You Got That VIBE

So I was right, y'all. VIBE Founder Quincy Jones is talking about buying back the defunct magazine (shut down last week) and moving it to online-only because in his words, "print and all that other stuff is dead."(...like his homeboy MJ, whose funeral he wasn't decent enuf to attend.)

And did y'all hear that Quincy said Michael always wanted to be white? This coming from a man who has married four white women. Grandpa betta watch out - standing inside a glass house throwing rocks is not very smart...

Top 5 Dumb Questions to Ask When You Walk into Forever 21

5. "Why is everything so low cut?"

4. "Where are your leggings?" (Usually asked by the 200+ pound chicks)

3. "Does this come any bigger?"

2. "Does this come any longer?"

AND THE ONE THAT MAKES ME WANT TO KICK YOUR MAMA EVERY SINGLE TIME.....

1. "What y'all got for ppl my age?" (Usually asked by a 35+ yr-old black woman. Who didn't quite comprehend that she walked into a store called Forever 21.)

This is Why I Only Shop in One Store...

I strolled into one of those other stores for young ladies the other day...and was quickly reminded why it's been so long since my last visit.

These jeans on the left caught my eye. Aren't they freaking cute? But that tag on the right says $107.99. First of all, it is trickin (if you got it or not - cuz we in a depression), and second of all, nothing in Charlotte Russe should ever have three digits before the decimal point. Isn't that the point of stores like that????? Idk what the hell yall trynna do, but I near fainted when I saw that...yall take that to Nordstrom's somewhere.

Attention, Detroit:

There is a serial rapist on the loose. He is on the East side (where you'll never catch me anyway).
He kidnaps victims at gunpoint, blindfolds them and puts them in his trunk. After the rape, he forces them to take a shower (which is hella smart, considering they tell rape victims not to wash up so that DNA can be retrieved.)
Thent he fella is kind enuf to drop you back off where he found you.

But here's the thing: all his victims have been young ladies (I believe from ages 15-18) walking the street by themselves at around 1:45 a.m.....

Rape is never warranted, OK, but...young ladies, where are u going at 2 a.m.? By yourself? On the East side? And parents, why are you allowing your daughters to be in the streets this time of night? I'd call this one a no-brainer....but everyone doesn't think like me. Perhaps if you live sumwhere your whole life, you think you're immune to violence - that you know what to do if it does happen, but you aint worried cuz it hasnt happened yet.
Well...you shouldnt worry, then, in that case...unless you think 2 a.m. is a good time to take a walk.

For Those Who Think Google is Trying to Take Over the World...

...it is. On Wednesday Google announced it will be launching its own operating system for personal computers, based on its Chrome browser.
It is intended to be used on notebooks, and eventually desktop computers as well.

“Speed, simplicity and security are the key aspects of Google Chrome OS,”
said Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management, and Linus Upson,
engineering director, in a post on a company blog. “We’re designing the OS
to be fast and lightweight, to start up and get you onto the Web in a
few seconds.”

By the end of this year, the software will be availble online, and by fall 2010, notebooks with the software already installed will bei n stores. They say this move will directly challenge Microsoft, but from what I've heard, Microsoft has already one-upped Google with its new "Bing" search engine.

Half the world thinks Google is the most convenient and easy-to-use invention ever...and half the ppl think Google is trying to get all in your business by attempting to be all things to all people every where you may be....I think I'm in the first group.

I Guess Sumthing Had to Go

You all can click on this link and get the details for yourself, but the gist of this story is that with the budget deficits many states are facing, states have to make some hard decisions about which programs to keep or cut, and many have decided, oh, that ummmm summer school is expendable.

That's fine if you have alternative programs in place for the kids to attend instead. But of course, this is not the case.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/education/02school.html

Nearly every school system in Florida has eviscerated or eliminated summer school this year, and officials are reporting sweeping cuts in states from North Carolina and Delaware to California and Washington.

The article uses the Brevard County Schools in Florida as an example. Last year almost 14,000 students were taking free summer classes. Now those students are at home or at the mall (watching that dam* BET or in the street) because summer programs have been eliminated or stripped to the bare minimum.

Let me tell you something, I went to college in Florida and many of my classes were full of Floridians educated in the Florida Public School System. Can I be real with you right now? Don't get offended, please. It was in those very classes that I learned college is not entirely home to the "brightest and best." If anybody needs as much school as they can get, it's them Florida chillrens. I'm just sayin......

