I don't wish failure on anyone, but I wish there was something that could humble Chris Brown.
I know I'm about to step up into a soap box, but when I read comments like, "Hit Rihanna for me one more time, Chris!!!!!!!!!!!!" I get angry.
If Chris Brown looked like Flavor Flav or hit any of the mothers of these young girls defending him to the death, I have a hard time believing so many people would rush to defend him.
Look at him, standing there in front of the camera reducing every legitimate form of criticism leveled his way as "hate."
He is accused of beating, punching, choking, and biting a woman in a car in a public street. I don't care that the woman in question is Rihanna. It's a woman and as a man double her size and two times stronger than her he is dead wrong for beating her that severely.
But by saying this, I'm a "hater." I'm the one that's wrong. The one who should "mind his own business" given that I don't know the "full story."
I saw a picture, I read a police report, I'm well aware of the physical make up of the accused and the victim. I know enough.
There I go hating again.
I am so sick of that word. As I tweeted the other day, if you removed that word from people's vocabulary for a day, chances are a bunch of people would be channeling their inner Helen Kellers.
I've read the comments from other bloggers making the case that it's just as wrong for a woman to go at a man. I completely understand that sentiment, and wrote about my own experiences dealing with the matter, but let's be honest for a change: I believe in equality, but I'm aware of genetics. Men are usually stronger than woman.
Should we all be open to the same opportunities? Of course. Are our punches gender neutral? There are exceptions, but in most cases, no.
Stop pretending otherwise.
Even worse is the belief that he should be given a second chance. Of course he should, but by that same token, can he show a little remorse?
To me it doesn't matter how "crazy" Rihanna is. If she's that insane, you break up with her. You don't beat her down from head to toe.
Between him hitting the jet skis after being arrested, pleading not guilty to charges, and promoting his album in his very first public appearance since the incident, it proves that not only his is he arrogant and doesn't understand the severity of his actions.
He believes he's untouchable, and sadly because of his celebrity and wealth, along with rampant misogyny, he has reason to think so.
He's been accused of beating up photographers in both California and Florida. He's been accused of getting rough with a South African actress after she gave him the cold shoulder. He's been charged with beating up his girlfriend.
What does he have to do to convince some that he shouldn't be defended at every cost? Knock them upside their own heads?
Nevermind, that probably wouldn't do any good either. Imagine those he hit would convince themselves that they had it coming.
The only Black celebrity who I've seen come out and publicly speak against Chris Brown is Eve.
Via her twitter:
hold on hold on!! im just gonna reach out to some of ya'll out there and say this bluntly, why do ppl keep tryin to protect chris browns ass
hes guilty until proven innocent, and no man should ever raise a hand to a woman, im so sick of people kissin his ass..yeh i did just watch
a clip of him saying he isnt a monster...yeh motherfucker u are. let him or any other man come to me with power fists..id fuck him up..
and a message to rihanna...girl your beautiful and talented and u dont need a nigga like that around u...ur special and deserve better...
&finally,no we dont no wat happened that night, all i no, is seein rihannas beautiful face bruised and upset..thats enuff 4 me.
im glad yall agree with me...im so sick of the media trying to sugar coat a serious issue. thanks for your responses, keep them coming tho x
Finally someone with some melanin speaks up. Everyone else is either defending them in lieu of their own accusations of domestic abuse (Terrence Howard, T.I.), or playing the "no comment, Jesus bless him excuse."
Yes, I hope God blesses him with mental counseling. It would seriously do him some good. He seems to be under the impression that everyone's memory fades and that he'll be back on top in no time. Yeah, those little girls may help remain relevant, but that mainstream crowd he was shooting for have officially gave him the finger.
Just look at the comments on sites like TMZ. They're not amused, and if they're not smiling, there won't be many endorsement deals and big corporate sponsors for you.
Get cousenling, Chris. Do a PSA. Start a domestic violence charity. Try to act like you care that you beat up a woman like it was nothing then hit the skis at Diddy's house.
Disclaimer: This video is not safe for work. In fact, I'm not sure if it's safe period. Consider yourself warned, pimpin'.
One of my e-buddies is like the gift that keeps on giving. First she told me about the little chubber that could trying to rap, and now she's sent me a video via Twitter of Spectacular from Pretty Ricky dancing around in his Victoria Secret panties soliciting sex challenging Bow Wow, Trey Songz, Chris Brown, among others to a 'grind off.'
Yeah, that sounds like the beginning of some porno. Dude is already dressed for the part, so I guess in his mind it all makes sense.
Now, I don't make it a habit to call out folks on here or any of my other writing gigs for being gay. Reason being is you never really know anything about a person until they themselves confirm it (or they're outed by someone with video and audio). Sure everyone can have their suspicions, we can all play that game but for the most part, it's hearsay. I'm aware.
Having said that, now ya'll know damn well there are certain people that make you go, "Hmm, that person is stuck on same sex." Your choir directors, preachers, uncles and aunts with long-time "roommates," etc.
