Andrew Ranger lands NASCAR Nationwide Series ride

Great news for Canadian NASCAR fans. 21 year old Andrew Ranger from Roxton Pond, PQ signed yesterday to run seven of the remaining ten NASCAR Nationwide Series races for Fitz Motorsports. His first race is this Friday in Bristol. Ranger is the defending NASCAR Canadian Tire Series champ and he will continue to attempt to defend his championship. He will drive the #22 Dodge and brings his Walmart/Tide sponsorship with him along with Armando Fitz's Supercuts sponsorship. Why seven races? He can contend for Rookie Of The Year next year. Many Canadian race fans first heard of Ranger a couple of years ago when he raced in CHAMP car. He switched to stock cars last year. Though he won the Canadian Tire Series last year, I thought he might have to go to the ARCA series or some other race series to get the attention of NASCAR owners. But Ranger drove the #22 at the Montreal Nationwide race and like his fellow Quebecer Patrick Carpentier, performed well enough to get a major NASCAR ride. Of course the big difference is that Ranger is much younger than Carpentier. And he's driving a very competitive race car. So congratulations and good luck to Andrew Ranger. Bristol is quite the place to make your debut. The above picture is from yesterday's press conference.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Big Walter Horton

Artist:Big Walter Horton
Song:Jumpin' Blues
Album:Mouth Harp Maestro




Blues harmonica great Big Walter Horton likely would have been a bigger star if he had a bigger ego. He certainly had the talent but he was a very modest and unassuming gentleman. He was born Apr. 6, 1917 in Horn Lake, MS near Memphis. His father gave him a harmonica at age five and when he moved to Memphis with his mom, he played in the street for tips. He played with the Memphis Jug Band as a teen and learned more about his craft from Jug Band harmonica player Will Shade. He played all over Memphis during the 30s and even went to Chicago for a time but quit the music business in the 40s. He returned in 1948 with B.B. King and bandleader Eddie Taylor. In 1951, he recorded under his own name for the first time for Sam Phillips as Mumbles. These recordings were leased to Modern Records and released nationally by King Records. This comp from the British reissue label Ace Records covers those recordings. Blues fans should check it out. Horton joined Muddy Waters' band in 1953 when Junior Wells was in the service and Horton would become a Chess Records session player when Wells returned. Horton would record occasionally under his own name but seemed to prefer session work and that's what he did for most of his career. Big Walter Horton died on Dec. 8, 1981 at age 64. Here's Big Walter Horton performing Shakey's Blues in 1965.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Karrin Allyson

Artist:Karrin Allyson
Song:Estrada Do Sol
Album:Imagina: Songs Of Brasil




Imagina is the latest CD from one of today's top jazz singers. Karrin Allyson was born Jan. 27, 1963 in Grand Bend, KS and grew up in Omaha and San Francisco. She studied piano and performed in folk clubs and an all girl rock band called Tomboy. She graduated with a degree in piano from the University of Nebraska in 1987 and moved to Kansas City where she sang at her uncle's nightclub. She signed with Concord Jazz and her 1992 debut I Didn't Know About You got her some attention on the annual Playboy Jazz Poll. She has recorded for Concord ever since with her backing band of pianist Paul Smith, guitarists Danny Embrey & Rod Fleeman, bassist Bob Bowman and drummer Todd Strait. They're all from Kansas City. Imagina is a tribute to the music of Brasil and she does an excellent version of the Antonio Carlos Jobim song Estrada Do Sol. Karrin Allyson continues to tour and her albums have done very well on the jazz charts. Here's Karrin Allyson performing Moanin' at the 2003 Montreux Jazz Festival.

MIKU successfully defends DEEP Lightweight Championship

DEEP 37 ran Aug. 17 at Korakuen Hall with MIKU defending her DEEP Womens Lightweight Championship against Misaki Takimoto. The match was scheduled for two five minute rounds. These two have faced each other twice previously with a win apiece. They start out in the clinch and Takimoto hits a knee kick. Takimoto's attempted takedown fails and MIKU counters with a left hook. Her high kick forces Takimoto to retreat and MIKU hits a knee kick to the body. MIKU continues to score with strikes to the body for the remainder of round one. Takimoto attempts another takedown at the end of round one and is met by a punch to the body. MIKU continues her attack in round two. A left front kick knocks Takimoto down and she lands a left hook and a knee kick in the clinch. Takimoto attempts to respond but MIKU's attack pushes her back. A left kick stops Takimoto in her tracks. Another punch bends her over and then she crumples to the mat after another body kick. The match is stopped at 2:40 of round two. MIKU successfully defends her DEEP Womens Lightweight Championship. MIKU said the win was very satisfying as she still has memories of her loss to Takimoto in Tomaya in 2004. MIKU's record is now 18-4 and Takimoto's record is 8-9-4.

