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If you listen to the radio, you’ve heard them. If you watch TV, you’ve certainly seen them. An electrified cartoon of a red careering through a kooky party. A tarted-up floozy flirting in a gondola. Dressed in lingerie or lace or in regal gypsy regalia, singing in a girlish peep or a banshee wail, they’re the new women of rock and roll. Cyndi Lauper and Madonna are setting the pace. But they’ve got a lot of company: Chaka Khan and Donna Summer, Sheila E. and Apollonia Kotero, Joan Jett and Pat Benatar, Sheena Easton and the Go-Go’s, Teena Marie and Laura Branigan, Chrissie Hynde and Annie Lennox and -perhaps the godmother of them all- the great Tina Turner.

Rarely have so many women performing rock had so many hit records on the charts. Never have so many women with such strong images so dominated the music videos shown on MTV, the rock-and-roll cable network. Madonna’s new album, “Like A Virgin” (Sire), recently No. 1 for three weeks, is already “triple platinium”. In 14 weeks, it’s sold some 3.5 million copies -a staggering amount,particularly since her first tour doesn’t start until April. Turner, the Pointer Sisters, Pat Benatar and Chaka Khan all have current albums, that have topped the million mark. And after 63 weeks, Cyndi Lauper’s album, “She’s So Unusual” (Portrait), is still charted in the Top 30, with nearly 4 million copies sold. Lauper’s recordings have earned five Grammy nominations and her album has produced four Top Five Singles – a new record for female singers.

As one of the most influential strongholds of knee-jerk misogyny, the rock scene has long cried out for women with power, ideas and an independent sense of style. Now, it seems, they’re emerging one after another. Many of the new women rockers do a lot more than sing. They play their own instruments, write their own songs, control their own careers. Musically, they run the gamut: they’re into funk and soul, pop and new wave, even heavy metal. With their costumes and come-ons, their thoughtfulness and their wit, their dopey hairdos and varied musical styles, they’re turning old ideas about pop’s feminine mystique inside out and upside down.

The current upsurge, however, has many different and even contradictory facets. Striking figures like Cyndi Lauper -whose anthem, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”, offers a funny, subversive image of the liberated woman as screwball -flourish beside much more traditional starlets like Madonna. In her new hit, “Material Girl”, Madonna exploits her feminine wiles like a determined gold digger: “The boy with the cold hard cash is always Mr. Right”.

Some insiders point to Madonna’s steamy image and argue that little has really changed for women in rock and roll since the days of “girl groups” like the Ronettes. Citing her own experience -and rejecting vehemently any patronizing talk of “woman rock”- Joan Jett, perhaps the hardest rocker of them all, says that sexism runs rampant in “every facet of the music industry, starting with the audience”.

Some insiders point to Madonna’s steamy image and argue that little has really changed for women in rock and roll since the days of “girl groups” like the Ronettes. Citing her own experience -and rejecting vehemently any patronizing talk of “woman rock”- Joan Jett, perhaps the hardest rocker of them all, says that sexism runs rampant in “every facet of the music industry, starting with the audience”.

But others think that a real revolution is under way. To Pat Benatar, a veteran hard rocker like Jett, the most striking change has been in her fan mail: “Most of my letters used to be from girls saying how glad they were that we emerged because it really helped them with their boyfriends. Now when i get letters, the girls aspire for themselves.”

It has now been confirmed that Cyndi Lauper will be part of the new upcoming TV show “The Celebrity Apprentice”. Cyndi will be competing with other celebrities in the business oriented show.

The cast includes Cyndi Lauper, Rod Blagojevich, Sharon Osbourne, Bret Michaels, Darryl Strawberry and Sinbad.

All the money raised will be donate to the charities choosen by the artist. The show will be broadcast by NBC and will be aired in January 2010.

Captain Lou Albano, who became one of the most recognized professional wrestlers of the 1980s after appearing in Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” music video, died Wednesday. He was 76.

Louis Vincent Albano, died in Westchester County in suburban New York of natural causes.

World Wrestling Entertainment called him one of the company’s “most popular and charismatic legends.”

Albano later had a role in the music video for Lauper’s 1984 song “Time After Time,” and “Goonies R Good Enough”.

Great video of Cyndi Lauper performing True Colors during the 2009 Divas produced by MTV US.

LOS ANGELES and WASHINGTON, D.C. – Aug. 19, 2009 – The President of the United States Barack Obama will be the third guest featured in the television special Get Schooled: You Have the Right, Viacom (NYSE: VIA and VIA.B) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced today. The 30-minute documentary highlights the education challenges, life choices and breakthroughs experienced by speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz, music director Jason Halbert and marketing executive Latesha Williams – three professionals who provide critical support to these leading figures in politics, entertainment and sports. As announced on Aug. 13, pop superstar Kelly Clarkson and 2009 NBA MVP LeBron James will also appear in the show. Get Schooled: You Have the Right premieres Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. and is the first programming “roadblock” of any kind across all Viacom networks including BET, MTV, VH1, CMT, COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV and Nickelodeon.