I understand that many hormone enraged teenage girls love them some Spec because he dances like he's demonstrating how to have sex like a jack rabbit, but c'mon nah, who didn't look at this video and be instantly reminded that the California Supreme Court is ruling on Prop 8 today?
Half of the people he challenged to grind on him this dance off aren't even known for dancing. Of course, we've seen Bow Wow rock his index finger, then let it wave and sip in defense of Omarion, but yeah, that doesn't make him Michael Jackson. More like Noxema Jackson.
Looking at some of the comments, I think some of them are pretty ignorant and hate filled, but beyond the e-thugging dimwits who probably sat there and watched the video multiple times, explain to me the purpose of a "grind off?"
Is giving peep shows to sell ringtones what's hot on these internets these days?
And epic fail at him trying to sound hard challening grown men to a grind off. Shut up and twirk with a smile on your face like normal people.
P.S. I think homie stole those draws from the set of Electrik Red's video for Electrik City.
P.S.S. Why did he tag Gucci Mane for this video? I guess if they were "roommates" in prison it could work out, but I thought he was still leasing Mya?
I may have given some of you a false perception of me with my most recent posts. I am no prude. I don't have any problem with sexual imagery and subject matter. I think we all have our limits, but don't let my recent rants about Ciara fool you: I like tramps.
It's not Ciara upping the sexual ante that bothered me. No, it was the fact that I thought she was doing it out of desperation. There's nothing worse than finding out someone you thought was appealing in one way or the other is a lame begging for you to love them. There's a thin line between sexy and pitiful. If you remind me of a stray dog looking for a home you're officially as hot as a pack of ice.
But you've read my posts: I grew up in love with Vanity, I broke my iPod dancing to "Sex Shooter," and I've danced to Pissy's "You Remind Me Of Something" while holding a plate of wings in one hand. Then there's my affinity for Beyonce and Rihanna, who are about as chaste as a condom wrapping.
So really, it's not sex; it's the excuses from people who try to sell it that irk me. I am so tired of artists hiding behind alter egos or bullshit stories about how they've suddenly decided they are this sexual being the minute their career starts to tank.
Then there are those who rely mainly on sex. One can be sexy, but if your material is wack I still don't care whose ear you're licking in a video.
This is why I love Electrik Red. They follow the tradition of Vanity and Apollonia. I find their shamelessness refreshing. They're straight up about their slutty subject matter.
And unlike many acts out there spread eagle for the masses, Electrik Red's material lives up to the imagery. Can they sing? Hell no. Does it matter? Not to me.
Not everyone is meant to coo like Mariah Carey. I can understand why some people may feel these girls should be howling at the moon versus the studio. I could care less, though. When I want to hear real vocalists I know who to turn to. When I want to listen to something light hearted at the gym or en route to the club, they fill the void. Tricky and The-Dream have given these girls a well-executed album that's flirty, cocky, and fun. I enjoy the album from beginning to end and it's been a while since I've been able to say that about anyone.
Even in comparison to the non-singing groups that preceded them, their album is far superior. Do any of the members stand out like Vanity and Apollonia? No, but name four songs from each that you really enjoy. And when you come back in 8 days with your answer, I'll still be blasting Electrik Red.
Ya'll give their album a try. I'm glad they took this well with humor, but it was still a little pitiful. You have to crawl before you walk, but since their label isn't really promoting them they're practically set up to never reach their full potential.
I actually went out last nite hoping to run into them at this club. I didn't and I was very disappointed. Insert your "aww," "ha-ha," "that's what your ass gets" right here.
I hit Leslie from the group on Twitter and after I telling her that I missed them, but still planned on actually buying their album she responded with:
RT: @LesleyER: @youngsinick thanks sexy!:) we appreciate it, really!
She called me sexy, which means I like them even more now. That and the fact you can't tell me shit all week.
As much as I love a good ign't anthem, I can't get with this. Tamika Scott deserves a citation first and foremost for sampling Silk's "Freak Me" and turning into nonsense that could only make Mr. Kim at the beauty supply store happy.
Tamika's friend should be arrested for impersonating a person with talent.
The person who "directed" this video is lucky he doesn't get water boarded for not lying to Tamika and her Shawna lookalike friend with the clearance Kim flow.
I'm not sure why Tamika is singing this like it's a gospel song, but I am suddenly in the mood to go to church if only to pray that Jesus be a pulled video from YouTube.
At first I wondered if she was serious with this, then I thought about it: If I'm sitting here wondering if it's some brilliant parody that means she's was dead ass serious when she left the gas station with bags of yaki, a Slim Jim, some Sutter's Home, an order of shrimp fried rice, and $5 on 5.
It must suck to be a child actor sometimes. No matter what you say or do we the public will always remember you for whatever kiddie role made you famous.
On the other hand, some child actors just set themselves up to be mocked. Such is the case for Curtis Williams, who played Nicholas Peterson on the show The Parent Hood.
