He Said, She Said

Heard a VERY interesting comment last night on a radio show here in Detroit. It's called the "He Said, She Said" show, and let me tell you what he said-

I'm hella paraphrasing, but he said if a young man is a punk, or if he's soft, you should blame the black woman because a single mom can't teach a boy how to be a man.

Another way of saying it, i guess, is this: For those of us who label a man suspect, or down low or feminine, how masculine can we really expect him to be if he was raised by a woman?

Any thoughts???

For All You Comicbook Enthusiasts...

How do you feel about Disney buying Marvel Entertainment??
It only cost about $4 billion, but I'm assuming Disney is SURE they'll make that back many times over. I'm not one of those ppl who sees every comic book that is made into a movie, but it might be kinda cool to go to Disney World and see Mickey and Minnie mixed all up with Spiderman and the X-Men and whoever all else they got.

Tho-rough

I got my hair done by this new lady this week, and let me tell you, I asked for a press and curl that came in, like, 12 phases. I had never had someone be so meticulous and go thru so many steps (including a pre-wash scalp scratch, lol), but it must look good cuz yesterday someone said my hair "looks like weave."
I'm like, what does that mean? And they said, "You know, even down to the roots, it looks like weave fresh out the pack"....
Ima take that as a compliment. :o)
AND, NO, I dont have a pic! sorry

About His Fu*kin Paper, Baby!

Did yall hear that The Dream is the new Executive Vice President of Island Def Jam records?
I know JD recently left his exec position and was veryyy unhappy w Def Jam. Not sure if this is the same spot tho, considering all the different Def Jam divisions.
At any rate, The Dream also says his next album will be his last. Which really says to me that he was just havin fun with this attempt at being an artist, and now he will resume getting to the real money: the behind the scenes, writing hits, winning Grammys and calling the shots-money. GET IT, BRUTHA!
...And one time for Christina Milian hitting the jackpot this time...we all know she's pregnant, too. You aint foolin us. Damn lucky baby.

HAD to share this with yall

So I'm looking on NYC jobs on Craigslist, and this was the actual title of the ad:

"BIG BOOTY VIDEO VIXENS"

And this is the actual text:

"Calling all thick booty models and dancers looking to play a roll as a "video vixen" in a national promo starring a famous A-List celebrity. This promo is for a major television network and guarantees lots of exposure. We are looking for any ethnicity. The following qualities preferred: professional, confident, enthusiastic and the ability to dance and play age 23-35. The BIGGER the Booty the BETTER Must be able to work all day Saturday August 29, 2009

Union-AFTRA promo rates apply Paid with no full nudity.

Must submit photos to apply"


Gon get u sum money, if this is you...but i was like, yall recruitin hoes online like this here? i thought it was harder than that to break in...

Where They Do That At?

This new Starbucks promo is kinda cool for the summertime: Essentially, if you buy a drink in the morning, you can save the receipt, come back after 2 p.m. and get any grande cold drink for $2.
As much as I'd appreciate a Grande Frappucino for $2.12, who needs Starbucks twice a day like that? My addicition isn't that bad yet!

Watch HBO Real Sports: Nick Schuyler Online

This is the first at-length interview about the tragic boating accident earlier this uear involving four football players. It's hard to watch, but it's worth your time. One of the men lost at sea was with the Detroit Lions for the last three seasons.

Watch HBO Real Sports: Nick Schuyler Online

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Please Be Patient With Me

When we ask the Lord to "search us and take out the things that shouldn't be," I guess we can't be mad with however He decides to do it.

For example, I have issues with time. I can wake up three hours early and still manage to be late. I'm not like, super-late. Just late enuf to be really pushin it. (U get me?)

At any rate, two weeks ago I went to Miami. I had been looking forward to this trip for a lifetime, it felt like. I won't tell you what I was doing before hand, but by the time I got stuck in traffic on the freeway because of an accident, then found out that the departure gate had been changed...I made it just in time to see my plane backing away.

You talkin bout a hurtin feelin. Man! Of course that was the last flight of the nite. I walked back thru the airport lookin like a lost puppy. Thank God, I was able to get on standby for the next day, but it did push our plans back a day and I felt like it was an inconvenience to the other girls who were watiing on me.

Everything worked out without me having to buy another tic, but trust me, that's a feeling I don't intend to feel again. Why is it that most lessons have to be learned "the hard way"? ...can't we learn things the good way sumtimes?

Trendy + Healthy?

