The Prodigal Sun

Shemar's Nudie Shots, and the 'gay' beach

Ok... by now, the naked photos of Shemar Moore kickin it at the nudie beach have circled the globe 115 kazillion times. If you haven't seen them, and want to see the uncensored versions... they are located on Perez Hilton's site, here (NSFW). (I know its kinda obvious that its NOT SAFE FOR WORK considering its a picture of a man with his dick swingin... but I feel obligated to add the NSFW tag...lol)

Anyway... I have two things to say about this. First, WHYYYYY do celebs do the nude beach thing? What is that about? Are tan lines really that serious? Hell, I think tan lines are sexy, its like invisible underclothes reminding you that you are seeing something naughty... lol Are celebs exhibitionists? And if so... why not pose for Playboy/Girl and get PAID for it?! If you are a celebrity, you HAVE to know that eyes are ALWAYS watching you. Why would you even risk it to sunbathe nude? After ALL the public nude photos and sex tapes everywhere... why hasn't Hollywood learned its lesson?

If there were an instructional manual to fame... this would DEFINITELY be in the rulebook: Any and all public nude appearances will end up on the internet (and the National Enquirer).

And secondly... how do we know its a 'gay' beach? I mean... its a freakin' beach. The water doesn't look gay to me. Is the sand pink or something? I mean, come on... I dont see any dudes holding hands or kissing in the background. Seriously... if it really were a 'gay' beach, it would be really easy to illustrate that. Just do a panoramic shot of him on the beach with the background. If it were a gay beach, you would see mostly DUDES in the background. That whole 'gay' beach thing is so suspect to me. I dont buy it. Its a silly attempt at a more sensational headline as if naked photos of Shemar Moore weren't sensational enough.

Shemar Moore may even be gay... but if he were, I seriously doubt that he would choose to make his first nude public appearance at a gay nude beach. He may not be the sharpest pencil in the box, or even that great an actor for that matter... but I seriously doubt he is that dumb.

It will be interesting to see how Shemar responds. I think this will help him. When was the last time you saw him in the news? He has always been seen as a sex symbol. This can't possibly hurt him. Brad Pitts nudie shots didnt hurt him one iota. Shemar was in the Morris Chestnut group of black sex symbols... and Morris is traveling doing chit'lin circuit Tyler Perry plays now... maybe this is Shemar's attempt at avoiding a similar fate (well... minus the gay beach part... lol)

'The Secret' & my new direction

I am on 'The Secret' bandwagon. I am a late-comer to 'The Secret', since Oprah talked about it ages ago. And the movie has been on dvd for a while. But I do believe that, whether this attraction stuff works or not, positive thinking and visualization are great tools to help you accomplish your goals. When you truly believe you are going to accomplish something, you natually do what it takes to get you there. You become your own self-fulfilling prophecy. Call it 'The Secret'. Call it 'the power of Positive Thinking.' Call it whatever... I just know that believing in the possibility of your success is the first step to making it happen.

Lately, I have been going through mad changes. But because I am only trying to concentrate on the positive, I haven't blogged about the negative stuff. Concentrating on the negative only invites more negative. And I am not trying to go that route. But lets just say that the past few months have been taxing on my optimism. BIG TIME!

One of the positive things about 'The Secret' philosophy is that it helps you believe you can accomplish anything, and that nothing is impossible. So no matter how crazy things get, you believe that you will not only get out of that bad situation, you will excel if you truly believe you can and concentrate on your goals.

Some of you might recall that in recent months, I was signed to a casting agency for modeling and acting. At first, I didnt take it seriously because I didn't believe in the possibility of succeeding in the competitive entertainment field. But again, with 'The Secret' you believe that you can accomplish anything. And deep down, I really wanted to pursue this. But you have to believe it first yourself. And after a few false starts with commercial auditions I didn't get, namely an ipod commercial that I was up for that I thought I NAILED that just started airing a couple days ago without me (arrrrrrrrgghh) I am not discouraged. Well, I was initially, but I am over it. That commercial wasn't meant to be my first big televised gig. I now believe that my first big gig is going to be a movie. I am preparing for a casting for a big motion picture featuring names you all know and would flip out if I told you. I believe that this is going to be my big break. The role is for someone who looks like me, is about my height, my build, my complexion, with locks... AND is NEW TO ACTING! Basically, it was tailor-made for me.

