When dancer and choreographer Brian Friedman decided to expand his ever growing empire in the entertainment industry, it was a no-brainer for him to team up some other industry heavy hitters to create a new production company titled IDentity UnKnown. I was first introduced to their impecable work when they produced our friend Leo Moctezuma’s video for his single, 2 Da Left. (Watch it HERE!)

Now, Brian and his crew have shifted their focus to develop ID’s first solo artist. May I introduce to you, Sarati. This blonde firecracker has just released her debut single This Beat with a music video set to show off just what this gal is capable of.

With both the single and the video, you can see the major influences of pop queens like Janet Jackson and Britney Spears, both artists that Brian Friedman has worked with extensively. Go figure. The video follows the pattern of Janet’s infamous Pleasure Principle video with Sarati dancing around a warehouse showing off some pretty stellar moves choreographed by LA prodigy, Tucker Barkley.

Check out Sarati’s dance heavy music video after the jump.

A year or two back, I was priviledged enough to work with Sharon Leal on the CW show, Hellcats. Many of you will recognize Sharon from her roles in Dreamgirls, Why Did I Get Married, Private Practice and Boston Public. Recently, she finished work on a new film project titled, Addicted- a story that follows a woman’s sex addiction which threatens to ruin her family’s life. I caught up with Sharon to ask her about this new film and her list of super sexy co-stars including William Levy.

“It is such a serious addiction and overlooked,” remarks Sharon after I asked her about studying for the role. I then inquired how she prepared for such a heavy piece. “I slept with hundreds and hundreds of men,” she jokes. “In all seriousness I did research on addiction and immersed myself in research into what drives people to their addictions. I happened to play a woman addicted to sex but the root of why someone falls fall victim to their impulses is the same. Sex addiction is in the same box as to food, drugs, alcohol etc,” she explains.

Movies aren’t Sharon’s only strength. Leal’s also got an incredible set of pipes. She sang in the film Dreamgirls and even leant her voice to a couple numbers on Hellcats but now, she’s ready to release some of her own original material with her debut solo album. Sharon is enlisting the help of crowd funding website Kickstarter to help her go through with the project. Learn more by checking out her pitch video below.

Leal’s Kickstarter video and more of our chat after the jump.

Michael Kong’s yourefaceinsideout explores themes of possession, over saturation, displacement, detachment, and connectivity in the constraints and rules of a wolf pack. Weather themes are abstract or literal the notion of rejection and disability are apparent in a haunting journey accompanied by live DJ Aaron Kelsh.

“Vancouver’s vibrant dance community is coming of age. Populated with a new breed of exciting dancers and choreographers, the local scene has never offered such high calibre, innovative and daring exhibitions. Three of the community’s newest artists, Katie DeVries, Michael Kong, and Erika Mitsuhashi, with the support of the Simon Fraser University Dance Faculty, present The December Projects. Three separate dance works created by these emerging artists exemplify all that SFU, as a premier educational institution, has to contribute to arts and culture in Vancouver. For the past year, Katie, Michael and Erika, in collaboration with interpreters, musicians, photographers and new media artists, have developed this show as a finale to their achievement of an honours degree in Fine Arts. Join them at the show, December 7 @ 8PM, and December 8th @ 2PM, 2012, at the Goldcorp Centre for the Performing Arts, SFU Woodwards, 149 West Hastings St, Vancouver.”

I had the privilege of being invited to a rehearsal for the show and I was amazed by the choreography, concept and overall performance from the troupe. A collection of truly passionate and talented artists makes up quite the company to allow the audience to me wrapped up the amazing movement. If you are a fan of contempoary dance or the arts in general, this FREE SHOW is not to be missed. Check out a promo video, a few shots of the company and a message from Michael Kong below.

Promo vid, photos and more from Michael after the jump.

Bruno Mars is gearing up to release his new album Unorthodox Jukebox real soon- like December 11 soon. So, to gear up his fans for the new disc, he’s been pumping out tracks from the album left right and center. The latest track to be released is When I Was Your Man which sees Bruno in a more reflective state accompanied by nothing but a beautiful piano instrumental.

Penned alongside Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine and Andrew Wyatt, the track focuses on Bruno singing about mistakes he’s made in relationships past.

