Inspired by Avedon

I visited the Richard Avedon exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts today & I'm totally inspired by his work. The pieces displayed at the DIA give a glimpse into his extensive career as a trendsetting photographer & his commitment to diversity.

His creative passion & technical expertise are clearly evident image after image. The sharpness, composition, & lighting on each photo was just breath taking.

I will definitely need to visit again, just to be sure that I didn’t miss anything.

Many of my favorite images featured Dovima, Veruschka, China Machado, & Donyale Luna.

Speaking of Danyale Luna; last week, I heard an interesting segment on WDET’s “Detroit Today,” which discussed the Detroit's life & career. Totally worth checking out. Fast forward to 34:32

Also, check out Afrobella's post on Donyale. This is where I was 1st introduced to the Black Super Model.

Photo Above:
Model: Donyale Luna
Photographer: Richard Avedon
Dress: Paco Rabanne

@ The Movies: Good Hair

I finally had my turn to see one of the most anticipated Black films this year today: “Good Hair.”

Although I was very excited to see this film, I walked in with an open mind & no real expectations. With that said, I really enjoyed the film as a good piece of edutainment. Actually at one point, it seemed to turn into a mocumentary.

Upon leaving the theater, I posted this on Facebook:

“"Good Hair" was entertaining. Was it deep? No! Will it spark good debates? Not really! Will Black men & women ever abandon their lust for white beauty euphoria? Hell no! But.... I think Rock did a good job though providing good edutainment.”

A couple things that freaked me out in the film were learning about how Indian hair is actually obtained (very disturbing), Derek J’s 4” boots, hearing stories of 2 & 3 year old children getting their hair permed.

Driving home, I figured out that I know entirely too much about Black women’s hair. I actually wish I could un-learn/undo/un-see some of my knowledge & experiences. Call it a cornrow, fried dyed & laid to the side hot mess overload of mass proportions.

If you’ve been reading me for a while or seen my posts on other blogs, you know that I’m always willing to start or jump into a fight/heated discussion on natural vs. chemically/heat processed hair. Well as of lately, I’ve thrown up my hands in this never-ending battle.

I’m married & my woman has “good” Mulatto hair (yes, I did say it! Who gone check me boo?) so I don’t have to worry about weaves, perms, hot combs, running my fingers through her hair without running across a track, snagging a hang nail or getting a ring caught. My daughters rock natural looks & gave up fighting with me on straight looks. It’s a win all the way around for me (for now anyway).

I cannot care or put energy into what other people do with their mops. I’m not fucking them or paying for anything so what difference does my opinion make.

If you want locks; great! If you want to rock a kinky look; great! If you want a perm all down your back; great! If you want to pay hundreds of dollars for hair that an Indian woman shaved off to sacrifice in the name of her religion or had stolen as she slept; great! If you’re dumb enough to think that pressed hair makes you natural: great! Gotta put your hair in the lay-a-way; great! You do you boo!

Wait, let me get back to the movie! Overall, this movie is totally worth seeing even if on a bootleg from the DVD man that visits your salon or barbershop.

So tell me, have you seen it? What are your thoughts? Talk to me!

Photo Above:
Me @ The Detroit Institute of Arts
Taken summer 1992
Hair Styled by Curtis Griffin
Photog: Unknown :(

Mexican Coke: It's The Real Thing

Last week, I visited the locally celebrated Eve restaurant who was serving up some delicious Cuban themed culinary delights as a preview to Eve Aronoff’s anticipated Frita Batido restaurant.

If you’re a “Top Chef” fan, you may remember Eve as one of the earlier contestants.

While at the restaurant, I helped out my boy Antonio “Shades” Agee display his art work (actually I was a lame helper, but help nonetheless.) & I wound up getting addicted to Mexican Coke, thanks to Eve who told me were the local supply could be found.

And so that you know, I’m not talking about the Coke you snort. I’m talking about that delicious dark caramel carbonated beverage that we all love to mix with spiced rum.

For those of you who are not in the know, the difference between Mexican & US Coke versions is that Mexican Coke is sweetener & way more delicious! Mexican Coke is made with pure cane sugar, while US Coke is made with high fructose corn syrup. US Coke bottlers switched to HFCS in 1985 as a cost saving measure because cane sugar was more expensive.

When I got home, later in the evening, I Googled Mexican Coke & was surprised to find so many articles related to it & how it’s something that people actually look for because it’s so much better than the US version.

I really tripped out when I found articles that told of US Coke bottlers trying to stop the import of Mexican Coke. Ultimately, they were unsuccessful.

Mexican Coke basically, can be found in most Mexican markets or other small world markets that cater to immigrant folk like ZZ’s market in Ann Arbor, MI.

If you get the chance to try Mexican Coke, you will taste the difference immediately! It’s so sweet & delicious & surprisingly even good without spiced rum.

As a side note, Suite Suzy noticed that the Kroger grocery store now has Mexican Coke for $1.79 a bottle. Hmmmm, I think I will just get it at ZZ’s when I need it. I like supporting the independent markets vs. corps whenever possible.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Update:
Today, I got a call to tune into NPR & to listen to a discussion on the article recently published in the New York Times on this interesting debate. It's so crazy to see that I'm ttally not alone in my love for Mexican Coke. And yes, I'm now one of 11,000+ fans on Facebook.

Black is Beautiful

Last month after having a phenomenal brunch @ Melba’s in Harlem with phenomenal friends, I ventured to 125th to stock up natural black soap (my secret ingredient).

During my stroll, I got a delicious cherry ice, did some great people watching & stumbled upon the Studio Museum.

Before actually getting to the museum, I spotted a huge Negrofied US flag. Yes Negrofied! It was red, black & green. The colors of Black liberation! At first, I was like wow; they have balls. I then said, well, we are in Harlem.

Once I got to where the flag was hanging, I noticed that I was in front of a museum; the Studio Museum.

In front of the museum was a store with lots of little items that made me curious; like the mug pictured above. After I ventured in, I was surprised & almost ashamed to learn that the museum has been in existence since 1968.

The funny thing is, I’ve passed this spot 3 times in the last year & never noticed it. Like walked right past it. I guess you can call it tunnel vision. So funny how national jewels, Black jewels easily go unnoticed.

Unfortunately, I did not have time to explore the museum but I did buy this must have mug. On my next NYC trip, visiting Studio Museum will be high on my priority list.

Have you visited the Studio Museum? What are your thoughts on its content and or history?

Museum History:
The Studio Museum in Harlem is an American contemporary art museum in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, New York. It was founded in 1968 as the first such museum in the U.S. devoted in the art of African-Americans, specializing in 19th and 20th century work as well work of artists of African descent. It is located on 125th Street, between Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. and Lenox Avenue. The scope of the Studio Museum includes exhibitions, Artists-in-Residence program, education and public programming, a permanent collection, and archival and research facilities.

Since opening in a rented loft at Fifth Avenue and 125th Street in 1968, the Studio Museum has earned recognition for its catalytic role in promoting the works of artists of African descent. The Museum's Artists-in-Residence program has supported over ninety graduates who have gone on to highly regarded careers. A wide variety of education and public programs have brought the African-American experience alive for the public by means of lectures, dialogues, panel discussions and performances, as well as interpretive programs, both on- and off-site, for students and teachers. The exhibitions program has also expanded the scope of art historical literature through the production of scholarly catalogues, brochures and pamphlets. (Source: Wikipedia)

BTW, have a look at my latest NYC photo journal here.

Who Gone Check Me Boo

I’m not ashamed to admit that the entertainment highlight of my week last week was the season 2 1st episode of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Hey we all have our vices, so don’t judge me.

The show was pretty much drama free & somewhat boring until those last 10 minutes of the show when broke ass stringy haired Sheree jumped off with Atlanta “TOP LEVEL EXECUTIVE” party planner Anthony.

I mean, this scene fucking came out of nowhere & set the Negro world of Twitter on fire (I’m always in Twitter). I wont go into the details of the fight because I’m sure that you’ve seen it already. I will however tell you my favorite quips from the battle of the DIVAs:

- I’m a top level executive & I expect you to respect my time
- Google my name & do my resume?
- Who you gone check boo?
- You OK???
- I eat bitches like you every day!
- Eat me baby!
- Yo momma is a broke bitch!

This damn fight happened so fast & I was so shocked that I had to watch that shit 3 times before I went to bed & each time was funnier than the 1st.

With that said, I have been using quotes from the fight ever since, especially “who gone check me boo.” The way Sheree said that shit & the look on both of their faces was fucking classic!

I’ve also been running “Google my name & do my resume” into the ground. So much so that I received threats if I don’t stop saying these lines. I won’t name names but she reads a lot & lives in ATL.

So now that I’m totally hooked on this season, I’m dying to see what happens tonight!

Before I part this bitch, you must check this out! Its taking the “who you gone check boo?” line to a whole new level!



My name is Tafari & I love some hot mess!

Michael Jackson: I Remember The Time

Since we got the news well over a week ago, I have submerged myself into a Michael Jackson/The Jacksons/Jackson 5 musical coma while fighting back my emotions.

On the day the world stood still, I had a hard time keeping myself together but I managed. I tried to focus on all of what Michael represented. I thought about how my aunt gave me the “Bad” LP for my birthday when I turned 14. I thought about how I love to work out to “I Can't Help It” & how I sing aloud without a care in the world.

Like millions of others in the world, I did not know Michael but I feel like did. Maybe its because he was a part of my life musically since I was a baby.

Shit I remember my momma having the “Off The Wall” & “Thriller” albums displayed on our living room wall, along side some of her other favorites of that time.

I remember so much & I only have good memories.

I remember teasing after the "Pepsi commercial" when I was in elementary school.

“Michael Jackson went to town thinking he was pony down. Pepsi Cola burnt him up, now he’s drinking 7-Up. 7-Up had no caffeine, now he’s singing Billie Jean.”

Who made that shit up & why was it so funny back then? We may never know.

So anyway, last week, while on vacation in NYC, I made it a point to visit Harlem so that I could experience 1st hand the frenzy of love circling the Apollo Theater.

When I walked upon the theater, it was hard not to get emotional. I almost had to detach myself from my personal being to work as a photojournalist. It was not an easy task as I’m a very emotional person anyway.

I can only imagine what Harlem will be like today (July 07, 2009).

So, it's the day that I never thought would come but here it is & I guess finally considering all of the drama being reported out. I mean, Michael converted to Islam months ago & here he is still above ground. I feel that he has been totally disrespected in so many ways.

Will his soul ever be able to rest?

I’ll miss Michael but from the looks of things, he will continue to grace us with music for a long time to come. I’ll be there for every release. I am a fan & I’m not afraid to say that I LOVE Michael Jackson, no matter what.

To see other images that I captured at the Michael Jackson Tribute Memorial at the Apollo Theater, click here.

140 Characters @ A Time: Michael Jackson

Yesterday on the drive home I was listening to “All Things Considered” on NPR like I do most days. If you are a NPR listener, you know all about “driveway moments," so lets just say that I had the worst driveway moment ever.

My driveway moment started after anchor Robert Siegal, in haste noted that singer Michael Jackson was rushed to the hospital after being found unconscious from possible cardiac arrest.

As I sat in my car, I screamed nooooooooooooo! I knew that he had died. I felt it! Not only that, after a cardiac arrest, survivability chances are very slim to none.

With that on my mind, I continued to sit in my car dumbfounded & lost. It took me almost an hour to make it into the house. I felt like I just couldn’t move at all.

Once I collected myself a little, I took to Twitter for more info & to share my thoughts.

When I started to share my thoughts & collect information, the rest of the world must have also done the same thing because Twitter was hardly moving.

Here are some of my tweets from the time that I got the news till the time I was finally able to go to sleep.

• OMG, is Michael Jackson gone?
  
• Please don't tell me I need to pull out my pleather Thriller Jacket. Please......
  
• In my best Florida Evans voice "Damn! Damn! Damn!" I don't care what they have said, I loved MJ, well B4 alleged molestations & whitening.
  
• Mom just called & told me Michael Jackson was dead & she said & Farah too. I said fuck Farah. MJs death trumps all. This is major!
  
• I lost my virginity on a red velvet couch listening to the "Off The Wall" album. #michaeljackson
  
• [Updated at 3:15] Pop star Michael Jackson was pronounced dead by doctors this afternoon after arriving at a hospital... LA Times.
  
• Michael Jackson’s death is crippling Twitter. Could Twitter be the unheard of 4th death this week?
  
• My 10 year old just asked me what Michael Jackson’s last words were. Kids think of everything.
  
• People talked a lot of shit about MJ, but I'll tell you what, the world is mourning this man. The fucking world! #bitchesalwaystalkshit
  
• Am I the only one fighting back a teary breakdown? I'm a mess right now!
  
• When I was a kid, I asked my mom if MJ used the bathroom. She said of course, he's human like you & me. I thought he was so much more.
  
• Tired of how the news is talking about all of MJs legal issues. How about we focus on what he meant to ppl & not scandal. #dissedevenindeath
  
• If I had a bedazzler, I would be making me a MJ glove like right now.
  
• Taking a break from my MJ death watch. Great news! Getty Images wants 10 more of my photos. Got my Kool Aid on boo! #imgoodatwhatidobitch
  
• Typing a blog post & listening to "Liberian Girl." Naku penda piya-naku taka Piya-mpenziwe. #michaeljackson
  
• Bout to call it a night, but before I do, I have to listen to "I Cant Help It." My favorite Michael Jackson song.
  
• "I cant help it if I wanted to I wouldn't help it even if I could I cant help it if I wanted to I wouldn't help it no no no." I wont cry. #liar
  
• If I had a Wave Nouveau, I would comb the shit out of my baby hair tomorrow & stunt on them hoes in the board meeting.
  

To get a clue as to how popular this unfortunate this story is in terms of Twitter & the internet, read this. It will also clue you into the relevance of the image above if you are not familiar with Twitter & a little more.

For The Love of The Earth

Yesterday for Earth Day, I decided to take a hoe bath instead of a shower. I may have saved 18 gallons of water but my balls were musty most of the day. It so was not worth it!

Tuesday night, one of my Twitter friends asked me what I was going to do to celebrate Earth Day. I told him that I was pouring the paint in my garage down the rain drain in front of my house & that I was going to burn some tires in my back yard.

He then asked me how was this helping the environment. I told him that it was helping the environment in my garage by clearing it out & will keep my wife from hounding me to get rid of the items. A win-win in my book.

Of course I was just kidding.

On a real note, my family does its part for the environment. We recycle weekly, conserve on lights & gas usage, I down sized my SVU for a small car & We shop at Whole Foods (which really means nothing); blah blah blah

If you are a Negro on the fence about what the environment means to you & how it affects you, check out this great discussion that I heard on NPR’s “Tell Me More” program.

To return back to my original sarcastic tone, did you know that today (April 23rd) is “Fuck The Earth Day?” You have to see this great promo video!

And lastly, does anyone really think that the earth gives a fuck about the 12% of her inhabitants giving her love on one special day or on hour during "Earth Hour." Why can't we all be conscious all the time?

I Wear Tight Pants

I think that this is my official new theme song!

A Few Questions

Why come I can’t wait to see my sister’s newest son Asar Nasir? He was born 440am this morning; 7lbs 12.8oz 19". Her current vagina status is busted & stitched up like a circumcised Nigerian girl.

Why come all of Jonny Depp’s movies are the shit? I just watched the “9th Gate”.

Why come I’m addicted to Twitter. It’s really affecting my blogging?

Why come I’m happy as hell that I passed my last accounting test with an 80% & quiz with a 100%. One more test & 2 more quizzes & I am out that bitch?

Why come I’m geeked that I sold a piece of art at the American Society of Media Photographers “object Art show” benefiting AIDS last Friday? The theme was apples & I sold “A Stranger’s Apple"

Why come my Obama love fest is so over but his campaign keeps emailing me for donations?

Why come CNN is all over Sarah Palin like white on rice asking that Bitch if she is gonna run in 2012. She needs to do a whole lot of reading before we can ask her shit like that.

Why come 70% of voting Negroes in CA voted against Prop 8? And how did the Mormons get so rich to come up with 20 something million to support the ban on gay marriage?

Why come radio host Joe Madison is the shit?

Why come Beyonce wants to portray Wonder Woman on the silver screen? Am I the only person in the world that thinks she should be limited to starring in her own videos?

Why come I can’t stop listening to George Dukes “I want You For Myself”? Disco Jazz is a genre that needs a comeback!

Why come I recently saw a friend’s husband out with another woman the other night & he totally looked busted? And why come I feel like I cannot say shit about it to my friend although she knows that I know that he’s hoeish anyway?

Why come Negroes @ the gym be working out with doo rags & headscarves on? Why not sacrifice your waves & perms so that you do not look ghetto as hell in front of mixed company?

Why come the staff at my senators office acted clueless today when I called to get tickets to the inauguration. I am officially on the waiting list in 4 congressional offices and yes I even called Kwame’s wig wearing momma for some tix.

Why come in 1½ hours, I will be watching the early release of "Quantum of Solace". Not gettin my usual large mixed icee & medium popcorn though. We I might get the icee.

Wazzzzzzzzzz Up!

I spotted this on the "Two Buppie Chicks" blog last week. Yes, I am way late but I wanted to share it here. If you are old as me, you will remeber these guys from a few years ago.

@ The Movies: The Secret Life of Bees

Last Sunday, my mother celebrated her 55th birthday. Like the bad son that I am, I failed to get a card, send flowers or chocolates but I did call to wish her a happy birthday & invited her on a mother son date for the following Saturday (yesterday). She gladly accepted & I suggested a movie & dinner. After she accepted, she said that she wanted to see “The Secret Life of Bees” & loudly exclaimed that she wanted some ribs from Famous Dave’s. With all that said, the date was set in stone.

So today, I called mamma to let her know what time I was picking her up & she sounded happier that a schoolgirl during our brief convo.

It’s now 3:25 & I am knocking on mamma’s door, she steps out looking sugar sharp, with her new wig on topped with a purple beret that matched her jacket, tight dark jeans & shiny new boots. I teased her & said she looked like she was trying to get chose at the movies & we both laughed. Her old has piece of shit husband, did not find it funny but oh well.

Twenty minutes later, we roll up to the theater, purchased our tickets, then got in line at the concessions stand. Before we got to the cashier, mamma asked if I liked butter on my popcorn; I told her yes, but not too much. After I paid for our snacks, the cashier handed us the icees & medium popcorn & mamma was like, I will put the butter on & I was like ok. Well after I saw what she did, it was not ok. She basically gave the popcorn a butter bath & the bag was so damn greasy, all I could do was laugh. I told her that she had to hold that sack of cholesterol flavored popcorn. Funny thing is, it was good as hell & I winded up holding the bag because she did not want to mess up her jeans. LOL!!!!!

Anyway, let me talk about the movie. I can sum it all up in a few words; “The Secret Life of Bees” is THE must see movie this year!!!

I did not read the book (are you surprised by that???) & I really did not know what it was going to be about so it was all new to me. Comparing it to other movies, It was a mix of the “The Color Purple”, “Beloved”, “the Joy Luck Club” & “Mississippi Burning”.

The story, although a cliché by many standards, offered something fresh to movies that involve racism, sisterhood & love. The relationships in the movie were not complicated but at the same time, they were very complicated & dangerous even.

One thing that I found really interesting about the movie is the timing of its release in terms of the presidential election & how Jennifer Hudson’s character “Rosaleen”/”July” was so proud to register to vote after the passing of the Civil Rights Act. Also seeing how proud Alicia Keys’ character “June” was a strong proud NAACP volunteer (who also looked good as hell in that tight t-shirt & short afro) in the dirty south was inspiring.

It would be really interesting to see what Southern Black & white moviegoers think of the underlying theme of the movies.

Without saying much else, I liked it so much, Suite Suzy & I are planning on seeing it together this week.

If you saw it this weekend:
- Didn’t Queen Latifah play that role to the fullest? I don’t think another could have played it any better.
- Didn’t you want to jump through the screen when “Zach” got snatched out of the theater? In my mind, all I thought about was Emmett Till.
- Wasn’t “June” the ultimate love hater?
- Didn’t “May” make you wish you had your own wailing wall?
- Wasn’t “T. Ray” just like “Mister” from the “Color Purple” but just white and with fewer children?
- Have you ever seen peaches that look that good in real life? I do not like peaches but I would eat one of those?
- Don't you just love cultured Negro women?
- Didn,t the relationship between “Rosaleen”/”July” & Lily reminded you of the relationship that of Sethe & Amy sharded in Beloved?
-Doesn't Dakota Fanning always play the perfect little white child.

I am not expecting answers & this is not a quiz, I'm just saying.

On another movie note, I have seen a few other flicks recently starring Negroes that I also think are worth checking out.

“The Family That Preys” – I know this flick got a lot of backlash & hate, but I truly liked it & appreciated the disjointed stories & TV lengthy soap opera appeal. I give the movie a strong DVD recommendation or wait for a good Sunday to see it at the dollar show.

“Lakeview Terrace” – A must see, especially if you like to see Samuel L. Jackson. I mean like crazier than he was in “Pulp Fiction” when he had that “Tasty Burger” at the apartment. This movie flick will also be added to the DVD collection.

“Miracle At St. Anna” – Not necessarily a must see, but I loved it & it will be making the DVD collection! “Miracle At St. Anna” also made it to the list of movies that made me cry. The last movie to make that list was “Antwone Fisher”. So sad that most movie critics trashed this movie. Perhaps they were not ready to hear about a WWII story from a Black perspective. I’m just saying,

Debatable

Last night, I left class early so that I could catch the elimination round on America’s Next Top Model only to find out that they were not showing a new episode this week. That kinda made me made.

So since I had an extra 15 minutes of TV time, I decided to hit CNN to catch their pre debate coverage as I debated on if I was going to watch the debate or the season finale of Project Runway.

Well I decided to watch the debate instead & I made the wrong decision! After I caught the rerun of Project Runway, it was clear that it was so much more entertaining than the presidential debate. I was disappointed that Korto did not win but I was very happy for Leanne. Both ladies were my favorite personalities throughout the competition.

Anyway, here are my comments/thoughts, & questions on the final debate.

• The word "fundamental" was said four times.
• The word "angry" was said five times.
• The "maverick" was never said.
• The name "Joe the Plumber" was said 26 time.
  
• The words "shut the fuck up bitch" should have been used at least six times.
  

- on the Mummy's opening: Fuck Nancy Reagan; plus I thought she was dead anyway. I guess it was her senile husband I was thinking of.

- Being compared to a racist must really hurts John McCain feelings but if his actions/inactions lend to the argument, why argue because it is what it is! And I’m so confused as to why The Mummy expects Barack to repudiate John Lewis’ call out. I am happy that Barack did bitch up on the subject.

And John McCain keeps saying that people at Barack’s rallies shout things similar to terrorist, kill him etc directed toward McCain, which is striking me as another one of his lies. And if it is true, why has it not been covered in the media? Could it be that it is only in The Mummy’s mind???

“I do not regret what I said…” “…Maybe it could have been said in a different way, because it was not suggesting that John McCain or Sarah Palin was closely related any way to the actions of Governor Wallace.”

“It was all about what I call toxic speech — statements an audience that can unleash bitterness and hatred. And I don’t need anyone to lecture me about my feelings, or what I have observed for more than 50 years.” U.S. Rep. John Lewis 10/15/2008

- Fuck Joe the plumber, he’s voting for McCain anyway. He obviously does not have his finances together to start his own business. As a plumber he should have been making big bank, which could have been used to start that business years ago,

I can see now that “Joe the plumber” being used in the next few election cycles. It will be yet another description for white male voters.

- Why come McCain had not flag pen & Barack did? Someone please tell me!!!

- John McCain, mainstream America likes abortion & it is obvious. How many people do you know that went down to the clinic??? Personally, I am against abortion but to me it is a women’s rights issue & they need to be able to choose what’s best. The argument gets a little sticky when the father is not part of the decision though.

McCain stated that he supports adoption and wants to make it easier. Will he allow gays more options to adopt the unaborted babies that he loves so damn much…

My final assessment on the abortion discussion is that John McCain is no friend to the uterus. If you are a woman & do not want a government run reproductive system, the choice for president is clear.