Pretty mundane activity to report: Last week I ordered sum pizza and the guy asked what I wanted to drink. Usually I do pop with pizza - it only makes sense, but that time I thought I'd be a little more health conscious. I was not about to drnk water...and Pepsi products make me unhappy...so then I saw this new Lipton Whole Leaf Green Tea sweetened with honey....you know antioxidants is a current health buzzword, which means green tea (along with pomegranates and blueberries)is the new health trend.

I drank the tea, and it was kinda tasty - then I looked at the "nutrition information." It said, like 36 grams of sugar, 32 grams of carbs, 130 calories and like...nothing else. No protein, no vitamins, no nuthin else "healthy"...and then it had that statement about not being a source of other nutrients. I felt a little duped.

They make it seem like green tea is this potent, inherently magic natural health saviour-thingy...but I'm thinkin, by the time you bottle it up and package it like a soft drink, I'm back to square one. Ah, well...in our minds it still makes us feel better than drinking anything w/bubbles.

Throwback: Jodeci "Cry For You"

I recently saw this video for the FIRST time. My bf was like, "I know you know this song." I'm like, "I know ive never heard this in my life"....but the main thing I did note was how much Sisqo sounds EXACTLY like K-Ci. His voice sounded the same, but then he had the nerve to steal K-Ci's runs and everything.... Judge for yourselves:




But now K-ci and Jodeci, as well as Sisqo and Dru Hill have all faded into oblivion...showing that ppl who steal others' swag can only get away with it for so long

That's Not Hottt

So this is just DevaDonna's opinion, but I think some of you may agreee.

Back of the leg tatts are just not hot. Particularly not on men. This man on the left had a snake of some sort on one calf and sumthin else on the other. Despite the implicit fierceness of the open-mouthed rattlesnake, the location just sofetened him up a lit-tle bit...

RNN: Random News Notes

I've been away from my computer for like a week, 'scuse me if you already know this:

***Steve Harvey is joining "Good Morning America" as a special correspondent. He will provide commentary on everything from parenting to relationships....Good move, GMA. When did America start checking for Steve like that??? I aint mad at all.


***Tyra Banks announced she will wear her real hair on Sept. 8!!! No weave, no lace front - she said the hair that grows out of her scalp will be on display on national TV! Thank you, m'am. I detest her show, sorry y'all, but I'ma DVR that day! Now convince Beyonce to do the same, cuz I'm dying to see...(U know what? She shoulda did that the day Chris Rock's "Good Hair" movie comes out. That woulda been a goood tie-in.)

***Biggest surprise of all: Minister Omarosa, maybe???

Omarosa is going to theology school. She of "The Apprentice" and other reality TV shows. U know He uses whom He will....

September ESSENCE

After I got past the ashy faced/ashy wig-wearing pic of Gab Union on the cover of ESSENCE, I read enuf to be surprisingly pleased with this month's issue.
Seriously, I stared at the cover and said, wow, they have an unknown model...that's different! Then I figured out who it was. (Sorry Gab)

I'm an ESSENCE fan for life, but this issue is really solid. The information inside is stuff you can actually use right now: clothes/accessories that aren't as expensive as usual, a guide on going to college and finding aid if you're returning or a first-timer, an interesting feature on Gab (who I'm not even a fan of) and a two-page fashion spread on some real life chicks. Yes, there's a spread with my gurl Dani from Top Model, but they also took a page out of Seventeen mag and just went on the street and took pics of some fly, stylish chicks! .....maybe it's just me, but I get more inspired by every day ladies than supermodels, anyway.
And if that weren't enuf, they had a profile of a lady with my DREAM JOB title: Senior Vice President of Programming and Production. Toni Judkins of TV One said, "I can read a book and say, 'This would make a great series,' then actually make that happen. I can create positive, authentic, unapolegetic depictions of African-Americans."....*sigh* One day I will too!
Good job, ESSENCE!

Why, Stewie, Why? ...and Why Bravo TV?

I am not a "Family Guy" fan...and even less so after reading this. Of all places to share such info, creater Seth McFarlane told Playboy magazine that 1-yr-old cartoon baby Stewie is gay. Why the lil baby gotta be out here like that?! ...but based on the lil bit of the show I've seen, this probly isnt much of a surprise.

