DaveChung.com - A Guy’s Blog From Girl World

With all the talk surrounding last week’s episode of Making the Band, where Diddy kicked Aubrey O’Day out of Danity Kane, questioned Aundrea’s commitment to the band, and flirted with the idea of a possible Dawn solo album, the real question to be answered on Tuesday’s live finale is, “Is this really the end for Danity Kane?”

What do I think?

I will be shocked if Diddy breaks up Danity Kane at this point. I could eat my words on this, but I think that Aubrey, Aundrea, and the girls will end up staying together.

Danity Kane has had two consecutive platinum albums and they’re the first ever female group to have both their debut and sophomore albums debut at #1 on the Billboard charts.

Not bad for a group made on TV, right?

Another scenario is that DK could break up into two groups - the “Ebony and Ivory” of D. Woods and Aubrey O’Day, along with the trio of Shannon, Dawn, and Aundrea.

And of course, they could just break up, which would be the most shocking result of all. Some of the magic surrounding the group has definitely been lost now that the fans know that the group actually doesn’t get along behind the scenes, which doesn’t affect the music necessarily, but it affects DK as a group because of the relationship that fans have with them.

Day26 looks happy, while Donnie Klang is struggling a bit with just over 30,000 album sales so far, so there shouldn’t be any surprises there, but Diddy is making this episode of Making the Band exactly what he wants, a “must watch.”

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In one of the most shocking moments in reality TV history (it’s been a while since we’ve had a really good one), Diddy kicked Aubrey O’Day out of “the band” (Danity Kane) this past week on Making the Band. It could all just be for TV, but despite the outspoken nature of DK’s hottest member, I don’t know if anyone saw this coming on the show.

There had been rumors in the past of Aubrey leaving DK to join The Pussycat Dolls (or PCD) and clearly, not all press surrounding Aubrey has been good press, but even though Aubrey sings the least out of the group (with Shannon), there was a feeling that she was the leader of the group. She’s the most visible member of the group (and well, she doesn’t wear a lot) and her personality makes her stand out in Diddy’s super girl group.

It was also revealed that the girls of Danity Kane just don’t really like each other after three years of Making the Band. While Day26, Diddy’s newest band, appears to get along just fine, it was sad to see that Danity Kane is truly a group divided. They are there to perform together, but don’t speak outside of “the office.”

What’s really shocking to fans of the show is how much the relationship between lead singer Aundrea and current girl in question Aubrey has changed over the past few seasons. Aundrea and Aubrey were arguably closer than any of the girls in the Making the Band competition and it was a relief to see that their friendship would continue after they both made the group. Now, they don’t even speak and had trouble making eye contact with one another when Diddy asked them why they don’t speak to each other.

Will Aubrey really be kicked out of Danity Kane? We’ve seen something like this before, when Melissa left Diddy’s teen group Dream, and we haven’t heard from Dream since. After a strong album in Welcome to the Dollhouse, let’s hope that the same fate isn’t in the cards for DK.

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In one of the more confusing titles of any TV show these days, Making the Band 4: Season 3 also premiered this week on MTV.

With The Hills AND Making the Band 4 bringing out new episodes at the same time, MTV has its all-star team that edges out the combo of Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods and America’s Best Dance Crew from this summer.

I am happy about it. Apparently, Danity Kane’s Aubrey O’Day is happy about it too (pictured on right, images courtesy of MTV).

Ok ok, so how can you have three seasons of one season of one show? Well, let’s explain.

Making the Band 4: Season 1 was all about putting together a next generation R&B super group, along the lines of a 112, New Edition, or Boyz II Men. After a long search that looked like it could start all over again, Diddy “made the band,” forming Day26 - Willie, Que, Mike, Robert, and Brian and finding solo artist Donnie Klang.

Making the Band 4: Season 2 brought together Danity Kane, Diddy’s “international pop sensation” and “platinum selling artists,” with Day26 and Donnie in a Real World-like situation where the groups lived together and competed to complete their respective albums in an abbreviated period of time.

