Her latest release is Neska, and with all the props she has garnered from local and international artists alike it’s interesting how different this album is both stylistically and lyrically. What happened to the simple kind of woman who wants a simple kind of man? Her raw proud Aussie demeanor has been overcast by a bad-girl sex kitten image that not only doesn’t do her justice but is also far from believable.

Her sound is no longer unique and would get lost amongst all the standard U.S. R&B singers. The sultriness that appeared on the first album has been replaced with tackiness with lyrics like ‘spank my ass and pull my hair’ and that’s just on the first single Like It Like That. That track is followed by others like it, for example Talk Derrty, Animal and Wo Wo just to name a few. The only song on Neska that isn’t sexual is Beauty Within, and although sends a nice message it’s no Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful.

Neska will probably disappoint previous fans and is unlikely to grow Nessa a new fan base. The lyrics are amateur and unoriginal. The beats aren’t anything special. The bad girl image is not doing this girl any favours. She has what it takes, she has proven this with her first album and vocally she’s still got it. She just needs to get back to her roots and write an album that’s real and true to her.

Available through Probono Records

Author: Marcie Konsoulas
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Smiling shark

I tried to clear my mind of Vampire Weekend with some quiet reading of another vampiric nature. I am rereading Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan series before I read her latest in the Series, The Outlaw Demon Wails. For those unfamiliar with the series the first thing that drew me to it was the bad puns used for the titles, such as Dead Witch Walking, and Fist Full of Charms. The setting is modern day Cincinnati, assuming we really lived where vampires, witches, werewolves, pixies, and elves really live side by side with us.

The back story difference begins with an early genetic food modification tomatoes which kills a high percentage of the human population. It is quickly realized that a large number of people survive and it comes out that they aren’t exactly human, thus beginning forty plus years of learning to live in the public. Flash forward to modern times you have Rachel Morgan, a white witch, tired of her job as a supernatural cop. Sick of the lack of respect she gets from her superiors and coworkers, she strikes out on her own with the Pixie Jenks and her soon to become BFF Ivy, the vampire. With a host of problems from her old bosses and people she has just pissed off over the years the trio runs a fairly complicated PI service for the supernatural crowd.

The series has it all. I know what some of you are thinking, a book. Yes, before the internet, television and even movies there were books and it would do a lot of you good to read one once in a while. Yes I know that sounds preachy but damn it, I am an author and know I have to sell roughly 8900 paperback copies to clear my my $5k advance, so shut up and buy one, and help support us poor slobs. Okay it is a book, I know what your next question is, “are there sports in it”? Are you kidding? Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles. Okay now your question has got to be is this a kissing book? Yeah there is some of the that too, and if we are lucky we will get to see a more than a taste of our bisexual Ivy in The Outlaw Demon Wails.

Pop star Ashlee Simpson and her rocker hubby Pete Wentz had their baby Thursday night. Bronx Mowgli Simpson-Wentz weighed 7 pounds 11 ounces and measured 20 1/2 inches long. Mom and baby were said to be doing well. Many are now speculating as to why on earth they gave the poor boy the name Bronx Mowgli.

Pushing Daisies fans, break out the tissues, your show has for all intents and purposes been canceled. ABC has not greenlit any additional shows for it and two other shows; Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Money. Daisies wrapped production on its 13th episode last week, at which point series creator Bryan Fuller said he was holding out hope that high-ranking advocates for his show would work some magic. Didn’t happen. Fuller, though, has said that Ned and Chuck’s story, in such a situation, will continue on in comic-book form. I for one wonder if perhaps Fuller will return to Heroes and help out that show.

Stargate Atlantis star Jason Momoa was attacked on November 15. Dominic Bando, 21, who allegedly argued with the actor and hit him in the face with a pint glass, was charged today with assault with a deadly weapon, the Los Angles District Attorney’s Office confirms to E! News. The intergalactic actor required reconstructive surgery and 140 stitches when his face was shattered. This blogger wishes Momoa a swift recovery.

New releases out this week on DVD include the box office flop Speed Racer (with Matthew Fox and Christina Ricci) and the 25th anniversary edition of Risky Business, the movie that propelled Tom Cruise into the spotlight and inspired millions into dancing to “Old Time Rock and Roll” while wearing their tighty whitey’s and Ray Bans. On the television side of the DVD aisle we have some good picks. There is the first seasons of Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and this bloggers favorite Chuck (if you like spies, comedy and eye candy [hello Adam Baldwin and Zachary Levi] then Chuck is for you). Also coming out is the second season of the Doctor Who spinoff, Torchwood. The season finale of this season had your entrepid blogger crying like a baby.

Santa is going to be very good to Stephen Colbert this year. Comedy Central announced yesterday that the comedian will be hosting his own Christmas special. The musical special will feature John Legend, Elvis Costello, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson and Feist. Joining Colbert for a duet will be Daily show host Jon Stewart. The one hour special will air on November 23.

Michael Ausiello gives us Supernatural spoilers straight from producer’s Eric Kripke’s mouth. In midseason there will be an episode titled “Afterschool Special” that is going to feature a haunting of one of the high schools Sam and Dean attended. “As they investigate, we’ll see flashbacks to what high school was like for Sam and Dean.” Teen Winchesters! Sounds like it could be fun. Not so says Kripke “It wasn’t pretty.” But first, Dean needs to get out of hell. Tune in Thursday for the Supernatural premiere to see how that’s going to happen.

More news and gossip tomorrow!

The Modesto Bee | Modesto woman sentenced to life in prison for kidnap, torture of teen

Modesto woman sentenced to life in prison for kidnap, torture of teen

By Emilie Raguso , eraguso@modbee.com

A Modesto woman was sentenced to life in prison today for torturing a teenage girl after the teenager stole the woman’s truck, the district attorney’s office said.

