Apr 30, 2009

Twitter Scam Update

Update #6 (9/22/09): Newest accounts have been Janet_Jackson_, then was changed to Team_Jackson when that one was exposed, and now she's at Team__Jackson (she added an extra underscore.) Keep an eye on the master list below as this account is sure to change again soon. Any changes will be updated there.

Update #5 (8/25/09): Rachel has now been tweeting under RIP_M_J. Capitalizing on "tragedy" or big news story has been an MO of hers for awhile, and in her previous account, she had mocked Michael Jackson.

She's been going full-force with this one, pretending to be at Playboy Mansion parties, in the Angels' dugout, Disneyland, etc. All by stealing others online pictures as before.

I've been monitoring it for awhile and was not going to say anything. I figure "twitterer beware" and others would have to figure it out for themselves. But I've kept a record of the stolen pics just in case.

She has started trying to drag the names of good people through the mud again and I've send her vague warnings without outing her (and I know she got them). Tonight it happened again and it was the last straw for me so I've now outed her on Twitter again.

I'll write a new blog post about this new account if I have to but hopefully the tweets will suffice.

Update #4 (6/29/09): The original Twitter account used by Rachel is now being used by someone else who has nothing to do with this scandal whatsoever.

Update #3 (5/5/09): In case you had any doubt, I wanted to let you know that the real Milo Ventimiglia's Twitter account (@dividepictures) has been confirmed by Valebrity here. Milo also mentions his Twitter account at the end of this video. Any other account claiming to be Milo is fraudulent and will be dealt with.

Dino is a very close friend of Milo's (you can see Milo's tweets to him), and has stated publicly that Rachel has been asking for donations for a fake cancer charity using Milo's name (this, more than anything, has driven me to continue these updates, especially after losing several loved ones to this disease...I am beyond disgusted by this).

I was sent these MySpace links and thought I should post them in case any of you use that network. Be careful on there as well and spread the word among your MySpace friends:

~Rachel
~"Erin"
~"JC"

There's another "Erin" profile involved but I don't want to out that account until I know more.

I was sent this Google cached version of a Twitpic where you can see Rachel claiming to be in remission from cancer on one of her fake Jensen Ackles accounts (and talking to herself with her other identities....there are also a few of her victims commenting there so please don't lump them all together).

I have updated the Twitter links below with the latest scam accounts.

**************************************


Update #2: Rachel is on the move. New accounts include (these are being constantly changed...I will update the links each time they do, so check back again if the current links don't work. yes i am determined, lol. she should not be able to get away with doing this): @its_rayray AND thebeachbabe dontfukwithme. (all Rachel...well most of them are her, but these are the ones she's claimed as herself). Also @1cutiepatootie ("Erin"). I have been sent more information that I'm looking into. "Erin" may be a second person involved. Will update with links when I know more.

*********************


I wanted to post an update for those of you who are wondering where everything stands with the "twitterjacking" scandal (got that term from this story which I think does a good job of explaining the seriousness of this problem). Be sure to read the original post if you haven't already done so.

First of all, I want to extend my thanks to all of you for the amazing comments and support. While there are a handful of people who are actually defending these fake accounts (who knows how many could be Rachel herself, though), most people have been so wonderful and have helped expose this scam artist as well. Good people are awesome. :)

Also, for those of you who expressed that you feel "stupid" for being taken in by this person....please don't feel that way. Wanting to believe in someone, trusting, and trying to see the good in people...those are all good traits. And ones which this person capitalizes on. It's not you....it's her.

Most of the pics linked in the original post have been removed (the fake ones at least). Dino and the real Milo Ventimiglia have been aware of "Rachel London" for awhile now and are working directly with Twitter on this.

I now know it is one MAIN person (Rachel) behind all of this and that there are up to 10 fake profiles of celebrities and fake friends or family she has created. She is from Tustin, CA and has been doing this for more than three years....first on MySpace and Facebook, now Twitter.

And for the few people who don't understand why this is serious, click here. Not only are reputations of good people at stake, but many people are being conned and have given donations to someone they believe has cancer. Legal action is being taken against this woman now.

Twitter has removed the fake Milo account, but the Twitpics remain. "Rachel" has now set up a new fake Milo account here (update: Twitter has suspended this account).

