Akon Wallpapers and Photos

Posted in Singers on Feb 2nd, 2008 | 1 comment

The mere act of surviving on a day to day basis is the foundation from which a true artist builds his craft. Multi-talented newcomer AKON is no exception to this rule. Hip-hop artist Akon shot to the top of music charts with his albums, AKON’s personal appeal and ability to reach a listener is a part of his whole package: a package that includes, most importantly, his distinctive vocals and a relaxed singing style. It is as though he is speaking to you as he sings in a very intimate manner. “When I sing the sound comes from the mood that I am in. These records are coming straight from the heart,” AKON divulges.

Akon released his debut album Trouble in 2004, which included the singles “Locked Up (Remix)” (featuring Styles P), “Lonely”, “Bananza (Belly Dancer)”, “Pot Of Gold” and “Ghetto”. “Locked Up” reached the top 10 in the US and the top 5 in the UK, and was written after Akon was jailed for three years for armed robbery, “Ghetto” became a radio hit when it was remixed to include verses from legendary rappers Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac.

Akon (born Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam on April 30, 1973) is a Senegalese-American hip hop and R&B singer, songwriter, occasional rapper and record producer. Akon rose to fame in 2004 following the release of his single “Locked Up” from his debut album Trouble. His second album, Konvicted, earned him a Grammy Award nomination for the single “Smack That”.

He is the founder of Konvict Muzik and Kon Live Distribution. He is well known for singing hooks and has over 130 guest appearances and 21 Billboard Hot 100 songs to his credit. He is the only artist to ever accomplish the feat of holding both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice. In a recent interview Akon revealed that he will be performing the halftime show of Super Bowl 42.

Akon often goes by the shorter, Aliaune Thiam, though other sources have said his name is Alioune Badara Thiam, and About.com says the long form of his name, “Lu Lu Lu,” has not been independently verified. His age has also been under scrutiny recently. Some media institutions reported that he was born in 1981. However the AP has since reported he was born in 1973 and is 35 years old. In a September 2007 interview for an Israeli magazine Akon hinted that he was around 25 or 26.

Background: He is the son of the Senegalese percussionist Mor Thiam. He is a Muslim born in St. Louis, Missouri, but grew up in Senegal until he was 7, split time between Senegal and America until he was 15, and then permanently moved to Jersey City, New Jersey. He recorded his first song, “Operations of Nature,” at the age of fifteen. He was then subsequently jailed for armed robbery and drug distribution charges, and used his time in prison to work on his music.

Upon release, Akon began writing and recording tracks in his home studio. The tapes found their way to SRC/Universal, which released Akon’s debut LP Trouble in June 2004. The album is a hybrid of Akon’s silky, West African-styled vocals mixed with East Coast and Southern beats. Most of Akon’s songs begin with the sound of the clank of a jail cell with him uttering the word “Konvict.”

2004–2005: Akon’s solo debut album, Trouble was released on June 29, 2004. It spawned the hit singles “Locked Up” and “Lonely,” as well as “Belly Dancer (Bananza),” “Pot Of Gold,” and “Ghetto”. Akon served a three-year jail sentence for grand theft auto, an experience that inspired his “Locked Up”. “Locked Up” reached the top 10 in the U.S. and the top five in the UK.

His manager Robert Montanez was shot to death following a dispute in New Jersey in December 2005. “Ghetto” became a radio hit when it was remixed by Green Lantern to include verses from legendary rappers 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. In 2005, he released the single “Lonely” (which samples Bobby Vinton’s “Mr. Lonely”). The song reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Australia, the UK and Germany. His album also climbed to number one in the UK in April, 2005.

When music channel The Box had a top ten weekly chart, which was calculated by the amount of video requests, Akon’s “Lonely” became the longest running single on the top of the chart, spanning over fifteen weeks. Akon then released another single featuring with a New Zealand rapper, Savage with the single Moonshine, which had become a success in both New Zealand and Australia, becoming number one in the New Zealand charts. In 2005, Akon gained more popularity after being featured on Young Jeezy’s debut album, Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101, on the song “Soul Survivor” which became a top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

2006–2007: In 2006-2007 Akon has had one of the most successful spans any singer has ever enjoyed with eleven songs in the Billboard Hot 100. Akon’s second album, entitled Konvicted, was released on November 14, 2006. Konvicted included collaborations with Eminem, Snoop Dogg and Styles P. Late August 2006, Akon released the single “Smack That” featuring Eminem, from the album. This single peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks.

