The last few months have been tough for people around the world. So many have lost loved ones and have not been able to properly say goodbye. So many have been living in some level of fear and trying to protect themselves while battling others that could care less. Coronavirus aka COVID19 has taken a mental toll on the world.  In America, it is not only affecting millions of people but also exposing our vulnerabilities. That's what this virus does. It finds the vulnerabilities in the body but also finds vulnerable points in society. Reports have been circulating about how it has been disproportionately affecting Black people in the US. There are a whole host of reasons why this is happening. Overall, it is exposing the lack of balance in how we get treated in a place where we are still working through subtle systematic oppression in education, justice system, and the healthcare system just to name a few.  If that is not enough, let us add the recent acts of blatant prejudice a...

Lil Wayne is the same person who is slowly killing himself with drugs and alcohol.  Lil Wayne is the same person who said he did not want to have any more children with Black women because he wants his daughters to have "good hair." Lil Wayne is the same person who was baffled, befuddled and utterly at a lost for congruent, sense-making words when asked about the Black Lives Matter Movement.  Why in God's round, green earth is anyone asking his opinion about George Floyd's murder? I am utterly baffled. This man is a national artist talking about, "What am I gonna do after that?" He said, "I'll pray for you." He basically confessed that he is not interested in doing anything for anyone. Why does anyone still stan for this man? He does not care about the culture. He used us to come up and now that he is up, he is a lap dog. He is an agent of destruction in what's supposed to be his own community. If you want to know what self-hate looks like,...

Top Gun: Maverick starring Tom Cruise was supposed to be released in June 2020. With theaters being closed for a time, the release date was pushed back to December 2020. This works well for me since, I do not remember anything about the first one apart from him dancing in his white shirt. I only remember that because it is the one clip they keep playing. I will have a chance to watch the original Top Gun and remind myself what the hype was all about. I will say that the trailer is definitely intriguing. Now you already know, I always look for a little speck of me in the trailers. To my pleasant surprise, I posted Jay Ellis in the 2.2-minute trailer. Yas! Come through Lawrence (Insecure in the house). The overall cast looks pretty impressive although I didn't think Val Kilmer was still doing movies like that. I am glad to see him make it to this second installment. Check out the trailer below.

Last week Ayesha Curry posted a bikini picture of herself touting how it took a while to get back into shape after having her babies. She looked fabulous and if it were anyone else, the thirst trap bikini pictures probably would have come and gone without much chit chat. It was not anyone else though. It was Ayesha Curry who in the past has said somethings that made people give her the side-eye. It seems for certain people, they can be as real as they want, say what the want and people will give them a pass. Ayesha Curry's words have been taken out of context and twisted to be more scandalous than they should have been. When she was sharing moments of personal doubt and insecurity, particularly after having her children, she received backlash because people simply interpreted it as her wanting attention from men other than her husband. Photo by Thomas Ulrich You will never speak to anyone more than you speak to yourself in your head. Be kind to yourself. - Unknown It was m...

The internet is buzzing with breaking news of a man who was supposed to be arrested for forgery but ended up being slowly killed over the span of ten minutes or so. The police officer had his knee on the man's neck for a straight ten minutes as the pinned man complained about not being able to breathe. The officer kept his knee on the man's neck even after he became emotionless, while his partner kept the bystanders at bay. Eric Garner anybody. There were several people recording the incident and imploring for the officer to take his knee off the man's neck and at least let him breathe. Once the victim became unresponsive, they pled with the officers to check his pulse. Neither office bothered to check for a pulse. Again, the knee remained firmly planted on the neck of his unresponsive body. The officers were heard mocking the man as he died, telling the audience that this is what happens when you do drugs. It was cold and heartless. I have no words to describe how watc...

There are instances when old news comes out at weird, random times. The first thing I wonder is why did the person feel the need to share the information at that particular time. Azealia Banks who is the wild child of our entertainment industry recently decided to share that she and a very-married Dave Chappel had sex. Black Twitter of course hilariously jumped all over the news. Azealia Banks has historically been mean, insulting, crass, and over the top with her shock value comments. It seems as though she is doing it to stay relevant or she just does not really care about the consequences. It is unfortunate, as I find her to actually be a talented artist. Her talents definitely get overshadowed by her reckless mouth. The issue here is a potentially huge one for Dave Chappelle as it jeopardizes his marriage, should her claims be taken seriously. It comes at an interesting time for him being that he has been doing well in his career. He is the definition of come back king. However...