There was some fighting, some romance, some flaming “house mom” that the guys threw into a pool, all kinds of fun.

Which brings us to MAKING THE BAND 4: SEASON 3 - The Tour.

This season follows Danity Kane, Day26, and Donnie Klang as they prepare for their Bad Boy tour from this past summer. The same label that once brought us Murda Ma$e, Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Black Rob, G-Dep, and well…Dream is bringing its two pop/R&B supergroups and its pop/R&B unknown solo artist Donnie Klang on the road.



What can we expect from this season after the past two stellar seasons of Making the Band 4?

- A lot of dancing. MTB4 seems to be taking a hint from the popularity of America’s Best Dance Crew and will likely be showing a TON of dancing this season.

- Fights between Diddy and Danity Kane’s outspoken hottie and former UC Irvine student Aubrey O’Day

- A possible proposal from Day26’s Quanell to Danity Kane’s Dawn?

- Tons of discussions about the “direction of the group” for both groups

- Donnie will keep questioning himself, his role, simply because the guy is the most unknown of all three (and his music has sounded pretty horrible so far)

- Shameless, shameless promotion on the part of P. Diddy, who will mention that he has an upcoming album at least once during every show. Guaranteed.

I said last season that Making the Band is the best commercial on TV and I’m sticking to it.

MTV and Diddy have made an hour long commercial that people DVR and can’t wait to tune into every week. Yes, it’s shameless, ridiculous, and some of the most intense product placement in the history of any show, but it’s brilliant.

So we watch.

The people have spoken and they want me to do this blog post with my shades off.

According to Billboard, Danity Kane’s sophomore album “Welcome to the Dollhouse” had a bigger first week (236,000) than Day26’s self-titled debut (190,000).

Despite losing to Danity Kane in first week sales, Day26, whose album came out a week after their lovely labelmates’ album, still managed to take DK out of the top spot on the Billboard 200 this week.Danity Kane landed at #4 on the charts this week, with a 62% decrease in sales (at 89,000).

Personally, I like Day26’s album more than Danity Kane’s, though I enjoy both. What this did accomplish, however, was Diddy’s goal of having two #1 albums, two weeks in a row, on the same label. So Making the Band looks to be alive and well, years after Da Band fizzled into not a whole lot.

It is quite the accomplishment for Day26 to still come out with a #1 album, beating out Panic! At the Disco, despite the fact that their album came out an extra week after the Making the Band finale. In my opinion, had Day26’s album come out before Danity Kane’s, the numbers would have been closer, with Day26 possibly even edging out DK. With their sales numbers and debut, Day26 became the first new male group since 2001 to debut at #1 (D12) and achieved the highest debut album sales for a group since Danity Kane in 2001.

So just like my poll, where Danity Kane edged out Day26, the Bad Boy veterans came out on top in the Battle of Making the Band. So to everyone who voted, good job!

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After two full seasons of Making the Band 4, Diddy closed out the season finale with two major announcements. Sold out in their New York flagship location, Sean John official “No Bitchassness” t-shirts will now be available to order on SeanJohn.com.

In addition to that, tickets to the Making the Band tour with Day26, Danity Kane, Diddy, and Donnie Klang will be available on Bad Boy Online this Friday, March 28.

Not only is bitchassness a contagious epidemic in our cities according to Diddy, it is also now a t-shirt that you might be seeing out on the streets.

For the t-shirt? I’m about to be ordered.

For the concert? I’ll be in the best seats that my fast typing can allow this Friday.

Making the Band alumni Danity Kane release their second album, “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” later today with their latest single “Damaged” leading the way. Day 26 brings its first effort to stores next Tuesday as Bad Boy Records tries to stimulate some economy with two releases in two weeks. Before the release of both albums, Making the Band 4 showed a showcase of both groups in New York City following the completion of their respective albums.