Rosi Sexton wins split decision in ShoXC

Rosi Sexton won her fight over Debi Purcell by split decision on the Aug. 15 ShoXC show in Fresno. I don't think a lot of folks have seen the match. It wasn't on TV in Canada and a lot of people don't have Showtime. Plus there are fans worldwide who want to see this match. Rosi is British. There's no Showtime in England. And Debi is lnown everywhere because of her Fightergirls website. So I've got the video on the blog for everyone to see. The match was really close so I expect a rematch. And if there is a rematch, it needs to have five minute rounds. Again, Mauro Ranallo said it so he obviously has no influence. So I urge all MMA journalists to please ask Jeremy Lappen & Jared Shaw of EliteXC why womens matches have three minute rounds. I know there is no answer other than changing it. The fighters want it. The fans want it. Even your own announcers want it. Stop screwing around.





Round one of this match was pretty much a feeling out process. Just as they were getting going, the round ended. I thought round two was close too. Rosi got a takedown but didn't get anywhere with it. Round three is where Rosi won the match. To me it looked like Debi ran out of gas. She might not have made it to the end in a longer match. I thought Debi's Aja Kong spinning back fist was funny. And she hit it the first time. Rosi got her down with a minute left and Debi was never able to counter that. I don't know about that cartwheel though. Again, it was a very close match and could have gone either way. That's why it was a split decision. Rosi & Debi both performed very well and I look forward to more great matches in the future. Maybe a rematch between these two. Enjoy the match video.

Rosi Sexton vs Debi Purcell
Uploaded by frankp316

Kim Couture interview

Here's a Kim Couture video interview courtesy of MMA Weekly. Some folks have been on my case for criticizing Kim Couture. My only criticism of Kim was her post match excuse of getting clocked while trying to touch gloves. She doesn't say anything about that in this interview but she does admit that she wasn't well prepared mentally for the match. And that's what that excuse tells us anyway. My main criticism has been of some members of the MMA media who have treated her like a star because she is married to Randy Couture. Kim knows she's a rank beginner and says the loss to Kim Rose has given her the competitive fire that she didn't have beforehand. I have also criticized the American Fight League for trying to sign Kim to a contract when there are more deserving fighters available. Surprisingly, Kim agrees with me. She is reluctant to sign with them because they're throwing around money like drunken sailors. Hasn't someone else said that? Oh, that would be me. It shows me that she understands business and has a more realistic view of herself than some folks who should know better. So this interview gives me new respect for Kim Couture. Maybe she learned a valuable lesson.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Betty Carter & Ray Bryant

Artist:Betty Carter & Ray Bryant

Song:Moonlight In Vermont

Album:Meet Betty Carter And Ray Bryant/Little Susie

Betty Carter was one of the all time great jazz singers and probably the first to emerge from the bebop era. She was born Lillie Mae Jones May 16, 1930 in Flint, MI and grew up in Detroit. Her father was a church musical director so she sang in church and studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory Of Music. She got hooked on bebop and at age 16 sat in with Charlie Parker when he played Detroit. Lionel Hampton hired her in 1948 and billed her as Lorraine Carter. Things didn't always go smoothly with Hampton. He dubbed her Betty Bebop as she was likely too adventurous for him. He fired her several times but Hampton's wife Gladys always got him to rehire her. Betty left Hampton's band in 1951 and moved to New York. Meet Betty Carter And Ray Bryant was her 1955 debut. This album still sounds great today with Ray Bryant on piano, Jerome Richardson on flute & sax, Wendell Marshall on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Columbia released the album on CD in 1996 with seven bonus tracks but Collectibles has issued it as a twofer with the 1959 Ray Bryant album Little Susie. And that album isn't otherwise available. Take your pick. Betty Carter moved to ABC-Paramount in 1960 and did several successful recordings with Ray Charles. She semi-retired from the music business to raise her two sons but returned in the 70s and continued to record regularly until her death on Sept. 26, 1998 at age 68. Here's Betty Carter performing Tight on David Sanborn's Night Moves TV show in 1989.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Shooter Jennings

