Beautiful

Cazwell's Ice Cream Truck

WHEN ASKED ABOUT HIS MUSIC STYLE HE ANSWERS IT IS AS IF BIGGIE SMALLS JUST ATE DONNA SUMMER FOR BREAKFAST. AND THAT PRETTY MUCH SAYS IT ALL. HE IS EXPLICIT. HE IS FIERCE. HE IS SPIRITED AND FUNNY. BUT DON’T LET HIS EXTREME IMAGE FOOL YOU. HE IS ALSO TALENTED AND ABOVE ALL, HE IS GAY.

Lucas Caswell was born in Massachusetts in 1972. Ever since he was young, he knew all he wanted to do was perform. Realizing he didn’t really had what it takes to become a great actor or singer, he counted his blessings and started rap. First in Massachusetts and later, as a solo artist, in New York. And it was in the Big Apple that Cazwell, as he came to be known, became recognized as an anomaly: a gay rapper. Being annoyed by it at first, Cazwell soon enough realized that it was just a matter of time before people would see him less as a gay rapper, and more as a rapper who is gay. But this doesn’t necessary means he makes music only for gays. Cazwell’s work is inclusive.

A lot of his explicit texts are inspired by the gay surroundings, but Cazwell finds inspiration in everything life throws at him. It is probably that unique perspective that has broaden his audience, including members of all races, sexes and layers of our society. Basically what it comes down to, is that Cazwell just want to make music that creates a scene in which people can be colorful and themselves. In other words: have a good time. And that is exactly what he does.

In 2006 Cazwell released his first – short - album, Get Into It, which carried the hit All Over Your Face. 2009 saw the release of his first full-length album. 20 Tracks, including 8 bonus tracks and the hits Watch My Mouth, I Seen Beyonce and Tonight, has definitely put Cazwell on the international list of Rap, Dance, Electronica and Homopop music. While recording Watch My Mouth, Cazwell has also worked hard on public appearances, showing up at major events. He performed with Amanda Lepore, who’s debut album he produced, at Radio City Music Hall as an opening act for Cyndi Lauper's True Colors Tour. He also starred at Dior’s Homme 2008 after-party in Paris. Not to mention he performd as Kady Ga ga’s opening act and featured on her number 1 hit Just Dance. Now with his new video and single released this summer, Ice Cream Truck, it seems clear, Cazwell is a forced to be reckoned with. -B-

Click here to watch Cazwell's Ice Cream Truck video.

CAZWELL | BEAUTIFULMAG

Christina Aguilera | Bionic

FEW SINGERS ARE WILLING TO TAKE THE RISK CHANGING THEIR IMAGE AND STYLE WITH EACH ALBUM THEY RELEASE, AND EVEN FEWER ARE CAPABLE PULLING IT OFF. AT AGE 30, CHRISTINA AGUILERA HAS RELEASED HER 4TH STUDIO ALBUM AND THE PROOF SHE IS SUCH AN ARTIST.
Since the release of her hit album Back To Basics, Christina Aguilera has kept pretty low key for the last 4 years. She got married, gave birth to a son, appeared in some TV shows and experienced a small squabble with Mariah Carey. She also released her Greatest Hits, including Keep Getting’ Better which was her highest entry on the Billboard Hot 100 ever, but that is about it. Truth is, Christina does keep getting’ better.
Being referred to as the voice of her generation, the blue eyed soul singer made a strong come back earlier this year with Not Myself Tonight, the prelude to her then forthcoming new album Bionic. The dance-pop track is a signature Aguilera song, catchy and strong in vocal arrangement. Her second single fro the album Woohoo, already indicated Bionic is not the usual album. And when Bionic was finally released early June this year, it received mixed reviews after an initial strong reception.