Aside from the performances, the real question is, where the hell has Donnie gone? Other than a couple makeout sessions with Aubrey O’Day (SO jealous) and even less time in the studio, Donnie’s solo act on Bad Boy seems to have lost momentum before it even found it.

Will Donnie be the next Kain - potential with nothing to show for it?

That’s right, you forgot about Kain. He was the White guy on Bad Boy that was on the remix of Dream’s “This is Me,” which had a pretty hot beat. Let’s hope that there’s something more for Donnie beyond what happened for him so far on part two of Making the Band 4.

For the first time, it felt like Day 26 performed as a group on tonight’s show. While the group encountered technical difficulties and had to actually perform twice at the executive-heavy showcase, they sounded together. Brian A. and Robert’s talents were reeled in to mesh with the rest of the group. Mike looked like was having a good time, while Quanell and Willie were as consistent as always. After feuding all season vocally and personally, it felt like the group was focused as a group, instead of five individuals.

In terms of dance, voices, and performance, for the first time all season, the guys from Making the Band 4 really gave fans something to be excited about on this first album. It was a good, fresh sound that didn’t feel like it was too R&B. I’ve preordered Day 26’s debut and am excited to hear the rest of the album.

Danity Kane’s whole look was changed per Diddy, with many of them taking what I feel like are steps back in terms of hotness, though Diddy wanted them to take a step forward in fashion.

While Aundrea and Aubrey both looked better with their more natural looks, Shannon got a new ‘do that was about three steps back from where she was before. However, once the girls of DK got on stage to perform, it was clear who the veterans were in this duo of friendly competition.

Diddy admitted on a previous episode that he doesn’t really make money from the music industry anymore, but that he does it because it’s his passion.

Will Danity Kane and Day 26 have enough of a following from the show to make these profitable ventures? Can a group that was marketed as primarily hip-hop and R&B in Danity Kane become the international dance sensations that they’re hoping to be?

This Sunday, both groups will be performing on MTV to wrap up this season of Making the Band. Say what you will about how the groups came together, but both groups are filled with talented individuals and great vocalists that seem more than capable of putting together some solid musical efforts that I’m personally looking forward to.

Over the past couple days, I’ve purchased: Dixie Chicks’ “Fly”, Sara Bareilles’ “Little Voice,” Danity Kane’s “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” Day 26’s self-titled album, Alicia Keys’ “As I Am,” and Sugarland’s “Enjoy the Ride.”

No doubt both crews from Making the Band will have some competition in my car’s iPod, but after watching the groups all season long, I think they have a good shot.

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Making the Band alumni and Bad Boy labelmates Danity Kane’s “Welcome to the Dollhouse” and Day 26’s self-titled album will be on retail shelves over the course of the next two weeks. Both of these groups are creations of Diddy, the Bad Boy executive and producer of MTV’s Making the Band. While Danity Kane’s first album went platinum, newcomers Day 26 hope to make their mark on the industry with dreams of going “diamond” or at least outdoing the girls of DK, which might prove to be anything but an easy task by the sound of DK’s latest album.

Day 26 has the look and voices capable of an R&B super group, but I have to wonder if the world is ready for the throwback that is a large (> 2) soul group. Not since the days of 112, Boyz II Men, Blackstreet, and the return of New Edition, and MAYBE B2K (kidding) have we really seen a group like of this mold have a significant impact on the music industry.

After those legendary R&B groups, we saw the boy bands - Backstreet Boys, ‘NSYNC, 98 Degrees, and Making the Band’s first ever group, O-Town. While these groups would create the next generation of songs that you like because it lets you slow dance with girl at school dances, it’s hard to say that they’re really of the same mold as the R&B super groups of the 90’s.

Now, we’re in a new era, where R&B groups don’t really get a lot of airplay on stations like Los Angeles’ KIIS FM. R&B now lives on hip-hop stations, or strictly R&B stations, whereas Brian McKnight, Boyz II Men, and others used to have no problems finding their way to “hit music” (Top 40) stations. Considering the demographic of people watching MTV (which also houses The Hills, Rob & Big, and Newport Harbor) and the limited reach of R&B music compared to where it was over a decade ago, is this going to hurt Day 26?