Tafari factoid: One of my favorite movies on the subject of abortion is “Citizen Ruth”. If you have not seen it, please check it out, it is funny as hell & it proves that Jesus freaks are for hell.

- I am happy that Barack put aside any doubt on whom he associates with & got excited when he flipped it on The Mummy in terms of who IS influencing him.

As far as the ACORN issue, I think he go caught out there. According to CNN.com’s fact check, Obama's legal work was his only professional tie to the group, but he also spoke at volunteer training sessions and his campaign had a contract with a group that worked with ACORN. And this is not including the 800k that his campaign handed ACORN. I wonder how this will play out

Overall, this was the best debate of the three & I have to hand it to McCain for bringing his A game for at least the beginning. He later lost any cool he had & converted right back to an angry white man with bad teeth.

Barack again was poised, descriptive in his vision, on message & speaking to the topics that mattered to people in my socioeconomic demographic.

In nineteen more days, the real drama will begin!

A Few Questions

It's been a minute but I am back in the house with shit that I must know.  Talk to me people!

• Why come John McCain’s townhall meetings/rallies seem like KKK planning meetings short of a burning cross? They have been off the hook & I was floored yesterday when I saw that Black man about to explode with disgust for Obama (don’t you just love a passionate token).
• Why come no one knows what that big jowly ass growth on John McCain’s face is. That shit looks so nasty, coupled with those yellow barracuda teeth he is a hot busted mess by the head.
• Why come I am so geeked that I currently have an A in my accounting class? If I keep my shit together, things will be looking good at the end of the semester.
• Why come, I am made as hell because I “lost” two of my most recent “Photoshop User” magazines?
• Why come I just got my renewed passport in the mail today & so turned off by my photo. It is almost as bad as my last one.
• Why come Luther Vandross’s song “Don't Want To Be A Fool” is like one of the best songs ever? I am actually listening to it as I type this why come. I will never forget when he performed it at the 1992 Grammys. He was skinny then & sharp as hell with some shiny blazer on, the s-curl was tight & extra wet looking, then he had sexy Lisa Fischer on background vocals with some other chick. I recalled shouting to the TV, “hurt Lutha! hurt em’!” BTW, Whatever happened to Lisa Fischer???
• Why come Negroes love them some pimps but hates hoes? You cannot have one without the other right?
• Why come I plan on going to see “Saw V” and any other cheesy scary B movie that drops this month?
• Why come I have not been to the gym since June & I feel like my man tits are bigger than ever?
• Why come I hate R Kelly like I hate vomit coming out of my nose but refuse to delete any of his music that came out before “Step In The Name of Love”? I just don’t think I can have a world where “Half On A Baby” was not in my music library. Anything (well most) released after he got brought up on charges makes me think pedophile.
• Why come this fool emailed me asking if they can use a photo of one of my children for a book for free? I was like no; you can get a license for use for 175.00 & she said hell no. I was like why come you think you can get paid using my shit & that would be ok with me?
• Why come I went for an eye exam today, had minor vision changes & had to drop 287 goddam dollars for new lenses? I told Suite Suzy how much they cost & she almost slapped the taste out of my mouth. She said I should have shopped around. Now I am looking like boo boo the broke fool.
• Why come Forrest Whitaker has a damn Oscar but some bitch ass white Hollywood elite thinks he is too ugly & unbankable to star as part of an ensemble cast in “Winged Creatures”. Yeah, we all know that Forrest is ugly as hell and brings memories of the “Gooch” but he is bad as hell at what he does. I don’t’ care how he looks I will see him in anything because he’s a master at his craft.
• Why come, I have not done one of these posts in weeks but really wanted to?
  

A Few Questions

You know I had a pretty good week that has been somewhat drama free but as usual my mind is spinning from shit going on in the world.

• Why come I been jamming to Chico DeBarge’s “Long Time No See” CD all week? "Virgin" is the ishnit!!!
• Why come the price of crude oil been down all week but the price at the pump has been stagnant?
• Why come one of my friends from middle school saw me at a party this week & asked me to buy him a beer? Ummm, no!
• Why come John McCain is showing signs of senility but no one is covering it? Shit, if you cannot remember how many fucking, how are you going to remember how many any damn thing?
• Why come I bought this damn 3 dollar apple cinnamon granola & it don’t taste like shit?
• Why come women lose their damn minds during that “time of the month”?
• Why come the “Ralph Lauren Olympic Games Big Pony Polo” is 125 damn dollars & I want it so bad?
• Why come I sat up until 230am Tuesday night watching fucking table tennis and was all in.
• Why come most Olympians seem so bitter when they fail to get a gold medal? And what about showing good sportsmanship on the world’s stage?
• Why come, I just decided to text “VP” to 62262 & I hate text messaging?
• Why come I am planning on wearing all my white summer fits next week before it’s too late?
• Why come Xtube.com is so much better than Youtube.com?
• Why come I can’t find a local class on food styling or table decoration?
• Why come white people are labeled as racist when they say that they are not voting for Barack because he is Black but when Black people say that they are voting for him because he is Black, they are not considered racist?
• Why come I have a free movie ticket that I’m pressed to use but nothing looks good? Suggestions???

A Few Questions

This my 3rd week of "a few questions" & it is quite fun writing down these why comes. Sometimes I have the answers & most times I have no fucking clue. Talk to me

• Why come people be contacting me asking if they can use my photos to print in a magazine but they don’t want to pay me?
• Why come I am so geeked to see Madonna @ her Detroit show this fall yet have no tickets. And don’t ask, yeah, I wanna see Madonna!
• Why come I got my prints yesterday for the art show @ the end of the month & now feel like I can sale my shit for real?
• Why come my kids act like they like to get their asses beat?
• Why come I cannot wait to be in Detroit all weekend hanging out at the African World Festival this weekend.
• Why come Janet Jackson can’t sing a lick but I am so loving her song “Can’t b Good”
• Why come I have not shaved in a month & look like a hot damn mess by the face. I think I have the nappiest face in Michigan.
• Why come I’m a little Obama’d out?
• Why come my sister asked me to go to lunch tomorrow but asked me to pay for her meal & later called me back & asked me how she should get her hair braided? Ummmm, I though you was broke nigga???
• Why come NPR’s “News & Notes” program cannot keep their podcast updated & why come they seem to be on the only NPR program that I subscribe to that is not on point?
• Why come 2008 Beijing Olympic opening ceremony is faker than Latoya Jackson’s face?
• Why come the smell of burnt microwave popcorn lingers for hours?
• Why come when I say hello/good morning/hi to people as I pass by, they look like me like I am crazy for speaking?
• Why come I cleaned my desk last week & it is fucked up already?
• Why come my local KFC don’t carry no spicy chicken and always out of jalapeño peppers?
  

Don't Want it, Don't Need it!

Why I’m not getting the new iPhone 3g:

• I’m broke
• I would have to sign another 2 year contract
• I would be forced to get the new 3g service plan, which is 10 dollars more & 5 bucks if you want a minimum pf 200 text messages.  So with both, that brings the data package to 35 bucks on top of your minute plan
• The only difference in the new iPhone vs the old is GPS capability & that is not something that I need
• The software upgrade 2.0 is available for my current iPhone so I get some of the same things just maybe slower in terms of using AT&T’s network
• I don’t want to spend another 200 bucks on a disposable item

So for the record, AT&T is a bitch!  Today I spent 10 minutes on the phone with a sales person trying to figure out my bill & minute plan. My minute plan is 59.99 per month for 900 minutes & I had early nights & weekends, which is 8.99 per month (now cancelled).  I also found out that I have like 6000 roll over minutes. The real kicker is that I’m paying over 10 bucks in taxes!!!!!!  I guess I need to start reading my bill. I tried to get a cheaper plan but the next step down was 450 minutes for 39.99 per month, which is not enough because my average over the last 4 months was 407.  Basically I could get ate alive in overage fees & I am not willing to risk that.  So I will continue to get raped by AT&T until this damn contract is up. ………….

I am however, going to get the Mobile Me service offered by Apple.  It looks cool & worth the 100 bucks for convenience. With all this said, I still have the right to back peddle & get the iPhone 3g.

The Search is Over

I finally found the perfect jeans & stocked up with 4 pair.

Since I lost & am losing weight bit by bit, I had to refresh my jeans collection.

I discovered the Levi 569 Loose/Straight fit & hunted like hell at local stores to find a 30 length. The search was rough & I only found one pair.

So today I took the search online & found them at Macy's for 31.99 on sale & purchased 3 pair (different colors). Later I found them online through another retailer 2 bucks cheaper.

The sad thing about my search was that neither Levi store nor their online shop had my size. I guess they think juicy brothas don't shop with them.

-----------------------------------------------------------
Recent Jean Reflections
My last claim for the perfect jean was Old Navy's Boot Cut fit but I guess they are not making them anymore, so I guess the ones I have now are in their last days of me wearing them.

Jeans Before I Turned 22
Back in the day, I would only wear designer jeans & pay all kinds of money but now that I’m no longer a brand whore, I save a lot of money. It's funny how something so simple such as buying jeans can turn into a major ordeal!

- Girbaud jeans Skinny Coybow & Brand X fits used to be my die-hard favorites jeans. I really thought I was sexy in this one pair of Skinny Cowboys, I was about 18 at the time. This girl who kinda looked funny used to tell me that my booty looked cut in them.

- Guess Pascal used to make me feel like I was a sophisticated brotha especially when I wore them with a shirt & tie. Guess no longer makes the Pascal fit & it is such a shame. The shit they put out now is way too flash. Oh wait, I remember when I was in the 10th grade & got me a Guess short overall, which was a ghetto must have.

- I thought I was all that when I got me a Used Jeans. I actually had one used outfit & it was in the lay-a-way for a month in a half. I made payments on it when I got my little Wendy's check. One day I came home from school early & caught my mom in my Used jeans outfit & was pissed off & from that point it was hers. People could not know that my momma & I wore the same damn clothes. Looking back it was really funny because when I walked in the house, she had it on with a pair of high heels with her legs crossed smoking on a Benson & Hedges cigarette.

- Oh & I was really all that when I got me 2 Damaged Jeans outfits as a gift from my mom. I made sure that she did not wear those.

- Jeans I really wanted way back when were some Cross Colors & some Karl Kani's. I was so jealous of many of my friends who had these, including Cousin Dee. Although I made my own money & purchase many of my own clothes, my mom threatened to beat me down if I can in her house with some pimp pants.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Is you got you some blue jean tales???

Music From the Diaspora: Estelle's "Shine" Preview

Friday night, I was lucky enough to cop a ticket to see UK singer Estelle in Detroit. Her two current singles, “Wait a Minute” & “American Boy” get me dancing big time so I was hoping for a lot of fun & boy did I get it (but first I had to plot to get my camera up in that bitch).

So after happy hour at the Centaur with Cousin Dee, we headed for dinner @ Union Street where the food is awesome but the service is horrible.

After a delicious meal, we headed back downtown hoping to miss Estelle's opening act & luckily we did! I will not name any names but her MC/opening act sucks & he happens to be a social acquaintance. He always asks me how I like his work, I'm always like, man it's great. I really wanna tell him to get a full time job & give it up but who am I???

It's now 1030 & Estelle is actually going on & what a relief that was because some of the smaller concerts in Detroit, start late as hell, which is very aggravating. I mean, you say the show starts @ 9 but the main act does not hit the stage until 11 or midnight; WTF!!!

Anyway, Estelle hits the stage & turns it out from start to finish! Her energy level was so hype, that I know I missed some good shots because I was busy shaking my ass. Her band & background singers were icing on the cake. The crowd mos def helped to liven the atmosphere because the house was feeling her & letting her know.

After the set I got to chill with Estelle & crew, which was very nice. She is a grounded, approachable & genuine person. It's so fun talking shit with with people whose art you admire & I talked a lot of shit.

If you have been following her recently, you know her album "Shine" does not drop in 4/29/08 &I will be picking it up vs. iTuning it.

A Little About Estelle:

She may be a born-and-raised West London girl, but we’d venture that 28-year-old Estelle Swaray is right at home in the energy of New York, her newly adopted city. She’s got the self-determination with a bit of swagger. The get-up-and-go hustle. And this is one singer/songwriter/producer/rapper who is not afraid to take risks.

The brief period since moving to NYC from London in May 2007 has been an absolute whirlwind, as Estelle gears up for her re-entry into the musical landscape with Shine, her second album. She’s the first artist to release under John Legend’s new Homeschool label, in partnership with Atlantic Records. It’s her debut on a major label, and an American one at that, but with Homeschool’s philosophy of artist control and good soul music, her affiliation with the label is at the essence of what she’s all about.

Whereas her 2004 debut album, The 18th Day from V2 Records, was totally self-created, Shine marks the first time Estelle has brought other producers and artists into the creative process with her, and she’s excited by the scope of the music that has come out of these collaborations. Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Wyclef Jean, Will.i.am, Mark Ronson and Cee-lo & Jack Splash all lend talents to the album, executive produced by John Legend.

"Her sound is a unique blend of hip hop, pop, reggae and soul,” explains Legend. “She has a special voice, unlike any other voice out there in mainstream music, and she can really write. She writes hip lyrics with unforgettable melodies. I recognized that in her when I first worked with her in 2004." He continues, "I'm excited and honored to have Estelle as the first artist on my label, Homeschool Records. I believe the world is going to fall in love with her album, as I already have. Estelle is an amazing talent, and she's going to do big things." (Read More Here)

-----------------------------------------------------------

Back to Me:

Cousin Dee & I had a great time on our 1st official "cousin date" this year. We joked & wondered how long it would be before we could top the fun we had.

Crank Dat'

I wonder if this was done in the US, would human rights activist be tripping? Whatever the case, the video is off the hook!!!

@ The Movies: Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins

Last night, my boo & I headed out childless for a night @ the movies & whatever else. The choice of what to see was quite easy for me to make since there are not many good movies out, so the plan was set to see “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins”.

I saw the previews of the move about 2 weeks or so ago & thought it would be pretty funny but ghetto or a typical Black comedy film. Well, put it this way; I did not find “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins” to be a typical Negro film that I thought it would be. Are producers finally starting to get it???

The film was straight up quality, funny & the theme was not Negro specific. The only thing negative that I can say about the film & Suite Suzy agreed is that Bianca’s (Joy Bryant) lipstick was horrible. I’m sorry to be so picky but those big brick red lips were just not working. Oh wait; there was Mo’Nique in that tight leopard pussy outfit. Other than that, “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins” is a winner in my book, especially with Darth Vader & Shug Avery as starting cast members!

Did you see it? What are your thoughts?
-----------------------------------------------------------
Advertised Synopsis:

Talk-show sensation RJ Stevens left behind his modest Southern upbringing and family name to transform into a self-help guru dispensing his "Team of Me" philosophy to millions of adoring fans. With a reality-TV-star fiancé and money to burn, there's no piece of the Hollywood dream RJ hasn't achieved. After his parents request that he come home for their 50th wedding anniversary, the TV host packs up his 10-year-old son and diva bride-to-be and heads back to Georgia. It's a chance to prove to his family that he's no longer the awkward kid they relentlessly picked on. At least, that's the plan. But when his crazy, lovable family calls him on his big-city attitude and challenges him at every turn, RJ is forced to take a hard look at the man he's become. He may be a superstar in L.A., but he's just one of the guys in Dry Springs.

Check out the trailer
-----------------------------------------------------------
Side Notes:

- We also saw “Jumper” last night & it was not so good!!! Actually it was quite boring! The only thing really cool about it was that a lot of it was filmed in Ann Arbor & there were familiar places & Suite Suzy’s former high school. Save your money & time by not seeing this flick!!! Sam J, you really let me down but the white hair was a good.

- Why do so many damned Negroes have the last name Jenkins & why do so many of us pronounce it “Jankins”? Was the plantation that damn big??????

- Next up on my movie roster: “Meet the Browns” (Suite Suzy got a free ticket when she purchased "Why Did I Get Married" last week), “The Spiderwick Chronicles”, “Vantage Point”, & “10,000 B.C.”

Yes We Can

I got this via email today from one of my heroes & loved it & thought I would share it. What a great message!!!

Sweet Caroline

I found this video on Racialicious & just about died laughing. So many of the things here seem all too familiar from work & school experiences. Some if not most well meaning nice white folk down for the cause of diversity are very interesting!!!

Do you know, are you or have you been a Caroline? And why are so many damn Negroes named ...Jenkins???

Mixed Reviews @ The Movies

Last Monday instead of going home to deal with the X-mas drama that Suite Suzy had swirling around the house; I opted for the movies, my favorite hideout. I had to choose between "The Golden Compass" or "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" as nothing else appealed to me. I decided on seeing "The Golden Compass" because my inner child forced me to indulge in this movie about fanciful adventure.

In all actuality, I wanted to see this movie for a while & wanted to take my kids but they were not interested. Anyway, cutting to the chase, I really liked this damn movie! It kept me entertained throughout & I think I shouted out with excitement a couple of times (along with others). I did find parts of the movie predictable but that never turned me off because I had to remember the intended audience.

The protagonist Lyra Belacqua, played by Dakota Blue Richards was brilliant, strong & convincing throughout. Usually some of these child actors get on my nerves but she managed to make the cut of those who know what they are doing. The main antagonist Marisa Coulter, played by Nicole Kidman was interesting because NK in real life seems to be a cold person (not that I'd really know) so I'm not sure if this role is a stretch for her.

One thing I think that would have made the movie better would have been blood! There were a couple of scenes that just called for blood to be spilled, but because of the intended audience, they had to keep it family friendly. I am hoping they come out with a directors cut!

When the movie was over, I was like no, don't stop, I need to know what happens from here! So I guess I'm hooked by this good story like most of the other fantasy tales that have made it to the big screen ("Harry Potter", Lord of the Rings, "The Chronicles Narnia" etc). The Golden Compass ended like it will be followed by a sequel, but from what I'm reading online, a sequel may not be happening. Even though the ending was a huge cliffhanger, I walked out feeling good about the 7.50 I spent to be taken to another place.

Thursday of this same week, I had a little time on my hands that I needed to use to decompress & I chose to do it at the movies, of course! "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" was the only option & officially the last movie I will see this year.

I really liked the 1st "National Treasure" movie because it reminded me of a modern "Indiana Jones", with all of the adventure, girl, & the ultimate treasure. Well this new piece of the NT franchise has all of that but it lost so much flavor. I found "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" entertaining but it was far too predictable & it was almost to the point that I was guessing what the characters would say next. In contrast, I was always on my toes with the "Indian Jones" films.

I really don't have much else to say so I will just leave it here & tell you to wait to see this movie on the FX network in a few months.

Childhood Music Rememories

I was over on the Ensayn blog this AM & he had a mini post on 80's sensation, Billy Ocean. When I saw Billy's picture posted, I immediately thought about my baby brother & I jamming to his songs when were we kids. One of our favorite songs was "Loverboy" & I remember how we would go crazy when the video came on "Friday Night Videos" way back when.

My other Billy Ocean jam was "Love Zone"! I remember thinking back then that I would play "Love Zone" when I had sex for the first time way back when. Like a lot of things that I wanted to happen, "Love Zone", never jumped off that one fucked up night. The night I became a man is actually one of my worse memories from the 90's. The chick, looking back was a barracuda, who only used me for nothing more than hot dick & nuts.

It is a good thing that Youtube exists because I just had a vicious bittersweet childhood "rememory."

Good TV Flashback

Erykah Badu's rendition of Diana Ross' "Love Hangover" was the single best thing that aired on BET all year!!!

@ The Movies: I Am Legend

Friday, I cut work a few minutes early so I could catch the 440 IMAX showing of Will Smith’s new movie “I Am Legend.” The little promos that I saw up until the release really had me intrigued about the movie as they did not seem to show anything but a lone Negro with a German Sheppard in NYC after some alien attack or something. So I went into the movie pretty much blind to what it was all about etc. Well I guess I could have read up on it 1st. I know now that this movie has been remade like 4 times.

Before the movie even began, it was off the hook, because they showed the trailer for the new Batman movie. It was a nice long IMAX exclusive preview & when it went off the audience was like damnnnnnnnnn! I cannot wait for it to be released.

Anyway, the move starts & for the 1st 20-30 minutes or so, I'm like what the hell is going on, where is everyone & why is he hunting deer by chasing them in a 2008 Ford Mustang? The later, Robert Neville (Will Smith) started having flashbacks, which started to pull the puzzle pieces together. I don’t want to give too much away but after one hunting trip, the movie flipped the mutha fuckin’ script & the pace was on like a runaway train.

My initial thoughts of an alien attack on NYC were so wrong & it turns out what jumped off was totally the fault of man…

The last few Will Smith movies have been totally wack but he so bounced back with this release & I do not think anyone else could have done a better job. I think he showed tremendous range & flexibility in his skills. Shit, I was even liking the his companion Sam (the German Sheppard) then something jumped off with Sam that would even make Michael Vick cry. Actually what jumped off with made the woman next to me cry, I though it was special. White people know they love them some dogs (me being an ass hole).

The action in this film was so amazing & breathtaking, I need to see it one mo gin’ just to make sure that I did not miss anything.

One thing that I really liked was that Neville actually had a Black wife (fine ass Salli Richardson. I have been wanting her to be my baby’s mama since “Low Down Dirty Shame.”). It seems like successful Black actors get stuck with a white love interest or… Yes, I'm a race watcher!

I know I'm being little schizo with my written thoughts here so just take my word for it & go see the movie for yourself! It was worth every penny of the 10 bucks I paid!

Final note: This movie will really make you think about medical advances & how we are altering things that perhaps should not be fucked with. I was thinking to myself as I walked to my car that maybe mother nature has the master plan & that science needs to take a chill pill & not cure everything. Animals are not intended to live forever, shit we all gotta die at some point.

OK, OK, One more last note: There was a older Black couple that sat in front of me at the movies & the man just kept on talking & commenting during the entire movie. His boo would say things but also but not as much as him. They really got on my damn nerves cause they acted like they had never been to the movies before. If they were not senior to me, I would have said something. I don’t know why in general, we Negroes do not know how to act in the damn movie theater.

Why come we gotta do all that damn talking, narrating & shit while people like me, shut the fuck up, & enjoy the film???

Anyway, while when we were walking out of the theater, I was still kinda mad because of all of their talking & when I looked at them in the face, I thought to myself, that they looked like some catfish sandwich & hot sauce eatin’ niggas & knew no better.

Back to the movie…
-----------------------------------------------------------
Advertised Synopsis:

Robert Neville (Will Smith) is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable...and manmade. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City...and maybe the world. But he is not alone. He is surrounded by “the Infected” - victims of the plague who have mutated into carnivorous beings who can only exist in the dark and who will devour or infect anyone or anything in their path. For three years, Neville has spent his days scavenging for food and supplies and faithfully sending out radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. All the while, the Infected lurk in the shadows, watching Neville’s every move, waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind’s last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But his blood is also what The Infected hunt, and Neville knows he is outnumbered and quickly running out of time.

Check out the trailer

Fin...

Well the semester is finally over & it ended on a high note when I got my research paper back tonight. Last week after I presented my information & turned in he final draft, I was like I better get an A. I worked really hard & I would not feel good with a B. I gotta keep my GPA up so I can get that damn scholarship when I transfer.

So after I got my paper & basked in the glow of my grade, I bounced & headed for the gym. I had to be there by 8pm so that I could catch the finale of “America’s Next Top Model”, while working the elliptical.

It was an intense hour. I think I found out, that I work more effectively while listening to my music vs. watching TV & working out. By the time the show was over, I still felt good about burning 516 calories. I also felt good because Saleisha won cycle 9. I would have also been happy to see Chantal win, as she was another one of my favorites.

Anyway, I weighed myself & I am now down a total 7 lbs! I am pretty excited!!!

Music From the Diaspora: Madlib Shades of Blue

I may be late as hell on this but whatever cuz it’s new to me.

About a month or so ago, I met Asia Zimmerman, another Detroit area media, freelance photographer, & fellow Nikonian. We were both working a shoe designer event midtown Detroit & we talked about how phony & standoffish some photographers are that we run across at other events. We also tripped on how this was really the first time we actually could kick it with a photographer at an event & actually have a little fun talking to someone in the business.

