Rihanna and Chris Brown: A flame Reignited…and Imitated

It’s no longer a secret: Chris Brown and Rihanna are back together again and sure aren’t shy about showing it. The news has caused quite a stir, receiving both positive and negative feedback from fans. But the bittersweet love affair has possibly even planted a seed of inspiration over at Law & Order: SVU. The popular drama series that is famous for portraying true events has apparently taken the chance to capitalize off of one of the biggest controversies in Hollywood. During the trailer of “Funny Valentine” the episode is described as “A familiar story of two celebrities,” suggesting that the storyline was truly influenced by Chris and Rihanna’s rocky relationship. Although Law & Order created their own version of the incident, some of the details are reminiscent of what actually happened. According to New York Daily News:

“The central players in “Funny Valentine” are Micha Green played by Tiffany Robinson, and Caleb Brown, played by Eugene Jones. He regularly beats her, which leads Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay) to wonder why she stays in the relationship. She also refuses to cooperate in prosecution despite the efforts of assistant district attorney Barba (Raul Esparza) to built a case. Micha says it’s complicated, and the story plays out from there, focusing on domestic violence and the ways in which abusers manipulate victims.”

For those who may not know, in 2009 Chris Brown was arrested for horrifically beating Rihanna during a heated argument. The world came to Rihanna’s defense while Chris Brown was shunned and forced to pick up the pieces. He ended up losing endorsement deals, and no one wanted anything to do with him. Now, after 4 years of separation, the duo has finally confirmed their recently rekindled romance.

A lot of people have their own opinion about weather Chris and Rihanna should be together. On the other hand with me, as nosy as I am, I feel like they are grown and should be free to make their own decisions. When I look at them I see a couple that never really stopped loving each other. Of course Rihanna may look crazy or stupid for getting back with Chris, but no one knows what went on behind closed doors. No one knows their relationship like they do. In fact, I think they always wanted to be together within these 4 years. It just wasn’t the right time, with Chris Brown being on probation and having a restraining order against him, that was lifted in 2011.

Rihanna seems like she knows what she’s doing and surely her fans will accept the fact that she is with the man she loves. At the end of the day., Rih will have no one to blame but herself if he ever did hit her again. I have a feeling that it won’t happen again, but with Chris’s unpredictable behavior, we can’t rule it out.

I plan on tuning in to the new episode this Wednesday, just to see how far the story goes. Even though this episode is 4 years late, it couldsurely bring back uncomfortable memories not only for the fans, but the individuals involved.

“Funny Valentine” airs on Wednesday, February 27 at 8pm EST on NBC.

Watch the the trailer here

Mentally Disabled Prisoner’s Execution Postponed

Warren Hill, a mentally disabled convicted killer who was sentenced to death, was granted a stay of execution only a half an hour before he was scheduled to die.

According to  The Huffington Post, The State Board of Pardons and Paroles had earlier denied clemency to Hill, and he was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection at 7:00pm EST Tuesday evening.

Hill was convicted of the 1990 murder of his cellmate by beating him to death using a “nail studded board” in a Georgia State Prison. He was initially serving a life sentence for the murder of his girlfriend in 1986, as reported by the Associated Press.

The Supreme Court ruled the executing of mentally disabled inmates unconstitutional. However, in the state of Georgia, defendants are required to prove that they are mentally disabled “beyond reasonable doubt.” Hill’s lawyers have argued that his mental disability, including his I.Q. of 70 should spare him from being executed. However a number of state courts claim he did not meet Georgia’s legal standards.

Hill’s attorney Brian Kammer made a statement saying,

“This is the strictest standard in any jurisdiction in the nation. Even Warren Hill, a man with   an IQ of 70 who is diagnosed as mentally retarded by every doctor who has examined him, found it impossible to meet this standard of proof.” (CNN.com)

State representatives say that because Hill served in the Navy and held a steady job prior to his conviction, his low I.Q. and diagnosis may not be valid arguments.

Hill’s execution is suspended until further notice. This is his second stay of execution.

