Kobe Bryant is famous for many things, like being one of the best basketball players in the world and selling lots of Nike shoes and clothes.  But did you know he is a massive star in China? Neither did I.

In China, Bryant stars in commercials and billboards and has a popular website as well as a reality show.  He actually sells more NBA jerseys than Chinese basketball superstar Yao Ming.  Bryant has made many trips to China on behalf of his sponsor Nike and these visits have endeared him to the Chinese public.

But perhaps his new venture will seal the deal and grant him Chinese sainthood.  Bryant is forming the Kobe Bryant China Fund, a foundation backed by the Chinese government to raise money within China to help fund education and health programs.  Bryant’s existing charity, The Kobe Bryant Family Foundation will also help the Chinese cause by teaching students in the US about Chinese language and culture.

According the Wall Street Journal, Bryant said about the foundation: “I want to help these kids [in the US] see the possibilities of China and just understand that the world is much, much bigger than what they see around them.  It helps show them that anything is possible and they should not be afraid to dream big. You’re not just locked into one city.”

It’s great that Kobe Bryant is continuing to nurture the strong alliances with the Chinese people that were planted by last year’s Beijing Olympics.  Continued friendship between the US and China can only be a good thing.

Check out a video from Bryant’s chinese reality show below.

My summer concert tour continued last night as I caught Jack’s Mannequin and The Fray at the PNC Pavilion. The acoustics at that place are incredible and there really is not a single bad seat in the house! It was an all-around great musical experience, but if I had to sum this show up in one word, it would be “inspiring”.

If you’re not familiar with the story of Jack’s Mannequin’s Andrew McMahon - at the beginning of a career that looked full of promise, Andrew was diagnosed with leukemia and was forced to undergo a bone marrow transplant. You would never know it by the way he sings his heart out and bounces around the stage with ease. His lyrics seem to give an insight into the mindset that got him through,

“I will crawl
There’s thing that are worth giving up I know, but I won’t let this get me
I will fight
You live the life you’re given with the storms outside
Some days all I do is watch the sky”

I am sure that there are many kids out there that have re-played Andrew’s music many times over, listening to it when they feel down - memorizing every word, that are glad he fought.

Some bands set out to get a crowd dancing, others sing for fame, others play so that their audience can chill out. After last night’s show, I would say that The Fray’s motivation is to uplift. I’ve always respected their lyrics, which paint vivid pictures of the human condition and emotions that we all sometimes feel, and everyone knows that their tunes are catchy (in fact, I think their cover of Kanye West’s “Heartless” is better than the original). But there were two points in the show that stood out to me.

The first was during the first song of the encore, when guitarist Joe King came out by himself and sang, “Heaven Forbid“.  The line “Hold on tight wait for tomorrow, you’ll be alright” seemed to be the perfect capstone to an already great show, but what lead singer Isaac Slade had to say before their final song, “Happiness“, sent their message loud and clear, “If you’re here tonight and you’re trying to navigate this crazy thing we call life, you might be facing some tough times.  But hang on, keep going.  You’ll make it through.”

“Happiness is like the old man told me
Look for it, but you’ll never find it all
Let it go, live your life and leave it
Then one day, wake up and she’ll be home”

As the song ended, the band all gathered around the microphone and sang the final notes with their arms around each other.  Call me a sap, but it brought tears to my eyes.

To me, this show displayed just how powerful a force music really is and how awesome positive lyrics can be.  I definitely recommend you see these two bands in concert.

(Thanks to Aubrey for the pics)

Who doesn’t love the classic Ben E. King song “Stand By Me”?  Last week Jon Bon Jovi dueted with exiled Iranian singer Andy Madadian on the song.  The way the recording session came together is pure Nossip.

Legendary music producer Don Was was planning to record the song with Madadian at a Los Angeles recording studio last Wednesday and ran into Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and record writer/producer John Shanks outside the studio.  When Was told the superstars about his planned session with Madadian, Bon Jovi, Sambora and Shanks decided to join in.  They videotaped the four-hour session so that they could send, according to Was, “a musical message of worldwide solidarity” to the Iranian people reeling from the aftermath of the country’s recent disputed election.

Was tells billboard.com, “it [the song] wasn’t intended to be on the Billboard charts, wasn’t meant to be a hit record or even pressed on a CD. It’s intended to be downloaded and shared by the Iranian people. The whole idea was to get it into Iran and tell them…to carry on, that the world is watching and we’re with you.”

I am thankful that we have generous celebs like Bon Jovi and Sambora that believe creating something positive like this video is worth some of their valuable time.  I also hope that the people of Iran know that we are thinking of them and hoping for the best in their country at this turbulent time.  Check out the video below.

