DIVAS BLACK AND WHITE - PUN INTENDED

DIVALICIOUS!!!

True Divas in action
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Diva Duet - Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle turn out Carnegie Hall.
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The Legendary Original Diva - Miss Marian Anderson - her Ave Maria brings me to tears.
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My all time favorite - the incomparable Ms. Leontyne Price. Sheer perfection in her farewell Aida performance at the MET. When mother hit that final note, the hairs were standing on my arms. Also, one of the most gorgeous faces ever!!!

LAUGH RIOT

One of my favorites:

Now I love me some Sheryl Underwood, but her political views are rather questionable at times. But all in all, this country chick is a real hoot!

A ROLLING STONE GATHERS NO MOSS

...and Papa was moss free.

PAPA WAS A ROLLING STONE stands as one of my favorite songs of ALL times. This is one of the coolest, funkiest, most down and dirty tunes ever. That mean base, those rich strings, the lush and varied mix of voices, vocal perfection and the amazingly sad but true to life lyrics all add up to PURE SOUL GENIUS. This song goes down as a pure classic along side songs by James Brown, Aretha, Prince and The Isley Brothers. Not to diminish their talent, but those brothers were wearing the hell out of those tuxedo jumpsuits!!! Nothing like polyester double knit 2 sizes small!!! Don Cornelius had the afro of all life and those SOUL TRAIN dancers were pure fire. THE SOOUUULLLLL TRAIN was the go-to place for the best in soul and R&B, and this classic clip is no exception:

WORDS OF WISDOM

Today's words of wisdom come from the incomparable, the indelible, the soulful, THE MIGHTY O'JAYS. Sometimes we have people in our lives who you think you know, you think you trust and who you think want happiness for you as you do them. But sometimes, unfortunately, your feelings are dashed. There are people out there who are so wrapped up in their own misery, suffering, pain, insecurities and unhappiness that they cannot see the forest for the trees. Those negative attributes sometime cloud the fact that you really love them and want the best for them. That is so sad. There is an old saying that 'Misery loves company', and no matter how cliche' you think it is, it is true. Insecurity and self doubt in my opinion are the root of most angst in the world - it breeds jealousy, envy, hatred, indifference, sabotage, rumors, etc. The reality is that these types take something that is completely internal and personal and visit it on those around them. They can have people around them who honestly love, respect and admire them, but that insecurity blinds them to their blessings. In announcing my good fortune of a new fab job (and I am by no means a braggart), I have had people who were suspect show their truest colors. But I just say 'God bless you and I pray you find true happiness and peace'. I know that is very Iyanla Vanzant, but it is very true. They WILL NOT draw me into their web of negativity. I will remain positive and triumphant and focus my energy on the many people who love, support and wish me the best. So, thank you to the O'Jays for their warning against these types of folks. They can be living next door, working in the cubicle across from you, sleeping in your bed or saying Hallelujah! next to you at church. Look out for THE BACK STABBERS.

(What they do)
(They smile in your face)
All the time they want to take your place
The back stabbers (back stabbers)....
........low down, dirty....
......Smiling faces tell lies (back stabbers)
They smile in your face...I don't need low down dirty bastards.



Y'all betta preach!!!!!!!!

UMA OVAH

I have always loved Ms. Uma Thurman. She is that singular actress that combines other-worldly beauty with an amazing, statuesque physique and a to-hell-with-anyone-who-doesn't-get-me attitude. She has generally done a great job of balancing commercial fare with art house flicks as to stay relevant on both sides (Dangerous Liaisons and the Kill Bill series are some of my faves). She is kinda like Angelina Jolie, but less kooky (and I say that with all due respect because I LOVE Ms. Jolie). And on top of all of that, she is a real ACTRESS - talented, versatile and real, not a wanna-be.

Some of you may not realize, but Uma was once a top model in the mid 80s. She was so amazing editorially because of her unique face, her ability to move and her ability to act and emote. Plus, that face was and still is sitting in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. See Uma then and now:

Uma circa 1985 Italian Vogue - serving face and a fierce bob as a teenager in buffalo check and lacquered high water trousers.
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Uma now - one of the great natural beauties of our times. Here she is working natural waves, piercing eyes and asymmetric lemon chiffon.
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BARACK THAT THANG UP

OK, just so you know, Barack is The Man to me. I just love his straightforward way, sense of reality, compassion, consistency on the issues, his being removed from the political status quo and the sprinkles on the icing of the cake is that he is super cute.