Do ya'll know this Negro has the nerve to be a rapper? And not just a rapper, but a rapper who pops lines about being on the street. Granted, because he's a child actor his parents could have Gary Colemaned him and took all his money so he very well may have been left in the hood. But c'mon nah, you know it doesn't matter: We know your ass as Nicholas Peterson. Not Young Curt.
Rudy will always be Rudy. Greg Brady will always be Greg Brady. Urkel will always be Urkel. That's just the way it is. I don't make the rules, I just follow them.
But no, I want ya'll to click right here and listen to "Swagg Up" where this dude spits lines about smashing girls "half Black, half Brazillian."
I don't even know what the hell "half Brazillian" means. I suppose that's his way of trying to boast about banging a Brazillian chick in his mind.
Here's the thing that I need some of you mix happy colored folk to learn: There is a difference between race and nationality. Brazillian isn't a race. That's like saying I'm half Black, half American. Ya'll would look at me like a dumb ass if I walked around saying I was biracial based on that.
Obviously Robert and Jerri fell into some hard times and had to tap into little Nicholas' college fund to save their home from foreclosure or something.
No wonder he's trying to rap. But, he should follow the Drake approach to hip-hop. Meaning don't say anything that will make us say, "Fool, I remember you from..."
Young Curt Nicholas seems to be reading from the book of Officer Ross sitting here spitting about the streets. Does anyone else remember that episode where he and Arnie were getting punked by the little Mexican gang members? You weren't hard then, Nicholas! Doesn't matter if you still had recess then, the repeats on cable don't lie!
Is any of this making sense to you? Of course it doesn't. I'm acting like a TV show is real life. But that's the thing: That's how I remember you and if you're going to go into an equally fictious role (i.e. some half-Brazillian thug rapper), then you need to come up with a better gimmick because what you're selling I'm not downloading.
Here's something Robert should have taught you: Not every overweight Black man can rap.
CHILD ACTOR FAIL!
P.S. Though I don't support this nonsense, should Nicholas shoot a video, he should make it a family affair. Get CiCi to be the video girl and ask Michael to play keyboard in the back. And I'm sure he could get Faizon Love to cater. It isn't like he has much to do.
I am beginning to wonder if people realize that this is just an image and that it's alright to not look at President Obama in adoration every second of the day.
To put it bluntly Obama zealots are beginning to creep me out. I voted for him, I've read his memoir, and I even gave money multiple times to his campaign. I wanted to believe that for once the unthinkable could happen and that this country has moved forward. However, now that he has won and he is president it's time to remember one important fact: He is a politician.
Politicians are not to be worshiped. They are to be scrutinized. If they are given too much leeway they will often deter from the promises that got them elected in the first place. Such is the case for Obama who has already back peddled on certain promises like repelling don't ask don't tell, being transparent, and not letting the last administration get away from torture.
Though I'm certainly grateful the last goof is out of the White House I'm disappointed that some of his line of thinking is still within the walls of the Oval Office.
Not releasing additional pictures of torture abuse under the belief that it puts the soldiers at greater risk falls in line with Bush ideology that it's better to keep everything marred in secrecy than be forthright about our wrongdoing with the rest of the world. I get that our troops need to be protected, but I'm also aware that like it or not leaks happened so why not put everything out there. That's transparency. What Obama has now signed on to is complacency.
The same applies to escalating the war in Afghanistan. The Soviet-Afghan war proved that some wars are unwinnable.
And for him only writing a letter to Dan Choi after he was released from the military? Honestly, it's just plain old stupid to me.
How many people do you know speak Arabic? How many of them work in the military? Exactly. Firing him is beyond idiotic.
Why is The Daily Show making more sense than the government?
But apparently speaking such opinions out loud makes me a traitor to the race. I am all for racial solidarity, but by that same token, if we don't hold Obama and other Blacks in power to the fire and they goof, all it does is make it that much harder for people to take us seriously.
Barack Obama is a human being. Not the Jesus remix.
Likewise, Michelle Obama was born Michelle Robinson, not Our Lady of Southside Chicago.
People were ready to bleach Iman Michael Jackson's "color" after she said Michelle wasn't a "great beauty."
You would thought that she called her a bugawolf who breeds mudduck chirren.
All she meant was beauty fades and in the end, it's all about intelligence because that can never be taken away from you. This came from a supermodel -- the type of person whose whole career is based on the superficiality. If she can argue looks don't matter why are people ready to put her in the racial draft?
Fellow Negroes, this is going to be a long four-eight years if ya'll can't handle every little comment made about the Obamas. Don't waste your venom on issues or opinions that may be valid and worth discussing openly.
Only spew it when deserved.
Like Jay Mohr's punk ass.
Michelle Obama - that is a big dude. When Barack plays pick up games at the White House, you know he picks Michelle as his forward, maybe his [center] depending on who’s in Congress that day.
That has to be like being married to Elton Brand. She is a big dude. I like when she put her arm around the Queen of England – and she put her in a headlock and said, “I’ve been waiting 200 years to put my arms around you lady.”