Artist:Shooter Jennings
Song:This Ol' Wheel
Album:The Wolf




Waylon "Shooter" Jennings is proof that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree in the music business. He was born May 19, 1979 in Nashville and is the only son of country music legend Waylon Jennings and his singer wife Jessi Colter. Shooter grew up on his parents tour bus and was playing drums at age five. As a teen he learned guitar and got interested in rock music, especially Guns 'N' Roses. Shooter moved to Los Angeles and formed a group called Stargunn. The group was reportedly a mix of Southern rock and Guns 'N' Roses. They played in Los Angeles clubs for six years but Shooter dissolved Stargunn in Mar. 2003 because he felt he was a country guy posing as a rocker. He moved to New York and eventually formed a new band called The .357s. This band is more in line with his country roots. Shooter signed with Universal South Records and his debut Put The "O" Back In Country was released in 2005. His duet with George Jones 4th Of July reached #26 on the country charts. The Wolf was released in Oct. 2007 and like all his albums has done well on the country charts. His sound is very much like his dad. Shooter Jennings played his dad in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line and Shooter recently announced plans to do a duet with his late father a la Hank Williams Jr. which will be out in October. His mom has also appeared on all his records. Shooter's girlfriend is Sopranos actress Drea De Matteo and they had a daughter in Nov. 2007. This Ol' Wheel is Shooter Jennings latest single and this is the brand new video. Yeah, I know it looks amateurish. It's supposed to be a tour scrapbook and Shooter's website posted it on Youtube.

Another Tara LaRosa interview

Here is another Tara LaRosa interview courtesy of Ariel Halwani of MMA Rated. Again Tara shows uncharacteristic restraint in this interview. Ariel's questions about the viability of the AFL are valid but Tara sidesteps them by claiming that they have already run shows with national exposure. It's a good answer but not true. The guys behind the AFL have run shows mostly in the Louisville area and it's a daunting task for any regional promotion to go straight to national PPV without other kinds of exposure. I will continue to be skeptical about the AFL because the failure rate of what they are trying to do is very high. We will see in November.

Debi Purcell/Rosi Sexton pre-fight interviews

These video interviews are from the EliteXC website. Both Debi & Rosi passed the weigh in this morning.

Upcoming matches confirmed for Carano, Cyborg

After Cris Cyborg defeated Shayna Baszler a couple of weeks ago, some fans started clamoring for a Carano/Cyborg match at the Oct. 4 EliteXC on CBS show in Fort Lauderdale. Matches for both have been confirmed but as I predicted, they're not going to face each other until 2009. A couple of weeks ago, Sherdog rumoured that Gina Carano's opponent on Oct. 4 will be Kelly Kobald (pictured). EliteXC hasn't announced it but Kelly confirmed the rumour. She is a teammate of Kaitlin Young at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy but has a lot more experience. Her record is 16-2-1 including wins over Shayna Baszler & Adrienne Jenkins. But she lost her two most recent fights. Kelly lost to Tara LaRosa at the July 14, 2007 Bodog Fight show and then came back a month later and lost to Julie Kedzie at the Aug. 24 Bodog show in Vancouver. Kelly recently told Ad Combat that she was going through some personal problems and taking the second fight probably wasn't the smartest decision to make. Can Kelly bounce back in the highest profile fight in her career? It should be a very interesting fight. Gina's big advantage is she continues to confound the naysayers and exceed expectations in front of the largest audience ever to watch a womens MMA bout. Kelly Kobald is a well rounded performer and will be Gina's toughest test to date.

Meanwhile, it was reported a couple of weeks ago by the Brazilian publication Tatame that Cris Cyborg's next fight will also be on the Oct. 4 show. They also garbled the opponent's name. It turns out the opponent will be womens MMA pioneer Yoko Takahashi. It has been confirmed by Takahashi's manager that the fight will happen on the Sept. 20 EliteXC show in Albuquerque. EliteXC hasn't announced this yet. Takahashi is a long time associate of womens MMA pioneer Megumi Yabushita and Takahashi is assistant trainer at Yabushita's Tomoegumi dojo. She also used to referee for the JD pro wrestling company. Her record is 16-9 and most recently she lost to HIROKO at the Sept. 6 Smackgirl show. Cyborg & Takahashi were supposed to face each other on an April 5 ShoXC show but Cyborg had visa issues and the match was cancelled. Yoko Takahashi has been in MMA for a long time but she's never been a top level talent. She usually wins over fighters she should beat and loses to fighters she shouldn't beat. I don't expect that to change and Cyborg should knock her out in the first round. All this is designed to get you salivating about a likely Carano/Cyborg showdown in 2009.