Anyway over the course of the evening we shared a few stories, snapped some photos & swapped cards; you know the usual. So the next day, I pulled out Asia’s card, so that I could check out her website to see what kind of photography she and her husband did & immediately liked the site & their work!

While combing through the site, there was this hot hip-hopish jazzy cut playing but there was no indication of what it was etc. Since I am a music whore, I emailed Asia, to a) let her know that I was happy to run into her, b) compliment her on her work & c) find out whom that music was by.

Later that day, I got a reciprocating email from Asia & she gave me the song info. It turns out the song is “Mystic Bounce”, a remix by Madlib, which is on the “Madlib Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note” album. “Mystic Bounce” is a modern take on Ronnie Foster’s “Mystic Brew” which has more of a jazz lounge feel.

Anyway, so I open iTunes so that I could find this album with the quickness, but was let down fast as it was not on iTunes. I then turned to eMusic, only to find that the album was not there either. The only place I could find the album for sale was on Amazon & it was listed as an import for 22 bucks. Since I am cheap, I said fuck that & decided to just chill until I could find it cheaper.

Weeeeeeell, I never found it cheaper and after searching for 3 weeks back & forth on Amazon etc. I finally got to the point that I did not care & just bit the bullet, paid the damn 22 bucks, & eagerly anticipated the arrival of my cd.

Last week, I watched my mailbox for the CD like a welfare recipient waiting on a check and yesterday it finally arrived!!!

As soon as I got the wrapper off, I popped the CD into my laptop & listened to “Mystic Bounce” first. I actually listened to it like 5 times before I decided to see what the rest of the CD was about. I had no idea that “Mystic Bounce” was the tip of the iceberg.

Shit, I think I got my money’s worth because this CD is bumping start to finish with its hip-hop/jazz/lounge vibe. I think for the next week, I will be on Madlib overload as I plan to heavily rotate this on my iPod.

This CD is a winner start to finish, so if you are as late as me, you should mos def pick this up & discover it for yourself. If you decide to pick it it, you will find a better price than I did. I just checked Amazon & there are tons of CD’s available now from $8.49-12.97. Shit maybe if I waited, I could have saver over to bucks!

Anyway, my standout favorites are:

• Distant Land (Hip-Hop Drum Mix)
  
• Stormy
  
• Step into Tomorrow
  
• Montara
  
• Footprints

Are you a Madlib fan? If so gimme some recommendations of his other work I should check out.

Music from the Diaspora: Red Earth: A Malian Journey

Earlier this month while on a road trip to Detroit to shoot an event, I heard a very fascinating interview with NPR’s Melissa Block & jazz diva Dee Dee Bridgewater on All Things Considered. They were discussing Dee Dee’s latest CD Red Earth: A Malian Journey which is a tribute to her African Roots.

Before the interview even began, I was hooked when I heard a clip of one of her new cuts “Afro Blue” & then I became totally engrossed with every word that Dee Dee spoke as she described her process for developing this new master piece.

One thing from the interview really resonated with me was when Melissa asked Dee Dee if she knew anything about her African heritage before the beginning of her Red Earth project & Dee Dee said “I didn’t know anything. And as a matter of fact, to be perfectly honest, I had grown up with very, very negative impressions of Africa. In, you know, schoolbooks where they would talk about Africa, it was always like the Africans were savages. I had no idea that there were African kingdoms, that there were, you know, these deep, cultural roots, you know, the whole, griot oral historians. You know, I didn’t know this stuff because we weren’t taught that in school.” To that statement, I was like hello!!! I also felt proud because I am teaching my children about the beauty of Africa as I learn myself (it's really up to Black parents to learn & teach our children as much as possible about our own heritage because these white school systems are not down for the cause).

During the interview Dee Dee also talked about how Mali had this draw to her, some type unfamiliar familiarity but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it until she visited Bamako. To hear her describe the experience made me want to touch down on the motherland even more. On her website she says “The calling was so strong, so forceful, that I had to heed its inaudible cry. I took wing, and was guided to the land of my forefathers. The RED EARTH has always spoken to me, from the time of my birth in Memphis, Tennessee.

When I touched the red earth of Bamako, when I inhaled the Malian air, when I heard the tambours, and listened to the griots, I felt my spirit begin to dance.

I saw myself in the people; I saw that our customs were the same. I found the answers to long-standing questions about the ‘how’, the ‘where’, and the ‘why’. I was invigorated and inspired; my soul was filled with an inexplicable peace.”

I could go on & on about how awesome the interview was but I’m not, I beg you to listen to it yourself (here).

One thing that I would have asked Dee Dee would have been if she got a DNA test to confirm her link to Mali. Actually I guess it really does not matter because ignorance is sometimes bliss & adoptive homes are just as welcoming.

Lastly while I am on Dee Dee's jock, I stumbled across an interview that she gave Baltimore Sun reporter Rashod D. Ollison where she said "...With this album, my concern was that my people, our people, would hear it and maybe it would inspire other brothers and sisters to make that connection with Africa. With this record, I've come full circle." To that I say, you have me all in but then again, you are preaching to the choir.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Back to the music.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Since I got the CD, it has been in heavy rotation especially the song “Red Earth (Massane Cisse)”. It has this strong Blues jump off blended with heavy Afro poly-rhythms that just gets my head boppin’. She really has the Griot song style down pat & it shows in this cut I think also hearing her talk about red earth reminds me of playing in the dirt as a child in Alabama & then getting in trouble when I got home because I ruined another Salvation Army outfit.

“The Griots (Sakhodougou)” also has me addicted its words and sound. This cut also drives my imagination wild when I close me eyes & imagine people dancing on the continent when the song hits the orgasmic crescendo. Most of the song is in either the Songhai or Babara language & I have no idea what they are saying but of course I sing along. Good thing music is a universal language!

My last highlighted favorite is “Afro Blue”, where her Griot skills are showcased yet again wonderfully. “Afro Blue” is an up-tempo jazzy cut infused with African percussions that really make this song go over the top. I have also determined that this is a good song to listen to a few times while cleaning the kitchen after dinner.

Other favorites include:

• Bad Spirits (Bani)
• Long Time Ago
• Children Go 'Round
• Four Woman

I’ve always considered Dee Dee to be a very diverse artist but she mos def stepped her game up with something to offer the jazz, blues and Neo Afro rhythms fans on “Red Earth: A Malian Journey.”

If you have this album, I would love to know your thoughts…….. So talk to me…………

Say Cheese on 1 - 2 - 3

A few weeks ago I had a Detroit Fashion Pages photo shoot with Detroit fashion maven Rufus Bartell, the owner of Simply Casual who is also the founder of Detroit Fashion Party Weekend.

Before the photo session jumped off I asked him if he wanted to crack a smile, which is when he informed me that he preferred not to smile in "pictures." Then I said (in my head) "I did not take "pictures", I make photographs cuz I'm a professional." Nevertheless, he never cracked a smile.

Anyway, Wednesday (11-21-07) I ran into Rufus at a party & he thanked me for the photos then complimented me on how they came out, which made me feel pretty good. Although he never smiled, he was mos def a satisfied subject. Who ever said taking portraits was easy was wrong!

If you are interested in knowing more about this Detroit mover & shaker read on....
-----------------------------------------------------------
Celebrate Detroit Style: Rufus Bartell and Fashion Party Weekend
By: Lauren Sackey

Just as the cold winter weather sets in, local retailer and entrepreneur Rufus Bartell’s Fashion Party Weekend heats up Detroit. December 14-16, four lavish events celebrate Detroit’s influence on fashion and showcase the hottest looks our city has to offer.

Growing up in Detroit, Bartell credits his family for instilling in him an appreciation for fashion at a young age. Bartell honed his business and marketing skills at Western Michigan University before launching a highly successful career in the garment industry. A determined entrepreneur, Bartell didn’t allow early setbacks to dispel his dream of creating a fashion empire in Detroit. When his first store in Pontiac did not meet his expectations, he moved back to his hometown and opened Simply Casual. Now in its third location, Simply Casual plays an integral role in attracting shoppers to Detroit’s historic Fashion District.

Bartell describes Simply Casual as a “lifestyle brand,” providing a complete wardrobe that can take the chic, urban professional from the office, to cocktails, to a star-studded event. The store exudes both class and comfort, providing plush velvet couches, chilled drinks, and the latest fashion publications. Its welcoming atmosphere makes Simply Casual both a social, as well as a shopping destination. Bartell plans to open a second store, Shoehouse Boulevard, nearby on Livernois before the holidays.

Believing that “fashion is a celebration,” Bartell held the first Fashion Party in 1999 as a showcase for not only his emerging clothing store, but also other local designers and merchandisers. The show has since grown into Detroit’s premiere three-day fashion event, Fashion Party Weekend. Fashion Party Weekend unites local and national designers, providing extensive networking and advertising opportunities. The events have successfully led to national exposure for many local specialty stores and designers. (read more here)

What Does it Really Mean

I really don't know how to process the findings of this?????????

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

* shit (7x)
* hell (6x)
* ass (5x)
* fuck (4x)
* bitch (3x)
* sex (2x)
* bastard (1x)

Luckily, they did not count hot dick nuts, pussy, titty & cum guzzler.

If you run a blog, click the image to get your rating. I would love to know what you is about.

About Last Night XIII: Urban Organic Music Festival (UPDATED)

Saturday (11/17/07) I was assigned to photograph the 6th Urban Organic Music Festival at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD). When I heard about the event 2 weeks ago I got excited a) because Amp Fiddler was hosting and b) because Roy Ayers was the featured act (one of my favorite jazz musicians).

The Urban Organic Music Festival features great music workshops for those wanting to break into the business, a concert that has an eclectic mix of hot new R&B/Neo-soul (what's really new with soul) acts from across the country and always tops it off with a cherry by having a music heavyweight on the bill like my new friend Roy Ayers. Bottom line is this event is a must do for any serious music fan; it attracted online R&B maven Honey Soul, who I kicked it with briefly.

My evening at the MOCAD started around 8pm and like most events, the coordinators were happy to see me, gave me my press kit and let me in to do my thing.

So now I am up in the spot and the crowd was already thick, luckily I was able to get in some quick photos of many of the artist before they went on (talk about busy!).

As the hours went past and the who's who of Detroit showed up, I grew exhausted longing for a 15-minute nap (I was vending Quench Essentials yesterday in 2 locations from 9am-730pm) but that was not going to happen. Between taking performance photos and kicking it with friends, I got occasional adrenaline rushes that got me to 10pm when Roy Ayers entered the building. Here is shot of Anthony David and it is one of my favorites from the evening.

Now that Roy was in the spot, backstage took on a different tone. Everyone was excited and enjoyed the vibe that this living legend was giving off.

After things slowed down, I was able to kick it one on one with Roy (guess who was ultra excited). This was a moment that I had been hoping for and I had my questions ready to go.

First I asked Roy, what was on his mind when he wrote "Kwajilori" (one of my absolute favorite songs). When I finished asking the questions, he chuckled and said that he did not write it. His bass player at the time wrote the song and when he heard it the 1st time, he knew that it had to be recorded. I told him that Kwajilori also makes me smile and feel good about life and he said that was the point; then we both laughed.

Secondly, I said "Roy, I love "Brand New Feeling because it gets me in the mood", we again both laughed. I then said, excuse my French and no disrespect intended at all but.......... when the vocalist (Merry Clayton) sings, it sounds like she is fucking, she sounds so very sensual: Roy, what was going on during that time. He was like man if you only knew! He said that "she sang like she knew how to do it" and again, more laughing.

Before we parted ways, I let him know one more time how his work influences me and always gets me singing and feeling great. Usually at events I do not get photographs of myself because I trust no one with my camera and last night was no exception. So I was like, Roy, lets take a picture. He was like how, no one is around then I said, I got this and did my thing. He was like, man you are BAD! Minutes later he was on stage.

Although Roy’s set was 4 songs long, it lasted for over an hour and he set it off!!! He started with "We Live in Brooklyn," which sent the large crowd of fans out of control with excitement. He then smoothly transitioned to "Searching" and the crowd started singing. Once he neared the end of “Searching,” he asked the crowd what they wanted to hear then an unanimous thunder of the word SUNSHINE flew back at Roy, seconds later it was on and poppin’. This version of "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" lasted about 30 minutes and included improv duets with most of the artists that performed that evening including Amp Fiddler, Monica Blair, YahZarah aKa Purple St. James, Melissa Young, Alison Crockett, and Profit (a new Detroit based rapper, who really got the crown hype). I mean this performance was an orgasm for the ear!

The evening wrapped with a dance favorite "Runaway". I think most of the crowd including me was up shaking their thang and singing the hook (doo be doo, run, run, run - doo be doo, run, run, run - doo be doo, run, run, run).

After the concert was over, Amp Fiddler announced the after party location and people started to file out. I said fuck that, I need to sit down before I passed the fuck out, eat & take my ass home. I made it home about 2am totally drained of energy but glowing thinking about the time that I spent with one of my idols.

Oh I forgot to mention that Roy asked for my card and I excitedly gave it to him. I hope he hits me up, how cool would that be???

::::::::::::::::::::::UPDATE::::::::::::::::::::::

Yesterday, I was contacted by Drake Phifer, the founder of Urban Organic because he stumbled across this post & loved the photos. We did a little business & he will be forwarding many of my photos to Fusicology & Detroit's Ambassador magazine. Guess whose geeked???

Music from the Diaspora: Panacea

When I blog about music, I prefer to discuss artists who are off the mainstream radar. Basically I pretty much hate most mainstream music as I see it as an insult & diss to my mentality. With this said, I would like to put you up on "Panacea," a pair of hip-hop artists who are off the mainstream music radar.

Panacea (Jason Moore aKa "Raw Poetic" & Kyle Murdock aKa "K-Murdock") hails from DC & their hot newest album is titled "The Scenic Route."

I heard about the release last month (Sept 07) on Giant Step and decided to check them out. Usually I don’t check out hip-hop or rap releases, so I'm happy that I did not follow my normal rule because I found a true hip-hop gem.

After I popped on the Giant Step jukebox & listened to "Flashback To Stardom" (ft Raheem DeVaughn) I was like hell yeah, then I listened to "Pops Said" & was like I am Panacea’s newest biggest fan.

A few minutes later, I downloaded a few cuts from iTunes & put them on heavy rotation (along with Common & Jill Scott). After a week or so, I decided that I actually wanted the entire CD, so I called up my girl Zana @ Spectacles & asked her to order it for me. 3 days later, it was in my hand & it was all good.

You may be asking why I ordered the CD when I could have just downloaded it off iTunes. Well, I ordered the CD because I really want to support these artists & have something tangible to show them support. Also, I believe in supporting quality Black businesses, especially friends whenever possible!

Anyway, "The Scenic Route" is a true hip-hop album full of positive (but not corny) messages, melodic, trippy & rock filled beats. "The Scenic Route" reminds me of underground shit from back in the day, when you could just chill & bounce your head without felling angry or like you needed to fuck a "hoe" or "bitch" after a song went off.

My standout favorites are:

• The Scenic Route
• Flashback To Stardom***
• Pops Said
• Between Earth & Sky***
• Bubble
• Katana
• One Shine

If you are a true hip-hop fan, then you need to add this album to your collection soon.
-----------------------------------------------------------
From their Myspace Page:

Their sound has been described as "A Tribe Called Quest meets Final Fantasy", and some listeners have even made comparisons to The Roots and Outkast. But forget a classification, this is just exceptionally good, unique, and timeless music. Panacea is based out of the Washington DC area where producer K-Murdock, a Maryland native, has provided his fantasy hip-hop soundscapes for soul singers such as Raheem DeVaughn and W. Ellington Felton. Emcee Raw Poetic, a long time resident of Northern Virginia who originally hails from Philadelphia, has been rhyming since the age of 14.

His natural, almost conversational flow and signature storytelling lyrics fit perfectly with K-Murdock's soulful and sometimes spacey compositions. Their obvious chemistry is incredibly rare, and favors such accomplished duos as Gangstarr and Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Whether they're in the studio composing music at a prolific rate comparable to legendary jazz pianist Bob James in the 70s, or on stage performing live backed by Virginia-based progressive hip-hop band RPM (www.rpmband.com), Panacea has all musical bases covered!
-----------------------------------------------------------
Online Reviews:

~ "This is a feel good album – period. That’s about the easiest way I can describe Panacea’s "The Scenic Route." Such a feel good album, in fact, that I threw it in my headphones this morning and decided to take "the scenic route" to work…." (Hip-Hop Linguistics)

~ "If Rawkus is attempting to recapture the spirit of its late-’90s heyday (before a gruesome implosion that expedited hip-hop’s Diddy-fication), it’s got a promising find in D.C.-based Panacea. Emcee Raw Poetic and producer K-Murdock aren’t exactly Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek, but Panacea imbue their sophomore album, The Scenic Route, with an infectious blend of street-corner philosophizing and Native Tongues-inspired charm…." (Tiny Mix Tapes)

~ "...MC Raw Poetic and producer K-Murdock proved what they are capable of in their first release, Ink Is My Drink, delivering a truly unique and cutting edge freshman release. With The Scenic Route, they are breaking the mold. Don’t expect a mere new-and-improved version of Ink Is My Drink this time around. K-Murdock delves into new sonic soundscapes, tapping into influences from early 70’s progressive rock and beyond, while bringing the listener on a rollercoaster ride of tempos, BPMs and overall composition." (Fresh Press Media)

I hope that Panacea blows up but keeps their true hip-hop flow.

A Groupies Proof

Did I already brag that I got Celia & Helene of Les Nubians autograph??? I am such a fucking groupie!

About Last Night XII: Les Nubians

Last night Suite Suzy & I had another hot childless date & boy was it a great outing. It was great because we had tickets to see one of the best Afro-French duos ever; Les Nubians.

Last month when it was announced that Les Nubians were coming to town, I dropped everything to get to the Music Hall’s box office to get us tickets. I mean everything! I have been a fan ever since “Princesses Nubiennes” dropped in 1998. I have all 3 of their albums & listen to them all the time. The funny thing is that I speak no French but sing every word.

So last night, I cut class early turning in my English paper to pick up Suite Suzy so we could hit Twingo’s for dinner before the show.

Dinner was great & we had a wonderful conversation about the separation of Black socioeconomic. We also discussed our childhoods compared to our kids & I think we both learned something new about each other. So after we dined (I had the pork tenderloin topped with cherry cola BBQ sauce, chorizo polenta & maytag blue cheese coleslaw) we hit the road headed for the Detroit Music Hall.

Twenty minutes later, we were in our seats & 10 minutes after that, my girls Helene & Celia hit the stage looking Afro-Sharp!

The set lasted a good 1½ hours & they performed all of my favorite songs (listed in order):

Saravah

J'Veux D'La Musique

Sourire

Embrasse-Moi

Desolee

Insomnie

Tabou

Demain

Makeda

Temperature Rising

Upside Down (cover of Fela Kuti’s hit)

No Regret (unreleased)

After the set was over, I asked their road manager Angela if I could take a picture of them & get an autograph (yes I’m a groupie). She told me to hang around & she would get me hooked up.

Well we hung around & she more that hooked me up, she gave me a very special gift. I was able to go backstage & chill with them. We sat around talking about the state of Black Music with an emphasis on Hip-Hop. The entire conversation was being recorded by a film crew doing a documentary on Hip-Hop & it was tight!

We hung out for about 2 hours & I just felt like I was in heaven. After everything was said & done, I got some awesome photos of the ladies, got my “One Step Forward” album cover autographed & basked in the glow of spending the evening with people who made/makes impact my life artistically.

All the way home, Suite Suzy & I were just in shock of the experience. I mean, I was so geeked, I could hardly sleep & currently running on fumes at work while I pull this post together.

I tell you, when you have a camera & not afraid of asking for what you want, all kinds of doors open. Point in case, I also met the chairman of the board of directors of the Detroit Music Hall & told him I wanted to see the National Ballet of China. He was cool as hell & hooked me up with a theater manager who is getting me tickets to Saturday’s performance.

I was also able to talk to one of the Hip-Hop documentary interviewers & copped 2 tickets to see John Singleton next month, who will be discussing media portrayals of Black life.

I’m so happy that I am not afraid to be tacky & tenacious because it paid off like a mutha fucka last night!!!

Each Perfect Petal

It was a perfect autumn cold, gray & wet day here in my town; a very stark contrast to what is going on in CA these past few days.

Hearing the stories of people losing homes, businesses & even lives kinda got me a little down on the drive home while listening to NPR.

When I finally got home I saw the lavender beauty that I picked from my garden Sunday & it made me smile & feel thankful for my life. It’s funny how little things can make you feel good.

This rose is for all those who lost & were lost in the burning embers way out west.

This also goes out my embattled "Nigga" Nas; I'm looking forward to the new album. I just love albums with stupid ass names, they make me feel smarter.

Falling [Track] Star

Like most Negroes I know, I defended Marion Jones & lifted her up when she denied abusing steroids during the Sydney Olympics & after. In my eyes, this sister just could do no wrong & she had the best Nike commercials!

Over the last few years, I was proud of how she stood her ground & was never proven wrong by way of physical evidence of being hopped up on performance enhancers.

So over the past few weeks, the controversy popped back up in the media & then the big surprise admission that she was doping. I remember I was driving home from work listening to NPR the evening when the news dropped. I was so fucking shocked that I peeped on myself a little bit.

Lately, I have just been so disappointed in her as a viewed her as a powerful black woman , role model, super athlete & a symbol for triumph. Today I view her as a liar & junky & my feelings got a little more intense when I heard her little admission first hand on NPR's Fresh Air.

She was sobbing & shit & noted that she will be returning each medal that she won blah, blah, blah. During all of her rambling on, I blurted out, YOU ARE A FUCKING LIAR! WHAT I AM I GOING TO TELL MY DAUGHTER WHO ENJOYS TRACK & FIELD? What will I tell Olivia?

Now that I calmed down somewhat, I really feel sorry for Marian. She is losing everything because she decided to cheat (she made her own bed). Her image is forever tarnished, she has let down so many in the track & field community & she is facing at least 6 months in the slammer. What will I tell Olivia?

Well I know I am possibly being a little dramatic but I hate, hate, hate liars & cheats. During Marion's admission statement she mentioned that she loved track & field, which I now think is a fucking lie. If you love something or someone, you would not do anything to tarnish, abuse it & run around telling bold faced lies.

During dinner tonight, I will lead a discussion on being honest in all you do & staying true to yourself.

Lastly, as I get older & see so many Negroes fall from grace & get busted doing some foul shit. I am no longer going to defend them & wind up looking like a fool by the time all is said & done.

The 1st photo is of Olivia doing the long jump & the 2nd is of her with her 4th place medal. Suite Suzy & I are so proud of our little track star. The funny thing about her win was just before she won, she hoped that she was at least in the top 5th place.

You Never Know Who You Will Meet

This past Saturday, my oldest daughter Olivia (click this link) & I hung out at the Peoples Art Fair in Detroit. The goal of the day was for us to both take some awesome pictures, chillax, people watch etc.

The art fair was awesome & there was so much to see, actually some of it was too much to see but you know how art is.

So we are making our way around slowly & I notice someone trying to get my attention, then when I was with it & looked up, I saw it was my blogging/online friend & fellow photographer Dr. Lester K Spence. He was there with the same purpose as us.

This was an awesome surprise cuz I hardly meet or see online friend in the flesh.

We had an awesome time chatting about people, life & photography, I wish I could do this more often with other like minded people. My new love (photography) is such a bridge builder!!!

While at the Art Fair, I notice several local photographers peddling there photo wares which gave me a shot of confidence cuz now I know I can do it. So next summer, watch out Detroit, I am coming to sale my shit!

Lester, how was that reunion??? Olivia wants to know!!! LOL

Anyway, here is my one of my favorite shots of the day which I think had a subliminal message.

What does this piece say to you? My first thought was like, wow, a black child holding the key to the future.

You can see my other shots from the art fair on my Flickr page here & you can see Lester's shots here.

Olivia's shots are coming soon & she cannot wait. For now, I need to do this damn paper!

Do As I say, Not As I Do

So in my “Apple iPhone: Maybe it’s Just Me But…” I talked about the racial challenges I observed (some said imagined) in Apple’s advertising campaign for the iPhone & pretty much decided not to get one.

