Beautifully Black

Tennis

CHAMPION! 🏆

7th seed fiesty Dominika Cibulkova wins the biggest title of her career at BNP Paribas WTA Finals Singapore beating World No.1 Angelique Kerber 6-3 6-4!

Let's Vote

Rock The Vote - Silence Is NOT an Option.  #TeamHillaryClinton #Blacks #Latinos #Muslims #Females #StrongerTogether #LetsGoVOTE #ForwardThinkingInsividuals #NonRacists #America

Affirmation

Happy Sunday ...

TRUSTING, KNOWING, UNDERSTANDING ...

ALL things Work together ...

The Lord  is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them.  Psalms 145:18-19

TGIF

To Understand comes from experience, Growth is from example, Forgiveness derives from compassion, Love is Organic. #TGIF

Art

Mr Knighton 

Only In

Stealing from The Building Fund - SMDH

These stories you just can't make up, On the next episode of American Greed, Terry Wayne Millender, senior pastor of Victorious Life Church in Alexandria, Va., and his wife were indicted by a grand jury on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money-laundering conspiracy. The pastor, his wife and their friend are all being accused of defrauding their congregation out of more than $1 million, Fox5DC reports.

According to the report, charges for Terry, 52, his wife Brenda Millender, 56, and Grenetta Wells, who is affiliated with the church, were unsealed Monday after Wells was arrested, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Charges stem from a company the trio operated called Micro-Enterprise Management Group (MEMG), which allegedly helped poor people in developing countries through the provision of small, short-term loans to start or build up existing businesses by working with a network of established microfinance groups, per Fox5DC. The company was a scam which they used to convince congregations to invest.

Authorities say that the trio underlined their business’ Christian mission and promised guaranteed rates of return. Some investors gave sums ranging from $40,000 to $400,000. However, instead of using the money for its intended mission, the Millenders and Wells invested in risky trading on the foreign-exchange market and funded the Millenders lavish lifestyle. When parishioners began to question when they would get their money back, the defendants blamed delays on the 2008 financial crisis, authorities say.

“It didn’t really come as a shock—it was more of a sigh of relief,” Eric Brown, a former church member told Fox5DC. According to the news station, Brown’s family was one of those who invested in the alleged fraud scheme, although they are not a part of the federal case.

“I asked him like, ‘Hey, that’s a nice car,’” Brown told the station regarding one conversation he said he had with Terry Millender. “He said, ‘Yeah, $100,000 car. If you save up your money, God’s going to bless you.’ Come to find out now, it was actually part of our money.”

Terry and Grenetta were held without bond until another hearing set for Wednesday. Brenda Millender was released after the initial hearing. Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, if convicted.

Golden Girls

Golden Beauties  - Nichelle Nichols and Nancy Wilson two gorgeous trailblazing beauties, who have collectively amassed over 100 years in show-business.  These two powerhouses had Televisions shows on in the 60's when Most African Americans, weren't allowed to do so.  Back then our Black culture, were referred to as 'Negroes' or 'Colored' or worse.  Imagine the testimony of these two women .... STILL STANDING, STILL RISING, STILL TRUE - TRIUMPHANTLY!!

Strength

Facts

Breezy

Truth

They're Playing Basketball

Let's Go 

Happy Bday

Happy Birthday Katy

Happy 31

Cici Baby

Heavenly Cosby

Cosby Ladies - The Cosby Show was 'comfort food' for MILLIONS.  That fact will never change.  Thursday nights on NBC,  the world tuned in to see what Claire, Rudy, Vanessa, Olivia, Denise, Sondra, Theo and Cliff were up to.  #StillAFan

Soulful Kings

Soulful Christmas Kings ...

Almost Christmas

30

Happy Birthday

Affirmation

Happy Sunday ...

GOD. I am a Sinner, who needs a Savior ...

Please Bless and Forgive me ...

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Let love Rule

Lenny Kravitz revealed a lot about his parents’ marriage in an interview with The Telegraph. For those who didn’t know, his mother is the late actress, Roxie Roker, best known for her role as “Helen Willis” on “The Jeffersons” and his father, Sy Kravitz, was a TV executive for NBC back in the day. Lenny detailed what it was like watching his Mom deal with his Pops’ cheating ways when she was at the height of her career on “The Jeffersons”…and let’s just say that Roxie was no “Helen” and Sy was no “Tom” in real life…

Lenny describes the incidents that oftentimes went down when his Pops got caught with his hands in another cookie jar so to speak. And sometimes Lenny was smack dab in the middle of it ...