Meanwhile, we here in Detroit have summer school, but our ungrateful behinds have used the last two weeks as an opportunity to get caught up on our beefs from the school year and whatnot and shoot each other up. Seven people were shot at a bus stop last week. If I'm a parent, I would be Up-and-Set, thinking I'm doing the right thing by sending my child to school, and he may well have stayed home on the porch....ya lil gurl can stay home all day and sneak boys over to the house, or she can go to school and get shot...it's lose-lose out here.

Madoff Part II

Now, this is sum foolishness, I do declare!

Bernie "Quick Change Artist" Madoff has hired a consulatant to find the best prison for his 150-year stay.

Wow...the rest of us have to go where the heck they feel like shipping us off to, but he gets to scope out options, weigh the pros and cons and do a SWOT analysis of his options. My, my. Remind me not to break any serious laws and screw over ppl legally until I get rich.

Re: Steve McNair

Don't get me wrong, I'm not the arbitor of Right and Wrong. All I know is, the first report I heard was that foremer NFL MVP QB Steve McNair and a woman were found shot to death in his condo. ... I thought, wow, that is sad and suspicious.
Then we got a little more info: McNair, 36, who is married with four kids, was found with a 20-year-old young woman, and they were shot by her ex.

Moral of the story: Don't cheat. You never know what a piece of a** could cost you.

Wait, I'm wrong for that! - let me be a lil more sensitive: I don't know McNair's home situation. I don't know if he and his wife were seperated or happily married or what...and I technically don't know that the deceased young lady was his jumpoff....What I can say is, yall old mf's need to leave them young gurls alone. If I'm nearly 40 and you just made it out of your teens, what are we chitchatting about and how do we hook up to where you at my crib on the one-on-one QT tip? Maybe he was "mentoring" the child.

But that's not my business. I honestly feel this is a sad story, and my heart goes out to his family......but guys consider this....an MVP, Pro-Bowler, Super Bowl playing, 16-year NFL vet is dead now...over a chick.

You never know what you're getting yourself into, and it is likely he had no way of knowing the danger he was in by associating with this woman, but let's all try our hardest to make wise decisions.

In Your Face, Sonia!!!

So last week the Supreme Court ruled on this absolutelyyyy absurd "reverse discrimination" case. Some white firefighters in New Haven, Conn. claimed they were denied promotions because of their race....idk how they could be jealous of the 2 minority firefighters in the entire state of Conneticut, but that's not the point of this post.

The issue here is that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor previously ruled against the firefighters as an appellate judge. What this says to me is the Court is already undermining Sonia, and she's not on even on the bench with them yet....they have stuck out their tongues, folded their arms, banded together like a scene from "Anchorman," and warned her that more is to come if she makes it, which she might not.

They already feel like Sonia has a little too much Latin pride, so overturning her on a race issue is a double victory for her opponents. She is like the "Jenny from the block" of the legal world, calling herself a proud "Nuyorican" and reppin her Latin roots allll the time. Don't you know Sonia? Take it from Clarence - he never woulda made it to the High Court had he been all Black Power/ What kinda power u got? Oh you know I got soullll power!, or if he had a history of racial cases in his legal body of work (which we know literally is not possible).

If you are a minority, and if you came from the hood and made it all the way to the top; you have a right to be proud. BUT YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO SHOW IT. at all. It really sucks, but you cant wear your ethnicity on your shirt with buttons and flags and patches. You gotta suppress it your entire career as you continue to ascend. When you reach the top, if you let your soul show then, people will try to find a way to kick you out of your position...but at least then it might be a lil harder for them. It's really a no-win situation. You can be successful and only have soul in your spare time at your house, or you can be proud of who you are/true to yourself and only go so far.

Going to a black school allowed me to buy a little time before I have to join institutions that force me to be an imitation white person, lol. (dont take that the wrong way; it just is what it is. Blacks and Latinos are becoming the majority, yet we still gotta try our hardest to fit in with the rest of them if we want a little crumb of success, wealth, etc. but if enough of yall read my blog I can get my Perez Hilton on and be me erryday, nahmean??!! haha)

He Seems Sorry to me

I've been meaning to comment on this for a couple of weeks now because this is one of those no-win situations...but a lot of outraged people feel Donte' Stallworth did win. If you didn't know, Stallworth, 28, was a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns. In March, he was leaving a Miami nightclub, drunk, when he hit a pedestrian. The man, 59-year-old, Mario Reyes eventually died.