Those of you who are familiar with 'The Secret' know that positive energy also helps people to accomplish their goals. So all of you reading this out there, either pray for me or wish me luck (which ever you feel most comfortable doing...) But whatever you do, send some positive thoughts in my direction.

So... while I am studying monologues and trying to pull that together. I am also trying to decide on a headshot. Here are my three four options... (The last one is a late entry...)

While you are leaving me a good luck or prayer comment, also tell me which one of these you like best and why you like it to help me narrow it down to one.

Thanks in advance ya'll for all your support. 

Keeping me in check

My life has been a rollercoaster lately. I am working on five web projects simultaneously. With the deadlines approaching... I dont have time to think much less blog. But I am just really glad to have all of this web design business. This entrepreneur shyt was KICKIN MY AZZ the past few months and I was REALLY struggling for a minute to pay my bills and sometimes, unsuccessfully. But... things are going well.

In fact, congratulations are in order. Your boy Prodigal Sun just won a Salsa contest sponsored by Heineken at this club on this past Saturday. My girl Latin Diva and I won first place, aaaaand an all expense trip to Miami next week to attend the Latin Billboard Awards, and VIP access to a bunch of afterparties. Before ya'll start clowning me like some of my boys started to... NO, it was not some 'Dance with Me' Vanessa Williams & Chayanne type deal where you wear formal costumes and numbers on your backs. That is not the type of salsa I do. I do club style salsa. And we turned it out.

Anyway, we get flown down to Miami to hang out for a couple days, soak up some sun, and hobknob with latin celebrities. Hell... I could be chillin with J-Lo and Marc Anthony. Maybe even Beyonce, now that she has her spanish songs out... who knows? But your boy was on CLOUD 9! Everything was going so well... my business was booming, I won a free trip to Miami for doing something I love to do anyway...

Then this morning... the universe GUT PUNCHED MY AZZ!!! I looked out my window to see if I needed an umbrella to go to the gym, and I noticed something was missing downstairs on the curb. MY FUKKING CAR!!! I knew where I parked it... and it was not there. It wasn't stolen... NYC had towed my car. Parking tickets... I contested them online, but apparently they have no record of me contesting my tickets, and they took my fukkin' car.

Apparently when they didnt see that I contested my tickets, they went into judgement, which basically means that they double the tickets... So tickets that started out totalling only 200 became 400, which was over the 350 dollar limit where they'll tow your car. Then... they charge you $300 for the tow. So to get your car back, you have to pay $750 for tickets that, only two weeks ago were 200 bucks.

NYC government is getting over. This shyt is a rip off. Just when I thought I was getting things under control, I have to come up with almost 800 dollars out of nowhere... otherwise they charge you daily for storage, and if you dont come get your car, they auction it.

I was pissed as hell... but I am calming down. Partly because I am venting now, and partly because I realize that this is the universe's way of keeping me in check. I can never become to comfortable, and too complacent. My business is going well, and I won a free trip, but this incident brought me right back down to earth. Shyt happens, both good and bad... but the lesson is... if you want to maintain your sanity, you cant get too wrapped up in either extreme.

So, I am grounded again. I got the memo universe. I still say fukk the NYC government and their shady practices though.

Me... bitter?

OK... I have received a few emails, and I admit that my last few posts have been a bit hard on certain folks from 'Stinky Gym Lady' to Terry McMillan, and everyone in between. But I am not bitter... these are just the things that I have experienced lately that I felt like writing about. It is ironic that the thing that moved me to write today, before reading the foul emails was beauty.

As I surfed through some entertainment sites and blogs, I came across some pictures of Rachel Roy's collection launch event and saw pictures of Iman. And it struck me how timelessly beautiful Iman is. I mean, this woman does NOT age! She is always classy, sophisticated and stylish. And she looks as young as Rachel, despite being old enough to be her mother.

