What if we ALL had AIDS?

Once in a while, an advertising campaign comes along that even ‘The Re-Edit’ has to praise for its ingenuity and authenticity. I first saw the engaging campaign posters for “WE ALL HAVE AIDS” plastered on subway stations and then went to the website (http://www.weallhaveaids.com/) to read up on it. The “WE ALL HAVE AIDS” mission communicates one thing: if one of us (in the world) has AIDS, then we ALL do. I commend this message because it has done what none that came before has done; it has actively attacked the STIGMA of being HIV/AIDS- infected and put it in the first person. It shifts the mental paradigm.

Firstly, it flies in the face of conventional wisdom concerning HIV/AIDS prevention/treatment. In the recent past, other campaigns have tried to remove the stigma of HIV/AIDS by showing the “cross section” of people whom the plague has affected; actual HIV victims. While this was brave and innovative, there was still a disconnect. People were able to look into the faces of these people fighting for their lives and know that this disease was real and tangent. However, there was still an “us and them” component to it that made it easy for people that weren’t actually affected by the disease in their daily lives to separate themselves from the atrocity. It allowed the viewer to empathize with those affected, but the urgency to step up and do something -other than perhaps contribute a few dollars to an AIDS charity like AMFAR- was missing. However, giving to a cause simply as a knee-jerk reaction to people dying doesn’t change the “those poor people” mindset. It still allows you to separate YOURSELF from the problem. “She has AIDS and I’m doing something to help HER” is different from saying “I have AIDS and I’m doing something to further the search for a cure for ME”. This campaign takes the “us and them” premise and goes after the “them” component, taking it out of the equation and declaring that the sole community affected by AIDS is “US”. While only some people belong to the “them” demographic, we all belong to the “us” demographic. This shift in mindset is genius and absolutely essential if we are to mount an effective battle against the worst healthcare crisis the world has faced in recent history.

It also negates the idea that the solution is simply to throw money at the disease (which is not necessarily a bad thing. If Reagan had “thrown money” at the disease at its inception, we would probably be 10 years ahead in the search for a cure. But anyway…). There is a listing of all the charitable organizations that you can contribute time and energy to that subscribe to the message of the campaign- everyone from nelsonmandela.org to rosiesbroadwaykids.org and youthaids.org. You can find out how these organizations enact different strategies and touch different demographics in the fight against AIDS. However, the genius in this campaign lies in the T-shirts designed to extricate the stigma that is attached to each HIV/AIDS victim. They enable the wearer to make a simple statement- We ALL have AIDS if even ONE of us has AIDS. There is also another, bolder t-shirt simply proclaiming I HAVE AIDS. The shirts, available at Barney’s, Fred Segal, Theory, Scoop, Louis of Boston and Kenneth Cole New York stores, cost $35- all of which goes directly to the WE ALL HAVE AIDS foundation to further HIV/AIDS education and eradication.

Keeping the AIDS pandemic in the "mental first person" keeps the battle fresh - especially with the rash of other tragedies that perhaps have taken the spotlight off of the fight. When asked does he think that in the United States HIV/AIDS has lost its position as a much-talked-about issue in mainstream America, campaign creator/designer/activist Kenneth Cole responded “Unfortunately, it has because we as a people, I guess, respond more easily to acute disasters than to chronic ones. We deal with them comfortably, be they tsunamis, be they hurricanes or wars of questionable relevance. But we have a hard time dealing with something that isn't packaged comfortably and isn't easily fixed. Especially if we don't find ourselves to be at risk”

How absolutely, unapologetically prolific!

"Third Girl From the Left"

Third Girl From the Left- Martha Southgate


What of dreams deferred? Langston posed this question to us a couple of decades ago. What happens to a dream deferred? I’ll tell you what happens to it- it keeps on living, the chances of it being realized becoming less and less likely with every passing day. And in between those days, life continues. Coming from someone who “SHOULD HAVE BEEN” one of the dancers in the Michael Jackson ‘Remember the Time’ video (looong story!), I understand somewhat the tragedy of the deferment of dreams. As you become less attached to the idea of achieving your vision or fully realizing your talent, you become more distracted by the insidious 525,600 minutes that become a year which, if you’re not careful, becomes a decade. The only redeeming factor would be if that decade bought forth SOMETHING that made the deferment of that dream all worthwhile. While “Third Girl From The Left” starts out as just your requisite “black lit” love story, its theme speaks more to dreams and aspirations- the yearning, the energy it brings into your life, the internal pride and passion that continually fuels you, the internal sadness that comes when you realize that perhaps what you THOUGHT would be your destiny is really going to be something else, the re-definition of what becomes important to you after the ‘death’ of your dream, and a new paradigm of what your life-your dream- will be going forward.

Side plotlines of experimental lesbianism, conformity, mother-daughter relationships, racial strife, family heritage and love in all its forms become woven into the tapestry of this earthen tale of three generations of women in one family in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Southgate infuses camp, humor and self-referential parody while giving us a glimpse into the examination of each woman’s dreams and the realization/and or deferment of such. It makes a statement on the power of the movies to change a life (the title comes from daughter Angela’s “cameo” appearance in a Pam Grier blaxploitation movie as ‘Third Girl From the Left’), to renew familial pride (leading granddaughter Tamara to pursue a career in filmmaking and create a loving documentary), and to soothe psychological scars (patriarch Mildred escaped the painful remnants of the Tulsa race riots with weekly trips to the town’s movie house). Southgate offers one of the most interesting fusions of history and fiction I’ve read. She shows a reverence for the acting/moviemaking crafts and the passion that those who pursue them possess while simultaneously challenging the reader to further reach for his own dreams.

Open Mike- "Yelling at God"

For years I’ve been quietly weeping
I’ve been hoping against the obvious
Praying against the inevitable
Shaking my head at the ugliness we do, the unconscionable

I’ve been praying for my people
And crossing my fingers for things to turn out right
I’ve been quietly singing hymns and psalms and Old Negro Spirituals
And putting my heart and soul into every syllable

I’ve put on a happy face and smiled through the pain
And tried to realize that for every 3 sunny days
There has to be at least one day of rain

And I’ve done what I was supposed to do
And gave what was expected of me to give
And learned what was necessary
And listened to how a Christian is supposed to live

But through all of this giving and singing and praying and being and hoping…

I’ve tried my best to stifle this voice
That wailed at the idea of men damaging little boys
I’ve stroked it softly when it cried from its gut
When it heard about little girls in Thailand getting fucked
I’ve tried to reason with it when it couldn’t gage
How wonderfully creative people in the first world could still die of AIDS

How we could allow the savagery of clitoral circumcision
And be satisfied with international cultural tunnel-vision
How it's ok that people who sleep with their own sex have provisions
In our laws designed to keep them second-class citizens
How those poor souls were never served anything uglier and meaner
Than a ball of hell packaged with the beautiful name Katrina
How we don’t question what’s REALLY the matter
When given the choice of ‘Vote or DIE’- and we choose the latter

And so sometimes I find myself laying on my back staring at the ceiling
YELLING AT GOD!!!

