community of Greenwich Village. He began visiting his idol Guthrie in the hospital, where he was slowly dying from Huntington's chorea. Dylan also began performing in coffeehouses, and his rough charisma won him a significant following. In April, he opened for John Lee Hooker at Gerde's Folk City. Five months later, Dylan performed another concert at the venue, which was reviewed positively by Robert Shelton in the New York Times. Columbia A&R man John Hammond sought out Dylan on the strength of the review, and signed the songwriter in the fall of 1961. Hammond produced Dylan's eponymous debut album (released in March 1962), a collection of folk and blues standards that boasted only two original songs. Over the course of 1962, Dylan began to write a large batch of original songs, many of which were political protest songs in the vein of his Greenwich contemporaries. These songs were showcased on his second album, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. Before its release, Freewheelin' went through several incarnations. Dylan had recorded a rock & roll single, "Mixed Up Confusion," at the end of 1962, but his manager, Albert Grossman, made sure the record was deleted because he wanted to present Dylan as an acoustic folky. Similarly, several tracks with a full backing band that were recorded for Freewheelin' were scrapped before the album's release. Furthermore, several tracks recorded for the album -- including "Talking John Birch Society Blues" -- were eliminated from the album before its release.

Comprised entirely of original songs, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan made a huge impact in the U.S. folk community, and many performers began covering songs from the album. Of these, the most significant were Peter, Paul & Mary, who made "Blowin' in the Wind" into a huge pop hit in the summer of 1963 and thereby made Bob Dylan into a recognizable household name. On the strength of Peter, Paul & Mary's cover and his opening gigs for popular folky Joan Baez, Freewheelin' became a hit in the fall of 1963, climbing to number 23 on the charts. By that point, Baez and Dylan had become romantically involved, and she was beginning to record his songs frequently. Dylan was writing just as fast.

By the time The Times They Are A-Changin' was released in early 1964, Dylan's songwriting had developed far beyond that of his New York peers. Heavily inspired by poets like Arthur Rimbaud and John Keats, his writing took on a more literate and evocative quality. Around the same time, he began to expand his musical boundaries, adding more blues and R&B influences to his songs. Released in the summer of 1964, Another Side of Bob Dylan made these changes evident. However, Dylan was moving faster than his records could indicate. By the end of 1964, he had ended his romantic relationship with Baez and had begun dating a former model named Sara Lowndes, whom he subsequently married. Simultaneously, he gave the Byrds "Mr. Tambourine Man" to record for their debut album. The Byrds gave the song a ringing, electric arrangement, but by the time the single became a hit, Dylan was already exploring his own brand of folk-rock. Inspired by the British Invasion, particularly the Animals' version of "House of the Rising Sun," Dylan recorded a set of original songs backed by a loud rock & roll band for his next album. While Bringing It All Back Home (March 1965) still had a side of acoustic material, it made clear that Dylan had turned his back on folk music. For the folk audience, the true breaking point arrived a few months after the album's release, when he played the Newport Folk Festival supported by the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The audience greeted him with vicious derision, but he had already been accepted by the growing rock & roll community. Dylan's spring tour of Britain was the basis for D.A. Pennebaker's documentary Don't Look Back, a film that captures the songwriter's edgy charisma and charm.

Dylan made his breakthrough to the pop audience in the summer of 1965, when "Like a Rolling Stone" became a number two hit. Driven by a circular organ riff and a steady beat, the six-minute single broke the barrier of the three-minute pop single. Dylan became the subject of innumerable articles, and his lyrics became the subject of literary analyses across the U.S. and U.K. Well over 100 artists covered his songs between 1964 and 1966; the Byrds and the Turtles, in particular, had big hits with his compositions. Highway 61 Revisited, his first full-fledged rock & roll album, became a Top Ten hit shortly after its summer 1965 release. "Positively 4th Street" and "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" became Top Ten hits in the fall of 1965 and spring of 1966, respectively. Following the May 1966 release of the double-album Blonde on Blonde, he had sold over ten million records around the world.

During the fall of 1965, Dylan hired the Hawks, formerly Ronnie Hawkins' backing group, as his touring band. The Hawks, who changed their name to the Band in 1968, would become Dylan's most famous backing band, primarily because of their intuitive chemistry and "wild, thin mercury sound," but also because of their British tour in the spring of 1966. The tour was the first time Britain had heard the electric Dylan, and their reaction was disagreeable and violent. At the Manchester concert (long mistakenly identified as the show from London's Royal Albert Hall), an audience member called Dylan "Judas," inspiring a positively vicious version of "Like a Rolling Stone" from Dylan and the band. The performance was immortalized on countless bootleg albums (an official release finally surfaced in 1998), and it indicates the intensity of Dylan in the middle of 1966. He had assumed control of Pennebaker's second Dylan documentary, Eat the Document, and was under deadline to complete his book Tarantula, as well as record a new record. Following the British tour, he returned to America.

