he twichitan Wednesday
November 2, 2011
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Kim and Kris end their summer bliss C.J. MCT Only 72 days after a ridiculous $10 million wedding, the Kris HumphriesKim Kardashian union looks like a Grimm Fairy Tale, indeed, with her filing for divorce Monday. That’s $138,000 for each day, according to calculations by TMZ.com, which has been on top of the confirmed breakup story and had the divorce papers: “We’re told even though the marriage was short, she is not seeking an annulment. It’s a garden variety divorce in which Kim cites ‘irreconcilable differences.’
We’re told Kris was passionate about eventually settling down in Minnesota, where he’s from, and believed Kim was on board. She wasn’t.” Anybody who caught episodes of E!’s “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” or “Kim’s Fairytale (Marriage): A Kardashian Event” could see Kim only had disdain for Minnesota. “I definitely was raised in a different world than, like, Yee Haw Minnesota.” Kim famously remarked to Kris during the marriage event show. There is no city with that name in Minnesota. Kim’s dig was designed to say she considered his home state the sticks, although she affectionately called Min-
neapolis “Minny” in some TV interviews. When I left the office late Friday, my information was that the reality TV star and her NBA husband were working through their newlywed issues (plastered all over the web and gossip mags) that had both of them questioning what they did on Aug. 20. I was told that Humphries’ Minnesota values had him determined to work through their differences. He wanted to follow in the tradition of his parents, Debra and William Humphries, and work on staying together, as most mature, long-married people know — marriage is a marathon, not a sprint. Of course, waiting at home for me was Friday night’s episode of TMZ featuring “Kris and Kim Kaput?” video of what was interpreted as a fight between the newlyweds. Video of them leaving a Los Angeles restaurant together and getting into separate cars. Before they parted for the night, Kris got into Kim’s car, endured a death stare from her and a tepid kiss. So they are fighting, I thought? There was so much to fight over! Kim went off on a business trip to Dubai with her mom, leaving Kris, who was apparently not invited, even though he’s not doing anything right now with the NBA lockout. She spends money like it’s going out of style; he knows there will be a rainy day. She doesn’t like his dogs sleeping on her expensive duvet, even though she had multiple bedding linens and
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a person who takes them to the cleaners. Kim was for changing her name to Humphries — which delighted Kris no end — before she was against it for business reasons. Big-time Minnesota mother-in-law problems were brewing, after some snide, elitist remarks Kim made a about items around Kris’ house that were reportedly gifts from his grandparents. But apparently the biggest sticking point in the union was where they would live ... eventually. He has homes in Minnesota, on the East Coast and in South Beach; she has a residence in Los Angeles. But Kim cannot by dynamited out
of her dysfunctional family, located in California. The important thing is that Kim did everything possible to make the marriage work. Ha! Never the brightest light in the Halloween display. Kardashian spent all her time planning a wedding (that probably didn’t cost her anything) and apparently no time discussing the logistics of the actual marriage. Anyone paying any attention could tell this was never going to work, but I thought it was going to last more than 72 days.
Wale strives for Ambition Joseph Chretien FOR THE WICHITAN Ambition has played a big roll in Wale Folarin’s career thus far. His ambition to stretch boundaries lead him to rap over popular dance tracks by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. and recruit members of the Seinfeld cast for his aptly titled “Mixtape About Nothing” which won him a “mixtape of the year” award in 2008. On “Ambitious Girl” his ode to hardworking women Wale paraded his poetic skill and showed appreciation to the women whose strides are overlooked & otherwise down played in his genre. Now, after his critically acclaimed yet under-shipped debut album 2009’s “Attention Deficit” didn’t reach the commercial success he’d wished for, Wale takes a new direction with his sophomore album “Ambition.” The result is a collection of radio-ready songs in a less cohesive format, along with more tracks that command immediate response from his audience than those that will require listeners to sit and comb over lyrics in order to decipher. Under the new management of the Rick Ross founded “Maybach Music Group” Wale’s ambitions seem to have changed. No more Gucci Mane, or Lady Gaga features to tap into fan bases that otherwise are outside his core. Instead he enlists G.O.O.D. music representative Big Sean and Kid Cudi, R&B crooners Miguel, Ne-Yo, Jeremih and Lloyd, along with his own label mates Rick Ross and Meek Mill. One thing that does remain throughout is Folarin’s Go-Go dance influence thanks to Tone P. of Washington D.C.’s “Best Kept Secret” production team. Ironically and possibly purposely, Wale’s best moments are his most ambitious ones. On
Photo Courtesy songs like “Legendary,” “Ambition,” “No Days Off,” and “Focused,” Wale takes a break from the fly talk and exhibits his and more humbled rhymes. “Legendary,” one of the album’s strongest tracks, moreover produced by the legendary DJ Toomp boasts hypnotic horns, go-go drums and some of Wale’s most potent lyrics. Other standout tracks are the smooth and seductive single “Lotus Flower Bomb” and the boastful club bangers “Slight Work” featuring Big Sean, with extraordinary production by Diplo as well as “Chain Music” which incorporates a clever Rick Ross vocal sample. Though Wale aspires to be the next trend setter in hip-hop overall “Ambition” suffers from a list of filler tracks.
Possibly what Wale should’ve learned from his label mate Rick Ross is that the omission of a few unnecessary tracks can be the difference between a fluent and a disoriented experience. In the video trailer for “Ambition,” Wale asks his audience why he couldn’t aspire to create an album “better than [Jay-Z’s] Reasonable Doubt?” “Ambition” proves that he still has much to strive for before he can truly contend with Jay as a worldwide star, but does stand as an entertaining piece of work. Notable tracks: Double M Genius, Legendary, Lotus Flower Bomb, Chain Music, Slight Work
7.25 Spins Out Of 10