After being held for two nights in June 2007, the girl escaped as her captors were driving her to Stockton where they said she would be forced to perform sex acts for money, officials said.

According to authorities, Graciela Elmira Cervantes, 27, was “bent on revenge” after the girl, described as a runaway, took the woman’s truck without permission.

The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department reported that Cervantes held the victim captive for two days, starting June 24, at Cervantes’ home in the 2300 block of La Paz Court near Memorial Medical Center. Sheriff’s spokesman deputy Royjindar Singh said last year that Cervantes stabbed the victim several times before locking her in a bedroom closet.

Cervantes, prosecutors said, held the teenager for two nights, subjecting her to a range of torture: beating her; cutting her long hair to her scalp; burning her with cigarettes; cutting the web of her hand with scissors; and making her lick her own blood from the floor.

On June 26, Cervantes and her boyfriend put the victim in a car to drive her to Stockton, “where they told her she would be prostituted out for money,” according to the district attorney’s office.

During the ride, the driver pulled over near Gallo Glass, 605 South Santa Cruz Ave., and the girl jumped out of the car and ran toward the guard station, authorities said. Security personnel called law enforcement as Cervantes and her driver sped off.

Several members of Cervantes’ household, present during the torture, testified at the preliminary hearing, which spanned three days over two months, according to the district attorney’s office. Cervantes also pleaded to a robbery in September 2006 where, officials said, she held a knife to the victim’s neck and demanded her bank card and PIN.

“Both charges are serious and violent felonies which require the defendant to serve 85 percent of her time in prison,” according to information released by the district attorney’s office.

Cervantes will not be eligible for a parole hearing for 10 years.

Bee staff writer Emilie Raguso can be reached at eraguso@modbee.com or 578-2235.

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Single-sex classes eyed for middle schools – EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Single-sex classes eyed for middle schools Laboy says separating boys and girls will help learning
By Mark E. Vogler
mvogler@eagletribune.com

LAWRENCE — Some classrooms in the Lawrence Public Schools system could be all-boy or all-girl when a new school year begins next fall.

Superintendent Wilfredo Laboy acknowledged that possibility last night while briefing School Committee members on his plans to assemble a special task force on the subject.

“Over the past two years, we have been watching the research and discussing the possibility of creating an option for single sex classrooms at our middle schools,” Laboy wrote in a cover letter to a package he submitted. “Based on the current research and a grass-roots interest in moving in this direction, I would like to create a task force to review the research and bring forward recommendations for a possible implementation of this model for the 2009-2010 school year.”

Laboy said at least one city middle school he would not name has already requested single-sex classrooms.

Laboy stressed that the task force will only be “an open discussion” and not automatically lead to all-boy and all-girl classes.

He plans to include two School Committee members on a panel of eight to 12, people which would begin its study early next year.

The single-sex class would be aimed at grades five to eight, focusing on boys within that grade level.

“There’s been some concerns about adolescent male boys being left behind academically,” Laboy said after the meeting. “A lot of it has to do with distractions they have at that age level. … My hope is that we can have an honest conversation about this issue.”

Laboy told committee members he would like to create a small learning lab that would use an eighth-grade class as a case study. He noted concerns about the drop-out rate of male students which he believes can be traced back to a loss of interest in class work at that grade level.

School Committee member James Vittorioso told the committee that he recommended to school administrators to consider classes for just boys several years ago after noticing a disinterest among boys he taught in a math class.

But Vittorioso expressed dismay that nobody in the Lawrence public schools administration took his recommendation seriously.

“I find it incredulous that a School Committee member brought this up three years (ago) and now it’s being acted upon,” Vittorioso said.

Laboy confirmed that Vittorioso had made the recommendation several years ago, but said others had also called for it. Laboy said he would be glad to include Vittorioso on the task force.

Laboy provided each member with a package of literature on the topic.

The findings of some studies show evidence of higher academic achievements, classrooms that are more conducive to learning and decreased discipline problems.

Last night’s season premiere of Saturday Night Live started out by ending the speculation I mentioned yesterday. Former cast member and writer Tina Fey came back to play Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin alongside Amy Poehler’s Hilary Clinton. Palin’s views on foreign policy and global warming were mocked in the opening skit which was a “non-partisan message” skewering the issue of sexism in the election. The show was hosted by Olympian Michael Phelps who joked that the job was “the ninth greatest moment of my life”.

Sadly, that guest appearance by Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama? Didn’t happen. It was announced early yesterday that Senator Obama was not going to appear because of the growing emergency in the Gulf coast due to Hurricane Ike. “In light of the unfolding crisis in Texas, Sen. Obama has decided it is no longer appropriate to appear on Saturday Night Live,” was the quote from a spokesperson for the Obama campaign as saying. Senator Obama will be rescheduled to appear on the show at a later date.

Finally, last night, as a precursor to next week’s Prime Time Emmy awards, the Creative portion of the awards were given out. The show was hosted by “How I Met Your Mother” star Neil Patrick Harris and “Scrubs” star Sarah Chalke. Guest actor and actress in a drama were; Glynn Turnman for HBO’s “In Treatment” and Cynthia Nixon in NBC’s “Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit”. Guest actor and actress in a comedy were; Tim Conway for NBC’s “30 Rock” and Kathryn Joosten for ABC’s “Desperate Housewives”. Best Choreography went to “So You Think You Can Dance” Wade Robson for his season three “Chairman’s Waltz”. And winning both Best Original Music and Lyrics and Best Picture Editing for her salty “I’m Fucking Matt Damon”

That’s all for today!