Stallworth's blood alcohol level was at .126, which is above the legal limit....but we all know a big, athletic, football playing man can probably hold liquor differently than others, which means he may not have been actually drunk. Moreover, everyone acknowledges that Reyes was NOT in the crosswalk. He was running across the street to catch a bus after leaving work. Which is why in the 911 call, Stallworth says "he came out of nowhere." As soon as Stallworth hit the man, he stopped. He frantically called 911. He took full responsibilty for his actions, and he voluntarily reached a financial settlement with the victim's family. He could not have handled the situation any better.

But here's the part white America is mad about: Stallworth's sentence is 30 days in jail for manslaughter, 8 years of probation and two years of house arrest. And the NFL has suspended him indefinitely. They feel like that's a slap on the wrist since a man has died here. OK, we certainly won't trivialize loss of life, but Stallworth didn't gun someone down in cold blood and run. And I dont even know that he's a big enough star for anyone to claim he received special treatment on that tip.

I'ma be real here, because we all know who is upset about it: the majority segment that overlooks all the light sentences they get, but want someone's head on a platter for the simplest offense if the perpetrator is black or a black athlete. If the victim's family is not upset, no one gives a damn what yall have to say about the situation. Period.

And while I'm at it, I dont care how nice your house is, I couldnt be on house arrest for two years. As in for the next 700+ days, those are the only walls he will see. That would drive a person crazy....for athletes, playing football is their life's passion and dream. That means Stallworth has two years where he won't be able to do that, and depending on how the comissioner feels after that time, he may be done altogether. Imagine making a mistake - and yes, it was a mistake that anyone could have made - that will cost you everything. Reyes lost his life, and Stallworth could be 30 years old unable to do what he's worked his whole life for. For anyone working a job they hate, anyone who'se watched your parents spend their whole lives at jobs they can't stand so they could provide for you, I think you understand the depth of that.

Yes, people have committed lesser crimes and gotten far worse punishments. OK, you can't correct that by hanging Donte'. So get over it.

My Heart Goes out to Ruth Madoff

But after reading a little more, I wonder if it should.

I guess I feel bad that she married a crook in 71-year-old Bernie Madoff, who ran an elaborate Ponzi scheme and fooled people into investing $65 billion. For over 20 years he swindled hundreds of people, from actors to regular Joes with families, and have left many completely devastated.

But I felt bad for Ruth that she will be losing her life partner to his 150-year jail sentence. I asked myself what I would do if my husband were going to jail for the rest of his life....

But maybe I shouldn't feel bad at all. I remember interviewing a psychologist who was telling me he'd been married for like 30 years, and he was still "learning things" about his wife. He said, "if you meet me at 25 and we get married three years later, there's still 25 years of life before we met that you know nothing about. You can't learn all of that in three years. It takes a lifetime to get to know someone."

With this in mind, do we think Ruth was completely innocent? Do we think she had no idea her husband had such disregard for other peoples? They were married for decades and have two sons...do we think none of them knew Bernie was capable of getting up and doing dishonest work every day with a straight face?

You never know what's in someone's heart....but the Madoffs had a New York penthouse, houses in Palm Beach and the Hamptons, four yachts, two Benzes; and Ruth had two minks and $2.6 million in jewelry alone. Amongst the opulence, did anyone ask Big Daddy Bernie how they could really afford that? And if Ruth indeed knew, how could she be so cool with spending other peoples' money?

Bernie thought he was gon be slick and leave her $70 million. But come on, when you're married, what's hers is yours. And everything he has belongs to the government as they try to pay restitution to the victims. Federal marshals escorted her from her four-bedroom penthouse last week and ordered her to leave behind everything that could be sold...clothing, furnishings, luggage, curtains, rugs, footwear...everything! She was, however, allowed to keep $2.5 mil. She probably looking like, wtf am I gon do with that change?

You can imagine many ppl believe she was not an innocent bystander. They dont believe she first heard of the charges in court with the rest of the world, and this is why she is just as hated as he is. I heard she isn't allowed to go back to her salon and former friends don't get up with her anymore...but the thing that has removed my symapthy for her is this: her children have stopped speaking to her as well. Maybe they know something....