I like how she shaved off her eyebrows, and then drew them back way to high – and in an arch – and then way back down, so she always looks super surprised. Michelle Obama kind of looks like the Count on Sesame Street. One … Ha Ha … One Black President … Ha Ha.
What a year. The cardinals make the Super Bowl, the Rockies make the World Series, and the President smokes Newports.
This is something worth being upset over. Then again, who the hell cares about Jay Mohr? Still, you get my point.
I don't doubt the theory that Eden is in Africa, but please, get a grip. Barack and Michelle are not Adam and Eve.
Ya'll are starting to remind me of the Bush zealots.
If it ever gets to this point for some of you I might enter you in the racial draft personally.
Welcome to another edition of you should be raising a child not a statistic, stupid.
This weeks venom is spewed in the direction of whoever is responsible for these overly sexual children. This video looks like a cross between The Muppet Babies and Uncut. That's a problem for you, for me, and whoever who will have treat these poor kids at the free clinic in a couple of years. I flagged the video, but I wish I could flag everyone present in this video.
"Lil' Trina" is sad for a number of reasons. Off the bat one ought to look into calling CPS for bead abuse. If she swings her head too fast during recess so poor kid is going to grow up with the nickname "Wonk Eye." I went to elementary school with a girl with bead happy parents. Trust me when I say no good can come of it.
While I'm not mad at Lil' Trina's obvious natural talent to jook or her mastery of the Ciara stank face (not an insult), you will not have a little girl making her three day old ass clap. Especially not in a crowd full of adult men. What kind of R. Kelly parenting book are Negroes reading nowadays?
I feel like I might need to contact a lawyer just for posting this.
For the little girl who bent over with grown women coaching her on: May Jesus come in the form of infertility for those women. If your kid turns out to be a stripper on her own accord, fine. But don't teach her hoe shit before she takes the PSAT. Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. At least teach the girl how to read the word Strokers before you start training her to work there.
The little boys humping the ground are no better. I want to toss a G.I. Joe toy at their dads...wherever they are. I'm not even going to touch on the other forms of eroticism in the video.
But they were obviously caught by the YouTube users cheering this on:
dem aint kids dey lillte adults my nephew 6 and kant do that now thats talent
lmao lil mama wit da beadz... lol bt tru dat ... dat lil grlk waz gettn it lol
that lil boy is sexy, i kno i prolly sound like a predator but he can be my boyfriend numbah 2 LMAO.... he got down on da dance flo
I think I should title my book Some People Don't Deserve Reproductive Organs.
I used to think outside of my nieces that I wasn't kid friendly. Then I thought it's not kids that I dislike, it's bad ass kids. Now it's dawned on me that I have no ill will towards any children at all. It's their parents I hate. I'm not questioning the supreme being's logic, but sometimes I wish God an imposed an application process for parenting.
Do not laugh at me, my teeth, or my big ass Kool-Aid smile. Quiet as it's kept, though I might be tempted to throw chicken grease at you for disparaging Queen Beyonce, when it comes down to my all-time favorite artist, those honors go to Murry Jay Bliiiiiiiiige.
I have the great honor of being the first guest blogger on the wonderfully talented writer and author, Aliya King.
It's very likely she's penned some of your favorite cover stories, and recently wrote the Faith Evans book along with the upcoming autobiography from Frank Lucas. She also has signed a deal for her first novel, so again, it's a great honor to be able to have her tell me I don't suck. Ha.
If you are an aspiring writer or just a fan of good writing, please read her blog. She can make the most random topic such an interesting read. That is what makes a good writer great and I hope I can soon write at her level.
That being said, click here to read the entry and show some love on the blog. Thanks, ya'll!
Despite the use of this picture and a previous post that may suggest otherwise, I don't take any comfort in Ciara's album dismal first week performance.
When she made her way onto to the scene five years ago, I appreciated her for what I thought she was: A young girl who wanted to be a star.
She didn't have much a voice, her shtick wasn't anything we hadn't seen before, and even the song she debuted with was a rehash of two other Lil' Jon helmed cuts. Still, you couldn't help but root for someone who put that much energy into her stage performances. She was filling a void left by Aaliyah's untimely passing and Janet's unfortunate decision to embrace stagnation.
She seemed eager to please and ready to impress on stage. It didn't hurt that her first studio was actually quite decent.
While I still maintain that "Goodies" is nothing short than the blue balls national anthem, I appreciated hearing a singer talk about not giving it up. The album overall had a Control esque feel to it, and even if she weren't being genuine about her virginity ala Britney Spears, it at least seemed believable at the time.
Then only a short time later did she try to sell us on her evolution. It seemed as natural as the button on Michael Jackson's face posing a a nose. I don't care what black weaves, new tights, and Tina Landon's choreography say -- evolutions don't occur overnight. Listening to her try to force feed audiences a tale of how she discovered her new self only fifteen seconds after we embraced the original let me know one thing: Ciara takes herself way too seriously.