(Click to enlarge)

Then I saw pictures of Kelly Rowland, who I have always felt is just as beautiful as Beyonce. Yes, she can be whack at times, but her beauty is unquestionable. Look at how she shines in these pictures. She has the type of beauty that is even more breathtaking when its not done up... look at the publicity shots at the end and compare.


She also has a new video out... check it out on TRL here. (Ummm... D-Wade needs an emergency Proactiv treatment... STAT!)

Here are some other beautiful women that are either timeless or look like they will be timeless beauties when they age...

Natalie Cole... she is unforgettable. (Funny story, when I was about 7 yrs old, I once got smacked cause I told my momz 'I wish Natalie Cole was my mother because she was so beautiful and probably doesn't beat her son'... Krapow! My moms said I was being sassy, but I think I hurt her feelings cause she promptly turned the channel... lol)

Gabrielle Union... that beautiful smile makes me smile every time I see it. In my opinion, Gabrielle Union is one of the most beautiful women ever.

[update]

Nia Long... how could I forget. I had to update this post because Vicki reminded me that I had Nia pegged for this list. Nia Long is definitely one of the most beautiful black women ever. (Interesting note... did ya'll know that she is comedianne Sommore's half sister in real life?)

I also forgot to add Angela Bassett. Something about her strong features that is so statuesque. She is like an African carving... beautiful. I love her eyes.

Sanaa Lathan... there is just something about her that I love. She has that approachable beauty. She kinda reminds me of my momz when she was younger... That probably plays a big part. (See, I think my mom is beautiful too... she was just a lot more beautiful to me when she wasn't smackin me in the mouth... lol)

Kerry Washington... Chris Rock described her as 'Sneaky Fine, that kinda fine that just kinda sneaks up on you and you look up at her like, oh damn, she's fine!' I agree. She has this mona lisa-like smile. Beautiful girl.

Naomi Campbell... she is the only woman that can make GARBAGE detail high fashion! (Note the sanitation truck in the background as she struts by in a Dolce & Gabbana couture gown... lol) Pumpin it to community service in stilletos. I love her. I just wouldn't want to get on her bad side, cellphone-induced concussions aren't covered by my health insurance plan.

Jada Pinkett Smith... is one of my favorites. I have loved her spunky personality ever since her days on a 'Different World' and 'Low Down Dirty Shame.' And I love her even more with Will Smith with their coordinated but not corny outfits. I always wanted them to be our generation's Ozzie and Rubie Dee-like example of black love. I hated that 'Show me the receipts' Whitney and Ashy-lipped Bobby were viewed as this example of undying black love... I mean, crackheads always stay together. Smoking crack alone is just too sad even for a crackhead. Notice the minute that Whitney got clean for real, they broke up. I rest my case. But back to Jada... love her.

Jackie-O... Now... I KNOW ya'll fools didn't think I was bout to say something nice about this photo... lol Come on, ya'll know me better than that. This chic is too raggedy for words... There are soooooooooo many atrocities in this photo, I dont even know where to begin. Doesn't she look like your ghetto aunt roxanne aka 'Roxy' who messed around with drug dealers her whole life, is now 52 with 7 kids with different daddies... but still walks around like she is the hot ish and is bangin dudes half her age? Ok... I dont have an aunt like that, and you probably dont either... but doesn't she look like that could be her life story? lol She is just... 5 kinds of Ilk.

I was trying to be nice... but fuggetaboutit. I am going to be me. And being me is a full spectrum of emotion. Sometimes its humorous, sometimes its angry... sometimes its bitter, sometimes its happy. But whatever this blog is... its always undoubtedly me. If anyone can't take the extremes of any of those... in the immortal words of my Beautiful gramz... Tough tootie!!

AI... my observations.

I haven't really been following American Idol after the initial auditions... but I watched it live this week. And I just have a few questions...