The music video for “Smack That” was directed by Raymond Garced. “I Wanna Love You”, the second single off Konvicted, was released in September 2006. It is a collaboration between Akon and Snoop Dogg. This single earned Akon his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, and Snoop’s second. “I Wanna Love You” topped the U.S. charts for two consecutive weeks.

In January 2007, Akon released his third single “Don’t Matter” which earned him his first solo number one and second consecutive Hot 100 chart topper. “Mama Africa” was released as a European single in July 2007, making it the fourth single. It debuted in the UK at number 47. “Sorry, Blame It on Me” is the album’s fifth single which debuted in August 2007, on the Hot 100 at number seven, which also happened to be a career best. The song is not available on the original album, but instead part of the Deluxe Edition of Konvicted, which came out August 28, 2007. The sixth and final single was confirmed in an interview by Akon to be “Never Took the Time”. 

Konvicted debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, selling 286,000 copies in its first week. After only six weeks, Konvicted sold more than one million records in the U.S. and more than 1.3 million worldwide. The album was certified platinum after seven weeks, and after sixteen weeks it was certified double platinum. Konvicted was able to stay in the top twenty of the Billboard 200 for 28 consecutive weeks, where it peaked at number two on four different occasions. On November 19, 2007, the RIAA has certified the Konvicted album triple platinum status with 3 million units sold in th United States. Currently it has sold more than 4 million worldwide.

On October 5, 2006, Akon broke a record on the Hot 100, as he achieved the largest climb in the chart’s 48-year-history with “Smack That” jumping from number 95 to 7. The leap is fueled by its number six debut on Hot Digital Songs with 67,000 downloads. The record was broken on April 7, 2007 by Beyoncé and Shakira’s Beautiful Liar when it jumped from 94 to 3 on the Hot 100, because of their 150,000 digital downloads on the Hot Digital Songs.

In December 2006, Akon’s “Smack That” was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Justin Timberlake and T.I.’s My Love.

On July 7, 2007 Akon performed at the American leg of Live Earth. From April to July Akon performed in The Sweet Escape Tour with Gwen Stefani. From July to September he will embark on his worldwide Konvicted Tour. In September, Akon will start on the Canadian leg of the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour with Rihanna.

On August 2, 2007, Akon was scheduled to perform at the Rock tha Block Tour in Australia but had trouble obtaining a visa due to his criminal past. The tour was postponed until late August and his visa was eventually processed but Akon was quoted as saying “Australia is the home of the convicts so it’s the last place I would have ever thought it would be a problem”.

Akon will release a Platinum Edition of his album Konvicted in UK on October 1. Billboard gave Akon Top Pop Artist Honors. This was because of Konvicted’s steady sales and several billboard top 100 rankings.

In 2006, Akon started his new record label Kon Live Distribution under Interscope Records. His first signed artist was Earl Ray.

He was featured on Gwen Stefani’s latest album, The Sweet Escape. He made an appearance on the title track and second single, “The Sweet Escape”. Akon produced the song. On December 10, 2006, Akon and Stefani appeared as musical guests on Saturday Night Live, however they did not perform the song as Stefani had not yet learned the lyrics.

He performed the song live, however, on American Idol on March 28, 2007 due to Gwen Stefani’s appearance as a coach the night before. “The Sweet Escape” has reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached #1 on United World Chart and is on the top for eight weeks. The song is also Akon’s first #1 on World Chart.

Akon collaborated with Chamillionaire on his mixtape, Mixtape Messiah 2. He is featured on “Ridin’ Overseas”, which he also produced. The mixtape became available for download on Chamillionaire’s website on December 24, 2006.

