Monday, November 30, 2015

How You DOIN Wendy ...

Ouch Wendy 'Manbeast' Williams

Remembering ...


Remembering - Paul Walker.  Two years ago today, a tragic car accident lead to Walker's untimely death.  Gone Too Soon years ago today, a tragic car accident lead to Walker's untimely death.  Gone Too Soon!!!

End of an Era ...

Though I haven't always had mad love for Kobe Bryant I've always had respect for his game, knowing that he's one of the Greatest to ever play the Game.  When I got the news yesterday that he was going to retire from the game of Basketball, I was saddened, and I quickly reminisced about some of the greatest times that I ever spent, was at the Staple Center watching The Lakers play, with Bryant as their ringmaster.  KK


LOS ANGELES (AP) — After 20 years in a Lakers uniform and a lifetime in basketball, Kobe Bryant determined that his aching body and his passion for the game had both grown weaker than his excitement about the future.

That’s when Kobe decided he could only wait a few more months to begin his life after the Lakers.

Bryant announced Sunday that he will retire after this season, ending a landmark 20-year NBA career spent entirely with Los Angeles. He was serenaded with cheers throughout the struggling Lakers’ 107-103 loss to Indiana, beginning his farewell tour through the league with a clear mind and a burgeoning curiosity about his next chapter.

“I had to just accept the fact that I don’t want to do this anymore, and I’m OK with that,” the dry-eyed, smiling Bryant said after the game.

The 37-year-old Bryant made the long-anticipated declaration in a post on The Players’ Tribune on Sunday, writing a poem titled “Dear Basketball.”

“My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind. But my body knows it’s time to say goodbye,” wrote Bryant, the third-leading scorer in NBA history. “And that’s OK. I’m ready to let you go. I want you to know now. So we both can savor every moment we have left together. The good and the bad. We have given each other all that we have.”

When the Lakers hosted the Indiana Pacers on Sunday night, fans expecting an unremarkable regular-season game for the struggling home team instead received a letter from Bryant in a black envelope embossed with gold.



Sunday, November 29, 2015

Affirmation

Happy Sunday Everyone ...
Thank You GOD for loving me ...
You are the LIGHT of my LIFE ...


'Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion' Psalms 103:2-4

TONIGHT ... Soul Train Awards


The Soul Train Awards hosted by ERYKAH BADU featuring V. Bozemna, Fantasia, Chris Brown, Brandy, Tevin Campbell, Babyface and more.  Check your local listings, it's ALL going to be a stone gas honey.  Wishing you LOVE PEACE and SOUL!!!!


Friday, November 27, 2015

TGIF


If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you. #TGIF

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Happy ThanksGiving Day

HAPPY THANKGIVING everyone from my Home to Yours! It's HARVEST time!!!


Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Modeling New Breed ...


Honor -  Supermodel Jourdan Dunn were honoured for their style sense at the 2015 British Fashion Awards on Monday night (November 23).

Dunn was presented with the Model of the Year prize by Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing.


Mary j. Blige as 'Evilene' The WIZ

Mary J. Blige stars in The Wiz on NBC

Adele a great singer, but NOT best


Let me classify this first.  I'm a fan of Adele.  I love that she digs Black culture, hence the men that she choose to give her goodies too.  I have her 19 and 21 projects and I sincerely dig them both.  I have yet to purchased 25.  The media tends to jump on the next 'it' thing and pretty much dictates as to what we should listen to or believe.  Thankfully I have my own mind and I have great ears to spot what great talent and voices sound like. When you're spoon feeding me the belief that Adele is the best female singer EVER, clearly it's time for me to exit the bus.  That's night a idealogy that I can support when artist such as Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand, Whitney Houston,Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, Wynonna Judd, Renee' Olstead, Gladys Knight, Helen Terry, Amy Winehouse, Chante Moore, Minnie Riperton, Patsy Cline, Tamia, Chaka Khan, Alison Moyet, Coko, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Fischer, Ledisi, Keke Wyatt, Mariah Carey, Patti LaBelle, Yolanda Adams, Karen Clarke exist and too many other unsung heroines to mention.

