Random Gripes: Vacation!!!

Vacation time is here once again! Over the past couples days I've been running around getting what I need to ensure that my upcoming summer vacation will be a success. I did some last minute shopping, picked up a book for the ride, and got a lovely blowout as well as a much needed pedicure (which I promptly messed up when I got home and stubbed my toe- classic klutz!) But nothing will dull my excitement at this much needed break. My bags are packed and friends, food, and fun await. All thats left for me to do is enjoy!

*will update when I can*

Music Gripes: BET Awards, Chris Brown, Prince, and Everybody Else

Award shows, and the BET Awards in particular, know that in order to keep viewers coming back you have to give them something to talk about the next day. However, about an hour into the 3-hours long show, I thought that the BET Awards Show had missed the memo this year and was quickly on its way to becoming a snooze fest. Despite leading with heavy hitters like Kanye West, Usher, Alicia Keys, and T.I. the energy level was noticeably low to this blogger. No doubt, Kanye West’s opening of the show with a performance of Power while standing on a mountaintop a la Moses and special effects cranked way up was something magical to watch. But did it blow me away? Not really. Added to this, Usher’s follow-up slow number and Alicia Key’s compilation of her various hits did not impress. The show was going nowhere fast. Thankfully, the performances featured in the second hour kicked things up a notch and reminded me of why I continue to watch the BET Awards Show year after year (especially after the disaster that was last year’s show).

As the host, Queen Latifah gave it a good effort. In her opening, she shouted out popular rappers and other entertainers, performed a rap to the beat of Drake’s Say Something and throughout the rest of the evening, she paraded some of the characters that she played in various movies and series (Hairspray, Set It Off, Just Wright) onstage. She’s certainly not the best host the Show has ever seen but it was a good effort nonetheless. However, the real highlights of the show came via the performances. There were quite a few "good" performances throughout the evening but the ones that stood out for me were the various tributes, the gospel medley (although Kirk Franklin is better at directing than he is at singing), and the Diddy-Dirty Money (why do we keep indulging him with these silly name changes) collaboration with Rick Ross, T.I. and Nicki Minaj. I have to admit that I was a little worried when Queen Latifah first announced him because as we all know, Diddy-whatever is not at his best when he is performing by himself. But then the beat dropped and the energy level skyrocketed and I scaled back on the low expectations that I had fostered since I first heard his name. The man definitely knows how to put the right combination of people together.

Singer Tyrese’s tribute to the late Teddy Pendergrast was nothing to sneeze at either. Crooning to an audience of women waving panties in the air, Tyrese’s smooth moves and rich mellow tones did Teddy proud. He wasn't too hard on the eyes either. And then there was the Prince tribute. The camera continually returned to capture Prince’s reactions throughout performances of some of his hits by Trey Songz who bordered on cheesy, Janelle Monet who is a new hot one to watch, Esperanza Spalding who had a nice fro but was not otherwise memorable, Alicia Keys who scared me for a minute when she climbed on top of the piano with her pregnant belly but who gave a great performance and Ms. Patti LaBelle. Patti Labelle was clearly Prince’s favorite. He did not seem moved or even amused by most of the other performances but when Patti sang Purple Rain, he was on his feet, laughing and clearly enjoying the diva. Apparently, a divo giving a diva her due! I got the sense that Prince would not have made it to the BET Awards Show if he wasn’t the guest of honor. From what I was able to piece together from his short speech, he stayed in his hotel room for much of the show and only arrived just in time for his tribute. And, he didn’t even perform any of his hits. Has Prince really gotten too big for the likes of BET? I think that would be a fair assessment!

At each award show, BET has been known to dig through its closets and drag out entertainers who hadn’t been in the spotlight for years, some of whom (in the months following the show) saw new life breathed into their flat-lining careers. Maxwell was one such entertainer a few years ago although I dare say, his comeback was inevitable. El Debarge was clearly this year’s artist in need of a recharge but was last night also Chris Brown's second chance at redemption? No doubt, CB will be forever associated with the beating that he gave ex-girlfriend Rihanna. We’ve seen his efforts to offer up apologies fall flat and we’ve heard news of declining records sale. We’ve seen spoofs like this one that make it clear that CB was tried and found guilty in the court of public opinions. He was definitely feeling the consequences of his actions, as well he should! But could that all be at an end after last night?