During the documentary, President Obama said, “What Sarah, Jason and Latesha’s stories teach us is that education is the key to living out your dreams. So as this new school year begins, I urge you to set goals for your own education: to study hard and get involved in your school; to try new things and find something you’re passionate about. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and ask for help when you need it. That’s how you learn. That’s how you get ahead. And that’s how our nation will get ahead – by ensuring that every American gets a world class education, from preschool to college to a career. So get schooled. Your future – and our nation’s future – depend on it.”

Get Schooled: You Have the Right will air commercial-free, in partnership with AT&T, Capital One Financial Corporation and NYSE Euronext. The program formally kicks off “Get Schooled,” a five-year national initiative co-developed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Viacom that creates a platform for corporate and community stakeholders to address the challenges facing America’s public schools.

“Viacom is committed to raising the national consciousness about how we can improve educational performance in America. President Obama and his Administration have made a strong commitment to educating and preparing America’s young people for the new jobs of the 21st century. Business has a crucial role to play in this effort,” said Philippe Dauman, president and CEO of Viacom. “Get Schooled is a vital platform that will help to connect corporate and community efforts.”

“Education is the key to opportunity and economic progress, for our young people and our nation. President Obama’s bold leadership on education and the unparalleled commitment of resources to encourage meaningful reform makes this a unique moment in time for our education system. Engaging the American people in this effort is critical to its success, advancing student achievement, and ensuring that we continue to produce the brightest minds to lead our country successfully into the future,” said Allan Golston, president of the U.S. Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

President Obama, Kelly Clarkson and LeBron James are featured in the show alongside their trusted professional colleagues who work behind-the-scenes but have equally inspiring personal stories and are successes in their own right. President Obama joins his speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz, who chronicles her experience growing up in Wayland, Mass. to her days as an undergraduate and law student and her current job at the White House. Jason Halbert has been music director for Kelly Clarkson since 2003. The Beaumont, TX native has cultivated a life-long love of music to become a Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter, including Clarkson’s latest album, “All I Ever Wanted.” Latesha Williams of Brooklyn, N.Y., combined education, perseverance and her dream of working in the music and sports industries to land several internships for high-profile business and entertainment figures, which ultimately led to her appointment as Assistant Account Director for LRMR working with LeBron James.

The show will air simultaneously on the following Viacom networks: BET, BET J, CMT, CMT Pure Country, COMEDY CENTRAL, Logo, MTV, MTV Jams, MTV Hits, MTV2, mtvU, Nick at Nite, Nickelodeon, Nicktoons, Noggin, Spike TV, The N/Teen Nick, TV Land, VH1, VH1 Classic and VH1 Soul. The program will be subtitled in Spanish on MTV Tr3s.

Get Schooled: You Have the Right is created and executive produced by Dave Sirulnick and executive produced and directed by Lauren Lazin. @radical.media is a strategic, creative and production partner of the Get Schooled initiative.

ABOUT GET SCHOOLED
Get Schooled is a national platform that connects, inspires and mobilizes people – from policymakers and corporate leaders to communities and kids – to find effective solutions to the problems facing our education system. It provides resources and information, community outreach and creative programming that engage a range of audiences around America’s education crisis. Get Schooled’s co-developers are the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Viacom, including BET Networks, MTV Networks and Paramount Pictures. The initiative combines the Foundation’s deep knowledge of education reform with the power of Viacom’s diverse brands to raise awareness about the challenges facing America’s public education system.

To find out more about Get Schooled and the initiative’s groundbreaking national television premiere on Sept. 8, visit www.getschooled.com.

TWITTER
Official Get Schooled Twitter Account www.Twitter.com/GetSchooled
Official Hashtag #getschooled

FACEBOOK
Official Facebook Page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Schooled/111279304780  Twitter friendly version

GETSCHOOLED PSA’s
http://www.vimeo.com/getschooled/videos
Twitter Friendly PSA URL’s

These are some Cyndi photos taken during the red carpet for the Nelso Mandela’s birthday special that happened in New York City.

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Happy Birthday Cyndi Lauper

Best Wishes !!!

Join us to wish best wishes to Cyndi! Please leave your on comment below.

The following statement was issued by Cyndi Lauper on ther view of the the California Supreme Court Prop 8 Ruling decision.

Let me see, how does that song go again? “I get knocked down, but I get up again. You’re never going to keep me down.” Every time we get knocked down we only get stronger. If it takes one time or ten times, we get stronger each time.

Never forget the late, great San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk who was known for saying, “…I’M HERE TO RECRUIT YOU!!” And I’m shouting out now for all my fellow straight allies to stand beside our LGBT friends and family and start being counted.

Cyndi Lauper