Screaming like I have a right to question Him
Not in decibels full of contempt without fear of retribution
But in a blind, awkward and earnest attempt to obtain a viable resolution

Because MY God couldn’t be watching all of this go on and do NOTHING…

So my faith is being tested at a time when it could be stronger
‘Cause my patience is growing shorter and my emotions longer
And there’s only so much giving and singing and praying and being and hoping that I have left
Before I have to personally address these injustices and get something off my chest

And who knows what would happen then…

In the meantime, I’ll continue to try to lower this voice that speaks volumes of despair
And hope that sometime soon my God will take over and get us away from there…

Questions for the Zeitgeist- December 2005

1- Is anyone REALLY surprised that Sheryl Swoopes is gay? I hate to generalize, but a female WNBA player coming out is about as shocking as celebrity hairstylist Jose Eber taking off that beaded cowboy hat and proclaiming HIS homosexuality...

2- I’m all for equal access to fashion- you know, “fashion for the people”- but where is it going to end? First Told Oldham defected, giving rise to Isaac Mizrahi for Target, Karl Lagerfeld/Stella McCartney for H&M, and now…Fiorucci for Target!!! Yes, perennial Italian fashion powerhouse Fiorucci (as in ‘Sister Sledge’s “He’s the Greatest Dancer”---Halston…Gucci…Fiorucci!!!) has partnered with erstwhile up-and-coming fashion merchandiser Target to bring back- among other things- their signature “cherub” imprint and skinny jeans! Now, don’t get me wrong---its GREAT to see the cherubs again after all this time (and the fashion fag in me wants to cop the Fiorucci “hot lips” T-shirt

and pair it with some Evisu denim and rare Nike patent leather Uptowns), but all of this high/low-fashion collaboration begs the question---what’s next- Diane Von Furstenberg for Wal-Mart? Wrap dresses for EVERYONE!! (affecting my best Oprah imitation- “and YOU get a wrap dress, and YOU get a wrap dress, and YOU and YOU and YOU…!!!). Ironically, Von Furstenberg has already stepped outside of the apparel mart and (in cahoots with VOGUE) into the telecom business. Her new “couture-tech” line, which includes the DVF Mobile (a gussied-up Samsung SPH-A680 cameraphone)
and an accessory called the CityBand makes carrying the essentials (cellphone included) easier. Now if only Dirk Bikkenbergs would hook up with Century 21…but I digress…

3- Didn’t Charlize Theron adapt the Halle Berry School of Drama script hook, line, and sinker- by following up a fantastic Oscar win with a STUPID super(s)hero flop? Will Felicity Huffman do the same once she wins the Oscar for “TransAmerica”?

4- Now that they’ve finally ADMITTED that they have split (of course, The NY Post’s Cindi Adams scooped this MONTHS ago), can we finally admit that we never really cared about Nick and Jessica anyway?

5- With all of his drug struggles, his debilitating fight with Multiple Sclerosis AND his triple by-pass surgery, didn’t Richard Pryor’s death come as more of a relief than a tragedy? He was THE King of Comedy, hands down…


6- After all of this time and given all of the controversy surrounding Darwin (whom the American Museum of Natural History has just recently bestowed a rather extensive exhibit), isn’t it time for people to just pick what side of the fence they’re on (creationism versus evolution), stop arguing and just leave it at that?

7- Along the same "Get over it" lines... With all of this back and forth over whether to bid your fellow man "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"- in the spirit of political correctness, why don't we just wish everyone a "Happy and Merry ChristmaHanuKwanzaakah" and call it a day?

8- Would Anthony Hamilton (whose new CD "Ain't Nobody Worryin", drops December 13th) be getting the props he deserves if he were, shall we say, more conventionally attractive?

9- With Cillian Murphy (“Breakfast on Pluto”), Felicity Huffman (“TransAmerica”), Eric McCormack (“Will and Grace”), Heath Ledger/ Jake Gyllenhaal (“Brokeback Mountain”), riding really high right now, how are Hollywood actors WHO ARE ACTUALLY GAY putting food on the table?

10- Even with the campaign to convince the producers otherwise, wasn’t Jennifer Hudson ALWAYS the best choice to play Effie in the film adaptation of

???

11- With a drug overdose inside and with over 2,000 people clamoring to get in the already crowded 3,000 person capacity space ON ITS OPENING NIGHT, is new uber-club PACHA (Ricardo Urgell’s first North-American addition to his 25 nightclub empire) poised to become the new Studio 54? Underage celebrities in various states of consciousness and sobriety, dancers gyrating in glass-enclosed showers overlooking the dance floor and cocktail waitresses sporting nothing but body paint…Sounds like a SCENE!! Now all the crazies from Suede (which is closing in January) and transplants from Aer will have someplace else to go… Get some at http://www.pachanyc.com/

Shoulda Woulda Coulda been America's Next Top Model...

Short and to the point...

Who SHOULD have won the competition (but who was unceremoniously and surprisingly DUMPED this week) ? Lisa!!! Out of all the girls, she showed the most model potential (flawless pictures, an understanding of the camera, complete synthesis with her body, ability to speak without sounding like a complete idiot, etc.). In addition, she actually had a PERSONALITY, which all of the remaining girls- with maybe the exception of Bre- lack. (Personality, or fearless nonchalance fueled by an alcohol addiction? Hmmmm....whatever, I DIG this chick!). I don't care about any of these girls anymore, and I probably won't be rushing home in the wee hours of Thursday morning to rewind the taped episode. Who am I kidding, of course I'll still watch- I'm addicted!!! I DO think Tyra Inc. fucked up by voting her off.

Who, in my estimation, is the most irritating?


I really thought I would give this to Jayla, the trashy cupie doll with the stripper's body (and walk). Then Nicole started in, and completely surpassed Miss "I only know how to give one blank stare" Jayla. In Bizarro world, Nicole would be the evil opposite of Nicole Kidman (hmmmm, didn't think about the name coincidence until now). However, whereas Nikki Kidman has a certain charm and elegance to go along with that milky white skin and stepchild red mane, 'babymodel' Nicole does nothing but extend those pouty lips, furrow those brows and whine. She takes DECENT pictures, but nothing that warrants booking a client from a go-see. I want her gone, NOW!!!

