Michigan State vs. Michigan Football Banter via Facebook

Ready for the game? These folks are!

My facebook News Feed is beginning to reflect the current college football climate brewing in Michigan this week. Yes, that's right. Michiganders are preparing for the ultimate rival football game between the Michigan State University (East Lansing) and the University of Michian (Ann Arbor). Both teams ranked in the AP Top 25, with 5-0 records, and wins against the overrated Notre Dame (ND). Spartans and Wolverines all over are preparing to tune into this game and warming up with lots of trash talking. Check out this exchange on facebook:

• Libra Friend's status: Thank you for your birthday wishes!
• Friend's Comment: Thank you for not taking this forthcoming asswhoopin on Saturday around 3:30 personally. I hope we can still be friends and hang out.

More to come, I'm sure!

Does your job drive you to drink?

At Local West (1 Penn Plaza, 33rd St. & 8th Ave.) you get a ludicrous happy hours, sassy staff, plus a heated rooftop and patio, 11 flatscreens, and a full menu of outstanding grub, all a stone's throw from Penn Station. (If your job drives you to stay sober, you're probably a bartender?) Sundays are karaoke nights, with free Liquid Courage shots for solo acts.

Okay, Movie Buff...

I love movies that leave you dumbfounded and searching for the remote to review scenes!

Did you catch these exciting movie twists? Check out the ones on this list:

Spoiler Alert: Giving Away the 20 Best Movie Twists

#20 is the BEST!!

Must Sees!

This holiday season, I am making it a point to indulge myself in all NYC has to offer. In addition to the many holiday parties to attend, I will enjoy ice skating at Central Park, holiday festivities at Rockefeller Center, Macy's shopping, and spectaculars are Grand Central Station, this holiday season will be magical. I also plan to attend these awesome performances:

A Bronx Tale on Broadway:
My all-time favorite movie is now on Broadway, written and starring Chazz Palminteri.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at the New York City Center:
I've been trying to see an Alvin Ailey dance performance since I made it to the east coast.

Locks of Love

I love the makeover show "What Not to Wear"! Not only is it filmed in NYC, but I randomly saw one of the fashion experts, Clinton, in the village one evening. The fashion experts offer great styling advice for all types of body shapes and the hair and make-up transformations are applicable to everyday situations and lifestyles. Unfortunately, after agreeing to accept the makeover challenge some contestants' reluctances emerge.

The most disappointing part of an episode is when a contestant's shallowness becomes exposed
once in the presence of hairstylist, Nick Arrojo. They beg, plead, and cry for him not to cut their shoulder length or longer hair. On the last episode I watched, the complaining contestant told Nick that he could do anything to her hair, except cut it. Another contestant asked what he was thinking and when he said that he wanted to cut her snarly, shoulder length hair to her collar bone she told him that it would be too short and that she would not be able to deal with the difference. After honoring her request he politely reminded her that hair is not a permanent staple and can grow back. Go Nick!

The attachment that women have to their hair is not a new phenomena. Women spend large amounts of money and time on their hair grooming practices. Women of all races and ethnicities seem to strive for the European perception of beautiful hair: straight and long. Some women have been able to break out of those confines and appreciate their natural hair pattern of wavy, curly, or kinky. However, they are still subjected to society's perceptions of hair that is not straight and long.

There are children, men, and women that suffer from long-term medical hair loss due to medical conditions such as alopecia areata and cancer. Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children suffering from medical hair loss. This service restores their self-esteem and confidence while enabling them to face their hopes and dreams.

Next time, a "What Not to Wear" dysfunctional style victim whines about cutting their hair, Nick Arrojo should inform them of other's who are not so fortunate and the opportunity to help a worthy cause.

What's on your bookshelf?

I love a GREAT book! I love sharing books with friends and having them tell me about a recent read that moved them. Even today, I found myself in a "book" conversation with one of my best friends. I went down the list of books I looked up regarding dating, uncovering the male thought, and relationships between adult children and their parents. After that conversation I consulted the September 2007 Best Sellers List in Essence Magazine and I noticed something frightening: the non-fiction authors read like a list from People Magazine's Most Influential and I only recognized four of the fiction authors. I believe I have an impressive book collection for someone my age, but viewing that list made me wonder...Who are the literary geniuses of our generation?

Kick it.

What I'm reading now: Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon

Left...Eric Roberson

Those that know me, know that I love Eric Roberson's music! It happened at my Alma mater, Fall 04'. My girl C.D. brought over some Cd's and we listened and drank. The soulful lyrics I heard made my heart and mind drift to past loves (Past Paradise), current flames (Deaf Ears), and future romances (Back to You). That was Presents: The Vault, Vol 1.5. When in Washington D.C. I went to two of his shows and a good friend of mine surprised me with The Appetizer. Instead of satisfying my hunger until the next album dropped, it instead made my hunger for more. Good thing I moved to NYC and was introduced to SOBs where Eric Roberson hosts their Sol Village showcase. Yay!

The intimate environment at this venue allowed me to enjoy the tunes of this independent artist in a totally new light. He not only worked the crowd by mingling with patrons, but we also shared a joking moment when he sat my table and chatted me up. Then, Left...