I just love this cute clip from the Ellen Show. Ellen just happens to be one of my favorite dancers. Given 30 more seconds, he was really gonna break it on down!

VIDEO THROWBACK - CENTIPEDE

Now, baby, you know.............this video is classic 1980's trashiness: that side-swept hairdo, bad special effects, that snake that looks like she got it from Woolworth's, that low-heeled pump, Solid Gold choreography and that hateful sequin-taffeta prom dress number mama is wearing.....you know I LIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is what I mean when I refer to 'good trashiness'. It is funny to look back and see that Rebbie actually was a pretty girl - kinda like the pretty girl in your church choir. The bottom line is that the song and music were so fierce to me as a kid and I still love it!

Rebbie Jackson - CENTIPEDE

DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO????

SO CLOSE, BUT YET SO FAR

I am absolutely in love with the HSBC ad campaign which illustrates how similar, dissimilar and ironic definitions can be for things that are so similar and so different - it's all in the eye of the beholder. So, taking a cue from them, here is my version:

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HAIR DO

HAIR DON'T
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NARCOTIC

THERAPEUTIC
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SEXY

REVOLTING
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RICH

POOR
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RACIALLY GROUNDBREAKING

STEREOTYPICALLY COONISH
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LEADER

PUPPET
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Are they both, neither or a little bit of both? You be the judge.

I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!!!!!!

THE CUPID SHUFFLE is getting a lot of airplay on 107.3 Jamz out of South Carolina. This is one of the few stations that I can listen to abroad because of licensing issues. I love this station because it transports me back to the down-home, full of love feeling that I get when I visit my BELOVED extended family in SC.

The song was originally released in January, but of course, being out in the boondocks, I am just now getting it. This song is soooooo much fun and just makes you want to dance. The sound is so cool mixing southern, old school and black college vibes with a fun dance that is sort of the new electric or cha-cha slide. What I love too is that this is hip-hop purely for having fun - kinda like when I was a kid and we listened to The Fat Boys and Run DMC. It was about partying, dancing and having a good time. I just love it.......



Now go on, admit it, don't you just want to move, shimmy and shake a tail feather listening to this?

SLICE OF PIE - B. SCOTT

I am introducing my weekly 'SLICE OF PIE' this week. These are the people that inspire me, entertain me, get me thinking, keep me laughing and/or challenge me to keep progressing. My first entry is none other than the incomparable B. Scott! B. is the personality extraordinaire that is the face, voice and soul of one of my favorite websites, Love B. Scott.

B. is the purveyor of all things fabulously Hollywood. He is fiercely funny, fiercely gorgeous, fiercely witted and just plain ole' fierce. I first learned of him through his hilarious video diary series on Youtube where he lets us into his home, his head and his heart while dishing about his crazy neighbors, his career, his love life and all the juiciest Hollywood gossip. He is the recipient of the 2007 Award for Best Video Blog from The Black Weblog Awards and has amassed a faithful audience that just can't get enough of his double kisses.

One of the things that I admire so much about this man is that he is a complete original and completely comfortable in his own skin. I love his absolute fearlessness and bravado and hope it takes him where he dreams of going. I can so easily see B. as a big media star, with his own TV show, columns and innumerable guest spots.

B. reminds me of a nice slice of Key Lime pie - sweet with a surprising ZING! Go ahead, have a slice...

Serving face, hair and school boy chic.
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Channeling Warhol.
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Get ready, because next week I am serving Deep Fried pie.......................

THE CRUSH

As most gay people will attest, I too grew up having purely natural crushes like everyone else - it just so happened that my crushes were generally on men. Seeing that I was such a TV fanatic (a quality inherited from my mama), my crushes were usually on the TV stars from my favorite TV shows. The crushes that stand out the most in my memory are of the following:

One of my first big crushes was on Dwayne Nelson (played by Haywood Nelson), one of the main characters from one of my all-time favorite TV shows, WHAT'S HAPPENING!. That big, goofy smile, those dimples and the way he filled out those bell bottomed jeans was just too much for me!