EDIT:John Pollock of The Fight Network reports that EliteXC has cancelled the Sept. 20 show. It seems they were having difficulty putting together a main event for the show. So for now that cancels the Cris Cyborg/Yoko Takahashi match and there was also supposed to be a match on the show with Michelle Watterson. So we may see Cyborg Oct. 4 after all.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Stefon Harris

Artist:Stefon Harris
Song:Epilogue
Album:The Grand Unification Theory




Vibraphonist Stefon Harris has become one of today's top jazz musicians. He was born 1973 in New Jersey and originally studied to be a classical musician and was set to join the New York Philharmonic. But he got interested in jazz and started turning up on sessions in 1996 on records by musicians like Steve Turre, Tim Warfield & Joe Henderson. This led to a contract with Blue Note and his debut CD A Cloud Of Red Dust was released in 1998. His second CD Black Action Figure was nominated for a Grammy. Harris also got a lot of attention for his 2001 collaboration with pianist Jacky Terrason. He is also a member of The Classical Jazz Quartet with pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Lewis Nash. This 2003 CD The Grand Unification Theory has some great musicians including Tim Warfield on sax, Steve Turre on trombone, Anne Drummond on flute, Derrick Gardner on trumpet, Xavier Davis on piano, Tarus Mateen on bass and Terreon Gully on drums. Stefon Harris continues to record great music and his latest CD African Tarantella was released in 2006. He's going to be around a long time. Here's Stefon Harris performing at the Jazz Standard in New York City.

Dr. Rosi Sexton has a big fight Friday

This Friday's ShoXC show from Albuquerque has a womens match debuting a new EliteXC weight class of 130lbs. The fight looks to be a good one with Debi Purcell facing Rosi Sexton. The show isn't on TV in Canada but I'm sure video of the match will surface. These days Debi is best known for her Fightergirls website but she's been around MMA for several years. This is her first fight in four years. It's very difficult for elite women fighters to find decent fights. She usually fights at a heavier weight but Debi says she's ready to go. Call her Dr. Rosi Sexton from Manchester, England. She's a doctor of mathematics...and she'll kick your ass. She's probably best known for breaking WINDY Tomomi's ankle at a Bodog fight in Costa Rica a couple of years ago. For more on Dr. Rosi Sexton, here's a report from Channel Five in Manchester.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-The Stone Roses

Artist:The Stone Roses
Song:Elephant Stone
Album:The Complete Stone Roses




The Stone Roses looked to be the next big British band with their 1989 debut album. But a legal battle with their record company prevented them from following up and by the time they released their second album, they weren't getting along and split up. The group began in 1984 as English Rose in Manchester, England by vocalist Ian Brown (born Feb. 20, 1963 in Warrington, England) and guitarist John Squire (born Nov. 24, 1962 in Broadheath, England). Other members were drummer Reni (born Alan Wren Apr. 10, 1964 in Manchester), bassist Pete Garner & guitarist Andy Couzens. They were now called The Stone Roses and started playing around Manchester. They started out with a goth/punk sound but took on a more 60s Britpop influenced sound by 1987. Couzens & Garner left and Mani (born Gary Mounfield Nov, 16, 1962 in Failsworth, England) was the new bassist. The Stone Roses had released a couple of EPs and in 1988, their more commercial sound earned them a contract with Silvertone Records. Stone Elephant was the first single from their 1989 debut The Stone Roses. It didn't chart but the group started getting airplay in England and built some steam and the album was at the top of the British charts in 1990. The Stone Roses wanted to expand their audience and leave Silvertone for a lucrative contract with Geffen Records. Silvertone filed an injunction preventing them from doing that. By the time The Stone Roses got out of their contract, it was 1994 and their CD Second Coming didn't have the same impact. This comp covers their Silvertone recordings. They split up in 1996. Reni had left in Mar. 1995 and Squire left in Apr. 1996. John Squire formed a band called Seahorses and recorded some solo albums. He is now concentrating on his painting. Ian Brown has had several successful solo albums in England. The two still aren't talking so a reunion is unlikely. But The Stone Roses were very influential on bands like Oasis and many bands have acknowledged that influence. Here's the video for Elephant Stone by The Stone Roses.