The fake Jensen account came down (don't know if that was through Twitter or "Rachel"), but a new one has been set up here. Twitpics for the previous fake account are still up as well.

Here is a full list of the fake profiles I am aware of (links updated as they continue to change):

~Original Rachel (now inactive)
~Rachel#2
~Rachel #3
~Rachel#4 (now inactive)
~Rachel #5
~Rachel #6 (an account she started as the "president" of ballplayer baron davis' beard...I know, right?).
~Rachel #7
~Rachel #8
~Rachel #9 (@RIP_M_J)
~Rachel #10 (@Team_Jackson)
~Rachel #11 (@Team__Jackson) LATEST RACHEL ACCOUNT
~ErinLondon
~ChrisALondon
~CamVentimiglia
~JC_90272
~Fake Milo Ventimiglia (now suspended by Twitter)
~Fake Jensen Ackles
~theappletinihol
~sm_bc

Apr 29, 2009

Exposed

Note: An update on the scandal has been posted here. Please also note that the Twitter account linked to this scandal is now being used by a new person who is in no way tied to this mess.

I want to say right off the bat that those of you who know me, know that I am not a hateful, vengeful person. But does part of me take a little bit of pleasure in what I'm about to do? I'd be lying if I said no.

At first, when I began this little investigation, I didn't. However, my name has been dragged through the mud over and over and over so I am now going to have to do something about it. I am going to expose the Twitter fake/fakes (posing as celebs and others) that are coming after me on Twitter here on my blog.

My apologies in advance for the drama-like nature of this post. Believe me, I wish I had NEVER been pulled into this ridiculous garbage. But I have, so here we go.

I'm all about love, light, peace and happiness. Until people get hurt. So I'm going to do what's right. I'm going to name names because I have to. This is not going to be pretty. And it's going to sound very ridiculous and childish. Because it is.

Believe me I want no part of it. But I have a reputation to uphold, and others to think of too, so hold on tight. (and if you'd like to skim to the end for proof of my claims here, feel free....this is going to be a long story....and be prepared for all of the fake pics to be pulled once this is exposed. anyone who was following any of these people and challenged me for proof, however, will recognize the fake pictures in the real ones).

Awhile back, I began receiving twitter messages from RachelLondon (UPDATE/NOTE: This Twitter account/name is now being used by a new person not related to this scandal whatsoever) She seemed like a nice, fun person. She's blonde like me, too. So I twittered back. And even though something inside of me kept sending off warning bells, I ignored every red flag that was put in my face. Because I WANTED to believe her. I want to see the best in people and that sometimes clouds my judgement.

Amanda said to me after all of this unfolded, "Isn't that the girl you thought was crazy from day one?" Yes, yes it is. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. I am not being fooled twice.

Rachel, you picked the wrong person to target. I don't know why you picked me, or why you had to drag me into this awful imaginary Twitter world you've created, but you suck for doing so. I am just a wife, mom, blogger and Twitterer and I did not need this in my life. You should be ashamed of yourself, and I feel badly for all of the people you have scammed, including the legions of "fans" that are following who they think to be celebs, who have come after me this week.

Aside from being a wife, mom, blogger and Twitterer, I am also a journalist. And I've done investigative journalism enough to know what I'm doing. Therein lies your mistake.

Okay, back to the story....after tweeting for a long time with this person, and ignoring the red flags ("I'm not comfortable telling people about my connections" while blasting her fake ones all over Twitter, following every celebrity I've ever followed and talking to them after they've talked to me, copying everything I do, being celebrity-obsessed and having endless 24/7 twitter conversations with celebrities even though she's "best friends" with high-profile celebs, saying she got my Facebook friend request and would approve it, but never would - because the real Rachel London from LA on Facebook is not her, pictures she'd post of herself on TwitPic looked nothing like the real Rachel, whoever that is, including one of "her" next to Mandy Moore and Britney Spears, etc., etc.), I read all of her dm's bragging about how she's friends with "Milo Ventimiglia" from Heroes and "Jensen Ackles"from Supernatural.

In fact, I suddenly was told by "Milo" that Rachel had informed him that I "could be trusted" and he was going to "allow me" to follow him. Lucky me! I had followed her supposed friends and family because they included me in their little circle, including her supposed cousin Erin London (who followed me first), CamVentimiglia (there is not one Cameron Ventimiglia in the entire U.S. He has said his name is Cameron and he's supposedly related to Milo), and ChrisALondon. There are many others, but those are the main ones. Oh and JC_90272.

