It’s a little known fact that I have a longstanding fascination with scary movies. Somewhere around middle school my friends and I discovered the horror section at our local video rental spot. One summer we ran through everything they had – from the campiest masked madmen to ghosts and vampires. The first movie that really...
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Before BJ The Chicago Kid’s performance at Michigan State University, he released a special mixtape that paired previous songs with skits shouting out his MSU ticket buyers. But the 27-year-old singer/songwriter has made a career out of paying attention to detail: he’s logged recording and performance time with legends like Stevie Wonder, Kanye West,...
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In a lot of ways, Michigan is just following suit. Twenty-two other states have already made it official and banned texting while driving. Tomorrow, on national television, Gov. Jennifer Granholm is expected to sign a bill that will ban Michigan drivers from doing the same. As of July 1, texting while driving will be...
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I wrote this entry on Day 8 of my #RapRehab treatment, but I just realized that I didn’t post it here. I asked for a doctor recently, because I’ve been having an allergic reaction to my prescriptions of new music: I subconsciously tune out many lyrics that aren’t rap. On many of the albums...
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Who is Johnny Cupcakes? That’s what I wanted to know the second I opened a gift from a friend tagged with the brand. It was a black T-shirt with a pirate logo that featured a cupcake in place of a skull. I fell in love with it in an instant and wanted to know...
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Yesterday Royal Oak’s Baldwin Theater set the scene for what’s to come as Oakland County’s premiere summer festival, Arts, Beats & Eats, takes another significant step toward its move from Pontiac to Royal Oak. During the first of several press conferences planned surrounding this event, L. Brooks Patterson announced the festival he founded...
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In today’s edition of #RapRehab #MusicMondays, I start to make a dent into the recommendations that my readers have recommended. Read below for reviews on the album that defined “neo-soul,” a 1974 sleeper that re-earthed this year, and another 70s gem that’s made a spot on my permanent playlist. D’Angelo, Voodoo I usually hate the term...
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I think that one tweet says it all. The 140 Characters Conference in New York City this past week brought together more than 140 speakers who discussed topics ranging from education to comic books, and everything in between. But all of them shared a common thread: questioning the status quo and pushing entire industries...
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Just as with diet fads there are also workout fads, and here are some of the top fads that deem to be most popular these days in my opinion and what exactly they entail. 1. Military/Bootcamp style outdoor workouts- these workouts often mimic the military training going from circuit to circuit with little to...
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The question at hand – does free parking impact whether or not you drive into Royal Oak on a Sunday afternoon? City officials are currently considering a change that would put downtown metered spots into effect on Sundays. I was quite surprised by the news. Parking in Royal Oak is already a challenge for...
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Good news and bad news, Urbane readers. The bad news is that, as you see, I wasn’t able to follow through with a #MusicMondays post earlier this week. I had an allergic reaction to my #RapRehab medication, and I ended up at the hospital for a few days. I’m fine now, but just wanted...
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When Royal Oak’s Jeff Newsom considered planning an Earth Day event for his eco-friendly non-profit A-ShirtBag, he went for an all-out celebrity spin. From 6-8 p.m. the public is welcome to peruse Newsom’s collection of celebrity-donated shirts – which he’s handily crafted into stylish, reusable tote bags – at Pluto, 400 Hamilton Row in downtown...
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