When all is said and done, who do I think is going to win (now that Lisa is no longer a threat)?

I saw this way back when, on week 2, when she delivered this knockout punch to the rest of the contestants...

THAT is a model!!!!! Although she is a little DRY in the personality department, what really matters is what u can deliver on celluloid. I mean, Naomi Campbell is no showstopper in the conversation department either, but you can't argue with the product she turns out. So, Nik is MY prediction for America's Next Top Model, Cycle 5.

digressing, digressing...

Questions for the Zeitgeist- November 19, 2005

1- What the HELL happened to Amerie? I had such high hopes for “Touch” , her second CD (her first CD, "All I Have", is an R&B ingénue CLASSIC as far as I’m concerned). “1 Thing” turned out to be just that. When an artist’s SECOND video (“Touch”) is even hotter than the first one, and it STILL doesn’t get play on the whole BET/MTV/VH-1 public-relations bullshit circuit, we have to question- who is making the decisions for this artist? BTW- for those that loved her first CD, there is a remix to “Why Don’t We Fall In Love?” on her second CD that is SICK!!! Get some...


2- Why hasn’t the world caught up to Octavius Terry? That boy has a voice AND something to say (www.octaviusterry.com). I ain’t mad at him at all. He has the vocal prowess equivalent (superior!) to any of the current John Legends/Anthony Hamiltons, et. al and the soul and raw guitar of India.Irie. I personally think he sings his ass off on "Miss Discontent"- a song every NON-hip-hop station should be playing. On top of that, when is the last time you heard a singer pen a song to his FATHER?!? Hello, J Records...




3- From Red Carpets to movie premieres and other prime photo opportunities---why do we only see Kimora Lee Simmons wearing Baby Phat clothing/accessories IN THE ADS? I mean, Baby Phat makes bags- why won’t she put down the Vuitton at least ONCE in a while? Kimora, your "baby daddy" is NEVER seen without rocking at least ONE piece of Phat Farm. If the DESIGNER for Baby Phat doesn’t believe in her own clothes enough to rock them, why should anybody else? UPDATE: Mrs. Simmons receives the ‘V-Style’ award for her Baby Phat line- AND DOESN’T WEAR BABY PHAT TO ACCEPT THE AWARD!!! She had enough time to dye her hair that RIDICULOUS shade of blonde, but not enough time to look through the Baby Phat collection for something to wear. Boy, I tell ya…






4- Didn’t Mariah Carey up her musical AND fashionista game with her“The Emancipation of Mimi” CD? After YEARS of bastardizing/raping old R&B standards, she’s back to ACTUALLY SINGING- and doing ORIGINAL material. Who knew? I’m back on the Mariah bandwagon. 4 million copies sold in the states and 6 million worldwide- and that’s BEFORE the "Ultra-Platinum" re-release.














HOWEVER….She looked like a complete WHORE at the Vibe awards.




C’mon Mimi, just when I was thinking you had learned from past mistakes…













5- Move over, Katie Couric. Isn’t CNN’s Nancy Grace the most irritating white woman on television? I don’t know what’s more insufferable- her drone, nasal voice or that ridiculous “1998 PRE- Jennifer Aniston Friends-like” combover/under/around that her hairstylist (who MUST hate her) insists on giving her.

6- Where the hell did Mehcad Brooks come from, and why is everyone on his dick?

7- Now that Robert Blake has been acquitted of his wife’s murder in the criminal trial and found 'liable' for said death in the civil trial, does that mean that white people finally have their O.J.? Its always amazing to me that someone could be set free when the criteria for guilt has to be “beyond a reasonable doubt”, yet be held responsible for the same death when all the prosecutor needs is a “preponderance of the evidence”…

8- Isn’t ABC’s ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ (Sundays, 10 PM EST) some of the most REFRESHING television drama to come along since, oh I don’t know, ‘ER’? The cast is smart, the storylines engaging, and the writing superb. Y’all better get some, don’t say I didn’t tell u about it back in the day…

9- Where is Lil Kim’s second single from “Naked Truth”? I mean, I wrote her off a long time ago, but she definitely did her thing-the CD is BANGIN’, so shouldn’t Atlantic/Queen Bee just say “eeeny meeeny miney moe” and just release SOMETHING to radio? Give that chick her platinum plaque!!!

10- Ok, I said I wasn’t going to comment on this, because EVERYBODY had something to say about it…BUT--- If someone walks up to you looking like THIS…wouldn’t you just ASSUME he was gay?

Moreover, if someone approached you in Jamaica looking like THIS…

wouldn’t you think she was CRAZY? (Shouts to Rod 2.0 for the HILARIOUS Terry montage!!!)

But I digress…

Is Gay Sex "Dead"?

www.sexinthe70s.com

At the beginning of “Gay Sex In The 70’s”, artist and activist Barton Benes is sifting through pictures of some of the men he’s “come across” during his sexual awakening in the 70s. He has chosen to immortalize these images by affixing them to jagged pieces of hardened clay and keeping them on his coffee table. One of the interesting things is that the pile is quite high- filled with “cowboys”, “leathermen”, “trade” and other staples of the gay community that any fan of the Village People would be completely familiar with. This is his segue into the tawdry tale that is his experience as a gay man in the city that never sleeps during one of the most turbulent and storied periods in gay history- and he is not alone or unique. Cart out the procession of older gay men with their own versions detailing the freedom of being “happy, carefree, and gay” during a period about which they wax poetic with so much zeal that is almost seems made up. However, we are presented with irrefutable evidence that is most certainly is NOT made up. What is so titillating about this- and one of the reasons the film succeeds- is the cross-section of subjects that the documentary puts in front of the camera; from pioneers of the ACT UP movement and The Gay Men’s Health Crisis to Larry Kramer (author of “Faggot”) and Mel Cheren (founder of West End Records, whose recordings were a large soundtrack of the PHENOMENON of Larry Levan and The Paradise Garage).

“Gay Sex in the 70s” is chock-full of stories (and imagery) of the “libertine” period of homosexuality- and examines the rise of the “sex without guilt or consequences” dogma that many a present-day fag longs to return to. It is Gay Camelot- the time immediately following the riots of Stonewall (which mentally “freed” gays as a whole) and right before the discovery of “GRID” (which would be renamed AIDS once the bigoted medical community realized this new disease affected more than just gays). This period is brought to life by Benes and other “survivors” of this era. All of which is book-ended by historical references, stock film of “Vintage Gay NYC” (the mere mention - never mind the footage-of The Paradise Garage made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end), and thoughtfully-edited images of gay sex (dare I say classic porn?) that illustrate the bacchanalian revelry known as “gay sex” back then.