That's a bad thing for a pop artist. Especially one who doesn't have any real clue as to who she is, what she's about, and what her image should be. As one reviewer pointed out recently, Ciara's pop-star facade has always been "vague and undefined."
And what does one typically do when that happens? They turn to sex. It comes from the belief in the adage "sex sells." One glance at Ciara's last video and you can tell how she and her handlers decided how to handle this album.
Lose a few pounds.
Tone it up.
Get a little more limber.
Spread 'em wide.
Sex is certainly a way to get attention, but at a time when pornographers are not so jokingly asking for a bailout, when is it going to dawn on the already terribly behind recording industry that sex without quality equals another name on the increasingly growing list of flops?
The same goes for the theory that R&B singers have to crossover in order to sell records. When Ciara moved two million copies of her first album she did so on the strength of a 'crunk music' trend that was rooted in urban airplay that had pop stations run to them not the other way around.
Ciara's choice to go into a more pop-dance direction alienated the very audience that made her who she is. While everyone talks about how great "Promise" is (and it is a great song), it only reached #11 on the Hot 100. By contrast "Goodies" was #1, while "1, 2 Step" and "Oh" each peaked at #2.
Yet I'm to believe the strategy of alienating your fan base to chase after an audience that would likely find you anyway if you scored a hit song is the way to go.
A sexual temptress can probably sell almost as well as pontificating prude in an industry where no one really sells anymore.
Though I've commented on how her bit now seems like an act of desperation from one trying way too hard, Fantasy Ride's main failure is not in its image but this: It's just not good.
If she wants to lick Justin Timberlake's ear and be the co-star in her own video, fine. If she wants to pretend she's always been this Madonna loving, comic book reading shero with an altar ego waiting to burst out and yack the yaki out of Sasha Fierce's head, great.
Anyone who didn't like it would ignore if the music was up to par. It's not, hence everyone's attention shifting elsewhere.
Fantasy Ride should have been one easy flight, but instead it's marred in layovers. One minute she's seductress, the next she's a Europop dance queen, and another she's channeling her inner crunk 'n b star.
When she initially said she planned to split her album into three separate discs it seemed wasteful. Now I get it, but sadly, she still doesn't.
She doesn't understand that you can't toss out multiple singles that genre hop everywhere but the format that made you a star.
It hasn't hit her that a sexed up image alone won't set you a part from all of the other sexed up thin-voiced R&B singers.
The people close to her neglected to pull her to the side to inform her that she's going about being a superstar all wrong.
That explains why she can't take constructive criticism and passes anything not praising her to high end as negativity. What an unfortunate opinion for someone who needs to be steered back in the right direction before she makes a permanent detour into irrelevance.
The difference between her and the people she grew up admiring (including those we're just now hearing about) is that their transitions seemed organic.
Janet went from telling her parents that she wanted to be free to expressing hope for freedom for all to her declaring her right to be freely open about her sexuality. This happened over the course of years versus a few albums and meetings with stylists.
If Ciara read this, she'd call me a hater and keep going.
That's fine by me because in a week she likely envisioned would place her at the top of the charts, she now finds herself sitting at the bus stop while Chrisette Michele drives off with her fantasy.
What would motivate a person to use a broom and hockey stick to commit sexual assault? I'm not sure what has led to so many children becoming incredibly cruel and evil, but this is despicable.
I wasn't among the many who looked at the coverage of the Popeye's debacle or the KFC riots last week and dipped their heads in shame. We have Obama, we have Oprah, but we're always going to have a bunch of fools that media outlets are more inclined to cover for several different reasons.
Plus, I wanted the free chicken myself. I write a blog called 'The Recession Diaries' -- clearly I'm not one to turn down a free meal. Just yesterday I went and took my KFC coupon to El Pollo Loco and got myself some chicken since KFC decided to act brand new.
So while I can respect the freebie lovers of the world, I'm going to need people to stop acting as if some locations not honoring a coupon for free chicken and a biscuit is a grave injustice. This is not the Jena 6 nor is it voter disenfranchisement. This is a promotional campaign gone awry because it didn't dawn on the marketing team behind it that with this country turning into the United States of Section 8 there might be a greater response than normal to some free grub.
Listening to these folks complain like KFC literally ripped a chicken wing from their guts is irritating.
Then you have people like her cutting up in the drive-thru line. What do you think costs more: A $3.99 grilled chicken meal or the money it's going to cost you to post bond after being arrested for trespassing?
Stop it, ya'll or at the very least run from the news cameras until they start showing more white people cutting up.
As you know, although a few of his followers might brand me a heathen, I personally don't think if God stepped into my room right now I'd get a back slap across the head. I think that has a lot to do with me not being a self-righteous jackass like so many people claiming to be God's BFF.
That being said, I take issue with a lot of ministers who attempt to credit their asinine views with the Lord. I wouldn't be mad if some started off their sermons and homilies with a disclaimer like: "Just so you know, I don't know for sure if God would say this, so ignore my collar for a minute and let me speak freely."
Or something to that effect.
