Omarion

http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/default.asp. http://www.trendwhorebracelets.com/. References. They introduced the TrendWhore bracelet. In response to this incident, members of several Internet communities (most notably Fark) now jokingly urge other posters to 'pray for Omarion' even in the face of disasters to which he has no connection, such as Hurricane Katrina and the Baghdad bridge stampede. In the fall of 2005, two students from the University of Saskatchewan decided to both comment on the popularity of the bracelets, as well as make a profit. PR NewsWire disputed Omarion and Gilmore's statements, stating that the company "conducts exhaustive background checks to verify the source of the release" and that Omarion's label, T.U.G./Sony paid the fee associated with the release's publication on PRNewsWire. Descriptions of such other bracelets (symbands) can be found here and here.

[3]. The Livestrong Wristbands have inspired numerous other wristbands for charities and various political causes, including wristbands for breast cancer (pink), diabetes (various colors) and epilepsy (half blue, half red). It is worthwhile to note, however, that according to her firm's website, AR PR Marketing handled a release party for Omarion's 2005 release, O, on May 6, 2005. As of May 2005, over 50 million wristbands have been purchased. Gilmore stated that she was not Omarion's publicist, that she had not issued the release, and that she had been misquoted. The bracelets are yellow and made of silicone rubber, with the motto "Live Strong" (rendered on the bracelet as "LIVESTRONG") on them. Omarion shortly thereafter issued a statement denying any connection with AR PR Marketing or Shana Gilmore, saying he was "in no way affiliated with the PR marketing firm mentioned in the piece" and that Gilmore was "not a legitimate representative of the artist, is not known to the artist, and is not acting on the artist's behalf.". By the summer of 2005, the yellow Live Strong wristband had also become extremely popular in other countries, especially Mexico and Canada.

The release and subsequent Reuters article engendered a great deal of fierce criticism aimed towards the singer, given that Omarion had been nowhere near any of the bombing sites, and also given that the release made no mention of the fatalities and injuries actually incurred in the incident. Counterfeit wristbands are also widely available. The following day, on July 8th at 1:30 pm BDT, Reuters ran a story identifying a public relations firm, AR PR Marketing, as the source of the press release, and further identifying Shana Gilmore as his publicist, quoting her as saying, in response to a question as to why anyone would need to pray for Omarion, "He wasn't hurt or anything, but just the fact that he was there and all that." [2]. A rush to purchase the bands resulted in profiteering through such venues as eBay, allegedly angering Armstrong. About eleven hours after the bombings, at 7:34 pm BDT, a press release was issued through PRWireService stating: [1]. Such visibilty may be part of the reason that the bands have attained fashionable status - along with a strong desire to appear sensitive to the problems of others. Omarion was in London to attend the Live 8 show when the London bombings occurred on July 7, 2005. Personalities such as 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, news anchor Katie Couric, actor Matt Damon, and several athletes at the Athens Olympic Games wore the band.

His second was when Omarion Punk'd his close friend, as well as half-brother Marques Houston, to help break up with Omarion's girlfriend because the actress who played her was pregnant. The band became an extremely popular item in the United States by the end of the summer of 2004, first appearing on a majority of the contenders at the 2004 Tour de France. Omarion's first appearance was when he went over a girl's house because she had a mini party, the girl came out with Omarion, and her father came home and got upset with Omarion. Other bracelets for similar purposes, known as awareness bracelets or symbands, have become increasingly popular. Omarion became the second celebrity ever to be on Punk'd more than once (Wilmer Valderrama, Jesse Metcalfe, and Jesse McCartney are the others). Yellow was chosen for its importance in professional cycling, especially as the color of the yellow jersey of the Tour de France. . Individual bands sell for US$1 each.

Omarion went on to start a solo career, and has a solo debut LP, entitled O, that was released through Epic Records on February 22, 2005. The band sells in packs of 10, 100, and 1200 as part of an effort to raise $5 million for the Lance Armstrong Foundation in cooperation with Nike. B2K disbanded in January 2004, right after appearing in the Screen Gems film You Got Served. The band is part of the Wear Yellow Live Strong educational program, intended to support cancer victims and survivors and raise awareness about cancer. Omarion is also the older brother of R&B singer O'Ryan. The Livestrong wristband is a yellow wristband developed by cyclist and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong in the summer of 2004. Marques's mother died when he was young.

Omarion and IMX member Marques Houston are close friends, and in fact can be seen showing off a house they live in together on an episode of the highly popular MTV show, Cribs. He was introduced to Raz-B, J-Boog and Lil' Fizz through Chris Stokes, IMX's manager. Omarion was the last member to join B2K, at age 16. Omarion (born Omari Ishmael Grandberry on November 12, 1984 in Inglewood, California) is an American R&B singer and the former lead singer of boy band B2K.

2005 O #1 US (Gold).