The film eases into the subject of STDs that became commonplace as a result of this “lifestyle” (is that where this expression comes from?), and tales of taking penicillin before a night of “partying” and such (one person’s re-telling of having gonorrhea of the throat was particularly NOT SEXY) lead us to the END of the fantasy. Benes talks about the “pervert” that asked him to wear a condom during sex. People start questioning whether they are destroying themselves literally with all the preoccupation with sex. It is then that AIDS rears its ugly head and, as one of the subjects put it, was “out the door before we could catch it”. Cue moral: gay sex in the 70s was GREAT, but would be greater if there were more of us around that could talk about it. Remember the irrefutable evidence that these tales were definitely NOT made up? Well, here goes. All of the men whose faces don the artistic clay chips on Benes’ coffee table- every last one of them- is now DEAD (it is inferred as a result of AIDS). Moreover, the stilts that held up the abandoned factories down at the pier (where footage showed men having anonymous sex by the hundreds) are now just a collection of thick wood pieces just barely visible above the water- a grim allegory for the hundreds of thousands of gay men that are no longer “above ground”.

The “RE-EDIT”…
Ok, the first thing that was interesting about this movie was that the vast majority of the audience attending the screening could have been in the movie. For the most part I was surrounded by older white homos out on the town with their lovers or ‘dates’. These were the people who nodded in agreement or who let out knowing laughs at points during the film that showed sex behind or in trucks parked down at the piers, orgy-parties on Fire Island, or taking a line of coke at Studio 54. No judgment- this just wasn’t MY experience (for the record, I wasn’t even OLD enough to be having sex during the 70’s!!!). . I knew that going into the theatre. I did, however, feel excluded from the discussion (as most black gay men can attest to when entrenched in conventionally “white gay” situations). I mean, black gay men DEFINITELY had sex in the 70’s, did we not? Maybe someone will make a documentary about THAT (hmmmm)

Another thing that was interesting was the arc of the film, and how it mimics the “gay” experience of the 70’s through present day. At the beginning “we” are titillated with erotic images of man-sex and Dionysian orgies. We are regaled with “I remember this one time…” stories that are fantastic in every sense of the word. We are shown how sex and sexual freedom changed our own perception of our homosexuality; it went from something to be ashamed of to something to be celebrated. I could almost feel the “pride” and freedom that was present during that time in the audience. However, when the onset of AIDS is broached, I can hear and feel a collective “sigh”- a feeling of the wind being taken from sails- in the voices of the movie as well as in the sorrowful moans of the audience members. This has to be what those that are still among us must be feeling about being gay BEYOND the 70s; a new-found sexual freedom “high” (which was really “the calm before the storm”), followed by so-called “consequences” of gaining said freedom, and a return to the restriction of such.

I wish I had made the earlier screening, because Joseph Lovett and other members of the cast were present afterwards to discuss the film. I would have asked about the idea that “gay sex in the 70’s” is just not that different from gay sex now. I mean, I know PERSONALLY that there is a large contingent of gay men out there at this very minute who are having indiscriminate “raw” sex with reckless abandon. The only difference now is that most don’t appear to be doing it with the freedom and license that those in the 70s seemed to; it’s been reduced to a subculture. Even as people are still having “gay sex” in the manner that is discussed herein, for the most part that behavior (which defined “gay” for a lot of people in the 70’s) is now reviled in the gay community- at least on the surface.

I think every gay person should cop this documentary once its released on DVD- put it on the shelf right next to “And the Band Played On” and “Paris Is Burning”.
But I digress…

Noah's Arc...let's get REAL

So... I've had a chance to FINALLY sit back and etch onto the tableau in my mind exactly how I feel about the whole 'Noah's Arc' controversy/debacle/ground-breaking series that has erupted on the LOGO channel (www.logoonline.com) and on countless online groups/blogs. Let me first admit something- being the prurient "pseudo-homo-thug" I sometimes like to THINK I am, I agreed with those that said that the show was unrealistic- that the characters were overdramatized fem/drag queens and that seeing those images of black gay men would only further marginalize US. I agreed with those that found Noah's "drag" disconcerting (I mean, c'mon, the last person I saw tie a scarf around their neck like that was Pinky Tuscadero on 'Happy Days'!!!). I agreed with those that complained that the only "masculine" offerings were the main character's mates. I agreed with those that pooh-poohed the idea of these decidedly feminine creatures actually having MANLY partners ("that would NEVER happen in real life!!").

And then I did something that I think a LOT of us should do- I let go of all the BULLSHIT. I let go of the FEAR of being represented by someone who was not as masculine as I purport to be. I let go of all of the stereotyping and nitpicking and critiquing of the "realness" of the show and realized---it IS realistic. It's SOMEBODY'S reality. This is SOMEBODY's story. There ARE millions of Noah's and Chances and Rickys and Alexes- and some of us are fortunate enough to know a lot of them. How many of OUR friends/associates possess the "I'm happy, I'm carefree, I'm gay- I was born this way" nonchalance of Noah, or the stoic witticism of Chance? How many of us, while at the club, enjoy the occassional company of a flamboyant femboy with a heart of gold like Alex? And while we're discussing REALNESS, how many of us know (or ARE or HAVE been), the 'looking-for-love-in-all-the-wrong-places' SLUT that we see in Ricky? Once I was able to put THAT into perspective, I was able to do what I should have been able to do in the first place---WATCH THE SHOW. I was able to dissect and discern the VOICE of the show- what it is trying to say. I'll say this; even if I don't necessarily relate personally to the main characters, I relate to its central theme; that through all the trials, tribulations and travails of this hurricane we call LIFE, it certainly is great to be able to have ONE other person in your life who will be there through thick and thin to complement, assist, and guide you through it. If you have more than one (in this case, THREE), you are truly blessed. Love is love is LOVE and you don't get any more DEEP than that. That when all is said and done- when the general population has devalued and denigrated you, when the love of your life turns out to be the regret you wish you hadn't had to experience, or when you need somebody to just back you up with a baseball bat (lol), we ALL hope to have SOMEBODY in our corner. I've only watched the first 3 episodes, and I already get that.

