Music Review: Justin Bieber

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Following the suit of his mentor, Usher, Justin Bieber has also release a new album, just at the start of summer.  Bieber's album has generated a lot of suspense, mainly by girls aging from twelve to sixteen. According to the iTunes Top Ten albums, this album was definitely worth all the hype. It's already climbed to the top of the charts in less than a week.

Titled Believe, Bieber's latest is compiled of seventeen tracks. He has collaborated with YMCMB rappers Drake and Nicki Minaj. Also featured are Big Sean, Ludacris (who was on his claim-to-fame track Baby) and Will Smith's son Jaden (who was also featured on his song Never Say Never).

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Unlike My World, or My World 2.0, Believe explores a new side of Bieber. Some critics say "New haircut, new sound." And they may be right. A few years ago, Bieber was known for his "high-pitched" voice that many of his haters called a girl's voice. His haters will have to find something enw to find wrong with him, because the old voice is gone. In this, Justin shows us his deeper, matured voice as well as some of his rapping skills.

Mike Posner co wrote some of his songs, and the beats are upbeat and catchy. If the Bieber haters must find something to critique, it's this: The falsetto is still there. While he does try to have deeper vocals, there's no mistaking his falsetto in many of the songs.

Rating:                      3.5 stars

Music Review: Usher, Far East Movement

 Summer is always a big time for music lovers. Many artists release their albums during this time, for a few reasons. One reason is the time itself. Kids are out of school and chances are, they listen to music a lot over the summer. This, in turn, generates a lot of revenue for the artist and their label company. Keeping these facts in mind, it's no wonder that Usher and Far East Movement have released new albums at the beginning of June.

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This is the moment all Usher fans have been waiting for. After two very long years, Usher has finally released a new album. Looking 4 Myself is Usher's first full length album since Versus in 2010. Compiled of eighteen tracks, Looking 4 Myself explores a different side of Usher, unlike Confessions in 2004, or even Raymond vs. Raymond in 2010. The title track has the catchiest beat, and a few other tracks follow the same background beat. Usher doesn't use the same vocals in this as he has in older albums. In his previous releases, Usher has been down to earth and sang sweet, melodious tunes. In this, he adapts a pop sound and makes this album one of the most upbeat he's done.
Rating:                                           3.5 stars

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Far East Movemnt follows Usher's lead, and also haven't dropped a new album since 2010's Free Wired. Free Wired was the breakout album for F.E.M. with their hit single Like a G6. Their new release, Dirty Bass, picks up exactly where the last album left off. F.E.M. are a party group, and rightfully so. They know how to get the audience to enjoy themselves. Like their previous albums, Dirty Bass is a have-fun album with good beats and average vocals. Of course, there isn't a big range for party songs, so the group isn't able to sing a wide variety of songs. Featuring people like Justin Bieber, Pitbull, Tyga, and Flo Rida, the audience can figure out that this album will be another club hit. It's not for lazy afternoons in the summer, but rather channels the nightlife, when the party really starts.
Rating:                                            3 stars

Making History

In the last month, there have two no-hitters in MLB. This year seems to be another year for the pitchers.

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The first no-hitter in the last month, was a combined game by the Seattle Mariners' against the LA Dodgers. Kevin Mildwood pitched six perfect innings, before being replaced due to a groin injury. For the remaining three innings, five other pitchers kept the no-hitter alive. Closer Tony Wilhelmsen got the save, and reliever Stephen Pryor got the win. The final score was 1-0. The Mariners had a total of eight hits, but left runners stranded in scoring position, and couldn't convert their hits into runs.


In all of MLB history, this is the tenth recorded combined no-hitter that a pitching staff has produced. This is Seattle's first no-hitter since 1993, against the Boston Red Sox. This no-hitter is the fourth of the season, with the season just about halfway done.

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The second came from the San Francisco Giants against the Houston Astros. Matt Cain earned his first perfect game, marking the fifth of the season. It was the first for the SF franchise and the twenty-second in Major League Baseball history. Early on, the Giants were dominate. They had fifteen hits, and scored ten runs. Cain had a lot of help from his outfielders. Melky Cabrera and Gregor Blanco both chased down deep balls in their respective areas. Matt Cain later said that those two catches saved his perfect game.


It wast the fifth time that the Houston Astros have been held to a no-hitter.  The last time was the Chicago Cubs in 2008. 2008 was the year that the San Francisco Giants won their first franchise World Series.


In all of MLB, there haven't been five no-hitters by June, except in the 1917 season. In 1990, by the end of July, there were five no-hitters, but never before have so many come so early in the season. Older players such as Dallas Braden (of the Oakland Athletics) have called this season the "Era of the Pitchers". Only time will tell if this season really is the pitcher's year.