I often enjoy driving around town on Saturday mornings so I can listen to Scott Simon, who hosts NPR’s Weekend Edition.  He has a great sense of humor and seems like a really kind and decent guy.  I started following him on Twitter and his tweets support my assessment of him.

He had Motown’s Barry Gordy and director Spike Lee on the show yesterday to speak about their friend, Michael Jackson.   He twittered this about the upcoming show, “spike lee&berry gordy talked to us about MJ because they believe there’s something different&trustworthy abt us. hope we prove them right.”  And prove them right he did.

But the story that really got to me yesterday was Simon’s essay about his early mentor, Chicago WTTW television’s longtime news director, John Callaway, who passed away last week.  Here’s what Simon said about lessons learned from his friend, “those days when the news isn’t right in front of your eyes are important, too, because there are still millions of stories to be told. The only way you get that chance is to build and earn a relationship with an audience, who begin to trust that you can inform, amuse, move and surprise them. Be persistent. Be kind. Be fair. Try to do something different. Tip the bartender. Remember that it’s a blessing to be a Chicagoan, and a privilege to bring people the news.”  It’s very clear to me that Simon took these lessons to heart and it shows in his work.  Check out the complete essay here.

For providing a weekly respite from the usual media cacophony, Scott Simon, you deserve a Nossip Love Note.

Today is a very sad day for many people across the world.  Michael Jackson just passed away in Los Angeles from a reported cardiac arrest.  As I drove home moments ago, listening to the radio for any information on his condition, I thought to all the times Michael Jackson has affected my life.

When I was very young, my favorite babysitter had a Jackson Five album.  That was the main reason she was my favorite babysitter.  I remember making her promise to bring the album whenever she came over.  The Jackson 5 song “ABC” is probably my earliest musical memory.  When Michael’s first solo album Off The Wall came out, I was in love.  That album will always be on my top 5 best album list.

I’d like us all to remember the amazing things that Michael Jackson accomplished in his life.  While he was the King of Pop and all that title meant, he was also the King of Charity.  He has given away untold millions of dollars to those in need over the years and used his fame and fortune to help the less fortunate.

With Lionel Richie, Michael co-wrote the world-changing song, “We Are The World” which was recorded by 39 musical superstars, including Michael.  The song which benefited the charity USA for Africa and contributed to famine relief, was a world-wide hit, selling more than 20 million singles, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time.

Through his Heal the World Foundation, formed in 1992, he did things like airlift 46 tons of supplies to war-torn Sarajevo, contribute to drug and alcohol abuse education and pay for children’s surgeries.

While the last decade and a half brought many troubles to Michael Jackson, I hope the world will remember the magical music he made and all the gifts he gave to those in need.  Please join with me in turning off any media that sensationalizes his death and the less positive aspects of his life.  It’s time to celebrate and mourn a great man, and anything else is just not right.

If you would like to post any remembrances of Michael and how he affected your life, we’d love to share them.

If you’ve been looking for a music festival to attend this summer that doesn’t cost you your firstborn, Virgin Mobile has the deal of a lifetime for you! Their yearly event held at the Merriwether Post Pavilion outside of Baltimore, MD and Washington, D.C. has an a-maz-ing lineup this year that includes: Franz Ferdinand, Blink-182, Weezer, Girl Talk, Jet, The Bravery, The Hold Steady, Taking Back Sunday, and more!!!

The party is going down on August 30 this year, and guess what?  It’s all FREE.  Tickets for the 35,000-capacity arena are available at Ticketmaster.com at 10AM (EST) on June 27.  That means that if you want in on the fun, you better be sitting at your computer ready to click at 10AM on the dot.

BUT (and this is the best part), in keeping with their goal of helping out homeless youth, Virgin is offering VIP passes to those who complete 13 hours of community service at designated homeless shelters in select cities across the nation.  The passes will include transportation and accomodations for those coming from outside the Baltimore area.

Virgin explained their reasoning for giving away tickets this year:

“Times are tough and money’s tight…We’ll take care of you, will you pass on the karma?  Since we’re picking up the cost of the tickets, we’re asking each person who attends the Virgin Mobile FreeFest to donate $5 to youth homelessness through our charitable initiative, The RE*Generation.”

There are two ways to make a donation: Text “FREEFEST” to 20222 or by making an online donation here.

If you want to learn more about the festival and Virgin’s work through The RE*Generation, head to the fest’s official website: http://www.virginmobilefestival.com/

Here’s hoping that Cincinnati has some of the Virgin Mobile homeless shelters.  Either way, I’ll see you there!

While she wears lots of tweeds and robes in the Harry Potter franchise, in the Muggle world Emma Watson has cut quite a swath through the fashion industry.  She’s become a front row regular at the shows, is the new face of Burberry and has lofty friends like Karl Lagerfeld.  It makes sense that she’d create her own clothing line.  But what surprised me is that she’s doing it for charity.