Now here I am, 3 episodes deep, and I'm deeming Noah's Arc Tivo-worthy. I think we as a COMMUNITY need to check ourselves with regard to who we're fighting against (ourselves?) and what exactly ARE the stories we want to tell about ourselves. Are we, as Noah so aptly states in the last episode, so caught up in "idolizing... hyper-masculine ideals" that we don't want our somewhat-limp-wristed brethrens' stories to be told? As there are undoubtedly countless stories we can tell (because we are NOT monolithic), I submit that this show opens the door (and indeed the DIALOGUE) for us to continue to tell the story of the gay diaspora. And before I come off all "holier-than-thou", I need to state what I think is the obvious- Wade and Trey are fine as F&*&^%%^CK!!! I hit the rewind button a COUPLE of times when Wade is shirtless on the treadmill or when Trey comes out of the bathroom KILLIN it in those boxer briefs! But I digress...

Wait...New York had SLAVES??!!!??

When our school textbooks pontificate on slavery in America, various southern American cities bear the brunt of our anger about perhaps the most horrific event in our history. So when those signs went up around the city about “Slavery in New York”, I had to double-take and think back to elementary school- being 10 years old watching “Roots” on television. Didn’t all of that happen in Georgia and other southern states? Isn’t that what a large part of the Civil War was about- the Northern state’s insistence that the southern states rid themselves of the “original” apartheid? The Northern states get off easy in this example. However, traditional history deletes the North’s establishment and CONTINUATION of this institution, and that story needs to be told. Thanks to the New York Historical Society’s $5 million exhibit (and a friend of mine, Teresa, who works there and gave me a PERSONAL tour), ALL of that has been called into question and onto the carpet, de-mystified, and put out there for everyone’s information/consideration. Alex Haley had ONE story, which focused on the psychological ramifications of slavery; and here is but one of MANY stories on the subject that we haven’t heard before: the economic benefits that slavery afforded rich Northern whites, and how slaves literally built one of the greatest cities in America. For those of us who missed the story about the “discovery” of an 18th-Century African burial ground in New York in 1991, this exhibit gives us context. For those that were intrigued by it, “Slavery in New York” furthers what any black person in America knows already- this country could NOT have become what it has without us; the foundation for this country was built on OUR backs.

The exhibit (www.SlaveryinNewYork.org) in and of itself is quite comprehensive and well-presented. The scope and depth of the northern slave trade is presented painstakingly in original documents, televised and live discussions, creative multimedia presentations, and the like. It starts with the Dutch dropping off Jan Rodrigues (an African) on American soil and continues through the darkest period of American history onto the establishment of African-American institutions post-Civil War. In between, you get a rich history of how for almost 300 years, slavery- and whites’ perceived necessity of its preservation- established itself as THE most important product in New Amsterdam, and how that mindset (and laws enacted to further that mindset) built one of the most formidable ports in the north- which we now call New York.

And now…the RE-EDIT:
I think this information is important for too many reasons to discuss- if only to open the dialogue about historical inaccuracies, political correctness and a “setting-straight” of the facts, be they known or unknown. In this vein, one of a couple of things that struck me was that there was a movement AFTER the emancipation of blacks to “keep us in our place”, even though we were free. The part of the exhibit that dealt with how “free” blacks were treated after the Civil War was the most interesting to me. After we were raped of our skills and talents and used until we served no other purpose, after our backs and bodies were irreparably damaged through unspeakably vile labor (interred remains at the African Burial Ground found broken neck bones, trauma to spines and other signs of repeated stress), we were STILL not allowed to profit. Once blacks were freed, the need for “higher-paying” skilled jobs was available. To my amazement, it wasn’t blacks- who had performed all of those duties in slavery- that were given the opportunity to profit. For the most part, it was the new immigrant Irish (who’d begun landing here- can you say “Gangs of New York”?) that were given access to those economically-empowering jobs. Also interesting was how blacks tried- to varying degrees of failure- to assimilate into society post-emancipation. Although both blacks and Irish were seen as “second-class citizens” (and lampooned in cartoons and other communications) blacks still persevered, establishing their own churches, institutions, and aristocracy. “Slavery in New York” examines the establishment of the first black bourgeoisie (Pierre Toussaint, for example- who was a married hairdresser with an adopted daughter, by the way- hmmm), while skating over the very REAL fact that this city’s current bourgeoisie- the “old New York families”- had the vast majority of their fortunes made as a result of the slave trade, either directly or indirectly (do the names Tiffany, Astor, Livingston, Stuyvesant- to name a FEW- sound familiar?). Those living in the wealthy enclaves we now call Greenwich Village and SOHO sleep on the ground that formerly had slave footprints (and residences). It could be argued that “The City that Never Sleeps” is kept awake by the screaming souls of black folk. These heroes robbed of their skills, their culture, their LIVES, who found themselves placed here courtesy of The Dutch Trading Company for centuries of inhuman conditions and expectations; and whose 20,000 skeletal remains have only recently been properly interred and memorialized (www.africanburialground.com) are still awake- and I suspect not going to sleep any time soon. But I digress-for now anyway…

The Chick down the street

I pass her often enough; on my way home from work, on the way to the laundry, while I'm doing the walk of shame at 7,8 in the morning, etc... I don't know her name nor do I know what kind of person she is. I just know what I THINK I see.

She looks like she used to be pretty enough. Huge doe-like eyes, bronzed dark red skin, shoulder-length hair. She looks like she used to be a LOT of things; the hottest chick on the block, the captain of her Brooklyn sista-girl cheerleading team, the one who had on the latest style on the first day of school, the one who used to dawdle in her school composition book her first name and the last name of her ghettosoldier boyfriend in the center of a heart. She probably didn't get GREAT grades in school but did enough to pass and was happy to get out of high school. She seems like she would make some other chick a good friend and running buddy. BUT...then I see other things too. I see her struggling to get little Latoya to school in the morning, because Latoya has been up till 3 watching BET Uncut. I see (and hear) her arguing with her latest boyfriend (screaming at the top of her lungs the name of his latest indiscretion- (at 2 in the morning on a Wednesday)- "I'm gonna fuck that bitch up". I see stretchmarks on her sides, memories of the 3 kids she's sired by 3 different daddies. I see the stretchmarks peering from under her low-slung jeans that reveal a body NOT holding up to time. Maybe she let herself go taking care of the 3 kids from the 3 callous motherfuckers that used her body and her mind and then used the front door. Maybe she hadn't thought to monitor her fat and carbohydrate intake because its just easier to buy fried chicken wings and french fries from the chinese restaurant so she could feed the little bastards and put them to bed before 1 in the morning. Yeah, she tries to keep her hair and nails up, but sometimes its a couple MORE weeks than she would like between touch-ups because none of the ruthless bastards that sprayed seed in her wants to come up off of no fuckin' chedda. I see it all in her somewhat vacant stare as I approach and seemingly nonchalantly walk by the 4-apartment brownstone that has become (and probably will remain) her world.

