One year of the blogging experience

Wow...it's been exactly a year ago that I decided to start blogging. My decision to blog was due to me being bored with not landing my career job..yet...but at the same time keeping my writing skills fresh. 2010...where do I start...of course at the end of 2009 I expected many great things to occur in the new year, as I currently hope for in 2011...however 2010 was a heck of a ride, mentally, physically AND emotionally. My employer put me through the wringer..in a sense with all of the drama, pay cut, etc. that took place. I found myself in the same position in March 09 in July of 10...unemployed and depending on government assistance. I haven't publicly spoken about it on my social networks, but it has been rough. The more I search for jobs that I know I'm highly qualified for, the more disappointed I become when I get that dreaded email. My health was a major concern in 2010 also. In April, I visited the emergency room to treat a condition known as bronchospasm, which is closely related to asthma. I've never had respiratory problems before, so as one can guess it threw me through a loop. In July, was the most trying time for my health..I had some issues that required surgery and at that moment, I realized just how precious life is, and the choices and mistakes I've made, I have to live with those consequences. I tried to get on a diet...and failed miserably...this is the heaviest I've been in my life, and I was rather disappointed in myself that I didn't have enough discipline to stick with a diet and exercise regiment. I also made the choice to transition my hair from relaxed to natural, currently seven months in, and it has been an empowering experience. Okay enough with that here are some moments of humor and good times during 2010:
#2010moment Seeing Jill Scott, Maxwell, Trey Songz and one of my favorite singers Monica in concert
#2010moment my grandmother and father working together to get my college ring for me
#2010moment my bf buying me my favorite movie Beauty and the Beast on DVD and buying me a figurine to match
#2010moment Enjoying some Southern Hospitality in Virginia
#2010moment seeing my brother graduate from Princeton University
#2010moment spending my birthday with my family

Now onto the humorous moments of 2010

#2010disappointments Tights vs Leggings...some women DON'T know the difference
#2010disappointments women in scarves, bonnets, and pajamas in public...or darn near naked in public
#2010disappointments lace front wigs at an all time high
#2010disappointments Keri Hilson..girl bye
#2010disappointments Passion, Pain & Pleasure album...Mr. Steal Your Girl should have let his Ready album continue to marinate and continue to put out mixtapes
#2010disappointments five star chicks and Barbies
#2010disappointments Soulja Boy Tell 'Em whole music catalog
#2010disappointments "Swagg", hit 'em with the Dougie, and super skinny clothes on men
#2010disappointments Getting drunk, shimmying, picking an argument with my bf at his dinner party
#2010disappointments and the most disappointing moment of them all...my cousin's party where a girl performed oral sex on another girl on the catwalk at Fusion night club.


As 2010 comes to a close in two days I'm again faced with a big decision...but I know ultimately it will be the best decision in the long run..

~L.G.~

For Colored Girls:Too old fashioned for 2010?

The women in the play adaptation of the choreopoem

In order for a proper analysis of the movie to be made, one must read the original choreopoem by author Ntozake Shange. There were two different emotions felt after reading the original work and watching the movie. After I read the book, I felt empowered, but after seeing the movie I felt depressed. I'll begin with the book...we are introduced to seven different women who are only identified by the colors they wear: Lady in Red, Lady in Blue, Lady in Orange, Lady in Brown, Lady in Green, Lady in Purple and Lady in Yellow. The reader learns where they come from, their lives, and what they do to overcome their obstacles in a collection of poems, with monologues, song and dance. The original has been adapted into plays, including a performance at the Broadway theater in 1982 starring unknown actresses at the time Lynn Whitfield and Alfre Woodard and movie directed by Tyler Perry shortening the name to "For Colored Girls".

Terry Perry's work is in modern day New York City, unlike the book first written in 1975. All of the characters live in or around Harlem, in the original work the ladies were all over in Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Baltimore, San Francisco, Manhattan, and St. Louis. Perry incorporated Shange's poetry throughout the movie, at times you couldn't tell the script from the poetry, while other times the transition from the poetry to the script didn't flow. In the movie the women have names unlike the original work. The Lady in Red name is Jo a successful magazine editor, the Lady in Brown is Crystal who is the assistant to Jo, the Lady in Purple  is Nyla a high school graduate and dancer, the Lady in Yellow is Yasmine dance instructor to Nyla, the Lady in Green is Juanita, a nurse who also runs a support group to promote safe sex, the Lady in Blue is Kelly a social worker, and the Lady in Orange is Tangi a bartender and sister to Nyla. Other characters include Gilda the nosy building manager in which the majority of the ladies live, Alice a member of a religious cult and mother of Tangi and Nyla, Rose a back alley abortionist, Beau Willie Crystal's boyfriend and father of her two children Kenya and Kwame, Carl is Jo's husband, Frank is Juanita's boyfriend, Donald is Kelly's husband and Bill casually dates Yasmine.