On July 29, 1966, he was injured in a motorcycle accident outside of his home in Woodstock, NY, suffering injuries to his neck vertebrae and a concussion. Details of the accident remain elusive -- he was reportedly in critical condition for a week and had amnesia -- and some biographers have questioned its severity, but the event was a pivotal turning point in his career. After the accident, Dylan became a recluse, disappearing into his home in Woodstock and raising his family with his wife, Sara. After a few months, he retreated with the Band to a rented house, subsequently dubbed Big Pink, in West Saugerties to record a number of demos. For several months, Dylan and the Band recorded an enormous amount of material, ranging from old folk, country, and blues songs to newly written originals. The songs indicated that Dylan's songwriting had undergone a metamorphosis, becoming streamlined and more direct. Similarly, his music had changed, owing less to traditional rock & roll, and demonstrating heavy country, blues, and traditional folk influences. None of the Big Pink recordings were intended to be released, but tapes from the sessions were circulated by Dylan's music publisher with the intent of generating cover versions. Copies of these tapes, as well as other songs, were available on illegal bootleg albums by the end of the '60s; it was the first time that bootleg copies of unreleased recordings became widely circulated. Portions of the tapes were officially released in 1975 as the double-album The Basement Tapes.

While Dylan was in seclusion, rock & roll had become heavier and artier in the wake of the psychedelic revolution. When Dylan returned with John Wesley Harding in December of 1967, its quiet, country ambience was a surprise to the general public, but it was a significant hit, peaking at number two in the U.S. and number one in the U.K. Furthermore, the record arguably became the first significant country-rock record to be released, setting the stage for efforts by the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers later in 1969. Dylan followed his country inclinations on his next album, 1969's Nashville Skyline, which was recorded in Nashville with several of the country industry's top session men. While the album was a hit, spawning the Top Ten single "Lay Lady Lay," it was criticized in some quarters for uneven material. The mixed reception was the beginning of a full-blown backlash that arrived with the double-album Self Portrait. Released early in June of 1970, the album was a hodgepodge of covers, live tracks, re-interpretations, and new songs greeted with negative reviews from all quarters of the press. Dylan followed the album quickly with New Morning, which was hailed as a comeback.

Following the release of New Morning, Dylan began to wander restlessly. He moved back to Greenwich Village, he finally published Tarantula in November of 1970, and he performed at the Concert for Bangladesh in August 1971. During 1972, he began his acting career by playing Alias in Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, which was released in 1973. He also wrote the soundtrack for the film, which featured "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," his biggest hit since "Lay Lady Lay." The Pat Garrett soundtrack was the final record released under his Columbia contract before he moved to David Geffen's fledgling Asylum Records. As retaliation, Columbia assembled Dylan, a collection of Self Portrait outtakes, for release at the end of 1973. Dylan only recorded two albums -- including 1974's Planet Waves, coincidentally his first number one album -- before he moved back to Columbia. The Band supported Dylan on Planet Waves and its accompanying tour, which became the most successful tour in rock & roll history; it was captured on 1974's double-live album Before the Flood.

Dylan's 1974 tour was the beginning of a comeback culminated by 1975's Blood on the Tracks. Largely inspired by the disintegration of his marriage, Blood on the Tracks was hailed as a return to form by critics and it became his second number one album. After jamming with folkies in Greenwich Village, Dylan decided to launch a gigantic tour, loosely based on traveling medicine shows. Lining up an extensive list of supporting musicians -- including Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Rambling Jack Elliott, Arlo Guthrie, Mick Ronson, Roger McGuinn, and poet Allen Ginsberg -- Dylan dubbed the tour the Rolling Thunder Revue and set out on the road in the fall of 1975. For the next year, the Rolling Thunder Revue toured on and off, with Dylan filming many of the concerts for a future film. During the tour, Desire was released to considerable acclaim and success, spending five weeks on the top of the charts. Throughout the Rolling Thunder Revue, Dylan showcased "Hurricane," a protest song he had written about boxer Rubin Carter, who had been unjustly imprisoned for murder. The live album Hard Rain was released at the end of the tour. Dylan released Renaldo and Clara, a four-hour film based on the Rolling Thunder tour, to poor reviews in early 1978.

