Danica Patrick, Female Sports Stars, My name Dennica

My name twin Danica Patrick is listed among America's Fav Female Sports Stars for the second year running in a poll conducted by Harris Interactive.

Patrick, driver of the No. 7 Dallara Honda for Andretti Green Racing, is ranked second behind tennis star Serena Williams in this year's poll. Patrick was fifth in 2006.

Others on the current list include tennis players Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova and Anna Kournikova; soccer's Mia Hamm; golfers Annika Sorenstam and Michelle Wie; boxer Laila Ali; and figure skater Michelle Kwan.

Interesting Facts about my name - When I was younger I used to be obsessed with the meanings of names, mainly because I could never find mine in any name books, it's a whole other story how my mother came up with my name, that's a blog I'll save for another time.

I loved my name until I moved out LA, not that I don't love it now but..... Seriously, it's a Slavic name, very pretty and very unique in the UK. Out here it's one of those 'KA' names.. You know what I'm talking about so I'm not even going to go into it.. Basically it rhymes with Shaniqua, aaagghhhh.

The meaning of the name DANIKA: - Morning Star, Only God can Judge me... Guess who else had the same meaning?? Oh errr, the latter meaning should give you a BIG clue if you know your Bible.

The origin of the name: is SLAVIC, if you don't know what the hell that means, think Czech, Slovak, Polish, Russian. Also from the Hebrew name Danielle.

The pronunciation: D(a)-Ni-Ka, or Den-Ni-Ka - As mine is pronounced.

Variations: Danica, Dennica and probably a million other weird and wonderful spellings, LOL

Interesting stuff: There is a town in Bulgaria called Dennica, there is a Slavic womens magazine called Dennica, my daughter's (when that happens) middle name will be Dennica...

FLASHBACK: H-town - Knockin the boots / Music Video

Ahh the memories.. Enjoy this classic.

Concert for Diana THIS Sunday, airing LIVE on VH1

An event I really wish I was in London for.. I remember her death like yesterday, we were coming home from a club in the early hours and hit a standstill on the motorway, literally a sea of cars. Everybody had their radios on and were shouting from car to car about the news, we just looked at each other in shock and burst out crying.
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The Concert For Diana takes place on Sunday (July 1st), a charity effort to be broadcast live from Wembley Stadium in London. The event has been organized by Princes William and Harry to mark the tenth anniversary of the death of their mother, Princess Diana. Sunday would have been Diana's 46th birthday.

VH1 will broadcast the six-hour concert live, beginning at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT.

Artists confirmed for the show include: Lily Allen, Natasha Bedingfield, James Blunt, Sarah Brightman, Daniel Craig, Diddy, Jason Donovan, Duran Duran, The Feeling, Fergie, Bryan Ferry, Nelly Furtado, Roger Hodgson, Elton John, Tom Jones, Andrew Lloyd Webber, James Morrison, Orson, Status Quo, Rod Stewart, Joss Stone, Take That, Wix Wickens, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, and Will Young.

Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has penned a special musical medley for the show, to be performed by Anastacia, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Donny Osmond and Jason Donovan.

Rumors about other possible performers: Paul McCartney, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams with Take That, Dire Straits (one of Diana's fav bands) and David Bowie.

Oprah Winfrey to open store near her studios

Oprah's world continues to grow.

Under her belt already: The talk show, the book club, the magazine, the media empire/satellite channel. Now she's adding a retail store...

A spokeswoman for her company, Harpo Inc., said Tuesday construction on a store for Oprah merchandise has begun. The 4,500 square foot store is being built at 57 N. Carpenter, located across the street from Harpo Studios at 1058 W. Washington.

The store will apparently sell many of the items currently in Oprah's Boutique section of her website.

No potential opening date yet, I'll keep you all posted.

Dancing Indian Midget....

Funny stuff, love the expression on the 'little man's' face, ha ha ha

Tell me what you want, what you really really want..

SPICE GIRLS REUNION ALERTAfter rumors, talks, talks and more talks the Spice Girls finally announced today to an excited crowd in London that they will reunite for 11 concerts around the world in December and January.

This will be the first time since 1998 that ALL original five members of the group will perform together.

Ginger, Posh, Sporty, Scary and Baby Spice are set to perform the following dates:

Los Angeles on Dec. 7, Las Vegas on Dec. 8 , New York on Dec. 11, London on Dec. 15, Cologne on Dec. 20, Madrid on Dec. 23, Beijing on Jan. 10, Hong Kong on Jan. 12, Sydney on Jan. 17, Cape Town on Jan. 20 and Buenos Aires on Jan. 24.