How the hell did Sanjaya make it to the top 12? He looks like an extra from the Disney cartoon movie Aladdin, which I suppose works for pre-pubescent girls who probably think his soft voice, soft movements and big soft curly hair is just dreamy. (did I mention that he is super soft? Not that there is anything wrong with that.) But... he can't sing his way out of a paper bag. Didn't his whole performance feel like it was happening in slow motion? (He does have great teeth though... he should be doing colgate commercials... not singing. Dont you think?)

Yo... doesn't that bald guy, Phil Stacey, look like an alien? Or the leader of the Heavan's Gate cult that thought they were going to outerspace on a spaceship that followed the Hale Bopp comet and killed themselves back in 1997? (Great voice though... but I feel like behind his voice there is a subliminal message to swallow a bottle of pills in preparation for a space departure...)

Afro dude (not the black one... the white one) that took off his glasses... doesnt he look like a younger remixed version of Meatloaf? I thought the he would burst into 'And I would do anything for love'... He totally butchered one of my favorite songs ' Endless love'... booooo! Nothing positive to say.

And... in honor of Diana Ross's Legendary status... I will overlook her usage of the word 'pronunciate' over and over during the private sessions... I am sure that she meant to say 'enunciate', or 'pronounce'... Nor will I say that she should go visit Sunjaya's dentist to get fitted for new whiter better-fitting dentures... because that would just be rude and disrespectful to a legend like Miss Ross. So I will just keep my mouth shut. Nope... not me. I am not sayin NUFFIN! (But I AM going to send her some Crest Whitening Strips for xmas anonymously though...) Other than her teeth and the usage of the non-word pronunciate... Miss Ross was so sweet to the AI kiddies. Like a great big Diva Momma...

Is it me or do the top contestants look less and less like potential stars as the years go by? Last years winner looked like he was fifty-two. This year, I am not pressed with any of them. Stephanie Edwards is cute... but I am not pressed with her. Haley is cute, but she forgot the words. Jordin can stand to hit a treadmill just a lil... And Chris and Blake kinda blend together into one person to me, except one is a Sting rip-off, and the other a BLATANT Justin Timberlake rip-off, who is himself a watered-down Michael Jackson rip off.

I am bored. Good luck to Melinda Doolittle... even though she looks like a second grade teacher... I hope she wins. She seems really nice and sweet. I probably wont bother watching anymore though. Ya'll will have to keep me posted.

Oscar Randomness

Yaaaaaaaaaaaye Jennifer Hudson!!! Her oscar speech was cool except for the toss off 'And Jennifer Holiday' afterthought thing... I mean, I am glad she recognized her, but it was clear that she forgot about her. Not a good look... but neither was her outfit. There is already a warrant out for her immediate arrest by the fashion police for her previous fashion disasters. This outfit put her on the most wanted list. Andre Leon Tally needs his azz beat for putting her in that mess... She woulda looked better in a bedazzled number by the House of Dereon ... lol

I had hoped that she would sing 'and I am telling you', but they didnt. Booooo! Why is she not singing this song live? Instead, they did a medley of Love You I do, Listen and Patience. Does Jennifer Hudson give you a little Aretha Franklin in her oversinging...? I still enjoyed the performance. I think Jennifer did well aside from occassional oversinging... Bey did good too, in her own way, (bless her heart... lol) As much as I believe she is talented, she needs not sing alongside anyone with Aretha like power. She gets drowned out a little. But I think she still did great. Jennifer has more power, but I do think Bey has better control. I look forward to seeing how experience performing will shape Jennifer...

And was it me, or did it seem like all of Anika Noni Rose's screaming at the end of patience was to say... HEY! LOOK AT ME! I CAN SING TOO!! WHAT ABOUT MEEEEEE?!? lol I love her in the movie... she is very talented, but she was wearing me out a little... in that Mary J Blige at the grammy's kinda way... lol

WHAT ABOUT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!?!?!?