Adele clearly not the greatest voice or greatest album in the history of music, but I dig her offerings, just not drinking from thefountain brand of Kool-Aid, that the simple minded mass media would have you to believe.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Stand STRONG in your Beliefs


Monumental - EBONY turns 70 featuring Mr. Harry Belafonte, Jessie Williams and Zendaya appear in the coveted cover!

No Wedding Day Blues ...


Love is in the air for Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello tied the knot in Florida on Sunday, and the Modern Family star wasted no time sharing photos of her ceremony on Instagram. In the snaps, Sofia poses in her custom-made Zuhair Murad gown before being walked down the aisle by her 22-year-old son, Manolo, and looks absolutely gorgeous as she makes her way to the handsome groom. 

Joe and Sofia's wedding celebrations began on Saturday: the couple, along with their family and friends, headed to The Breakers in Palm Beach, FL, and relaxed by the pool before their lavish rehearsal dinner. Joe serenaded his beautiful bride with a song in front of celebrity guests like Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Hyland, and Channing Tatum and his wife, Jenna Dewan Tatum. 

The couple's wedding comes nearly a year after their December 2014 engagement during a vacation in Hawaii. Sofia was introduced to Joe by her Modern Family costar Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and the two began dating in July of that year. 




Sunday, November 22, 2015

Whitney Houston 22 AMA's wins


Tonight - The American Music Awards airs on ABC, hosted by Jennifer Lopez.  We will always remember Superstar Whitney Houston who has the most American Music Awards totaling 22 wins, with 38 nominations.  Houston tied Michael Jackson on the record for the most AMA ever won in a single year with 8 awards. Also, she is the female artist with the most wins at AMA, and overall the third behind Michael Jackson (26) and Alabama (23).  Scheduled to perform at tonight's ceremonies are The WeekND, Carrie Underwood, Lopez, Gwen Stefani, Walk The Moon, Celine Dion, One Direction, Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas, Selena Gomez, Coldplay and a host of others.


The Following is a list of four other artists who won BIG in one night.  


Garth Brooks wasn't limited to country music. He crossed genres, becoming an international sensation. To date, he's won 17 American Music Awards, including Artist of the '90s. He was also the first recipient of the Favorite Artist of the Year award in 1996, which he humbly declined. Brooks felt that there were more deserving acts that year. Humble and talented.



There will never be another Michael Jackson. Like Houston, he holds the record for the most AMA wins in a night. In 1984, the year of Thriller, he walked away with eight trophies, including the Merit Award. Jackson was unbeatable. Overall, he won a total of 26 awards. 


Janet Jackson, her résumé is nothing to sneeze at. Ms. Jackson (if you're nasty) has won 12 American Music Awards to date. She's been honored as a soul, R&B, dance and pop artist. And there's more where that came from. Jackson's still actively recording new music, releasing her latest #1 masterpiece 'Unbreakable'.

Taylor Swift is nipping at the veterans heels. While it took Janet Jackson more than a decade to rack up 12 AMAs, Swift's getting there in less than five. Since 2008, she's won a total of 10 American Music Awards. This year, there's room for growth as Swift's nominated for Favorite Country Female Artist.

Affirmation ...

Dear Heavenly Father ...


Happy Sunday ...
Praising GOD's Holy name ...

'He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty' Psalms 91:1

Friday, November 20, 2015

Happy Friday TGIF


Every road has a lesson, every experience has a testimony. #TGIF

Misssssssssssssssy's Back


Hit Em Wit The Hee - Missy Elliott made her highly anticipated return to the music scene with her new video for her single “WTF (Where They From)” last week. She recently chatted with i-D magazine about her hiatus, saying “I needed a break,” and also talks the pressure surrounding her return.. plus more.

Read highlights from her interview below..

On the pressure surrounding her return:
Oh the pressure was definitely more! When me and Tim put out those records [9th Inning and Triple Threat], you know, we just put them out, that’s why we never put a video out. But this time the pressure was really on because I knew I had shot a video so now it wasn’t just about, ‘Are they gonna like the record’. I knew that people know me for my videos and so the expectation from those who grew up on my music was high. My goodness. I swear to God, I felt like I sweated out my tracks the night before the video dropped! My weave was messed up waiting for this video to come out!