Explaining her choice for the composition of Bionic, Christina says: "Each album I release is a representation of my personal life experiences and how they have shaped me. Over the past four years I have become a mother, a wife, and most recently an actress. This album was put together to capture all of these characteristics and therefore I chose to collaborate with a variety of artists and producers across different musical genres. I was able to explore and create a fresh, sexy feel using both electronic and organic elements with subject matters ranging from playful to introspective. This allowed me to challenge myself by using my voice in ways I never had before." And that she most definitely did. The third track from Bionic, You Lost Me, is probably the one with biggest hit potential. The song is a ballad – and let’s face it, ballads are what Christina does best – and clearly shows how the singer learned to explore the ultimate reach of her vocal abilities, going almost into imperfection, which makes it , well, perfect. You Lost Me is tragic and heartfelt and clearly shows what Celine Dion meant when she stated that Christina Aguilera is most probably the best vocalist in the world.

Bionic might not be Christina best up to date, but it most definitely shows her creativity her ability and courage to try new things, and therefore an absolute must for the Aguilera fan. –B-

CHRISTINA AGUILERA | BEAUTIFULMAG

Kylie Minogue | Aphrodite

EVERY SUMMER KNOWS ITS OWN MUSIC. THAT UNFORGETTABLE BEAT THAT, ONCE THOSE RELAXING HOT MONTHS ARE OVER, WILL ALWAYS REMIND YOU OF A GOOD TIME. THIS YEAR, THE SUMMER WILL MOST DEFINITELY BE CHARACTERIZED BY KYLIE MINOGUE’S LATEST ALBUM APHRODITE AND ITS FIRST TRACK ALL THE LOVERS.

It stands without doubt that Kylie’s Aphrodite will make it in the top 10 of best albums of the year for 2010. On the title track of her latest album Kylie sings "It’s the truth, it’s a fact/I was gone and now I’m back." And she couldn’t have said it in a better and more simple way. After the disappointment of her come back album X and Body Language, the tiny singer from Australia goes back to basics with Aphrodite, an album that returns to the dance-pop glory we know from Fever and Light Years.

If you are a fan of club-friendly disco-pop music, Aphrodite is most certainly your thing. The twelve tracks flow seamless into each other, which makes the album one pure joy of musical happiness. Launched in Ibiza early July, it rapidly became obvious Kylie’s 11th studio album is to be embraced by anyone who favors easy dance-pop anthems. In contrary to many others who change their style for pure commercial purpose, Kylie stays true to herself on Aphrodite, giving the album that silky tenderness she is so good at.

Aphrodite holds twelve tracks that places Kylie right back where she belongs. The sensual All The Lovers puts Kylie in disco-diva mode (and what about that fantastic video), Get Outta My way, with its tantalizing piano intro will elicit cheers right from the start, Better Than Today, written by Prince in the early 80’s is a total catcher, Aphrodite, the title track, is a song you simply can not not love. Kylie’s Aphrodite is an album that will keep you on the dance floor for the complete duration. OK, there might be a moment or two that allows you to take a loo-break, but be fast about it. Thank God that after her last two, Kylie once again proofs that she still kicks ass. –B-

KYLIE MINOGUE | BEAUTIFULMAG

The Adjustment Bureau

LIFE IS A SERIES OF EVENTS. THIS MAN. THIS GLANCE. THESE MOMENTS ALL HAPPENED ACCORDING TO PLAN… THEIR PLAN. IF YOU BELIEVE IN FREE WILL. IF YOU BELIEVE IN CHANCE. IF YOU BELIEVE IN CHOICE… FIGHT FOR IT. DO WE CONTROL OUR DESTINY, OR DO UNSEEN FORCES MANIPULATE US.
On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S Senate, ambitious politician David Norris meets the beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas – a woman like none he’s ever known. But just as he realizes he is falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart.

David learns he is up against the agents of fate itself – the men of The Adjustment Bureau – who claim to move the chess pieces of the world around to a pre-assigned plan. David’s relationship with Elise is not part of that, and so they will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, David must either let Elise go and accept a predetermined path… or risk everything to defy fate and be with her.