Then I read that an executive behind The Real Housewives fanchise on Bravo is looking to do a similar series - with gay men. I know it would be entertaining, to say the least! This e-mail was "obtained" by sum gossip reporter:

"I’m looking for the hottest young, fabulous gay men NYC has to offer for an upcoming docu-series. These boys need to be living the good life, keeping up with all the hottest shopping, restaurants, and clubs, and preferably have lots of drama keeping them busy at all hours of the day…and night. I’d love for them to be in a relationship, and we’re looking for diversity in those relationships – especially younger/older dynamics."

@ the age dynamic part: Would you wanna see a show full of Elton Johns and George Michaels???

Office Politics

Race, religion, politics - three topics to avoid at work. What's usually safe? Weather and sports.
But of late, look at Stallowrth and of course, look at Vick...and real quick, you see that it's not "just sports." With the announcement today of Vick's deal with the Eagles, the news is the football part...but this is trumped by race, no matter how u try to frame it.
I know a lot of you all are probably very uncomfortable at work today. A friend of mine (who happens to work in sports, which means this convo is unavoidable for him) pointed out that it's a lose-lose situation. You can be silent...or you can shuck and jive, he said.
Because no matter what you say: if you are black and you aint mad at Vick...then you're only OK with it because you're black. Not because you think he was a GREAT football player...not because everyone deserves a second chance. In their eyes, any logical defense you could possibly present is null and void because you're only speaking in solidarity. Which means not only does he have to apologize perpetually, but that you should also apologize for having an iota of sympathy.
And if you do express you true opinion, just know that as long as you all are coworkers, they will not forget it.

Homeless Housewives

Well, that's def an exaggeration, but my fav "Real Housewives of Atlanta" chick Lisa Wu-Hartwell recently lost her mansion to foreclosure. (Gurl, why you make that man quit playing football?!) Apparently they were trying to restructure the loan because the home had lost value, but the bank didn't agree. What y'all doin with them Bravo checks? (Or her jewelery line cash or her real estate money, since she's such the entrepreneur....)....Isn't she like the third housewife to lose her house? Those other housewives don't seem to notice the recession, but our girls are goin thru it, aren't they??


In other moving news, MTV did not renew the lease on its Times Square studio - Yes, the one with the huge windows where celebs would wave down to the ppl in the street during TRL. So if you made it to TRL back in the day, consider yourself lucky!

Justin Bieber - "One Time"

I was kinda boppin to this song a lil bit...And one time for the kid havin Usher in the video! But dang, does Jesse McCartney know about this? Swagga has been jacked. (If he were smart, he'd team up w/Ush and make sum money off the kid).

Grey's is Falling Apart

So that dang ungrateful Katherine Heigl is running her mouth again. Last year she was nominated for an Emmy and said she should not have been because her material wasn't that good.
Now she's on David Letterman saying working long days is "cruel and mean."
Ummm...granted, you won't like every part of the job. But Hiegl gets paid well enuf to be a lil less whiny, I think.
If working on a hit show - one that subsequently propelled her into a very lucrative movie career - is so bad, then just quit and let one of these starving actresses out here have a shot! There are ppl begging to do what she's complaining about. Quit sitting (with an "h") on my girl Shonda Rhimes.

Because I'm a Full-Time Nerd....

I saw this in a job posting on Craigslist. Who can tell me what is wrong with this passage:

"We are looking for 2 young women to join our showroom as interns this September through December 2009. One must be motivated, smart, and able to work in a fast paced environment."

Well...nothing's necessarily wrong, but if they're looking for two women, and one must be motivated, smart, etc...then what must the other one be?

Because U Cant Be Deep All the Time

Yea, I like this lil bubble gum song from Vistoso Bosses feat Soulja Boy. It's real simple. Formulaic. Vocals arent extremely exciting or anything. Just two lil cute girls w sum funky style and a colorful video, a soulja boy intro, a beat that makes you tap your feat, and a chorus that'll get stuck in your head.

Ohh Lawd, We's Goin to Disney!

Got dangit, Disney! We just canntttt get a full-length movie outta yall!
I'm sure you've heard by now that the first black Disney princess's movie will be coming out in December (only took 75 years...) Homegirl's name is Tiana.
We got a Native American princess, and then we had Mulan. Jasmine is my fav, and what is she; Arabian? (Is that even a nationality?)....none of them are as branded as Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Snow White...(u can find paraphenalia with that quartet even at the dollar store!)
Even when they went to Africa, the movie was about animals. And even though "The Lion King" might actually be the best Disney movie, we still wanted a black princess. Well, we got her, and for half the movie she's a frog!