Turns out our beloved Roxie Roker had some gangsta chick in her, bless her soul. In other words, she didn't just sit around and quietly accept her man's cheating ways, she confronted him and his mistresses (yes, mistresses as in many) head on. This was all while we were watching her on "The Jeffersons":

"When he was 20, Kravitz became aware of some of his father’s secret lives and alerted his mother. "I brought it into the light," he says. "It was quite intense and heartbreaking. But she knew about things all my life that I didn’t know about. She would tell me stories about having me in her arms – it reminds me of the scene in Goodfellas – and she’d go to another woman’s apartment and ring the bell: “Tell him he has to come down. Stuff like that." Soon afterwards, his parents split up.  

Lenny Kravitz also revealed how he believed his Dad was a tad bit jealous of his and Roxie's success. Although he had success of his own:

"His wife and son ended up being that thing that he wanted to be. I could understand what it was with other women, because he felt he needed to be The Man. Although he already was the man, and my mother treated him as the man. But in a superficial world, she was the star, and he was not." 

'My dad was a sergeant, a Green Beret – the most hardcore, above the Marines. He was a very hard man.’ He fought in Korea, as did his younger brother, Leonard. Sy came home alive. Leonard did not. 'He got blamed for that. His parents. Just the fact that his little brother followed him to war.’ That blame hadn’t eased by the time Sy married Lenny’s mother – 'there wasn’t a white person at the wedding,’ Kravitz says. 'And I had a great relationship with my Jewish relatives, and I knew nothing of this until I got older.’

BUT THEN LENNY EXPLAINS WHAT HAPPENED WHEN HIS DAD WAS ON HIS DEATHBED

Lenny had long been trying to get his Father to explain to him why he constantly cheated on his Mother and Sy would always brush him off. Even when Roxie forced Sy to explain to a then young Lenny why he cheated by asking him, "What do you have to say to your son?," Lenny said his Dad just looked at him and said "You'll do it too" then walked out of their house. He was broken up.

But it wasn't until after many years passed, Roxie sadly died, many platinum record sales and millions of dollars earned by Lenny, that Sy lay on his deathbed and had both a terrifying vision and a revelation:

"I had turned my apartment into a hospital, basically. I had the nurse living there… My mother taught me to respect my father and to love and take care of him, regardless of what he’d done. She’d always quote the Bible: it says, 'Honor thy mother and thy father.' And it doesn’t say 'unless…,' 'except…,' or 'if….' That’s what it says and that’s what your job is to do. And I had a hard time with it, but I did it."

 [...] "He was in his bed one night and he looked at me, and he wasn’t on drugs, and he said to me, 'There are these things flying around my bed, and these things crawling on the floor.' I said, 'What are you talking about?' This is from my dad. He doesn’t do with any kind of spiritual thing. No heebie-jeebie kind of thing. And he’s, 'There’s black-winged things and they’re flying around my bed… the things that are crawling on the ground, they look like they’re rats and they’re not… I see them.' I didn’t quite know how to take it. And he then began having this revelation and he accepted Christ – this is a non-religious Jewish man – and somehow the spirit world opened up to him. Almost like he had spiritually been bound his whole life and now this thing was released."

After this spiritual experience,"He apologized to us in the most sincere, heartfelt manner. 'I am sorry for what I’ve done, how I’ve been, how I’ve treated you, and I love you.' Real. And it was shocking… And what he said to me is that he always wanted to change his life, and he felt there was this thing on his back and he couldn’t get it off. His whole life, he knew inside himself that he wanted to change. But, he said, "I couldn’t.'?"

"As he got closer to his death, another night in the hospital, he was really tired and he looked over at me and he goes, 'There’s angels all around the room. Because of Jesus.' And that was it. He turned and looked away. If you knew my dad – it was the furthest thing from him.[...] The last three weeks of his life was the best relationship I had with him. And it cancelled out the 40 years before," [said Lenny.]

Standing with Cosby

Double Standards - Popular vote wants to crucify Cosby, while Jackass Trump actions, are just 'questionable' not condemned.  The clutterphuck even has a chance of becoming our next President.