On how she feels about the reactions to “WTF” so far:
I’m so humbly grateful. First of all, the night before it came out, I felt like a child waiting for Santa Claus to come down the chimney. When I tell you I was having anxiety and everything (laughs). I just hoped everyone liked the video once it came out. Firstly, I thank god and I thank Pharrell, and Dave Meyers and Hi-Hat, without them it couldn’t have been possible.


On if the song is part of a bigger project:
Well, Pharrell hit me. He had hit me before the Superbowl, we had performed at the BET awards [in 2014], and after the Superbowl, he hit me up like ‘Yo, what are you doing?’ I was basically in the house cleaning! I had gone back to my normal life. I was in the house vacumming, walking my dogs – after the Superbowl, I’m just acting normal. He said ‘I’m not trying to push you, but people miss you. Do you see what happened out there? Have you seen the charts’? I think I was still in shock. It still hadn’t registered. He was like ‘I want to get in the studio with you.’ Who turns down Pharrell? He flew me to LA and he put me up and we got in the studio and he said ‘Yo! I got this crazy beat’. You know, Pharrell, he’s very zen, very yoga, he’s such a sweetheart. But this time, he was straight from the hood, like ‘Yo, I got this crazy record for you, I already wrote my rap, I gotta get your bars now’. So he played it and once he played it, it was like ‘Oh my goodness’ He said ‘I know you gon’ kill it’. I said, ‘Well, let me take it home and live with it’. When something is so hot, I don’t want to just jump on it right away, I want to take it home and make sure I give it my best shot. He said ‘Listen, just remember who you are. You’ve always been fun and animated and you have always made people want to dance. Look in the mirror so you can know who you are. It’s time. It’s your time.’ That’s how it happened (laughs). Once we did the record, I knew it was time to shoot a video. The puppet idea I had seen somebody do on the street. I held onto that idea for five years because I didn’t have a record that matched that idea. So I showed Pharrell the clip I had, and he said ‘You know you got to do a video for this’. Believe it or not, we have been making this video since March. The puppets themselves took two and a half, to three months to make. It was very detailed, we had people from StarTrak working on this video, so it was a lot.

On the video’s concept:
It started with the puppets. The facepaint came from my make-up artist. The box scene came from Dave and the way that facepaint turns around is another Dave creation. We collectively knew it had to have some kind of iconic outfit. We all came up with the glass outfit, which was the hardest thing to wear because it was really cut up glass so I was bleeding and everything! (laughs) I was so agitated but I had to get it done.

Additionally, Missy talks going through a period in which she lost confidence in herself: “I was doing Missy and also making sure I was giving all of these other artists a different sound too,” she says. “That was hard for me.” And, she also gives her thoughts on the music industry.

More 'Wiz' from Ms. Ross ...


*Right after Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor and other legends finished filming the theatrical version of the Broadway phenomenon The Wiz, released in 1978, Motown Records sent Ross back to the studio to record an album of all of the musical’s songs — including those sung by her cast mates.
The album was to have been called “Diana Ross Sings Songs From The Wiz”, and was scheduled for release in early 1979 as a companion piece to the movie’s Quincy Jones-produced soundtrack album.
The film itself was mired in controversy before filming began, with critics savaging Motown for casting a 33-year-old Ross as the The Wiz’ 24-year-old Dorothy.
The movie was generally panned upon its release, and it under-performed at the box office. Motown subsequently cancelled the release of the companion Ross album.

With the passage of time, annual holiday showings on BET and other networks, and the deaths of most of the principal cast (including Michael Jackson in 2009), the theatrical version of The Wiz is viewed differently today. As NBC readies a December 3 live broadcast of a new production of the musical, Motown Universal has dusted off and remastered Ross’ original 1978 recordings. “Diana Ross Sings Songs From The Wiz” will be released, for the first time, on November 27.
This album is one of the most dynamic of Ross’ 50+ year career.  The new release includes a beautiful booklet with never-before-published photos of Ross, and a new essay written by the reissue’s producers Andrew Skurow, George Solomon, and Harry Weinger.

