Death of an Icon

Michael Jackson
August 29, 1958- June 25, 2009
An American Icon and Music Legend
May He Rest in Peace

*Look out for our series on Michael Jackson.

Alice in Wonderland....yet again!

Yes! Alice done made her way back into Wonderland, but this time I think she is going to get a lot more than she bargained for. There have been several version of the classic children's tale Alice in Wonderland. I personally always found that even the previous animated Disney version to be pretty scary. But Tim Burton has put a peculiar spin on things making this version quite unique...and perhaps even scary.

Sources say that the Disney film will be out March 5, 2010. The cast includes veterans of the fantasy land Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter of course) and Christopher Lee mixed with newcomers like Alice herself, Mia Wasikowska. Here are a few sneak peeks...I'm not quite sure if this is one for the children or not but it definitely looks interesting.

Ryan Leslie- Valentine

For your listening pleasure- Ryan Leslie's new single: Valentine

The NY Post will forever be a trashy paper...but what about it's readers?

By now everyone has heard about the seemingly racist carton that appeared in the NY Post, now they have issued what they call an apology :

Wednesday's Page Six cartoon - caricaturing Monday's police shooting of a chimpanzee in Connecticut - has created considerable controversy. It shows two police officers standing over the chimp's body: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill," one officer says. It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill. Period. But it has been taken as something else - as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism. This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize. However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past -and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback. To them, no apology is due. Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon - even as the opportunists seek to make it something else.

Sounds like the post has built up some enemies over the years. More disturbing than this half ass apology were the comments below the apology:

-The cartoon clearly was aimed at Pelosi and Congress. They wrote the stimulus bill, not Obama. Sharpton, the rascist (Tawana Brawley, Freddie the White Interloper) opportunist has no moral capital on this issue. He and Jerimiah Wright are the racists. How about that for a non coward discussion of race, Eric Holder? Also I seem to remember liberals depicting President Bush as a chimp in numerous cartoons and writings.Shame on the Post for knuckling under to the new thought police. There is no freedom of speech in Obamaland.

-"My question is quite simple : a white President can be compared to an ape, but an African American one can't. Why ???"

-The was nothing wrong with the cartoon, it was free speech. Those in the black community need to control themselves and leave our freedom of expression alone!Instead of acting like third world muslims going after a Mohammed cartoon, they should be cleaning up their dysfunctional and destructive inner city culture and communities that are draining this country. Maybe the rest of us should protest them?

Seems like this cartoon has opened up a racist can of worms. Perhaps the cartoon was just a cartoon not meant to depict our black president as a monkey, but instead a larger depiction of the democratic party who approved the stimulus bill. Either way- it has served as a gateway for both racist white folk to state what they really think of black folks in this modern day and there are some blacks who jump on every opportunity to shout racism. So where does this leave us now? Well, now instead of just NYers knowing that the NY Post is a trashy paper, everyone knows it's a trashy paper.

UnbeWEAVEable!

This weave saved her life...smh... what a mess!

Black is in!

Larry King admitted that his 8yr old son wishes he was black.... "There's a lot of advantages to being black," King said. "Black is in. Is this a turning of the tide?" Someone should tell little Cannon King that black has always been in... white people been jackin' our style. The real question is why Larry King's old ass has an 8yr old son? smh!

Le Question Du Jour: Why Do Men Cheat?

I have had the unfortunate privilege to, every week, hear about another one of my friends getting cheated on and the question always posed is: why do men cheat? Today, I felt the inclination to address it. I am by no means an expert in the convoluted (ha) thoughts of men, but in talking to some of my guy friends, this is what I’ve come up with:

1. Because they can—Let’s take former NY Governor Spitzer for example. He seemed to have everything: money, power, success, and a loving family. And yet still with everything to lose, he cheated on his wife...because he can. Ladies lets be real here. For various reasons, it seems to be rare that a woman leaves (permanently anyway) after her man cheats. When women reaffirm that, men continue to do whatever they want because they know shorty will be there til the end. Hey...maybe the dude really puts it down. Some might not think that’s important, but I know many a female who have stayed in fucked up situations for some mind-blowing sex...that wheelbarrow jumpoff really is on point btw, but I digress
   