Apart from Day 26, how will radio treat Danity Kane? In a curious move, Danity Kane’s first and identity defining first-ever single was “Show Stopper,” which was definitely their most hip-hop sounding track on what was a very dance- album. Confusing the image of the multi-ethnic, super vocally-talented group of girls even further was the fact that Yung Joc was on the song’s remix.

Were they hip-hop? Were they dance?

Who was Danity Kane apart from Aubrey’s good looks and Aundrea’s unbelievable voice?

Danity Kane’s “Show Stopper” didn’t show off the talented group’s vocals and it put them in a weird category of being a group that wasn’t really hip-hop, yet they kind of sounded like it, but they weren’t really by image. Diddy didn’t intend for the group to turn hip-hop, as he once reprimanded the outspoken Aubrey O’Day after she was “trying to sound Black” acting like she was at a hip-hop concert on stage,  yet the first single’s content, beat, and sound was very much just that.

Danity’s newest album truly feels like an album of growth for a group that feels like it has found its identity as a group, that making songs that make you really want to dance in the club - not just sway back and forth or stand there while a girl grinds on you - but really dance. “Welcome to the Dollhouse” from top to bottom is a stronger album than the group’s self-titled debut, though I’m not completely sold on whether any track on the album is stronger that “Ride for You” off the first album.

While this album puts Danity Kane on track to be a dance group, I wonder if their identity has already been too established to make that transformation. With their first single “Damaged,” Danity Kane immediately switches gears with an upbeat song that could be the anti-”Show Stopper.” Powered by Aundrea’s always great vocals, the group shows they can harmonies, have great vocals, and avoids the melodic simplicity that plagues many a “dance group.” It’s a dance song, but it’s a Danity Kane dance song, if that makes sense.

With “Damaged,” the group immediately establishes its new identity that carries throughout the very danceable album, all the way down to “Is Anybody Listening?”, the album’s final and possibly best track (with “Poetry”) that slows it down a little bit for a track that is reminiscent of “Ride for You.”

In the first album, Danity Kane had an equal number of R&B styled tracks and dance tracks, while this sophomore album is filled with dance songs. Luckily for fans, the dance tracks are where Danity Kane managed to shine on the first album on songs like “One Shot.”

While I’m positive that it will be tough for Danity Kane to gather positive reviews together for “Welcome to the Dollhouse,” as I think it’s difficult for music reviewers to put a positive review in print for a group that was created on a reality television program, the group has achieved the rare feat of creating a different sounding pop album that is not a teeny-bopper album. It’s the kind of album that you listen to when driving long distances in the car with no traffic to be seen when you want to be kept awake and bounce around in your chair. And that’s when Danity Kane is at its best (other than its interludes, which are always awesome).

For Day 26, they have two more weeks to build the hype before their self-titled debut hits shelves and the jury is still out.

While shows like Don’t Forget the Lyrics and Moment of Truth stink up the reality joint, one of the shows I refuse to miss is reality show/super advertisement Making the Band 4. While in a different class (most would say lower) than American Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Amazing Race, MTB4 is a weekly guilty pleasure of mine that beyond being a great reality show, demonstrates how Diddy has found an effective outlet to advertise his bands that transcends advertising troubles plaguing the television industry.

Making the Band 4 is a continuation of last season’s selection of Diddy’s new soul supergroup - Day26. Along with following the recording of the guys’ debut album, Bad Boy’s newest band lives with labelmates Danity Kane and fellow Bad Boy newcomer Donnie as the three parties prepare to simultaneously release their albums later this month (I’ll buy Day26 and Danity, not sold on Donnie).

What makes this show more watchable than many other reality shows is that Making the Band 4 did a great job making viewers feel like we knew the guys. This show ends up being a continuation of that reality greatness. While we knew some (Robert, Mike, and Brian) more than others (Quanell and Willie), there was enough character development through the show’s first round to make the second round something that viewers would care about.