The original album was produced by Ross herself, veteran Motown executive Suzanne de Passe, and Grammy and Emmy Award-winning producer and arranger Lee Holdridge, who had written the arrangement for her #1 smash “Do You Know Where You’re Going To?”.  Holdridge told me he was surprised to hear that the songs he produced for Ross almost 40 years ago are finally being released.
“I remember doing the tracks for her,” Holdridge recalled by phone. “As was so common at that time, we did rhythm tracks first and then she came in and put her voice down. I had pleasant conversations with her, and she was a joy to work with. But there was some craziness going on between her and the record company, she wasn’t happy about a lot of things, and she was in a terrible mood when we recorded those songs.”
If the Academy Award-nominated Ross was in a snit when she recorded the songs for “Diana Ross Sings Songs From The Wiz”, it’s a testament to her acting ability that you’d never know it by listening to the album. The legend delivers bravura performances of many of the songs that were more restrained on the soundtrack, like “Is This What Feeling Gets?” and “Can I Go On?”, while lending her legendary voice for the first time to songs like “He’s The Wizard” and “Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News.”

On some of the album’s songs, like the Trio Medley including “You Can’t Win”, “Slide Some Oil To Me”, and “I’m A Mean Ol’ Lion”, Ross almost inhabits the characters of the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, respectively.  In other cases, like “Be A Lion” and “Believe In Yourself”, Ross outdoes her own impressive work on the original soundtrack, with the former song featuring a gospel-inspired trio accompaniment as the singer delivers a stunning vocal.  'Please visit the 'Ross' catalog, she doesn't get the credit that her vocals deserve'.KK

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Denzel Washington in Demand

Stature - Actor/Director Denzel Washington is making 60 one of his best years yet.  He reunited with Training Day director Antoine Fuqua to film the Magnificent 7, announced there will be an Equalizer sequel, and he's set to direct the movie version of August Wilson’s Fences (he starred in the Broadway production in 2010!) for Paramount Pictures.  Not to mention he became a meme viral sensation this year as well with those creepy teeth and that mustache he was rocking for a role.


It's about time the Academy Award & Golden Globe winner is recognized even more for his body of work, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association agrees.  At the 73rd annual Golden Globe Awards (airing January 10), Denzel will be honored with the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Award.

HFPA President Lorenzo Soria revealed: “Washington’s long and storied career is earmarked by his countless roles in front and behind the camera.  It is the HFPA’s privilege to honor his contributions to the entertainment industry with the Cecil B. DeMille Award.”

Denzel follows George Clooney in receiving the Award.  Congrats to Denzel!

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

All Hail The QUEEN ...


Ladies First - Queen Latifah at the BIG in 2015 ceremonies, looking chic, fabulous and trim.

Monday, November 16, 2015

48

Lisa 'Denise' Bonet 48

All Eyes on Billy Brown ...


HTGAWM - Annalise can't get enough of Billy Brown's 'Nate Lahey' character.  Brown is an American actor. In 2014, Brown began starring in the Shonda Rhimes drama series, How to Get Away with Murder. He is also known for his roles in the television series Lights Out, Dexter, Sons of Anarchy, and Hostages.
A true Southern Kali native, Brown was born and raised in Inglewood, California.  He is known for his role as detective Mike Anderson on Showtime's Dexter from 2011 to 2012. Previously he starred as boxer Richard "Death Row" Reynolds in the short-lived FX series Lights Out.  In 2012 he landed the recurring role of August Marks in the fifth season of Sons of Anarchy.  He also provides the second voice of Cliffjumper in the animated series Transformers: Prime. In 2013, he portrayed Agent Troy Riley in the first season of The Following.


Brown starred opposite Toni Collette in the CBS drama series Hostages from 2013-14. In 2014, he was cast opposite Viola Davis in ABC drama How to Get Away with Murder, produced by Shonda Rhimes.