The Adjustment Bureau is a sci-fi romance, both written and directed by George Nolfi. The film is loosely based on The Adjustment Team, a short story by Philip K. Dick. The cast of The Adjustment Bureau includes Anthony Mackie,  Shohreh Aghdashloo, Daniel Dae Kim, Michael Kelly, John Slattery, and Anthony Ruivivar and stars Matt Damon as David Norris and Emily Blunt as the ballet dancer Elise Sellas. The Adjustment Bureau premiers on September 17, 2010. –B-

THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU | BEAUTIFULMAG

Splice

BRILLIANCE COMES WITH REBELLION. CLIVE AND ELSA ARE PROOF OF THAT. THEY ARE SUPERSTAR GENETIC ENGINEERS, WHO ACHIEVED FAME BY SUCCESSFULLY SPLICING TOGETHER THE DNA OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS. BY DOING SO THEY HAVE CREATED INCREDIBLE NEW HYBRIDS. BUT NOW THEIR CUTTING-EDGE EXPERIMENTS AND PASSION DRIVES THEM INTO A WHOLE NEW TERRITORY, AN AREA OF GENETIC MANIPULATION THAT MAYBE IS BETTER LEFT UNTOUCHED. CLIVE AND ELSA ARE ABOUT TO DISCOVER THAT THEIR NEWEST SCIENTIFIC MIRACLE IS A MISTAKE.

Clive and Elsa are completely devoted to their careers. Driven by their successes in the field, they now have come up with a plan to use human DNA in a hybrid that could revolutionize science and medicine. Enthusiastic as they are, the pharmaceutical company that funds their research has serious doubts and forbids the passionate couple to continue their research. But Clive and Elsa, drunk with their god-like power, are convinced of their future success, and secretly conduct their own experiments in the pursuit of even greater scientific discovery. Ignoring society’s ethical and legal boundaries, they introduce human DNA into one of their creations and manage to produce Dren, a creature that is larger than the sum of its parts.

Dren is an amazing, strangely beautiful, feminine life form, that exhibits uncommon intelligence and an array of unexpected physical developments. Dren exceeds the happy couples wildest dreams, not only scientifically, but also in inspiring maternal feelings in Elsa. But when Dren starts to show a far from normal rapid development, this animal/human hybrid, created to be the next step on the evolutionary ladder, becomes their worst nightmare, and forces Clive and Elsa to come to terms with the decision they made.

Written by director Vincenzo Natali, Splice was originally meant to follow his 1997 success Cube. But the then limited technology and budget hindered the project, until, in 2007, it re-entered active development as a Canadian/French co-production, receiving a US$2.5 million budget. About Splice, Natali said: “Splice is very much about our genetic future and the way science is catching up with much of the fiction out there. It is a serious film and an emotional one. And there's sex... Very unconventional sex. The centerpiece of the movie is a creature which goes through a dramatic evolutionary process. The goal is to create something shocking but also very subtle and completely believable.”

Splice, starring Adrien Brodey, Sarah Polley, David Hewlett, Amanda Brugel and Delphine Chanéac as Dren, premiered at the Sitges Festival in October 2009 and will be released by Warner Bros worldwide as of June 04, 2010. –B-

SPLICE | BEAUTIFULMAG

After.life

YOUR BLOOD NO LONGER CIRCULATES THROUGH YOUR BODY. YOUR BRAIN CELLS ARE SLOWLY DYING. YOUR BODY IS ALREADY DECOMPOSING… YOU’RE DEAD…BUT YOU ARE STILL IN DENIAL…IF EVERYONE KNOWS YOU ARE DEAD, BUT YOU ARE CONVINCED YOU ARE STILL ALIVE, AND THE ONLY ONE WHO YOU CAN HEAR YOU CHOOSES NOT TO LISTEN… WHAT CAN YOU DO? HOW DO YOU SAVE YOURSELF IF YOU ARE ALREADY DEAD?

After a horrific car accident, Anna wakes up to find the local funeral director Eliot Deacon preparing her body for her funeral. Confused, terrified and feeling still very much alive, Anna doesn’t believe she’s dead, despite the funeral director’s reassurances that she is merely in transition to the afterlife. Eliot convinces her he has the ability to communicate with the dead and is the only one who can help her. Trapped inside the funeral home, with nobody to turn to except Eliot, Anna is forced to face her deepest fears and accept her own death. But Anna’s grief-stricken boyfriend Paul still can’t shake the nagging suspicion that Eliot isn’t what he appears to be. As the funeral nears, Paul gets closer to unlocking the disturbing truth, but it could be too late; Anna may have already begun to cross over the other side.