I'm aware of her momentary stare- ("who does this nigga think HE is? ") . I'm cognizant of the head-to-toe once-over she administers in the 5 seconds that our worlds collide ("this nigga be poppin tags, but I don't never see him with no bitches"). I knew the first time I saw her that she was checkin me out, watching my comings and goings, and wondering how she could accidentallyonpurpose bump into me and check out my conversation- that hasn't happened yet. I think she's unconsciously internalized my orientation and doesn't have the time, luxury or inclination to pursue it further. OR, perhaps, its the involuntary expression that crosses my face everytime I see her- the same expression that I'm sure she's seen on the face of most uppity negroes when she takes her kids downtown or to the doctor or to the movies-' WHAT A WASTE, you could have been so much more'. I know that she senses this, because everytime I pass her and she's screaming at the kids, or chatting into the cell phone that I'm not sure she's going to be able to pay for at the end of the month, I know she sees (and I feel) the left corner of my mouth contort into that "mmmph mmmph mmmmph" that I, in my attempt to be LESS judgmental, desperately try to stifle. I don't think she works (other than being a full-time mother to 3 kids- which is in and of itself a job), because as my schedule is pretty unpredictable, I see her at 10 in the morning, 4 in the afternoon, and 2 in the morning-sometimes all on the same day. I think about how she is the PROTOTYPE for a LOT of black women around this city and indeed around this country; no prospects of improving her life, no stable relationship with the man or men with whom she aspired to build a life with, one or more small lives to be responsible for, no means to take care of them in the way that ensures that they become accomplished individuals, no real accomplishments herself, and a potboiler of anger because of the combination of some or all of these things. Every time I see a young black woman pushing a stroller I think about ALL of this. I think about all that she COULD have been, and how it is going to be soooo much more difficult for her to pursue ANY of her dreams because her priorities have been defined for her before she could define the woman that she is. I don't know if this is an ode to abortion, pregnancy prevention, better parenting, social mores, the importance of education and education programs, a prayer for the elevation of self-esteem of our youth, or ALL of these things.

But I do pray for her.

Is it just me, or...

1- Is it just me, or did anybody else see the coming of the breakup of Destiny's Child- BEFORE Beyonce's first solo album? Please...Latavia, Latoya, Farrah, Michelle and Kelly---you ALL served your purpose. Now go sit down and have babies and let the REAL star do her thing...

2- Is it me, or has the ratio of lesbians to gayboys in NYC grown to something like 4 to 1? Damn, I can't even traipse down Christopher Street anymore- dykes to the left of me, dykes to the right...not that there's anything wrong with being a dyke...

3- Is it just me, or- with the exception of Eva Pigford- has every other winner of "America's Next Top Model" managed to fade away into obscurity before the end of the next season?

4-
Is it just me, or was that getup that Lauryn Hill wore on the BET Awards- bob wig included-the FLYEST thing I've seen on a black girl in, like, 3 years? Ya'll better get into it or risk falling behind!!! The dolman (sp) sleeves, the high-waisted flare slacks tailored to look like Lauryn was sewn into them, the exaggerated bow hanging haphazardly-yet-obviously-made-to-look-that-way? A welcome break from the low-waisted jeans/low-slung halter/big hoop earring/long straight shiny weave/drag-queen stilettoed/not-a-prostitute-but instead-a-high-class-escort look that EVERY black girl (and many a white girl) has affected for the last couple of years. Wyclef (whom I HATE to give ANY sort of props to) and Pras looked hot and trendied-out too. I need to know whoever put that together-do they have a stylist?...

5- Is it just me, or has the Nike Uptown Air Max replaced the Timberland as the official "foot" of the hood?

6- Is it just me, or is Gwen Stefani's "Love.Angel.Music.Baby" CD one of the most musically diverse CDs to come out in a while? Props to Gwen, because she is actually quite proficient in each genre she attempts on the CD (Pop, Hip-Hop, reggae, ska, etc.). Props also to Gwen for being the first white girl to have a video on BET in heavy rotation- even Madonna couldn't do that!

7- Is it me, or am I the only one that slept on Keyshia Cole as the ghetto stepdaughter of Mary J. Blige? The chick can sing, and the CD is kinda HOT! My bad...

8- Is it me, or is the newly-instituted "random" searching of backpacks/bags on NYC subways a BLATANT disregard of our civil liberties as Americans? Hmmm- don't be surprised if charges of "profiling" are brought against the NYPD...

9- Is it just me, or should somebody tell Shakira's Columbian ass that the tired, overused reggaeton track used on her "La Tortura" single is just that?

10-Is it me, or are people "appreciating" Luther Vandross more now that he's dead than they did when he was alive? Yeah, his "Dance with My Father" CD went double platinum, but hell- so did Ciara's "Goodies"- I'm not saying that she doesn't deserve it, but I digress...

R.I.P Mr. Vandross...

Why Wendy Williams is a GODDESS!!!

Wendy Williams, the queen of all Media. Ringmaster of "The Wendy Williams Experience" (107.5 WBLS in New York City). Hostess with the mostest of the "Wendy Williams Comedy Experience" every Wednesday in Times Square. Head Ho of the annual "Dons and Divas Extravaganza". Posterchild for the Black Woman's introduction to the pros of plastic surgery. Guiding Force, light, and STAR of "Wendy's Got The Heat" on Vh-1. Author of two books (one or both New York Times bestsellers). Ghetto superstar. Record Producer. The list goes on. Say what u want about her (she needs to mind her business, sombody's really gonna hurt that girl, etc.), she's good at everything she does and she is the "friend in my head" to almost every one of her listeners--me included. I wouldn't mind being trapped on an island with Wendy--I'm sure there would NEVER be a dull moment. But I digress...

I hate myself for loving you...