Akon and Young Jeezy are doing a collaborative album together. In 2006, after their 2005 Akon-produced single, “Soul Survivor”, the duo said that there is a lot more to expect from them in the future.

Akon also appeared on Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s album Strength and Loyalty and Three 6 Mafia’s eighth studio album, Last 2 Walk, We The Best by DJ Khaled, Fabolous’s album, From Nothin’ to Somethin’, with 50 Cent on some tracks for Curtis, T.I.’s 5th album, T.I. vs. T.I.P., Mario’s third solo album Go!, and produced for Daddy Yankee’s El Cartel: The Big Boss which was released on June 5, 2007.

Akon will be the executive producer of Not 4 Sale, Kardinal Offishall’s fourth solo album, which will be released in fall or winter 2007. The first single “Graveyard Shift” features Akon, and Akon also makes his rapping debut in the song.

In November 2007, Akon recorded a remake of Michael Jackson’s 1983 hit “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”. The remake is reportedly going to be part of the re-release of Thriller.

Akon holds the record for most guest performances on popular television show American Idol with two. He once sang “The Sweet Escape” with Gwen Stefani and three weeks later he sang “Don’t Matter” on the show while it was number one on the Billboard charts.

Television and film: Akon has confirmed that a reality television show is in the works. It will be called “My Brother’s Keeper” and the point is that Akon’s two nearly identical brothers will go around in Atlanta posing as him fooling people into thinking that it is in fact Akon. They will try to get VIP treatment, girls and free things. Akon has claimed that people have mistaken his brothers for him many times in Atlanta which is what the show is based on.

Akon is planning to work on a full-length movie titled Illegal Alien. The film is based on some of the events of his life and actor Mekhi Phifer is set to play him. Besides Akon confirmed in August 2007, in the interview with Polish website INTERIA.PL, that he works on a movie “Cocaine Cowboys”, which tells the story of Jon Roberts, the main pilot of Medellin Cartel (Colombian drug traffickers). He was also featured on a Verizon Wireless commercial and singing Snitch along with Obie Trice on a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode named “Poppin’ Tags.”

On November 30,2007 Akon entered the Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition 2 as only a guest so the housemates (Mariel, Gladys, Jon, Victor, Donnie, and Ruben) can meet him for only 100 seconds

In February 2007, Akon launched his clothing line, Konvict Clothing. It features urban streetwear including denim jeans, hoodies, t-shirts and hats. Aliaune is the upscale version, or high-end line, for males and females, which includes blazers, denim jeans and other items.

Personal life: Akon was born in St. Louis, Missouri instead of Senegal because his family didn’t want him to go through the immigration process. Part of the reason for Akon moving to America was for Akon to pursue a career in basketball, but he injured his knee and was forced to quit. He still enjoys basketball and soccer. He currently splits time residing between Atlanta, Georgia and Dakar, Senegal.

In late 2005, his long time friend and manager Robert Montanez, who Akon referred to as a brother, was killed in a drive-by shooting; the album Konvicted is dedicated to him. Akon was also in the car and was shot in the shoulder, however he made a full recovery.

Akon is of the Muslim faith, it has been reported that he is both a believer and practitioner of polygamy, though such reports are unconfirmed, as Akon has not given a straight answer to questions about the matter. Polygamy is illegal in the United States of America. He claims to have five children with three different women in an interview with Blender.

He also has his own charity for underprivileged children in Africa called Konfidence Foundation. Akon owns a diamond mine in South Africa and denies the existence of conflict diamonds, saying, “I don’t even believe in conflict diamonds. That’s just a movie. Think about it. Ain’t nobody thought about nothing about no conflict diamonds until the movie came out.” He also had a previous occupation as a drug dealer but has stated in interviews that he’s never used drugs, though some of his lyrics would suggest otherwise. Despite his criminal history, he proclaims that he has turned his life around. In 2006, he ventured to Africa to play a concert in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania.

Links:

5 little-known Jessica Alba facts

Posted in Celebrities, News on Feb 2nd, 2008 | Comments Off

Find out what you may not know about Jessica Alba, who plays a blind musician in “The Eye.”