I've become somewhat of a fan of Roland Martin on CNN because he wasn't selling his race out for a TV show, actually made sense when he spoke, and doesn't look like he's ever worn a conk, S-Curl, or perm.
Yet I should've known he'd disappoint me the way many of the others have.
"I've called on pastors nationwide to stop the stream of momma, grandmother, aunts and female cousins coming to the altar for baby dedications with no man in sight. The pastor should say, 'Until I personally meet with the father, I will not dedicate this child.' Somebody has to hold that man accountable for his actions."
There are a couple of things wrong with that statement.
1. This action would only punish the child, not the father. 2. If a father doesn't bother supporting the child through parenting and covering cost, what makes you think a christening or in Catholicism's case, a baptism, is going to compel him to show up? If he's not worried about feeding the kid, what makes you think he cares about its soul? 3. So what if he does show up for a meeting? Who is to say that means he'll stick around for his long term responsibilities? 4. This is just stupid.
Roland Martin is a minister himself so I feel for those sitting in his pews. This is why people are starting to give more churches the side-eye.
Jesus didn't seem like the type who would say, "NO, I won't baptize you!" when he rolled with hookers and hoodlums and shit.
If you have video of a preacher who won't get on my nerves, drop it in the comments section please. I'm seriously open to listening.
That Joel Osteen doesn't piss me off. He's so happy and nice. It's like God or his plastic surgeon gave him a permanent smile. I can't frown at him.
Last week seemed to be themed around peak-a-boo privates, and although more crotch shots are said to be one the way, can I ask this favor of every celebrity yet to be caught out there: Delete every single nudie shot you have on your phone!
Hide your nipples, keep your pubes out of view, and try not to give the world access to your ass in the coming weeks, months, and years. I would be most grateful if you granted me that request.
Although I can imagine how much it must suck to learn that something you intended to be private was snatched from you and shared with everyone with internet access, I don't completely feel bad for a lot of these celebrities.
Through the years countless sex tapes have been leaked, not to mention the likes of Paris Hilton have had their phones hacked into and people like Karrine Steffans have made it abundantly clear that there is a market for sexual info about your average D lister. Why haven't these recent victims of the 'whodunit' noticed the pattern?
I got into a debate with one of my friends who said if something like that were to ever happen to me she would go to bat for me. I thanked her for her offer, but let her know she won't have that problem. We all have our dirt and very few of us are perfect angels (of course, I'm as close to it as you can get), but some of us are aware of how these internets work.
Over the weekend I also read comments from people branding Rihanna the whore of Babylon for her photos. I don't share that view. Taking intimate pictures with a long-time boyfriend isn't the same to me as spreading yourself wide eagle for the highest bidder. Speaking of such a scenario, Cassie's response to her pierced parts premiering online somewhat rubbed me the wrong way.
In one instance it's "sick and evil" for someone to "hack" into her computer yet those criticizing her need to get over it because "it's just a tit." That attitude only heightens people suspicions that she leaked those pictures herself. If that is the case, she's lamer than I thought.
It's one thing to be sexual. It's another to rely on sex appeal to mask the fact that you share the same level of vocal talent as a garbage truck. Not to mention I've gotten more entertainment value from funerals than I have from any of her live performances. Her having the type of body that should drive Michael Jackson crazy isn't about to make me forget either opinion.
Even wacker is Hoopz who seems to be extending her 11 seconds of infamy (fame is pushing it and ya'll know it) by releasing a sex tape. Gee, a woman famous for faking attraction to Flavor Flav has a sex tape. Shocker. I wouldn't be surprised if one of her with a female is next on the list for the Luke girl because I know for a fact she used to mess with a female friend of mine.
That likely explains why she looks bored out of her mind in the clip floating around.
Either way, as amusing as some of the commentary has been on these nude shots and sex tapes, I'm really getting annoyed by how accepting we've become of pornographic publicity stunts.
I want people to remember they can have sex w/o being taped & leaked online. Develop talent, not a position.
For the celebrities who don't want us all up in them, learn to get off without the use of your camera phone. Try masturbating or at the very least angle the camera away from your head. Do something because this is getting old quickly.
I can already predict how this is going to go. The blogs will run wild with this photo, leading the tabloids to comment on how fat she's gotten. Then, eventually Kelly Clarkson will be asked to comment on her obvious weight gain, which will lead her to pull a Tyra Banks and tell the world to kiss her fat ass.
Instead of the world doing the right thing and telling her we don't have that kind of time, most will champion her for fighting the unrealistic standards of beauty the media places upon people.
I'll be the first to admit that not everyone is meant to be a stick figure, but at the same time not everyone is meant to walk around like they're caring twins called Snickers and Twix.
I like Kelly Clarkson and I appreciate her for a number of different reasons. She can actually sing and despite gaining fame from the most corporate and packaged shows on television, she managed to break away from that and try her hardest to be respected as a genuine artist. Although she fell flat on her face with the second album trying to do her music completely her way, I respect her for trying.
Still, she's fat. When I first saw this picture I thought it was photoshopped.