Family Love

Thoughts

TGIF

Find happiness, in the Difficult times.  True soldiers will stand with you. #TGIF

BEAUTIFUL People and CULTURE

Happy Birthday Mr. Rock and Roll

90 - Happy Birthday Chuck Berry thanks for providing us with magic.  You ARE Rock N Roll, long before 'they' studied your every move.  Innovators are special gifts, that inspire greatness in others.

Chuck Berry was born on October 18, 1926 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA as Charles Edward Anderson Berry. He married Themetta "Toddy" Suggs on October 28, 1948. They have four children.

Happy Sunday

Happy Glorious Sunday ...

Thankful and Grateful ...

GOD Please Cleanse and Renew Me ...

'Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good' Romans 12:9

TGIF

Desire and Value aren't the same.  Know the difference.  #TGIF

RIP Tommy Ford

Standing TALL ...

True Conviction - HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW??? First Amendment rights to free speech, recently was challenged, when SF star STOOD HIS GROUND!!! The 'gray' world that derives of Bigots went Ape Shit ...  BUT guess what??? He’s back! 49ers Colin Kaepernick is arguably one of the most controversial players in the NFL right now due to his silent protest against social injustice and police brutality. He launched said silent protest by kneeling during the National Anthem during the pre-season (with several other NFLers and athletes joining the movement). Since the regular season, he has yet to hit the field as the starting quarterback (he did start in previous years), until now.

The activist will be suiting up for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills after the 49ers’ four game losing streak, replacing starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

This news comes on the heels of reports that Colin is re-negotiating his contract with the 49ers.

According to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, “49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick agreed to restructure his contract last week. The change would make it easier for him to play going forward this season. The deal is not yet finalized, but it would void the final four years of his contract and get rid of any injury guarantees for the team. This would allow Kaepernick to be a free agent in 2017.”

Poor Billy Bush ...

Fizzle, Crash and Burn - Who once appeared to be a FAST BURNER ... is mere ashes in a ashtray.  I don't agree with NBC's decision, over the "Today Show" co-anchor Billy Bush who is negotiating his exit from NBC News, four days after his fortunes at the network were destroyed by the revelation of his vulgar hot-mic conversation with Donald Trump in 2005.

NBC News sources acknowledged Tuesday that talks were underway for Bush to leave the network. A source close to Bush said negotiations to settle his contract were ongoing, but not expected to be completed until later this week, given that Wednesday is the Yom Kippur holiday. The decision for Bush to leave marks a lightning-speed downfall for an anchor who was seen as being groomed for a bigger role on “Today” down the road.

Dre Sit Down

Say What - Dr. Dre please leave it alone before EVERYTHING gets exposed about you.  Michel'le went easy on you.  With less than five days before the premiere of Michel’le’s LIFETIME biopic, her ex Dr. Dre is issuing threats to keep the movie from seeing the light of day.

Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le is the TV film that will take viewers inside the life of R&B singer/former reality star Michel’le. She has always been vocal about her ex/son’s father Dr. Dre being abusive towards her in the past. And the movie will share all the grimy details. In the movie, Dre is a monster, punching Michel’le in the face and even pulling a gun out on her.

But, Dre isn’t having it. Dre’s legal team fired off a cease and desist letter to Sony demanding they pull the film. And if they decide to show it anyway, Dre is taking them to court.  And we all know he will follow through on that ish.

In the letter, Dre reportedly DENIES ever abusing Michel’le when they dated 30 years ago. He said she never hinted at abuse or violent behavior from him, she never sought medical attention from the abuse and she never filed a police report. So basically, he’s saying it her word against his.

Last year, after much backlash for how Straight Outta Compton left out Dre's reported abusive behavior, he issued an apology to "all the women he hurt."

Dre’s legal team also issued a warning to Michel’le as well.  But we doubt the singer is scared.  She did an interview on "Wendy Williams" not too long ago and she said if Dre were to try to sue her, she would welcome it. She said depositions would have to be made (by her, him and friends) and that’s when the truth would come out.

This could get ugly. Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le will premiere Saturday, October 15th at 8pm EST on LIFETIME so SET YOUR DVR's!!

