it continues...

Posted on 7:00 PM comments (3)
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you can't tell me that obama's inauguration didn't have anything to do with kelly rowland setting herself free of matthew knowles.


"Our time of standing pat, of protecting
narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions— that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust
ourselves off, and begin again..."
Barack Obama
that man is changing lives.

working girl...

Posted on 11:25 PM comments (2)
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is it me, or does renee zellweger's 'new in town' poster make you think of old 'working girl'-ish flicks.

loved all of those old flicks, but this poster screams "late-night network movie you watch, because you're up at 2am."

no judgement. i love movies like that. i'm just sayin'.

weekend funny...

Posted on 7:25 PM No Comments

notorious...

Posted on 1:45 PM No Comments
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ok, so i am totally surprised that i liked the biggie flick. i didn't plan to see it, but after seeing a few commercials, i was enticed by the music. damn puffy!

the opening was a bit eerie. i was at the party that night and it was trip seeing it recreated. who knew that moment was going to be, well...a moment?

i thought the casting was great. i met the casting director once, she's a friend of a friend. we met at the premiere of 'i think i love my wife.' i won't forget her for two reasons. one, her name is twinkie (smart move). two, she totally clowned someone, in the most polite way, about breaking into the industry.

a young woman had been sitting near us while we were chatting. not once did she look twinkie's way. somehow it came up that twinkie was a casting director. all of a sudden, the young lady is interested and then asks if she could send a head shot. twinkie asked her about the type of work she'd done and then the woman mentioned that she lived out of state, nowhere near hollywood.

twinkie said, "look me up when you move here." the woman pressed on and asked for twinkie's card. twinkie told her that she could have a card when she moved to l.a. and then politely explained the importance of making that leap of faith, if she was serious about her acting career.

anyhoo...maybe the woman should have moved and contacted twinkie, because 'notorious' had a few new faces in it. that was one of the things i liked. aside from angela bassett and derek luke, i wouldn't say that anyone was really a name.

my only problem with the film, was that i had a hard time looking at 'losing isaiah' play lil' cease. i kept expecting halle berry to pop out, speaking broken english and grab the champagne out of isaiah's hand.

i see you taraji...

Posted on 8:11 PM comments (1)
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who wants to bet taraji won't be back for 'not easily broken 2'? congrats to ms. henson and viola davis on their oscar nominations. folks are gonna be mildly shocked when they see viola on the red carpet, she is way cuter in real life. they always have her looking beat down in movies.

wait...

i just had a flashback of seeing taraji singing the hook to 'hard out here for a pimp' with three six mafia at the oscars. hold on...i am searching google right now. that might have been a bad dream.

it wasn't a dream. um, but you know what. she's hot.

obama weekend pics...

Posted on 6:57 PM No Comments
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the line at ben's was wrapped around the corner. obama ate there, so everyone wanted a taste.in georgetown...he didn't want to take this picture. it was too much like being a tourist.
wandering the streets of dc with my peeps.
every shop had an obama display. i took pictures of all of them. i will spare you and not post them all.
all smiles...and freezing :)
this kid had a ball waving to everyone, holding up his mask.

the wright stuff...

Posted on 6:11 PM No Comments
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sunday morning, on the eve of martin luther king day, i attended church services at howard university. i woke up that morning, excited about going, but unsure if i wanted to take the risk of dealing with insane inauguration traffic once service let out.

but i had to go. jeremiah wright was delivering the sermon and i need to see and hear him, uncut. i sat down in my seat ready for just another service, but midway through, it became something else, something very special.

with all of the fuss surrounding the inauguration, it was easy to forget what was really happening and the significance of the moment. the weekend itself like a national homecoming. the service felt like it was being in a small little church hall, even though there were thousands of people. the president of morehouse was attendance. students from spelman participated in the service. sure, reverend wright clowned hampton a bit, but it was all in fun.

reverend wright challenged us to be responsible for ourselves and to not let others shape our identities. it was basically about personal responsibility. it seems that the message of personal accountability is no longer frowned upon in the way it used to be. it isn't that people didn't think they needed to be responsible, but the whole 'bootstrap philosophy' wasn't quiet sufficient.

president obama's success and call for community effort has changed the dialogue about personal responsibility and i think people are listening.

most importantly, reverend wright challenged us to think. it seems like such a simple thing, but people don't do as much thinking as they used to. we accept. we see it on tv and online and we take it as truth.

what really got me was the singing of 'we shall overcome.' i've heard the song dozens of times, but never has it struck me the way it did on sunday. the choir sang it with an upbeat optimism that immediately gave the sense that we had overcome. i couldn't help, but to think about martin and how he predicted that we'd see better days, even if he wasn't there to witness it.