Then I saw a second picture and realized that she's been hitting the Chinese buffet too hard. Look at her: She looks ready to throw some BBQ sauce on the mic and make herself an on stage snack.
As a former fatty, I'm not grilling her for simply being overweight. She looks unhappy and more importantly, she looks really unhealthy. That can only lead to additional problems -- including more difficulties singing live. Ya'll have seen Aretha try to sing. Poor thing blows out more wind than your average hurricane during a performance.
I don't know if she's eating so much to help cope with she's been forced to go back to recording with the cookie cutter hit makers she swore off or what, but I'm going to need her to go run a couple of laps before she morphs into Roseanne.
For more than a year now I’ve read countless celebrities bitch and complain about bloggers. One of the most outspoken critics of coloreds with cable connections is Gabrielle Union.
Let her tell it black bloggers are on par with crack dealers in on who's out to destroy Black people.
Or more importantly, some talk about her in ways she prefer they didn't. I wasn’t aware the woman was Jesus dipped in chocolate with a nice weave.
Here’s a thought, Gabby: If you don’t want people talking about you negatively, how about you not act in ways that make people wanna sing old ‘Pac (Track 4, Disc 02, All Eyez On Me).
Lady Simone, the entertainment reporter for the radio show “2 Live Stews,” had a story to tell on Gabrielle the other day.
According to Simone, while at a party for the Kentucky Derby, Gabby apparently confused herself with Angelina Jolie. It seems when an NFL player attempted to get into VIP to join his teammate already inside he was stopped by her.
She supposedly told him, “I'm sorry, honey, you can't come in here. This is only for guys who make over six figures.”
His response: He pulled out a wad of cash and threw it into her face and then said, “I’m sorry, b—ch, I make seven.”
Gabby in turn lifted her jaw from the floor long enough to apologize to someone who likely has at least twice as much money as she does.
OK, I get it now. I’m a horrible person for posting about this. It’s my fault Gabrielle Union decided to become a bouncer in her spare time.
Last year, when she decided to speak out against bloggers, this is what she told AOL Black Voices:
"I almost get to a point where you can say whatever you want to say about me, but print some facts about our community that can help somebody. I don't care because I combat lies. I really used to think that if you read it and you see it and it's in a magazine, a newspaper or you see it on TV, then it has to be true. And it's just not true! I don't even know how to combat that except for do more good things for the people that I care about which is my own community."
I wrote something the other day that I think will help our community, do I get a pass now? Actually, it shouldn’t matter because while I applaud her efforts to combat rape and breast cancer, why would anyone expect sociopolitical commentary from gossip blogs?
I’m not on the Huffington Post learning how to do the Ricky Bobby…stop, & pose for the frame, so why in the hell would I expect blogs centered on entertainment to keep up with the conflict in Darfur?
She continued to whine:
"Anytime you try to negate my voice and my character and what I stand for, you're squashing all of the good work that I'm trying to do for our community.
No one is trying to stop her from her mission to be known as Sojourner Truth of Hollywood, but if folks are saying you have a stank attitude and playing yourself in public places, that’s your bad, pimpin'. Your rumored attitude does not take away from the good will you're doing. On the other hand, those good deeds don't excuse your nasty ways either.
Bah:
"It's sad that people who have that forum where you have all this traffic... If I really did get arrested or stole someone's flipping husband and the wife was calling me, sure. So if I do it, talk about it. I own that, I screwed up. It's never happened! Don't create crap that is negating one of the few voices in our community that actually likes Black people, loves Black men and is trying to do something with our community and make changes. Don't try to kill that voice along with your stories so that you can get a couple of more subscribers. It's just bulls--t and its unfortunate," she concluded.
What’s unfortunate is that people get a little fame and suddenly think they’re to be worshiped and ogled at their publicist’s request.
I applaud her for staying relevant in an industry that likes Black women about as much dogs love Michael Vick, but that’s not cool.
Maybe this is all hearsay, so if that’s the case then my bad. But if not, she needs a reality check. She’s not HalleBerry. Hell, she’s not Vivica Fox, so she better watch her mouth before some dude throws a whole of quarters at her big ass head the next time she decides to act saddity.
This morning I woke up and ate Kashi cereal along with some Odwalla Superfood juice (it was on sale) for breakfast. This afternoon I attempted to eat a Kashi frozen dinner that I had a free coupon for (I told ya'll I wrote "The Recession Diaries," I'm not playing), but most of that ended up in the trash. The other parts of it are somewhere in the Los Angeles sewer system.
You see, the other day I went and tried on some clothes. When I took off my shirt, I didn't want to break the mirror. I can't remember the last time I felt that way. I believe Jade and Brownstone were still relevant at the time.
In any event, it made me feel quite good about my hard work at the gym, and inspired me to take my initiative to eat much healthier even further. Though it's something I started doing a long time ago I want to eat even healthier.
Part of it is out of sheer practicality. I don't have health insurance anymore. It doesn't make sense for me to eat any and everything. Fast food is for people who can afford to have a stroke.
