Since the season finale last fall, we fans of Making the Band have been bracing ourselves for the show’s return to MTV – Thursday, February 12 at 9pET/PT!

And though the future of Danity Kane is murky at the moment, Band’s only solo artist, Donnie Klang, promises that the new season will find him working overtime, proving to Diddy that he deserves a second album.

Donnie and I recently had a solid chat – which I’ve divided into two portions for your listening pleasure. In Part 1 (posted below), Donnie discusses why his debut disc Just A Rolling Stone struggled in the sales department and reveals how he’s been elevating his hustle.

Continued –>

Following the aftermath of the election of our first African American President, thoughts are swirling in Hollywood around the possibility of a black man inhabiting yet another role that has yet to surge past a color line: James Bond.

According to IMDB, Daniel Craig, who stars in the latest Bond film Quantum of Solace, thinks that Obama’s election might be a signal that the world may be ready for actors of other ethnicities to step into the slick rebel’s tux.

In the article he says, “I think the role could easily be played by a black actor, because the character created by Ian Fleming in the ’50s has undergone a great deal of evolution and continues to be updated.”

I like the sound of this. While Richard Roundtree and Samuel L. Jackson both did commendable jobs at embodying Shaft – the hardcore private eye who functioned as a grittier version of Bond – it would be intriguing to see an actor of color donning the iconic 007 duds.

A while ago, I remember hearing that Diddy was gunning to play the role. Who do you think could rise to the challenge?

I thought that last week’s episode of Making the Band was the most uncomfortable episode that I’d ever see – this week’s finale blew that ep. out of the water!

I gotta give MTV, Danity Kane, and Diddy props for allowing such raw moments to happen live in front of the camera. With the future of Danity Kane hanging in limbo, the stakes were major – both for the 5 ladies who’d become sisters during their time in the group and the fans who’d invested Tuesday nights tracking the band and hard-earned dollars supporting them.

But it’s official folks: Aubrey and D. Woods are out of Danity Kane…for now.

The girls were swimming in pain as Sway tried to get down to the core of how the group’s remaining members – Dawn, Aundrea, and Shannon – planned on functioning without their two MIA sisters.

Their body language spoke volumes. I mean, the girls did not even wait for the final credits to roll before they darted off the stage. Even when Sway hinted that there would be a new season of Making the Band, the ladies seemed more unsure about the prospects of it happening than enthused about returning.

D. Woods couldn’t make it to share her side of the split, but Aubrey has got guts for days, and instead of apologizing, she spent her camera time spilling out an empowering plea for people faced with adversity to keep their haters at bay.

In fact, here’s a vid of Aubrey’s last words before the show where she even calls Diddy, “Sean”!

I felt uneasy watching Aubrey as Diddy warned her that unless she tames her ego, she’ll end up in a “dark, lonely place”. It was the kind of feeling that I used to get when I’d encounter a friend getting scolded by his mom about while we were playing Sega Genesis. I wanted to shrink and wish the scenario away, but this was indeed the reality of Danity Kane, and closing my eyes wouldn’t change a thing.

Call me naïve, but I’m holding out for a DK reunion. I don’t think that Aubrey has necessarily burned her bridge with Bad Boy? Are you with me?

After watching what was advertised as the Making the Band 4 season finale where the future of Danity Kane would be decided, I still couldn’t tell whether or not the group would continue to exist as a five member band. MTV has announced that there’ll be a live season finale next week where the group will open up about the status of the group. Arghh – that network knows how to keep me coming back for more!

But regardless of how this season ends, my craving for MTB 4 action was more than satiated during the last 20 minutes of this episode. I’m so used to seeing carefully crafted and staged moments on reality shows that I was NOT expecting to see Diddy get down and dirty with the unsuspecting ladies of DK.

The stakes for these women are significant – one wrong move, and any one of them could go from being an international pop star to a footnote in the history of Bad Boy Records – the tension during the episode’s final moments was so strong that I had to document how the temperature in my apartment escalated during each beat:

Warm: After congratulating them on their achievements, Diddy dismisses Day 26 and Donnie from his boardroom. Diddy wants to speak with Danity Kane alone – uh-oh!

Warmer: Diddy tells DK that his vision for the group is not being fulfilled (see below). He then puts Aundrea and Aubrey on the spot by revealing that they’d previously sent him emails expressing their displeasure with the group.

Hot: Dawn admits that the girls have trust issues with each other.

Sweltering: Diddy trades barbs with Aubrey again, but this time he tells her that she’ll no longer be in Danity Kane!

Since the episode cut right after this moment, I’m not sure if Diddy was threatening Aubrey or if he plans on following through with his statement. We’ll have to tune-in on October 14 at 9p ET/PT to see what really goes down when Diddy and the ladies open up to Sway. In the meantime, I’ll try to cool down by catching up on this week’s episode of Fringe.

Just how "Damaged" is Danity Kane's loyalty?

Ever since Diddy hand-picked the members of Danity Kane – Aubrey, D Woods, Dawn, Aundrea, and Shannon – during Making the Band 3, the blogosphere has been inundated with rumors of catfights and disagreements between the ladies and the boss man.

A fan of the band from the start, I dismissed these speculations as typical tabloid talk, but after seeing the threatening trailer for next week’s MTB 4 season finale (see below), my concern for the quintent’s long-term prospects are at an all-time high!

After all, I’ve invested hours in tracking their growth on the tube and the radio – I’m attached to the ladies (and I’ve got a crush on more than one of ‘em)!

So to hear that DK may be undergoing a major renovation after the group has just managed to hit their stride – both of their albums have opened up at the top of the charts, Damaged was ubiquitous this summer – gives me much heartache.

I’ll be watching the MTB 4 season finale this Tuesday on MTV at 9p ET/PT with bated breath trusting that the hotties will solve whatever is making Aundrea cry in the trailer, but until then, I’ve posted a throwback for you of an interview that I did with DK at last season’s finale – things were so simple back then!

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