The movie was a lot to digest in two hours and every emotion was pulled, stretched, and eventually left you drained once leaving out of the theater. The movie dealt with promiscuity, date rape, HIV, pregnancy and abortion, child barren from an untreated STD, physical and emotion abuse, murder, and unfaithfulness in a relationship. The enjoyed the movie, and was thoroughly impressed with Perry's attempt to re-create it for the modern day woman; however, I have a few issues with the characters and movie. Alice was oddly placed in the movie, over the top and at times heartless, Jo's character obviously patterned after Meryl Streep's character from the Devil Wears Prada lacked dimension. Juanita was overdramatic at times, and just plain annoying. The back alley abortinist wasn't modern at all, I imagine in the 70's abortions were very controversial and probably more expensive, so why keep that portion of the play in the movie? Why did Perry have the women refer to themselves as colored women in present day New York City? If Perry was going to keep the dialogue of the choreopoem he should have set the movie in the 70's. The stories of the women are real, and do not discriminate; however, there were no solutions to the issues the women faced in the film. The only positive ending to the film was Nyla going off to college. Overall, the movie is still something that everyone must see...after reading the original work of course.

Donald and Lady in Blue Kelly

Bill and Lady in Yellow Yasmine

Lady in Purple Nyla

Gilda

Lady in Brown Crystal and Beau Willie

Lady in Red Jo

Lady in Green Juanita

Lady in Orange Tangi and Alice

 

 

The cast of For Colored Girls, l to r: Anika Noni Rose, Kerry Washington, Janet Jackson, Kimberly Elise, Phylicia Rashad, Tessa Thompson and Thandie Newton

DSU: A Family Affair Homecoming Wrap-Up

   

Winners of 2010 stepshow

I know this blog is so well overdue but I had to write it. For some apparent reason, when meeting up with alumni; high school and college some form of shade was thrown at me. Umm excuse me did I do or say something wrong to you? Or how about if you didn't like me in school, we're adults now get over it! Good grief, the "shade" factor was no exception at my alma mater's homecoming. I aforementioned in my last post that not too many people seemed enthusiastic about going to HC, many people worked that weekend, or simply did not attend. I made my way to Dover Thursday night, and my friend from NY came down the next day. Friday's events were the step show and the one of two young alumni parties. Blake gave me a shoutout at the step show, and I found it comical that the current student body turned around to look at me as if to say who is this old chick?! The show was just okay..nothing like how it was from years ago...that was my first feeling of I'm getting too old for this stuff. The brothers of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. won their first step show in years, with their Drum line inspired show. The Alphas accused them of swagger jacking some of their moves from a previous step show. The ladies of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. won again this year with their Monster inspired show.(I had problems with uploading the video for Zeta Phi Beta).

Another underlying theme for HC was awkward...there were plenty of awkward moments. The first moment happened at the step show, my friend invited me and another friend to sit in her section with her sorority..There were many evil glares thrown at us, because they knew we weren't Greek. I made up my mind to never put myself in that situation again. The next moment was the addition of two other guests at my friend's home for the weekend. They are her sorors and it is expected that she would open her home to them; however, the two weren't interested in what me and my other friend were conversing about (she's in a sorority too), they were only interested in talking about their organization and brother organization. The young alumni party was cool, there were a lot of familiar faces, not so familiar faces, and did you even graduate faces. Of course Mr. Popularity himself (Mike  Feeney) was there having a good time and taking pics (if you ain't on mfeenz camera then you weren't at HC!).