Same bed, but it feels just a little bit bigger now
Our song on the radio, but it don’t sound the same
When our friends talk about you all that it does is just tear me down
Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name
And it all just sound like uh, uh, uh

I think this may be one of the strongest cuts from the album. Listen below.

Hear Bruno’s new piano-driven single after the jump.

I think that Agapé may be one of the biggest mixtape I am looking forward to next year. My girl JoJo released the track We Get By last month which Donovan shared with us. For the second cut from the compilation, JoJo has once again recorded an absolutely commanding vocal for her Andre 3000-inspired, Andre.

The Outkast member’s influences are undeniable in the synth work and drum kit. Even the spacey bridge is fresh like Mr. 3000. In the chorus she sings, “Always fly as he wanna be / Cooler than a mother… People think he’s strange / But he never try to hide it / That’s my Andre…” This is the JoJo I remember and love.

To catch you up, earlier this year, JoJo was anticipating the release of her new album, Jumping Trains which was to feature some previously released tracks like Disaster and The Other Chick but was later scrapped by the singer to pursue a more authentic album and sound. Gotta love JoJo- staying true to who she is instead of selling out.

Listen to JoJo’s newest jam after the jump.

I have been watching The X Factor regularly this season but I was extra sure to tune in tonight for one special reason. No, it wasn’t to see if once again, Paige Thomas or Cece Frey dropped the musical ball. But instead, it was to check out the world premiere of will.i.am and Britney Spears’ highly anticipated new music video for Scream & Shout. After the few little sneak peeks we had received, I was ready for it.

First things first, Britney looks absolutely stunning every time she appears on screen. Her movements are characteristically Ms. Spears and fit perfectly into the kaleidoscope-like effect the entire video portrays. What’s hard not to notice is the incessant product placement of the technology throughout the entire clip. But hey, a man’s gotta make that paper right? And that iPad typewriter things is pretty cool.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the song when it first was released but in all honesty, it has completely grown on me and the accompanying video is definitely fun to watch. I wish there was bit more of Britney partaking in some full-out choreography but hey, we can’t have it all right? Check out the brand spankin’ new clip and share your thoughts in the comments. Do you think this clip will up it’s placement on the charts?

Watch the video after the jump…

A couple of weeks ago, I was privileged enough to chat with Jai Rodriguez over the phone. Many of you may remember this hottie from his days as the pop culture consultant on Queer Eye For The Straight Guy but even before that, I remember him playing the role of Angel on stage in the musical, Rent in Toronto, ON, Canada. This wasn’t my first interaction with Mr. Rodriguez. In fact, he and I met alongside Patrick at the 2011 GLAAD Media Awards when Homorazzi covered the blue carpet.

Jai is currently a season regular on Malibu Country, ABC’s newest comedy starring Reba McIntyre. I’ve caught all the episodes so far and let me tell you, this show is hilarious. First of all, the comedic timing of Lily Tomlin is outstanding. Who knew that gal was so funny. Also, Jai’s performance as the fabulous and flamboyant record exec assistant Geoffrey is absolutely hilarious. Case and point? His introductory scene with Reba in the pilot where he asks her if she is “young and sexy“.

In our chat, I get a little bit of inside scoop on the show. I ask Jai if he could confirm some casting rumors if two other big music stars had been asked by Reba to be on the show. Want to know who they are? You’re going to have to listen below.

Listen to my chat with Jai Rodriguez after the jump.

It’s a long weekend up here in Canada so as we remember those who have served to protect our country, let’s fill our cup and toast to them. And what better way to celebrate than with Ludacris, Usher and David Guetta. Luda is preparing to release his new album, Ludaverse with this track serving as it’s official lead-off.

Titled, Rest of My Life, this trio have brought the party with Guetta’s signature dance floor antics with smooth melodies courtesy of Usher and some wicked verses from Luda himself. The song talks about making the most of your life which Ludacris makes very clear is alcohol, weed and money. I’m glad his priorities are in check.

The video showcases Ludacris and Usher performing infront of a backdrop of smoke on a highway while Guetta’s clip see him dancing on a platform in a room by himself with some club lighting. All this is intercut with clips of glaciers, crashing waves, a random basketballer and some people falling in love. While I’m sure the premise of the clip is to “live your life,” the video is a bit random. Thankfully, after a few drinks, the video doesn’t even matter and the song just makes you dance. Check it out below.

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