I'll be live blogging the key moments of tonight's "Making the Band 4," season 3 finale. Just the key moments that jump out to me, though, so there won't be a ton of updates. Mainly, I want to cover the Danity Kane break up or lack of one!
The first part of the show has Diddy announcing, via video message, that he has one last mission for the groups and Donnie. They are to go to Cano San Lucas on his dime. They charter a private jet and arrive to a pair of incredible suites at the Westin.
Diddy's fit club finished with Diddy announcing that he had lost 4 pounds. While eating a salad, the nurse approaches him and he curses her out for bugging him when he's eating a salad. She leaves.
It turns out that Diddy didn't go to Cabo San Lucas as he needed to promote his album. They show some footage of him at TRL and at a CD signing.
Day26 and Danity Kane go to swim with Dolphins and Que isn't having it. He's not getting into the water with any fish, he says, especially one's that are bigger than him. He's definitely afraid. She finally gets a life jacket on, though. In confessional, Que says that the dolphin is about to eat him.
After Que watches them for a while, he eases up. Mike rides a dolphin and they laugh as Robert says, in private, that that was "one strong dolphin." Dawn finally pushes Que into touching the dolphin, but he immediately backs off. Then, he feeds one and, eventually, gets in the water - for Dawn, he says.
The groups celebrate Robert's birthday at an outdoor bar at the hotel. The groups also hired some traditional dancers, with D. Woods and Robert actually donning the garb before they share a cake (part of it gets pushed in Robert's face).
The morning after, everyone settles in for breakfast. Well, almost. All the guys are in their suite eating. But, in the girls suite, it's just Dawn. She calls for the others, but no one comes. Apparently, they are sleeping in a bit. Finally, Shannon and Aundrea come out.
The vacation took half the show. But, it ends and they all head back to New York for a meeting with Diddy.
The meeting begins with friendly greetings and conversation about the trip. He talks about where each group is. He says that Day26 is on their way, but now they are like every other group out there, working their second single. They have to stick at it and stay patient, because it takes a long time these days.
With Donnie, he says, he had a decent showing sales wise, but he's like every other artist trying to break in. Diddy highlights Rihanna as someone who is at the top now, but took a couple of albums to get there.
He sends the boys away to have a heart to heart, in private with the girls. Diddy talks about how they started out on this journey about four years ago. It's been a crazy ride, it's been great watching them grow. He says that his proudest moment was watching them on tour and seeing them perform and the way people reacted to them.
He talks about their success, but with that said, he's unsure of the future of the group. Their lives have played out in front of the camera, but there is a portion that plays out when the cameras are off. He says that the reality of their relationship is at a cross roads and they need to figure out what the future of the group is. For him, the reality of the situation has changed with the vision.
He asks for their thoughts and he starts with Aundrea. He says that she sent him an e-mail a couple of months ago, where she said that she was thinking of leaving Danity Kane. He asks her what is going on?
She says that there were a lot of internal things. He asks her to elaborate. She pauses, but he says it is a serious thing to want to leave the group and he needs to know. She says she was going through a lot of personal things, on top of issues with the group. What's the issues with the group, he asks. She starts to break down, but continues. She doesn't think it's things with them getting along, but outside things that are affecting them.
She says that she just wants to be in a group, that's it. She doesn't want to do outside things, like be an actress, etc. This was her dream. So, it gets to the point that if people don't want to do this, why are they staying? Because it feels like it was being forced. But, she talked with Dawn and with Shannon, a lot... she stops there.
Diddy says, "you and Aubrey don't get really along, right?" She starts to say that that isn't an issue. But, Diddy says this is not a unique thing. There are groups that have been together with a long time where two people don't talk because something got taken in a certain way, etc. Diddy says there is more to this and he wants to know what the situation is. After she struggles a bit, Diddy says that he'll come back to it because he doesn't want to put pressure on her.
Diddy then says that Aubrey sent him an e-mail, as well, saying that she had had it with the group. She says she's never had it with the group, but with being unhappy with different situations. There are a lot of issues, she says, and most of them are bigger than this group. Diddy asks her what it is? Aubrey goes off on how she's talking for everyone. "Do you guys mind if I speak about the things that we talk about as a group, because I'm not gonna speak individually, because everything I'm about to say is something that everyone in this group has said." Nice disclaimer. Anyway, Diddy says OK.
Aubrey says that it is hard enough to keep 5 women together and it is hard enough to make 5 women believe in things when they are all completely different. She says they have felt, in one way or another, that everything around them, at one point or another, has not believed in them. There are certain levels of respect they want. They have never had that from management. They have had bad seed after bad seed, Aubrey says. She explains that they need management like parents to tell each of them to go sit in a corner, at certain times. Those people play a large part in why the group can't pull it together at times. They don't have it happening and they have enough respect for each other, as women, "for the most part," to not play mom with each member.
Diddy says that, with situations around him, he takes responsibility for it. If he has bad management, he allowed himself to have bad management and it's his fault. Aubrey then says that the internal issue is a trust issue amongst themselves. There is a lack of trust within the group with outside ears telling them different things about Diddy's intentions. She says they don't speak much with him and she doesn't feel that relationships can exist without communication.