Getting an iPhone was really not going to happen after I purchased my Nikon D40 (which is now on sale on eBay because I get a bigger better camera; the Nikon D80). I have really been blowing my personal budgets!

So anyway, last Wednesday Apple announced the new iPod Touch which looks so fucking awesome & it has some of the same features of the iPhone. The price was Negro friendly at 399.00 so I was like fuck it, when it comes out I am going to get it, especially seeing that I did not have to change/update my AT&T contract.

After I read a few more blogs, I read more Apple updates & specifically speaking, the new lower priced iPhone (OMG). Initially I was like what Negro is going to spend 599.00 for a damn phone, shit that is just too out of the box. Now the iPhone is very friendly for the Negro budget @ just 399.00 for the 8GB model.

Wednesday afternoon I called Cousin Dee to talk about this juicy tech tidbit & after some seriously intense conversation about what I should do, I had decided to just get the new iPod touch. I decided on the iPod Touch because I could really use all of the other features, such as contacts & calendar, I am a PDA slave (I currently have a Dell Axim X30, which is now on eBay). Later in the day I flipped the script & decided to go with the iPhone then called AT&T to find out about the plans. I winded up talking to some woman who really turned me off & made me say fuck it (again).

Once I got home from class, the new iPhone/iPod Touch were on my mind & I could not shake it. Shit I even dreamed about it.

So in the am when I got to work I did a little more reading about it & called AT&T back to get better clarification on the plans. This time I was happy with what I heard & talked to someone who had their shit together. Basically, all I would have to do is add 20 bucks to my plan & sign a new 2 year contract. The contract was no big deal because I have been an AT&T customer you years. With the package the rep put me up on it would only cost me 79.99 per month, I get 200 text messages per month (I probably only use like 10 per month), unlimited web browsing & I still keep my 1100 peak minutes (YES!!!).

So on my lunch break, I ran my big ass over to the mall so I could hit the Apple store (working across the street from the mall can be a dangerous thing for someone like me). Once I walked through the door, I ran straight to the iPhone & soon a salesman greeted me & asked if he could help. I was like hell yeah, I want an iPhone but I’m torn on what to do, so…. At this pint he proceeded to tell me of the price drop, which I knew about on the 8GB version. He also informed me of new price of the 4GB version, which is only 299.00 while they have them in stock as they are being phased out. This was music to my ears & I quickly said, ring me the fuck up. 10 Minutes later I was on my way back to the office with my iPhone in hand.

Once I sat at my desk, I called Suite Suzy to break the news & too my surprise, she did not go off on me. Later in the evening, I set-up my new iPhone 4GB & fucked around with it trying to figure out the features. After about 2 hours, I was a pro.

I need to mention that another factor that helped influence me to go iPhone was the fact that I saw a “minority” (Asian man) demoing the new iPhone touch. Maybe Apple does care about marketing diversity.

Now that the iPhone is more Negro budget friendly, do you think you will be getting one?

@ The Movies: Superbad

I wanted to see this release since it came out a few weeks ago but the stars never aligned. Well last night, my life slowed down a bit & I was able to hit up Superbad & boy was it super!!!

The evening started with Suite Suzy & I doing quick but late dinner @ Chili’s before the 12:05am show. Yes a midnight show, I love late movies. What made this cool especially is we were able to get rid of the girls for the night.

Anyway, I will not say much about "Superbad" cuz I am tired as hell now but I will tell you to go see it. That shit was funny as hell!!! Suite Suzy & I could not stop laughing cuz some of the scenarios were just over the top hilarious.

This movie is not something to see if you want to be intellectually stimulated so… If you are in the mood for some really raunchy talk like dick, pussy, fuck, other shit like period blood dripping while dancing or an excessive dick pictures then this is for you.

This movie will be in my DVD collection as soon as it drops.

As we were leaving the theater, we both said, the kids could never see this under any circumstances. If you saw the “40 Year Virgin” (another favorite of mine) , you could kinda consider this as some type of loose prequel.

Did you see Superbad, if so what did you think??? If you could apply this movie to your life in anyway, which of the characters were you. I saw myself as McLovin! The nerd that got the good breaks.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Advertised Synopsis:

Two high school best friends forever (Jonah Hill, Michael Cera) go on a mission to provide alcohol for a graduation party in hopes of losing their virginity.

After facing the fact that both Seth and Evan will both be going to different colleges next year, it seems more imporant than ever that they go to a high school party, and achieve some of their long time goals; including, but not limited to, losing thier virginity with the girl of their dreams by getting them wasted and being their "regret hookup." Their awkard friend Fogell gets a fake ID, with just the name McLovin [it was either that or Mohammid], and agrees to get liquor to bring to Jules' aka Seths dream girl's graduation party. All seems to be going well until McLovin is suckerpunched in the liquor store by a robber. When the police come, they try to get a story out of the clerk, but she is too worried about her exam tomorrow, so their question McLovin, which they give offer to give a ride home.

Factoid:
Superbad has taken in 92,687,150+ since its release

Check out the trailer here

Can't Stop Listening To: U, Black Maybe

I was not going to say anything here about Common’s new CD “Finding Forever” because so many sites have deep intense posts about the album. On the Mindspill I prefer to post about music that needs to be heard but hard to find. I love “discovering” & putting people up on Indie artist.

Like a true Negro, I had been listening to “Finding Forever” for weeks before it came out thanks to some of my favorite Black gossip blogs but eagerly awaited the release so that I can fully support Common.

The day the album dropped, I left the job (on break) to cop the CD (+ I copped "300"). When I got back to the office, I popped it in & jammed all day. A well spent 12.99.

Commons’s music to me is what hip-hop is! Finding Forever is not packed with misogynistic messages or full of bling & self-glorification etc.

My favorite song hands down is "U, Black Maybe"! The beat is cold, the lyrics are powerful & reaching + the hook by sung by Bilal is banging.

Yesterday I was driving to pick up lunch & repeated the song like 5 times before I got back to the plantation. I am not sure if they are playing this song on the radio but if not, they need to because there are many people in the community trapped in a Matrix of self-hate, self-suppression etc that need to hear a message that seeks to uplift & inform.

Of course I know Common is not the only brother out there that is seeking to change the game but he is on majorly on my radar. Perhaps in a few weeks I will be feeling Talib Kweli & his new album “Eardrum” after I get over how incredibly stupid he sounded during his latest interview on News & Notes with Ferai Chideya.

Back to Common: Do you have “Finding Forever” is so what are you feeling right now on it? If you don’t have it, what they hell are you waiting for???

Before I pour my 1st glass of wine tonight; I leave you with:

"Can't come around
They gon' wanna bring you down
No one knows just what's inside
Doing dope and doing time
Why they messing with your mind
Black maybe

I heard a white man's yes
Is a black maybe
I was delivered in this world
As a crack baby
Hard for me to pay attention
And I act crazy
Gotta get over from the tip
I watch the fat lady sing a song
On how we guerillas in warfare
And I'm the kingest kong
They say we dreamin wrong
Them same strips that them older cats lingered on
Now the walgreens is gone
Hope is killed fiends are born
We leanin on a wall that ain't that ain't stable
Its hard to turn on the hood that made you
To leave We afraid to the same streets that raised you
Can aid you. What other black births came suit
the rage up in harlem and the southside
Brothers is starving with there mouth wide open
Floating across state got the workout plans so they can move weight
The fate of the black man, woman, and child maybe...

...When we talk about black maybe
We talk about situations
Of people of color and because you are that color
You endure obstacles and opposition
And not all the time from...from other nationalities
Sometimes it come from your own kind
Or maybe even your own mind
You get judged..you get laughed at..you get looked at wrong
You get sighted for not being strong
The struggle of just being you
The struggle of just being us..black maybe..."

Cornrows: How Old is Too Old?

Last week in Detroit, I was at the African World Festival as part of a photo assignment as I mentioned here before. Towards the end of the day on Saturday it started to rain & thunder but that did not deter eager Charlie Wilson fans from attending a free concert!!!

So since I was on assignment, that meant that I had back stage access, which is a first because I usually bullshit & sneak my way past guards.

Anyway, it’s now 10pm, raining big time & Charlie Wilson hit the stage rocking some rhinestone jeans, matching yellow white & a cool hat. Now I am in action moving across the bottom of the stage taking pictures & enjoying the music etc.

As I am getting some great shots of Charlie’s performance, I could not help but notice that he had these little black beads dangling from the back of his head under the hat. Then bang, before I know Charlie Wilson hit the stage humping it asking the ladies in the crowd how many of them wanted to take “Charlie Wilson” home tonight (the ladies were screaming the asses off at this point).

For the next 2 to 3 minutes Charlie kept on screaming, moaning & groaning as he fucked the stage then his hat fell off revealing a doo rag that matched his yellow rhinestone shirt. Once the hat was off, it was clear that homeboy was rocking beaded cornrows.

At this point, I was like hell nall, his ass is too old for fucking doo rags & cornrows!

I got a few more pictures then I bounced before the rain got worse.

On the way home I questioned myself during on internal discussion on how old is to old for the thug passion look (doo rags & corn rows).

I told my friend BFB about it & he said ain’t no telling what his head looked like under that doo rag & we both laughed. He would not pin down an age on when this look was in appropriate so I guess we will save this conversation for a latter time.

I asked Suite Suzy her feelings on this & she says "after 40, it's ghetto & boyish", then she changed this to say maybe 35 is the cutoff.

Lastly, I contacted Cousin Dee’s boo the "Yellow African" & asked him when this look was out of line. After he stopped laughing he came around & said 42. I then asked if he felt that there was a socioeconomic component to the thug passion look (just for fun) & “he said of course”.

Ladies, what are your thoughts on men 30+ with cornrows and doo rags in general. Fella’s if you are rocking cornrows and or doo rags & you are over 30, please help me understand.

BTW, I love cornrows but think after a certain age, men should call it a wrap & opt for locs an afro or something other than. I mean look & Flavor Flav & R Kelly (child molester) for example…

I Love Danger Kitty: A Little Family Drama Rant

Today I have to run to Cleveland for the funeral for one of my brother’s (Topot) cousins (we have different dads). His cousin ws murdered by her babies daddy a little over a week ago & there has been much drama surrounding this as you can imagine.

You see my brother has some mental challenges & sometimes I just have to do what I have to for him. Shit, I really do not want to make this trip but I have to + my mother ran a guilt trip on me.

What is making this trip something that I have to do is because Topot’s dad was released from prison after years for murdering a man who was looking at his “lady”. He shanked this mutha with a knife in the name of ghetto love. Now he is reformed I guess.

Anyway, my brother has not seen his dad since 1978 (meaning since he was 2). Over the years, that have talked a few times & my brother has longed for a relationship.

Since his release, my mother is acting like she wants to see him more than anyone. It kinda nasty, but I can hear in her voice that she may want to break off that for old times piece.

What makes this extra fucked is that he (oh yeah, his name is Sir Skip) tried to kill my mom like twice & used to beat the living hell out of her during their marriage. I never witnessed any of this but heard the horrific stories. And now she wants to skin grin up in his face.

I swear sometimes I do not understand woman who suffer(ed) from Stockholm Syndrome especially my own mother. (end of family drama rant)

Totally switching topics now, last week I was at the Detroit Urban Craft Fair taking some shots for fun & spotted several interesting things & people. On of the most interesting things I saw were this little strange knit cats.

They were kinda scary & fun but not fun enough for me to buy one!

So you know I am gonna ask you to caption this. Let's say in 5 words or less.

Ohh, ohh, me first: Give me Fancy Feast bitches!
Wait, I have one more: I am one dangerous pussy!

Chocolate Rain: I Love It!!

Chocolate Rain
Some stay dry and others feel the pain
Chocolate Rain
A baby born will die before the sin

Chocolate Rain
The school books say it can't be here again
Chocolate Rain
The prisons make you wonder where it went

Chocolate Rain
Build a tent and say the world is dry
Chocolate Rain
Zoom the camera out and see the lie

Chocolate Rain
Forecast to be falling yesterday
Chocolate Rain
Only in the past is what they say

Chocolate Rain
Raised your neighborhood insurance rates
Chocolate Rain
Makes us happy 'livin in a gate

Chocolate Rain
Made me cross the street the other day
Chocolate Rain
Made you turn your head the other way

(Chorus)
Chocolate Rain
History quickly crashing through your veins
Chocolate Rain
Using you to fall back down again
[Repeat]

Chocolate Rain
Seldom mentioned on the radio
Chocolate Rain
Its the fear your leaders call control

Chocolate Rain
Worse than swearing worse than calling names
Chocolate Rain
Say it publicly and you're insane

Chocolate Rain
No one wants to hear about it now
Chocolate Rain
Wish real hard it goes away somehow

Chocolate Rain
Makes the best of friends begin to fight
Chocolate Rain
But did they know each other in the light?

Chocolate Rain
Every February washed away
Chocolate Rain
Stays behind as colors celebrate

Chocolate Rain
The same crime has a higher price to pay
chocolate Rain
The judge and jury swear it's not the face

(Chorus)

Chocolate Rain
Dirty secrets of economy
Chocolate Rain
Turns that body into GDP

Chocolate Rain
The bell curve blames the baby's DNA
Chocolate Rain
But test scores are how much the parents make

Chocolate Rain
'Flippin cars in France the other night
Chocolate Rain
Cleans the sewers out beneath Mumbai

Chocolate Rain
'Cross the world and back its all the same
Chocolate Rain
Angels cry and shake their heads in shame

Chocolate Rain
Lifts the ark of paradise in sin
Chocolate Rain
Which part do you think you're 'livin in?

Chocolate Rain
More than 'marchin more than passing law
Chocolate Rain
Remake how we got to where we are


I know you have either heard about this or seen in an email, youtube or another blog (unless you are dead). This is one of the hottest songs/videos on the internet. As a matter of fact, the original version of the video has over 4.7 million hits to date.

Make That Money Boo! (Reprise)

To follow up to my "Make That Money Boo" post, I want to share my 1st experience as a paid photographer. If you read the original post, then you know I worked for the Detroit Fashion Pages at the 2nd Annual House Picnic.

Before hit the picnic, I had to run to a BBQ that my girl was throwing to get a Dearborn Sausage (with a little burnt on it) cuz I knew I was not going to have time to eat at the picnic. After I stuffed my face, I hit the freeway & made my way to Belle Isle for business & fun.

So I hit the Isle @ 5 and the party & BBQ was going strong, people looked like they were having a good time. Moments later, I make my way around to see who was there & get a feel for the environment and after I built up my confidence, I set up.

After the 1st 20 or so shots I was in my zone & without hesitation introduced myself & asked groups & individuals if I could get a snapshot of them. It was funny but no one said no & as a matter of fact just before I took their picture, they sucked everything in, perked up & put on their best smiles.

In between snaps I talked shit with friends, danced a little & had a few drinks. I found it really fun getting paid to party but I learned that cocktails, photography & house music do not mix. A few of the shots I took came out fucked up, so I am vowing not to do that again.

Anyway, so last night I submit the best of what I took to meet the submission deadline & nervously awaited feedback. Well this AM I got a message saying that the pictures were good & that they would be online this afternoon (Monday). At this point, I did my bitch scream & called Suite Suzy & Cousin Dee to share my little news.

Seeing my pictures online on someone else’s website was very satisfying & I feel like I really made it happen.

If you are interested in seeing what I saw click here for the goods then click the Detroit House Music Picnic" link. Let me know what you think.

Oh wait, I forgot to mention that I was asked to shoot a fashion show next Saturday for a Detroit designer while at the picnic. I am waiting for a confirmation & if this pans out, I see another lens in my future. Watch my smoke!

Make That Money Boo!

You are talking to one happy Negro right fucking now. I’m one happy Negro because I just got my 1st photography gig, which is popping off this Saturday in Detroit.

The job is with a new online fashion spot called the Detroit Fashion Pages. The DFP is pretty hot now & host some pretty upscale events in the Detroit area.

A few weeks ago, I had the nerve to call (actually, I emailed) them up to see if they were looking for a "hot" staff photographer/freelancer & after a few emails & some name dropping, I was in.

Luckily I stepped up my game & downsized my pockets to get & another lens (50mm) & flash (SB-600), which is going to come in handy like right away.

Anyway, the event I will be shooting at is the 2nd Annual Detroit House Picnic being held at Belle Isle park. This event is going to call out all sorts of house heads from around the area.

I hate to bore you with another little detail in my mundane life but I had to share this piece. Stay tuned for pics from the event, they should be pretty interesting.

Hopefully next week, DFP will call me to do a few events for Motor City Fashion Week (my fingers are crossed like a mutha!).

Shit, my little portfolio is going from zero to hero pretty quickly.

I Got an iPhone

Well not really but kinda but still not really, for real tho'.

It’s now 48 hours since the iPhone has been released & I have been holding on to my promise not to get one partly because I got pissed off about the marketing & partly because I am broke from spending 1.4k on my new camera & lenses.

I have to admit that I did attempt to stop at the AT&T store in my hood to see what it actually looked like in person but I was too late. I got there @ 7:09 & they closed @ 7:00, I think my timing was perfect because maybe if I saw it I would have gave in.

So after I got home a few minutes later I get a call from Cousin Precious J asking me about eBay & how to sale stuff. He asked all of these questions because he was thinking about buying an iPhone & putting it up on eBay for a little profit (a young Black entrepreneur in the making).

After I gave him the eBay run down, I agreed to sale it for him, only because I am a really good eBay & I have a 100% feedback score. 2 hours later, I posted a 8GB iPhone for sale with the hopes of cashing in on the buying frenzy for Cousin Precious J.

Before I put it up I had to benchmark & what I was seeing was tripping me out! People were paying like 200 & more dollars above the actual cost & many were charging up to 40 bucks for shipping. Talk about making some real fast cash.

As it stands now, I have 2 hours & 43 minutes before my item goes off sale. I have no bids & I’m hoping that I can pull the off for Cousin Precious J. If things go bad, I may have to put this itch back up for another 24 hours but I think the wave is dying down based on the activity that I am monitoring like a fool on eBay.

I knew I would have another iPhone story but not imagine this, so if you are desperate for a 8GB iPhone bid right now & help a Nigga out!

Bygbaby's 2007 BET Awards recap

Yes, I watched against my better mind & I must say that I was not let down by the show. When I say I was not let down it is because my expectations were as low as a pregnant ants stomach.

I really think BET needs to reevaluate what BET stands for; I mean how many Black people are really entertained by BET. I know I’m not. The lack of credible programming & constant run of tacky videos just does not stimulate me & I actually find it to be an insult on my intelligence.

While watching the show they ran some dumb ass previews of upcoming shows & I thought I was dying when I saw what they were going to be about, especially Hot Ghetto Mess. BET is trying to kill Black people. I implore you to turn that shit off with me!!!!!

So here are my final thoughts on the show.

What I loved:

• Jennifer Holiday & Jennifer Hudson’s performance although I am sick of this damn song
  
• The Diana Ross tribute, specifically speaking Erykah Badu’s rendition of Love Hangover. She tore that shit up & showed her ass. I actually did my bitch scream inside my mind
  
• The Public Enemy James Brown tribute performance
  

What I liked:

• Beyonce & Ciara shaking their ass, it took the focus off of their talent of thinking they know how to sing
  
• Nothing really else, well maybe some of the commercials
  

What turned me off:

• 50¢ like a mutha
  
• Mo'Nique’s space aged way too tight get ups. I swear I was waiting for a titty & or some back fat to pop the fuck out
  
• Lil’ Kim’s face
  
• The wack carpet Black carpet coverage
  
• Everything else!
  

Mayo: Put it in Your Mouth

Last week I was watching one of my favorite stupid movies that pokes fun of race; Undercover Brother & since you read my blog, I just know you have seen it at some point.

In the movie there is one scene that absolutely grosses me out while I am laughing like a mutha fucka & that is the scene when the unprogrammed Brother reluctantly eats mayonnaise drenched sandwich fed to him by the white mans secret weapon the she devil. There were a few other mayo references in the film all pointing to the race myth that white people love mayo, while Black people would rather die than eat sandwich laced with the thick creamy Gonorrhea discharge like jiggly substance.

“If you're going to fit in to white America, you're gonna have to learn to like MAYONNAISE!”

Thinking about this food myth got me to thinking why it is out there & also I wanted to poll you to see how you feel about mayo.

I have many friends who absolutely hate it while I enjoy it in salads & sandwiches. Now I'm rhetorically wondering if my like for mayo is a way to make me feel connected with the “mainstream”.

While Googleing I found that a major mayonnaise manufacturer refused to buy commercial time based upon the perception that "Black people don't eat mayonnaise." (National Association of Black Owned Broadcasters, Spring Conference, 1997, page 2 of report (FCC | Source))

So anyway, tell me, do you like mayo & what do you think about this food myth???

One the flip side, if you hate mayo, how do you feel about Miracle Whip?

Apple iPhone: Maybe it’s Just Me But…

Since Steve Jobs introduced the worked to the iPhone @ the Macworld Conference back in Jan 07, I have been anxiously awaiting for them to go on sale.

Yes, I know they are at a minimum going to cost 499 bucks but dammit, I want it! Everyday, I check some of my favorite Mac sites to see if there has been any new news in regards to the phone that will change the face of the industry as we know it. Most days there is nothing but then when there is a memo leak from either Apple or AT&T (you can only get an iPhone if you have service with AT&T), I get excited and the sad part is more often than not, the leaked info is really nothing special. Maybe that is the geek in my jumping out.

Anyway a few weeks ago Steve Jobs announced that the iPhone was going to actually ship/be on sale starting June 29, 2007 & I have been trying to figure out how I was going to fit the so unnecessary item into my budget (I am still trying). To make my desire worse, Apple started airing commercials on TV announcing the iPhone & showing some of the cool features etc, which is making me want one even more.

So today, while bored at my desk, I decided to go to MACNN to see if there is any new news on the iPhone & I see a link to a story that looked interesting, so I clicked it & started to read. Again this turned out to be nothing special but what I noticed was another white hand holding onto an iPhone, which got me to questioning Apple’s advertising strategy. Does this ubiquitous white hand mean that that they are targeting white consumers only.?.

After this is in my head, I leave for lunch (Taco Bell) & call BFB to see what he thinks about this. Basically I ran down the details to him; a) each commercial for the iPhone where it is being held, is being help by a white hand b) each print or web advertisement where the iPhone is being held is being help by a white hand.

BRB’s initial response was that I was over reacting & then he stated that they (Apple) know Ngroes ain’t gone pay 499 for a damn phone. Although I agree that many Blacks will not even bother with this phone, I think that Apple’s campaign should be more diverse. Where are the hand models of color????????

In response to BRB’s claim that I was over reacting, I stated that as a Black consumer who is willing to pay for this, I want to see a goddamn Black hand on the screen, shit make me like others feel included!

By the end of the conversation we were on the same page in thinking & shifted the focus to how the movie industry markets or not specific to Black audiences.

Now I’m wandering if I should get one or not based on their marketing campaign. I know this is not the 1st time in history that there has been an advertising “Black Out” or a perceived one but this is the first time that I have paid attention & feel affected.

Tell me, am I really tripping, have you noticed this & if you are a Negro, do white hand models & lack of advertising diversity get you excited about products that you may want to try?

Wait before I end, I found this on Youtube, which drives my point home on who Apple is trying to market to & why come Samuel L Jackson is the the only Negro, Cameron Diaz the only Hispanic & Ben Stiller the lone Jew out of about 32 people in the commercial?

Make it Clap

If all women could make it pop, clap & shake like Buffie the Body, the world would be a much better place.

Misogyninally yours,
Bygbaby

The Way I Feel

As I type this, I am listening the end of News & Notes on NPR, my throat is started to become sore again, my eardrums are swelling, I have a damn headache & I am kinda pissed off that the bitch ass sheriff in CA let Paris Hilton out of jail way early.

I have been dealing with these ailments for the last 2 weeks & have been to damn lazy to take the time to go to see my Dr. I have just been doping up on Advil & when it has been really bad, I had to pop a Vicodin (legally obtained) or 2 to get to sleep.

At this point, I think I need to make that call to be seen tomorrow. With my luck, it will be the one weekend when the office is not open. I guess I will see in about 12 hours.

Anyway, as soon I hit “Publish post” (if you use Blogger, you know what I mean) I will be popping pills & taking an early evening nap.