Speaking of a combination of great and whackness... Jennifer Holiday sang 'And I Am Telling You' outside the oscars... on some terrace across the street or something on E!... She sounded great. And she looked great too (aside from looking a little post stroke-ish, her hair and make-up were great). But, you have to admit... this was kinda bootleg. I mean, you were on someone's rooftop across the street. There were spectators closer to the oscars than she was. Thats not even B, C, or D list... that is like V-list when the closest you can get is across the street on a rooftop... And what made it worse was when they panned down to the red carpet and they were just-a-carryin'-on like business as usual, like Jennifer Holiday wailing on a rooftop across the street was regular street noise. Peeps werent even stopping to watch... lol Here is the performance... see for yourself. (And did anyone else peep that she is singing it in a lower key than normal... maybe its just my ears... but people who sing or know music know what I am talking about.)

OTHER RANDOM OSCAR QUESTIONS>>>

Isnt it interesting how UN-Miranda-Priestly Meryl Streep is in real life with that HUGE ugly klunky necklace that she probably got at a 'big hideous necklace convention'... lol

 
(Meryl Streep as the 'smart, fat, size 6 girl', Nicole Kidman as the 'Clacker'...lol)

Was it me or was the clip they showed of Eddie Murphy really the best 10 seconds of his acting in the film? I mean... dayum. That clip was whack. Of course he aint win... Did you see the look on Eddie's face after they showed the clip? It was even on HIS face, like... is that the best you can do?

Does everyone in Hollywood call Martin Scorscese, Marty? And don't 'Marty's' fluffy black eyebrows, white hair and tuxedo make him look a little like the Muppet, Statler (one of the old hecklers in the balcony)?

 

How the hell did Forest Whitaker get as far as he did with his wandering eye? Ummm... for real, I hate watching him in movies... I hate the way he speaks... I hate his wandering eye... I hate his black lips... I hate his black gums...  (oh wait, thats from Don't Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood ... lol) I say all this to say... ilk. I dont want to hate on a brother winning lead actor... but... fukk it. I wanted Will to win. Get your dayum eye fixed or wear tinted shades like Musiq Soulchild. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

(He should change his name to Forest Wandering-eye...)

Overall... the oscars were boring. I love Ellen. But I guess acting award shows arent going to be like music with explosions and people coming down from the ceiling... If there arent any black actors (with non-wandering eyes) nominated next year, I probably wont watch.

Dreamgirls... my two cents

I know everyone and their mother has already spoken on Dreamgirls, but its not official until I have my say. Hey, its my blog... I can be late if I want to.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everyone was great in the movie. Jamie Fox's 'when I saw you' was beautiful. The Diana Ross Mahogany-esque montage was FIRE! Eddie was giving me James Brown/Little Richard all the way.  I loved seeing Loretta Devine in the film... Overall the film was fantastic. But the thing I loved most about this movie... I only have three words... Jennifer Hudson's Voice.

I know its been said... but Jennifer Hudson sings the shyt out of EVERY gott dayum song they gave her. I mean... for real... gott dayum. Her singing gave me chills so much that by the end of the movie, I was trained like Pavlov's dog to get chills when she walked on screen. She has this Aretha/Patti/Chaka power and clarity behind her voice that just blows you against the wall when she sings. "And I am telling you"... of course...was the shyt. But every song of hers was fire. My favorite Jennifer Hudson moment though was 'I am changing'. That crescendo and climax of that song are just BANANAS! The negroes were clapping after EVERY music number like the actors were there and could hear it. But even as annoying as that was... I couldnt even be mad at them. Jennifer's singing deserved the praise. I stopped watching American Idol when she got booted off after singing the BEST performance of the night. I am glad that she came back and showed them all. Her talent will no longer be denied. In the immortal words of the T'Keyah "Crystal" Keyman, "GO'ON GURRHL!"

I dare say...

*disclaimer #1* For all you die-hard original cast lovers... let me say... I love Jennifer Holiday's versions of the songs too... and she is the originator... I cant take anything away from her *end of disclaimer*

But... I know this may be controversial but... I dare say that I love Jennifer Hudson's versions more. She doesn't blow Holiday out of the water or anything cause Holiday's were phenomenal too... but I feel like I can relate to Hudson's versions better. They are more updated. Her singing style is more contemporary. She has all of Jennifer Holiday's power, but with Whitney Houston's runs, and control. Her range seems wider with her power soprano notes. I just absolutely love, love, love her versions of every song.