That Da** Tina Fey...I mean Sarah Palin

I'm sure you've heard by now that Sarah Palin announced she will be resigning as governor of Alaska.

This is the exact wordage from the New York Times News Alert I received:

Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska, announced she would step down before the
end of the month, citing a desire to affect change outside of government.

"Affect change outside of government"??? Isn't that the reason you get in office in the first place? What does she think she is going to do? What services can she provide?

Palin made a mockery of the office, between her public feud where she and her childish husband kept picking with David Letterman, (and they did actually make Ol' Dave feel bad), and her knocked up daughter going on a media spree and then divorcing her husband after their shotgun marriage. But taking time off for a failed VP campaign, then quitting with more than a year left in your term, further makes her look like a clown. I mean, it doesn't look like you're really dedicating to serving your beloved Alaska if you up and quit like that.



I just think she's quitting so she can make more money writing books and making appearances. And I wouldnt be surprised if she moved to Cali and got a talk show. Or a dang hunting show on the Wildlife channel. That's why she's really leaving, and you know it; dollar signs and Fame are calling her name, not other opportunities for public service....everyone who may read this, do America a favor--please quit paying attention to this non-talented, ingenuine, transparent media whore.

Pour Some Out for VIBE

You all really won't believe this one, but 'tis true: VIBE magazine is closing. Operations are shuttig down. And more creatives will soon be on the streets job-hunting in this already tough industry.

According to Variety Headline News, the VIBE staff was in the midst of an MJ tribute issue when Editor in Chief Danyel Smith issued confirmatory memos. The funny thing is, a couple of weeks ago I read an e-mail announcing Smith CEO of the VIBE Media Group and EIC of VIBE, as well as a new hip-hop tabloid magazine. But now, she and former VIBE Media Group CEO Steve Aaron announce that a decrease in advertising revenue along with a lack of investors have led to the demise of the mag, which was nearing its 16th anniversary! (And 16 years is a huge milestone for a magazine!)

VIBE was founded in 1992 by one Quincy Jones, and we know his money is long. I feel like if he wanted to step in, he could. (Even when VIBE Vixen folded, there was an opportunity to infuse life in the parent mag.) With ESSENCE and BET, FUBU, Phat Farm and many other businesses, we start with an idea and then sell it off when it becomes successful. We imagine a conglomerate with more resources can run it better and make it even more profitable, but to me, what's wrong with having a vision, making your baby a success and continuing to see it through?

I don't like XXL or the Source, but VIBE was a respectable brand and a magazine for men and women, fans of rap, hip hop and R&B alike. Perhaps it will live on as an online magazine - who knows? Times like these force traditional media to get real creative. But I wish all those talented people the best.

WAIT A MINUTE-- U know what, yall? I should have suspected this. Whenever your top talent starts to jump ship, that means they're being smart and running out of the burning building before it collapses. Former VIBE writer and editor Shanel Odum moved over to head Honey Magazine, which is online only, and former VIBE Editor in Chief Emil Wilbekin went over to GIANT in February, then to Essence.com last month!!!! (And I was wondering why this man went over to be managing editor at Essence...now I know! He's been around long enuf to have peeped game before the axe fell!)

What should the last "10 Questions" include, yall????

Fast Breaks

At the end of last year's horrendous season, Joe Dumars, the Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations, defended first-year coach Michael Curry. He said he had to be patient, and he recognized that it was an "up-and-down season" for coach Curry. Joe D. went from standing up for Curry a couple of months ago to signing rookies last week, then firing Curry on Tuesday.

What changed???? Curry had to smile and stand tall at the rookie press conference; I wonder if he knew then that his firing would be made public a few days later.

In my eyes, it didn't look like he was given a fair chance. It was his first head coaching job, with this in mind I'm like expect the first go-round to be shaky, but at least give him a second season to learn from those initial mistakes. Flip Saunders had 3 seasons, and he led the team to the finals each year, Rick Carlisle had two seasons, as did Larry Brown - who actually took the team to a championship and came very close to a repeat! (Brown's firing still has me shaking my head.)