Last year, I was very disappointed in the obviously hasty performances that were meant to honor the King of Pop. This year, Chris Brown did a much better job of honoring Michael Jackson when he sang some of his more memorable hits (The Way You Make Me Feel). However, after a dance sequence, CB became choked up when he attempted to sing the lyrics to Man in the Mirror. Publicity stunt? That’s certainly the sentiment spreading across the net, a sentiment that is supported by the fact that by the end of the show, CB was awarded the Fandemonium award, an award chosen by the fans. What better confirmation does he need that he still has a thriving fan base? Whether it really was a publicity stunt or not CB played it just right. Who can help but soften up at the sight of a man-boy crying and being overcome by his emotions, expressing remorse? And with that single act, he did what his appearance on Larry King Live and numerous tired apologies couldn’t; Chris Brown resurrected his music career! I believed him when, while accepting his award, CB promised his fan that he wouldn't let them down again. I believe that, or rather, I believe that he won’t let himself get caught next time.

Music Gripes: Celebrating the Life of Michael Jackson, On the Anniversary of His Death

On this date one year ago, the world was rocked by the news of the passing of the “King of Pop”. In my post, Death of A Legend, I expressed the shock that I felt when I first heard the news of Michael Jackson’s death. I still feel some of that shock today that this truly international, larger-than-life superstar is no longer around to grace us with one more hit. But when we look at what he’s already given us, it doesn’t seem so sad. I, like all his other fans, will be remembering the life of Michael Jackson through his music and through the tributes that will be held in his memory throughout the weekend. I will be popping in the CD when I get home but you can check out your favorite songs on the Michael Jackson Channel on YouTube. Happy remembrance!

Music Gripes: Introducing Michael Franti & Spearhead

Why haven’t I heard about Micheal Franti & Spearhead until about a week ago? As repetitive as I think Pandora radio is sometimes, they occasionally surprise me and introduce me to artists that I hadn’t heard about before. Such was the case when I first heard Micheal Franti’s Say Hey (I Love You) for the first time. When the tunes first started straining through my earpiece, I remember unlocking my phone so that I could see the info and commit the artist name and song title to memory for future listening. I was instantly captivated and as soon as I could, I took to YouTube in hopes of finding more by this “new artist”. There, I was rewarded in the form of another great song, Nobody Right Nobody Wrong and still I want to hear more. But why haven’t I heard about him before now? He’s fresh, interesting, soulful and more, basically everything that translates into good music. And, he’s been making those soulful tunes for about twenty years! From the way that Micheal explains it in a Billboard interview, he and his band adopted a grassroot approach where they took to the streets and brought their music directly to the people. And slowly but surely, the word is spreading one person at a time. I, for one, am happy that it’s finally reached me (consider this post as my effort to pass it on) and for the first time in a long time, I am contemplating buying CDs again.

Random Gripes: All I Can Say is 'Wow'

In a story reported in today's Wall Street Journal a deceased heiress, Gail Posner, left only $1 million of her entire estate to her only son. The staff made out much better, culling a total of $26 million among them while the dogs received $3 million for their care and the rights to remain in the home. What's wrong with this picture? It says a lot about her son that he got the worst end of the bargain. Although, I can't really see $1 million that you didn't have before as a bad bargain. In any case, as with every situation where the children of the rich don't make out like they thought they would, this is one for the courts to figure out.