Watson is reportedly creating a clothing line for teenagers that will benefit UNICEF.  It looks like Watson is going to have a heavy schedule come Fall when she is planning to attend college (or university as they call it in England) at a school which remains nameless for her anonymity.  In her current Teen Vogue cover article, she talks about balancing school with her Harry Potter filming schedule, “I’ve been saying that I wanted to go to university since I was eleven, so if they didn’t let me, I’d be pretty upset.”  Check out the article and some more amazing pictures here.

It sounds like Watson has her priorities right and charities like UNICEF will reap the benefits.

Fact: everyone’s definition of good music is different. For example, no matter what I put on the stereo, my dad will say “What is this…noise???”  I’m sure you’ve discovered this as well — you’re riding along in a friend’s car listening to their iPod and they put on something you cringe at.  For me, the indie rock genre used to be cringe-inducing.  I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve grown up more in my musical tastes or because I have simply discovered my personal brand of “good” indie bands, but lately I have found a lot of independent music I’ve enjoyed.  My most current obsession is The White Rabbits.

I recently picked up their second full-length release, It’s Frightening, and I’ve had it on repeat ever since.  “Percussion Gun,” the album’s lead song and single, could not have been a better choice to kick off the collection.  It’s the perfect blend of skilled drumwork, a catchy guitar melody, and complementary vocals — which happen to be one of my favorite parts about The White Rabbits’ sound.  They’re both masculine and emotive.  Part of what used to turn me off to indie rock was the often-found nasal vocals.  It’s Frightening has none of that.

The song “Right Where They Left” smacks of the flowing melodies and ethereal air of Radiohead’s most recent release, while “The Company I Keep” carries a bass line that reminds me of a toned-down version of No Doubt and gives off an overall chill ambiance.  It’s Frightening is relaxing, neither brash nor loud, mixing the occasional piano for a good sunny-day jam.  No matter your musical tastes, I think you’ll find something to like about The White Rabbits.

If you are an employee of Oprah Winfrey, you are now sunning yourself in Barcelona, Spain preparing to take off on a cruise through the Mediterranean.  You flew to Barcelona on one of 5 private jets and are excited about visiting places like Malta, Turkey, Italy and Greece. 

Since I am not one of Oprah’s lucky employees, I can only imagine what the shuffleboard court is like on the Norwegian Sun ship.  The Sun normally carries 3,000 passengers, but for Oprah and her 1,700 guests, the ship is their own private playground.  With 1,200 staff on the ship, everyone will be taken care of in grand style.

The Oprah Fun Ship will be docking in Civitavecchia & Messina, Italy; Piraeus & Santorini, Greece; Smyrna & Istanbul, Turkey and La Valetta, Malta before returning to Barcelona.  Oprah is generously covering all expenses for her staff, so they can enjoy the trip without having to worry about pulling out their wallets.

If you want to follow the ship’s progress, check out the live webcam here.

Hey guys, if you were wondering what all the hullabaloo about Bonnaroo (ha, I’m sorry - I couldn’t help it!) is about, a reader named Aaron clued me in to where you can learn all you wanted to know — and probably more — about the Summer’s most epic music festival:

Wish you could’ve experienced Bonnaroo 2009 in person? Well, in just a few short days, Fuse TV is ensuring that you can catch all of the highlights from this year’s musical extravaganza from the comfort of your air conditioned home! This Saturday, June 20th, Fuse will be showing exclusive footage from the BEST performances from last weekend, including: COHEED AND CAMBRIA, BEASTIE BOYS, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, PHISH, SNOOP DOGG and the YEAH YEAH YEAH’S!!

While you count down to June 20th, remember to check out Fuse’s “Tweetaroo- Mashing Twitter and Music Since 2009” online music news source to get the dirt and inside scoop on Bonnaroo STRAIGHT from all of the artist’s that just performed at the legendary festival: http://fusefest.fuse.tv/

Don’t miss out on your second chance to experience Bonnaroo ‘09 and watch your favorite artists perform – as if you were there! Be sure to tune-in to Fuse TV THIS SATURDAY, June 20th @ 9pm/8c to catch Fuse Fest:  Bonnaroo 2009! All additional information about the special can be found here:  http://fuse.tv/tours/bonnaroo-09/

For more Bonnaroo ‘09 information like trailers, photos and downloads, head here: http://fuse.tv/tours/bonnaroo/

*Fuse national carriers: DirecTV channel 339 and DISH Network channel 158. Or, to find Fuse TV in your area, click here: http://fuse.tv/channelfinder.html