Besides writing books, I love music and movies. My movie reviewing venture is taken off and I wanted to share the new site with you all: www.filmreviews2go.com. Please be sure to bookmark it and leave your comments on the movies you’ve seen; whether you agree or disagree with the reviews. All feedback is welcome.

According to People the hip-hop couple tied the knot on Friday, April 4th.

After years of speculation, singer Beyoncé Knowles wed her longtime boyfriend, rapper Jay-Z, on Friday, a friend of the couple’s tells PEOPLE.

To read the article, CLICK HERE.

When it comes to celebrity weddings, I don’t know what all the secrecy is all about. If they did officially wed, congratulations!

by Guest Blogger Abiola Abrams

It’s all about love, self-love… Print this out and put it next to your bathroom mirror, ok?

1. Make a new decision every morning that you are absolutely in love with yourself. Don’t get out of bed until you can make this decision. Mwah!

2. If you feel crappy, don’t put a smiley face on it and pretend that you don’t! Your feelings are valid. Do list out the things that you are grateful for though.

3. Know that you deserve to absolutely grab life by the cajones and go for it. Dareitude, yeah!

4. Rejections, perceived failures and criticisms will happen. Remember it’s not you, it’s them! Failure is an illusion—now you know better exactly what you do want and you’ve learned how not to do something, right?

5. When life gives you lemons, Cutie Pie, put your big girl/boy knickers on and deal with it. All things are working toward good. They really are!

6. Be kind to yourself. Pay attention to your self talk. We say things to ourselves that we wouldn’t say to our dogs!

7. Give yourself the advice that you’d give a friend. We always know how to solve everyone else’s junk don’t we? Well the best friend you have is you. Believe that!

8. You have the right to reinvent yourself! You don’t have to remain stuck at who you are this minute! The people around you will have to catch up. Look at the masters of reinvention: Sean Combs, Gwen Stefani, Oprah Winfrey, Rosie O’Donnell, Madonna, Barack Obama, Michael Jackson… Um, well, do reinvent yourself with reckless abandon but do remain human!!

9. Embrace beauty within and without. Instead of looking for the ugliness in people, places, situation, seek beauty. We find exactly what we’re looking for.

10. Surround yourself with love, love, love. Anyone or anything less than loving—cut it off!

Maybe in my quick haste to see who was nominated this year for the 80th Annual Academy Award shows simply known as The Oscars, I overlooked something.

Why? Why? Why wasn’t The Great Debaters nominated in any category. Why? Why? Why wasn’t Denzel Washington or any of the other cast members from that movie not nominated. Why? Why? Why wasn’t any of the producers nominated?

Out of all of the nominations, only 1 person of color was nominated and that was Ruby Dee (which is a long overdue nomination).

Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, “I’m Not There”; Ruby Dee, “American Gangster”; Saoirse Ronan, “Atonement”; Amy Ryan, “Gone Baby Gone”; Tilda Swinton, “Michael Clayton.” For the full list of nominees, click here.

I don’t know about you, but although I’m not a member of the WGA, I am boycotting the Oscars this year for reasons of my own.

This is the third installment of interviews I’ve done with previous American Idol contestants over the years. Today’s American Idol alumni spotlight is : Constantine.

Constantine – Another American Idol Success

By Shelia M. Goss

 Constantine Maroulis talents were showcased on the CBS soap opera “The Bold and the Beautiful.” I’m a fan of the show and didn’t realize until I got the CD, that Constantine was an ex-American Idol contestant. Listeners won’t be disappointed. The track “Girl Like You,” “Everybody Loves,” “Fading into You,” and “So Long,” are my favorite songs on the 12 track CD.

Constantine has been wooing fans on the hit CBS Daytime Soap The Bold and the Beautiful all summer (2007) playing the role as “Constantine.” Fortunatey for fans, Mr. Bell saw Constantine, loved one of his songs and asked him to be on the show. Constantine’s no stranger to acting. He grew up in theater. He was acting long before he made his debut on American Idol a few years ago.

Post-Idol has seen Constantine touring, hosting shows on MTV on Yahoo, starring in plays and on TV. He now has a hit CD with his self-titled CD Constantine. Constantine could have easily gotten with a major label, but decided to release his first solo album independently.

Fans of Constantine should be on the look out for a tour. He says, “I love being on the road. I love meeting new people.”

About his personal life. Constantine says, “I’m not married, but I’m dating and having a good time.”

As the youngest of three, Constantine’s family is behind him 100 percent. “My immediate and extended family have been very supportive,” says Constantine. “The Greek community has been supportive.”

Constantine doesn’t seem to be slowing down. He hasn’t had a vacation since 2000, but he doesn’t mind. With his music and acting, Constantine enjoys both and enjoys being busy as long as he can do one or the other or both.

“Constantine is proof there’s success after Idol. He’s gained a new fan.”

Interview by Shelia M Goss, entertainment writer and author of Double Platinum, Paige’s Web, My Invisible Husband and Roses are thorns, Violets are true (www.sheliagoss.com).

This is the second installment of interviews I’ve done with previous American Idol contestants over the years. Today’s American Idol alumni spotlight is : Kellie Pickler.

SMALL TOWN GIRL – The Kellie Pickler Interview

By Shelia M. Goss

“On Small Town Girl, there are songs about going out having a good time. There are slower songs about getting your heart broken. It’s a very intimate album–a song on there for everyone.” ~ Kellie Pickler

Shelia Goss: How long have you been singing?
Kellie Pickler: I’ve always been singing. Music has always been a passion of mine. I always knew that this was what I wanted to do with my life, but had to figure out how to get to this point. When I auditioned for American Idol I had no idea that I would make it as far as I did. I made it to the top 6 and toured the country with the top 10, so it’s been very exciting.