Some of them had commented on my TwitPics, Erin tweeted to me, etc. After awhile, I decided I really didn't want to be following "Jensen" or "Milo" since they didn't follow back or respond to my Tweets. I really had no idea about them...only through Rachel. I've never watched either show. I was only aware of "Jensen" through his old "Days of Our Lives" role.

I sent a private message to Rachel that I meant no offense to her, but I thought "Jensen" seemed rude (I was shocked at the way "Jensen" had ganged up on one guy on Twitter whom "he" claimed was a bully....something "he" later claimed about me too....I know nothing about that guy but even if he was a bully, I didn't like the gang mentality that was going on with "Jensen" and "his fans."), and I wasn't going to Twitter worship them. I then unfollowed them. No big deal if they are really stars with a full life, right?

Well, they're not. They're fake. So Rachel told "Jensen" (herself?) about my private message and then the fake Jensen went and told all of his Twitter fans about it publicly, pointing me out by name. Still duped at this point, I felt really bad that I had caused someone pain or had hurt them in any way, so I apologized all over the place.

I sent Rachel messages, messages to "Jensen," even posted an apology on one of his Twitpics to make sure he'd see it. And then I texted Rachel (yes I have her phone number, and if anything happens to mine...either being given out publicly or getting harassment calls, I will post her number here as well). They all ignored me and continued to bash me. Hundreds of people called me horrible names, said I was crazy, etc. It stung at first.

And then when I had time to think about it, it occurred to me that if these really were the people they said they were, I just couldn't believe they would really act this way. I mean would the real Jensen Ackles really give two craps what I said in a private twitter message to someone? Would he tweet about it for the entire rest of the night, without going to bed, and continue talking about it the next day non-stop.

Another red flag. The fake Jensen has an obsession with bodily functions. With (sorry in advance for this) "jizz" and "poo" being central to most of his tweets. That just did not seem right to me. They also all began talking in "izzle" language, being "punny" with each other, and all sorts of other things that I just could not see these high profile celebs doing.

They also tweeted pictures non-stop wherever they went (and they always seemed to be together, except for "Jensen" and that's because the real one was in Australia for a good majority of this). They were supposedly at all of these events, texting to each other and commenting on each others' TwitPics while there. That would take a lot of effort and again...can't see real celebs doing this with their time. You have to go to the actual website to comment on the pictures, so they'd all have to be sitting with their phones surfing the net and finding each others' pictures and commenting endlessly on them.

So I decided to put on my journalist hat and do a little digging. And wow did I hit paydirt. But my tweets get buried, my twitpic comments can now be deleted, so thousands of fans are still being duped. And still coming after me (I am now known as the "TwitterNazi" for exposing them). I just can't imagine how these people still believe the fakes after all they HAVE seen, but I guess there's a sucker born every minute.

Anyone who is left believing any of them after this? There is no hope for them, lol.

Okay, time to layout the proof I've dug up. Let's start with The Hollywood Live/Jimmy Kimmel/Depeche Mode event. That was the first lie I uncovered. Click here to see Rachel's pics (scroll to the middle of the page...may even bump to the next page if she keeps posting pics), here to see "Milo's," and here to see "Erin's."

Now, you'll want to click on some of the pics and read comments too. Feel free. They were all supposed to be there together. Only, "Milo" couldn't have been there, because the real Milo was in Vegas at a bachelor party.

Then, I found the real Milo Ventimiglia on Twitter, who confirmed for me in this tweet and this one that this is his one and only account. Also confirmed here (and note how angry this person is over the fake Milo accounts and how they plan to take action for it...Dino is co-founder of Milo's Divide Pictures Social Club).

Next, someone was kind enough to DM me a link to a copycat picture of the one that the fake Milo posted that was supposed to be showing his "Heroes" scripts in his car. Here's the real picture. Here is the fake Milo's copycat pic.

In finding the real account I also noticed he ripped off two other pictures: real one, and fake one; real one and fake one.

And would you believe they had the nerve to start posting the pics on all of their accounts, joking about it and saying, "Look! I'm stealing a photo! Someone call the TwitterNazi." And the fans believed them. (Well, most....the fake Jensen's followers have been dropping off steadily so there are some people out there who aren't so gullible).