OK, looks like I’ll be digging out my Spice Girls shoes for the LA date… Yes, I DID have Spice Girl shoes, sad but true. In my defense I was caught up in the Spice frenzy, LOL

BET Awards 2007 - Recap Pt 3

BET Awards 2007 - Recap Pt 2

OK, this blog is for all those who saw the Beyonce performance with the robot entrance (see picture).

Others may only know the comparison's being made because they have been reading about them and probably don't know who the hell Kylie Minogue is.

Being from London, she was sort of shoved down our throats 24/7 (kind of like the Spice Girls) For those of us who used to watch 'Neighbours' after school (Australian soap opera/drama that's being going on for like 100 years) we knew Kylie as Charlene before she left the soap to become a superstar rockstar. Therefore anything she did, was about to do, whether we liked it or not we knew about it..

In conclusion, Beyonce entrance was verrrrrrry much like Kylie's a few years ago which crossed my mind when the performance started... Anyhoo, this seemed to really get on people's goats and they were blitzing websites, blogs, you name it freaking out..

I really don't have any comments because, hey there are far more important things in life than stressing if Beyonce copied Kylie Minogue, seriously.

BUT being the wonderful person I am I've posted the Kylie version so you can judge for yourself.

BET Awards 2007 - Recap

Whew what an exhausting 2 days, Monday - BET Media Day, ASCAP Awards in the evening, waaaaay too tired to party that night.. Tuesday, BET all day long, media during the day and went to the Awards @ 5pm, partied all night.

My highlights (there are actually many many highlights but I'll only pick three)

1. Seeing Stevie Wonder rehearsing for the Diana Ross tribute, showing the live band how HE wanted them to play, LOL. Picture up top is me at the rehearsal in the Shrine Auditorium, damn the flash on the camera.

2. Mary J Blige showing my boy Justin love and giving him a full on interview on the red carpet at the ASCAP Awards.

3. Ne-yo, Lyfe Jennings, Mario, Chris Brown all up on the stage giving us a hook or two of our fav songs @ Jermaine Dupri's BET afterparty. AND, some lady accosting Angie Stone in the restroom, before AND after she went in the stall to handle her business.. (OK, that's 4)

All in all, I must say this years BET Awards in my opinion was one of the best, they pulled all the stops on this one, Public Enemy, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, Yolanda Adams, of course Stevie Wonder.

Oh can't forget Monique and her unforgettable Deja-Vu performance, and the two Jennifer's (Holiday and Hudson) explosive intro. Also, Ciara can dance her ass off, the splits she did when she jumped into the front row made us all get up to see where or who she landed on LOL. I'd love to see a dance off with her, JLo and Janet Jackson.

Roll on BET 2008.

Rev Run To Be Honored as BMI Icon At 7th Annual Urban Awards

Legendary hip-hop songwriter and artist Rev Run from groundbreaking group Run-DMC will be honored as a BMI Icon at the company’s 7th Annual Urban Awards. The invitation-only gala, which will also recognize the past year’s most-performed BMI urban songs, is set for Sept. 7 at The New York New York in Las Vegas, NV, coinciding with the MTV Video Music Awards being held Sept. 9.

The Icon designation is given to BMI songwriters and artists who have had “a unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.” Rev Run will be saluted with an all-star musical tribute during the ceremony, and he joins an elite group that includes James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Al Green, Charlie Wilson and the Gap Band, Little Richard, Chuck Berry and last year’s honorees, Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds.

SHAQ'S Big Challenge TONIGHT on ABC

TONIGHT - 9pm - Shaq's Big Challenge an unscripted ABC reality series where he tackles childhood obesity. Shaq's mission statement? He's out to save a generation, one overweight kid at a time.

Based on the UK show Unfit Kids, Shaq goes one-on-six with Walter (14, 285 pounds), Kit (14, 263 pounds), Kevin (13, 230 pounds), Chris (11, 206 pounds), James (11, 182 pounds) and Ariel (14, 211 pounds).

In each hour-long episode, the 7 foot, 300-plus pound NBA star, rapper, actor and reserve police officer will embark on a personal crusade to help transform six obese middle-school students from Florida into healthy kids while also demonstrating how other communities across the country can help fight America's weighty-youth problem.