Early in 1978, Dylan set out on another extensive tour, this time backed by a band that resembled a Las Vegas lounge band. The group was featured on the 1978 album Street Legal and the 1979 live album At Budokan. At the conclusion of the tour in late 1978, Dylan announced that he was a born-again Christian, and he launched a series of Christian albums that following summer with Slow Train Coming. Though the reviews were mixed, the album was a success, peaking at number three and going platinum. His supporting tour for Slow Train Coming featured only his new religious material, much to the bafflement of his long-term fans. Two other religious albums -- Saved (1980) and Shot of Love (1981) -- followed, both to poor reviews. In 1982, Dylan traveled to Israel, sparking rumors that his conversion to Christianity was short-lived. He returned to secular recording with 1983's Infidels, which was greeted with favorable reviews.

Dylan returned to performing in 1984, releasing the live album Real Live at the end of the year. Empire Burlesque followed in 1985, but its odd mix of dance tracks and rock & roll won few fans. However, the five-album/triple-disc retrospective box set Biograph appeared that same year to great acclaim. In 1986, Dylan hit the road with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers for a successful and acclaimed tour, but his album that year, Knocked Out Loaded, was received poorly. The following year, he toured with the Grateful Dead as his backing band; two years later, the souvenir album Dylan & the Dead appeared.

In 1988, Dylan embarked on what became known as "The Never-Ending Tour" -- a constant stream of shows that ran on and off into the late '90s. That same year, he released Down in the Groove, an album largely comprised of covers. The Never-Ending Tour received far stronger reviews than Down in the Groove, but 1989's Oh Mercy was his most acclaimed album since 1974's Blood on the Tracks, due in part to Daniel Lanois' strong production. However, Dylan's 1990 follow-up, Under the Red Sky, was received poorly, especially when compared to the enthusiastic reception for the 1991 box set The Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased), a collection of previously unreleased outtakes and rarities.

For the remainder of the '90s, Dylan divided his time between live concerts, painting, and studio projects. He returned to recording in 1992 with Good As I Been to You, an acoustic collection of traditional folk songs. It was followed in 1993 by another folk record, World Gone Wrong, which won the Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album. After the release of World Gone Wrong, Dylan released a greatest-hits album and a live record.

Dylan released Time Out of Mind, his first album of original material in seven years, in the fall of 1997. Time Out of Mind received his strongest reviews in years and unexpectedly debuted in the Top Ten, eventually climbing to platinum certification. Such success sparked a revival of interest in Dylan, who appeared on the cover of Newsweek and began selling out concerts once again. Early in 1998, Time Out of Mind received three Grammy Awards -- Album of the Year, Best Contemporary Folk Album, and Best Male Rock Vocal. Another album of original material, Love and Theft, followed in 2001 and went gold. Soon after its release, Dylan announced that he was making his own film, to star Jeff Bridges, Penelope Cruz, John Goodman, Val Kilmer, and many more. The accompanying soundtrack, Masked and Anonymous, was released in July 2003. Dylan opted to self-produce his new studio album, Modern Times, which topped the Billboard charts and went platinum in both America and the U.K. It was Dylan's third consecutive album to receive praise from critics and support from consumers, and it was followed three years later by Together Through Life, another self-produced effort that also featured contributions from David Hidalgo of Los Lobos and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide.

‘Peter Andre turns down Jordan’s plea to reconcile’

London, May 24 : Katie Price a. k. a Jordan’s plans of giving her four-year marriage another chance have received a setback. Her estranged husband Peter Andre has turned down her plea to save their relationship, it has emerged.

The busty model admitted that she made the biggest mistake of her life by planning to divorce Andre, claim sources.

Jordan reportedly sent a text to hubby saying she wanted him back.

However, her hopes of a reunion were left in tatters when Andre insisted that there was no chance of him taking her back.

"Pete will always love Kate but he didn''t just walk away on a whim. This wasn''t just about one drunken night. He left because of years of frustration,” News of the World quoted a close friend of Andre as saying.

"It''s very sweet that Kate is now realising just how much she has screwed things up, but it''s not going to make any difference at this stage.

"Pete never wanted this to happen and it took a lot for him to walk away. At the moment there is no way back and I don''t see that changing," the pal added. (ANI)

Wills, Kate Middleton to soon announce engagement, claims BBC

London, May 24 : Prince William and Kate Middleton will soon be announcing their engagement, according to the BBC.

The corporation is so sure that wedding bells are on the cards that it has commissioned a new documentary of the couple to be broadcast on the night their engagement is officially announced.

"Believe me, in these straightened times, we would not be spending money on this programme if we had not been assured that they were definitely going to get engaged," the Telegraph quoted a senior BBC executive as saying.

A representative for Clarence House has said that it knows about the documentary but refused to co-operate with the producers.