Travel Gripes: Snapshots of Madrid, Toledo & La Alberca, Spain

What can I tell you about Spain? For someone who is as private as I am, it is sometimes difficult to determine how much to share. Would I be divulging too much if I mentioned names and showed faces? On the other hand, would I be doing it a disservice if I glossed over some of the details that made my visit so special, only sharing tidbits that my filter deems okay? I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle and it was with this slight reservation and this openness to experiencing something new that I jetted off to Spain. By no means did I see all that Spain has to offer. A fraction of a fraction maybe— enough to whet my appetite and leave me wanting more. But not enough to quench my thirst. I’m fully aware that there is a great big world out there and that I have a serious case of wanderlust to see as much of it as possible. That’s not exactly accurate. I don’t just want to see it, I want to experience it to the fullest extent. I want to breathe in culture and hold it inside me. I do not want to play tourist! One of the reasons why I enjoyed my time in Spain so much is because I got to eschew being a tourist for most of the time that I was there and just experience it. Through the program that I was apart of and through the people I met, I came away with more than a superficial view of a great country.

La Alberca










Though the time was short and although opportunities to travel through Spain were not plentiful (because of my work schedule), I saw just enough of Spain to know that I want more! First, La Alberca is not a place that I would have chosen to spend an entire week of my time, had I planned this trip completely on my own. The best way that I can describe it is as a well-preserved medieval village. From the villa where I was staying, the town center is a leisurely 20-minutes walk. I have always been a little geographically-challenged but even so, it’s almost impossible to get lost in La Alberca. It’s that small! I will say though, if you’re not careful when taking the back route through the dirt and the bushes, you could find yourself lost in the woods. And when taking the main road, being vigilant of oncoming traffic is a must. I didn’t see too many guardrails in La Alberca but I guess that goes along with preserving the town in its historical state. Although I’ve sworn that I could never live in a small town again, I did not mind being a 4-hours drive away from the closest major city. The mountain views, stretches of green, soft breezes, I was feeling it all. I felt at peace in La Alberca. And I had a great time connecting with wonderful people. So I enjoyed it.

Toledo










One of the perks of making new friends in La Alberca, is that I had a wonderful tour guide in M.I. when I made a day trip out to visit her hometown. Once the capital of Spain, Toledo (Toh-lay-doh, not to be confused with Toledo, Ohio) is another well-preserved town but if I didn’t have M.I. to show me around, I would have gotten lost a few times. Every turn produced streets that were narrower than the ones before and from what M.I. said, there’s one particular street where you could stretch out both arms and touch the other side. I don’t think I saw that street but if I did, I wouldn’t remember. After a while, the narrow streets started to blend together in my tired mind and I could not have gotten back to my starting point to save my life. But I really enjoyed learning about Toledo’s colorful history, seeing the chains that are all that’s left of those persecuted during the Spanish Inquisition, and meandering into a few of the numerous once-churches/mosques/synagogues that are now museums and bars. And the views- standing at a point where you could see the beautifully crafted buildings, some of which seems to have been built on top of each other. In a word, spectacular! But I was yearning to get back to Madrid…

Madrid










The word that immediately comes to mind when I think of Madrid is energy. It pulsed everywhere- in the building walls, on the beautifully cobbled streets, and in the air. On many occasions, it simply took my stepping outdoors into the beautiful weather for me to truly feel awake and energized. I love that feeling. I had become embroiled in the Spanish culture during my visits to La Alberca and Toledo and although I was only able to spend a few days in Madrid, there was much that I wanted to see and do. Tourist-y things. Unfortunately, I was thwarted at many turns. A visit to Prado Museum was on my must-see list but because of the way the schedule worked out I had to settle for the Reina Sofia instead. There, I saw some really weird art and was forced to contemplate this idea of what art really is. What are the criteria? Who set them? I’m not sure if I would refer to a series of tubes meant to depict the circulation system or an empty room with polka dots pasted to the wall as art. But there they were in the Reina Sofia nonetheless. The Palacio Real (Royal Palace) was another place that I anticipated seeing but upon arriving there on the scheduled day, I saw that it was closed for “official ceremonies.” I did not get to tour the royal rooms or sit on any of the thrones but I did console myself with a walkthrough of the courtyards.