I hate myself for STILL loving you. For STILL feeling my heart jump out of my chest at the mere mention of your name. For STILL allowing my thoughts to be interrupted EVERY DAY by you, one way or another. For having my REM sleep invaded by images of you; touching you, holding you, laughing with you, hearing your voice. I smell you in my dreams. I hate that I can't seem to get past you, even though its been over 2 years- even as I realize and still reel from the hurtful shit we've both done . I hate myself for STILL being emotionally unavailable to those that want to make themselves emotionally available to me. I hate knowing that even though we will never be together again (there, I wrote it), I can't see myself with anyone else--and HAVEN'T seen myself with anyone else. What can I do? How can I get past this? I tried bitterness, jadedness, altered consciousness, hobbies...what's next? I see you on the street and I can't even open my mouth to return a simple "hello", even though my heart is shouting VOLUMES. I hate knowing that if there WILL be another that I'll allow into ME, that your presence will be there to make things harder for me to have something REAL and HEALTHY; that I will have to work virtually around the clock not to make any potential twosome a menage a trois, because you have become so ingrained in my psyche. I hate that , in the sadly prophetic words of Deniece Williams, its "gonna take a miracle to make me love someone new". DAMN DAMN DAMN!

Damnit, I'm addicted to HGTV!!!

How I can spend almost an entire Saturday afternoon with the television on one channel is funny to me- I'm a channel surfer and my attention span is not THAT great. However, there's something about this channel, with its insidious redecorating programs (I am addicted to the idea of re-doing things- or re-editing things lol). It started out innocently enough; watching "Trading Spaces" on The Learning Channel. Then it grew to watching "A Makeover Story". Then it shifted to "While You Were Out" (Robert Verdi can be amusing once u get past those sunglasses that appear to be sutured to his head---fierce designer sunglasses, but sunglasses nonetheless). And yes, I would make a special effort to be home when "Extreme Makeover" would come on ABC. Then...I discovered HGTV- Home and Garden fucking television! I have always had an interest in interior design and renovations- there's something very aspirational about seeing people re-do their home with a $100,000 budget (but it does make the apartment that you rent in Brooklyn feel like a bullshit tenemant long-abandoned!). The people that they enlist to overhaul perfectly "livable" living quarters are always personable, relatively physically attractive (most of the time), and completely accomplished in their field. They KNOW their shit! They always come up with ideas that you would NEVER have thought about but somehow work brilliantly in the overall scheme of things. I find myself going into my friend's spaces and doing a "Design Remix" (one of my favorite HGTV shows). I am always thinking, as I'm sitting in my TV room "How can I make this space more livable"- even though the room is actually quite comfortable! I am always re-editing, always taking mental inventory of what I have and what I CAN have. I can't help it! What I wouldn't give to have total and complete access to some gifted carpenter who could build ANYTHING I want, custom-made; to have Ty Pennington for two days to do my bidding! Of course, anytime Oprah has Neal Berkus (sp) on her show, I make a mental note to myself to try to catch it (don't have TIVO yet!). All of these shows pull me in and speak to the interior designer in me- at least for that 30 to 60 minutes. Shows like Design on a Dime, Design Remix, Designing for the Sexes, reDesign, Designer Finals oh God somebody HELP ME!!!DAMN YOU HGTV!!!!!!

How I got my LIFE at LOVE

Sunday, May 29th, blue sunny skies on a Memorial Day holiday weekend. Chillin at DJ Bladerunner's house listening to The Game's CD (which caught me by surprise- the boy is really talented, and the tracks are SICK! I will finally give in and go pick that up), the decision is made to go to the dance music club LOVE (www.musicislove.net). Joaquin 'Joe' Claussell (of the ubiquitous and now defunct Body and Soul parties) is spinning. We get to the place at around 8:30--and the spot is jumping like these kids have been partying all night! There were stunning Chocolate Amazons with chinky eyes and pouty lips; Mark Ronson-type white boys with modelboy bodies, Asian hipsters (there was one chick there affecting a 70s Yoko Ono feel that was FIERCE); Jewish American Princesses who had come to appreciate dance music and had to get a piece of Joe's artistry; Latino chulos in tight tanks which were soaked with sweat; and Body and Soul/Sound Factory/Paradise Garage survivors who will NOT let dance music go silently into the night. Absolutely NO attitude in this melting pot. The ambiance was simple/chic/mod- you walk through the first room which is all black with glow in the dark graffiti painted on them and beanbags on the floor leading you to the second room, also painted black with artfully hung "sheets" in all corners of the club with various still lives projected onto them, and tall lit candles surrounding the top of the space and providing alternate lighting to the INTENSE light show accompanying the INTENSE mixing going on in the DJ booth. All of this, and Joe hasn't even hit the 1's and 2's yet; some chick is on the wheels of steel, and when I tell you that she got me sweating in less than 10 minutes...believe it! I wish I had found out her name or met her. Her set made me realize that I had been missing the REAL party by (of late) ONLY attending these hip hop/reggae(ton)/r&b concoctions that it seems EVERY promoter is doing these days; real SOUL music is still alive and well. By the time she ended her set with Me'Shell NdegeOcello's "I'm Diggin You (Like An Old Soul Record)", I had been taken to the next level, and dance moves I had stored in the closet of my mind had found their way back into my spinal column. Then Joe came on. He played four sets, each with a different texture, each hitting different parts of my body, each taking me on a different journey. I mean, come on, who would think that in this day and time I'd be spinning on the floor while a DJ spins HIS version of Michael McDonald's "What a Fool Believes"? Trust me, his mix would have had you shakin that ass! He worked through two other powerful African tribal sets before taking us on a musical rollercoaster ride with his mix of- of all things- John Legend's "Ordinary People"!!!! How I'll be able to listen to that song again WITHOUT thinking of the things that Joe did to it, I don't know. To top the night off, there was LIVE music as well. 'Speak in Tones' featuring Daniel Moreno and his Cosmic Collective started out with a simple one-two beat which was then accompanied by a tambourine and the perfect mix of other instruments to give us a syncopated potion of...LOVE. After their set, I couldn't take any more; I had to leave, I was on overload. I replayed all of that music in my head on the A train back to Brooklyn; there was no need for the Ipod. I got LIFE at LOVE!!!

