start spreading the news...

So as you may have noticed, I've been a little M.I.A from the blog lately.... my bad. BUT as you may have heard by now, it was for a very, very, very good reason.

*clears throat and stands up to every inch of my five feet*

I am so excited to announce that after five WONDERFUL years of self-employment... (insert drum roll, flashing lights & smoke machine, please)

I have accepted the offer to join the Johnson Publishing family as the new Editor-In-Chief of JET Magazine!

*slight pause to allow all those who know how much I love working in my pajamas to recover from the shock*

Obviously, it was a huge decision that did not come easily for many reasons- all of them starting & ending with my love of my very blessed life in New York City.

*adjusts my lucky Yankees cap*

However, the opportunity to lead the change that's going to re-energize & re-introduce such an iconic brand to new generations of readers was one that any journalist that loves her career as much as I do could not pass up. I am humbled to have been chosen for this important mission. And I look forward to rising to the challenge. (Oh and did I mention, the uber fabulous Desiree Rogers is my boss? BLANK STARE. Exaaactly.)

So naturally, I want to express my sincerest gratitude to each and everyone who has supported me and my career over the past 10 years. Whether you've been rocking with me since my insane Road Tripping days at HONEY, while I was pretending to be a 'Privileged White Woman at JANE, spent the money and purchased one of my books or simply forward my blog posts every once in a while, your energy has helped me reach THIS moment.

Thank you, thank you, thank YOU.

It's going to be an adventure. I certainly expect you to stick around for the ride.

like machine guns in grand central...

I just finished reading the details on the burqa veil ban that takes affect in France today. Hmmm. I must say, I'm consistently amazed by how deeply the threat of terrorism has changed in the world in the past 10 years. The international level of unabashed fear and intolerance has hit an all time high and continues to rise. And not for nothing, it's really sad and unsettling.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for safety. But something about this law feels extremely discriminatory.

I'm jussayin.

eye candy so bright it burns..

Finally had a chance to check out Jay-Z's new website/online magazine/media portal, Life And Times that launched on Monday.

Hmmm.

The promo vid is crazy. (see for yourself HERE)

Visually, the site is amazing. Like absolutely LOVE.

Content reads very much like a compilation of "All Things Jay-Z Likes (& You Can't Afford)."

Which is um... yeah. LOL.

Interesting piece on boxer Andre Berto tho.

the upside of progress...

LOVE it when technology gets it right.

Just read about this new computer program called "Silence of the Celebs" that will filter out any mentions of which ever celebrity you are most tired of reading about from your online news media just by entering their names.

Mind you, it's totally not limited to celebs. Feel free to filter out any topic of choice. (So basically, we can all pretend that Sarah Palin, the entire Tea Party and the ignorant Arizona GOP don't even exist.)

Although currently it only works on Twitter, NYTimes, CNN, Huffington Post, NYPost, Google News, Gawker, Mashable and TMZ; the creators are working on expanding it more sources as I type.

And and wait on it... it's FREE.

Check it out HERE. You can thank me later.

he don't wanna win...

Dang, prayers up for C-Breezy this morning. That child can't seem to get out of his way.

Apparently this morning, homeboy flew into a rage mid- Good Morning America taping after being prodded one too many times about the Rihanna incident. According to sources, he ripped off his shirt, broke a mirror and smashed a window. talking about, he's tired of people bring up the past... and the difference between his treatment and Charlie Sheen.

Mind you, his album F.A.M.E drops today.

BLANK STARE

You know, I'm not even going to bother getting into the fact that as long as that little boy BREATHES, people are not going to tire of asking him about bashing Rihanna's face in OR the fact that Charlie Sheen is a grown ass WHITE man who's been in this game for longer than Chris has been alive. So no, he'll never receive equal treatment. The End.

Instead, I'm just going to point out that across the board music critics have given this album notably favorable reviews. Which is a pretty big deal for any artist nowadays let alone one that stays on the wrong side of public opinion. Okay?

Bottom Line:

Boo, you're 21 yrs-old. Watching you self-destruct has become exhausting. Enough of the temper tantrums, nude pics, ridiculous dye job and slew of angry tweets. You live a charmed life that MILLIONS of folks would barter their first born to enjoy. Grow up & act like you appreciate it.