Visits to Parque del Retiro, El Rastro for bargain shopping, and a Thai restaurant (Bangkok Thai) with an ideal view for people-watching were activities on my list that I did manage to complete, but only just (I did not spend nearly enough time just soaking up the sun because with so much to do in so little time I was always on the go). There was a lot of landscape to cover in a short time so I was only able to view small areas of the park on two different occasions. Similarly, El Rastro spread so far down the street that in my effort to visit as many booths as possible I only had time to take a cursory look at the goods before I had to catch the bus to Toledo. Nonetheless, I did not leave empty handy and I was glad that I got to experience it at all.

By far, some of the best parts of my time in Madrid were the evenings that I spent socializing and just being with some of the people I met in La Alberca. It was with them that I enjoyed an elegant dinner at Ginger and a more casual but tastier meal (including specially prepared ham) at Corea Restaurant, saw a bad movie (Time Travelers Wife) with Spanish subtitles, had wine and croquettes at the San Miguel Market, and visited a smoky disco (Torero). I was ambivalent about this last activity because although I danced, drank, and had an overall good time in good company, I wasn’t too pleased when I caught the distinct scent of the smoke that clung to my clothes and to my hair when we finally decided to leave in the wee hours of the morning (Spain has yet to ban smoking indoors so be prepared to leave any place smelling like a cigarette.) Still, I wouldn’t trade any of these experiences and I look forward to experiencing even more when I return in the near future.














Takeaways:

• A little Spanish goes a long! The owner of the hostel where I stayed did not speak any English and there were a couple occasions where our limited knowledge of each other’s languages led to miscommunication. Thankfully I was able to grasp on to words that I recognized and make sense of what I was hearing before I was kicked out of my room a day earlier than anticipated.
• Experience cannot be rushed! When traveling, don’t over-plan. Leave plenty of time to just be.

Sports Gripes: Kobe’s One-Man Show Falls Short

I’ve been peeking in periodically to see what’s going on with the biggest things going on in sports lately- the NBA Finals and FIFA World Cup. Over the weekend, I watched as Germany destroyed Australia with four goals to nil and as the U.S. and England scored one goal each. The soccer matches have been much more exciting to watch than I had anticipated and watching them on Univision has provided additional opportunities for me to learn some Spanish. There are words that I hear every couple minutes and I can now add “pelota” and “sigue” to my ever-expanding vocabulary. Now, I am naturally rooting for the home team and would love it if the U.S. actually had a chance at winning but I am not particularly concerned about the outcome of the matches. I am however very much concerned about the outcome of the showdown between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

I’ve always thought of Kobe Bryant as a selfish player but even I had to feel bad for him that his teammates practically left him out on the court by himself during game 6 on Sunday night. And if he got angry with them about it, he’s justifiable. The Lakers’ game was nonexistent! I’m no fan of Kobe and the Lakers but there was a time when I would have cheered for them over all except the home teams. Back when Shaquille O’neal was still there. When Shaq moved to the Miami Heats so did my cheers. I no longer have any reason to cheer for the Lakers and I’ve taken great pleasure in the beatings that the Celtics have laid on them over the last two games. Although things started off a little rocky when they lost the first game of the series, I was confident that the street-tough team that I had first come to admire when Kevin Garnett (arguably one of the best players in the league) made the move (finally) from the sorry Timberwolves a few years ago, would gain their footing and rally back to victory. Whatever Boston had to trade to get Garnett was worth it because they’re doing just that! Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and other supporting cast are great players but I truly believe that Garnett is the difference-maker. With two games left in the series and only one needed to win it all, I’ll be tuning in to see the Celtics clinch the title in L.A. and send Kobe crying and cursing for the last time this season.

Music Gripes: Drake Fesses Up, Rihanna Played Him!

G. gave me the heads-up about an article that’s supposed to be coming out in the N.Y. Times on Sunday. Supposedly, in the article, rapper Drake admits that he had a fling with Rihanna and goes into some details about the singer’s treatment of him. According to the news circulating the Internet including on this site, Drake says that Rihanna used him as a “pawn” and strung him along. Just like’s he’s done with many women. It may be little of me to admit this but it’s always good to hear when guys get a taste of their own medicine.

