YRAG ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLYMAGAZINE

PUBLISHERSPhyllis D. ColeyGary N. Jones

In This Issue

En Vogue

Fashion

Movie Review

Restaurant Review

Janet Jackson at Essence

Ear to the Streets

Unsigned Artist

StaffEditor-In-Chief

Entertainment Director

Music Editor

Clubs and Nightlife

Restaurant & Food Editor

Unsigned Artists Reporter

Fashion

Movie Reviews

Graphics & Layout

Photographers

Sales

Yrag Entertainment Weekly Magazine is yoursource for local nightlife and entertainment,celebrity interviews, gossip, restaurant andmovie reviews, and reports on unsigned artists.Get the latest in music releases, fashion trends,and photos from the hottest events.

Yrag Entertainment Weekly Magazine is a whol-ly-owned subsidiary of CJ Media Group.

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En VogueThe female vocal quartet EnVogue was conceived and puttogether by the productionteam of Denzil Foster andThomas McElroy, both formermembers of Club Nouveau.Foster and McElroy wanted avocal group who could exudesultriness and intelligence inaddition to vocal proficiency,and as producers, they wantedmaterial that would fuse R&Band girl group traditions withhip-hop and new jack swingrhythms. The two held audi-tions and settled on a mem-bership of former Miss BlackCalifornia Cindy Herron,Maxine Jones, Dawn Robinson,and Terry Ellis. The new groupperformed two songs on Fosterand McElroy's FM2 album, andthe producers crafted animage of them as stylish,

sophisticated, and sexy. Originally called For You, the women switched to the more elegant Vogue, andthen En Vogue after learning of another group with a very similar name.

En Vogue's debut album, Born to Sing, appeared in 1990 and launched the pop crossover smash "HoldOn," which peaked at number two and helped the album go platinum. The group attracted comparisonsto the Supremes, even though groupmembers shared lead vocals and intentionally designated no partic-ular singer the "star." In between albums, Herron appeared in the film Juice. When En Vogue returned in1992 with Funky Divas, critical and commercial response was overwhelming. The album's wide array ofstyles, from pop and R&B to rap, rock, and reggae, were lauded in print; the first three singles -- "MyLovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)," "Giving Him Something He Can Feel" (both covers of songs writtenby Curtis Mayfield), and "Free Your Mind" (which borrowed a chorus line from George Clinton) -- reachedthe Top Ten, and the album went multi-platinum. En Vogue were in the Top Ten again in 1993, backingSalt-N-Pepa on their hit "Whatta Man."

As En Vogue was recording its third album, Dawn Robinson left the group. Before they released therecord, "Don't Let Go (Love)," a song the group contributed to the Set It Off soundtrack, became a num-ber two single in early 1997. Six months later, the band released their third album, EV3. The group's firstcompilation, The Best of En Vogue, was released in the summer of 1999. 2000 saw the release ofMasterpiece Theater (originally titled Something New, Something Old, Something Borrowed, SomethingCool) but immediately after an interview on BET the group was informed that they were dropped by theirlabel due to slower than expected sales.

In 2001 Amanda Cole was added as a fourth member but soon after Maxine Jones announced her desireto spend more time with her young daughter and departed. Returned to a trio, the group started touringagain and in late summer Rhino released their second compilation, The Very Best of En Vogue. Thingswere quiet until the group returned at the end of 2002 with a contribution to the Deliver Us from Evasoundtrack and their first Christmas album, The Gift of Christmas, on a small, independent labelDiscretion Entertainment. Promotion for the album was so limited that only those who regularly visit EnVogue fansites were aware of it and to make matters worse, Amanda Cole left the group in the middle of2003 for a solo career. A false rumor that Chanté Moore had joined the group proved untrue and talkswith Dawn Robinson and Maxine Jones failed to bring either back to the group permanently. In Septemberof 2003 the group appeared out of nowhere for a small European tour with Maxine Jones filling in tem-porarily for Cindy Herron (who had just had her fourth child) and a new member, Rhona Bennett, madeher debut. Bennett had recorded an album as simply Rhona for Sony in 2001 (which included the hit"Satisfied"), and also had a recurring role on The Jamie Foxx Show. Jones and Herron traded places againand the new trio released Soul Flower in early 2004 on 33rd Street Records. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

EAR TO THE STREETS

Janet Jackson enthralledthe Essence MusicFestival audience Friday,kept them on their feetfor more than two hoursand reminded fans whyseeing her in concert wasworth waiting two years.