They even started a "Circle of Jizz" club (yeah...I know) for all of "Jensen's" most loyal fans! And they ate it up like candy. "Jensen" started making Twitpics just for me! And they all started posting them to their accounts to show their support for him.

Click here (notice the Blondie shirt, btw...nice touch!), here, and here (my husband noticed the "fake blonde hair" comment on that last one and said it was more evidence that it was a girl, lol). These are all pictures of the real Jensen that can be found in the public domain, btw. Well, except for the Photoshopped graphics, of course.

Those aren't even the only photos I noticed didn't seem right (the script, food and dog). Rachel posted pictures of her friend "JC's" yellow Lamborghini. In one picture, the lamborghini had black mirrors. In the other, they were yellow. (their excuse? he has four cars!!! *sigh*)

Then, I received a message from someone in one of the real stars' camps. I'm not going to say who or which one or how I got the message because they sent it to me privately and it wouldn't be right for me to name names.

But what they told me unraveled all the rest of the lies. They told me that they were aware of the fake account (for this specific star) and that "she" is responsible for creating several of them (I never mentioned a "she" to them). That was my signal that my suspicions were correct and that RachelLondon (NOTE: This Twitter account/name is now being used by a new person not related to this scandal whatsoever) was behind all of this. And it meant I needed to do some more digging to clear my name and to prove to any doubters once and for all that they were being duped.

So I thought to myself...if there is one person behind this, and they stole these pictures from TwitPic, what if all of the other ones they've been posting on all of these accounts are also stolen from TwitPic? What if it is ALL a lie?

I did a google search to see if there was a way to search Twitpics. I found this. PicFog.com. Oh God bless the people who made PicFog.com. Golden ticket, people. Golden. Ticket.

So my search began. And I was right. Every picture is a fake. It IS all a lie. Except maybe the real ones of Rachel herself (but I don't think that's her real name).

The rest of this post will be links to the pics that each of them has posted, along with the real source of the photo (and yes, this has taken up way too much of my time...hopefully this will put an end to this garbage once and for all).

Let's start out with the Laker's Game, where Rachel supposedly saw "Will Ferrell guys!!!!!"

Rachel's pic. The real pic.

~Rachel "trailor hopping" with "Erin:" Fake pic. And the real pic.

~Rachel "at work:" Fake pic. And the real pic.

~Look at the cute family of ducks Rachel discovered while she was at South Coast Plaza (she tweeted other pics saying she was there too): Fake pic. But, oh, look...someone else saw the ducks first! Real pic.

~Rachel was "kinda bummed" when she saw that the water filled in the boardwalk at Adventure Park: Fake pic. But it looks like someone else was already bummed about it first: Real pic.

~Here's Rachel at Disney's Food and Wine Festival! Fake pic. Real pic.

~And here's her "free food" from the event: Fake pic. Real pic.

~Even Cousin Erin got in on the action! She was so happy she didn't have to pay $7 for this water bottle! Fake pic. I guess so was he: Real pic.

~Erin took this great shot of the chefs at the event: Fake pic. Only this guy took the real pic.

~Back to Rachel's pics of the event: Fake one. Real one.

~Here's Erin posting about the finicky weather at Starbucks (while Rachels proclaims that next time they'll go to "Peet's Coffee!" Fake pic. Real pic.

~Rachel's "so close!!!!" to the Depeche Mode stage: Fake pic. Real pic.

~Here is the fake Milo's badge to Depeche Mode: Fake pic. Only that badge belonged to someone else: Real pic.

~Rachel was so excited to see "jimmmyyyyyyy!!!" and had trouble with the load time from her phone: Fake pic. Real pic.

~Wow! Rachel's REALLY excited to see Depeche Mode come on stage: Fake pic. Real pic.

~"no where iz fake jensen?" Fake pic. Not here: Real pic.

~Fake Jensen got a kick out of this magazine he picked up at the airport: Fake pic. Except that someone else was laughing first: Real pic.

~Now this pic was a hit with all of them. They were all supposedly eating at The Ivy when lo and behold! The paparrazzi descended on their poor friend, fake Milo: Fake pic. Fake pic2 (comments on that one show fake Milo claiming it's all for him). And the real pic. (turns out the fuss was really over Sheryl Crow and Marc Anthony...hmmm!)