Please & Thanks.

def worth a matinee...

Truth be told, it's been a loooooong time since I've seen a trailer for a Cameron Diaz movie that I was remotely interested in spending my money on. And by looooong, I'm talking "Something About Mary" type years. Okay?

BLANK STARE

But this weekend, I actually saw one that made me laugh out loud and spill my popcorn. Mmm-hmmm... sure did. Now, I can't say I'd be that surprised if the trailer turns out to be the sum total of the funniest portions of the film. But hey, let's keep hope alive, shall we?

Happy First Day of Spring!

spread the good news & support...

Okay, so I'm definitely going to the movies this weekend to support my super talented collegue, Ava DuVernay's feature debut, "I Will Follow." Based on her relationship with her late aunt, the film has been receiving stellar reviews from critics, including my old school fave Roger Ebert.

WOO HOO!

Oh and did I mention that not ONLY did Ava write & direct, she also FUNDED the film herself?!?!

*standing for slow clap*

Oh and while we're talking about movies I'm extra hype about, I cannot WAIT to see THIS:

"Like Water for Elephants" is my BOOK! And despite weird looking Robert Pattinson, I still think it's going to be an AH-Mazing film.

*grabs the popcorn & starts to drool*

we're not drinking the tea in nyc...

Anti-Abortion Billboard in SoHo Comes Down: MyFoxNY.com

So Life Always' offensive anti-abortion billboard came down yesterday afternoon, huh?

Woo hoo! I love it when the good guys win. Shout outs to everyone who complained, called and were prepared to mobilize to against such a blatant racist attack against African-Americans and every woman's right to reproductive choice.

*round of applause*

With that said, prayers up for the union folks in Wisconsin. It seems that despite their prolonged protests, the State House of Reps finally got it's way. Shady ass Governor Scott Walker and the GOP passed that controversial labor bill earlier this morning. Hmm... not a good look for the working middle class. At. All.

I surely hope they remember this nonsense come 2012.

worth 5 minutes of your time...

By now, anyone with a modicum of media awareness has heard about the ridiculously offensive anti-abortion billboard that the pro-life group Life Always has posted in Soho for the next 3 weeks. So I'm not going to bother ranting about the absurdity of it all, instead how about this:

Don't just be angry and offended, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

The name of the woman that approved this ad and it's placement is Mary Bentley. Her office phone number is 214.520.9188. (No, she doesn't even live in NYC. She lives in Texas)

CALL HER

Tell her how offensive you find the billboard and it's placement. Demand that they remove it immediately.

Everyone has a right to voice their opinion, including pro-lifers. However, considering how FEW African Americans reside in the SoHo area, it certainly seems as if the message is more of a statement ABOUT African-Americans as opposed to FOR African-Americans.

Which is RACIST.

Oh and please be clear; while the statistics being quoted may be true, those numbers DO NOT include terminations performed at private medical facilities. READ: where women with money & access choose to have their unwanted pregnancies discreetly handled.

BLANK STARE

iyanla (1), nir (-1000000000)...

Hmm, so I guess yesterday was the official 'Get In That Ass' TV Journalist holiday, huh?

First, Oprah went IN on poor Iyanla Vanzant for trying it on her time and going hard about getting her own show before Oprah felt ready to give it to her. And I mean, she got O-P-E-N.

Poor Iyanla was crying and begging for forgiveness before she could even take her seat properly. Um, can you say AKWARD? And then to make matters worse, once they started talking it really seemed like this THIRTEEN year beef was nothing more than a simple misunderstanding between two strong-willed women who were both waaaaaay too sensitive.

Poor Iyanla went looking for extra validation and reassurance from Oprah but unfortunately, she went about it the wrong way. And Oprah (who if you remember wasn't as secure in her own success back in her KKK interviewing days), perceived Iyanla's stepping to her, with lawyers and asking for more concrete assurance (cause they were already in loose negotiations) that she's be given her own show- because "someone important" a.k.a. shady ass Barbara Walters, counter offered as ungrateful. So O and her right hand white girl (cause there's always an assistant that's more offended than the leader) were like, Word? Well, actually Iyanla you can go 'head with that.