He won't go it alone, as Shaq will be joined by his "dream team" of experts: his own physician and trainer, Dr. Carlon "Doc" Colker; personal trainer Tarik Tyler; nutritionist Dr. Joy Bauer; childhood obesity expert Dr. William Muinos from Miami Children's Hospital; Food Network celebrity chef Tyler Florence; and his former Louisiana State University basketball coach Dale Brown. As they travel to the youths' homes and schools, the team will eventually expand their scope to develop and implement a wellness program for the entire state of Florida that emphasizes healthy eating and exercise.

Parents and children at home can also take part in Shaq's Big Challenge by logging onto the show's website www.shaqfamilychallenge.com

Check out my scoop on the story in March HERE

Shaq's Big Challenge, Tuesdays, 9pm ABC

Eddy Murphy IS the Daddy

LOL.. if you've been out of the loop, it was confirmed... EDDIE MURPHY IS the father of SPICE GIRL MEL B'S baby.

Singer Mel received the news in LA from the Beverly Hills Clinic where Murphy had been ordered by a court to take a DNA test earlier this month.

Murphy has denied from day one that he was the father of Mel's second child ANGEL IRIS.

I can't really say I would have loved to see his face when he was told, because he knew that baby was his from the get go, hilarious....

Check out my earlier BABY DRAMA posting.

Roberto Cavalli at H&M

With this year’s designer collaboration H&M opens its doors to the exclusive world of Roberto Cavalli. The Italian designer will create a one-off collection for women and men exclusively for H&M. The line will carry the vital touch and the intense sensuality typical of Roberto Cavalli, one of the world’s most exciting and creative fashion designers.

The 'Roberto Cavalli at H&M' collection will be available in approximately 200 selected H&M stores worldwide for a limited period of time starting from November 8th 2007. The line will consist of iconic menswear, 20 pieces, and womenswear, 25 pieces, including lingerie plus matching accessories.

Thanks to his boundless creativity, Roberto Cavalli is known as a designer to the stars and the international jet set. He regularly dresses international personalities: Madonna, Beyoncé, Gwyneth Paltrow, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Lopez, Sharon Stone, Gong Li, Victoria Beckham, Lenny Kravitz and Adrien Brody. Mr Cavalli’s vision is synonymous with glamour and a sensual, revolutionary style. Florentine craftsmanship and tradition combine with a love of color, embellishment and prints inspired by nature translates into a unique, inimitable style.

Today the Roberto Cavalli universe includes signature collections for both men and women. There is Just Cavalli for a young audience, and Class Cavalli a diffusion collection as well as the Angels and Devils collection for boys and girls. In addition there is also beachwear, lingerie, shoes, eyewear, watches and perfumes. Other products from the world of Roberto Cavalli are accessories for the home, wine and vodka.

BET Awards 2007 - The Main Event - Are You Ready???

PRE-SHOW Tune in for BET’s pre-show with 106 & Park’s Terrence and Rocsi live! Almost as hot as the awards show itself, see the celebrities arrive on the red carpet. and more! Get the 411 on who is looking hot and who is claiming BET Award victory. Tune in Tuesday, June 26 at 6 p.m. (ET), 7 p.m. (CT)

AWARDS NIGHT - BET 2007

Cable television’s top-rated awards show is back again for the seventh consecutive year to honor superlative achievement in music, entertainment and sports with a star-studded “live” telecast of BET AWARDS ‘07. With spectacular once-in-a-lifetime moments and show-stopping surprise appearances during the 3-hour telecast, the BET AWARDS will salute winners across 14 categories, including the special Humanitarian and Lifetime Achievement honors. The show format also includes glitzy red carpet arrivals, explosive show performances and riveting tributes by the hottest names in entertainment at LA’s historic Shrine Auditorium.

PREMIERE TELECAST:
Tuesday, June 26, 8 p.m. (ET), 7 p.m. (CT) (LIVE)
Note: Pacific and Mountain Time Zone telecast tape delayed

ENCORE TELECASTS:
Friday, June 29 from 8 – 11 p.m. ET/PT
Sunday, July 1 from 8 – 11 p.m. ET/PT
Wednesday, July 4 from 8 – 11 p.m. ET/PT
Friday, July 6 from 8 – 11 p.m. ET/PT
Sunday, July 8 from 8 – 11 p.m. ET/PT
Saturday, July 14 from 8 – 11 p.m. ET/PT

POST SHOW BET keeps the party going with the Black Carpet post show. Get real reactions right after the event with Black Carpet hosts Toure and Danella. Tune in Tuesday, June 26 at 11 p.m. (ET), 10 p.m. (CT).