But poor Curry....one and done. The season started with him losing his father, with whom he was very close. He got his dream job then his father died right after. At the beginning, the news said Curry got along well with the players and had built a good rapport from being an assistant under Saunders the year before....Now they're saying Curry had to go because of tension with players, most notably Rip Hamilton. WELL with the dumb-a** Allen Iverson-Chauncey Billups trade, Rip would have been unhappy regardless of who was coaching the Pistons last season. It coulda been the dang Dalai Lama, and Rip woulda been like f*** all yall.

The team went 39-43 last season and were completely swept in the first round of the playoffs by Lebron and them...when have u ever seen a Pistons team so uncompetitive? You know those boys play with heart and grind hard, so yes, such a failure does call for drastic measures. But look at the situation Curry was given and ask yourself if he really deserved the blame?

From where I sit, being an "executive" is the easiest job around. You make all the bone-headed decisions you want because in the end, the blame falls on the coach. (Look at the Lions if you need another example.) The players call the shots, the managers give in to the players' whims and make other like wise bad decisions, and a coach has to make magic out of madness. (I.E., if a player doesn't show up for training camp because he wants more money, chances are the front office will find a way to give that man more money eventually. And a coach can do nothing about it. He'd like to have all players in attendance on time so he can install his system, but he can't make a player do anything.)

I say all this to say, coaches have less power than we think, and it's unfortunate to me that Curry had virtually no chance of proving himself. He got to taste his "dream" job, but a lot of things beyond his control were thrown in the potion. Joe D. said his team is undergoing a transition, and they need someone with more experience to guide them at this time. I say, decisions are not made a season at a time. Executives absolutely think long term and set things in motion for seasons to follow. So Dumars didn't wake up this morning with the idea that his team is going through a transition. He knew last season, and he coulda just hired someone else then instead of wasting Curry's time and making him a lame duck coach.

BUT I WILL SAY IT IS VERRRYY INTERESTING THAT BILL LAMBIER STEPPED DOWN FROM HIS POSITION AS HEAD COACH OF THE DETROIT SHOCK A FEW WEEKS AGO, EVEN THOUGH THOSE GIRLS ARE PROBABLY THE MOST SUCCESSFUL WNBA FRANCHISE THANKS TO HIM....NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE'S ANOTHER SPOT OPEN IN DETROIT, IN THE BIG BOYS CLUB, WITH HIS HOMEBOY JOE D.....WHERE YALL THINK HE'S GOING TO END UP?

:-/

HawthoRNe Review

Most Jada Pinkett-Smith characters are less than memorable. But when I saw that she was getting her own TV series on TNT, I was proud of her. I thought, wowww, how much money do she and Will need??? But I had to check it out - cuz we should support each other like that.
Usually we see Tv stars go on to movies (which Jada did after "A Different World.") So this was really different, seeing a movie actress go back to TV. For one, you see TV actors every week, so you get this sense of familiarity, like they're a regular part of your home and life. Movie stars are a little higher because you dont see them as often. Anything that's rare kinda has more value. So it was almost like Jada is going from up HERE to down there with evrybody else....u get me???

At any rate, Jada plays Christina Hawthorne, the chief of Registered Nurses at Trinity hospital (I think that's the name of it)...but with all the decisions she was making and the way she was sooo needed by everybody, I was kinda confused about the difference between her and an actual doctor.

U know every story has to have a strong ending and beginning. Hawthorne def had both! It opened with her dead husband's friend calling her to say goodbye before he attempted to commit suicide. U thought she would talk him out of it, but no - this man actually jumped off the hospital's roof! It ended with Hawthorne finding her own way to memorialize her husband on the year anniversary of his death.

With all the cop shows and hospital shows, one thing you wonder is how different can each one be? How many scenarios can you put inside a hospital? In the first episode and scenes from the next, u saw a patient attacking a doctor...never seen that one before, right?? Then you have the patients with mental illness who have good hearts, but are a lil dangerous because they're crazy, and they'll flip out on the ones trying to help them...yep, that's a new one too, right??

But then I reminded myself that the imagination is limitless...and nothing is really new anyway, just executed differently. I also wondered how rude Jada's daughter was going to be?? I mean, that girl was unrealistically disrespectful. At one point she chained herself to a vending machine in some type of protest, then when Hawthorne showed up they began arguing, and the girl accuses Hawthorne of killing her father...yet, she still expected her mother to talk to the principal and save her from getting in trouble.

Another thing that looks like it will be recurring is tension btw doctors and nurses. U get the idea that doctors see themselves as thee authority and view nurses as underlings. Whether this is real or exaggerated, it is an interesting subpoint.