Before I crack the pill bottle, I would like to share with you some recent snapshots from the garden. I took these today because I was inspired after seeing one of my lavender plants in bloom with & then I got even more excited when I noticed that one of my Asiatic lily bunches had bloomed vibrant orange petals.

If you cannot see, you may need the latest Flash player.

Peace,

Bygbaby

Love to Love Yourself?

Today I was checking my email when I got a message from the S3 (Safe Sex Store) regarding their sale on sex toys. The lead in to the sale info was about May being “National Masturbation Month”. My first thought was damn, they have a month for everything & 2nd I was like why?

Side note: The only reason I get this newsletter was because I was stupid enough to sign up when I went to buy a Jack Rabbit a few months ago.

To my latter question I actually stated to com up with good reasons why this needs a month & support especially within our community. My reasons are because masturbation does cause HIV/AIDS & other STD’s to spread, no one gets pregnant in the process, you don’t have to say I love you after you are done & you don’t have to worry about anyone asking you to make a sandwich.

So anyway, before I started to do my internet research to verify the validity of the month long celebration Jocelyn Elders ran across my mind & how she was publicly crucified for being in support & advocating masturbation. WTF is was wrong with people tripping on something that could save lives when you consider what kids/adults are currently doing now; just look at the CDC statistics & unplanned/unwanted pregnancies.

"We know that more than 70 to 80% of women masturbate, and 90% of men masturbate, and the rest lie."

Jocelyn Elders - 2006

As a Baba of 3 African Queens I would prefer that they wait until they were in a seriously committed relationship as an adult & out of my house & pocket before having sex so I will have no problem sitting down with them & Suite Suzy to discuss health alternatives cuz I want my babies safe!
-----------------------------------------------------------
Masturbation Month History:

National Masturbation Month is not recognized by the government, or really any public institution, but in 1995, in response to the firing of Surgeon General Jocelyn Eldes for her comments on masturbation, Good Vibrations got together with like minded sex-positive sex stores, and created Masturbation Month, a month dedicated to honoring the most common and still frequently derided sexual practice on the planet.

The month usually culminates in the Masturbate-a-Thon, a fundraising event where people ask for pledges (dollar amount per minute) and on a specific day try to masturbate as long as the possibly can. Tens of thousands of dollars have been raised by participating stores (mostly Good Vibrations, , Babeland, and Come As You Are for sexual health organizations across North America. An annual online Masturbate-A-Thon has been organized by the Center for Sex and Culture for several years. While some consider Masturbation Month to be just another the result of all the commercialism is more discussion of masturbation in the mainstream media, which hopefully will add to mainstream acceptance.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Masturbation Myths:

Bullshit: Masturbation is something you do when you’re young, but then grow out of.
Reality: Well I am not one to put all of my business out there but sometimes I need to get in tough with my self. Since I have had some live in stuff my desire for self love is not as great as it used to be when I was living single. Surveys regularly show that anywhere from 70 to 95% of adult men and women masturbate.

Bullshit: Masturbation isn’t “real sex,” it’s only for people who can’t find a partner.
Reality: When ever you bust a nut, that’s sex, point blank! From a health perspective, masturbation is as “real” a sexual behavior as intercourse, oral sex, or kissing but if you ask Bill Clinton I’m sure he will beg to differ

Bullshit: Masturbation is bad for your health.
Reality: This myth originated with an anti-masturbation tract that was written in 1712 as a way to sell a bogus “tonic” that was supposed to stop the disease of “self-pollution”. Through the years there have been many bullshit attempts to demonize masturbation like saying that it will make you go blind, cause acne, cause hair on your palms. Science & my personal experience show that all of this is bullshit. The only effect from masturbation is pleasure & maybe a quick nap it you do it right.

Bullshit: Masturbation is something men have to do, but women don’t “need” to.
Reality: While most statistics show that men do masturbate more than women, there is no evidence to suggest this is due to some biological “need” on the part of men to masturbate. Anyway I heard that after that “Sex in the City” episode aired where Charlotte got addicted to her Jack Rabbit vibrator, vibrator sales went through the roof.

Bullshit: People in relationships don’t masturbate.
Reality: This common myth often drives people in relationships to masturbate in private hiding it from their partners. Survey research shows that people of all ages masturbate when they are in relationships. Alfred Kinsey’s survey found that almost 40% of men and 30% of women in relationships masturbated. Lastly my philosophy is a couple that masturbates together stays together.

Bullshit: Too much masturbation is bad for you.
Reality: I don’t believe in getting too much of a good things as long as you are able to break off your partner when the time comes (pun not intended).

Bullshit: Only certain kinds of people masturbate.
Reality: I think not! Masturbation is good for niggas, bitches, fags, dykes, hoes, pimps & anyone in between. Shit even Muppets masturbate; you would know that if you saw Avenue Q on Broadway (like me).

(Partial Source | About.com)

Freeway Moment: Stranger In This Land

If you listen to NPR ½ as much as I do then I know you know what a Driveway Moment is. If you are not in the know; a driveway moment is when you're driving home or elsewhere, listening to a story on NPR. Suddenly, you find yourself in your driveway (or parking space or parking garage). Rather than turn the radio off, you stay in your car to hear the piece to the end.

Over the years I have had several Driveway Moments & quite often Suite Suzy will peek into the garage to see if I am OK because my moments can get long.

So anyway, I was vending Quench Essentials today @ a Mother’s Day Brunch & Pamper Party in Detroit & while on the way there I had a Freeway Moment.

I am describing a Freeway Moment to be a point during drive time when you are engrossed in thought & taken over by the music & it causes you to take a serious look at life in general & your being. (Damn I hope this makes since.)

During this my first recorded Freeway Moment I was exiting the Southfield Freeway @ 8 Mile when traffic basically came to a crawl as I was listening to Joy Denalane’s “Stranger In This Land”.

I have heard this song countless times but this time was a little different because the words were took me to another place & I started seeing her story of the African Diaspora as if I was watching something on the big screen.

The first verse of the song/story is what stood out most to me & I actually played the song back to back so that I could “watch the story again” in my mind. This first verse actually reads in the spirit in an Enslaved African narrative, which can sometimes can provoke tears.

I was the daughter of a little known king
When they came and put me in a castle
My eyes had never seen
They spoke in tongues I’ve never heard
They took me to the sea at the edge of the earth
I journyed tempest waters, reached these distant shores
My clothes are tattered and my soul is worn
I bore a daughter in captivity
They came late one night to take her away from me
I cried and I cried, oh lord have mercy on me
Can’t they see, that little girl is royalty

I held my ground and took my stand
Can’t help feeling sometimes
That I’m a stranger in this land
In this land of mine

Stranger In This Land – Joy Denalane

During & after the song, I also considered the strength of my OUR people & felt proud to be a descendant of Kings & Queens. Let’s face it; the princess that Joy sings about can be anyone of out great-great-great-greats (depending on how old yo’ ass is).

Moving on, this pamper party that I worked at was pretty decent & I made some mad money that I will be reinvesting to prepare for the Detroit Buy Black Weekend in a few weeks. This is a major event & I’m looking forward to it & hopefully getting PAID for my wonderful wares.

When I got to the event location, I was hungry as hell & the smell of fried chicken was thick in the air & made my hunger even worse cuz, I knew it would be a while before I could get my eat on.

Shortly after I got my table set up, the event organizer sent me a plate of 4 wings & two huge waffles. When I saw the waffles, I laughed at myself inside because this would be my 1st time having chicken & waffles.

Before for I started to eat & went to get some syrup for the waffles & they lucking had my favorite on hand (Mrs Butterworth). So now I am pouring the syrup over my waffles & happed to notice that there was a big ass bottle of Alaga on the table & I burst out laughing.

The event organizer as me what was funny & since she was on the “urban side” I told her that I was laughing at the Alaga syrup, then she started to laugh & said she got it for the old school crowd. The funny thing is that we both got it.

As I was walking back to my table ready to throw down, I was like shit, I have not had any Alaga since the mid to late 80’s when Topot (my little bother & this is his nick name) & I took a stand against our mother at the grocery store & told her that we wanted Mrs Buttersworth. She gave in & we never had Alaga in the house again.

To wrap, today was a day of first 1) my Freeway Moment & 2) the chicken & waffles, which was off the hook. In the words of the “poet” Ice Cube “I got to say it was a good day; shit!”
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chicken & Waffles History:

The exact origins of the dish are unknown. A restaurant named the Wells Supper Club in Harlem claims to be the birthplace of chicken and waffles; their official slogan is "Wells: Home of Chicken and Waffles Since 1938." Supposedly, the Wells Supper Club started selling the chicken and waffles dish to patrons of their club in 1938, which was during the Jazz Age; the dish served as a late-night snack for those patrons who wanted a meal that would serve as both dinner for that night and breakfast for the next day.

Some historians, however, believe the dish goes back even further - perhaps even as far back as the late 19th century, when Southern African-Americans, recently freed from slavery, began migrating to the Northern United States. According to author John T. Edge: "My guess is that it comes from the days when someone would go out in the morning and wring a chicken's neck and fry it for breakfast. Preparing a breakfast bread with whatever meat you have on the hoof, so to speak, comes out of the rural tradition."

From Harlem, chicken and waffles was brought across the country to Los Angeles by Herb Hudson, who founded Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n Waffles in the mid 1970s. It's believed, although unprovable, that Hudson and his friend Roscoe (whose full name is unknown) had moved to Southern California from New York to open their restaurant in Hollywood. (Source | Wikipedia)

2007 Essence Music Festival

Last night I was contacted about this event, which was/is great news IMHO as New Orleans is redeveloping.

I've never been to the Essence Music Festival because the timing never works out & this year is no exception unfortunately for me. I have friends who have made the trip years ago & the stories that come from the trip make me envious but oh well.

Have you been got any fun quick stories to share & do you plan on attending this year?

Anyway, here are some details for you.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to "Coming Home," a look inside New Orleans as we anticipate the return of the Essence Music Festival July 5, 6 and 7 to its long-time home, the New Orleans Superdome. A lot has happened since we last met in the Big Easy, when Destiny's Child, Kanye West, Alicia Keys and Lionel Richie were all on hand for "the Party with a Purpose." There are still challenges, but a lot of good things are happening, and everywhere you look, you see signs that the city that throws a party like no other does is ready for the Essence Fest.

Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Lionel Richie and Maze featuring Frankie Beverly have confirmed for the Essence Music Festival, which takes place July 5-7 at the Louisiana Superdome. Also on the bill so far are the O'Jays with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill, Ludacris, Ciara, Chris Brown, Ne-Yo, Steve Harvey and Robin Thicke. This will be the first event in the Superdome since the New Orleans Saints defeated the Philadelphia Eagles to go to the NFC league championship last January. This season was a magical one for the Saints and for its fans, and the dome was very much a part of that magic as it was transformed from the site of tragedy to home of community bonding as everybody came together behind the Saints.

To learn more information on this event and read EMF's "coming home" blog, go to Essence Music Festival's Official Site

Flavorlicious Ghetto Reality

After the “I love New York” Reunion show, I was anxiously awaiting the debut of VH1’s latest peep into Black buffoonery. Yes I am somewhat ashamed to admit it but I am talking about “Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School”.

Things got a little twisted last Sunday night when I realized that I would be missing an episode of “The Apprentice” so I decided to catch Charm School on a rerun. Luckily or maybe not, I was able to watch a few bits and pieces of CS between commercial breaks & what I saw was nothing less than shameful & tacky (why was I surprised?). Peep this, my eyes almost caught on fire when I saw Dara’s (aKa Like Dat) thong way up her ass while she was trying to make it over a rope wall. Some shit should not been seen on cable! Why do big girls, wear thongs anyway???

Fast forward one week and a day (yesterday), I was able to catch episode two in its entirety & a few times I found myself throwing up in my mouth but I think Schatar’s (aKa Hottie) shit & yeast stained panties took that cake! I mean she already looks nasty with a disastrous weave & over grown titties, now the world knows that she is walking around with a surprise in her panties.

As Suite Suzy & I watched, we certainly had some LOL moments, because there were some utterly funny & ridiculous moments that were almost too good to be true. Do these girls have any idea how dumb they look.

The grand prize is only 50,000 but I guess to someone who has jack shit, this will make a serious difference. Personally, making my ass look like America’s biggest loser for 50k just would not do. I guess if I was down & out ghetto then....

At one point during the first episode Mo’Nique (the shows facilitator/mentor) told the girls that while they were on the 1st & 2nd season of “Flavor of Love” that American was laughing at them & not with them. When she said that shit, I almost died because it was so true.

Them chicks (notice, I did not say bitches or hoes) were out of this earth stupid, ghetto, raunchy & gross. Wait, I need to separate one from the pack & that is my girl Courtney (aKa Goldie). She seems to be the only one on CS with common sense & some sort of pride + she is funny as hell & Suite Suzy & I happy to laugh with her & not at her unlike the others.

I have seen every episode of Flavor of Love & I Love New York, it’s doubtful that I will miss another episode of Charm School. Consider this my one ghetto addiction.

Are you watching???
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Players:
Flavor of Love Rejects: Season 1

• Hottie – Mentally Ill & looks like a damn fool by the head
• Goldie – I have no idea why she is on, she has common sense
• Pumkin – Media hungry ugly white chick
• Rain – Load ass mouth who needs to be slapped on GP
• Serious - Pretty girl but that’s about it
• Smiley - Crybaby with some mild retardation

Flavor of Love Rejects: Season 2

• Bootz – Buck mouthed ghetto weaver wearing hoe (sorry had to go there)
• Buckeey – Buck mouthed ghetto weaver wearing hoe (sorry had to go there again)
• Buckwild – Swear she’s not acting Black but actually offensive
• Krazy – Has grandiose delusions that she can actually sing
• Like Dat – Big girl who needs to learn how to act
• Saaphyri – A straight up hood rat ready to cut a nigga at a moments notice
• Toastee – Drunk porno star who looks like she has fetal alcohol syndrome

-----------------------------------------------------------
About The Show:
Ever wonder what became of the girls that were so nasty, vicious and rough-around-the-edges that even Flavor Flav didn't want them? What are those girls going to do? Where are those girls going to go? Luckily for them, VH1 had just the place to send them, a little place called - CHARM SCHOOL.

Thirteen of your favorite breakout stars from "Flavor of Love" seasons one and two are back for some heated competition. Living as a group, learning as a group and out for themselves, these former Flavorettes will be rigorously trained in proper etiquette and manners before competing in challenges to determine their poise and grace under pressure.

Leading these ladies down the path of self-improvement is the singularly unique Mo'Nique. Headliner of the films Queens of Comedy & Phat Girls… (read more here)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Charm School Ghetto Commandments:

1. Check Thyself Before Thou Wreckest Thyself (A fabulous woman is self-aware, and knows that her personality and behavior have an effect on those around her.)
2. Thou Shalt Goeth, Girl (A fabulous woman is a confident and powerful woman.)
3. Thou Shalt Show Some Class (A fabulous woman knows the rules of etiquette and social interaction.)
4. Thou Shalt Work What Thou Art Working With (A fabulous woman always looks her best.)
5. Thou Shalt Spit Mad Game With Style (A fabulous woman knows how to communicate effectively.)
6. Thou Shalt Mind Thy Money (A fabulous woman knows how to make, and keep her own money.)
7. Thou Shalt Payeth It Back (A fabulous woman gives back to the community.)
8. Thou Shalt Represent (A fabulous woman is media savvy.)
9. Unless Thou Can Play, Thou Wilt Be Played (A fabulous woman knows how to play the relationship game.)
10.Thou Shalt Be Fully Fabulous

Race: Something Old & Something New

I was surfing YouTube today for some fun old school videos & ran across this video clip of "The Electric Company". While looking & reminiscing, I was like, wait, this Negro looks & sounds a little familiar, then I realized that it is my boy Morgan Freeman.

Looking at this as an adult now (based on body language), it seems like Easy Reader was riding Carmelita way before he was driving Ms Daisy.

If I was in a radical mood (I'm racially drained), I would address the cooning going on by "Easy Reader" but there has been enough of this for the week.

While in the midst of writing this post I stumbled across the article below, on a racist furniture label found in Toronto. Upon seeing the image, I threw up in my mouth a little bit. Not only was I turned of by the color description, I was also turned off by the drawn on eyebrows. Only certain woman can rock this look & she is not one of them. Actually, I just do not understand the concept of shaving one's eyebrows only to paint on some. My mother & sister both do this & I think they do it well so maybe I am biased.

According to the Internet Bible Wikipedia, the main function of the eyebrows is to prevent moisture, mostly salty sweat and rain, from flowing into the eye. Anyway the point is not her eyebrows but this fucking sofa color.

Racial slur on sofa label stuns family
Toronto Star: Jim Wilkes

When the new chocolate-coloured sofa set was delivered to her Brampton home, Doris Moore was stunned to see packing labels describing the shade as "Nigger-brown."

She and husband Douglas purchased a sofa, loveseat and chair in dark brown leather last week from Vanaik Furniture and Mattress store on Dundas St. E.

Moore, 30, who describes herself as an African-American born and raised in New York, said it was her 7-year-old daughter who pointed out the label just after delivery men from the Mississauga furniture store left.

"She's very curious and she started reading the labels," Moore explained. "She said, `Mommy, what is nigger brown?' I went over and just couldn't believe my eyes."

She said yesterday each piece had a similar label affixed to the woven protective covering wrapped around the furniture.

"In this day and age, that's totally unacceptable," Moore said.

Douglas explained the origins of the word to daughter Olivia, telling how it was a bad name that blacks were called during the days of slavery in the United States.

"It was tough, because she really didn't understand," Moore said. "She'd never heard that word before and didn't really understand the concept of it."

Moore, who has a younger son and daughter, said she's heard the word used many times, although it has never been directed in anger at her.

"But it's a very, very bad word that makes you feel degraded, like you're a nobody," she said.

Moore said she called the furniture store the following day and three other times since, and feels discouraged that no one has returned her calls.

When interviewed yesterday by the Star, Romesh Kumar, Vanaik's assistant manager, passed the buck to his supplier, Cosmos Furniture in Scarborough. (Read More Here)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Back to me:

How in the fuck did someone come up with this shit & do they have an Indian Red or China Yellow etc? The store owner is a damn fool & should be just as outraged as he is a brown person himself. The label could as easily been slated toward his people & shit as well all know, there are some pretty dark East Indians.

If you got this sofa & saw the same label, what would you do?

Revisiting the Magic

Since I had soooooo much fun with my term of the week for last week, I hooked up this wallpaper to pay tribute to all Magical Negroes past & present. Feel free to download this to dress up your desktop; just click the image then right click the full sized image & select set as wallpaper.

Peace,
Bygbaby

Coming Soon: The Frog Princess

All I have to say about this is about fucking time becuase "The Lion King" was not enough!

On a related note; a few weeks ago I went to see "Bridge to Tarabithia" & while waiting to leave this boring assed movie, I was thinking to myself about the need for a Disney movie that had a Black protagonist & theme.

I am so sick of these LILLY WHITE productions that Disney puts out time after time.

The story will be set in New Orleans & mos def Pre-Katrina LOL!
-----------------------------------------------------------
Disney creates first Black animated Princess

Walt Disney Co. plans an animated film it bills as "an American fairy tale" that will feature the first black princess created by the studio.

And in a return to its roots, it plans to use hand-drawn animation to create the film, The Frog Princess.

Walt Disney Co. introduced Maddy, the black princess from the animated musical fairy tale The Frog Princess in New Orleans on Thursday. Walt Disney Co. introduced Maddy, the black princess from the animated musical fairy tale The Frog Princess in New Orleans on Thursday. (Judi Bottoni/Associated Press)

Disney outlined plans for the film in New Orleans on Thursday at its annual shareholders meeting.

The Frog Princess is the first animated film to be conceived since Disney's 2006 acquisition of Pixar Animation Studios, the computer animation house that created such blockbusters as Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Finding Nemo and Cars.

The use of a classic hand-drawn process may be an indication Disney intends to create two streams of animation — one computer based, one based on more classic techniques.

Randy Newman, who created music for Toy Story, A Bug's Life and Cars, will write the score.

John Musker and and Ron Clements, who co-directed The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules, wrote the story and will direct the film, which is set in New Orleans.

"The film's New Orleans setting and strong princess character give the film lots of excitement and texture," Walt Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook said.

The heroine, Maddy, becomes the first African American among the Disney princesses, who are collectively responsible for more than $3 billion in annual retail sales.

Disney abandoned hand-drawn animation after 2004's Home on the Range, one of a series of animated films that provided poor returns.

The company bought Pixar, known for its computer-generated imagery, and gave Pixar's John Lasseter creative control of animated features.

Analysts said Disney may be retesting hand-drawn works with The Frog Princess with the idea of producing more films using the classic animation process that launched the original Disney studios. (Source | CBC.CA)

@ The Movies: Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls

I was anxiously awaiting the release of this Daddy’s Little Girls since I saw the preview several months ago. The idea of a struggling Black father really appealed to me because I just knew that TP was really going to put it down. With this said I walked into the theater with my expectations very high my.

Well I will cut to the chase on this one to say that after the movie was over, I was entertained but also disappointed at the way the protagonist Monty (Idris Elba) was portrayed in the film. Not only that, the movie was filled with Black movie clichés like the church scene, the fights & drugs: basically, things that you would see in any TP movie. Not to say that his movies are bad because they are not, but I am kinda tired of seeing repeating themes.

Just to shed some light on the story line: Monty was a Brotha on the grind trying his best to make ends meet & help out his baby’s momma momma who was raising his girls because the mom was laying up with some drug dealer & did not give a fuck about her won kids. Shortly after the movie really kicked off, the grandmother asked Monty to take his kids because she was dying & he was like I can’t so she basically had to beg his ass to take his own kids (that turned me off).

Throughout the movie Monty kept on saying to his girls that he was taking care of the girls because their grandmother told him to. I think he mentioned this like 3 times & each time I grew pissed off at the statement. So the last time he said this, I actually shouted out “they’re your damn kids”. I guess my hopes for Monty were just too high

My thing is if they are your kids, why should anyone have to tell you to step up & be a man & handle your business no matter what. Being a father is not a choice in my opinion, it is a privilege that should not be wasted.

So I guess would say that this is the type of movie that I would recommend for renting & nothing more. My frame of mind is moving to believe that if you seen one TP movie, you have seen them all. TP has true skill but I need something different from him that does not include abusive relationships, a fucked up mother, crackheads, a bunch of kids, cheesy scenes where the community comes together & a sex scene. Black life is so much more than these things or at least I would like to think so.

One thing that I did like about the movie was how Julie (Gabrielle Union) interacted with Monty & how their relationship developed but it was almost like “Deliver us from” Eva for a minute. Julia said some things that a lot of older Brothas need to think about; like bad credit, not having a job wearing throw back jerseys after a certain age.

I also liked the sound track, it was mos def slammin’!

While writing this piece, I read a few movie reviews & words that kept on coming up were "outlandish", "far-fetched" & "predictable". How sad but true.

If you have seen Daddy’s Little Girls or are going to see it, I would love to hear your thoughts & reactions to my perceptions.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Advertised Synopsis:

A romantic drama about family, community and love against the odds,'Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls' is the follow-up to Tyler Perry's number one box office hits 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman' and 'Madea's Family Reunion'. A single father, Monty (Elba) is a garage mechanic who lives in a poor neighborhood and struggles to make ends meet as he raises his three young daughters on his own. But when the courts award custody of his daughters to his corrupt, drug-dealing ex-wife, Monty desperately tries to win them back, enlisting the help of Julia (Union), a beautiful –– and hard-nosed – attorney he meets during his short stint as a chauffeur.

While Monty and the Ivy-League-educated Julia couldn’t be less alike, an unexpected romance blossoms…and it soon begins to feel like true love. But in order for their relationship to survive, the couple must reconcile their two very different worlds – and overcome the forces that threaten to tear Monty’s family apart. (check out the trailer)
-----------------------------------------------------------
NPR Interview Gabrielle Union:

Up-and-coming actress Gabrielle Union talks about her role in the film Daddy's Little Girls. Union plays Julia, a hard charging attorney who tries to help a mechanic regain custody of his three young daughters. (listen here).

This is a really good interview & it made me feel a little bit better about the movie.