And to make it even worse... She can sang just as good live! Here are a slew of youtube clips... And Jennifer hits all the notes, her dynamic and pitch are just as perfect live. I am a fan. I love this sangin Heffa.

I also dug Beyonce. I think she did a great job. She has improved a million catrillion zillion times from her debut performance as Carmen in that whack azz Hip Hopera on MTV... (ya'll remember that bullshyt... booooooo!) You can tell that she has been studying. I mean, she won't be considered for any oscars or anything, but that wasnt an oscar role to begin with. She did great with the material she had. I was proud of B. If you saw her sing 'Listen' on Oprah live... you know that she sang the SHYT outta that song live. Beyonce's performance scenes were excellent.

But... One thing I will say though...

*disclaimer #2* please know that before I say this that I love Beyonce like cooked food and will defend her talent and artistic contributions to pop culture to anyone...*end disclaimer*

But... the one thing I will say is... before B can raise to the next level and be taken seriously as an actress, B needs some dayum speech lessons. Point Blank. Her diction and annunciation suck. She sounds like she is from the hood of Texas every time she opens her mouth. I think that she did a great job, but her accent detracted from her performance.  That is why she is really convincing in the performance scenes... because you cant hear her accent. You actually see her doing the Diana Ross hunched shoulder thing, and the 'I love you all' bit, and SEE Deena/Diana... but when she is in her dramatic climax scene and she says 'I cayn't do dis'... a great big Texan cowboy boot flew out of her mouth and kicked me in the forehead. Deena is from Detroit... not Texas. I love B, but instead of losing the 20 lbs, maybe she shoulda taken speech lessons and worked on her 'Th' sounds.  Cause that moment was bad for me. Once she improves her diction and annunciation, I think she can go far... maybe not oscars right now, but at least to like... J-Lo level. Overall, I loved her in the movie though. And I am proud of her progress though. I hope someone in her camp wises up and gives her that bit of advice. I really want to see her take hollywood by storm the same way she has music one day. It could happen...  (with hard work and a LOT of speech lessons...)

I loved the movie. I will see it again. If you haven't already, go see it!

X encounter...

My ex and I have been apart for a couple months now. I have gone through a few phases... I went from 'fukk it - I am better off', to 'kinda nostalgic'... to 'it is what it is - so just deal with it nigga.' I wish I was the type of cat that could just turn emotion off, but I am not that negro.

Don't get me wrong, I am not sitting alone in a dark corner anywhere listening to suicidal Toni Braxton 'Unbreak my heart' type songs. Life goes on. But, I am not really pressed to date despite various viable opportunities to do so lately. I think after being so emotionally drained, I need to refill before I get myself involved in something else.

So last weekend, I go out with my brother to a club that was so crowded that we couldn't get in. But since I knew the girl at the door, she let me pop in real quick to check it out before we all bounced out to the next spot. I get in, and kinda randomly peruse the place just checking it out. I get upstairs, and stand at the top of the steps for a few minutes just scanning the room not really focusing on any faces in particular, until I scan past a familiar face staring back at me. I glance back, and it was my ex looking directly back at me.

A million thoughts ran through my head, and were probably transparent on my face. What are you doing here? I wasn't expecting to see you... How does this work? Do I go over and say whats up? Do I act casually? Do I act as if I dont see you and bounce? It took me a minute to realize that I was standing there frozen and looking stupid... so I HAD to go say something.

I walked over. We hugged warmly for a few minutes, made small talk for a few minutes, then kinda stood side by side facing forward... looking out at a sea of dancing gyrating bodies moving in time with the reggae music. It was only for maybe 5 or 10 minutes, but it seemed like an eternity. Not just the time, but the distance between us, despite standing literally a foot apart. The longer we stood there ignoring each other, the more awkward it became, so I just gave a parting hug, and left onto the next venue as planned. Aside from the initial hesitance, I managed to maintain my cool.