Yes, I watched the show because of Jada. And honestly, if it were the exact same show with an unknown cast, I would not have found it engaging enough to watch. But all in all, I would say that based on the first episode, if you aren't doing anything with your Tuesday nights at around 9 p.m., you should give "HawthoRNe" a try.

"Throw It In The Bag"

I am not a call girl....I just look like one at work. So I guess I can understand if that causes some confusion.
There is one guest who frequents the facility where I work. Always has on a sharp hat pulled low over his eyes, dressed in business casual, there at an insanely late time of night. The first night I saw him, he said, "You lookin real fly," and he gave me a $10 tip for a drink that was free. I thought he was gay. I know gay guys dont just give out compliments unless they mean it, so I"m like, OK, I must really be fly tonight - thank you very much.
However, the next time I saw him, this man said, "You lookin fly, baby. Here, take my number down."

- Innoncent enough, right? But here's the clincher, y'all. Next he said:
"I got money. Give me a call."

Now me being me and not taking that ish seriously, I laughed in his face.
He was undeterred. "Im serious baby, I got money. Make sure you call me."
I shook my head and walked away.... I mean, really, is that your selling point? "I got money."? What other features and benefits do you come with? I suppose those three words were supposed to be enough to slay me.

Last night I saw him again. This fool repeated the same admonishment to call him because he has money. "When you gon let me spoil you?" he asked. (then he said, whats your name again? I always forget. Anyway, u should call me. I got money. I'm thinking, wait you wanna cash out sum random chick whose name you dont even remember??? wowwww.)
Any other time, I walk away. But this is the man of the $10 tips, on a night when I had a grand total of $14. So I decided to humor him for a moment. "Oh, I dont know," I said. "You still got my number?" he asked. "Here let me write it down again." And this man pulled out a pad of post-it notes and got to writing. As he did so, he said, "You like the Somerset Collection? When can I take you shopping? I work from 10:30 to 7:30, so make sure you call me a day in advance so I can take off."
....and at this precise moment, I got a little weak. You see, Somerset is my FAVORITE mall. And it is indeed for ppl who "got money." My stone will began to flinch. My trick-o-meter started to rise a little. I wondered how little I would have to do in order to obtain this shopping spree. I wondered if my bf would really mind that much....
I mean, it IS my birthday weekend, shytttt!

A Supreme(ly) Bad Decision

Last week, the Cupreme Court ruled that convicts do not have a Constitutional right to obtain DNA testing to try to prove their innocence long after being found guilty.

We all know there are numbers of innocent people in prison, and a percentage of that are on Death Row. The article I read in the New York Times says there have been 240 exonerations due to DNA testing, and in 103 of those cases, the testing was able to identify the actual guilty party.

Why, with such evidence of a flawed justice system, would the Supreme Court not allow a person to take advantage of any opportunity to obtain the truth? To me, it just seems like due process.

The specific case brought before the court was concerning a man in Alaska, which is 1 of 4 states that do not allow access to DNA testing to inmates...this man's case is a little confusing, because it looks as though his lawyer actually turned down the testing during the trial because she felt it would incriminate him. But basically it led the court to conclude 5-4 that individual states may allow some ppl to get DNA tests, but it is NOT a guaranteed right under the Constitution....with that in mind, tell me how many ppl you know who do things they dont HAVE to do...especially things that add to their workload. This just makes it easier for states to deny a person a chance to clear his name. Now they have an excuse to say no, even when they shouldn't. The ruling doesn't necessarily say that states that do allow access to DNA testing should stop it, but I'm certain it will make things harder in the future.

Look at the case of Troy Davis, a Georgia man convicted of killing a police officer in 1991. He has been on Death Row since then, yet 6 of the witnesses have come back and admitted that they lied in their testimonies and were coerced into naming Davis as the killer. Even in the face of crumbling evidence, the DA is refusing to reopen the case and allow DNA testing that could save this man's life.

I attached a link so you can read in detail what the Supreme Court decided, if this is something that interests you.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/us/19scotus.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

I'm Not A Strip Club Fan, but Sucks if You Are

The Detroit City Council is hearing a proposal to make sum crzzzyyy strip club changes.

For one, they want to stop serving liquor...that's a grave mistake. It's like not serving alcohol at a nightclub or a football game.