You know, kinda like when you tell the dude you KNOW wanna be with that you're thinking about kicking it with the random next dude just to get a reaction... and instead of telling you not to or that he'll be pissed if you do, he wishes you good luck?

BLANK STARE

Right.

But when I tell you Mama O didn't have NOTHING on Anderson Cooper's interview/ public thrashing of dick head journalist Nir Rosen who tweeted "Lara Logan had to outdo Anderson," about the CNN correspondent, who was reportedly sexually assaulted AND punched in the head multiple times while covering the recent celebrations in Egypt. And then homeboy ignorantly followed that comment up with, "Yes yes it's wrong what happened to her. Of course. I don't support that. But it would have been funny if it happened to Anderson too."

BABY!!

Anderson lit homeboy's arse and alibi on FIRE. Every time dude tried to explain and apologize, Anderson just went deeper and deeper and DEEPER. Shoot, I promise you, after it was over dude had a serious case of diarrhea.

Oh well. Cause Anderson Cooper might be a certified media whore but bump no one deserves to have a sexual assault or ass whooping made marginalized.

ball till you fall- literally...

WOWOW.

Last week Wednesday, THIRTEEN University of Iowa football players were hospitalized after a saturation workout that included doing a 100 squats and pulling one of those weighted sleds a 100 yards. All 13 kids (cause that's what you are in college) were diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, “a stress-induced syndrome that can damage cells and cause kidney damage and even failure in severe cases.” Which probably means that even with severe muscle soreness and discolored urine the boys did more workouts until they straight fell out.

BLANK STARE

Kidney damage and failure??? Uh, uh. This foolishness is not okay. Not for nothing, every year about 10 football players die during workouts. Can you imagine if that was your child, relative or friend?

Ironically, at this very moment my girl Tomia is organizing a 5 K Run/ Walk on behalf of Devard Darling's As One Foundation to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the death of his twin Devaughn. Dude was a FSU football player that died during a workout from the same exact 'ish. Crazy.

You can check that out HERE.

But even more importantly, tell somebody.

no, its not pretty...

Gentle reminder, please say and prayer and if you can, drop a dollar (or more) on Haiti today.

Today officially marks a year since the earthquake literally tore the country apart. And it's safe to assume, that even the dimmest bulbs amongst us should be able to understand that between the massive death toll, child abductions, delayed reconstruction, non-stop stream of gang rapes of women &children in the make-shift tent cities, and current cholera epidemic the small Caribbean country is still very much in need.

Do not behave like our former President and assume that because Bono has stopped organizing celeb charity concerts, it's "mission accomplished."

BLANK STARE

pop the bubbly...

I am so proud of President Obama for successfully getting the DADT policy repealed!! This is a BIG moment and he deserves all the shine for not backing down to the damn ridiculous conservative interests (FINALLY) and handling it during a lame duck session.

Take that, take that!!!

It's still so crazy to me that over 14,000 military personnel were discharged from service solely as a result of that archaic homophobic ass policy! As if we can afford to be kicking folks out of the military while we're fighting all these senseless wars.

*rolls eyes & sucks the back of teeth*

If you're willing to put your life on the line to protect the citizens of this country and our freedoms here and abroad, you're better than most of us (myself included). So at the very least, we should all respect your right to fall in love with whomever you choose.

The End.

happy, healthy & right behind the driver...

And the list of things to be thankful continues...

Today is the 55th Anniversary of Rosa Parks' refusal to move to the back of a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. A courageous decision that became the public fame which ignited the already bubbling civil rights movement.

Thanks to this woman's strength, conviction and ability to see the big picture, generations of people's lives-Black, White and everything in-between- have been changed.

I salute you Ms. Parks.

But err-um, speaking of the big picture... I sure hope that everyone reading this post continues to be vigilant about their personal health and well-being. You know the drill: ask as many questions about your partner(s) about past sexual history as you do about who's posting what on their FB page, use condoms each and every time and get tested for AIDS regularly.

Although its wonderful to know that new medications appear to make living with the illness more manageable, I SURE wouldn't want any of ya'll to have to find out firsthand. Okay?

BLANK STARE w 3 LOOOONG BLINKS

lets all send one up...