Jackie

Less than a month after Fox Searchlight secured domestic distribution rights following the movie’s Toronto Film Festival debut, the studio releases the first teaser. Based on the footage, the 35-year-old Black Swan actress absolutely mesmerizes as former First Lady, Jackie Kennedy. Is Portman’s second Oscar statue in her near future? She’s definitely courting Oscar glory with this meaty role.

Jackie is a searing and intimate portrait of one of the most important and tragic moments in American history, seen through the eyes of the iconic First Lady, then Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Jackie places us in her world during the days immediately following her husband’s assassination. Known for her extraordinary dignity and poise, here we see a psychological portrait of the First Lady as she struggles to maintain her husband’s legacy and the world of “Camelot” that they created and loved so well.

The film also stars Greta Gerwig as Nancy Tuckerman, Peter Sarsgaard as Bobby Kennedy, Max Casella as Jack Valenti, John Carroll Lynch as Lyndon B. Johnson, Billy Crudup as a journalist, and John Hurt as a priest. Jackie hits theaters on December 2. Check out the teaser trailer below.

Affirmation

Happy Sunday ...

I'm Praising this Day and His Name ...

'In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you' John 14:2

TGIF

Dark days are important, and ever changing, which helps to see the 'light', that gets you to those brighter days!!! #TGIF

Rest

'Always and Forever' each moment with You, We're riding on the 'Grooveline Tonight, Life ain't so bad at all if you live it 'Off The Wall', Just 'Give Me The Night' the masterful mind of Rod Temperton is now writing for the Heavens. Rest In Peace.

Rodney Lynn "Rod" Temperton  was born 9 October 1947.  He was an English songwriter, record producer, and musician from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England. He initially made his mark as the keyboardist and main songwriter for the R&B funk/disco band Heatwave before writing several internationally known songs performed by Michael Jackson, including mega-hit "Thriller" as well as "Off the Wall", "Rock with You," and numerous others.  His death from cancer was reported by his publisher on 5 October 2016.  He was 66.

Temperton, died last week at the age of 66 in London following a brief aggressive battle with cancer," Warner/Chappell CEO Jon Platt wrote in a statement (via BBC News).

"His funeral was private," Platt added. "He was often referred to as 'The Invisible Man.' He was the sole writer of multiple successful songs such as 'Thriller,' 'Off The Wall,' 'Rock With You,' [George Benson's] 'Give Me The Night,' [Michael McDonald's] 'Sweet Freedom,' [Heatwave's] 'Always & Forever' and 'Boogie Nights' to name just a few. His family is devastated and request total privacy at this, the saddest of sad times."

Before linking up with the King of Pop, Temperton first served as keyboardist and primary songwriter for the disco-funk outfit Heatwave, including that group's smash singles "Boogie Nights" and "Always and Forever." After two albums as a performer with Heatwave – 1976's Too Hot to Handle and 1978's Central Heating – Temperton segued into a full-time songwriter role.

In 1979, Quincy Jones sought out Temperton as the producer began work on what would become Michael Jackson's first solo album in four years, Off the Wall. For the LP, Temperton contributed three tracks: "Off the Wall," "Rock With You" and the closer "Burn This Disco Out", which was in my opinion the ultimate BANGER!!

Three years later, Jones and Temperton would reconnect for Jackson's Thriller, with the songwriter concocting both the album title and its world-changing title track.

"Originally, when I did my demo, I called it 'Starlight,' Quincy said to me, 'Well, you came up with the title of the last album, see what you can do for this album.' I said, 'Great,'" Temperton said of "Thriller" in a BBC Radio 2 interview. "I went back to the hotel, I wrote two or three hundred titles for this song. Then I came up with the title 'Midnight,' [Jones] said that's a little bit more mystery, more where you should be heading … The next morning I woke up and I just said this word.

"Something in my head just said 'This is the title.' You could visualize it on top of the Billboard charts. You could see the merchandizing of this one word; it jumped off the page at you. So I knew I had to write it as 'Thriller,' and I wrote all the words very quickly, then went to the studio and we did it."

Thoughts

So when I first heard that Kanye's wife the PORN star was held at gun point, I IMMEDIATELY wondered how much money, did they pay for this drastic, desperate publicity, then the next second.  I didn't care, one way or the other, and quickly moved on with my day, so many MUCH more important things,  to consume my mind with.  #BYEFELECIAS 

Affirmation

Happy Sunday 

Walking By Faith and Not by Sight ...

Loving, Trusting and Knowing GOD ...