I AIN'T ONE TO GOSSIP...

Classic Ms. Benita Butrell from IN LIVING COLOR

DREAM ON

Now I try not to use this site as my own soapbox to espouse my political views, but hey, sometimes a boy's gotta do what a boy's gotta do. Who would think that the US OPEN Tennis tournament would give me the opportunity to exercise a little political punditry?

I will preface this by saying that I sincerely love and respect Venus Williams. Serena is my all time favorite, but Venus is my sentimental favorite. She is the person that drew me to the sport initially over ten years ago. There is something about her grace, her elegance, her sometimes shy and reserved demeanor and how those traits are contrasted by her sheer power, ferocity and force on the court that make me love her. But yesterday, in an interview on the historic day that Barack Obama accepted his nomination as the Democratic Presidential Candidate and on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's historic march on Washington and his iconic I HAVE A DREAM speech, Venus said the following:

“I didn’t know that was the date (of King’s speech), I am so focused on trying to win my match and obviously coming down from (the Olympics in) Beijing. It’s been a whirlwind, so I’ve been just pretty much focused on tennis.”

Now I believe in being focused on one's work, but come on now....really. I pray that she is not in such a bubble that she could let this historic moment pass her by. Funny enough, James Blake and gymnast Shawn Johnson were also at the Olympics - Shawn went on to lead the pledge of allegiance on the day of Obama's acceptance speech. Now granted, she didn't have a competition that day, but at least she knew what the biggest headline in America was on that day.

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Conversely, the gorgeous, handsome and gluteus-ly blessed James Blake said the following:

“I am proud. I am very proud of Barack Obama. I believe in him and I believe he will do good things for this county. I hope the country gives him that opportunity.”
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Ironically (and sadly enough), Venus (as did Serena and James) played said match on the court named after the great tennis pioneer and civil rights activist, Mr. Arthur Ashe. What Mr. Ashe and Dr. King did allowed Ms. Williams to have the opportunities and freedoms that she enjoys today. What Mr. Obama will do will be in that great tradition. I hope she at least finds the clips on YOUTUBE.

POSTCARDS ON THE EDGE

Lovely Black and white postcards that I picked up in Amsterdam, Athens and NYC. I love composition, shape, attitude, gorgeous clothes, movement....it doesn't get much better than Miyake, Naomi in Alaia and Versace, Herb Ritts, Princess Mounia in YSL (of course), Dovima and Wally in Jacques Fath (peep the Fath hat - maybe a little SITC wedding inspiration?)....postcards are little tiny works of art that convey and share so much emotion in a little tiny package.

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Shirley MacLaine giving a gutsy performance in POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE. I love a tough broad!!!

THE BEAUTY OF THE OLYMPICS

I absolutely LOVED the OLYMPICS! I am a huge track and tennis fan so I have been living my life for the past 2 weeks. The opening ceremonies have been highly lauded for their ingenuity, artistic flair and showmanship. But let me get one thing straight, the true beauty of the games was in lycra. Where else can you sit 24/7 for 2 weeks and watch some of the most beautiful people on earth in skimpy, tight clothes? Here is just a lil' taste:

Tirunesh Dibaba - The Baby Face Destroyer

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Wang Jinping - Chinese beauty
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Angelo Taylor - track's very own Rockstar
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David Neville - sleek like a greyhound
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Tariku (1657) and Kenenisa (1662) Bekele - good looks run in the family (pun intended)

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Monique Henderson (USA) gives face and attitude on the track

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Nelson Evora - Portuguese Love

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Irving Saladino - adorable Panamanian
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Sanya Richards - Jamaican-born American bombshell

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Sergey Makarov - salt and pepper stunner
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Shawn Crawford - bone structure and brawn
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Shelley Ann Fraser - adorable new Jamaican star
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Christian Cantwell - the bear
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Trey Hardee - movie star good looks
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Bryan Clay - the modern All-American boy next door
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LaShawn Merritt - black beauty
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Usain Bolt - goofy good looks
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Asbel Kiprop - the darker the berry....
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Asafa Powell & Michael Frater - to be a fly on that wall...
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Bernard Lagat - what a striking face
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Roman Sebrle - Czech Mate

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THE KEEPER OF THE RAINBOW

We all know that Patti Labelle is THE VOICE. That title has been bestowed upon Mariah, Whitney, among others. BUT, NO ONE can come for Miss Patti and her vocals. She was never the recipient of the wealth and the fame of some of her contemporaries, or most of those who came after her, but this is a woman who can take a song, make it her own, and then hold an indefinite lease on said song for decades.

OVER THE RAINBOW is a classic American song made famous by the iconic, legendary Judy Garland. This song is in many ways the embodiment of the American dream and Judy made that dream come to life with her sheer vocal perfection and infusion of controlled emotion. But then came Patti. What Patti added was blazing, raw, unbridled soul and passion. There is a part of each of us that wants to scream, wail, flap our arms and go flying across the stage, unleashing all the pain, hope, frustration and dreams that we keep bottled up all too often. When I see her perform this song, I truly get a glimpse of the rainbow.

This is sheer perfection - the wedged natural bob tucked back on one side, the red lacquer nails, high gloss maroon lips, the oil based 80's shiny makeup, the Bob Mackie/Tony Chase-esque dolman sleeved, dropped waist gown - and that performance. Patti takes you to Oz, Harlem, church, therapy and heaven, all in less than five minutes.

DARK INSPIRATION

Kevin Aviance - Din Da Da. The video for this classic house/voguing song takes directly from Grace Jones/Jean Paul Goude with it's surreal imagery, oversize props, colors and multiplied images of the star. If you are going to be inspired, then be inspired by the best! Unfortunately, Kevin's video quality pales in comparison to the pure genius of the song.

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Grace Jones - Slave To The Rhythm. This is absolutely beautiful, artful and thoughtful video making. Mr. Goude's questionable use of negative black stereotypes (golliwogs, pickaninnies, overly sexualized black body parts, blacks-as-savages, etc.) has been extremely questionable, but I do consider it amazing art - visually, emotionally, audibly and mentally stimulating.

SHORT ORDER

Daisy Dukes, short shorts, booty shorts, cut-offs - they have many names, but they all add up to mile long legs. My 70's and 80's childhood was so shaped by pop culture, and these are some of the original influences of my long time love affair with hot pants.


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Catherine Bach as Daisy Duke was the quintessential Hot Pants Hot Mama.
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I loved this commercial in all it's many incarnations over the years. Just sassy!
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The hottest pants - hot panties! Very 80's, very Whitesnake, very trailer park. She won't be able to fit much into her pockets!!!
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Hot pants maestro, the late, great James Brown.