2. Then there’s the “it’s just sex” argument. Ok, now in seeing the dealings of some of my closest male cohorts, I do believe that a man can still love his girl/fiancée/wife the same way even if he’s doing his dirt on the side. It’s kind of like living a double life cause one situation does not effect the other…the problem is that it should! His love for his girl should preclude him from hurting her and cheating
   
3. My favorite: the only thing better than good p*ssy than new p*ssy: ‘nuff said on that
   
4. It’s biological: now this is a lil controversial, but what the hell. So in ancient times, men used to have numerous wives and concubines and what have you so as to maximize the number of his possible heirs and to make sure to proliferate his name. Women, however, are pregnant for 9 months so women are used to being dedicated to one man. Biologically speaking, it may just not be natural for men to be faithful. Unfortunately for them, society says they are just gonna have to get over that.
   
5. Some guys are just innately and forever shady

Does knowing any of this help? Probably not because at the end of the day, people are going to do what they are going to do. I’ve been told by many men: but not every man cheats and there are a lot of stories where men who cheated stop for the right girl, stop after getting married, or don’t get married to get the cheating out of their system so there is hope.

(Shouts to Hurrikane)

For those who are not about “hope,” there’s a saying “Men are like buses. You never chase one, because there is always another coming in fifteen minutes.” Recently, it has become a quite useful mantra. As soon as any “bus” [read: man] shows the smallest sign of breaking down on me, I swiftly hop off that joint at the nearest stop and wait for the next bus. Ya’ll city folks all know that your worst nightmare is being stuck on a broke down bus, all pissed cuz the air conditioning is off (God forbid there may be other unsolicited chicks on the bus as well) and then you see a perfectly functional bus rolling right by you with an ugly chick on it, all comfortable and laid back in her seat, swiftly and efficiently reaching her destination drama free, and express at that!

I have hopped many a bus in fear of future unreliability.

Then one day I was talking to a friend (that is what I’m calling him and I’m sticking to it. He’s too young for me, but I can keep a secret) and my mantra came up, to which he responds, “Yes most men are like busses. But some are like BMW’s. And a few are like Maserati’s.”

DAMN. Checkmate. He’s right.

Then I started thinking to myself – why is it that so many of us ladies take the bus? Let me take the time to make clear that this bus, BMW, Maserati analogy has nothing to do with money, it’s about quality. I know many a wealthy bus nigga. Tsk. Tsk.

Anyway-

Ladies have you ever found yourself out in the cold, losing hope that a BMW gentleman will be picking you up and driving you to the land of Milk and Honey? Why is it that, even though we know that a BMW is out there, we instantly lose faith and hop on the first raggedy ass bus that we see? The ticker says that this bus is going to your destination, so we get all complacent and say “okay fine I’ll take it for a ride” (aoww). Then we get pissed when the joint runs local, doesn’t take you where advertised, and/or breaks down on you at the worst time. Then we get off the damn bus, all pissed cuz now not only are we not where we want to be, but we wasted mad time with this awkward, shady vehicle. I guess you could argue that even a rickety, raggedly, local running bus is better than walking. (Or is it?)

What about those BMWs and those Maserati’s? Where the hell are they and why don’t the manufacture more of them joints? First of all, if you find yourself a Maserati you better count your blessings and keep that car clean, polished, and in good running condition!! Beware though ladies, sometimes a BMW will come to pick you up and you know that it’s going to a destination that you are not tryna reach. Whether you saw through that shiny exterior, or if he let you know up front where he was going, you knew that it wasn’t where you wanted to be! But you get in anyway. And while the ride is so so nice, you soon realize that you are traveling farther and farther from your where you wanna be. And that, my loves, is when you have to politely pull over the car, step out, and with a classy smile on your face say, “Thanks for the memories, babe.”

Don’t be afraid to walk alone, girl, as long as you’re going in the right direction.