Please watch the trailer for "The Princess and the Frog"

Looks like we got some N'awlins voodoo black magic-type stuff goin on. And PLEEEEZ watch all the way til the end...Granny is in the trailer too, and she says, "OOh, this gon' be good!" I kid you not.

...Guess we have to take every small victory we can get. Next they'll have to create a Hispanic princess (just like CNN had to make "Latino In America"...)

Pleasure Thee, Pleasure P

I'm a Pleasure P fan, I'll be honest with you.
Maybe it's cuz he was the cutest thing Pretty Ricky had to offer (which isn't saying much). Maybe it's cuz I actually thought he could sing when he was with them. I have songs on my iPod ("Feel the Rush", for example) that sound like he recorded them in his basement closet...but idk, i still like the guy's music.
I love the new song, "Under", produced by the highly talented and underrated Tank. But yall need to check out the facial expressions near the end of the video where he is really tryna make you believe that he is SANGIN'...eyes scrunched up and everything! cuz his runs are just that complex...Glad to see Tamera Mowry pop out from oblivion, (but Tia was always my fav, and the show "The Game" just cemented that. )...And one more thing: they try to get u to focus on Pleasure and not the background dancers, but these young men and women in the back are gettin. it. in! I'm like, why dont you just take your clothes off then, if you gon do allll that?! Felt like I was at a FAMU Strikers show....



But um, one thing I'd like to mention, while on the topic of young Marcus Cooper, is the song "Boyfriend #2", his ode to being the man on the side....Except, the only thing he has to offer is a good time in bed. That's not a "boyfriend". Just tell her you wanna be her man whore, then. If you are boyfriend #2, you need to be puttin it down, throwin it in the bag and doing All the Things Your Man Wont Do like Joe said 10 years ago. (Now thats a classic take-u-from-ur-man song!)

Oh, i lied - one more thing: Anytime ppl can just be so damn ignorant, and happy wit it, you gotta love it! Pretty Ricky is soooo funny to me. I heard them on the radio last week and I had to listen cuz I knew it would be entertaining...and they didn't disappoint. When I listen to them, I just laugh and shake my head, like, damn...what yall down there doin in Miami? Trick Daddy, Trina, Pretty Ricky, etc...smh

Kinda Cool.....

I haven't read the Steve Harvey book, "Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man," but I am happy for his success. (I snagged my pot of gold, so I wasnt as moved to read it after that, lol)

How often do you see a pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps tale starring regular Black folk!? It took him almost 50 years, but Steve has a syndicated radio show, a New York Times bestselling book...and he's about to get his J.K. Rowling on.

What do I mean by that? Well, Rainforest Films has brought the rights to the book, and they plan to make it into a movie. These are the same brothers that brought you "Stomp the Yard" and "This Christmas".....both of which were whack movies. They also brought you "Obsessed", which I've heard wasn't good....but it made a lotta money!

And one time for the Rainforst Films founders, Will Packer and Rob Hardy, being FAMU Grads, bayb!

The Weakest VMA Category

The MTV VMA nominees were announced today...Beyonce was nominated in every single category....Seriously, even Best Special Effects for "Put a Ring on it"...which was like in one room, shot in black and white.
Lady Gaga got the second most noms.

But I just decided to share with you all the noms for Best Hip-Hop Video...because they all stood out for me as being barely entertaining.

Asher Roth - "I Love College"
Eminem - "We Made You"
Flo Rida - "Right Round"
Jay-Z - "D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune)"
Kanye West - "Love Lockdown"

D.O.A. is the best song...Ye's vid mite be more interesting to watch, though.

Guess Where the Rape Capital of the World Is

...Africa.

But now, according to the New York Times, men raping men is increasing. Because of the shame it brings, many men don't come forward unless they have severe health issues as a result. Sometimes they don't even speak up then. The article says it's a consequence of joint Congo-Rwanda military operations against rebels, but the "military" men are breaking into civilian houses solely to beat and rape whoever is there. One theory is that sexual violence against men is another way to try to beat the Congolese into submission. These are a couple of excerpts from the story:

"The male rape cases span several hundred miles and possibly include hundreds of victims. The American Bar Association, which runs a sexual violence legal clinic in Goma, said that more than 10 percent of its cases in June were men.

And in a place where homosexuality is so taboo, the rapes carry an extra dose of shame.
“I’m laughed at,” Mr. Mukuli said. “The people in my village say: ‘You’re no longer a man. Those men in the bush made you their wife.’ ”

And even more disturbing:

"One mother said a United Nations peacekeeper raped her 12-year-old boy. A United Nations spokesman said that he had not heard that specific case but that there were indeed a number of new sexual abuse allegations against peacekeepers in Congo and that a team was sent in late July to investigate."