FACT ONE: Jessica Learned From the Very Best
Jessica Alba took her first acting class at the age of twelve, and within a year she had her first movie role in Camp Nowhere. After graduating from high school at 16, she studied acting at the Atlantic Theater Company under the Oscar-nominated husband-and-wife team of William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman.
 
FACT TWO: She’s Willing to Lend a Hand (or Shoe)
Jessica is currently appearing in a new advertising campaign for the Good Cents Initiative to raise money to provides AIDS medication for children in Africa and India. She also supports Soles4Souls, a relief organization that has collected over two million pairs of shoes for disaster victims across the globe.
 
FACT THREE: Change Is Coming for Jess and Cash
In December Jessica officially announced that she is expecting her first child with fiancé Cash Warren in the late spring/early summer. They met on the set of Fantastic Four, where he was working as the director’s assistant. She told OK Magazine that pregnancy has made her more relaxed, but, “I wake up to hiccups every single morning. Never had hiccups before.”
 
FACT FOUR: She’s Bringing the “Love” to the NHL
Next up for Jessica is The Love Guru, written by and starring Mike Myers. She plays the owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team who seeks the help of Pitka, a spiritual self-help guide, to mend the marriage of her star player and his wife. It also stars Ben Kingsley, Meagan Good and Justin Timberlake.
 
FACT FIVE: All Those in Favor Say “Eye”
Following in the footsteps of Naomi Watts and Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jessica plays the lead in a remake of a successful Asian horror movie. She took six months of violin lessons for the role of a blind musician who gains supernatural visions after a corneal transplant. Scroll down to check out the theatrical trailer.

Links:

Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2008

Posted in Celebrities, News on Feb 1st, 2008 | 1 comment

AskMen.com’s Top 99 Most Desirable Women is an annual list compiled by AskMen.com readers and staff, ranking the famous females deemed to be the year’s most alluring.

In casting their votes, readers are asked to look beyond sex appeal and beauty to pick women who have the characteristics they value in a potential companion, like intelligence, humor, charisma, and ambition.

The result is an annual list that acts as the definitive gauge for identifying what modern men desire most in their female companions.

This year, over 5 million votes were cast as AskMen.com readers identified the females from the worlds of music, fashion, sports, and entertainment who they felt best represented their ideal woman.

Who has joined the exclusive ranks of previous winners Laetitia Casta, Charlize Theron, Monica Bellucci, Adriana Lima, Jessica Alba, and Beyonce Knowles in being named 2008’s No. 1? Find out by making your way up through the list –

Here’s an exclusive sneak peak of some of the women voted onto the Top 99 list in 2008:

The Honorees:

Blake Lively 
Voted as the No. 99 Most Desirable Woman of 2008
2008 marks Blake Lively’s debut on the AskMen.com Top 99 list. Although she’s been acting for years in films like “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” (2005) and “Accepted” (2006), the 20-year- old California native had a breakout year in 2007 with her starring role as Serena van der Woodsen on the hit teen TV series “Gossip Girl.”

Lindsay Lohan – View her Desktop Wallpapers:
Voted as the No. 95 Most Desirable Woman of 2008
Lindsay Lohan might have done everything except star in a hit movie this year. Plummeting 45 positions to finish at No. 95, Lindsay proved to be perfect tabloid fodder in 2007 with her highly publicized antics, which included a bizarre car crash, an arrest, and a subsequent stint in rehab.

Jessica Simpson – View her Desktop Wallpapers:
Voted as the No. 47 Most Desirable Woman of 2008
Jessica Simpson is the quintessential all-American girl, and in 2007 (after calling it quits with crooner John Mayer) she made the ultimate patriotic move to date All-American quarterback Tony Romo. After Dallas’ suspiring NFC divisional playoff loss to the New York Giants, Cowboy fans tagged her with the nickname Yoko Romo. Aside from breaking her nose on the set of her upcoming 2008 film “Major Movie Star,” Jessica announced that she will be returning to her Texas roots and releasing a country album in the coming year.