A Personal American Tragedy

Today I got a flood of emails about Anna Nicole Smith’s death (actually I only got 2). At first I thought it was a joke, then I did an web search & found that the info was legit.

Then I started to slow my thought process & was like wait, why in the hell do I care & why am I all in? I am not sure if White America was ready to lose such a high cultural icon.

I have/had nothing against Anna Nicole but I was tripping at how all of my friends were eating the story up, so I questioned does Black America care; I certainly don’t & why was my show interrupted to announce this shit.

Real news would have been that Bush was dead or some like Barack Obama admitted that he did not take baths & was not as clean as Joe Biden said he was.

If the coverage on Anna Nicole’s death continues to proliferate, I am going to put on a Depends diaper, drive to New York & fuck somebody up! My steel mallet, knife, rubber tubing, latex gloves, large garbage bags, pepper spray, BB gun & 8 dildos (not to be used on me dammit) are already packed.

Like my body!?!

Paris Needs Rehab Now

Celebs lately just seem to love to make bigoted statements in public recently & there is no need to name names because you know who they are (Isaiah Washington, Michael Richards, Mel Gibson). After they said their shit, it was all over the news & everyone new about & some even went into rehab.

So now Paris Hilton has just been exposed for saying nigger & faggot (sp?) at a party on film while dancing like a total loser.

I watched a clip of an interview on CNN today & they mentioned that Paris might not suffer like IW, MR & MG but why come.

I saw the video & Paris was ripping on some ghetto broke chick from Compton talked about gay blow jobs etc. I guess because she is super rich she feels like she can get away with is.

I am dying to see if she is going to make a public apology or attend some type of racist homophobe rehab.

From EURweb:

“In the footage, Paris and her sister Nicky are at a house party dancing by themselves to the sounds of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize.” A male friend who dances in between them was referred to as a “faggot” by both Hilton sisters.

Then, at about 2 minutes and 45 seconds into the footage, Paris approaches the camera and laughs, “We’re like two niggers.”

The “Simple Life” star, who recently reunited with her black former best friend, Nicole Richie, steps to the camera again at about 3:55 to vent about a run-in with a woman at the party, whom she describes as a “f*ckin’ hoodlum, broke, poor bitch from like, Compton – public school bitch.”

To cap things off, the video ends with the videographer yelling, “Todd’s a thug nigga.””

From FemaleFirst:

“Paris Hilton has been branded a racist by her former friend. Brandon Davis, who fell out with Paris earlier this year, claims the hotel heiress regularly refers to black people as "ni****s" and is forever using racial slurs against other ethnic minorities.

I don't want anything to do with her. I don't need anything from her. She is no longer my friend. She's just not a nice person."

It was recently reported that Paris used racial slurs in a new 12-hour videotape, in which she stars, by allegedly calling two black men "dumb ni****s"

However, although she has not denied using the word, she did issue a statement saying: "Anyone who knows me knows that this is not me.""

-----------------------------------------------------------
Back to me:

I wonder what Nicole Richie thinks about Paris after her little rant & more importantly, I would love to know what Paris thinks about Barack Obama.

The inflammatory video was taken off Youtube I guess since yesterday but I found it on IESB.net, check it out here & let me know what you thing about this shit.

Also see the discussion found on CNN

Rehab Gone Too Far?

One story that has gotten on my last damn nerve over the last 2 weeks was Isaiah Washington’s blurting “faggot” after the recent Golden Globes.

Isaish’s stupid comment was mos def fucked up but all of the press on this faux pas was just a little too much.

I really tripped out when I heard that IW was doing some homophobe rehab. WTF (like so many have said), when was homophobe rehab invented? The larger question that I have about homophobe rehab is how do you know when you are cured?

Anyway after reading a post on the Militant Blacktoast Blog via African American (Black) Opinion I am in stitches after laughing so hard at this satirical Homophobic Rehab Schedule for IW:

• 8-9 a.m. breakfast in group setting with gay men.
• 9-10 a.m. Breakout sessions
  

• Intro to drag
• History of homosexuality and religion
• Gay vs. Black American Civil Rights Movement

• 11- 12:30 p.m. Watch gay porn
• 12:30- 1 p.m. break/private time
• 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Group session, discuss any homophobic thoughts you had today and how gay porn made you feel.
• 3:30 -6 p.m. Shopping
• 6:30 -8 p.m. Dinner and chores: Refill penis-shaped salt and pepper shakers
• 8-9 p.m. TV time ("Will & Grace" reruns,"Queer As Folk," "Oz" "Six Feet Under" "Project Runway" "America's Next Top Model")
• 9:30 - 11 p.m. Late night group session
• Midnight movie: Brokeback Mountain

I posted the following comment on the AA(B)O Blog:

"That post was off the chain funny. I cracked up at the breakout sessions part. They are going to far with this rehab thing. They are really making him look like a fool.

I guess you do what you gotta do to keep a check though."

Related to this scenario of biggotry, why come Michael Richards didn’t go into a Racist Rehab & is there one? What about Mel Gibson, should he go to some Anti Semite rehab?

A little over a week ago, the African American Opinion Blog did a post on “Why are black men so homophobic?” & the story was based on the IW situation. During the post readers were asked should IW be fired for calling someone a slur? & I had the following to say:

“Hell no, not in this instance & I think he should not have apologized. I am sick of celebs screwing up then issuing weak apologies. The apology does not change the feeling & I am sure he is not going to see a therapist to confront his “demons””

Well I guess I was wrong about him seeing a therapist!
-----------------------------------------------------------
Bygbaby Factoid:

• I think the word faggot is atrocious (then why did I say it) & I would/have not said it ever not to mention that some of my best friends are gay.
• I was called a faggot behind my back & got into fights about it when I was in high school.

The Black Apprentices

OMG The Apprentice (season six) just went off & another Black guy bit the dust!

This week it was Carey & I think he kinda had to go because of the flaming male swim suite he pushed to produce for the fashion show.

When he modeled it before the show, I was like, he is going to be the one to get fired tonight & I was right.

I cracked up when one f the teammates said I am gay but I would never wear that swimsuit & he was shocked on how Carey "flamed up the runway".

That shit had me on the floor because Carey did flame it up like nobody's business, I mean he was one move away from dropping it like it it was hot!

Carey defended the swimsuit to the bitter end & I don't blame him. A brother has to do what he has to do to save his ass.

I can see the swim suite showing up in a Ghetto Mess photo at a Black gay beach weekend (we have all seen the photos).

Last week bitch ass Martin got fired & rightfully so. He was a pompous bastard who irritated me. His dress was totally Black Bourgeois To Good to be a Negro (IMHO). I am not even going to go there on the way he talked. I think I got a mini head ache after the boardroom was over.

I am looking forward to the weeks to come. Are you watching? What are your thoughts? Do you give a fuck?

Stay tuned, I may have some shit to talk about I Love New York Tomorrow (a ghetto hot dam muthafuckin' mess)

Godfather Gone on a Day to Remember

The death of James Brown is no doubt one of those ubiquitous blogosphere topics but I had to mention it here also. James Brown was quite a character over the last few years from drugs, spouse abuse & jail time, wait I need to mention that infamous television interview where he was totally out of it. While I laughed at his misfortune & apparent drug use during the interview, I always thought of him as a cool brotha.

I pray that his death will not be surrounded by negative news and revelations. I guess we will see in the days to come.

James wherever you are now probably not reading this “I'm Black and I'm Proud” & I am saying it loud! Thanks for empowering a people and inspiring many of my favorite artists new and old.
-----------------------------------------------------------
WE REMEMBER JAMES BROWN: 'Godfather of Soul' dead at 73

Legendary soul singer James Brown, known all over the world as the "Godfather of Soul," died early Christmas morning at age 73, his manager confirmed.

The most sampled man in music died at 1:45 a.m. Monday at Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta after being admitted there on Saturday for treatment of severe pneumonia, his manager, Frank Copsidas, said. Charles Bobbit, Brown's longtime friend and personal manager, was at his side, he said.

The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame inductee, also known as "Mr. Dynamite," brought musical innovations to R&B that helped to define the "funk" era - with such songs as "Papa Don't Take No Mess," "The Payback" and "Make it Funky."

He emerged in 1956 with his first hit single "Please, Please, Please," which was followed three years later by "Try Me" and in 1960 with "Think."

His 1968 single "Say it Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud)" became a civil rights anthem. He performed the song at Richard Nixon's inauguration in 1969 -- an act that temporarily hurt his popularity among young blacks, Reuters reports.

Brown, also nicknamed "The Hardest Working Man in Showbizness," was just as widely known for his dazzling stage shows, which always promised several dramatic wardrobe changes and dancing himself into a frenzy on stage. His crew would throw a cape over his back and he would leave, only to reappear seconds later on his knees, moaning the song into the microphone. The routine would sometimes go on for 30-40 minutes and send his fans delirious.

Brown also built a successful business empire, including a string of radio stations and his own production company, and owned a fleet of expensive cars and his own plane, according to Reuters. (Read Entire Story @ EURweb)
-----------------------------------------------------------
James Brown's Seminal Hits

James Brown had dozens of hits over his decades-long career. Here is a smattering of his seminal, career-defining songs:

1956: "Please, Please, Please" -- This begging ballad about a man trying to keep his woman took on a raw, sensual tone as Brown growled and yelped through the burning track.

1959: "Try Me" -- Another slow R&B groove from a pleading Brown.

1961: "Bewildered" -- Brown's she-done-me-wrong classic. He shrieks and shouts passionately, "bewildered" by the actions of his now-former woman.

1962: "Night Train" -- One of the first songs to feature the tight, jumping horn section that would become a cornerstone of most of his major hits. Brown's rough-edged voice shouts out cities nationwide on the "Night Train" route.

1965: "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag (Part I)" -- Another classic dance track about -- what else -- dancing.

1965: "I Got You (I Feel Good)" -- Perhaps Brown's most famous tune, and one of the all-time greatest songs in rock's canon. A buoyant, joyful jam that is an instant party starter. If you've never heard this, you've never heard music.

1966: "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" -- Though the title may suggest a chauvinistic ode, this passionate, downbeat track really pays homage to a man's eternal need for a woman by his side.

1967: "Cold Sweat (Part I)" -- A smoking, sultry mid-tempo jam that features Brown singing about a woman that makes him weak-kneed. It was sampled by dozens, perhaps hundreds of '80s rap songs.

1968: "Say it Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud (Part 1)" -- Released at the height of the civil rights movement, this anthem boldly asserted pride in being black at a time when African-Americans were still fighting for basic rights.

1970: "Get Up (I Feel Like Being Like A) Sex Machine" (Part 1)" -- Despite its somewhat risque title, this frenetic groove is more of a call to move your feet. Perhaps Brown's second most-famous song, its signature is its slamming rhythm section.

1971: "Make It Funky (Part 1) -- This could be the theme song of Brown's entire career. It begins with Brown saying what would become his motto: "(Whatever) I play, it's got to be funky!"

1974: "Papa Don't Take No Mess, (Part I): Brown's amazing, funky tribute to a hard-nosed, stern dad.

1974: "The Payback (Part I)": The ultimate revenge song, this song sounded as if it would fit right in with many of the blaxploitation soundtracks of the day with its blaring horns and rumbling bass lines.

1976: "Get Up Offa That Thing": A killer bass instead of horns are the real glue of this James Brown classic dance groove.

1985: "Living in America" -- This rousing, patriotic song from the fourth installment of the "Rocky" movie franchise re-established Brown as a hitmaker in his fifth decade.

1988: "Static, Pts. 1 & 2" (with Full Force) -- As Brown's music was being sampled right and left by rappers, Brown showed hip-hop heads how it should be done with this sizzling collaboration with the group Full Force. (Source | Newsday)

They're Jinglin' Baby

Today I went to a local grocery store to pick up some lunch from the hot food counter because Suit Suzy did not get a chance to pack me a lunch before she left for work today (yes, I’m spoiled). So as I got out of my vehicle, I could hear bells & that meant one thing based on the time of year. It was a fucking Salvation Army Bel ringer!

I hate Bell Ringers, for one they are always nice and overly polite, two – I feel guilty because I never give & I think they all know it & 3 – I never trust that they are official.

So after I got my lunch and snacks I mad a pretend phone call as I walk out of the door to pass the jolly Bell Ringer & he shouted HAVE A GREAT DAY all loud & I am sure it was to be sarcastic. For the next 3 weeks or so I will have to endure my hateful feeling of these gleeful bastards ringing those damn bells & greeting everyone that walks past.

With X-mas approaching I am again wishing I was a Jehovah’s Witness so I did not have to do the X-mas thing but because I have kids Suite Suzy is not hearing it. Because I am such a negative person I am going to ask her tomorrow if we can start to celebrate Festivus in addition to or instead of X-mas.

To be honest about my feeling on X-mas I must admit that I am still bitter about my mother fucking me over when I turned 17 and stopped buying my shit for X-mas as she hooked my brother & Sister up. Although I was bypassed for X-mas lovin’, she still expected me to get her ass something. My vision on the meaning of X-mas is not where it should be maybe but I think I am too old to change now. I will also admit that my favorite X-mas character is Scrooge. (Side Note: I tell too much of my business, I am OK as long as I am the only one telling it.)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Breakdown on Festivus:
Festivus is a nondenominational holiday featured in "The Strike" episode of Seinfeld, a popular United States based television sitcom of the 1990s. The holiday was a plot device in the episode, which first aired on December 18, 1997. Many people, influenced or inspired by Seinfeld, now celebrate the holiday, in varying degrees of seriousness. Some do it religiously; others do it with good tidings in their respect to Seinfeld.

According to Seinfeld, Festivus is celebrated each year on December 23, but many people celebrate it other times, often in early December. Its slogan is "A Festivus for the rest of us!!" An aluminium pole is generally used in lieu of a Christmas tree or other holiday decoration, shedding holiday materialism. Those attending participate in the "Airing of Grievances" in which each person tells each and everyone else all the ways they've disappointed him/her over the past year, and after a Festivus dinner, The "Feats of Strength" are performed. Traditionally, Festivus is not over until the head of the household is wrestled to the floor and pinned. (Source)

Coming Back: My Baby Nina (UPDATED)

This just in: New Nina Simone CD "Remixed & Re-Imagined" out Oct 31, 2006; more info here. BTW the snippets sound HOT!

I am really excited about this release & cannot wait to get my hands on it.

Holla!
-----------------------------------------------------------
The Update

I finally got my CD in the mail today & ripped it open with much excitement upon receipt from Suite Suzy. Remixed & Reimagined has 13 hot new ass mixes that are very imaginative & fresh. The cuts are arranged in such a away that you could not tell that the original song is 40 years old & that’s classic only because it's Nina.

My Favorites Are: (click to listen to snippet (RealPlayer required))

• I Can't See Nobody (Daniel Y. Remix)
• The Look Of Love (Madison Park Vs. Lenny B. Remix)
• Here Comes the Sun (François K Remix)
• Go to Hell (Mowo Remix)
• O-O-Oh Child (Nickodemus Remix)

If you are a house/electronic/ambient music fan & you love High Priestess of Soul then this is a must have!

About Last Night VIII

Last night Cousin Dee & I celebrated the opening of the New MOCAD (Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit) during their Gala Opening Celebration.

Because we's po', we decided to forgo the Patron's Preview which was 125.00 a head to attend the after party which was only 10.00.

So we make our way to the MOCAD & create a parking space (can only be done in Detroit) at the opposite end of the street, which meant that we had to walk past like 4 vacant apt bldgs complete with loitering Crack Heads. How do I know they were Crack Heads? Well it was like 35° & raining as they sat in lawn chairs asking for money because they were keeping an eye on all of the cars. Anyway…

We are now past the vacant bldgs & Crack Heads in line to have our ID's checked to get into the party. We get through & then had to stand in line to pay the 10.00 admission fee, which is when I decided that I was too sexy to pay then stepped out of line & entered the Museum as if I belonged there & everyone knew. Cousin Dee was a little shocked but right behind me. As we approached the 1st exhibit, we let out a Madea “HELLEER” coupled with a mini “Bitch Scream”.

As we walked around the museum we both commented that the art was very contemporary & some strange (what art isn't strange, it's all relative). There was one exhibit that I liked (damn I should have had a camera) that had these alien cat like people living in a Shantytown. Some of the creatures were pissing in public & one was pissing off of a roof, which tripped me out. The exhibits had no information placards etc. so I was kind in limbo, sometimes I do not want to use my imagination, I just wanna know what the fuck I am looking at. After searching the MOCAD website I learning that the artist of the piece I admired is Jon Pylypchuk.

Walking through the other exhibits the thumping music was starting to distracting, which made it difficult to fully enjoying the other exhibits so we decided to partake in the bar & dance to the music. After a Skyy & cran, C.D. & I hit the floor to canvas the crowd (great people watching) until I spotted a table of food. OK so now we are at the food table actually tables where they had some picked over smoked salmon topped with seaweed salad over tofu hor'dourves and spicy tuna radicchio wraps (both really delicious).

As I started to bitch about wanting more of the tasty morsels, out of nowhere came more food & I mean a lot of it. It was like the caterer said “food is here bitches, we have lots of food for all you bitches”. As the food continued to flow people were flocking like they never ate before. CD & I were pretty stationary as we had a good spot between both food stations giving us easy access to get what we wanted. Eve’s restaurant of Ann Arbor was the caterer; Suite Suzy & I will be mos def checking them out for dinner soon.

By the time it was all over, I was over stuffed and very happy but needed another drink. With drink 2 in hand C.D. and I are now in the zone dancing (re-enacting the dance club scene from Basic Instinct), laughing & talking shit. Just when my high was coming down, it got picked right back up with a nice contact buzz from that funny stuff. (side note: I do not smoke but will never run from a possible contact buzz).

After everything was said & done we had a great fucking time, free food, wonderful sites at Detroit’s newest cultural institution & 16.00 for drinks (total). It was a great night!

Oh, I think I need to mention as we made our way back to the car, the Crack Heads were still working hard watching all of the cars parked on the street & we did not get a ticket for the parking space that we created.
-----------------------------------------------------------
About the MOCAD

The mission of the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit is to present art at the forefront of contemporary culture. As a non-collecting institution, MOCAD is responsive to the cultural content of our time, fueling crucial dialogue, collaboration, and public engagement.

Located on Woodward and Garfield between the DSO and the DIA, Wayne State University and the College for Creative Studies, the Museum will be an innovative addition to Detroit's Cultural Center, and function as a hub for the exploration of emerging ideas in the contemporary arts. The 22,000 square foot building, a former auto dealership now dedicated to housing MOCAD, will undergo its initial renovation this summer. With its raw, flexible and cavernous spaces, the building is well-suited to the exhibition of contemporary art. A cafe and bookstore are also planned to provide a place for informal dialogue.

MOCAD will present its first exhibition in fall 2006. Klaus Kertess, renowned curator whose Bykert Gallery launched the careers of such contemporary masters as Chuck Close and Brice Marden in the late '70s and who curated the Whitney Biennial in the '90s, is organizing the first show. Titled Meditations in an Emergency, it will include installations by eight major international artists including two in the current Whitney Biennial. Related programming will include music, performance, dance and lectures as well as educational activities with schools and youth organizations. The second exhibition, Shrinking Cities, a collaboration between MOCAD and the Cranbrook Art Museum scheduled for February 2007, is organized by a group of international curators from Germany, Detroit, England, and Russia. Among other ideas, it explores the relationship between cities and suburbs.

Fun With Video

I did this over the summer while home alone with my best friend aKa my MacBook Pro & yes I was kinda bored. I play this all the time & laugh @ myself which drives Suite Suzy nuts.

I have a few more coming so I hope you enjoy!!! To view you will need Apple's Quicktime Player installed.

Guilty Pleasures

Recently, I have been finding myself doing things that I would are somewhat embarrassing to admit to many of my friends.

There are a few more but this is all that I am willing to publish to the world, at this point anyway. :-)

My latest "guilty pleasures" are:

• Watching Season 2 of the Flavor of Love
• Watching Next on MTV; there is just something fascinating about what these stupid as people do to get a date with someone who is supposed to be “HOT”
• Watching the Keyshia Cole show on BET. It is ghetto & ignorant but I cannot stop watching & the sad part about it is that I do not even like her music
• Paying for a download of Paris Hilton’s song “Turn It Up” (I like the part when she whispers “That’s Hot”; don’t laugh)
• Eating a Popeye’s 2 piece meal spicy meal with 2 extra biscuits with red beans and rice a minimum of 1 a week
• Drinking way too much Sangria during the week & lately it has been at least 3 times a week. (makes for a great night cap)
• Last but not least, fondling my MacBook Pro non stop everywhere I take it

Is there anything that you feel guilty about enjoying???

I am sick of...

• Hearing about Oprah's fucking "Legends Ball" actually I am sick of anything dealing with Oprah
• Angry illegal immigrants
  
• The war on terror | Anything dealing with the Middle East & their "wars", car bombings etc
  
• Our stupid president
  
• Personal social issues needing constitutional amendments i.e. abortion rights, SSM not S&M but SSM (Same Sex Marriages)
  
• Ghetto 911 workers in Detroit

I's 150 Now

This officially serves as my 150th Blogger post & I am (don’t laugh) excited. Why, because this shows that I have stuck to the commitment that I put upon myself to share information with others, maintain a positive forum for myself that is used for a mental release, in other words therapy.

While I'm not the best writer I truly enjoy posting here! Come July 06, I will celebrate my 1 year anniversary & that’s not too far away so hmmmm, I will try to get t 200 posts by then. No not really, way to busy to slam out shit like that.

So for my 150th celebration, I am treating myself to some Sangria & salted cashews (this is a good combo; salt with a sweet). Listed below are 5 of my favorite stories, if you have not read them, check em’ out.

• Cowrie Shells: Not Just Shallow Décor
• Weekend Attitudes
• In Those Boot Cut Jeans
• 170 Years Later: Detroit's 2nd Baptist Church
  
• Pop & Politics & Day to Day ("Oprah is a Talk Show Mammy")
  

Peace

Break for the Border

I am sick & fucking tired of hearing about the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act (CIRA, S.2611) aKa the Immigration Bill that is making its way around the Congress/Senate/President. Every time I turn on the news, read online, watch the evening news, I am bombarded by the debate over controlling our border(s) (talk about media ubiquity). Today while driving out & about, I swear, immigration talk was on for most of the time I was listening to NPR in the morning, afternoon & evening. The only immigrant population that this plan appears to threaten are Mexicans.

Mexicans have been running for the border living here making a living setting up communities for decades & the way I see it is enough is enough. Mexicans come to America & yes take jobs the average American is not willing to do, but at the same time they are driving down wages for any citizen that is willing to handle hotel, agriculture & other service based work. I mean, if Pedro is happy making 3 dollars per hour, then why would a company or farm etc hire John & pay him minimum wage or more.

• Estimates suggest that immigration since 1980 has raised the total income of native-born Americans by no more than a fraction of 1 percent.
  
• Mexican immigrants have much less education than the average U.S. worker; they increase the supply of less-skilled labor, driving down the wages of the worst- paid Americans.
  
• The most authoritative recent study of this effect, by George Borjas and Lawrence Katz of Harvard, estimates that U.S. high school dropouts would earn as much as 8 percent more if it weren't for Mexican immigration.
  
• The willingness of Americans to do a job depends on how much that job pays - and the reason some jobs pay too little to attract native-born Americans is competition from poorly paid immigrants.
  

From what I see in my own community, Mexicans & other immigrant groups are not really seeking to be Americans, they are looking for a place where they can thrive in our economy, live within their customs and traditions & sometimes not even learn English. What turns me off the most is the non-willingness to learn English & speak it, if you are in a country for years: don’t you think you should speak the language (HELLO)?

On a separate but related note, the Senate recently voted to make English the nation language of the US. This news sent immigration proponents into a tizzy because they feel that such an enactment would disenfranchise non-English speaking immigrants/illegals/non-native citizens. They also fear that by making English the national language that ESL programs (English as a Second Language) would suffer, but of course the Senate say other wise. I say so the fuck what. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales stated that the change is merely symbolic & it won't change anything. My thing is why should a pocket full of people (immigrants/illegals/non native citizens) dictate what our language should be. If you move here legally or illegally, deal with it, learn it & speak it or take your ass back home. You are no longer Mexican Citizen or what ever so live with the choice you made.