Miley Cyrus Engaged

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It seems like everyone in Hollywood wants to be married. Barely any of them make it, but they all want to tie the knot. So it seems fitting that soon enough that nineteen year old former Disney star wants to get married to her 22 year old boyfriend, Liam Hemsworth.


The two met on the set of The Last Song, where they first started dating after playing an on-screen romance. They were dating on and off for about two years, before Hemsworth popped the question on May 31, 2012. People magazine has reported that the ring is a 3.5-carat diamond ring.


Hemsworth has starred in The Last Song with Cyrus in 2009, plays Gale in the new Hunger Games movies, and is reported to be in a few movies in 2013 before the release of the second installment of the Hunger Games, Catching Fire. Cyrus is also reportedly working on new music.


Miley's parents are ecstatic, and already consider Hemsworth a part of the family, People reports. There is no confirmed date for the wedding yet.

Lil Wayne Unwanted?

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He has it all. The money, the fame, the love and adoration from millions of people. Taking a break from writing and rapping, Lil Wayne decided to attend Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals in Oklahoma. But, when he arrived, the ticket vendors refused to let him enter.


Wayne's rep has said that he had asked for court side tickets but by the time he reached, all the tickets were sold out. Angry that he was denied entrance, Lil Wayne demanded to be let in but the vendors still refused. The YMCMB mogul was convinced that he wouldn't get to watch Game 3 of Thunder/Spurs live, so he left. Later on, he responded to rumors by releasing a statement.


Lil Wayne said that he felt "Unwanted" at the game and that the fans, players and other officials didn't want him to watch the game. Later on, some Thunder players alledlegy offered Lil Wayne some tickets to their next game, but he refused. He said that if he was going to go to a basketball game, he wants to feel welcome and accepted by those around him.

Image credit to nba.com

There is no further word from Lil Wayne or his rep whether he will attend another Thunder game, at least for the remainder of this season. The Thunder beat out the Spurs, 4-2, after a come-from-behind series win. They were down 2-0 and have now started a 4-game winning streak, advancing to the NBA finals. The winner of Eastern conference will be determined during Game 7 on Saturday (June 9).

Bono richest Rocker Ever?

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Singer. Songwriter. Guitarist. Philanthropist. Father. Husband. U2. Rocker. Bono. Rich? Apparently. Of course, being the lead singer/songwriter of U2 would leave a man with an ample amount of money. So Bono did what not many other people were able to do with their money. He donated it. He became an activist in many causes, raising awareness, supporting charity projects. But Bono doesn't just support those in need. He helps out those with the best ideas.

In 2009, Bono invested in Facebook, spending ninety million dollars for 2.3% of Facebook's shares. Recently, when Facebook released it's IPO (sixteen billion dollars), Bono's shares rocketed.

People in the music business get paid a lot. Rappers, pop stars, even country stars. But rock stars, for some reason, don't seem to earn as much revenue as a pop star. Especially not if they donate much of their earnings to those who need it most.

Bono's new worth is over a billion dollars, which now puts hm on top the world's richest musicians, which was previously held by Paul McCartney of the Beatles. But for those who worry that Bono will turn selfish and go on a spending spree, that is not the case. As reported by Wonderwall on MSN, Bono is likely to give his Facebook earnings to various projects in Africa that he has helped in the past.

First Time for Everything

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For the first time in 8,020 games played by the Mets, they finally did it. Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter in Mets history. It was against the St. Louis Cardinals, no less, who won the World Series last season.


Santana was just coming off of shoulder surgery, and this is only his tenth start since. His season high pitch count was 109, and career high 125. He went well past his season high and broke his career high as well. It was all worth it. Throughout his nine innings, he threw 139 pitches. This is an extremely high number for any pitcher, whether they are still recovering from a surgery or are young and healthy.

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But, he didn't do it all by himself. With the help of amazing outfielders, a "wrong" call by an umpire and a strong arm, Santana led the Mets to a no-hitter. The closest hit the Cardinals had was a foul ball just off the third base line. After the game, replays of the hit showed that the ball had indeed touched the third base line, meaning it would have technically been a base hit.


One of the best catches of the game came from Mike Baxter in left field. Yadier Molina hit the ball deep into left in the seventh inning. Baxter made a jumping catch and crashed into the wall, but still held on to the ball. He had to be carried off the field, as he appeared to have injured his thigh while hitting the dirt.


Mets fans were ecstatic, getting to watch this no-hitter on their own ground in Citi Field in New York. The game may have tired out Santana's arm, but if this cost him his next start, it was worth it. Santana has done what no other pitcher in the Mets franchise has ever done. He has given fans hope and the satisfaction of seeing their team do what was said to be impossible. June 1, 2012 will certainly be one of the greatest days for "No-han" Santana and the Mets.