Tyrannosaurus Okuda has shoulder surgery

Bad news for Sendai Girls. As you are aware, Tyrannosaurus Okuda missed the last Sendai Girls show due to what was described as cervical vertebra sprain. It appears that Okuda was recovering from that but was still having pain in her neck and shoulder. Sendai Girls announced today that Okuda is having surgery on a torn rotator cuff in her shoulder. It's likely this injury occurred before the sprained back and it's probably a good idea to repair it if she's going to be out for a while anyway. So the card for the Aug. 24 Zepp Sendai show will feature the debut of Yukari Ishino vs Chikayo Nagashima, Hiren vs Aja Kong, Ryo Mizunami vs Manami Toyota, DASH Chisako vs Carlos Amano and Sendai Sachiko vs Sonoko Kato. Meanwhile, fans want to know when Meiko Satomura will return. Well, when I saw a picture of her last month she was still wearing an eye patch so I don't know but I don't expect her back anytime soon. Her injury is very tricky and I seem to recall that she would need several surgeries to repair the damage to her face. Satomura doesn't help by responding "Soon" each time she's asked about it. I don't think she knows yet. I hope both of them return completely healthy.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Travis

Artist:Travis
Song:Sing
Album:The Invisible Band




The Scottish band Travis is one of the better and more durable bands to emerge from the UK in the last decade. Back in 1990, the group was called Glass Onion and led by brothers Chris & Geoff Martyn. The other members were guitarist Andy Dunlop (born Mar. 16, 1972 in Lenzie, Scotland) and drummer Neil Primrose (born Feb. 20, 1972 in Glasgow). Lead vocalist Catherine Maxwell left and they auditioned for a new singer. Primrose invited Fran Healy (born July 23, 1973 in Stafford, England and grew up in Glasgow) to audition and he joined the band while attending The Glasgow School Of Art in 1991. Healy became the main songwriter and Glass Onion released an EP in 1993. They renamed the group Travis after Harry Dean Stanton's character in the film Paris, Texas. The band wasn't getting anywhere until American producer Niko Bolas heard something he liked in Travis and gave them some tips. Healy fired the band's management and replaced the Martyn brothers with his pal Dougie Payne (born Nov. 14, 1972 in Glasgow). In 1996, one of their demos got the attention of Indepentiente Records owner Andy MacDonald and he signed Travis. MacDonald has US distribution through Epic. Travis' first two CDs weren't all that successful but their 2001 CD The Invisible Band finally established them. It was produced by Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. Sing reached #1 on the British charts and has been their most successful song in the US to date. Sing also appeared in the 2002 Adam Sandler film Mr. Deeds and the TV series The Office. Disaster struck Travis in 2002 when Neil Primrose broke his neck in a swimming pool accident. But he fully recovered and Travis continues to tour regularly. Their new CD Ode To J. Smith will be released on Sept. 29. Here's the video for Sing by Travis. I hope you like food fights.

Taylor Wilde wins again at TNA Hard Justice

You'll have to excuse the headline but I noticed in my Google Analytics that plenty of folks are finding this blog by doing a Google search for Taylor Wilde. So I'm going to use that to my advantage. Here's the video from the six girl tag match from Sunday's TNA Hard Justice PPV. It's Taylor Wilde, Gail Kim & ODB vs Awesome Kong, Angelina Love & Velvet Sky. Traci Brooks was the ref but don't ask me why. The only thing she did was ban Raeesha Saeed from ringside after outside interference. Any other ref could have done that and as many fans are aware, Raeesha is injured anyway. As I said last month, TNA is falling into the trap of having The Knockouts in Impact matches on PPVs. I guess it was a little longer than the average Impact match but otherwise nothing special. There was a lot of wasted time at the beginning of the match. At times it seemed like the timing was off and the girls weren't sure of what they were supposed to do. It did pick up midway but had a lame ending. At some point, matches have to mean something and advance storylines and this was a time filler. It reminded me of the WWE and that's not a good thing. Maybe Scott D'Amore's departure from TNA is hurting the Knockout division. Oh, one more thing. Don West, will you please shut the hell up!!!!! Aah, I feel better now. Enjoy the video.

