RIHANNA MANIA
Rihanna got a serious smack-down St. Patty’s Day eve from Montreal Gazette reviewer Tim Snow. Not only was she two hours late in taking the stage, Snow wrote, she was in poor vocal condition. “And in songs like ‘Love the Way You Lie’ and ‘Hate That I Love You,’ a disembodied group of pre-recorded voices chimed in, further muddling the questions of Rihanna’s vocal presence and how much music was actually live.” (It should be noted the superstar was recouperating from a bout with laryngitis.)
Among fans in a variety of cities, however, there’s been no shortage of superlatives. “Showstopper,” “friggin amazing,” “exciting” and “perfect,” to name just a handful.
Her sold-out show in Toronto on March 18 (for which she was one hour late) garnered this passage from the Toronto Sun reviewer: “And whenever a song might flag, Rihanna was the master of the sexy hair flip and undulating pelvic gyration — her own special effect... I’ve seldom seen a music artist so aware of her body and how to use it.”
Some here are some nuggets about the singer — whose concert documentary “Rihanna 777” bows May 6 on Fox — and her world:
— For a woman who’s not necessarily known for her demure public demeanor (sample tweet: “Look at cho girl! Walked up in that bitch like I owned a ho”), Ri-Ri stayed simple and stylish — aurally and visually — during her Feb. 10 performance of “Stay” at this year’s Grammy Awards.
— Ticket prices for her March 22 show at Chicago’s United Center range from modest to ridiculous. While “official” VIP seats are sold out, third-party venders are charging $275 to $800 for floor seats and $136 to $475 for lower level perches. This excludes, of course, parking, booze, food, babysitter.
—According to the fan site ulitmaterihanna.com, “Rihanna is a BIG prankster. She can do anything from pushing you into a waterfall or fool you!”
— After Rihanna won the 2007 Venus Breeze “Celebrity Legs of a Goddess” contest, People.com declares, “She insured her legs for $1 million.” Considering she recently raked in a reported $29 million in only 12 months, Forbes. com reported, a mil’ seems kind of paltry.
— Rihanna the spiritual tweeter subscribes to the following beliefs: “If you do not take notice of the danger signs, something will always happen to slow you down, until you do take notice.” And, “You must stand up for yourself. Being spiritual is not about being weak and submissive, it is about standing for honesty.”
— On the other hand, it’s tough when you find “That ‘very rare’ moment when ya wanna get blacked out drunk, but ya got an early morning!!!”
— Rihanna is a social media goddess, with nearly 69 million fans on Facebook and 29 million on Twitter.