that's not cool, maura b jacobson!

you will never believe what nymag crossword puzzle creator, maura b. jacobson did to me this week!

clue: fergie's first name

i had : S _ _ _ _

now, i got real excited because i happen to know that fergie of the black eyed peas is really named STACY ferguson. so i just finished that one out and moved on. but then, i started running in to troubs all around this answer. eventually i realized that there is no way this could be the answer....even though i KNOW i was right.

after two days of walking the streets mumbling to myself and cursing maura, it occurred to me this morning that there is that OTHER fergie. and her name is SARAH.

how infuriating. f u, maura. you smug bitch. (jk, i love you and your crossword puzzles)

who is replacing fergie in the black eyed peas?

You probably heard that Fergie is leaving the Black Eyed Peas to focus on her family. There were rumors swirling for a minute that Ashanti was being called up from the minor leagues to replace her, but basically everyone now agrees that was never going to happen. So if the group does want to stay together, who should step in for Mrs. Duhamel?


 1) Ciara -Her solo career is way under the radar at the moment. She just left / was dropped by her record label because they couldn't / wouldn't promote her new album. It is very clear that she has a hip hop sound that can move a solid single. She would be good for the job and probably needs it.
 

 2) Nicole Scherzinger -Like recent Ciara, Nicole (from the pussycat dolls) has had some trouble getting her solo work noticed. She has a proven track record in a group, but she did just get that new job on X Factor as a judge with Simon Cowell. Maybe she will be looking for an excuse to jump off that sinking ship.

 3) Cristina Milian -She is still kicking around. There is some evidence from about a decade ago that she can make good music. Like Nicole though, she just got a new television job as the on-air social media correspondent on The Voice


4) Willow Smith younger crowd, and the approval of the all powerful Xenu


 5) Zombie Aaliyah -dig her up. if human reanimation becomes possible, i want Aaliyah to be the first one that comes back.
 


 6) Lil' Mama -her lip gloss be poppin. it doesn't really seem like she would get along very well with will.i.am.not. though.
 



 share your thoughts in the comments.

i made a spotify playlist for your consideration.

here it is!

where the f*** is fergie!?

did you want to listen to the great gatsby soundtrack?

1) "100$ Bill" - Jay-Z
2) "Back to Black" - Beyoncé x André 3000
3) "Bang Bang" - will.i.am
4) "A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)" - Fergie + Q Tip + GoonRock
5) "Young and Beautiful" - Lana Del Rey
6) "Love Is the Drug" - Bryan Ferry with The Bryan Ferry Orchestra
7) "Over the Love" - Florence + The Machine
8) "Where the Wind Blows" - Coco O. of Quadron
9) "Crazy in Love" - Emeli Sandé and the Bryan Ferry Orchestra
10) "Together" – The xx
11) "Hearts a Mess" - Gotye
12) "Love Is Blindness" – Jack White
13) "Into the Past" - Nero
14) "Kill and Run" - Sia

click HERE.

new ashanti song

remember not too long ago when we were wondering who (if not ashanti) would be filling fergie's bra in the black eyed peas? well it still isn't ashanti, but here look at this... a new ashanti song featuring bust rhymes. it feels like 1997 up in here. your move ja rule. via.
 

Rated R, Joel's Official Review

I love Rihanna, and this album didn't do anything to change that. Rated R is being called her most mature and best work to date. I don't see any SOS or Umbrella moments on this record, but it is a sold group of tracks that show focus, direction and a willingness to abandon pop radio friendliness in order to set a scene and express a feeling. i welcome the artistic growth, and genuinely appreciate the effort. 11 biscuits!

1) Mad House : more like angry house, appropriately sets the tone... edgier than previous albums. it makes sense that this is the first rihanna album to recieve a parental advisory label. good girl is already bad now, and celebrating it.

2) Wait Your Turn : the wait is ova! this one really pumps me up. its like all the months of anticipation are paying off. not exactly a club banger, but its catchy and i see it working really well live.

3) Hard : good solid single. still sounds good from when we first heard it.

4) Stupid In Love : this one seems most directly linked to chris brown, which is ironic because its one of the few on the album that she didn't have a hand in writing. sample lyric "i still love you but i just cant do this, i may be dumb but im not stupid in love"

5) Rockstar 101: this is one of my very favorites. i can tell you from experience that it sounds much better played loud on external speakers. slash on guitar, for real.

6) Russian Roulette : this song has been growing on me ever since i heard it weeks ago. it just gets better and better each time i listen.

7) Fire Bomb : despite the song title, this one is a little softer than the rest, but it really showcases rihanna's ability to do more than just sing a flat hook. the voice is pretty, ri ri. xoxo.

8) Rude Boy : fun song. this is one that im going to keep listening to

9) Photographs : will i am collabo. this one is more mellow and reflective. unfortunately it sounds like a black eyed peas b-side to me. rihanna is better than fergie, and will i am needed to bring it a little more.

10) G4L : i really love this song. its working with some fun production, and rihanna sounds hot 2 death. gangsta4lyfe.

11) Te Amo : good, not great. i don't like it when nelly furtado or shakira try to sneak spanish into my ears, so rihanna shouldn't even go there.

12) Cold Case Love : the justin timberlake collabo. if i had to guess, this is the song about britney that justin shelved in favor of cry me a river. good song, but i would have rather rihanna just cover cry me a river.

13) The Last Song : great last song. appropriately epic and final word-ish.

there is another justin timberlake collabo called "Hole In My Head" out there that was released as a special promotion. when i get my hands on it, i will let you know how it feels. was this post sufficiently fan boy-ish?