Governors Ball


Governors Ball - Gena Rowlands and Spike Lee two of the most overlooked artist in the history of Acting and Filmmaking, finally received their comeuppance, from the Entertainment Industry, for years of passionately pursuing their craft.

Spike Lee lamented the lack of black executives in Hollywood, saying it was “easier to elect an African American President than get a black person appointed studio head.” He noted that census figures predict whites will be a minority  by 2043, so the industry needs to recognize new realities. That is about Pete Hammond badgeas controversial as it got Saturday night at the 7th Annual Governors Awards honoring Lee along with Debbie Reynolds and Gena Rowlands.   


Cate Blanchett gave words of praise to long overdue honoree Gena Rowlands, who should have won an Oscar years ago. I have been lobbying the Academy for years to consider Rowlands for an honor that inevitably would also represent a big hug for the collaboration between her and husband John Cassavetes, the groundbreaking filmmaker who transformed the indie world. There is no question in my mind she was robbed when nominated for 1974’s A Woman Under The Influence.   Rowlands got a rousing and prolonged standing ovation, easily the biggest and most authentic of the night. “You know what is wonderful about being an actress?” she asked the crowd. “You live many lives and we actors have to thank the writers.


Another highlight was seeing Spike Lee receiving his Award from his Industry peers Wesley Snipes, Samuel L. Jackson, Will Smith and Denzel Washington.

Oh Wendy Wendy Wendy ...

Oh Wendy Wendy Wendell Wendy!!! Claiming that Missy Elliot's return to music wasn't monstrous is VERY clear of how OUT of touch you truly are.  

Rapper Scrappy called out Williams ..,

According to HipHollywood.com, the “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” star went on Instagram to air Williams out on what she’s been saying on her talk show and let folks know that while he loves her “cause your black,” he hates how she is out to “destroy her own people.”

“Everybody go check this lady Wendy williams out I just seen her destroy her own people on her show,” Scrappy wrote in a lengthy message on Friday morning (Nov. 13). “She went against Bill Cosby and Phylicia Rashad already and now she just shitted on the black women on married to medicine.”

*Wendy Williams’ commentary on the folks everyone is talking about is not making a fan out of Lil Scrappy.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Affirmation

Dear Heavenly Father ... I give thanks!!

Happy Sunday Everyone ...
GOD Is Able ...

'While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal'.Corinthians 2:18

Friday, November 13, 2015

TGIF

To ask is to seek, and seeking is discovery. #TGIF

Pandemonium - Star Wars


The special double collectors issue features Han Solo, R2D2, CP3o, Rey and Finn. They’re on newsstands Friday so you can cop yours!  According to EW the forthcoming issue covers everything from how George Lucas decide to hand things off to how the artists and Storytellers unleashed their imagination to dream up new locations, creatures and characters! Sounds very exciting! Get your copy while they last!



Thursday, November 12, 2015

Catfight ... Claws Out!!!


Jennifer Lopez, who is currently managed by Benny Medina, is said to have forbidden Benny from working with her rival Mariah Carey..

Page Six is reporting that Jennifer Lopez’s manager Benny Medina, who repped Mariah Carey from 2003 to 2008, wanted back in on the singer’s career, but Lopez wouldn’t allow it.
A source told us there’s a “no Mariah” clause in Lopez’s contract with Medina.
“She had it written in that he can’t manage Mariah,” said the insider.
Lopez has been with Medina since 2008. Dang can't Blance and Sophia co-exist???

Meow!

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Rest In Peace Allen Toussaint

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy-winning musician passes away while on tour in Spain.  Allen Toussaint, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriter, producer, pianist, performer and New Orleans legend, passed away Monday night while on tour in Spain. He was 77. Toussaint suffered a heart attack at his hotel after performing at Madrid's Teatro Lara earlier in the night; after being resuscitated, he suffered a second, fatal heart attack en route to the hospital, the BBC reports.




Covers

Queen Bee Naomi Campbell 
Single Life for Gwen Stefani

Missssssssssssssssssy Returns!!!

Trailblazer Missy Eliott