Shelia: Has everyone always been supportive?
Kellie: There were some people who thought it was impossible to do. Some people told me I needed to go to school for something because I was living in a fantasy world. I knew I wouldn’t be happy unless I was doing something I wanted to do.

Shelia: Regardless of what other people say, sometimes you have to follow your dreams.
Kellie: I have to live with the decisions that I make. My grandfather went with me to the auditions. There was between 8500 to 10,000 other people there. It was very intimidating, but my grandfather said, “Kellie, what do you have to lose?”

I’m so glad I stuck in there. Sometimes your dreams are all you have and you should never doubt yourself. I think you should always go for your dreams. You can let the people who say you’ll never make it, make you stronger

Shelia: Have you ever considered motivational speaking?
Kellie: Absolutely. I used to speak in schools before I made it on Idol. I would give testimonial speeches. There are different things I’ve overcome in life.
I love to be a witness to other people. With the exposure I’ve gotten from Idol, I can have a bigger effect on people now.

Shelia: If you could compare yourself to other singers, who would it be and why?
Kellie: I don’t really compare myself to anyone else. I think being different makes you who you are. I don’t want to be someone else. If I had to be compared to anyone, I would want to be compared to Dolly Parton. She’s my Idol. I really admire her. She’s an incredible singer, songwriter, performer and has the best personality. She can act. She’s the whole package. I think years later, people will look at me and see some of her in me. I hope to follow in her footsteps.

Shelia: Have you met her yet?
Kellie: Not yet, but hopefully I will. I’ve always wanted to write with her.

Shelia: When someone picks up your CD, what should they expect?
Kellie: It’s going to be like an open book in my life. I put a piece of my life in every song. It’s very personal and honest. American Idol showcased some of my life but there are so much they didn’t show. I co-wrote five of the songs–including Red High Heels. The songs are very personal to me.

Shelia: What’s been one of the hardest obstacles you’ve faced recently?
Kellie: Every since Idol, everything has been easy for me. There’s a lot of hard work and dedication, time and preparation for putting an album together, but it’s been all worth it. I’m having fun. I can’t really complain about anything.

Shelia: Since American Idol, your life has been at a fast pace. How do you juggle your professional and personal life?
Kellie: A few family members or friends might drive or fly out here to Nashville. This is my life now. Right now I’m paying my dues as a new country artist. I see my family when I can. They know this is my lifelong passion and dream. They are very supportive of me.

Shelia: Do you still keep in contact with other American Idol contestants?
Kellie: Yes. We’re all busy working on our own projects. We text each other and speak regularly.

Shelia: Do you plan on doing any acting–like your idol Dolly Parton?
Kellie: Absolutely. I’ve always been interested in TV and film; however right now I’m focusing on my album and establishing myself as a country artist. It’s something I would look into doing in the future.

Website: http://www.kelliepickler.com

Shelia M Goss is an entertainment writer and National Bestselling author of My Invisible Husband, Roses are thorns, Violets are true, Paige’s Web and Double Platinum. For a full bio, go to www.sheliagoss.com.

It’s time. American Idol Season Seven is here. Are you an AI fan? Are you ready to see the audtions for this season’s Idol? Who is your all time favorite Idol?

I have to admit that I don’t watch the competitions all the way through. I watch the auditions because you can’t pay for that type of entertainment. Some of those folks know “good and well” (yes I said it) they can’t sing. And the costumes, come on now folks. A crazy costume is not going to make you sound any better.

Some of my favorite past AIs winners are Fantasia, Kelly Clarkson, Ruebon “the teddy bear” Studdard and Jordin Sparks. I can’t remember the other winners (sorry). 

I’ll be posting interviews I’ve done with previous American Idol contestants over the years. Today’s American Idol alumni spotlight is : Bo Bice.

American Idol Bo Bice is The Real Thing

By Shelia M. Goss

The American Idol phenomenon can’t be explained, but every year we tune in to see who America votes as the next idol. Sometimes the runner-ups are more popular than the actual winners. Although Bo Bice didn’t win, he is still a winner because he now has a career doing what he enjoys doing “singing” and performing. His album “The Real Thing” debuted with great reviews.

“A bet between my mom and I,” prompted him to tryout for American Idol Bice shares.

With another season of American Idol coming to an end, Bo states, “I’ve been so busy and haven’t had time to watch the show, but my wife kind of passes down the news.”

Bice comes from a solid spiritual and family foundation. “My family has been very supportive of my music career.”

“Some of my original songs were on the album,” Bice states about his successful debut album. He goes on to say, “Track #11 is one of my favorites, but I really had such a great time making the whole album that’s it’s hard to pick just one favorite.”

“I was honored to be working with Clive Davis,” Bice states. Clive Davis is the executive producer of his album.

“What’s been really great is I’ve been living my dream,” he says about his new life in the spotlight.

Bice has a jovial personality and comes across laid back. He confirms, “I like to have fun. My friends would say I’m a fun-loving person and that I try not to take life too seriously.”

He would love to do a collaboration with Willie Nelson. Who are some of Bice’s favorite singers? Rod Stewart, Robert Palmer and to quote Bice, “Anything Rock N Roll baby!”

What are Bice’s plans for the rest of 2006? “To promote the album and give back to the fans. Our goal is to put on a good rock n roll show.”

Fans can keep up with Bo Bice’s tour scheduled by going to his website at www.bobice.com. Bo states, “We’ll love if you all will come out and be a part of the show.”