Next they want to cut out lap dances, and strippers would have to remain on stage with about 6 feet distance btw them and the patrons....sorry, ladies, no one will be stuffing dollas in ur g-string that way.
And for all you "ballers" and the "upscale" clientele (which is an oxymoron to me since you're at a sleazy nasty titty bar, excuse my language) they want to eliminate private VIP rooms. I've heard first-hand that athletes feel there's nothing to do in Detroit but go to the strip club...do yall really wanna lose their money?

WHO DO YOU THINK IS GONNA GO TO A STRIP CLUB WITH NO LIQUOR THAT WONT LET YOU GET CLOSE ENUF TO GET A LAP DANCE???

I wouldnt go either way, but if that were a major source of entertainment for you, I could understand if you were concerned. Forty percent of all Mich. strip clubs are in Detroit, and any place with a liquor license generates revenue.Plus, I believe strippers have been recession proof. So in short, I dont think it'll pass cuz this city needs every dime it can get. We cant afford to have an entire industry shut down, which that proposal would cause.

A New Song for Those who Feel like the Flyest in the Room

I must admit, I was not feelin Jeremih and his song about birthday nookie...But I do like his second single, "Imma Star." It's safe to say I'm a fan of most swagger-braggin songs, and this is a good one cuz we usually get such bravado from rappers. WHat i really like about this song, though, is the violin melody goin on underneath everything else...toward the end the song flips and goes to a place that reminds you of Coldplay. So props to Jeremih for doing sumthin different with this one!

And if anyone else was on the fence about him (but u probly arent cuz "Birthday Sex" is like the '09 anthem) then let me tell u he taught himself to sing, play drums and piano...and he sounds a lottt better than that autotune will have u believe.

True Blood

I keep trying to give this show a chance....and it is to no avail. One reason I try to watch it is because I like HBO. Secondly, it has such a buzz that I wanna see what everyone else sees. And third, I dig vampire movies and TV shows. With all this in mind, I try to objectively watch the show and determine if it is as entertaining as I want it to be.

We all know that vampires have long been associated with sex...but this is completely lost when you take powerful, brooding, mysterious vampires and place them in the dang Louisiana swamps!

Now you just have some old country, redneck hicktown vampires, and that's NOT sexy.
To make matters worse, of the four episodes I've seen, not one has had a plot. Seriously. I ask myself if I would understand this show better if I had caught it from the very first episode. And the conclusion I reach is no, I'm sure the first show was just as weird, unsettling and convoluted.

The black girl is the character with the most sense. (I don't know her name. I dont hear to many ppl call her name either.) The gay black guy is entertaining too. So when I saw that a new black guy was on there, that made me happy! But alas, it is the brother from the movie "Coach Carter" and my fav TV show "The Game." He's pretty monotone and emotionless, but fairly easy on the eyes...so we'll see what happens with him.

Anyway, last night's episode ended with a girl who is a vampire, having sex with her vampire boyfriend. During this highly graphic display, he bites her on the neck and she starts to bleed. Apparently this just heightens the sexual experience, because she continues to take it while blood drips all over her face. So the viewer is just like, "Eww, what is this weird, nasty mess???"

Every single episode features nudity and sex. It cuts from somebody being killed, to a lady butt naked on the couch receiving oral pleasure....WHY? where is the continuity? what is the reason for the gratuitous nudity? At least make it relevant to the storyline - wait! There isn't one.

SO good ppl, maybe you can explain things to me...but in a nutshell, to my understanding, "True Blood" is a country, bloody, weird porno series.

File This Under "Duh"....

Please click on the link and read the article "Porn Industry Deals with HIV Outbreak."

http://www.clickondetroit.com/health/19748199/detail.html?treets=det&tid=2655505599813&tml=det_12pm&tmi=det_12pm_1_10500106152009&ts=H

Apparently a porn "actress" recently tested positive for HIV. I say file this one under "Duh" because it was bound to happen. Her costars tested negative, but they're quarantined and cant work until they get re-tested in 2 weeks, because it can take as long as 2 weeks for symptoms to develop.

One industry exec cited in the article said there was an HIV "scare" in 2004 and they tried to make all the "actors" were condoms after that...but they rebelled.
So in essence, you wanna screw ppl for a living, unprotected and NOT get an STD??? That's asking for too much, people.

The idea of a pornstar with HIV is funny, in a bad way. Im sorry, guys, it is.