of course, obama is one man, but that in a relatively short amount of time, we went from integrating lunch counters to running the country is a remarkable testament to the vision and determination of those who fought for civil rights; not just martin, but everyone who took a stand.

think about it for a second. we were marching and risking our lives to be able to eat at a lunch, or to simply sit on a bus. elected leaders were openly anti-integration, calling black people niggers on the national news. and now, the leader of the country is black.

wow.

after service, i was done. i didn't need to do anything else. i was filled. all i wanted was a fish sandwich and an obama t-shirt. i felt called to action. i also felt the gravity of my role as a teacher. i've been writing for some time about action. that is what it is all about. ultimately, we all need to do something.

black in style...

Posted on 5:43 PM comments (2)
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not unlike millions of other people, i was filled with immense pride as i watched president obama and his first lady enjoy their first dance, as beyonce serenaded them.

i wasn't as overcome as the black chick from 'save the last dance,' but i was moved. i couldn't help but think about bill and clair huxtable. even though tv has seen its share of black couples, i don't think i'd seen that type of black love on public display since 'the cosby show.'

my phone rang a few times during the dance. i didn't answer, but eventually after flipping channels a bit, i returned my calls. everyone was moved and no one made mention of the fact that beyonce was even on stage.

i've read all sorts of articles and blogs about what type of change obama signals for the united states in terms of national security, health care and economics. i think there's one other item to add to that agenda...interracial dating.

my good friend, who shall remain nameless unless she comments on the blog and reveals herself; made a heartfelt declaration after watching president obama two-step, like he was at a rent party on the south side.

my friend, let's call her arak, has been the benetton of dating for some time now. she's solidly self-loving and has no problems with her identity, but she wasn't necessarily pressed about being with a black man.

that has all changed with a two-step.

"i gotta have a man who can move like that," she exclaimed after the obama's danced, "i've had my run with others, but i gotta have a brotha."

it wasn't just the two-step. it started with that, but president obama's close hold of michelle pushed it over the edge.

could it be that obama, with a simple dance and a show of intimacy with his wife, has single-handedly ended the 'black men ain't sh*t', 'i can pay my own bills', 'i can be a father and a mother', 'i can't find anyone on my level', 'they're all in jail' era?

i hope so.
not that interracial dating is a problem, but brothers don't have to be considered losers.

slumdog, new tricks...

Posted on 7:50 AM comments (1)
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let me go right ahead and say that i didn't really like 'slumdog millionaire.' before i start getting a bunch of comments about the filmmaking, i am well aware of the skill involved to have pulled off the film. it was a beautiful looking film. the acting was fine. the score was great...but i still didn't like it.

the excitement and curiosity about the film, often feels like when a person wants to touch "black hair." it's exotic.

in terms of storytelling, it's one big voice-over flashback. it reminded me of 80's sitcoms. you remember when shows used to do episodes where a main character would start reminiscing and then the screen would fade away to a cheesy flashback.

was the film boring? no. was i holding my breath as he phoned a friend for his final question? a little bit. still, i just didn't dig the film.

as i've thought about it a bit more, i realized that the title is the first problem. slumDOG. i spent a little time googling the term. i was curious as to whether that was commonly used terminology for poor people in depressed areas of india.

it isn't.

at least that's what i'd gathered by not finding any mention of it anywhere. then today, i see a quote from the film's screenwriter simon beaufoy...

"I just made up the word. I liked the idea. I didn't mean to offend anyone."

apparently, the writer spent some time wandering the streets of mumbai. he took note of the stray animals sleeping in the alleys.

“I thought it was a fantastic metaphor - of somebody who’s apparently not worth anything, is actually looking, eyeing everything and knowing everything — just like the boy in the gameshow knows everything.”

interesting. i spent a little time thinking about what mr. beaufoy would have named this film had it been set in an economically depressed american city.

ghettodog millionaire?
innercityrat millionaire?

i don't know. it just all feels a bit icky to me. do you think an actual indian writer, or director would be receiving acclaim for making the same film? i don't. we wouldn't even know it exists.

the social constructions the film addresses are evident in it's production and now it's acclaim.

i haven't even seen 'the curious case of benjamin button' yet, but i hope it kicks "slumdog's" butt at the oscars.
i say, spend three bucks and rent 'city of god' instead.

yes we did.

Posted on 10:25 AM No Comments

brunch...