"Crash"

I recently saw the Sandra Bullock/Don Cheadle/Terrance Howard/Thandie Newton/Matt Dillon vehicle "Crash". It was, simply, the best movie I've seen this year to date. There was not a single weak link in either the major or supporting actor roles. It would be a mistake to label this just a movie about race; class struggle, ethnic/cultural identity, REAL marriage issues, hypocrisy, rage, white liberalism, living in a "melting pot", and just plain living in any cosmopolitan city are also adeptly handled and juxtaposed in a very SOLID 100 minutes of well-composed celluloid. There are standout performances (the Mexican locksmith- and his backstory- was particularly riveting for me), and its not a "pretty" movie with all clear-cut one-dimensional characters whose whole lives can be summarized by the 3rd minute they appear in the movie. Sandra Bullock turns in a very convincing performance as a "modern" upper-class cosmopolitan wife with very "modern" cosmopolitan principles and demons, while Don Cheadle's police detective with a "family issue" (that I personally have very close ties to) made me quiver. Thandie Newton (who is certified beauty and BRILLIANCE to me) and Terrance Howard (who is really becoming an actor whose movies I would go to see without seeing a single trailer), have a GREAT rapport and rip the script to shreds with powerful performances. Matt Dillon gives the movie more turns and more depth than one character should be able to do in a movie; making it disgusting, gut-punching, sympathetic, and heroic all at once. Ludacris may have a decent acting career in him, and Ryan Phillipe does his thing. Loretta Devine's character was a brilliant commentary on the "black name game" and "black racism". The ending left me reeling and mentally rewinding the entire movie until I figured it out. For me, the movie illustrated how, regardless of how we try to insulate ourselves from each other, we are ALL intertwined one way or another and our paths cross in ways that we aren't even aware of. Peep it!

Why Nicole Richie is a GODDESS and Paris Hilton is an IDIOT!!!

Having watched "The Simple Life" maybe a total of maybe 3 times (watching a piece here and there, changing the channel, watching 3 or 4 minutes the next week, etc.), my initial feelings about the two girls have changed DRAMATICALLY. Here I am, over a year later, with COMPLETELY different opinions of each "woman" than what I had initially. First off, let me just say that I dont KNOW either Nicole or Paris, so my observation(s) may be completely off- these are very "third-person looking from the outside perspective" opinions, but are my opinions nonetheless.

Nicole Richie has grown into this physically LOVELY specimen (no doubt from pushing back from the table--good job Nicole- that jawline is TIGHT and that toussled bob brings you more sophistication than any Dior rag ever could!), while Paris has morphed into this caricature of her public persona---which was a caricature to begin with. Let's start with Nicole. Having dropped (I would guess) anywhere from 10 to 20 pounds, she no longer comes across to me as the slightly pudgy, poor-little-rich-racially-ambiguous (confused?) sidekick to one of the most "photographed" society bitties to come along since Nan Kempner DEFINED that role in her day. Wait a minute, Paris is NOT a socialite (which implies training, schooling, and a certain amount of class and mystique), she is simply- by her own admission-an HEIRESS (which just means she was the right egg in Kathy's ovarian tube at the right time!). I would submit that she isn't an HEIRESS, but an HEIR-HEAD, but lets stay on topic. Nicole has developed a PERSONALITY, an EDGE (due, I'm sure, in part to her rather FIERCE former drug habit and her subsequent triumph over it). She has also developed a LIFE outside of Bungalow 8, becoming engaged to her DJ fiance. I used to think that she was Paris' sidekick, when in actuality, it seems that Paris needed NICOLE to balance her rather DRONE personality and speech pattern. Nicole was the one that made that show only remotely view-worthy, as she was the one that would shake things up. One of the episodes I DID manage to catch was where they were assigned as chambermaids at a motel, cleaning rooms. Of course, no cleaning ever gets done, and they end up ordering ROOM SERVICE to the room that they are assigned to clean. Then, to top things off, Nicole calls down to the front desk to get a maid to come up to the room because the room is dirty! CLASSIC and ENTERTAINING.

You know what's NOT entertaining? Paris' only declarative statement ("that's hot"), which has become as stale as seeing her use one and two syllable words to answer questions on the red carpet. At first, I thought Paris was in on the joke---I thought she knew that her relatively attractive outer frame would speak to the artificial aspects of what people thought she was, and that she was a media-savvy powerhouse that knew to use that to her advantage, a la Madonna (who could disguise our sexual insecurities and primitive societal mores with sarcasm, irony, double entendre and a wink while getting us to open our mouths about things that we never talked about). I even defended her. But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Paris is in no way aware of either the joke or these concepts, and instead believes that that very outer frame is the only thing she can bank on. Well, that and the fact that she has more money than should be legal for a "girl" of her intellectual stature to have. I used to revel in the fact that( I thought) she was giving the proverbial middle finger to those who classified her as just a dumb blonde while pulling in MILLIONS in endorsements, book deals, perfume, clubs, and other public relations opportunities. Until I started looking, REALLY LOOKING, at the behind the scenes-namely, the VH-1 show "Outrageous Hilton Moments". I was sitting in front of my television, thinking "does she REALLY think this is cute?". I mean, anyone who goes out of their way to register voters in Diddy's "Vote Or Die" campaign (while being photographed incessantly in one of those ubiquitous t-shirts), yet ISN'T REGISTERED to vote? AND didn't bother to register? And thus, DIDN"T VOTE? What was more pressing than registering---was there a sample sale somewhere or a bare tabletop in Las Vegas that wasn't beeing danced on? And now there's this Carl's Jr. commercial (here), where la Hilton is "washing" a car clad in high-end bikini and stilettos (looking like the WHORE that people have been calling her all of these years), with tight shots of the car THROUGH THE BACK OF HER LEGS concluding with Paris holding an enormous burger the size of Rhode Island to her face about to chomp down on it. Of course, there's no suspense to the end, because if anyone has seen "the tapes", you KNOW that she has NO problem putting huge slabs of meat in her mouth! And maybe that was the director's double entendre; one which, Paris probably hadn't thought of. But I digress...While I can't wait to see what Nicole has in store for us, I just want Paris to go sit down...and READ a book.

This is what The Re-edit is all about...

Thanks for taking the time to check out The Re-edit. This blog is about ME, basically---MY experiences, MY reactions, MY opinions (or at least what my opinions are at the time I post), MY ranting and raving, MY re-editing of any and everything that I read, see, think, or experience through MY eyes--NOT what may be popular or what some Public Relations machine might want me to see or believe. It is all of those things, RE-EDITED. I'm not always right or politically correct- not always prolific or thought-provoking, but I have a right to MY perspective, to MY feelings. You are welcome to hit me up with YOUR contributions on anything I write about. It may change the way I see things, it may not. I may change the way you see things, I may not. I write on anything from music, art, fashion, events (both personal and public), spirituality, television, magazine/newspaper articles and technology to the meaning of life and anything in between- because these are the things that I am exposed to and/or muse about everyday- this is part of who I am. You are welcome to take this journey with me. I have no idea what this will become, just my way of getting my OWN opinion out into the universe, learn a little bit, force me to keep a "journal" (thanks Oprah), and in the process maybe put yall on to some NEW sh*t. This is real life, re-edited. This is my voice. This is the REAL RE-EDIT. Let's go...