~Here is the mysterious Cam Ventimiglia's car, one that JC says needs more "tenting" (meaning "tinting"): Fake pic (see comments where Rachel says it's his). The real pic, which was taken by the same person who took the real paparrazi pic (in fact, you'll notice a lot of these pics are stolen from the same people)

~And finally, look who fake Jensen ran into at Starbucks! Renee Zellweger! Fake pic. Real pic.

So, doubters? Are you convinced YET? Yes, I accept your apology for all of the hate (I really do actually).

And yes, I know that I am dealing with a potentially dangerous, unstable person here. I am filing a report with the proper authorities to protect my family. (Who knows what someone like this is capable of? Better safe than sorry).

Whoever is behind this, I hope you can find happiness in your life somehow. I hope that you can learn to be happy with who you are right here, right now, so that you don't need to create this fantasy world for yourself. As awful as this is, and even though you've hurt a lot of people, my heart goes out to you and I hope you find peace.

Comments will be moderated for obvious reasons. I'm sure there are some people crazy enough out there to somehow still engage in fake celebrity worship. You have my sympathy as well.

Note: An update on the scandal has been posted here.

Apr 14, 2009

An Interview With Chester French


On April 21, Chester French's album "Love the Future drops.

I had the privilege of speaking to both DA Wallach and Maxwell Drummey (Max) by phone today and it was a blast! I already loved their sense of humor in previous interviews I've seen them do. Just as I expected, they had me LMAOing the whole time.

If you have not yet heard of Chester French, you don't know what you're missing! This band is ON FIRE, let me tell you! And they are rising quickly with stars like Diddy and Paris Hilton taking notice among many others.

In fact, they've been touring around the country with Lady Gaga and crowds have responded well, snatching up their CDs after the show like candy. Diddy gave them a shout-out on Twitter, causing their followers to rise by 3,000 (DA said that it means a lot to them to have the support of such a legend). They recently performed for Paris Hilton at her birthday party in Vegas. And MTV has made them a featured artist.

If I could lay money on it, I would bet that they will be a household name by the end of the year.

In keeping with their fantastic sense of humor, Max answered "medium-loud" when I asked him what kind of sound fans can expect from "Love the Future." Seriously though, the CD will have lots of diverse tracks, and DA hopes everyone can just "listen straight through, close their eyes, and get into our minds" when they hear the music.



What sets Chester French apart from most other bands is their DIY-style. DA said that they write their own music, and do their own engineering and producing so that everything is "self-contained."

"We've been doing this for six years now," he added. "We're not entitled to anything more than anyone else is, but we've worked really hard to get where we are. We've played to empty rooms, we've sold CD's in the streets and after shows. We've put all of our energy into making music."

And it shows. The band is currently offering a free mix tape called "Jacques Jams," the brainchild of Clinton Sparks ("Get familiar!") Max said that Clinton "made them do it" and that he and DA are Clinton's "mix tape children."

"Jacques Jams" is more than just music. It's an entire story, complete with skits. In addition to CF and Sparks, it features other amazing talent such as Diddy, Solange Knowles, Pharrell, Lady Gaga and more.

Click here to check it out and sign up for your free copy. (My favorites are "What a World," "Ciroc Star" and CF's exclusive remix of Lady Gaga's "Love Game." I can't get enough of those three tracks!) With 60-80 thousand copies already downloaded, you'll definitely want to be in on this one!



Another thing that sets CF apart from other artists is their love and dedication to their fans. DA and Max will sit in their tour bus until 5 am just responding to emails from their fans.

And just as a side note....when I asked them what a typical day is like on their tour bus, they jokingly told me, "Usually a combination of binge drinking and gang banging." Max wanted me to emphasize the latter part and to mention that it's "every day." I assured him that I had underlined it in my notes.

Not only does CF try to write back to every email they receive, especially ones from their biggest supporters, but they also reach out to fans...and even haters....through Twitter.

Check out this recent exchange:

AgentSkitzer: @brooklyn3383 chester french does not rock!

DAChesterFrench: @AgentSkitzer Hope to win you over. We think you rock, at least! xoxo

CF has even been known to surprise their haters with free copies of their album and other goodies to win them over. "I try to keep an eye out for what's being said about us," DA said. "Some of our strongest supporters started out as haters."