TNA Hard Justice 2008 part 3
Uploaded by natyhbk

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-The Marvelettes

Artist:The Marvelettes
Song:Too Many Fish In The Sea
Album:20th Century Masters: The Millenium Collection: The Best Of The Marvelettes





The Marvelettes were Motown's very first girl group and had Motown's very first #1 pop hit with Please Mr. Postman in 1961. By 1964 they took a back seat to The Supremes but Too Many Fish In The Sea returned them to the charts. The Marvelettes were from the Detroit suburb of Inkster, MI and were led by Gladys Horton & Georgia Dobbins along with Georganna Tillman, Juanita Cowart & Katherine Anderson. In 1961 they entered a high school talent show and won a Motown audition. They arrived at the audition with pianist William Garrett and performed a song that Georgia had written with Garrett called Please Mr. Postman. The Marvelettes were signed and Eddie Holland reworked the song and it was #1 in 1961. Georgia Dobbins left The Marvelettes because her church going father didn't want her singing in nighclubs and she was replaced by Wanda Young. The group had more success with songs produced by Holland/Dozier/Holland & Mickey Stevenson but they had problems. Juanita Cowart left due to a nervous breakdown and Georganna Tillman battled lupus. They were now a trio. The Marvelettes were taking a back seat to The Supremes & Martha & The Vandellas but producer Norman Whitfield had done well with The Velvelettes hit Needle In A Haystack so he took a crack at The Marvelettes and wrote Too Many Fish In The Sea with Eddie Holland. The song reached #15 on the R & B charts and #25 on the pop charts in 1964. This budget comp is short so you may want to check out The Ultimate Collection instead. They continued to have some success but started to fall apart when Gladys Horton left to get married and was replaced by Anne Bogan. The Marvelettes split up in 1970 when Motown moved to Los Angeles. Motown owns the group name so The Marvelettes aren't part of the oldies revival. Gladys Horton did appear on the 2006 PBS special My Music Salute To Motown so she may try to revive the group. Here's The Marvelettes performing Too Many Fish In The Sea on the Windsor TV show Teen Town in 1964.

Full card announced for Mariko Yoshida 20th Anniversary show

Mariko Yoshida has announced the full card for her 20th Anniversary show Aug. 31 at Shinjuku FACE. Yoshida said on her blog that singer Machiko Kitano will appear on the show. It doesn't say if she'll be singing. Apparently she sings traditional ballads. So Yoshida took a picture with her phone and posted it on her blog. Other than that, it seems like a standard Ibuki show. The main event has an AJW nostalgia ring to it but there's no nod to ARSION or M's Style. It just seems odd. The main event will have Mariko Yoshida, Kyoko & Takako Inoue vs Jaguar Yokota, Aja Kong & Kaoru Ito. Yoshida and the Inoues are all celebarting 20 years this year and Takako and Yoshida debuted on the same day. Of course Jaguar trained all of them. Other matches are Atsuko Emoto & Kyoko Kimura vs Hiroyo Matsumoto & Misaki Ohata, Manami Toyota & Ray vs GAMI & Tojuki Leon, Shuu Shibutani vs Cherry and Tomoka Nakagawa vs Esui. I'm not sure if this is Nakagawa's first appearance post injury. She may be appearing on an upcoming Ibuki show but the cards haven't been announced yet. The show just seems to be missing some flair though Yoshida has never been a particularly flashy person. A 20th anniversary show should be more than just another show.

Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Jennifer Hudson

Artist:Jennifer Hudson
Song:Spotlight
Album:Jennifer Hudson




Since I featured Jennifer Hudson a couple of months ago for her performance in Dreamgirls, Arista Records has announced a release date for her debut CD and also released the first single and video. The CD is titled Jennifer Hudson and will be released Sept. 30 and that is the cover. With all the talk about Jennifer's weight, she sure looks good. Among those contributing to the album are Akon, Ne-Yo, R. Kelly, John Legend, Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic, Stargate, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Robin Thicke, Timbaland, T-Pain, The Underdogs & Diane Warren. They're still finalizing the track placement but the Timbaland song Pocketbook featuring Ludacris is confirmed. Spotlight is an excellent song written and produced by current R & B "It" boy Ne-Yo along with his frequent collaborators the Norwegian duo Stargate (Tor Erik Hermansen & Mikkel S. Eriksen). They just hit a home run with Rhianna's Take A Bow. There's also a remix of Spotlight featuring rapper Rick Ross. Spotlight has reached #14 on the Billboard R & B Singles chart. I like the song. Jennifer is great and I have to give Ne-Yo credit for creating a great hook. The video is pretty good too. The guy is Tyler Perry actor Ryan Gentles. So check out the video for Spotlight by Jennifer Hudson.