So I was totally going to use this post to go IN on the certified dumbass park rangers in Washington's Olympic National Park that encouraged the teasing and ABUSE of a mountain goat until the animal couldn't take it anymore. And ultimately, the it retaliated by GORING a innocent hiker (who had nothing to do with the years of throwing bean bags at the wild animal) to death.

But instead, I'm going to use all my energy to pray for Rutgers University defensive tackle Eric LeGrand.

This past Saturday, the 20 year-old got hit during a routine play in the game against Army and suffered an injury to the C-3 and C-4 level of his spine. He has been paralyzed from the neck down ever since. While doctors are still not sure if it's bruise or a complete break, the recovery from this is going to be long and challenging.

I shudder to imagine the terror that this promising young man and his family are experiencing at this very moment.

May God hear all our prayers for his speedy return to health.

co-signing on this one...

Well alrighty then. Looks like all the single moms have a new pint-sized champion. And you know what, I am not so mad. This video is super cute and the message is waaaay overdue.

Although, I have to say it's kinda pathetic that it takes a fourteen year-old rapper to make it clear to grown ass men that it's not appropriate to harass and cat call women (ever) but especially in front of their children.

BLANK STARE w/ 3 LOOONG BLINKS

Get it Astronomical Kid.

*Now if we could just get a song for the pregnant ladies getting catcalls...*

so on it...

Aww, this promo commercial is too freaking adorable.

*happy sigh*

I love Sesame Street, especially poor hapless Grover. He's like the best blue monster EVER.

You know, kinda makes me wish I had a child of my very own to share this with... sorta. Okay no, not really. But I do think this video is as heartwarming as warm chocolate chip cookies. And that's saying a lot coming from my greedy behind.

Anyhoo, enjoy.

feel like i'm on eastern parkway...

OMG. I. Can't. Breathe. This little Jamaican girl is going IN on her annoying younger aunty.

All I can say is, God bless Youtube and the genius who typed up the subtitles for giving me LIFE on this long ass day. Amen.

*pours out a little Guinness stout*

it's the little things...

Praise God!

Just when it seemed like we were living in a world full of psychopaths who

toss newborn puppies into a river for kicks and deranged sickos who drive heated nails and metal particles in to the legs and head of their own maid because she complained about being overworked, Cee-Lo saves the day by releasing the official video to his single, F*ck You! And, it is absolutely perfect.

*happy sigh*

Enjoy!

don't talk about it, be about it...

So has anyone NOT heard about the JetBlue flight attendant from Queens that not only cussed out a passenger and quit his job over the plane's intercom but then had the balls to jump out the emergency evacuation chute as the grand finale??

*nosedives into the shallow end of the pool*

For those who've been under a rock for the last 24 hours: According to CNN, the incident took place just after the flight landed at JFK and was still taxiing. Apparently, an unnamed passenger ignored the time honored 'remain in your seats until we have arrived at the gate' rule and stood to remove a bag from the overhead bin. And well, it seems that poor Steven Slater (the attendant in question) had finally reached his limitation with the foolishness. So he picked up the intercom and started hurling expletives at ALL the passengers. Then when the plane finally reaches the gate, dude was quoted as saying, "I've been doing this for ten years and I'm out of here!" He proceeds to grab some beer from the beverage cart, deploy the emergency slide and hop his happy ass off that mo-fo like, BYE, BYE BEE-YATACHES!

PAUSE.

You know I LOVE him, right?

Cause NO judgement but doesn't he just LOOK like the kid we all grew up with that got picked on mercilessly his ENTIRE life? You know, the classmate for whom there was never a closet big enough to hold him and his fa-la-laing ways?? And then to make matters worse, he isn't even the cutest. So if the girls were anything like I remember, they prob weren't even willing to let him be their gay BFF. Sigh. SMH. So tragic.

But then, just when you've counted him out.. He tells the world TO KISS HIS ASS over the intercom!!!

I. DIE.

Like seriously, even if Steven serves all seven years in jail for criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and criminal trespass-which we know he won't- that man just lived out the greatest fantasy of all flight attendants around the WORLD. He is a freaking LEGEND.

*raises an overflowing glass of champagne*