I know you saw Hotel Rwanda...clearly just because something is "history" does not mean it's over with, or that it does not still deserve our attention.

I Am Not Hating

I just think it would be really nice to go to a blog one day - any entertainment blog - and NOT see a story about Rihanna.
Every day we need pics of her shopping? Every day? Cuz she ain't doin much else....
I guess it's helping to sell ads, but dang....the chick put out a record two years ago and got in a fight with her bf months ago...now we must montior and praise her everytime she blinks?
I visit the blogs hoping to catch some interestig news or tidbits of info to get thru my work day faster...Rihanna, with her scalped-up mohawk-fade, getting out of a helicopter just to get inside a car is not it...

I'm Not Making This Up

You can go to Publius.org and read why some ppl felt they were qualified to run for City Council. I won't put the women's name out here, cuz that would be too bold. But this is an actual Q&A right here:

What have been your 2 greatest contributions to the public good? *

Birthing the first African American MISS USA who also was the first to bring a crown to the State of Michigan.

I'm Excited To See This

Check out the trailer for the Chirs Rock doc "Good Hair":

Y'all can get all politically correct and act like you dont know what good hair is if you want, but I damn sure wish I had hair that actually curled when it got wet, as opposed to fro'ing up.
Guys: "I like natural women." *side eye*
Others: "Any hair you got is good hair, long as you got some hair, that's good." Yeah, right....
I'm not even trying to start the debate, cuz it's never-ending. The good hair debate ranks right up there with affirmative action and abortion...we'll be ready to come to blows.
Honestly, y'all, I feel a certain way when we take some inside-the-black-community stuff and air it on a national level for the mainstream to see/get confused by...It's not like it's going to be educational; we're just going to go to work on Monday and have to answer all kindsa ignorant questions...BUT I STILL THINK WE SHOULD SEE IT!

FYI

...NO body looks good in white sunglasses. No one. You all look like you missed the audition to be Willy Wonka's Oompa Loompas.

...If you try on clothes in the dressing room, then you hang them all up...INSIDE OUT...then you've really done no favors for anyone, have you??? In fact, having to turn them on the right side and then re-hang just DOUBLED the workload, thankyouverymuch

...Apparently, there are no such thing as secretaries. As I was told today, "First off, I'm her assistant; not her secretary." Even if they look like a secretary, sits where a secretary/receptionist usually sits and performs tasks that a secretary usually does....do not call them one!

....If you're still potty training, you should take care of that before you come to work...Cuz I'm not quite sure why every time I use the restroom at the office, others have left pee all around the toilet seat. I'm pretty sure I'm like the youngest person here, y'all...

(More nuggets of wisdom to follow)

Because When You Hear Something Good...

...You should share it with others.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a free performance by singer K'Jon. His major label debut album, "I Get Around" will be in stores TUESDAY, AUGUST 4. I encourage you to buy it. Not burn it. (This man is from Detroit, and he really shows us some love, so we should do the same.)

I heard most of the album while we were waiting for the show to begin, and the songs he performed live with his band sounded great! (But then again, I think EVERYthing played live by a band sounds great...hence, my fling with go-go music). You might be like, "Who is K'Jon?" But I KNOW you've heard the single, "On the Ocean."Even if you didn't know that was the title of it...click on the link below if you think you haven't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVfkT4epHDo

The album is R&B/soul/good stepping music....but no, all of it does not sound like sumthing you'd hear on MIX 92.3 or on 96.1 Jamz with Joe Bullard. He's in the Anthony Hamilton family, maybe in terms of his sound(much better beats, though)...but dont let that deter you if you're not a fan. It's an alternative to the bull that's on the radio, and it has meaningful lyrics to beats that you can groove to. You might be in a love song-type mood, or want sumthing to clean your house to or get ready for the club to or drive around town to or just generally be on some grown-ppl's music....That's what this is. When I tell you my daddy was BOPPIN to his music, I mean that man was feelin it! I'll post a couple pix of him and my mom, cuz they were on their feet dancing together as soon as K'Jon started to sing "On the Ocean." Then the audience made the man do an encore. He also did a great cover of One Republic's song It's Too Late to Apologize...or w/e it's called, cuz yall know the title cant be that long.

You know I'm not in the business of telling anyone to spend money for the fun of it, but I do think you should check out homeboy's album and give him a chance.