I dont think I want to get back together, but I dont think that I am over it yet either. I think that prior to that night, if an effort was made to rekindle the relationship, I would have been open to it. But after that night, it was painfully clear that it was indeed over. And while it was an awkward experience, it was a necessary one.

I am gonna just take some time to hang out and just do me for a while. In the past 5 years, I have been in 4 relationships, each just about a year long, some shorter some longer (not including the off-and-on relationship that pretty much filled the gaps for 5 years...) I dont think that is healthy. So taking time out to focus on me is definitely a good thing to try to break this cycle of serial monogamy.

The one thing that kinda salvaged the unexpected encounter was that I was AT LEAST looking good that night... lol HOW MUCH MORE MISERABLE would that have been had I showed up looking all disheveled and sloppy?!?!? lol Leave it to my vanity to find the one salvageable element in all of this. I have a rule about always looking good when I run into my ex's. May seem silly, but I never want to look like my life fell apart after a break up, no matter how difficult a break up is. So... mission accomplished. This year has been about change, and growth. This experience was definitely one to grow on.

Diva's Live... a study in contrasts

When you hear Diva's Live, I am sure you think VH-1 and a host of vocal powerhouses like Mariah, Patty, Celine or Aretha... but this post has nothing to do with that.

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending the launch party for a new magazine called Bleu and I had the opportunity to meet two very different divas, and interact with them briefly. It was so interesting to see the vast difference between the two ladies, but despite the major differences, I really dug them both.

The first diva is a legend in her own right. She played the ORIGINAL Deena Jones in the Broadway Musical Dreamgirls (the character Beyonce is playing in the movie) and basically helped pave the way for black theater on Broadway. She went on to do Movies, TV... even a top ten single on the pop charts in the 80's. She also founded the Jamerican Film and Music Festival. But folks our age mostly know her as Brandy's stepmom 'Dee' on Moesha. Yes, I am speaking of none other than Sheryl Lee Ralph. Throughout her career, Miss Ralph has been the picture of class, sophistication and natural black beauty. As you can see from the pic, even now, she is as gorgeous as ever. She was classy, and sweet... I loved meeting her.

The next day we went to see Sheryl Lee Ralph's one woman play called 'Sometimes I Cry' about women infected, and affected by HIV/AIDS. The play was phenomenal and moving, and was to raise money for the Black Aids Institute. She was outstanding, and the message was well received. I loved the play, and I loved her more. She was so personable and so sweet. Afterwards, she stayed and signed hundreds of autographs, took pictures and raised more money for the Black Aids Institute. Sheryl was the physical manifestation of Maya Angelou's phenomenal woman.

On the flip side, also at the premiere party for Bleu Magazine... Wendy Williams... a WHOLE other kinda diva. Say what you will about Wendy, love her or hate her... but that bytch is a diva. lol She rolled in with much fanfare and applause as she entered the club wearing her leopard print dress, big bleach blond hair, boobs so big you could feed a whole NURSERY, and dripping enough diamonds to pay the gross national deficit of Zamoonda... lol She is like a mob princess from Jersey... she is so gawdy and ostentatious but so bold and unapologetic, I cant help but love her. She is so comfortable within her own skin, it's admirable.

I stepped up to get a pic with her, and she was cool with it. But literally, she posed in a pic for me, then when my brother tried to take a pic with her immediately after, she said... sorry I am done taking pictures. lol LITERALLY like two seconds after she posed with me. lol And she shut him DOOOOOWN! lol She is gangsta like that. Such a diva. Sucked to be my brother... he was mad. But... I got my pic... lol I didnt want to laugh, but that shyt was kinda funny. As she floated around with her bodyguard in tow flinging her long blonde weave out of her eye, I couldn't help but grin and say... That is just Wendy. If you have ever listened to her show, you know that she is not all stank. She has her sincere moments. She is very vocal about issues involving children, safe sex, domestic violence and all sorts of topics adversely affecting black people. Her methods are just very different from Miss Ralph's approach.