He said he understands when others judge them because "we can be judgemental" at times too. With the band being so new, he said there are a lot of misconceptions about them.

"If someone is talking shit about us, I ask them what can we do to get them on the same page as us," DA added. They've found that most people are open-minded and receptive once they've reached out to them.

As for how the band got its name, it's actually derived from Daniel Chester French, who sculpted the Lincoln Memorial in my hometown of Washington DC. When I asked if they'd been to the Lincoln Memorial yet, Max chided that he makes a point of going there once-a-month.

I told them that even though I've lived here my whole life, I've never been to the memorial myself, and that I was going to visit it just for them. "You'll have to write our name on the wall," DA said.

"Oh good idea," I laughed. "I'm gonna graffiti up the whole memorial just for you!"



When I got more serious and said I had some ideas in my head for what I could legally do, maybe something with a photo, they assured me not to worry if I went to jail because they would bail me out. ;)

So who knows...maybe my next blog can be "So a Blonde Walks Into a Jail?" All for my love of Chester French! I'll be sure to sing their hit "She Loves Everybody" at the top of my lungs in my cell while I'm there too:





Click here to check out more on this fabulous band so you too can fall in love with them, find out their tour information, watch their hilarious videos, and more.

Pre-order "Love the Future"
here. (Exclusive tracks will be available on Amazon and iTunes - different tracks depending on where you purchase)

And don't forget your
free copy of Jacques Jams!

Finally, watch for Chester French on
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on April 21. They assured me they are in touch with the most reputable designers (couture fashion is SO them) so be prepared for them to be dressed to the nines for the show.

Update: Below is video from Chester French's performance of "She Loves Everybody" on Jimmy Fallon...



She Loves Everybody Jimmy Fallon Live by yardie4lifever2



***************************************


Note: Many thanks to my assistant Heather who helped me with preparing questions for the interview and who will most likely be joining me when Chester French plays in DC. I need to confirm this, but I believe they will be opening for Lady Sovereign at the 9:30 Club in May. I'll be sure to post the exact details once I confirm them.

UPDATE: Chester French will indeed be opening for Lady Sovereign at the 9:30 Club on May 9 at 11 pm. Click here to purchase tickets to the show (CF is not listed as an opening act as of yet, but I have been assured that they will be there).



Apr 12, 2009

Happy Easter!

Today, my son has the honor of serving his first mass as an altar boy:



That's him in his garb during his installation mass a couple of weeks ago. I'm so proud of him, and he is SO excited!

It's such a perfect day for him to have his first mass...the day that my faith celebrates Jesus' resurrection.

It's also a bit of a sad day for me, though, because this is the first year that none of my children will be waiting for the Easter Bunny to show up. Natalie came to me not long ago and said she no longer believes. *sniff* (Santa still seems to be real for her though....I think it was the whole bunny-as-a-human deal that she is no longer buying into, lol).

But this day isn't about talking, magical bunnies anyway. It's about this:



(Wow...that last image makes me cry like a baby!)

A blessed day to all of you!

Apr 10, 2009

Thank You


"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit." - Matthew 27:50

Apr 5, 2009

I'M ON BRITNEYSPEARS.COM!!!!!!


This is one night I'm thankful I have (major) insomnia. Haven't been able to sleep and was watching t.v. online. I decided to pop on over to Britney Spear's site before logging off and LOOK WHAT I FOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *deep breaths*

As I'm writing this, it's the top post. I mean it was so surreal to pull up her site and see ME at the top!!! Was NOT expecting that, lol!

And now there's no way I'm getting any sleep tonight, hahaha...but I am not complaining!! So psyched!! OMGosh!!!!

Apr 1, 2009

Lady Gaga Rescheduled

Update #5- Click here to read my review for Lady Gaga's DC show at DAR Constitution Hall. Pics and vids included. Meet the man who sang to Gaga and the woman who "married" her, as well.

Update #4- The DC show reschedule has finally been announced! Lady Gaga will be performing at 8 p.m, September 29, at Dar Constitution Hall. Click here for details. No word yet on whether or not tickets to the previous show will be good at the new venue. I will update once again when I get word on this.