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OK, I loved me some Lee Majors, star of another favorite show, THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN. Steve Austin was just so handsome and macho - really the epitome of 'good-looking' in the 70's (well, he and Billy Dee). I also lived for CHARLIE'S ANGELS, one of the most glamorous TV shows ever (Kelly was my favorite - just divine). But when I learned he was married to Farrah Fawcett, I actually felt jealous at age 6!!!

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One of my biggest and longest lasting crushes was on James Evans, Sr., the father from one of the most influential shows of my life, GOOD TIMES. John Amos, on GOOD TIMES and ROOTS, represented the epitome of black manhood to me as a child. His strong Afro features, strapping body, winning smile, those tight, tan corduroys and his paternal strength had me absolutely smitten.

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But, alas, my all-time huge crush was on a woman! Lynda Carter single handedly shaped one of my biggest tastes in beauty - the sexy, raven-haired, ultra-curvy, super vixen with strength to save the world. When WONDER WOMAN came on TV, I was beyond transfixed. That spin and star burst transformation still sends chills down my spine! But what would send me careening over the edge was when she spun into her motorcycle, scuba or skateboard outfit - somebody fan me, please!!!!!!

The show was originally set in the 1940's, but because of high costs of a period production, they updated it to the 1970's. Well hot damn, because when they did that, Ms. Carter was regularly laid up in Diane von Furstenberg and Halston while toting around Vuitton bags. This was one of the influences that set me on my current career path. It is one of the reasons that the 70's play such an important part in my own creative aesthetic - Diana Prince could wear the hell out of a 3-piece, flare legged suit! So, I salute Ms. Lynda Carter as one of the biggest influences on my early life as a little fat, black, gay kid who loved fashion, glamour, buxom women and super heroes.

This sexually suggestive commercial is still stunning as ever. This woman had face and body to stop traffic.

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Pure pop culture genius!!!!!

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MUSIC TO MY EARS

While growing up as a child and teenager in Detroit in the 70s and 80s, there were two constant musical influences in my life: church/gospel music and THE SCENE. I grew up COGIC, Church of God in Christ. More commonly known as 'sanctified' or 'holiness' churches, COGIC churches are the ones where people speak in tongues, shout, dance and accept healing through touch. COGIC churches are famous for their singing style and for their style of dress. I commonly went to church 2 or 3 times per week - prayer service, choir rehearsal, youth group, Sunday school, Sunday service, etc. This was my first introduction to fashion, showmanship and glamour.

Beaded suits, hats that could cause an eclipse, big hair, lace-trimmed hankies, fierce pumps and beat faces with tons of lashes are de rigueur for the ladies while the gents prefer alligator shoes ('gators'), brightly colored suits, sharp hats, top coats, canes, pristine grooming and Cadillacs. This is not about being a wallflower, this is about conspicuous consumption as a testimony of God's blessings.

As far as music goes, NO ONE sings like COGIC singers. The power, emotion, grit, range and the patented 'vocal runs' ( melisma - a way of extending, changing and intensifying notes for maximum impact - think Patti Labelle) are unparalleled. This type of singing truly speaks to my soul and has influenced my musical tastes thus far (Patti, Aretha, Chaka, etc.). No one epitomizes the Detroit gospel style of singing and dressing more than my favorite gospel singer, Detroit native, Karen Clark Sheard. She is the youngest sister from the world famous group, The Clark Sisters. This is why I love her:



THE SCENE was a local dance TV show. It was Detroit's answer to Soul Train and American Bandstand. It featured teen and young adult Detroiters wearing the latest fashions and dancing to cutting edge soul, house, rap and techno music. My friends and I raced home everyday to catch THE SCENE at 6pm. The featured dancers became local celebrities in their own right. They influenced dance styles (many nationally famous dances started on this show), fashion, hairstyles and popular sayings. THE SCENE was a bit of a guilty pleasure that many did not like to admit to watching, but EVERYONE did! Funny enough, my Pastor's son was a dancer on the show until he became an ordained minister himself. The ties that bind us.



I love that these 2 influences are so specific to Detroit. It is so amazing to think how such seemingly disparate things can influence one person so much. The participants of each venue probably thought that they were in worlds apart, but if you look closely, there were too many similarities to count.