The fact that the industry-proclaimed ‘second coming of hip hop’ got his heart broken is not newsworthy to me but it got me wondering about how many celebrity relationships are really built on love and mutual attraction and how many are generated in some publicity machine. Obviously, since a lot of these people are in the same industry they are bound to see a lot of each other. It’s not farfetched to believe that they would form mutual attractions and develop true feelings. In fact, there are many celebrity couple who seem to be blissfully happy together (whether they really are is another story). But you have to wonder about some couples. Are they together because of something real or because of what the other person can do for their career?

We can look at Rihanna’s situation and see why being paired with Drake would be a good look for her. I mean, he’s garnered a lot of publicity surrounding his music even before he put out his first album! I’ve heard of other artists who’ve made a name for themselves from mixtapes but none of them were the answer to the claim “hip hop is dead”. Not before Drake. Or so they say. I’ve heard the singles that Drake released and they’re okay but I don’t really know what all the hype surrounding him is about. Who really knows? I just know that if it’s true that Rihanna really did give him a taste of what he’s been dishing out, she did womankind a good turn.

TV Round-Up: “Glee”, “Huge”, "Drop Dead Diva"

Glee's season finale aired last night and I have to say, I loved every minute of it. I loved every performance and was particularly touched by the last two songs from students to teacher and the one from Shuester to his students (I particularly like this version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Israel "IZ" KamakawiwoÊ»ole ever since I first heard it during an episode of Cold Case). Undoubtably, this season has had it's ups (Idina Menzel) and downs and I haven’t always been pleased with the song choices or the cast’s rendition of them (ex. “One” - hated it!) But last night I was not at all disappointed. I’m a child of the 80s so having the New Directions group perform a Journey mash-up was the way to go to hook me. Frankly, pretty much any pop/rock/easy listening songs that came out in the late 70s through the 80s is A-okay with me. But Journey is definitely one of my favorites. I didn’t mind the set performed by Vocal Adrenaline either (I can see how they could have won). And although I didn’t like Jesse’s voice too much the first time that I heard him sing, I ‘m taking a second look after last night. Santana is another one who has been steadily growing on me. To me, Rachel’s voice tends to get whiny at times and Mercedes is the diva with the big voice but characters like Santana, Puck, and Tina continue to draw me in with their rich unique sounds. I really liked that everyone got a chance to showcase their voices in the finale and I look forward to seeing what's in store for next season.

While watching Glee, I happened to look up long enough between commercials to notice that ABC Family is premiering a new show, Huge. Gee, I wonder what this one is all about? And who else but Nikki Blonsky would star in it. I seem to recall a lifetime movie that was based on a similar premise-accepting yourself for who you are beneath the surface and so on -and you know who was the star there as well. But I’m not complaining. I happen to like these type of shows, where you know that everything will be okay in the end, and I actually think that Nikki is a good choice to play the lead. Will it be a good show? I don’t know but I’m hoping.

I haven’t gotten around to watching the complete premiere episode of Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva as yet but what I saw during the first ten minutes is causing me to pause. Seriously! An impromptu song-and-dance number featuring Paula Abdul? Is that how they really want to start the season off? I’ve heard Jane sing in past episodes and why not, old girl has a good voice. But seeing it in this episode, the whole dream sequence in the food court strikes me as just a tad…cheesy. Here’s hoping the rest of the episode is better than the first ten minutes.

Between Sleep and Social Life

I’m exhausted! I haven’t had good, quality sleep in at least two weeks. Between entertaining visitors and actually having an active social life, sleep is starting to seem more like a novelty than a necessity. I can’t remember the last time that I slept for more than a few hours at a time, even when I had the time to sleep. This would be okay if I were still fully functional without it. But no, I’m sluggish and it takes twice the effort to perform tasks that I mindlessly complete on a regular basis. But I don’t mind sacrificing a few hours of sleep if I have a good reason and lately, I’ve had some pretty good ones.