Eva Longoria – View her Desktop Wallpapers:
Voted as the No. 29 Most Desirable Woman of 2008
Eva Longoria is the reason why men don’t complain about “Desperate Housewives.” Eva sizzled as Gabrielle all year and still found time to make a cameo in “The Heartbreak Kid,” model for Bebe Sport and host the 2007 NCLR ALMA Awards. In 2008, she’ll appear in “Lower Learning,” “Over Her Dead Body,” “Foodfight!,” and “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” When told her she made AskMen.com’s list again, she said: “[It's] probably … because I married Tony Parker. So people think, ‘Cool! Sports guy!’ That is really flattering and fun. … It’s better than the alternate lists — the not-so-hot of the year!”

Kim Kardashian -
Voted as the No. 28 Most Desirable Woman of 2008
Hollywood socialite Kim Kardashian is one busy lady: She owns her very own high-end clothing boutique, stars in a reality TV show, “Keeping Up With The Kardashians,” and still finds the time to cameo in the occasional homemade porn video. But while Kim Kardashian might have a talent for batting those eyelashes at the camera, it’s her curvaceous Jessica Rabbit-like physique that drives the boys crazy.

Carrie Underwood – View her Desktop Wallpapers:
Voted as the No. 23 Most Desirable Woman of 2008
Quite possibly the most successful American Idol winner ever, Carrie Underwood was nominated for five Academy of Country Music awards in 2007 and for the “Best New Artist” Grammy — the first time an Idol winner has been nominated in that category. She also became only the 11th country music star ever to perform on “SNL.” Carrie released her second sophomore studio album, Carnival Ride, in ‘07, and continues to dominate airwaves on radio stations from coast to coast.

Halle Berry – View her Desktop Wallpapers:
Voted as the No. 21 Most Desirable Woman of 2008
2007 proved to be a busy year for this Academy Award-winning actress, model and mother-to-be; after starring in two flicks, “Perfect Stranger” and “Things We Lost in the Fire,” Halle received a coveted star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 2008 will be another busy year for Halle Berry, as she already has three films lined up.

Beyonce Knowles – View her Desktop Wallpapers:
Voted as the No. 14 Most Desirable Woman of 2008
Voted as the most Desirable Woman of 2007, Beyonce’s physical and musical attributes have already translated into a stellar career as an award-winning singer and actress. She had several hit songs in 2007, including “Beautiful Liar,” and fans everywhere now wait with bated breath for Beyonce’s third solo album, due out in 2008.

Megan Fox – View her Desktop Wallpapers:
Voted as the No. 12 Most Desirable Woman of 2008
This foxy Fox is known for having starring roles in a number of hit movies and television shows, including “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” (2004), the sitcom “Hope & Faith,” and her starring role in 2007’s box-office smash hit “Transformers.” Though her resume is short, there is no denying Megan Fox’s budding talent … and her incredible good looks.

Jessica Alba – View her Desktop Wallpapers:
Voted as the No. 5 Most Desirable Woman of 2008
Who doesn’t love a beautiful woman with a great sense of humor? Jessica Alba showed us her funny side in “Good Luck Chuck,” and her gorgeous side everywhere else she appeared. In 2007, she also reprised her role as Susan Storm in “Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer,” and can next be seen starring in “The Eye,” “The Love Guru,” and 2009’s “Sin City 2.” Voted No. 1 of 2006, Jessica Alba is a perennial favorite among voters.

Katherine Heigl – View her Desktop Wallpapers:
AskMen.com’s No. 1 Most Desirable Woman of 2008
Katherine Heigl has had an outstanding year. Her role on “Grey’s Anatomy” garnered her an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She also starred in the box-office hit “Knocked Up,” was interviewed by journalist Barbara Walters as one of her “10 Most Fascinating People of 2007,” and married singer Josh Kelley. A former model, Katherine Heigl is beautiful, well-spoken, humorous, talented … the list goes on. No one belongs at the top of 2008’s Top 99 more than Katherine Heigl.

Where did your favorite place? Check out AskMen.com for the complete list of the Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2008.

Page 5 of 512345