And to tell you the truth despite thinning out years ago I still sometimes channel my inner fat boy. That has got to stop, ya'll. But eating healthy can be so boring sometimes. Not to mention a lot of health food looks and sometimes tastes like it belongs in a bowl for a dog named King.
Why can't carrots taste like Chick-fil-A?
It gets worse. Do you know I've been trying to drink less, too? That means no catfish and Hennessy for. After a while I get to wondering, "This can't be life, can it?"
Then I think about the alternative.
Like this heart attack wrapped in foil. This is chicken strips, mozzarella sticks, french fries, and a whole lot of grease. Eating like that can only lead you to a few places.
Here.
There.
Or in a doctor's office for a consultation on gastric bypass.
Before you even wonder, no, this is not in the south. That's a food truck in New York. Midtown to be exact.
Do not want.
Beyond the issue of fitness, some people are just nasty as hell.
Exhibit A. This is a picture from a Chinese carry out in D.C. I'm not sure which one, but I pray it's not one I ever ate it. That fish is hanging next to a dumpster. While I'm thrilled to know it's actual fish, I don't like the fact that the D.C. rats can get dibs on it before actual customers can. And here I thought I only had to worry about whether the chicken is really chicken.
I takes a lot of self-control to stick with a healthier diet. I know myself and I know that I am greedy is hell and if I had my way I would eat all of the wrong things twice with seconds.
So I continually train myself to eat healthier. But yikes, it's hard. Especially if you're opting to cut back on alcohol. That helps the vegetables go down.
I want to eat healthier, get fit, but not sound like one of those crazy health nuts. I feel like I'm already headed towards that path. How do you strike a balance?
Leave your suggestions and chicken nuggets in the comments, please.
P.S. I'm not counting today in my fit plan. I had a margarita. In my defense, it's been a very stressful day and being all one with the universe can only do so much.
When I first started this blog I made sure to be as vague as possible about certain things. That had a lot to do with how I viewed myself professionally, not to mention on the personal side, I just don't like telling a lot of people my business.
I'm a critical person, so I know exactly how people can be and what they will hold against you whenever presented with the opportunity. So despite being a pretty open person for the most part, there are certain things that I still keep from people. And just from experience, I know that if you give people just enough info they'll learn to back off.
However, I'm sure if you've been reading this blog at least over the last year or so you have noticed I'm a bit more open and don't hold back as much. Now if you're thinking, "Damn, this is you holding back" uhh...kinda?
As blunt as it is, I love this quote from Teedra Moses:
"Just be your damn self. And if people don't fool with it, then fuck them. Be yourself."
In some ways, I've always believed that to be true, but I still let myself fall into the trap far more times than I would like to admit. But with every passing day I'm learning not to do that.
Unfortunately, two young boys recently made the decision that will prevent them from ever learning that same lesson.
I don't want to get preachy, so I'll just say despite however you may feel about gay people, two 11-year-old boys should never kill themselves for being called something they might not even be. And even if they were gay, no one should be taunting them to the point where they feel their only escape is tying an extension cord around their necks.
I love my people, but we can be such a hypocritical bunch and I find it strangely ironic where a lot of this hatred stems from. It is the very same thing that was done to us.
I'm not sure what will come of this for me personally or even professionally, but I hope that someone will take comfort in what I had to say in this piece.
Please read it, re-tweet it, pass it around, do whatever you can to get folks to read it and take it in. Seriously. I genuinely think it's important for black people to start talking about this openly.
5. Did anyone else read D. Woods' post on Global Grind and wonder what the hell she was talking about?
6. Hasn't Twitter, vlogs, and blogs made it painfully obvious just how uninteresting a lot of celebrities are?
7. Got giggles?
8. How grateful are you to Maxwell for releasing an R&B song that doesn't feature a rapper and doesn't include some random reference to some designer shoe or bag?
9. So Happy Meals aren't what's up on the playgrounds anymore, eh?
10. How much longer is T.I.'s victory lap to prison gonna last?
11. Is anyone else intrigued?
12. What has 50 Cent done for us lately?
13. Am I the only one who never bothered to watch a single episode of For The Love of Ray-J?
14. Did you know that Beyonce will fire you?
15. Doesn't this dude look a lot more like Keefla from Road Rules than 'Pac?
16. Name three actual sitcoms worth watching.
17. Now that Lil' Kim has managed to become relevant again thanks to her stint on Dancing with the Stars, how long will it be before Foxy Brown is on MTV break dancing with a group of Asian kids?
18. Isn't it sad how Tevin Campbell went from being one of the most talented teen vocalists ever to morphing into Tyrone Biggums?
19. Who in the hell would want to buy a scented candle from Gary Coleman?
20. Even if you may have to run your iPod pass the free clinic, aren't you loving Electrik Red?
I may have given some of you a false perception of me with my most recent posts. I am no prude. I don't have any problem with sexual imagery and subject matter. I think we all have our limits, but don't let my recent rants about Ciara fool you: I like tramps.