First, homegrown friends are always good company but having friends from out of town visit is one of the best reasons for hitting the town. Every night was a late night. And, with events like film festivals, cooking competitions, food tasting and wine consuming, it’s understandable why I would forgo a few hours of sleep. Just the other day I saw an indie film titled The Prospects at the Brooklyn International Film Festival and I highly recommend it. So funny! I was also hoping to see Cost of A Soul but alas, SOLD OUT! From the trailer I can tell that I would have enjoyed it. In fact, I don’t think I have ever been disappointed by any of the indie films that I’ve seen in the past. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I knew absolutely nothing about the film and so went in not knowing what to expect, only hoping for the best. Or it could be that only the best indie films are weeded out from among numerous other submissions before being presented to a wider audience. Unlike the drivel that the Hollywood machine churns out! Whatever it is, I’m all for the independent films that show that quality work is thus in spite of the budget, not because of it.

Interesting Lyrics: Lyfe Jennings' "Statistics"

I was going to let this song speak for itself but I feel that it is appropriate to share a brief exchange that I had about it:

G: I'm tired of men giving advice to women. Basically they are saying, we will take advantage of you if you let us. How about men use some discretion and don't take advantage?

Me: Interesting idea. However, we are responsible for our own actions. We cannot dictate what anyone else does. As nice as it would be for men to actually be nice guys who do the right thing, we have to do our part to not have the bad things done to us, even if we do mess up from time to time.

The Alicia Keys Situation: My Two Cents

Ok, so I’m super late to the party. But that’s never stopped me from putting in my two cents. G. just happened to mention that Alicia Keys was pregnant which led to a discussion about the ex- Mrs. Swizz Beatz and the open letter to A. Keys that she posted on twitter. Apparently, this was posted about two years ago and I somehow missed it. First, I must make it clear that I don’t condone anyone who enters into a relationship with someone else who they know to be married, celebrity or not. I do not abide cheating on the part of any of the parties involved. Still, I took issue with some of what Mashonda had to say.

First, this “open letter” is not something that I nor anyone else needed to see. I don’t know why she thought that A. Key’s tweets had anything to do with her but since she did and it’s out there, I also take issue with that fact that she seems to make this an issue solely between herself and A. Keys. Where is Swizz Beatz’ responsibility in all this? He was the one who made vows to Mashonda but yet, all of her ire is directed to the so-called other woman. As women, we sometimes seem to think that it’s the other woman who should bear the brunt of our pain and while I feel that they do have some responsibility, the man who committed themselves to us has even more so. Unless some woman drugged him, tied him down and raped him, any man can open his mouth and tell a trifling woman to back up off of him.

I also take issue with the fact that Mashonda seems to think that she and A. Keys need to get along in order for Swizz to be involved in his son’s life. In a perfect world, that would be peachy but I just don't think that she should make that a condition for them to be able to raise their son together. She has no right and who really knows if A. Keys will still be in his life 5 years from now anyway? If things do not work out, someone else will take her place. If Swizz is good to his son, he has a right to be in his life. It has nothing to do with anyone else, not A. Keys or anyone else who might take her place.

I get that in light of her personal situation the types of songs that Alicia Keys sing about seem to paint her a as hypocrite. But apparently, I have a much easier time of separating the artist from the person. Earlier this year, I went to see A. Keys in concert and thoroughly enjoyed myself. And yes, I admit to being titilated when Swizz made a brief appearance on stage. What can I say? I centainly didn't spend the three hours being mad at A. Keys for whatever's going on in her personal life. But I have friends who said that they no longer like Alicia Keys' music because she is a trifling broad. Hmm, I can’t remember what they said about R. Kelly and his penchant for peeing on teenage girls. We have this tendency to put celebrities on a pedestal and when they dare to fall, we give it to them hard! And maybe, rightly so. We like to think that they maintain their celebrity status because of us, the fans, and that we have rights to that image. I don’t think it’s worth arguing that point but I will say that we have no rights to the person underneath it all. At the end of the day, we answer only to ourselves and to God.