Diddy says that it's clear there is a clique in the group, right? Aubrey says she doesn't know what it is, but then he says that she knows that she and D. Woods refer to each other as "Ebony and Ivory." She wants to address it, but he says that his point is that doesn't think that he's seen Aubrey and Aundrea speak and it's crazy to him to see a group of 5 where 2 avoid each other. Aundrea starts to talk, but Aubrey denys it. Diddy says he's invested a lot and he wants to know what is up.
Aubrey says that they have spoken today and Aundrea says there are moments when they talk and don't talk, but that's not what he's talking about - not just today. Diddy says that if they don't want to answer it, that's fine. Aubrey says there is no issue with anyone she has here that is making her not want to be in the group. Diddy turns to Dawn, saying that someone is gonna tell the truth here.
Dawns says that the members of the group don't trust each other, so the business doesn't work as far as them having chemistry on stage because they don't trust each other and they are cliqued. When they go on stage, they do what they do and then they leave and go do what they want. Sometimes they make it to a show as 5, sometimes as 4. Sometimes they talk, sometimes they don't talk for weeks. They band together on management, Dawn says, because that's the one area where they come together. But, besides that, they all go their own ways. When they do red carpets, when Danity Kane is supposed to be there, they are never together.
Who's the fifth person who won't be there, Diddy asks? D. Woods was the last one, Dawn says, but she says that the same goes Aubrey, D. Woods and Aundrea, when they have an obligation. To Dawn, though, when they have an obligation and they don't all show up, "that f***s up your business, that f***s up the name, that f***s up the brand." And then you don't like each other, Diddy asks. Dawn confirms, "and then we don't like each other. We talk to each other, but this is the reality of Danity Kane."
After a pause, Diddy turns to D. Woods and asks her what her feeling is. As far as the cliques, she says that she doesn't have anything personal against anyone, but she has a special relationship with each member of the group and the relationship with Aubrey is more obvious because they are together more. Diddy asks Shannon if she has anything to say. She says that they need to refocus.
Diddy tells them that emotions will have them broke and watching the MTV Awards 10 years from now "kicking yourself in the a**." They are a dangerous thing. The girls always make him look like the bad guy on TV, he says, but he's not gonna look like a bad guy here. If they want to blame it on anyone but themselves, they are going down the wrong road. They have been blessed with a once in a lifetime opportunity and that opportunity could go away, "not under me, allmighty Puff power," it's in their hands and they could take the opportunity away.
He didn't want to put it out there, but he had Dawn doing some demos for his album. She has a unique voice, they all have their strengths. He doesn't understand why it would be a point of jealously or being scared. It shows how weak and fragile the group is.
Aubrey interrupts and says that she thinks it would be good if he just communicated that because Harve Pierre told her that Diddy was moving forward with a Dawn solo album. "And when you do something like that and we have problems with ourselves, because of our past with this situation, it's like the lying or the manipulation-." Diddy stops her. "For me, I'm not doing anything negative or foul." Aubrey jumps back in, "maybe you can communicate better, then." Oh. My. Gosh. "I don't have to do that," Diddy says. "That's what I want to let you know. You have to deal with the reality of where you're at. You're not dealing with that reality." This is polite way of saying: "Aubrey, you are a solo member of a 5 person act signed to my label, of which I am the CEO. I do not have to call you to let you know who is working on my solo album or to comment on random rumors."
Aubrey starts to interrupt again, "So, just no communication then." But, Diddy continues, "I'm the Chairman of Bad Boy. I don't have to call Aubrey to tell her anything." She says that she doesn't want him to call her, just to have communication between Danity Kane and their label. "There's certain things, if I'm doing it for a reason, just for press wise, not to know what I'm doing with my album, I don't have to communicate it to you."
Aubrey: "But, if there's plans to take a member and do a solo album, when we're sitting here working on the group and you want us to sit and trust, then we'll just never know when you're gonna make a move. That's what we have to do. I'm just asking."
Diddy: "You don't have to. That's the beauty about America. You can leave. I don't have no shackles on you. Look, I don't have no shackles on nobody - you can leave. If you don't like the way I do business, you can leave. But, it wasn't even that deep, you're making it that deep."
Aubrey: "I'm not making anything, anything."
Diddy: "You are."
Aubrey: "Absolutely not." These last two statements from Aubrey take a bit of a condescending tone.
Diddy: "So, now, let's get to me. The vision that I had for the group, this ain't the vision that I'm on, you know what I'm saying? I don't work these amount of years to have you talk to me this way. [Referring to Aubrey, who begins to say "I'm not meaning to disrespect you."]. So, I don't want you in the group no more. That's where I'm at with it, alright? Because I don't even want to have this conversation. And anybody else that wanna go with her can go with her."
Next week, on the season finale: the meeting is still going on. "She's not gonna be in Danity Kane. There's nothing else to talk about. Would you like to go with her?" This appears to be referring to Shannon. He then tells Aundrea that she wanted to get out of the group, she has a chance right now to leave with her. "There will be a Danity Kane, though," he says. "It's right here," Aundrea says. Diddy closes out the preview with, "It ain't there no more."
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DK Fan 4 Now wrote:
DK deserves more than a little respect. In this record sales climate, they did the unthinkable with a huge debut for their 2nd album.