Hooters

If I worked here, I would have low self-esteem. A co worker of mine said she had to hula hoop during her job interview; I guess just to get a good look at her body.
She says all the other waitresses are superskinny, but coming from her it was funny, because SHE is super skinny.



But she said when she's there, she feels fat. For a while she was the only black girl there. And they wouldnt let her work when people from the corporate office came because they said she was too fat. In addition, she applied for the little beauty pageant they have, and she's like, "I think they just threw my picture in the trash. I was in a bikini in the snow for nothing!"

She's a very pretty girl. Hands down. Skinny with big boobs, but in the world of white women, she's fat. And therefore unattractive. With that sad statement in mind, I know someone with a figure like mine (i.e. with curves) would have a snowball's chance in hell of getting hired. And that's y I say if I worked there, my self esteem-o-meter would be at zero.

The restaurant she works at is in the suburbs. So, she's fat out there, but back in Detroit, she's reminded that she's skinny. It's so confusing - on the one hand, they tell us they want video models (black and Latino) with their unnatural curves and huge behinds. BUT on the other hand, they want white women, who freak out at the thought of having an ass and work out like it's part of their job description! So it's like, who do you want me to be? The standard of beauty seems to be changing, but really not so much. The black beauty is still jump off status or just plain unedsired, while white beauty is still wifey/worshipped.

My Countdown

These are the songs I'm feeling right now:

6. Mario ft/Gucci Mane "Break Up" - This one grew on me. Cuz how all of a sudden did Gucci become thee man in the streets???

5. Hurricane Chris "Halle Berry (She's Fine)" - This one too...cuz no one in this song is a good rapper

4. Kanye West "Paranoid" - This Kanye autotune stuff had to grow on me, too.

3. Beyonce "Sweet Dream" - This song makes me want to dance like a fabulous drag queen every time I hear it. (See blog "Beyonce Cheapens her Brand")

2. F.L.Y. "Swagg Surfin" - Makes me want to be in school again. Sumwhere sunny, where ladies get in free and ppl actually come to dance.

1. Lady Gaga "Love Game" - (See blog "Kanye is alllll on Lady Gaga's disco stick")

No particular point to this one, just tellin u the songs that will get me to any destination in like 5 minutes, cuz I'll be doing 90 when they come on the radio.

Am I the Only One who Hears This?

There are a couple of uber-popular songs on the radio right now, and if you actually stop to listen to the words you're singing,you might be like, wtf??!

Amidst the outrage of the JOKES David Letterman made last week concerning Sarah Palin and her daughter (and they were funny), I cant help but wonder why ppl choose to be mad at certain things, but not others. And usually the other issues actually have more merit.

Of all the 6 stations I have preset, all 6 are giving away tickets to Jamie Foxx's concert in August. Some are playing the song "I Don't Need It." And in this song he says "Bit** I, I dont need it. Bi*** I, I dont need it." Im like, am I the only who hears this man saying the B word??

Turn on your radio right now. This song is playing. 15 seconds later it will play again. "Every Girl," the song with Lil Wayne, Drake and that other guy.
At the end of the song, the singer says, "In a few years holla at me Miley Cyrus." I imagine ppl would be mad at these black guys extending a public penis invitation to this all-American underage white girl...but nope, no one even hears it.

And right before that he says, "I exchange V cards with the retards." WOW. Why is that OK with yall? Quit dancin and listen to that nasty, offensive mess!

And what are you gonna do when it's your 4-year-old's birthday party, she blows out the candles on her cake and makes a wish. U say, "Tell mommy what u wished for!"

And she looks at you with sparkling eyes and a gap-toothed smile and says, "Birthday sex!"

Considering how popular that song is, it could totally happen.

This Wont Surprise You at All

Yes, good people, they are doing Season 2 of "For the Love of Ray J"....and I'm really feeling like getting my lil video together.
It mite jeopardize the good thing I have going now, but it could also be fun...
j/k boo!

Yall know Ray J wasnt trying to find love...look at who he picked. This man was trying to resuscitate his "career." I figured that when the man put out a SOUNDTRACK to his "reality show." And still didnt move units...so why not collect a check from VH1, sleep with a house full of groupies and go on a buncha free, extravagant dates?

My first rule is that I cant date a man I dont respect...but Ray is sexxy yall! Fa real.