Condy's Getting A-rab $$$

Despite President Bush's lack of popularity in the middle east, it seems that his top diplomat Condoleezza Rice has made a name/reputation of her own. According to one of my favorite news blogs she received $316,000 in jewels alone from Arab leaders. Busta might talk about getting A-Rab money but it looks like Condoleezza really is. LOL! Check out the article here.

This ain't your mama's music...or is it?

This might seem random...but the tight pants and orgasmic thrusts of the male vocalist and sultry moans of the female vocalists caught my attention while eating lunch today in a peruvian restaurant. They were showing a medley of videos by this group Boney M. I decided to follow up and learn a little more about the group.

With raunchy album covers, provocative lyrics and costumes, Boney M were trendsetters during the seventies. They were produced out of West Germany but the members hailed from the Caribbean... shout out to those who hail from Montserrat, Aruba and Jamaica (it's rare that you find another Montserratian). There music was extremely popular over in the UK, India, Australia, The Netherlands...pretty much everywhere except the U.S. This first video is called "Daddy Cool" and it was one of their biggest hits, the second video is "Ma Baker" which got much more play over here in the US. Check out what they wearing! Once again... random, but fun! and yes it probaly is your mama's music if she was in the disco during the late 70s and early 80s.

Daddy Cool

Ma Baker

Can women be pimps? Or is she really just a whore with confidence?

This blog post is not some sociological interpretation of female madams and their impact on modern feminism. Rather, it is about is your home-girl who calls herself “a pimp” or “player” when it comes to the world of men and sex. Where as madams or real pimps, like Heidi Fleiss, used the bodies of the women they employed for sexual services, I’m talking about the woman who uses her own…not necessarily for money or gifts, although they might be part of the perks, but for the pure, raw enjoyment of the sexual experience. She’s got several men in rotation, and boosts about keeping up with the promiscuity of her male counterparts. Mimicking some of the behavior that’s most abhorred in men, she keeps up relationships with several men at a time, keeping them all at a certain distance, and steadfastly claiming that “there are no strings attached”.

Is she really a pimp, player, or mac? I’m not downing anyone’s right to have casual sex, or sexual exploration, but is having several partners at the same time really sexual exploration or just letting yourself be explored? Considering the very nature of sex and its dynamics, can a woman really say “there are no strings attached” when it’s her body that’s entered and sometimes left with a deposit from her most recent visitor? Now the female pimp might stop me here to correct me and tell me that her body is more a John Mayer-esque “Wonderland”, rather than a “Slip and Slide”, but I remain unconvinced. If every sexual experience is supposed to be some type of metaphysical connection between two bodies, how is it possible that you have that same connection with like three other people in same week. Better yet, do you ever wonder what you’re getting out sex? What’s the end goal for the female pimp – a couple dinner dates and pink polka dot Rolodex full of male acquaintances? I find it hard to believe that you are having great sex and tear inducing orgasms with every single partner.

The funny thing is, I truly believe that women are the more superior sex, and are capable of being better liars and more devious than most men. I’m fairly sure the female pimp can keep up more pseudo-relationships than her male counter parts and have all her partners convinced that they are the only ones. But what the female pimp fails to acknowledge is the fact is that there is probably more power in not giving it up than there is in being spread eagle. Great wars have waged by men simply over the possibility of getting some (Helen of Troy any one?). Think about it, male players give little and take a lot, all while dangling the mirage of a relationship in the face of their current plaything. If the male player currency is a relationship, perhaps its only fair that the female pimp keeps what the market wants high in demand, rather than tossing her currency around like free money (or better yet the US’s current economic stimulus package).

And as you treat your partners like a dessert tray, what happens when you can’t deny the fact that there maybe one particular dessert that hits the spot just right, satisfying you better than all the rest and leaving you longing for more? Ironically you face the same dilemma of the male player in the end. Now you want your late night dessert to turn into a breakfast croissant, and instead of a Sunday roll in the hay you want to enjoy a walk in the park. But like the male player –can anyone really take you seriously? Because you know, no one turns a hoe into a housewife…