Officially, the BBC is keen to dismiss suggestions that it has been tipped off.

"We plan ahead for different eventualities. The relationship is an area that our viewers are very interested in,” the spokesman said.

The spokesman refused to reveal how much the documentary will cost. (ANI)

''This United team will go down in history'', says Cristiano Ronaldo

London, May 24 : Portuguese and Manchester United star striker Cristiano Ronaldo describes club manager Alex Ferguson as a second father to him, and believes the current team will go down in football history as one of the best.

Ronaldo, who has attracted attention of late for his tantrums and his flirtation with Real Madrid, is absolutely confident about Manchester United nailing Barcelona in the Champions League final on Wednesday.

The European and World Player of the Year has chosen the build-up to this week''s epic Champions League showdown in Rome as the moment to pledge his heart, body and soul to Manchester United, reports News of The World.

Ronaldo declares: "This is my home now. I think even when I say my heart is here, people are still going to speak and make things up. But this is where I want to play. We are part of an era that can go down in history for the way we are playing and for the trophies we are winning. The boss believes in this team and so do I. And this is where I want to be. Manchester United is now my house."

Sir Alex Ferguson interrupted his holiday last summer to have a heart-to-heart with Ronaldo as the pressure from Madrid seemed sure to pay dividends. At the time, it was suggested Ronaldo was not happy with Ferguson''s stance. Now, it seems to have strengthened the bond between the two.

Ronaldo explains: "He is two different people and they have both helped me become who I am today. Firstly, he is probably the most knowledgeable football coach in the world. I learn from him every day. No matter how good I become, I know he is a man who will always be able to teach me that little bit more. I don''t get tired of learning from him because I know every bit of advice he gives me will make me a better player. The second person he is, is a father to me. Ever since I joined Manchester United, he has been like a second father to me. And I don''t just respect him, I have the affection for him a child has for his father. When he gives me advice that is non-football, I listen because it will make me a better person."

He explained: "That is the goal, to always get better. And the manager we have here is not the sort of man to say ''right you are good enough now, don''t try and get any better''. He is a winner and he wants all of us to get better and works with us all individually to make sure that happens. If you look at somebody like Ryan Giggs, he keeps working to get better even at his age and he keeps winning. Maybe as you get older your game changes and you have to adapt your style but I don''t think I am quite there yet.”

He recalled: "When I was growing up, Luis Figo was the biggest player in Portugal. Luis was his own player who had belief in himself and that is what he has taught me. When I was 17 and with the national squad, he came up to me after the first training session and said that some of the things I did with a football, he had never seen anybody in the world do before. It is that sort of belief in you that gives you the confidence. I decided then only to have my own style of play. I don''t want to imitate anybody, individuality is everything to me." (ANI)

Im Baaaaaack!!

Hey young world! Its none other than your #1 sneaker correspondent in the world, $YD-K3MP, back from a slight hiatus if you will..lol!! With that being said, I have to come back on a good note , so that's why I chose to inform you of the official release of the Supra TK Society sneakers! These are a "must cop".....(Please believe that mines are on the way...lol). These shoes are soooooo...well the pic speaks volumes just take a look!!

As you can read (I hope :^P) The good folks over at www.pickyourshoes.com are doing a shoe giveaway and are forking over 24 pairs of these babies. But if you'd rather "ball out" you can purchase them now for a smooth $132!! Well as always be safe and be fresh!! -$YD K3MP

Jackpot!

Oh, how I live for the dope and crazy...

Designer Steven Shein has stolen my heart with his collection of accessories. Even though you couldn't wear most of the stuff in a professional or formal setting, it's still cool to have around when you're getting "fresh". Bangles, earrings, necklaces, rings...you name it, he's made it. You can pick up his things at Karmaloop.com or at hisofficial website. Here are are few more dope things that will be added to my collection soon.








-Christopher Nic.

Not Anymore. Not Like Before

Moschino Fall 2009 Collection







-Christopher Nic.

IMG's Newest Addition

The lovely Alexis Bledel just signed with IMG, the agency behind the "It" Girls of Nylon Magazine and celebrity endorsements like Drew Barrymore for Cover Girl. This actress and former model...wait - scratch that..I guess she's not former anymore, lol. Well anyways this "back again" model has taken a huge step in her career by signing to IMG, something few actresses have started to do. One actress I'm surprised that hasn't been signed yet is paparazzi happy chick Lindsay Lohan. She once stated in Nylons April issue that “if I could just sign with IMG and do ad campaigns and model more, I’d do that… because that’s fun for me. That’s not work.” Click here to check out Bledel's IMG portfolio.


-Christopher Nic.