I am not suggesting that people give up their cultural beliefs, but… When you travel or move to other countries, if you cannot speak the language, in most cases you are fucked, why make an exception here.

The Heritage Foundations stated that If the Immigration Bill passes, at least 100 million immigrants will become legal over the next 20 years. Ok, I have a question, where in the hell are they going to live?
-------------------------------------------------------------
Key Provisions of CIRA

Amnesty for Current Illegal Immigrants: CIRA offers amnesty and citizenship to 85 percent of the nation’s current 11.9 million illegal immigrants. Under the plan, illegal immigrants who have been in the U.S. for five years or more (60 percent of illegals) would be granted immediate amnesty. Illegal immigrants who have been in the country between two and five years (25 percent of illegals) could travel to one of 16 “ports of entry,” where they would receive amnesty and lawful work permits.

The New “Temporary Guest Worker” Program: CIRA creates an entirely new “temporary guest worker” (H-2C) program. There is nothing temporary about this program; nearly all “guest workers” would have the right to become permanent residents and then citizens.

Additional Permanent Visas for Siblings, Adult Children, and their Families: The permanent entry of non-immediate relatives—such as brothers, sisters, and adult children—is currently subject to a cap of 480,000 per year minus the number of immediate relatives (the parents, spouses, and minor children of U.S. citizens) admitted in the prior year.

Additional Permanent Employment Visas: The U.S. currently issues around 140,000 employment-based visas each year. Under CIRA, the U.S. would issue 450,000 employment-based green cards per year between 2007 and 2016

Source

@ The Movies: The Da Vinvi Code

Once again on a Friday I ventured to the movies last week to see the much debated “The Da Vinci Code” mainly to check out all of the hype. Last Friday was the 1st time I was able to make it to the movies in time to see the previews so I happy about that but by the time the previews were over, it was 6:25 the movie’s “start” was 6:00. Anyway, of course I did not read the book, why because I always wait for the movie, HELLO!

I was apprehensive somewhat about the movies “star” Tom Hanks (Robert Langdon) because I am not a fan of his, but I guess the sad thing for me is that his movies are 9 times out of 10 really good – awesome. With this said, “The Da Vinci Code” was awesome! The beginning scenes were somewhat eerie & a little intense, dealing with murder, a cloaked Albino, self mutilation in the name of Christ & mysterious anagrams scattered about.

The pace of the move was very steady to fast (you definitely should use the restroom before the movie starts to not miss anything). I found myself anxiously awaiting the next calculated movies of Robert Langdon & his accomplice Sophie Neveu (French actress Audrey Tautou). The two became allies when Sophie’s estranged grandfather who was member of the Priory of Sion was murdered for a secret that he had that would shatter Christianity and or man kind as we know it. Shortly after the murder Robert Langdon was implicated as the perpetrator & it was on from there

According to Dan Brown (Author) & some others, the Priory of Sion “is a real organization”, “a European secret society founded in 1099”: “In 1975 Paris Bibliothèque Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo Da Vinci”. I have read that the Priory’s existence in really life is reputed.

The deadly secret was basically the existence of Mary Magdalene’s final resting place, the secret marriage to Jesus, their love child, & the family line that continues through present day. This was such a secret because allegedly the Christian faith was supposed to have been led by Mary instead of Jesus’ boys. But after the death of Jesus, Mary was whisked off for her safety, had the child & lived her life in protection by Priory of Sion.

The Holy Grail - In Christian mythology, the Holy Grail was the dish, plate, or cup used by Jesus at the Last Supper, said to possess miraculous powers. The book/movie alleges that Mary Magdalene is actually the elusive Holy Grail & she was the vessel that held the blood of Jesus Christ in her womb while bearing his children.

The antagonist/bad guy in the was Opus Dei sect which is a spin off of the Catholic church who wanted to stop any possible knowledge of Jesus and Mary’s marriage and love child. The Opus Dei Bishop Aringarosa (Alfred Molina) was willing to stop at nothing to ensure that the secret was never found out, by way of killing anyone who may be protecting the secret. With his authority, Aringarosa was able to enlist the self mutilating scary looking Albino killer, and the lead investigator of the case Captain Fache (Captain Fache)

As Sophie & Robert made several exciting escapes from the police etc, they were finally able to get the assistance of one of Roberts old colleagues Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen). Teabing proved to be a big help in the quest for finding out the secrets of the Priory & was an even bigger help when he offered to get them out of the country on his private plane. As the dealings with Teabing continued, it became clear that he was not really a help, but actually one of the bad guys who set up Sophie & Robert all along.After the huge betrayal and the revelation that that Robert did not commit murder, the secret that had been hidden for centuries was finally revealed & although it seemed obvious at the end, it still was a shocker for me.

“The Da Vinci Code” had elements that reminded me of, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, & “The Ninth Gate” (2 of my favorite movies).After the movie, I met Suite Suzy & the kids for dinner & she told me that when she had drove past the theater, Jesus Freaks were out picketing the theater for showing the blasphemous movie (get a life).

What I did like:

• The intensity & drama of the opening museum murder scene
• The lunch box car chase scene
• The break down & description of the First Council of Nicaea
• The manipulation of the Last Supper painting by Teabing
• The beat down of the Albino
• The Rosslyn Chapel discovery & revelations
  The suspensful soundtrack

What I did not like:

• The sexual tension between Robert & Sophie
  The paganistic sex scene involving the Grandfather
• Self mutilating Albino
  The betrayal (but this did help make the movie)
  The bitchy detective

Advertised Synopsis:
Famed symbologist Professor Robert Langdon is called to the Louvre museum one night where a curator has been murdered, leaving behind a mysterious trail of symbols and clues. With his own survival at stake, Langdon, aided by the police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, unveils a series of stunning secrets hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, all leading to a covert society dedicated to guarding an ancient secret that has remained hidden for 2000 years. The pair set off on a thrilling quest through Paris, London and Scotland, collecting clues as they desperately attempt to crack the code and reveal secrets that will shake the very foundations of mankind.

Opening Weekend BO figures:

• Ranked in #1 Place
• Grossed 77.1 Million
• Shown on 3,375 Screens
• http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thedavincicode

Quick Albino Factoid:
Michael McGowan, an albino who heads the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH), said "The Da Vinci Code" will be the 68th movie since 1960 to feature an evil albino.

-------------------------------------------------------------
My thoughts on the possibility of Jesus & Mary:
I don’t care! He was a man, men have needs, Mary was experienced & there you have it. I maybe a fool, but I do not understand why some have a hard time believing the possibility of a continued blood line from Jesus, I mean anything is possible. Sure John Brown’s information& sources might be shady to non existent but hey that was like a few thousands of years ago and man has a tendency to cover up historical facts that are not glamorous.

So dark the con of man

Mother's Day & Last Minute Shopping

Yesterday while on my annual last minute Mother’s Day shopping trip, I had just about the worst experience I think I have ever had. First I had to go to the Coach store to send back my “Man Purse” because the buckle on the front pocket was becoming loose & when I go to the store, it was a total frenzy on other last minute shoppers. So after waiting in line for a bit, I finally got to the register to get my bag assessed. The cashier was very friendly & accommodating even offering my 40% off any new bag if I found one that fit my needs. Unfortunately everything they had was not sufficient & was obviously for a woman.

As my transaction was wrapping up, I heard the most obnoxious ghetto ring tone ever & the volume was so loud I heard it from 10 feet away loud & clear. Because I was so shocked at the volume & the ring tone (some rap song) I looked at the woman whose phone it was in utter disgust (reflex). I was not the only to glare at her in line & as I looked away, she made the comment “damn ain’t no body every heard a phone ring before?” Well 1) I have as I am not deaf, 2) why is you phone so fucking loud are you deaf, & 3) why have some stupid as rap song as a ring tone it’s annoying to everyone else. I choose to ignore her, completed my transaction & moved on to shop for my mamma & Suite Suzy.

Now that my “man purse” drama is over I need get Suite Suzy the watch she has been hinting at which I found at Marshall Field’s Dept Store (Hudson’s to anyone in MI). I arrive at the watch counter to check out what is available & the clerk asked me if she could help me & I said “yes please.” She continued to stand there vs. approaching me to actually take care of me so I just stood there I looked at here like she was a damn fool. She eventually approached me & asked again if she could help me. This time she actually did her fucking job & started to pull out watches for me to assess. I eventually picked the one that I thought that Suite Suzy wanted I purchased then moved on to get my mamma’s gift,

My mom is a perfume fiend so perfume was the obvious choice. As I made me my through Marshall Field’s I was overwhelmed be all of the perfumes etc. Every turn I made I was sprayed at like I was a roach being fumigated. After a while I was starting to get pissed off, & was starting to rethink my gift options. I was accosted by every perfume counter worker that I passed, I was starting to get paranoid, I mean these women in white coats when coming after me from out of nowhere. Eventually I ended up at the Elizabeth Arden counter & the woman there was not pushy so I settled there to check out her offerings & she directed me to the new Catherine Zeta-Jones perfume line ("Provocative Woman."), the she asked me if I wanted to smell it & I bluntly told her hell no (If I smelled anything else I was going to blow major chunks). To get the hell out of there ASAP I asked her to wrap up what she thought would be the best option, then she rang me up & I ran for the door like never before.

After being in aroma purgatory, I headed for Lord & Taylor to buy myself a gift & I as made the corner to the store, I saw all of these clearance signs & was like wait, it is really the start of the summer merchandising period, whet the hell could be on clearance already. Well after I got closer to the store I saw that the signs were actually close out signs because the store was closing. At this point I rushed through the store & saw that they mainly had winter merchandise 30-60% & hardly anything for spring/summer.

Because I like to shop off season for good deals this was still a win-win situation but eventually I started to realize that all of the big boy sizes were gone (if I were a 34-36 I would have been in heaven). The good news & bottom line of this store visit was that I found the Michael Kors wool ¾ length coat I saw back before x-mas originally 300 bucks now 99. I quickly snatched that up & found a cashmere sweater for only 30 bucks, a plaid summer blazer for 40 bucks & finally some Godiva Specialty Truffles for my mom & Suite Suzy for Mother’s Day. Finally cost for all 199.36!!!

Now that I had gifts all I needed to get was cards, so after I picked up my kids we scooped by Hallmark so they could get the card they wanted & that took like 45 minutes as they debated back & forth. Finally everything was purchased & I just needed to sneak it all in the house, which I did successfully. It’s 830 pm.

About 915pm the power in my neighborhood goes out (very frequent occurrence) & thank God that dinner was prepared before hand. While the delicious meal was still hot, we ate as a family by candle light. Before dinner Suite Suzy called DTE (energy provider) to report the lights being out & to find out if there was an estimate on when the lights would be on. The automated response informed her that the lights would be on in an estimated 3 hours & based on this, we chilled for the night.

It’s now 130am the lights are still not on & I have been reading by candle light at the dinner table.

It’s now 630am & my cell phone alarm is going off as I awaken to discover that the power is still off & fall back to sleep.

It’s now 730am & DTE finally decided to cut the fucking power on & all of my bedroom & bathroom lights illuminate & we all breath a sigh of relief wish Suite Suzy a happy Mother’s day then fall right back to sleep.

BTW, once my mom opened the perfume I finally was open to smelling & it smelled very beautiful. She loved it & both my mom & Suite Suzy laughed at the name as my mom has been known to be a "Provocative Woman."
-------------------------------------------------------------
Origins of Mother’s Day:
Contrary to popular belief, Mother's Day was not conceived and fine-tuned in the boardroom of Hallmark. The earliest tributes to mothers date back to the annual spring festival the Greeks dedicated to Rhea, the mother of many deities, and to the offerings ancient Romans made to their Great Mother of Gods, Cybele. Christians celebrated this festival on the fourth Sunday in Lent in honor of Mary, mother of Christ. In England this holiday was expanded to include all mothers and was called Mothering Sunday.

In the United States, Mother's Day started nearly 150 years ago, when Anna Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, organized a day to raise awareness of poor health conditions in her community, a cause she believed would be best advocated by mothers. She called it "Mother's Work Day."

Fifteen years later, Julia Ward Howe, a Boston poet, pacifist, suffragist, and author of the lyrics to the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," organized a day encouraging mothers to rally for peace, since she believed they bore the loss of human life more harshly than anyone else.

In 1905 when Anna Jarvis died, her daughter, also named Anna, began a campaign to memorialize the life work of her mother. Legend has it that young Anna remembered a Sunday school lesson that her mother gave in which she said, "I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother's day. There are many days for men, but none for mothers."

Anna began to lobby prominent businessmen like John Wannamaker, and politicians including Presidents Taft and Roosevelt to support her campaign to create a special day to honor mothers. At one of the first services organized to celebrate Anna's mother in 1908, at her church in West Virginia, Anna handed out her mother's favorite flower, the white carnation. Five years later, the House of Representatives adopted a resolution calling for officials of the federal government to wear white carnations on Mother's Day. In 1914 Anna's hard work paid off when Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother's Day as a national holiday.

At first, people observed Mother's Day by attending church, writing letters to their mothers, and eventually, by sending cards, presents, and flowers. With the increasing gift-giving activity associated with Mother's Day, Anna Jarvis became enraged. She believed that the day's sentiment was being sacrificed at the expense of greed and profit. In 1923 she filed a lawsuit to stop a Mother's Day festival, and was even arrested for disturbing the peace at a convention selling carnations for a war mother's group. Before her death in 1948, Jarvis is said to have confessed that she regretted ever starting the mother's day tradition.

Despite Jarvis's misgivings, Mother's Day has flourished in the United States. In fact, the second Sunday of May has become the most popular day of the year to dine out, and telephone lines record their highest traffic, as sons and daughters everywhere take advantage of this day to honor and to express appreciation of their mothers. Source

Mother’s Day Corsage Meanings:
Red indicates your mother is alive
White indicates your mother passed away
Yellow indicates a bereaved mother

@ The Movies: An Amercian Haunting

So I mustered up the energy to go to the movies after work any to see “An American Haunting” after a 2nd wind. This week I was actually able to get to the show on time (I did miss the previews), get my snack & get a good seat.

The movie started off fairly slow in present day & then through the reading of an old letter found in the attic, the movie quickly changed setting to 1819 Tennessee (during slavery might I add). From the point of 1819 the movie transitioned into the character & relationship build phase & was pretty calm until “the court date” with a witch.

During a church based court date John Bell (Donald Sutherland) was found guilty of ripping off a neighbor Kate Batts by charging her 20% interest on a , which was more that what the church demanded of it’s congregant. After Bell was ruled against & shamed Kate Batts “the witch” seemingly cursed him & his daughter Betsy & this is the point shit started to jump off. From here the movie took on a Little House on the Prairie vs The Exorcism vs The Poltergeist; no joke.

Out nowhere Betsy was being tormented by this spirit that had her going through major changes, levitating, rape, mind games etc. Then “the presence” started to attack John fucking with his mind, seeing & hearing things etc. After trying to deal with the presence with the Bible & losing, John sought the assistance of Betsy’s love interest & teacher to make since of the haunting.

The teacher refused to believe that they were being haunted & even suggested that it was the witches slaves that were exacting revenge (I found that notion to be interesting). The teacher then volunteered to stay the night to prove there was no ghost & soon found out that his theories were quite wrong. At this point in the movie, I cannot recall how many times I held my breath because I was totally engrossed & waiting for what was next & yes I did scream a few times (just a little), I was however not alone in this.

The presence only really affected Betsy & John totally but it did fuck with everybody else in the house from knocking them across the room, starting blazed ripping bibles to shreds etc. I think the plot worked really well, because trying to figure out who/what the ghost was did not prove to be easy & I just gave up trying to solve it in my head. Then just when I gave up, the truth was reveled & it was very unexpected & shocking as the secret was revealed to Lucy Bell (Sissy Spacek), Betsy’s mother, who took action & did what was necessary no matter the cost to save her family from the presence haunting them.

After Lucy did her thing, the movie spontaneously reverted back to present day where another secret was cleverly revealed.| roll credits. Once the movie went off, I felt a since of satisfaction, because the movie had all of the right elements for a suspense thriller & the acting & characters were all well developed. American Haunting was mos def worth my 5.75 & 8 for snacks.

Right before the credits, information was scrolled across the screen noting that the movie is based on a real story called the “Bell Witch Curse” that has been controversially debated over since it occurred way back when.

What I did like:

• The steeple chase scene & crazy wolf
  
• Lucy Bell's final action
  
• Seeing the ghost fuck with the family
  
• The way the story kept me engaged by keeping the story in a steady pace
  
• The cave scene
  
• Blood soaked sheets & panties set ablaze
  

What I did not like:

• How the ghost came to be (pretty fucked up)
  
• The hideous Kate Batts' face
  
• Blaming the haunting on Slaves
  
• Blood soaked sheets & panties
  

History of the Bell Witch Curse:
The Bell Witch is believed by some to be the spirit of Kate Batts, an old neighbor of John Bell who was involved with him in a dispute of the sale of a slave or piece of land (story variations tend to differ slightly). She swore on her deathbed to get even and after she died, the haunting began. Modern researchers have found, however, that Mrs. Batts actually outlived Mr. Bell. It was true, however, that the spirit once referred to itself as "Kate Batts' witch."

The "witch" reportedly manifested herself as an invisible presence at first, gnawing on the bedposts, scratching at the walls, and jerking the blankets off of sleeping family members and guests. Two of those guests were one of John Bell's closest friends and his wife, who spent the night after John Bell disclosed the witch's haunting. Later, those in the house heard horrid noises, like that of someone strangling or choking, lips smacking, and loud gulping. Eventually the spirit began trying to speak, first whispering faintly, then later gaining power, enabling this entity to speak directly to anyone in the room. Often she would converse, sing, shriek, curse, and physically interact with the Bell family and other witnesses - most times with a high degree of physical violence. 'Kate', as everyone eventually called her, did not hesitate to slap, pinch, or claw those whom she considered deserving of her wrath.

Once, during the haunting, an entire 'family' of spirits, who called themselves a 'witch family', appeared to arrive and began speaking with those in the house. These spirits called themselves 'Black Dog, Jerusalem, Mathmatics, and Cypocraphy.' Later, these spirits left, and only Kate remained to torment those in the house. It is notable to see that in our recorded history, this is one of few poltergeist cases where the entity could actually speak. The spirit also seemed to have a divine knowledge of things, such as being able to quote any scripture in the Bible flawlessly, predict the future, sing any hymn or song requested of it, or see events unfolding great distances away, accurately reporting the events later. Guests at the Bell farm were often horrified when the spirit would attack them verbally and divulge the most secret events of their lives to onlookers. Read the rest

Other POV on the Bell Witch Curse

• Bell Witch Web Site
• Prairie Ghosts

Advertised Movie Synopsis:

Something terrifying happened to the Bell family of Red River, Tennessee, nearly 200 years ago, causing the death of one of its members, the only validated case in U.S. history where a spirit or entity caused the death of a human being. Bell family patriarch John (Donald Sutherland) and his wife Lucy (Sissy Spacek) are pillars of their community but when a land deal goes sour with one of their neighbors, the woman -- generally considered to be a witch -- curses the family and in particular their beautiful daughter, Betsy (Rachel Hurd-Wood). Soon after, a series of increasingly terrifying episodes are visited upon Betsy and John by a malicious unseen entity. A friend, Richard (James D'Arcy), the local school teacher, tries to help but nothing can stay the demonic onslaught ... finally resulting in death for one of the family. It becomes clear that the Bells and their descendants will never really be totally free from the evil that haunts them -- an entity which they themselves may have helped to create.

Link to trailer

Dyslexic Email Forward

I got tihs via eamil toady & funod it inertsetnig, raed ti & let me know waht you tnhik! On the real, I actually thought about many of my late night Blog posts after reading this.
--------------------------------------------
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 precnet fo plepoe can. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid!Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno'tmtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm.Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!
-------------------------------------------------------------
Back to me:
In the immorital words (playing on "words") of the Tom Tom Club:

Words of nuance, words of skill
And words of romance are a thrill
Words are stupid, words are fun
Words can put you on the run

Life Without Chef

I have not watched the cartoon South Park in years & obviously missed all of the controversy over Isaac Hayes, his affiliation with the Church of Scientology & the spoof that the South Park producers aired recently.

I watched one of the recent episodes on youtube.com & the show is raunchy as ever. Anyhoo I was surprised to find out that Isaac was a Scientologist, actual pretty shocked but this is America!!!

The episode that aired with Chef coming back depicted him as a pedophile (sick), Here is a link to the videos, Part I, Part II, Part III (pretty gruesome). Chef’s voice in this episode is actually clipped together from previous episodes, if you pay attention, you can tell.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Posted on USA Today.com (AP)

Last week's spat that pitted South Park against Scientology and Isaac Hayes, with a rumored dollop of Tom Cruise stirred in, led Wednesday night to the animated series' highest-rated season premiere since 2002, according to a Comedy Central spokesman.

An estimated 3.5 million viewers — including 2.3 million in the advertiser-coveted 18-to-49 age bracket — tuned in to watch the show unleash a new salvo against Scientology.

Hayes' Chef character got a true South Park send-off — seemingly killed off but mourned as a jolly old guy whose brains were scrambled by the "Super Adventure Club." (Related video: Scientology satire)

The thinly disguised satire continued the show's feud with Scientologists in its 10th season premiere on Comedy Central.

The soul singer, best known for his work with Stax Records in Memphis, and composing the Oscar-winning theme to the movie Shaft, has voiced the Chef character in South Park since 1997.

He left the show recently because of what he called the animated show's religious "intolerance and bigotry." Founders Matt Stone and Trey Parker said Hayes, a Scientologist, was mad that South Park mocked the religion in an episode last November.

A rerun of that Scientology episode was mysteriously pulled off the air last week amid published reports that actor Tom Cruise, another Scientologist, had used his clout to bury it. A Cruise spokesman denied that.

Hayes didn't participate in making Wednesday's episode; the character's lines appeared to be patched together through tapes of past dialogue.

Chef repeatedly said he wanted to "make sweet love" to the South Park elementary school kids — it seems the "Super Adventure Club" turns its members into child molesters.

The children try to rescue Chef, but in the end he turns to head back to the "Super Adventure Club" — until he falls off a bridge onto rocks, is burned, stabbed and mauled by a mountain lion and bear.

Then he apparently dies.

"A lot of us don't agree with the choices the Chef has made in the last few days," one of the children eulogizes him at a funeral. "Some of us feel hurt and confused that he seemed to turn his back on us. But we can't let the events of the past few weeks take away the memories of how Chef made us smile."

"We shouldn't be mad at Chef for leaving us," the eulogy concludes. "We should be mad at that fruity little club for scrambling his brains."

The door for Hayes' return wasn't completely closed. In the show's final scene, members of the "Super Adventure Club" try to revive Chef, and it's not clear he's really dead.

Gordon Parks: Legendary Chronicler of Black Life

Photographer Gordon Parks, Legendary Chronicler of Black Life, Dies at 93...

Gordon Parks, who captured the struggles and triumphs of black America as a photographer for Life magazine and then became Hollywood's first major black director with "The Learning Tree" and the hit "Shaft," died Tuesday, a family member said. He was 93.

Parks, who also wrote fiction and was an accomplished composer, died in New York, his nephew, Charles Parks, said in a telephone interview from Lawrence, Kan.

"Nothing came easy," Parks wrote in his autobiography. "I was just born with a need to explore every tool shop of my mind, and with long searching and hard work. I became devoted to my restlessness."

He covered everything from fashion to politics to sports during his 20 years at Life, from 1948 to 1968.

But as a photographer, he was perhaps best known for his gritty photo essays on the grinding effects of poverty in the United States and abroad and on the spirit of the civil rights movement.

"Those special problems spawned by poverty and crime touched me more, and I dug into them with more enthusiasm," he said. "Working at them again revealed the superiority of the camera to explore the dilemmas they posed."

In 1961, his photographs in Life of a poor, ailing Brazilian boy named Flavio da Silva brought donations that saved the boy and purchased a new home for him and his family.

"The Learning Tree" was Parks' first film, in 1969. It was based on his 1963 autobiographical novel of the same name, in which the young hero grapples with fear and racism as well as first love and schoolboy triumphs. Parks wrote the score as well as directed.