Writers duo Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo and Paul Vosloo are responsible for the soon to be released horror film After.life. Not very known, except for the multiple awarded 2001 film Paté, it is almost surprising to see how much attention their latest film After.life has gotten over the past months. Almost, because all the attention it got is worth it. The film, which sees Agnieszka in her debut as director is a smart and sexy production with great scares and visuals, that provocatively questions the line between life and death. It winks towards the classic 1950’s and 1960’s horror films, completed with some dark, twisted humor. Besides all they, After.life has a solid cast, with Christina Ricci, Justin Long and Liam Neeson as the chilling mortician Eliot Deacon. After.life will be released as of April 9 2010. -B-

AFTER.LIFE | BEAUTIFULMAG

Spartacus: Blood & Sand

SPARTACUS: BLOOD & SAND, THE TV SERIES THAT PREMIERED IN JANUARY 2010, FOCUSES ON SPARTACUS, THE THRACIAN GLADIATOR WHO LED A MAJOR SLAVE UPRISING AGAINST THE ROMAN REPUBLIC IN THE YEARS 73 TO 71 BC. THE SHOW HAS BEEN RATED FOR GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT AND MAJOR PROFANITY. NO WONDER THE SECOND SEASON WAS ALREADY CONFIRMED BEFORE THE FIRST EPISODE EVEN PREMIERED.

You would think that the old story of Spartacus would have been squeezed out by now, but nothing could be further from the truth. Betrayed by the Romans. Forced into slavery. Reborn as a Gladiator. The classic tale of the Republic’s most infamous rebel comes alive in the graphic and visceral new series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Torn from his homeland and the woman he loves, Spartacus is condemned to the brutal world of the arena where blood and death are prime time entertainment. But not all battles are fought upon the sands. Treachery, corruption, and the allure of sensual pleasures will constantly test Spartacus. To survive, he must become more than a man. More than a gladiator. He must become a legend.

Even though we all know about the man Spartacus, we know actually very little of what was going on in his life. And so the producers of this new series were facing the challenge to fill up the airing time with story lines loosely based on the historical facts. Leaving us with a relatively thin storyline, knitted together with plenty of violence and sex. Yes, there is a whole lot of banging going on in Spartacus. Everybody is doing it, whether in the privacy of their own homes, or as a public display. Costumes are well designed and leave enough room for plenty of skin. And even full frontal nudity is not avoided.

Of course many action concentrates on the legendary arena fights. Stomach-turning scenes are common, having the camera closing in on impaled decapitated and de-limped bodies, spread out in pools of blood. And of course, the characters in this epic television event are casted not only on talent but also on their great looks and physiques. There are a lot of well-toned bits of meat walking around, ready for glorious butchering or more erotic action. Probably not entirely in harmony with reality. But regardless of that, Spartacus: Blood & Sand does take a very realistic approach when it comes to old Romans sexual preference. If we may believe the historical facts, in this time it wasn’t so important whether you were straight or gay. Their distinction lay more in being free or not free and within those realms everyone just did what they have to do to survive and have some fun. And so – thank you producers – Spartacus: Blood & Sand knows its gay characters as well as straight characters. Now if you expect lots of gay action in the first season, you might be a little disappointed. It is there, but it doesn’t stay for too long. But the production team has promised to make up for that big time in the next season.

Starring Australian actor, Andy Whitfield as Spartacus, Lucy Lawless as Lucretia, John Hannah as Batiatus and Peter Mensah as Doctore, Spartacus: Blood & Sand is a Starz Entertainment production and airs every Friday at 10pm. The show has already found its way to Canadian television, will open in March on RTL5 in The Netherlands, will likely air in Australia on 7two and the UK’s Bravo has said to bring it sometime During this summer. If you can not wait that long, the series is also available in streaming. –B-

SPARTACUS: BLOOD & SAND | BEAUTIFULMAG