Update #3- Still no word on the DC show, but there is an announcement out regarding the show at The National in Richmond, VA:
"The Lady Gaga show originally scheduled for April 3rd, 2009 and then moved to The National has been rescheduled for the Landmark Theater on September 24th @ 8pm. All previously purchased tickets for both the Toad's show and The National show (Etix, Plan 9, BK Music, The National Box Office, and Ticketmaster) will be honored on the new date without exchange (all tickets are general admission). Additional general admission tickets will go on sale THIS Friday April 10th at 10am at the Landmark Theater Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets. Refunds for previously purchased tickets will be available at the point of purchase. "
Click here for more details.

Update #2- I've just learned that an official announcement regarding the rescheduled dates/venues, etc. will be out next week, so hold tight. I'll update this post as soon as the announcements are made.

UPDATED: Read Lady Gaga's apology to her fans here. She said the reason for cancelling her shows was because of illness, not American Idol.

Of particular importance to me though, is this statement:
"...the shows have now been moved to bigger venues. for more dancing, more sweating, and more of my props to fit on stage."
So what does that mean for those with tickets to the original venues? As soon as I find out more I will update.

Also, Chester French, who was going to be opening for Lady Gaga (and who I was going to interview post-show....see below), may not be at the rescheduled performance now, according to their comments on their site.

I will try to set something else up with them if that ends up being the case.
**********************************


I was hoping so badly that this was an April Fool's Day joke. But, unfortunately, it's not. Lady Gaga's DC show at the 9:30 Club has been rescheduled for an as-yet-unknown date. Rumor has it that the reason is due to her appearance on American Idol tonight.

The good news is that I will be interviewing Lady Gaga's opening act, Chester French, whenever the show is rescheduled. So in addition to the concert review, I'll be posting the interview as well.

Have any questions you want me to ask Chester French for you? Just let me know in comments.

And if you haven't heard their AWESOME song "She Loves Everybody" yet, check it out right here:



These guys are hilarious, too. I think I'm going to love chatting with them, especially after watching this interview they did with Young Hollywood.

LOVE them!

UPDATE: Check out my interview with Chester French here.

"Merry Christmas!" Britney Spears Circus Tour Review Part II



Note #1- If you missed part one of my Britney Spears Circus Tour review, be sure to click here.

Note #2- Let me just say right off that this is going to be long and I probably should've broken the review into three parts, but hopefully I've kept it interesting enough that you won't notice the length. :) (that's what she said, ha!) Also, be sure to click "read more" for the full review...it's a new feature I'm using.

And if you read nothing else, READ THE END, because it's all about me. *grin*


So where we? Oh, yes....watching the most amazing performer ever descend onto the stage at the Verizon Center in DC! Yes, she lip synced but I really didn't care. Britney dazzles you so much with her dance moves, props, costumes, lights, etc. that you don't even notice.

Besides, there was plenty of "real" singing from everyone in the crowd. I am proud to say I knew and sang every word to every song and danced right along to it all too.

Which is how I ended up with videos like these:





Singing and dancing while filming "If U Seek Amy"




Britney performing "Piece of Me" while I danced and filmed...not a good combo.


This one's a little bit better, but my camera chopped up the sound when I zoomed in and out (which you'll notice in other videos as well):



One of the most absolute coolest effects EVER, IMO, had to be the indoor thunderstorm just before "Radar." Here's the video, but you really had to be there to see just how amazing it was:



Indoor thunderstorm segue....watch as Britney pops up in the center of the stage.


Then there were the incredible magic tricks. Here's a close-up of one:



Britney being "cut in half" while performing "Ooh Ooh Baby."


And the props were so unique and simply gorgeous:



Britney performing "Freakshow" and "Get Naked (I Got a Plan)" amid my favorite stage design


Even the segues were mind-blowing. Britney changes costumes several times throughout the show (which I LOVE), and she made sure no one would be bored while she did so. I'm going to share a couple of the segues from VideosbyJT since he got really good shots of them.

This segue is set to Marilyn Manson's cover of the Eurythmics "Sweet Dreams are Made of These" (his is titled "Everybody's Looking for Something") and it is HOT, HOT, HOT!! You have to watch this one, I am telling you!



And then there was this one set to "Break the Ice:"



Did you catch the infamous Madonna/Britney kiss in there?