In 1989, "The Learning Tree" was among the first 25 American movies to be placed on the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. The registry is intended to highlight films of particular cultural, historical or aesthetic importance.

The detective drama "Shaft," which came out in 1971 and starred Richard Roundtree, was a major hit and spawned a series of black-oriented films. Parks himself directed a sequel, "Shaft's Big Score," in 1972, and that same year his son Gordon Jr. directed "Superfly." The younger Parks was killed in a plane crash in 1979.

Parks also published books of poetry and wrote musical compositions including "Martin," a ballet about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Parks was born Nov. 30, 1912, in Fort Scott, Kan., the youngest of 15 children. In his 1990 autobiography, "Voices in the Mirror," he remembered it as a world of racism and poverty, but also a world where his parents gave their children love, discipline and religious faith.

He went through a series of jobs as a teen and young man, including piano player and railroad dining car waiter. The breakthrough came when he was about 25, when he bought a used camera in a pawn shop for $7.50. He became a freelance fashion photographer, went on to Vogue magazine and then to Life in 1948.

"Reflecting now, I realize that, even within the limits of my childhood vision, I was on a search for pride, meanwhile taking measurable glimpses of how certain blacks, who were fed up with racism, rebelled against it," he wrote.

When he accepted an award from Wichita State University in May 1991, he said it was "another step forward in my making peace with Kansas and Kansas making peace with me."

"I dream terrible dreams, terribly violent dreams," he said. "The doctors say it's because I suppressed so much anger and hatred from my youth. I bottled it up and used it constructively."

In his autobiography, he recalled that being Life's only black photographer put him in a peculiar position when he set out to cover the civil rights movement.

"Life magazine was eager to penetrate their ranks for stories, but the black movement thought of Life as just another white establishment out of tune with their cause," he wrote. He said his aim was to become "an objective reporter, but one with a subjective heart."

The story of young Flavio prompted Life readers to send in $30,000, enabling his family to build a home, and Flavio received treatment for his asthma in an American clinic. By the 1970s, he had a family and a job as a security guard, but more recently the home built in 1961 has become overcrowded and run-down.

Still, Flavio stayed in touch with Parks off and on, and in 1997 Parks said, "If I saw him tomorrow in the same conditions, I would do the whole thing over again."

In addition to novels, poetry and his autobiographical writings, Parks' writing credits included nonfiction such as "Camera Portraits: Techniques and Principles of Documentary Portraiture," 1948, and a 1971 book of essays called "Born Black.

His other film credits included "The Super Cops," 1974; "Leadbelly," 1976; and "Solomon Northup's Odyssey," a TV film from 1984.

Recalling the making of "The Learning Tree," he wrote: "A lot of people of all colors were anxious about the breakthrough, and I was anxious to make the most of it. The wait had been far too long. Just remembering that no black had been given a chance to direct a motion picture in Hollywood since it was established kept me going."

Last month, health concerns had kept Parks from accepting the William Allen White Foundation National Citation in Kansas, but he said in a taped presentation that he still considered the state his home and wanted to be buried in Fort Scott.

Two years ago, Fort Scott Community College established the Gordon Parks Center for Culture and Diversity.

Jill Warford, its executive director, said Tuesday that Parks "had a very rough start in life and he overcame so much, but was such a good person and kind person that he never let the bad things that happened to him make him bitter."

Story Credit:
Found on BAW
Composed by: Polly Anderson, Associated Press

Some Nasty Shit

If you like looking at someone else’s shit or into dookie love, you must visit www.ratemypoo.com. Someone posted this on a web forum (www.MikeLothar.com) that I belong to. I though tit was a joke & first & threw up in my mouth a little bit.

This is sure to gross you out, so please be warned!!!

Here are some quick shit facts I found on www.smellypoop.com

What is poop made of?

About 3/4 of your average turd is made of water. Of course, this value is highly variable - the water content of diarrhea is much higher, and the amount of water in poop that has been retained (voluntarily or otherwise) is lower. Water is absorbed out of fecal material as it passes through the intestine, so the longer a turd resides inside before emerging, the drier it will be.

Of the remaining portion of the turd, about 1/3 is composed of dead bacteria. These microcorpses come from the intestinal garden of microorganisms that assist us in the digestion of our food. Another 1/3 of the turd mass is made of stuff that we find indigestible, like cellulose, for instance. This indigestible material is called "fiber," and is useful in getting the turd to move along through the intestine, perhaps because it provides traction. The remaining portion of the turd is a mixture of fats such as cholesterol, inorganic salts like phosphates, live bacteria, dead cells and mucus from the lining of the intestine, and protein.

Why does poop stink?
Poop stinks as a result of the products of bacterial action. Bacteria produce smelly, sulfur-rich organic compounds such as indole, skatole, and mercaptans, and the inorganic gas hydrogen sulfide. These are the same compounds that give farts their odor.

Why is poop brown?
The color comes mainly from bilirubin, a pigment that arises from the breakdown of red blood cells in the liver and bone marrow. The actual metabolic pathway of bilirubin and its byproducts in the body is very complicated, so we will simply say that a lot of it ends up in the intestine, where it is further modified by bacterial action. But the color itself comes from iron. Iron in hemoglobin in red blood cells gives blood its red color, and iron in the waste product bilirubin gives rise to its brown color.

Sorry if I turned you off way too much.
B

Slum Village - Jay Dee/J Dilla

Detroit MC and producer Jay Dee, aka J Dilla of Slum Village succumbed to the ravages of kidney failure at his home in Los Angeles. He was 32.

In 2004, J Dilla revealed that he had kidney problems and in 2005, the rapper spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital fighting the disease, which causes the immune system to attack the body's own tissue and organs, including the brain, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys, skin and other vital organs.

Jay Dee, who also founded rap group Slum Village, had celebrated his 32nd birthday just a week ago on Tuesday by releasing an album called “Donuts.” Jay Dee was born as James Yancey and soon rose to become an influential producer on the Detroit hip-hop scene.

His manager, Timothy Maynor announced his death and said that the kidney failure had come about as a complication of lupus. He added that even as he neared his end, Yancey remained in good spirits and was cheerful, "He was optimistic about working on future projects and doing future shows," Maynor was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.

"We went over to Europe in December (to tour). He was sickly but at the same time, he wanted to be there. I told him, I'm prepared to carry you, if I have to carry you down stairs and put you on stage." Yancey had been on dialysis for almost two years, he confirmed.

Paying rich tributes to Jay Dee, Peter Adarkwah, the founder of BBE Records said in a statement that Jay's passion would be missed and he was very sad to learn of his death, “Jay was one of my favorite hip-hop producers of all time. His passion for music was a rare thing amongst people in the music industry. His music and presence will be sorely missed for many years to come," the statement said.

Jay Dee was never much of a public figure and opted to remain in seclusion most of the time. However, in a recent interview to the hip-hop magazine XXL, he refuted rumors that he was in a coma, “I had a ruptured kidney and was malnourished from not eating the right kind of food. It was real simple, but it ended with me being in the hospital," he had said.

While in the hospital and in his home studio, J Dilla also crafted the recently released instrumental album, Donuts."Jay was one of my favorite Hip-Hop producers of all time," said BBE Founder Peter Adarkwah. "His passion for music was a rare thing amongst people in the music industry. His music and presence will be sorely missed for many years to come." Detroit rapper Guilty Simpson, who worked with J Dilla on various projects, is featured on The Shining.

In 2004, J Dilla revealed that he had kidney problems and in 2005, the rapper spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital fighting the disease, which causes the immune system to attack the body's own tissue and organs, including the brain, heart, lungs, blood, kidneys, skin and other vital organs.According to the Lupus Foundation of America, approximately 1.5 million Americans have a form of the disease, which affects men and women of all ages. Lupus is two to three times more common among African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians and Native Americans.

In the most severe lupus cases, the immune system cannot tell the difference between foreign substances and its own cells and tissue. The immune system then creates antibodies to protect against its "self."

Before his death, J Dilla had been working on The Shining, the follow-up to his 2001 solo debut Welcome To Detroit. The album was slated to drop independently, via BBE in June.

Side Note:
My Favorite Jay Dee song is "Plastic Dreams" aka the Soul Night Theme (Detroiters know what I am talking about)

Unpredictable

With the release of his top-selling new album "Unpredictable," Oscar and Golden Globe winner Jamie Foxx ("Ray") brings to NBC his first musical special which showcases some of the music industry's biggest performers in "Jamie Foxx: Unpredictable" on Wednesday, Jan. 25 9-10pm

Filmed at the historic Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles, the special brings together a concert with celebrated artists from the R&B and hip-hop worlds. Foxx performs with musical legend Stevie Wonder, R&B singers Mary J. Blige (yuck) and Angie Stone, and hip-hop artists Snoop Dogg, The Game and Common. The performances will include the hit single "Unpredictable," a duet of the remake "Love Changes" with Blige, and a medley of "Gold Digger" and "With You" with Snoop Dogg and The Game.

The inspirational special centers on the milestones of Foxx's life and his musical influences growing up in Texas. Dramatic vignettes lead up to each musical performance and portray childhood conversations with his grandmother and family minister, as well as life-changing events such as falling in love and the birth of his daughter.

NBC is not doing any marketing or publicity on Jamie's Music Special on NBC because he stood his ground and wouldn't have any white guest as they requested. However you will be able to find information on their web site about the special The special is up against the second week of American Idol so you may have a decision to make. If Jamie does not get the viewers he needs to be successful, it may give NBC the excuse to never give another black a music special because "it doesn't work". To help Jamie Tivo or tape Idol and watch Jamie, he's worth it.

Foxx recently received a Grammy nomination in the Best Male R&B Vocal Performance category for his rendition of Lutha's "Creepin’" from the So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross album . That was just one of Foxx’s recent unprecedented accomplishments.

BTW, there will be an encore performance of the special Friday 01/27/05 on NBC.

Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood

I just read on a message board that Mary J. Blige is slotted to star as The High Priestess of Soul & Vocal Goddess Nina Simone in a MTV feature film. When I first heard this, I was outraged & shit, 20 minutes later I am still feeling the same way. I am a huge Nina Simone fan to the 10th power & to see that her life story & image may be fucked up by Mary J. is no comfort. I have never been a Mary J. fan in any fashion for very obvious reasons, a) she cannot sing, b) unoriginal music (always sampling) c) GHETTO persona i.e. hair, dress mannerism & lifestyle.

Mary J. has not starred in any movies so why would MTV Films/Paramount Picture choose her over anybody else available, looking at her music videos is enough to see that she should not even be featured in anything let alone a 2 hr movie. OK so now you know that I don’t like Mary J., so am I wrong, are you a Mary J. fan, do you think she can pull it off? If you said yes to either of the questions, you know you are wrong yourself. A few things I can say positive about Mary J. are that her web site is slamming and she is fairly attractive with the exceptionof the tacky tattooss!!!

In 2001 I had the honor of attending Nina’s last US concert at the Detroit Fox Theater & because Suite Suzy was on the ball we sat in the 2nd row close enough to feel the power & seduction of her soul. It was a pretty short concert but it was all good; Nina put on a hell of a show & was really relating to the crowd interacting with a call & response theme throughout the concert. You could tell that she was excited to be surrounded by so many beautifull black faces & I am sure that is because where she lived in France, black faces are not as plentiful as they are in Detroit. Sadly Nina died in Carry-le-Rouet, France of undisclosed reasons. During the concert it was apparent that she was ill but she had a hard strong life so I was not sure what to think of it.

Nina’s Biography as written on her web page

The New Apprentice

After watching "The Apprentice" for several weeks, I highly anticipated the 2 hr finale tonight. I usually have my person selected way before hand, but in this season, I was torn between Rebecca & Randal. I was really ok if either candidate won. They both started the show off with some pretty bad circumstances, Rebecca with her broken ankle & Randll losing his grandmother.

There were many great ups & downs throughout this past season, I mean I was addicted & unfortunately had to miss one episode. But the bottom line is tonight was the night, as I waited on pins & needles Trump made his decision & it again would have been good either way to me, but he choose Randal who happens to be quite accomplished. To my surprise after Randal was choose to be THE APPRENTICE, Trump was ready to pull another rabbit out of the hat by asking Randal what he thought about also hiring Rebecca as the 2nd apprentice. This of course tripped me out, so I was hoping Randal would say no. Although I really liked Rebecca, did not want to see Randal's thunder stolen, after all like Randal said, “the show is called The Apprentice, not the Apptrenti." HELLO!!!

Some quick Randal Pinkett Accomplishment Facts:

• Rhodes Scholar & Rutgers African-American Alumni Alliance Hall of Fame inductee
• Holds five degrees in engineering, business, & technology: B.S. from Rutgers; M.S. from the University of Oxford; M.S., M.B.A., & Ph.D. from MIT
• National Society of Black Engineers “National Member of the Year”
• Rockefeller Foundation Next Generation Leadership Fellow
• Founder, president, & CEO of BCT Partners, a multimillion dollar consulting firm
• Founder of four additional business ventures including an inner-city community consulting group & a training & development firm for high-level business professionals
• Featured in Ebony magazine as one of “30 Leaders of the Future” & Parade magazine’s “They Are Changing the World”

From an interview that I watched online, Randal states that the most important lesson he learned from "The Apprentice" was leading by example.

Randal's Home Page

@ The Movies: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

Over the weekend the kids & I went to see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, against my body’s wishes as I was suffering from a cold that will not go away. Anyway, I was anticipating this movie for several months now, so my hopes were very high on how awesome the movie would be. Well, bottom line is, it was all worth it, the wait & the silent suffering of a headache & sore throat & everything in between. I am not sure who enjoyed the movie most, me or the kids.

The cinematography & imagery were fantastic, a definite example of visual perfection. As you may or may not now, the movie was filmed in picturesque New Zealand but obviously the true magic happened behind the scenes at the studio with all of the green screen effects.

The movie is based on the 1950 book written C. S. Lewis which is often associated with Christianity in reference to some many of the key characters. As a comparison, the Lion (Aslan) is likened to Jesus because he sacrificed his life so that there would be no war in Narnia (the Earth) & was resurrected by a “deep magic” maybe God, maybe love. There was a White Witch perhaps the devil, & then you have a cast of possible demons & disciples.

The characters n the story were very fantastical, so if you are into fantasy, you need to see this now. There were Centaur, Satyrs, Unicorns (my favorite, so don't laugh), Gryphons, & Phoenixes to name a few, but I have to admit I was somewhat turned off when Santa showed up in the picture (only because I have not started shopping yet). I think 2 of the biggest heroes in the movie are the beavers, they were rally cute & kicked some ass when things started to jump off. Who would have known that a talking beaver could help save the day. Because I tend to like the antagonist in most movies, the White Witch was my girl from jump. When I saw her I thought she had locks so I was digging that even though she was not a sister. As the movie went on I kept tripping on her hair because it looked some much like locks & towards the end they set her of with some twist, so maybe she was supposed to be albino.

If this movie was any longer, it would not have bothered me at all; the 2 hours I was there just flew by; not the same story with the kids & their little bladders. Speaking of kids, the kids in the movie were also awesome especially the Lucy Pevensie (the little one), many time little kids in movies annoy me, but home girl set it off.

There were no recognizable characters in the movie, but the voice of the Lion/Aslan was none other than Liam Neeson (who has been in some really good movies lately) & the voice of the fox was played by Rupert Everett.

With all the religious undertones aside, you owe it to yourself to go on an adventure to see The Chronicles of Narnia but if movies are not you thing, check out the book over the holidays. Here is a full listing of the entire series:

• The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (1950)
• The Magician's Nephew (1955)
• The Horse & His Boy (1954)
• Prince Caspian (1951)
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
• The Silver Chair (1953)
• The Last Battle (1956)

Reading is not my thing, but if it was, then maybe...

Wax on, Wax Off

Everybody’s favorite sensei Pat Morita died yesterday at the age of 73 of natural causes in his Las Vegas home. Although Pat played Arnold in Happy Days, I think hands down he will forever be remembered as Mr. Miyagi from the Karate Kid movies/series (the 3rd movie was a total dud).

Born in northern CA. on June 28, 1932, the son of migrant fruit pickers, Pat spent most of his early years in the hospital with spinal tuberculosis. He later recovered only to be sent to a Japanese-American internment camp in Arizona during World War II. "One day I was an invalid," he recalled in a 1989 interview. "The next day I was public enemy No. 1 being escorted
to an internment camp by an FBI agent wearing a piece."

Pat started out with comedy by doing stand-up, using stories about Japanese-American
culture as a basis for his comedy, and opening for Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mathis, & Diana Ross. Eventually he headlined in Vegas, Playboy Clubs & Carnegie Hall, & made appeared "M*A*S*H", "Love Boat" & "Magnum, P.I.", as well as one of my big time favorites "Sanford
and Son" as Lamont's boy Ah Chew which led to his role as Arnold “Happy Days”.

Some Quick Pat Morita Facts:

• Wife of 12 years Evelyn Guerrero
• Film acting debut in "Thoroughly Modern Millie" 1967
• Oscar Award Nominee for best supporting actor in 1984
  
• First Japanese American with his own TV shoe ("Mr T. & Tina") 1976 (I was 2)
  
• AKA The Hip Nip
• Star on Hollywood walk of fame in 1994 (Location:6633 Hollywood Blvd)
• Did not know Karate before "The Karate Kid" & very little after
• Did not know Japanese

Check out an video segment

I Can Dig It!

I finally had the chance to listen to the Tavis Smiley show this past Sunday & what a great come back from Tavis. On Sunday’s program he interviewed Isaac Hayes about the release of his new album “Ultimate Isaac Hayes: Can You Dig It?” which dropped 11/01/05. The interview was a eye opener for me as a fan, I realized that I knew very little about Isaac, like the fact that he is a coronated King of the Ada coastal district of Ghana in western Africa & a member of the Royal Family & has a nightly radio shift on WRBO Soul Classics 103.5 FM in Memphis. Oh & how can I forget that he is also a restaurateur.

Back to the album, I have head about 70% of the tracks on the 2 disc album, but there was one in particular that I was totally unaware of & it is a duet that he did with Dionne Warwick during their A Man & A Woman album in 1977 where they performed "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" and "Say a Little Prayer" concurrently. This cut is so off the hook, I listened to it back to back at least 6 times. The melody & passion in both of there voices could give an audio-logical orgasm if not careful while listening. As they sing, their hooks overlap leaving me in a awed state on how perfect the song combination is. This has to be hands down one of the best duets of all time. The CD purchase is worth it just based on this one song. The collection of songs spans Hayes career with the Stax label 1969-1975 and includes:

• By the Time I Get to Phoenix/I Say a Little Prayer
• Someone Made You for Me
• Rock Me Easy Baby (Pt. 1)
• Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic
• Do Your Thing
• Never Can Say Goodbye
• If Loving You is Wrong (I Don't Want to Be Right)
• And of course the Theme From Shaft
  

Other quick Hot Buttered Soul facts

• 34 years ago, he secured his first and only No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Theme from 'Shaft."'
• He is heard on TV screens every week, as he provides the voice of Chef on the TV series "South Park."
• "Chocolate Salty Balls," from South Park, hit No. 1 in the U.K. in January 1999
• In 2002, Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• Hayes has a best selling cook book out titled "Cooking with Heart & Soul
• Hayes has not had dinner at my house in the last 5 years
  

Tavis Smiley Interview
NPR Interview

Eminem vs. Suge Knight

In a recent XXL interview, Suge Knight has come out against Eminem over some mix tales that were released 2 years ago by The Source, were Eminem blurted that black women "bitches" and "gold diggers". I remember when this came out & I was pissed. Although Eminem moves in a Black circle, this was too much for me. Eminem later apologized for this & said this is not how he really feels & that he was just being really stupid. Apparently Suge is just finding out about this (stay out of jail Suge), here is an excerpt:

Suge: Don’t get me wrong, I support anyone who come together as a unit and make good music. But hip-hop supposed to be about ghetto politics, about the culture of the inner city. And you got a lot of these artists dissing on record—whether it’s ’Pac and Biggie, Jay-Z and Nas, 50 and Game. A lot of ’em talking about keeping it real, how they off the block and all that bullshit. They’ll talk about every artist in the business and they mama. Except Eminem.

XXL: What’s your problem with Eminem?

Suge: This is a guy who as an artist comes out and says all Black women is nigga bitches and gold diggers. Now, I never had a problem with him before. When Eminem came out, I liked him. I thought he could rap, and I thought he was funny. He’s the “Weird Al” Yankovic of the day. But when you start saying Black women is nigga bitches and gold diggers, then I got a problem ’cause I got a mother, I got daughters.

XXL: Understood. And not to excuse Eminem, but haven’t you put out your share of records, Doggystyle, etc., that don’t exactly exalt Black women?

Suge: First of all, we paid the price for that with women’s groups and shit. And it’s different. People can call themselves niggas and bitches, but you cross a line when you start stereotyping a race. Eminem be making his money off Black people and Black culture, then turning ’round and degrading Black women. He’s a racist.

Link to full story

BTW, Suge is one Nigga not to phuck wit' & what about Paul Wall

Primetime Music Playlist

Now that one of my favorite "Nip/Tuck" show is back with a new season (3), my Tuesday evenings will not be packed with racy/raunchy story lines & plots, but most of all great music. One of the best thing about "Nip/Tuck" is the music & last weeks episode “Momma Boone” was no exception. During a, what some would call a hot Menage Trois between Kimber, Christian, & Kit McGraw (played by Rhona Mitra of The Practice/Boston Legal), the song Inside & Out was played (how appropriate). I later found out that this was a cover of the Bee Gee's "Love You Inside Out" performed by the Pop Rocker Leslie Feist however, her version is titled "Inside & Out".

Feist's album titled "Let it Die" was released Apr 06 (wish I knew about it then) is very good especially for not being a big rock/pop rock fan. Since I got the album a few days ago & have been stuck on:

• Inside Out
• One Evening
• Mushaboom
• When I Was a Young Girl

"Let it Die" has great flow, vibing energy, & mellow beats, so basically a worthy purchase & addition to my collection. Doing some bootleg, research I found that Feist (Canadian Born & Rasied) performed so much over a 5 year period in the 90's, that she lost her voice & was told that she would never sing again. She then picked up the guitar & used it as her voice while training with a voice specialist for years. By 1999 she was able to release her 1st solo album "Monarch"

"Nip/Tuck" is mos def a place to get hip to some alternative music choices.

You Are Not the Father

I do not know why I watch the Maury show because it is always the same either Transsexuals, Make-overs, or Baby Mamma/Daddy drama (paternity tests). 9 times out of ten I see Baby Mamma/Daddy drama & I ask myself, why are all of these people having unprotected sex. If you are in a relationship with some one, why are you having 6 other guys tested to see it they are you baby's(s) father. I do not know who is worse, the men or the women. My sentiment is if
you have all this time to get busy, you have the time to a) get a job, b) get educated on safe sex practices c) be smart enough to know why you are going to be a guest on the Maury show.

Embarrassingly enough the majority of the guest are black & have been on the show multiple times, like Chakka & Georgetta who have been on the show a combined 18 times (guestimate). This feeds the myth of the welfare lazy ass black mother. Theses people need to wake up & get tested for more than paternity, there has to more going on in them drawers!

Erin Gruwell Freedom Writers

I had the opportunity to see Erin Gruwell at a recent diversity conference @ the University of Michigan. Her story & the story of the children is very moving, inspiring, & powerful. After her speech was over, I then wanted to be a teacher myself. Stay tuned to an autobiographical movie chronicling the events that put her & her students in the national spotlight staring Hillary Swank & Ice Cube, for real!!!

She actually walked up to me before leaving the event & told me that she felt that we had a connection & I felt the same way. We had made eye contact several times, in a non-sex based way; I was moved by what she had to say. Maybe she was sizing me up for a part in the movie

Link

Members of 50 Cent's G-Unit Arrested

(Old News) G-Unit rappers Lloyd Banks and Young Buck were arrested on felony gun possession charges after a concert at Madison Square Garden, police said.

Banks, whose real name is Chris Lloyde, and Young Buck, whose real name is David Brown, were riding in a van with 10 other men that allegedly ran a red light at about 11:30 p.m. Monday near the corner of West 41st Street and Eighth Avenue, authorities said.

Link