The 55th Grammy Awards Celebration: The Winners and Performances (Review)

Some of the biggest names in music gathered for the 55th annual Grammy Awards Ceremony Sunday night. The lavish spectacle was the usual glitz, glamour, and gold, hashing out a total of 25 awards.

As usual, the guest list was star studded including well known artists like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Jay-Z and Adele. Others in attendance were Nas, Ne-Yo, Wale, and The Roots all who were nominated that night. LL Cool J was set to host the evening. The rapper turned actor is no stranger to the Grammys, with two awards under his belt.

While in most cases, the show opening is reserved for jokes and punch lines, the host brought a more heartfelt, and inspiring mood to the evening during his opening monologue. He shared how the opportunity of hosting this years Grammys was such and honor to him, and how artists before him inspired him to chase his dreams and earn the Grammys he’s won so far. This indeed set the tone for the events that took place.

 

TOP PERFORMANCES

Taylor Swift kicked off the show performing her hit “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” twisting it up with a circus/ringmaster theme. The upbeat, and bubbly track is an expression of a heartbroken girl who vows to never get back together with her ex-lover. Swift, who is constantly in the spotlight when it comes to her many, many relationships, is known for writing songs about her past experiences. Wonder who she could have been serenading this time.

Ed Sheeran joined the great Elton John for a once in a lifetime performance of Sheeran’s single “The A-Team.” The artists, both whom are of English descent, kept it simple and intimate, with John on his signature piano, and Sheeran strumming his guitar.

R&B hit maker Miguel performed his popular single “Adorn”, accompanied by soon-to-be father Wiz Khalifa. The performance began with Miguel singing and playing keyboard out in the audience in dimmed red lighting, setting a sexy tone, perfect for the song choice. “Adorn” was awarded that night for Best R&B song, earning Miguel his first Grammy.

Justin Timberlake confirmed his comeback debuting his new single “Suit & Tie”, featuring Jay-Z. The 40’s themed song has an old Hollywood glamorous feel, and to keep up with that theme, the screen went into a sepia tone for the remainder of the performance.

The highlight of the night could have been the highly anticipated Bob Marley tribute, featuring Bruno Mars, Sting, Rihanna, and Damien & Ziggy Marley. It instead turned out to be a rushed disappointment. Mars, opened up with his single “Locked Out of Heaven”, followed up by Sting on the second verse. While the stage was lit up with festive island colors, there was still some confusion as to when tribute to Bob Marley would actually take place. Mars tried to tie everything together stating that “None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for Bob Marley”, and finally introduce Rihanna, Ziggy and Damien who sang “Could You Be Loved”. Before you know it, the “tribute” was over. While it was an entertaining performance, there could have been more.

WINNERS

25 golden gramophones were given out Sunday night. Here are winners from the general categories (not categorized by genre):

Album of The Year: Babel – Mumford and Sons

Record of The Year: Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye

Song of The Year (awarded to writer of the song): We Are Young – FUN.

Best New Artist: FUN.

Here are some of the winners from other popular categories:

Best Pop Solo Performance: Set Fire To The Rain – Adele

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: No Church in the Wild – Jay-Z & Kanye West ft. Frank Ocean

Best Pop Vocal Album – Stronger – Kelly Clarkston

Best Country Solo Performance – Blown Away – Carrie Underwood

Best Urban Contemporary Album – Channel Orange – Frank Ocean

Best Rap Song – N***** in Paris – Jay-Z and Kanye West

Best Rap Album – Take Care – Drake

For a complete list of this years winners, you can visit www.grammys.com

 

Over all,the show turned out to be a success. Of course there were upset fans of the artists that did not win, especially when popularity vs. quality music is at hand. However, I believe that the winners of each award were deserving of them. My only gripe with the Grammys is the extremely short and almost irrelevant tribute. If you are going to promote a special performance all evening long, at least live up to the hype. I was pleased with their decision to choose LL Cool J as the host. He was charming, funny, and very enjoyable to watch. Grammys night is the most important night of a musical artists career, and I am looking forward to next year. I am always excited for new music, and it is inspiring to see someone get recognized and awarded for their hard work and creativity.