I purchased the album that night and listened to it on my disc man on the subway. The album took me back to experiencing the love of music (Music), the pleasures of a new relationship with a friend (Been in Love) and the pains of a break-up (Iluv2much), coping with that pain (Pen Just Cries Away), and then emerging from that experience with a greater understanding (Open Your Eyes). It also opened my eyes to the importance of my potential for growth as a young lady (Pretty Girl), in addition to hopes of a new, beautiful relationship (Too Soon). Couldn't Hear Her, Roberson's rendition of The Vault's Couldn't Hear Me, surrounds listeners with a juxtaposition of the original and a new perspective on the fate of a relationship in a symphony of life.

Books: The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho

I bought this book on my way to Washington, D.C. Memorial Day weekend. I'm surprised I was able to put it down to enjoy the company of friends! Finishing before I returned to NYC, I was left amazed by Coelho's powerful novel. In addition to The Alchemist, this novel inspires to pursue passions, purposes, and love deeply.

From Publishers Weekly
Multimillion-seller Coelho (The Devil and Miss Prym, etc.) returns with another uncanny fusion of philosophy, religious miracle and moral parable. The Portobello of the title is London's Portobello Road, where Sherine Khalil, aka Athena, finds the worship meeting she's leading—where she becomes an omniscient goddess named Hagia Sophia—disrupted by a Protestant protest. Framed as a set of interviews conducted with those who knew Athena, who is dead as the book opens, the story recounts her birth in Transylvania to a Gypsy mother, her adoption by wealthy Lebanese Christians; her short, early marriage to a man she meets at a London college (one of the interviewees); her son Viorel's birth; and her stint selling real estate in Dubai. Back in London in the book's second half, Athena learns to harness the powers that have been present but inchoate within her, and the story picks up as she acquires a "teacher" (Deidre O'Neill, aka Edda, another interviewee), then disciples (also interviewed), and speeds toward a spectacular end. Coelho veers between his signature criticism of modern life and the hydra-headed alternative that Athena taps into. Athena's earliest years don't end up having much plot, but the second half's intrigue sustains the book. (May)

Can Hip-Hop culture survive without the N word, the B word, and the H word?

From Yahoo! Group Black on Black Vibe (BOBV):

That seems to be the million-dollar question being asked now that
the Don Imus incident has put the spotlight on the hip-hop and urban
slang vernacular.

Because rappers and rap have been the main vehicles that have
chronicled hip-hop and urban culture, many outside the culture have
only been exposed to the negative lingo within the culture. Those
who live, grow up, and who are the culture know that everyone from
the urban community/culture DO NOT use and/or promote that type of
language.

One person in particular is Randy Kearse Aka Mo Betta, author of,
STREET TALK: Da Official Guide to Hip-Hop & Urban Slangauge. A 700
page lexicon which documents the unique language spoken in the hip-
hop and urban culture.

What makes this one of a kind dictionary/guide so unique is... You
will NOT find the N word, the B word or the H word (used in a way to
degrade women) anywhere in STREET TALK. Once asked in an
interview, "why did you leave these words out of the dictionary when
they're so widely used in the music and culture?" Mo Betta response
was, "just because people use these words fluently doesn't make the
usage right. No matter how you spell a derogatory word, its
derogatory meaning still stays the same."

Mr. Kearse self published STREET TALK in September 2005. Ninety days
later it was picked up by on of the leading independent publishing
houses in the country, Barricade Books Inc. December 2005. STREET
TALK hit stores in winter 2006.

Way ahead of the controversy that surrounds the hip-hop and urban
verbiage today, Randy has compiled the most extensive and authentic
array of hip-hop and urban slang ever as a means to document the
intricate way that people within these cultures communicate.

The answer is.... YES! Hip-Hop can survive without the N word, the B
word, and the H word... STREET TALK: Da Official Guide to Hip-Hop &
Urban Slanguage proves that.

TUNE IN MAY 17th, 11:30pm to the Colbert Report on Comedy Central
and watch Mr. Kearse discuss the intricacies of hip-hop and urban
lingo with host Stephen Colbert

-Randy Kearse

Where's Jill Scott?

Hot Spots & Random Things to Do

1. Moe's Bar (South Portland & Lafayette, BK): A nice little bar in Ft. Green that has an excellent happy hour from 4-7pm: 2 for 1 drafts! And most drafts are $4. That's what I'm talking about! The Juke Box plays some good tunes and the brotha's that come through are chocolaty! Karaoke every Tuesday!
   
2. Salomon's Porch (Stuyvesant Ave & Halsey, BK): Live Jazz on Friday and Saturday nights! A nice ambiance, and the menu is simply okay for my taste. I usually have a drink, appetizer, and soup. The music makes this place a jewel in Bed-Stuy!
3. Night of the Cooker's (Fulton Ave., BK): A young, professional Black crowd that makes a nice meet-up spot for singles. There's also live music!
4. Negril Village (Greenwich Village, Man.): A beautiful spot to eat, groove to music, and meet some beautiful people. Niiiiice!!
5. SOB's (Varick & W. Houston, Man): Another hot spot for live music and great food! I enjoy Wednesday night's Sol Village hosted by Eric Roberson and the Jump n' Funk party with DJ Rich Medina. Their menu also features Latin and Brazilian specialties and great signature drinks.