While we were there, Dominique from Making of the Band 3 was there performing. She very timid and sweet. She posed with both of us, just happy to be taking pictures and being recognized. Not too much of Diva, but she was young. Give her a few years in the business, some hit singles, and more time around Miss Ralph and Miss Williams... it would be interesting to see which route to divadom she would take.

Donell Jones Album Release Party

My boy Clay Cane called me up to see if I felt like attending the Donell Jones Record Release party. He has interviewed him twice for two different publications, and got an invite to the party with a plus one. So he figures I like R&B and might enjoy the spectacle, so he gave me a call. If you read his blog at all, you know that Clay is always a lot of fun, and I do dig Donell Jones so I was definitely down to go despite my heavy load of work to do.

So we get there, and the event is only open to invited guests. That sounds hot, but really, that just means that you have to wait in line no matter who you are because EVERYONE is on a list. Boooooooo. I hate lines. lol After waiting online for a bit, we get to the front, and our boy who handles Donell Jones' publicity and promotion FORGOT TO PUT US ON THE LIST! Setting up the whole event was probably hectic, so its no biggie, but the bouncer/list dude at the door was kind of rude about it.

First of all, niggas that work security get on my dayum nerves already because they think they got a little authority, which drives me crazy. I just want to shout at them, NIGGA YOU ARE WORKING A TEN DOLLAR AN HOUR JOB! BRING IT DOWN PLEASE! So we put in a call to our boy, and rather than debate with bouncer dude, we hand him the phone and let him work it out. Of course, he listened to my boy (who had some authority at this event... NOT YOU DUDE.) Thanks RaFael! (Two R's Entertainment worked it out.)

Anyway, we get in and the place is a shoe box. Its tight as hell, and the place is packed BEYOND capacity. It soooooo did not match the idea of record release parties in my head. I didnt see any celebrities at all... besides Donell Jones. (Some of you reading this now probably don't even know who he is. lol) But then again, I was only someone's 'plus one'... not a VIP... so I coulda been in the wrong place for all that. Of course, now that my boy is handling his publicity, you will hear Donell Jones much more, trust. RaFael holds it down.

Donell came out to perform, and he was cool. He did all his old jams that were hits. 'Where I wanna be', 'You know whats up' (and left out the Lisa Left Eye Lopez rap to our chagrin... but at least he did shout her out when he started the song...), All this love, and the Stevie remake 'Knocks me off my feet', etc. etc.

It was a cool show, and a fun party, despite the small venue and the list mishap. RaFael handled his bidness as usual. Immediately after Donell left the stage at like 10 o'clock, the place cleared out like roaches when you turn on a light. lol Industry functions are always during the week when clubs are normally closed, so peeps have to work the next day. They come out to these events all jiggy and dressed up, then leave at ten. It was like a really HOT club... for two whole hours.

I later found out that security made ANOTHER mess in the VIP room. Another of my publicist friends was backstage in the VIP area with the promoters of the show, Kiss 98.7, and this bouncer comes in screaming, 'Ya'll got ta get the FUKK up outta here.' Mind you, Kiss FM SPONSORED THE ENTIRE EVENT! lol (sidenote: see the backgrounds of the top two photos... yeah, that is their logo on the stage) First of all, they went through TWO security checkpoints to get back there, so clearly, they belonged. And second of all, IT WAS ONLY DONELL JONES, NOT BEYONCE... hell he aint even CIARA... lol He was screaming at them like they were nobodies when they were there to take publicity photos with Donell. Needless to say, that $10 an hour worker probably didnt have his job the next day. lol That is what he gets. And I hope he learned a valuable lesson. KNOW YOUR ROLE NIGGA! KNOW... YOUR ...ROLE! lol

Anyway, the party was nice. Donell seemed mad cool. And I am sure that now that he is in my boys capable publicity hands, he will take off. Good luck to him. And thanks Clay for bringing me along.