With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, there was a New Year’s Eve vibe to it: enthusiastic party people at every square foot of club/lounge space in the city - your town included. My Saw inspired, blood splattered, psycho get-up isn’t on record; that’s a whole nother story. But representing the homeplate were the folks at NY Perks in Brooklyn: lots of colorful getups and characters + great flicks by alltheparties.com.

Side note, on last week’s Halloween episode of Parks and Recreation, Quincy Jones daughter, Rashida, dressed as Raggedy Ann, reversed the good girl, gone bad theme to brilliant effect.. “Halloween is an excuse for slutty girls to dress up like kittens.”

Not saying that’s what we have here, but I’m sure you caught a personal glimpse of that action last night. Flicks!

Her Raggedy Ann > than RJ’s? *thumbs up*

Like the Palm Pre and iTunes, twins don’t always sync.

I Dream of Genie, Wonder Woman, and a sexy maid (?).

Russell Crowe’s one scene co-star in Gladiator 2.

I once witnessed someone ask a woman if she was pregnant, when, despite appearances, nothing could have been further from the truth. I won’t recreate that moment.

More Cat Woman than kitten.

Mac 10?

Before the drink hits the system..

After/Tipsy!

In the late 90’s, I used to work with this girl.. I think.

Two strikes, he could have a flashback, “I’m not going back.”

Ohh.. kittens! ..

Cops all over the place + the ghost of Mike Jack.

Nah, don’t do it.

This pic looks like it fell off the pages of the 70’s ~ American Pimpin!

Can’t figure out if dude is Obama, Jay-Z, or a combo of the two. Jobomba!

Sailors off the good ship XXX.

Meoooww. Out!

This coming Friday, Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire will finally make its limited public debut in theaters. With all the positive press this movie has generated let’s hope it’s released in your city. Last Wednesday, movie critics and lucky previewers continued to shower praise and approval at the Film Independent screening at The Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California.

We don’t know what producer Lee Daniels was saying in this picture (aka the guy who cast Halle Berry in her Oscar winning role *cough*,) but in a recent New York magazine story “Living the Life” he was unabashedly complimentary about Gabourey Sidibe, the huge star of Precious. No pun. It seems that some people who saw the film expect Gabby (her preferred moniker) to be a depressed, overweight, mess of a human being. In the article, Lee Daniels said, oh no, “She is unequivocally comfortable in her body, in a very bizarre way. Either she’s in a state of denial or she’s so elevated that she’s on another level.”

In a state of denial? Hah. I’m not sure that’s a compliment.

Gabourey cleared up this Precious vs. Harlem-raised Gabby talk. You see the pose, here’s the tude..

“I’m actually not her (Precious). They try to paint the picture that I was this downtrodden ugly girl who was unpopular in school and in life, and then I got this role and now I’m awesome. But the truth is that I’ve been awesome, and then I got this role.. I know I’m not a piece of shit or some random fat girl.”

Gabourey went on to tell a story about how she keeps boys friends (she doesn’t want to get too serious with them,) and a little dating advice some of you girls might want to pay attention to. “This one guy, I’ve deleted his number. I would text him at 7 p.m., and he’d be like, ‘I’m at BBQ’s.”

“But the thing is, you don’t go to BBQ’s with your boys, you go with a girl. Then he’d call me at eleven. I’m like, “Why don’t you call me at six when you’re ready to go to BBQ’s?’ Don’t, don’t, don’t! I’m not a regular girl. I just got off a plane from France. You need to check yourself.”

In New York City, especially during the summer months, there are street performers at nearly every major crossroad. If you live in New York, you may have walked past Universal artist Melanie Fiona, singing for the love and spare change, and not even realized it. [Okay, maybe not for the change.] With her debut album The Bridge reset for November 10, Melanie Fiona got the idea to have a few talented street musicians interpret instrumentals of her songs as she laid on the vocals for some pre-album goodness. Take a listen..

I can honestly say Melanie Fiona’s album will be one of those first week gotta have it deals. If you don’t have the Questlove produced mixtape/interview, grab it here.

- posted by Stylish1 via Seventh Square

Rihanna is in fashion paradise while attending Paris fashion Week. She has been spotted at almost every main show, and has been seen wearing some interesting outfits. Up top she’s at the Hussein Chalayan show. Which one of these outfits do you like the best?

Rihanna at Chanel show

Rihanna at Vivienne Westwood show

Attention all Hip-Hop moguls and top level music company executives! Whenever people complain about the lack of better quality music, you have to do the unimaginable - go to work. Dig in the trenches and find a jewel that fills the real need for fresh faces, new stories, and divergent perspectives needed to keep this thing of ours alive.

I realize you were co-opted by the machine a long time ago and corporate needs and the distractions that a luxurious life provides (and the need to maintain that on a personal level) dominates the creative/unfamiliar stretching that would otherwise give life to the music. But like plaque silently building up in the arteries of a person that looks healthy enough, one day you’ll turn around and it’ll be flat on its face. Guess it’s too late for those jumping jacks.

Scene set, let’s do some digging.

For today’s case let’s take a female rapper out of Detroit who calls herself Mae Day. Five months ago (maybe more) links to Mae Day’s “Cherish the Day” began to sprout around the web. In May, it was rooted on Whudat. All Sade samples, all Mae Day, all hot tracks. It’s a digital mixtape that sounds like an album that sounds like what you’re missing on your artist roster.

A more curious/adventurous executive would have a sit down with Helen Folasade Adu (Sade), handshake over sample clearances and make “Cherish the Day” an official drop. New world of music. New expectations and contracts: a one off, with a one disc label option. Aware of the need for radio friendly music to bump down Familiar Boulevard. To the dissapointment of Rick (haha)  I select “Give it All” as the best track for that ride.

Mae Day and her team were of a similar mind.

This week a video for “Give it All” was released on the tube.

Like that or not, take the album/mixtape with you. You might be surprised.

By the way, second single/serving.. I say “Crime.”