Another segue I loved was the "Dancer Solo Segue" where dancers came out and performed to songs by Michael Jackson, Estelle, Rihanna and more. This one was actually performed live on stage, but this video (from jomademoiselle) shows them on the jumbotron:



As for the costumes, Britney wore a completely different one for "I'm a Slave 4 U" after her wardrobe malfunction in Tampa:



Photo courtesy of JustJared.com


Nothing "hanging out" in DC!

It's hard for me to pick a favorite costume, but if I had to pick just one, it would probably be the Bollywood one:



Britney performing "Me Against the Music" Bollywood style


It was during the Bollywood theme that Britney surprised the audience with "Everytime," a song that was not on her official set list. I think that's significant and let me explain why.

It's rumored that "Everytime" was written about Justin Timberlake. And it's rumored that Justin's "Cry Me a River" was written about Britney. In the video for "Cry Me a River," Justin is standing in the rain, upset over the break-up. In "Everytime," Britney sings, "I may have made it rain. Please forgive me."

So the fact that this song was set apart from the others by not being on the set list, and that Britney performs it while sitting on the handle of a giant umbrella, to me, is VERY symbolic. Come on, Justin! Forgive her already!



Britney talks to the crowd before performing "Everytime."


Now for the biggest buzz to come out of the DC show....."Merry Christmas!" Yes, Britney did indeed yell "Merry Christmas" to the audience while performing "Do Something." My video doesn't even have that part, but it still has over 1,000 views....crazy!

You can click here to see my video if you'd like, but here's one from MissBritneySpearsTV that shows her shouting out the greeting (around 50 seconds in):



Some people *cough* Perez Hilton *cough* have tried to use the "Merry Christmas" greeting against Britney, saying it's a sign of her being crazy. In her defense, let me set the record straight.

First of all, this is supposed to be a "freakshow" circus. There were friggin deer heads on the big screen for crying out loud. Saying something that made no sense made perfect sense in that kind of setting. Especially since she was singing, "I see you looking at me like I'm some kind of freak."

Secondly, someone pointed out in the comments on my video that Britney had not been to that side of the stage very much. So she was greeting the crowd as in, "Hey there! I'm finally here!"

Crazy? No. "You say I'm crazy? I got your crazy!" Perfect lyrics to the likes of those who are attacking her for this.

Moving on....the biggest crowd reactions came at three different points. The opening, the finale, and here:



The crowd went crazy when they realized Britney was about to perform her classic hit, "Baby One More Time."


About that finale. Just wow:



More crowd craze as Britney performs "Womanizer" during the finale. Listen as everyone sings along too...and watch as I ruin another video with my dancing.


And then...the crowning touch. An amazing curtain of fire surrounds the stage as the show ends:



Along with insane amounts of confetti:



I never wanted the show to end. If I could, I would fly to every show she does just to relive it again and again. It was truly the best concert I've ever been to in my life!



As if that weren't enough, though, what happened to me after we left ended up making this one of the best nights in my entire life, too. The picture requests continued non-stop. I posed with so many awesome people, including a really cool guy in a top hat.

Heads turned everywhere we walked. Non-stop compliments. One girl just stared at me with her jaw dropped and watched me as I walked, while her friend yelled, "You are the sh*t!" (have you read my cockiness disclaimer by the way? lol)

I seriously didn't know how to act or what to do with myself. I felt like a friggin superstar with all eyes on me. It was so surreal, I just can't even begin to explain.

And then? And then? Are you ready for the best part? People started calling me...ME...Britney! *faint*

At one point, I heard a girl - who had to be drunk or delusional because....really? Me?! - yell hystericaly far behind me, "OH MY GOSH, IT'S BRITNEY!!!!" And then silence ensued as someone probably said, "Umm..stupid...it's just a blonde in a circus costume." (She was the only one who actually thought I really was Britney and she was FAR behind me...my jacket was also almost an exact replica of the one worn by Britney in the opening. That was not planned, btw.)

But left and right from non-delusional people I got, "Hey, hey, Britney!" (one guy said with a wink), "Check you out, Britney!" and on and on. I was in Britney Heaven!!!

You already know about the group of girls we ran into who labeled me "the circus b*tch." Another group of people said I should wear the costume at Halloween and announce, "It's Britney, b*tch!"

I think I may just do that!