From the opening notesof “The PleasurePrinciple” to “Control”to “Rhythm Nation,” theGrammy Award-winningsinger enticed, teasedand brought her fans on ajourney through her No.1 hits.

“She was unbelievable,” said Ed Downs of Miami. “Itwas definitely worth the wait. I’m happy to see hermake a comeback. It was impressive.”

Jackson marked her return by closing the festival’sfirst night inside the Louisiana Superdome in NewOrleans. It was her first time at the festival, whichruns through Sunday.

Former NBA player Anferenee Hardaway calledJackson’s performance “absolutely perfect,” and saidno one could tell she had been off the concert circuitfor any length of time.

“She definitely gets better with age,” he said, smiling.

Fans got a glimpse of Jackson’s new, sassy, short-cropped hair and her signature, shapely figure on thefinale show of American Idol where she rocked clas-sics like “Again” and “Nasty” and her latest release,“Nothing,” from the soundtrack of the movie, “WhyDid I Get Married Too?,” which she also starred in.

But near the end of her show Friday, they were treat-ed with even more as she depicted a risque, S&Mscene with a male participant from the audience,whose hands and arms were strapped into a straightjacket as Jackson – in a flesh-toned body suit –worked him over, whip in hand.

He mouthed, “Thank you,” and couldn’t take his eyesoff her, getting roars of approval, looks of envy andapplause from the crowd.

MISS JACKSON GETS NASTY ATESSENCE AND THEY LOVED IT!

FASHION

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The Twilight Saga: Eclipse The third instalment of the super-successful vampire film franchise

It’s mostly good news: after the ponderous, labored ...New Moon,The Twilight Saga returns with an enjoyable third movie.

Compared to the relentless inertia of the last outing, the Z-movieCGI, the questionable, deeply conservative moral message, and aMichael Sheen performance that seemingly saw him channel -fuck, I don’t know what he was doing to be honest with you -

Eclipse is a work of wonder.

And it is enjoyable. Much like the polarizing first movie was, which I hope in time will come to be reassessed as a fine super-natural high-school drama - albeit akin to a below-par episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer on Virgin On Demand, viewedthrough the fug of flu when you’re off work sick one day (rent Lost Boys for your vampire kicks first though).

It’s got spirit and it’s got laughs. Bella (Kirsten Stewart) doesn’tspend scene after scene moping and sucking her bottom lip any-more. The numerous occasions where Jacob (Taylor Lautner) getshis pectorals out are spiced with humor (there’s a great exchangewith vampire Jacob whether he exclaims he is, just by being awerewolf and not the living dead, “hotter than you are”).

And by opening and ending with action sequences – and ramminga bunch of them home in the middle - new director David Slade hasbreathed some thrills back into the franchise. It’s got some edgetoo (unsurprising given Slade’s debut feature was 2005’s highlycontroversial Hard Candy). Say what you like about the much-decried CGI wolves, but I think they look badass.

After watching the faithful recreation of the source material in thelast movie, I think even the uber fans – the Twi-hards – the peoplewho sit crying on internet forums and cutting themselves becausea line in the film is paraphrased from how it appears in the book –will bow down to theirR-Patz calendars for Slade’s creative license. I sorta wish he’dgone a bit further mind, and written into the script that dithery Bellacouldn’t decide between the vampire or the werewolf and so decid-ed to fuck a zombie instead.

But here’s the bad news.

Like all the films thus far, it’s way too long. There’s some terrible wigs placed upon the heads of the Cullen clan. Distractinglybad wigs in fact. And, if you’re not a Twilight fan (or like me, just someone who’ll watch anything with vampires/KirstenStewart in it) Eclipse isn’t going to be movie that will lure you into the fold.

You will enjoy it though, I’m moderately certain of that.James McMahon

Movie Review:

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UNSIGNED ARTIST

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