In addition to that, Danity Kane’s Making the Band experience was so well done, especially the relationship between Aubrey and Aundrea, that bringing the two seasons together makes for really great reality television. While the show alienates the hundreds of millions of people who don’t watch Making the Band, it brings fans of the two previous seasons together under one roof and show. 

And well, Aubrey O’Day is just so ridiculously hot that I could watch Home Shopping Network all day if she was hosting. I know she’s a little brash, loud, and has a little too much attitude, but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t think she was one of the hottest girls “in the game” right now.

Diddy is himself, obnoxious, but as driven as ever. The cut scenes get a little ridiculous at times, but when Diddy is speaking to the bands, you get the feeling that this is truly a glimpse into what life would be like working for him. Remember when Diddy did that “Be My Assistant” contest on YouTube (that I almost entered) ? His assistant has a law degree. Diddy is no joke and he doesn’t “play no games” with the bands.

Having both Danity Kane and Day26 on the show keeps it from getting old because the two bands are in different stages in their careers. Danity Kane put together a platinum debut album that was better than I think anyone expected and the show follows their search for their identity in their sophomore make or break album.

Day26 (and Donnie) is just starting out, so they’re learning about the business and about the dedication it takes for them to succeed in the music industry. Of course, there is some love interest drama - Donnie and Aubrey, Robert and D. Woods, Q and Dawn - but at the core, the show keeps its focus on the music. What makes this even better is that Diddy can make these songs hits before they’re even released as singles to the point where people like these two guys make YouTube videos of themselves singing the theme song to the previous iteration of Making the Band. Just like that, Diddy has 100,000 more views and listens to a song that will hopefully be on Day26’s debut album.

Really, Diddy is getting an hour every week to promote his three newest acts. While I’m sure that this is part of a larger Bad Boy marketing campaign that includes having the guys go on tour before they even have an album, it’s done so well that you don’t really care that you’re watching a stylized infomercial for CDs. Making the Band has turned into kind of a 21st century version of those ads for Cool Rock or Classic Soul compilations that used to come on TV all the time with the song names scrolling by vertically.

The television industry is getting all beat up because people are skipping commercials via DVR, but Diddy has taken over the Making the Band franchise to make it a commercial that viewers actually DVR so that they CAN watch it.

By watching the show, viewers get to preview tracks from the upcoming albums and at the same time, Diddy lets viewers feel like we “know” the bands so that it makes us feel like we are supporting a friend by preordering their albums - the same way that viral videos have given YouTube stars turned major label artists Kina Grannis and Marie’ Digby such loyal followings.

Smart? Actually, pretty genius. And if you’re not watching Making the Band on Monday nights, you should be.

Way back in the day, Aubrey O’Day was one of many girls trying out for Diddy’s “international phenomenon” girl group (Danity Kane) in MTV’s Making the Band, after the fizzle-age of Diddy’s first reality group “Da Band.” Through the auditions, Aubrey was never the best singer, but she was always a great dancer and man, she was hot. Really hot.

Aubrey: Early stardom.

The UC Irvine sorority girl still manages to be in the spotlight after “making the band” in Danity Kane, the platinum selling Bad Boy girl group. Whether it’s rumors of her joining the Pussycat Dolls, the Danity Kane album cover, or the Showstopper music video, Aubrey always manages to find herself at the center of DK’s media attention. Even though people say she looks tore up a lot of times, underneath all that makeup and extra hair is a girl who stole my reality TV heart years ago.

Aubrey: Front and center. Bad Boy, baby.

[youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHlOTZaiObg]
Showstoppin’…Show Show StoppIN!!!!

And now, Danity’s hottie has become the latest model for skater clothing brand Famous Stars & Straps, of Blink 182’s Travis Barker fame. Over made up, but there’s no denying that while scary, Aubrey O’Day is still really hot.

To check out the whole set, check out The Beatniks Celebrity Gossip!