What in the Blog?: Likkle Miss presents Looseneck

This article was written by Danielle

Urbane Perspective Magazine: Can you please tell us about your background , when and why you decided to start www.looseneck.com?
Likkle Miss: Brooklyn born, Kingston raised. My mom was smart and made sure I wouldn’t have to go through the stress of getting a visa and green card, but I was raised in Jamaica, that’s where I call Jamaica home, and that’s my heart. I love writing. After college in Jersey, armed with a degree in communications and an internship at MTV I moved to NYC determined to get a job in media. After months and months of endless interviews, it didn’t happen and I was beyond frustrated. I took an administrative job, and one day at my desk, I decided I would shape my own destiny and start my own blogsite. I looked up the domain name looseneck.com and discovered it wasn’t taken so I bought it right then and there. I owned it for months before getting the guts to post anything.

UPM: Explain to the Urbane Perspective audience, what looseneck means.
Likkle Miss: Looseneck was a phrase my friends and I used to describe anything that was out there, crazy or just awesome fun. It really just means “doing you.” Think Kanye and Frankie. Despite what you might think, they just live for them and that kind of attitude has won them legions of fans. People love authenticity.

UPM: What is your style: from writing, to design, to brand?
Likkle Miss: I’m so bad at describing my site, it makes me so uncomfortable, I’m not sure why. I’d say it’s colorful, fun and I think most would say my style is witty and humorous. I know the rules of the english language, like when to use “there” and “their” but incorporate urban lingo as well. I try to tread the line between journalism and blogism (is that a word?)

UPM: What are your plans for expanding the likkle miss brand/ looseneck brand?
Likkle Miss: I’m hoping that the word “looseneck” will become as popular as Paris Hilton’s “That’s hot!” but with greater longevity. As for specifics, I once read a quote that said “keep your revolution quiet” plus I’m always afraid to jinx things. I’ll just say that I’m really excited about some things I have in the works and my fingers are crossed that everything works out.

UPM: What does your day consist of as a blogger?
Likkle Miss: I get 5 hours sleep on a good day. I think of my site as a regular job. I’m up a little after 8 in the morning, and I begin sifting through emails, gathering info and surfing the web for stories and begin to write. I never post videos or music without watching or listening first. I try to make it as personal as possible. This process continues throughout the day until about 4 am when my body gives out.

UPM: How do you see the role of the blogger evolving over the next 5 years?
Likkle Miss: Sadly, the role of the journalist is dying. Blogs have become the new news. As a blogger, I’m ambivalent. It’s great that the world is so inner-connected and people value the opinions of everyday people. On the other hand, it scares me that anyone can just write anything and have people believe it.

Likkle Miss’s Top 3 predictions for celebrities/entertainment for the rest of 2009:

I predict Oprah will shave her head to fit in with the in-crowd

Lil Wayne will impregnate the females in the cast of Gossip Girl

Jon and Kate’s kids will each get a book deal.

UPM: What made you decide to divulge into the word of entertainment & gossip?
Likkle Miss: I’ve always been a pop culture fanatic. I cried when Bea Arthur died and sing along with the contestants on American Idol. I had started writing notes in college on my facebook about shows like Flavor of Love, and people loved them, and would always say “you should write a column.” I started a blog.

UPM: What differentiates yourself from other entertainment websites?
Likkle Miss: LooseNeck is not about gossip per se. I refrain from rumors, and I very rarely post candid shots of celebs. I don’t believe in commenting on the private lives of celebs while they’re shopping for dental floss at the store or conjuring up relationships because two people are spotted grabbing lunch together. I’m not knocking other sites, it’s just not my lane. There’s a little something for everyone on LooseNeck, on any given day you can see posts on Heidi Montag, Lil Kim, Mickey Factz or Coldplay and titles like “Liquid Condoms?!” It’s not a Black, music, hip hop, or pop culture site. It’s an amalgamation of all of the above.

UPM: Why should people pay attention to you and add loosneck.com to their daily must reads?
Likkle Miss: Ummm…because life is better when it’s LooseNeck! Okay, that was a shameless plug, but it’s there to be a breather for the day. I’m not trying to bash celebs, and when I do most of the time I’m kidding. It’s not to be taken so seriously, LooseNeck is about fun. I’m just being honest while infusing a little humor.