Chloe X Halle stepped up the sexy in their new video for Do it . They are putting out the grown and sexy vibe while keeping it classy. It is no secret that I am a fan of these ladies and have been ever since their Youtube days before they were signed by Beyonce. Keeping it cute. Oh oh oh. That's just what I do do do.  And that's just how we do it I am a fan of their melodic voices and the ability to put their own spin on different musical arrangements. Chloe X Halle have made their own lane and steered away from pandering to what is expected of two young talents commercially. The purist homage to art is to be true to your artistry regardless of outside influences and they have seemed to navigate that world well. Since I am on my girl power bandwagon, their new song keeps that flow going. When I want to feel good or big myself up, I play a song that speaks to how fly I am or at the very least, should be feeling. It's a smooth flow that you can play and vibe to....

It's insecurity that is always chasing you and standing in the way of your dreams. -Vin Diesel Do not let your personal insecurities build roadblocks and obstacles that you are not even aware of. I maintain that a healthy dose of self-confidence is necessary to move through this world. There will always be something or someone that will stand against you. The last thing we want is to have to battle our own self. It is natural to have a little hesitation when embarking on a new task or adventure. This little bit of anxiety or nervousness is just what we need to propel us forward. This is the difference between healthy stress and stress that immobilizes us. That is why a healthy dose of a strong sense of self is important. Unfortunately, it seems that when women, especially women of color, celebrate themselves in a positive manner it gets marginalized as opposed to when we exploit ourselves sexually. We all know that sex sells and this is the appeal. Regardless, I believe ther...

I laugh and smile at the most inappropriate things and times. My sense of humor is a little warped sometimes and other times, I just have to laugh or smile to get through it. Laughter is healing. Laughter and smiling are natural stress relievers. The act shifts something inside us that even for a moment can make us feel better. We all go through our battles and pains. Stressors are never-ending in life and we learn to manage them. One way is through humor and the actions that come along with it. Smiling is a gift. I look at this picture with my late husband who always had the brightest smile and cannot believe it was almost 20 years ago. Talk about bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. We had just gotten married and we were basking in newlywed bliss. His smile has been my guide and gotten me through many tough times over the past 10 years. I am thankful for having had it. I am thankful for being able to still see it today in the faces of my children. Anyone who knew him will tell you his...

Picture from Huffing Post UK Australia is not a place I was thinking of visiting anytime soon. It is beautiful and produces some beautiful entertainers, Hemsworth brother are proof of that, but I fear big spiders and fierce kangaroos. Not to mention, that flying there would take me just over 21 hours. I was on a 15-hour flight to Portugal and thought I was going to die. Since it is on my bucket list to visit as many places I can, I figure I will get to it eventually. However, their COVID response is making me think that I need to go visit sooner rather than later.                                       The way they have taken the challenge to flatten the curve headon and appear to be succeeding is remarkable. Keep in mind that the United States has about 13 times more people than Australia does so the numbers will be higher but the response to this COVID pandemic from Australia is neverth...

Sometimes we need to reduce our lives to the least common denominator in order to see what is really important so that we can keep moving forward. I wrote the above sentence over eight years ago. It was from a blog post that I intended to write but never finished published. Funny enough, this seems like the most appropriate time to address it. Right now it absolutely feels like my life has been reduced to the least common denominator. I imagine other people must feel the same way being that we are in this social distancing phase and many of the distracting things we use to do are somewhat off-limits. Lead a simple life. First reduce your greed. Then reduce your need. -Ritu Ghatourey Right now, I work, eat, and sleep. Oh and I watch a lot of television and/or streaming. I will admit that I find myself taking a trip to Walmart or Publix just to have something different to do. In doing so, I start thinking about all the things I should be doing or all the things I could be doing. A...

Selah and the Spades starring Lovie Simon, Jharrell Jerome, Celeste O'Connor, and Jesse Williams  is a story that allows us a peek into life at a prestigious boarding school. It is directed by Tayarisha Poe. This film got a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and 77% likes from Google users. It is released on Amazon Prime streaming. I normally enjoy high school coming of age dramas because they are usually light and fluffy with and ultimately delivering a positive message. This was not light  or fluffy. The film itself was very well done. The acting was top notch. These rising actors will be ones to keep an eye out for as they develop in their respective careers. Jesse Williams made a brief cameo that was not really worth mentioning. It was nice to watch a movie that did not rely on Black caricatures to move the storyline along. It was based on solid writing and good acting. Nevertheless, I am a little indifferent to it only because it was more on the darker side of life or it was ...