Posted on 8:01 PM comments (1)
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a few weeks back, i was in columbus. it was my last day in town and my shawty (been listening to plies) took me to a spot called union cafe.

the food sucked. that's besides the point though. the larger issue was the service.

union cafe is one of those sleek, modern spots. you can tell it's been recently renovated by someone who watches a lot of hgtv.

we walk in and it's a self seating situation. the staff is pleasant as we pass by, deciding on a table. well, 99% of the staff was pleasant. the lone black employee, yelps, "booths are for four people," and turns away.

moments later, he returned to take our order. he couldn't have been less interested. i instantly felt like i was being profiled. i didn't say anything though. i thought maybe i could be imagining things.

i then watched the waiter be as chipper as he could be with every other table he was serving. once we noticed that, we immediately sized him up as one of those kind. you know, the kind that likes to be the ONLY person of color around, so they can be exotic; or one of those who's only comfortable with other black people, who are with non-black people.

we created a whole story about the waiter and how he hates himself etc. we realized that we were being ridiculous until, the cast of the "the l word: columbus' showed up.

our waiter immediately ran over and then happily tells them about all of these wonderful specials. apparently, blacks don't get the specials. they were never mentioned to us. when our meal was winding down, he didn't ask if we needed anything, or if we'd like dessert. maybe he didn't think we could afford it.

at first i was angry, but then i started to feel a bit sad for him. then, i started to get annoyed again, because he started dancing and singing. i called him bojangles in my head.

on second thought. maybe the food didn't suck. the waiter did. i won't be back.

me...

Posted on 6:10 PM comments (4)
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i weigh 184lbs.
there.
i said it.
i don't know how it happened.
i eat organic.
mostly.
i mean, do eat well, except when i am eating mcdonalds
and chic-fil-a
and zero's.
i bought three pairs of sneakers.
that's a start.
i plan on running.
i'm sure i burned a calorie, or two when i went shopping for the sneakers.
then i ate wendy's.
help.
don't get me wrong.
i'm still cute.
i've just gone from twink to cub at an alarmingly short amount of time.
metabolism.
my thirties.
i guess.

just wondering...

Posted on 2:51 PM No Comments
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how do we feel about rachel maddow? i was digging her as a sidekick, but the new show feels kinda like when a strong supporting character leaves a hit show, for an ill-advised spin-off (think jackee').

the hotness...

Posted on 11:26 AM No Comments
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i'm happy he won.

kriddle...

Posted on 10:31 AM comments (2)
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heeeelarious! how did i miss these?

neffe and me...

Posted on 5:02 PM comments (1)
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so, i just took a peek at my blog keyword stats. it's always interesting to see what people were searching on google, that made them end up on my site.

a whopping 44% of my keyword activity was from my favorite sibling of keyshia cole...neffe. month's back i wrote a piece called 'neffe's got soul.' who knew that neffe would end up dating a man named soullow?

in other cole family news...their show was just nominated for a naacp image award. marinate on that.

man down. code 10.

meet the browns...

Posted on 3:30 PM comments (1)
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last night was the premiere of tyler perry's tv adaptation of 'meet the browns.' there will be no review. if you know me, or spend 40 seconds perusing this blog, you know how i'd feel about the show.

the funniest part of the whole 'meet the browns' thing, is that i had no intentions of looking at the show. i was sitting with my father last night and he had it on. my father isn't a serious tyler perry fan, but he is in the demographic. for about twenty minutes, i watched my father's stomach quiver, but his face wasn't registering laughter. i think he was embarrassed to laugh at the show in front of me.

the phone rings and it was one of my tyler perry demographic cousins calling to laugh and recap lines of dialogue with my father. i felt better for my dad. he got to let out his laughter.

i was thinking to myself, he should just go ahead and laugh. don't mind me.

moments later, the commercial for tyler perry's upcoming film, 'madea goes to jail' came on. i found my stomach tensing up. no, i wasn't getting sick. i wanted to laugh. i just couldn't allow it though. i understood my father's dilemma all of a sudden.

i started to rationalize, 'maybe i'm tired from work; delirious perhaps.'

either way, i sat stone faced until the commercial went off. i felt that chuckling might give my father the idea it was okay to invite me to tyler perry's next play.

classes...

Posted on 2:29 PM comments (1)
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what's up everybody. happy new year and all of that jazz. for my students who are interested my eng 102 course, the sections are below. also, i am teaching a film symposium class that will take a look film and its impact on society. there will be four panels. speakers include michelle gipson, thembi, donna hill, victoria christopher murray and randy walker. if you need an elective, because something is filled, i have a handful of slots left.

see ya soon.

eng 102-53 tr 9:30-10:45
eng 102-58 tr 12:30-1:45
eng 399-02 (film symposium) mw 3-4:15pm
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