Alicia Keys tweeted it out herself (well, through Dream Hamption). It’s the new video to her first single from her upcoming album The Element Of Freedom.
In the video, Alicia sings her heart in a high rise building and then all of a sudden, she’s singing in the desert next to a volcano next to her piano. And no, in case you’re wondering, Common doesn’t die again. He’s not in this one.
As a fan and follower of professional wrestling, I am still in awe of all the mainstream coverage Lou Albano’s passing is receiving. It’s been over twenty years since he’s been seen on television screens as a wrestling character, though people do remember him as the star of the live action part of the Super Mario Bros. show in the 90s.
As a wrestling manager in the WWF in mid-80s, Captain Lou was more of a cartoon character than anything else. That was probably the point. He was the fat guy with rubber bands all over his face spouting lines about his teams being often imitated but never duplicated. But that wasn’t why he’s currently remembered by so many after his passing. It’s because of Cyndi Lauper.
In the early to mid 80s, Cyndi was on her way up as one of the first video created music stars. Her first hit single Girls Just Wanna Have Fun featured Albano playing her father in the video. Albano and Lauper met on a flight and were seated next to each other. According to pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer, Lauper was entertained by Albano’s wacky stories and asked him to be in the video.
Their pairing lead to a short relationship between Lauper and the WWF. Lauper appeared on WWF programming including feuding with Albano on the MTV/WWF wrestling event, The Brawl To Settle It All. Lauper challenged Albano, whose character claimed that he was responsible for her success, and her wrestler Wendi Richter beat Albano’s wrestler, the Fabulous Moolah, for the women’s championship. The event helped the WWF move towards a Rock-N-Wrestling theme. Richter was also at the first ever WrestleMania.
Lauper’s then boyfriend and music producer David Wolff helped produce The Wrestling Album which is exactly what it sounds like. Lauper herself produced Captain Lou’s spoken word track under the name of Mona Flambé. Wolff produced the record with Rick Derringer.
After his passing, Lauper was quoted as saying that Albano helped her go up the charts “from 10, to 5, to 4 to 1, to minus 5 and back up to 1 again.”
Here’s the video to Lauper’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun:
Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is making headlines, and not necessarily based on what the Dolphins are doing this year. Ross has been successful at bringing in celebrity minority investors, with the latest being Black Eyed Peas’ star Stacy Ferguson, aka Fergie.
Ross has been able to secure other music heavyweights like Marc Anthony and Gloria Estefan (with husband Emilio) as minority owners. He also has a partnership with Jimmy Buffet, who can’t become an actual investor because of his stakes in the casino business, which is against the rules of the NFL. Tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams have also bought in.
You may wonder why Ross is turning to celebrities to invest into his team. Well, it’s not really about the money. He’s been quoted as saying that It’s more about the excitement in the community that it creates. Not every team can turn to Gloria Estefan and ask her to do a halftime show. Maybe the old band can become the Miami Dolphins Sound Machine?
Expect Fergie Ferg to be doing halftime shows and National Anthems soon enough. But the buck will stop if will.i.am. decides that he wants to run the Wildcat.