EVE heads to BET

Just announced, Eve will be the new host of BET's "Rap City" from June 18-22.

Special confirmed guests include Monie Love, Common, Jazzy Jeff, Swiss Beats and more.

"Rap City" airs daily at 5 p.m. EST.

Eve - Tambourine ft. Jay - Z / Music Video

EVE'S HOT NEW TRACK

NBC truncates Posh Spice reality show

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham's upcoming NBC reality series will instead run as an hour-long special, the network said Wednesday .

"Victoria Beckham: Coming to America" will air at 8 p.m. July 16. As the title suggests, it will focus on Posh Spice's relocation to Los Angeles from London with her husband, football star David Beckham.

NBC announced the project as a six-episode series in February. But there was recent speculation in the British media about problems on the show once David Beckham was recalled to play with the English national team late last month. He is set to play with Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy after his contract with Real Madrid expires June 30.

If the NBC special is a success, it's believed that it could lead to more specials or a series.

Soprano's creator defends ending...

Ok, for those who were TOTALLY frustrated over the Soprano's ending, here's what creator David Chase has to say - "Voice of America"

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While Sopranos fans may want to whack David Chase, the creator of the acclaimed gangster serial says he never intended to provoke them with its open-ended finale.

Speaking to the New Jersey Star-Ledger newspaper, the 61-year-old television writer-director-producer said "No one was trying to be audacious, honest to God. We did what we thought we had to do. No one was trying to blow people's minds or thinking, 'Wow, this'll (tick) them off."

After building tension for six seasons over 8-1/2 years, Chase ended The Sopranos in opaque fashion, having series centerpiece Tony Soprano eat dinner with his family in a nondescript restaurant. Various ominous-looking patrons pass his table before the screen suddenly goes black.

HBO, the Time Warner, Inc.-owned pay cable network which launched the series in 1999, reported a flood of viewer response - much of it negative.

Asked whether the ambiguous ending may signal a possible movie, Chase wasn't encouraging: "If something appeared that really made a good Sopranos movie and you could invest in it and everybody else wanted to do it, I would do it. But I think we've kind of said and done it."

Katherine McPhee, Life after American Idol

Not winning American Idol wasn't a career killer for the talented singer.

Case in point: On Saturday (June 16), she will be the featured performer at Mandalay Beach, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, in Las Vegas to help Vegas Magazine celebrate its fourth anniversary, McPhee will also serve as the chief party hostess and is featured on the cover of the magazine's June edition.

Some of the celebrities scheduled to appear at the event include Dennis Hopper, Bai Ling, Criss Angel and Ben Kingsley.

50 CENT TO LAUNCH ZWINKTOPIA BOUTIQUE

Apparently 50 CENT is expanding his G-UNIT clothing line - by opening an online virtual boutique to sell garments and promote his forthcoming album CURTIS.

The rapper will join other artists such as rockers Slipknot and The Sex Pistols by launching a store in Zwinktopia, a virtual world with 6.5 million users, who create characters which interact with other inhabitants. They can also purchase virtual clothes and belongings.

According to reports, 50's creative team are still planning how the store will operate, although the rapper's merchandise will be available free to users, unlike that of other performers with a presence on the site.

Chris Romero, the star's creative director of digital media, says, "It's the equivalent of sending a marketing team to a new country where there is a new economy."

FLASHBACK - I Wanna Love Like That - Tony Thompson / Music Video

Enjoy

R.I.P Tony Thompson (Hi-Five)

Was saddened by news of this, I loved Hi-Five back in the day. R.I.P Tony.

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Hi-Five's Tony Thompson dies at 31

WACO, Texas — Tony Thompson, who sang on the 1990s R&B hits "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game) and "She's Playing Hard to Get" as part of the group Hi-Five, has died. He was 31.

Thompson was found dead Friday night of an apparent drug overdose, friends told the Waco Tribune-Herald.

Thompson signed with Jive Records in 1990 as part of Hi-Five. The quintet's self-titled debut album went multi-platinum and spawned the hits "I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)," "I Can't Wait Another Minute," and "Just Another Girlfriend."

In 1992, the group found success again with the songs "She's Playing Hard to Get" and "Quality Time."

Thompson released his solo debut, "Sexsational," in 1995 after Hi-Five split.

The Waco native had recently moved back to his hometown from the Dallas area and was working on new material.