Saturday we missed the game again, but was happy to hear that they won. My friends and I all went our separate ways once on campus, while I wandered over to the new MLK Center. All I can say is man! These new students are some lucky ducks! How ironic was it that the majority of the Hornet Staff all randomly met up and took some pics in the spot where the Hornet Office used to be located (tears). I eventually wandered off to the plots, and took pictures again. The final awkward moment happened when two of my friends, me and some older Kappas (or Nupes as some are called) took a picture, everyone in the picture threw up their respective organizations sign, and me...none. I'm not Greek and for the older Kappas to look and notice that I didn't hold up a sign was the worse awkward moment of the evening.

The young alumni concert featured DSU's own Amillion Poet's Poetry In Motion and it was wonderful. I was familiar of this young man's talent from a creative writing class we took together. The second opening act was Anonymous Soul and they tore it up! The crowd wasn't really being receptive of them, but from watching a previous performance of their's years ago, they have improved dramatically. The headliner Chrisette Michelle hit the stage and the girl can SANG! Beautiful demeanor and personality and a great sense of humor, Chrisette was the cherry on top of the concerts I've attended this year. On Sunday, my friend and me were contemplating if we would return next year for homecoming or take a break. Still up in the air, one thing is for sure, if we come back next year we'll have a rental and a hotel stay.

~L.G.~


Here's some pics and video from DSU Homecoming 2010-

Waltra, Larissa, Sharita and me

Former SGA President and City Council District 5 hopeful Delano Hunter

The new Martin Luther King Jr. Student Center

Mr. Popularity, former editor-in-chief, current journalist for the New York Times Mike Feeney

Me, Waltra and Brittney

One half of former Hornet Staff: me, Ashlee, Shanequa and Jasmine

Another half of the former Hornet staff- Steve, Jennifer, me, Mike, Chris and Harold

I'm Building Me A Home- DSU Homecoming Preview

Scenes from the movie School Daze

My Alma Mater

One of my favorite movies comes to mind whenever I think about my alma mater's homecoming, "School Daze" comes to mind. The movie's main plot focuses on Mission College's homecoming weekend.When I was in school, homecoming was THE place to showcase your fashion sense, spend money you're refund check money, and get the chance to see the hottest artists at the time perform. I didn't know at the time, that homecoming is meant for alumni to come back to the place where they grew from girls to women and boys to men. Last year was my first time back to DSU after walking in May of 2008. It felt weird being on the other side of the spectrum, as an alumni, after the night's events I didn't have a dorm room to return to, I wasn't able to meet up with my friends from their dorms and apartments to go to the events together with, but I never felt more at home in Dover, DE then what I did last year. Last year's homecoming felt like a big family reunion, yes I speak on Facebook or Twitter with a majority of my friends and associates from school, but there's something about seeing someone face to face as absence makes the heart grow fonder.


Last year was full of some unfortunate events: Missing half of the young alumni party and the "last call for alcohol", the stunt Musiq Soulchild pulled at the Dover Downs doing a concert for a half an hour, I lost money and didn't get a chance to see him perform, the "Moscato bottle", and no tickets for the other alumni party at the Loockerman Exchange left my friends and me salty lol! I started getting excited again about homecoming this year, but others were apathetic, or uninterested in going this year. From the list of events, homecoming clearly isn't the same anymore as far as events for current students, but the heart of events happen on the weekend. I'm proud I'm a hornet, and "I'm so glad I went to DSU..." ~LG~ 
~Part 2 coming next week~

Miss. Residence Life & Miss. NABJ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DSU Homecoming 2006- Mr. & Miss. Hornet Newspaper & Miss. NABJ

Joe and me my freshman year

DSU Homecoming 2007

Dancing With The Stars=Dirty Politics

DWTS back row from left to right David Hasselhoff, Kurt Warner, Kyle Massey, Rick Fox, Hosts Brooke Burke and Tom Bergeron,front from left to right, Brandy, Jennifer Grey, Margaret Cho, Audrina Patridge, Florence Henderson and Bristol Palin. (Not pictured) Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino and Michael Bolton.

First couple eliminated David Hasselhof and Kym Johnson

Second couple eliminated Michael Bolton and Chelsie Hightower

The Dancing With the Stars program is something I started watching off and on in the 8 and 9th season, one reason why I stopped watching is the people I voted for or were pure entertainment were voted off by other viewers, after learning the lineup for Season 11, I didn't want to keep my fingers crossed for a particular couple, only to see them voted off. One thing I noticed is contestants with a formal dance background  don't win the competition, they're usually  the runner-up. This year's celebrites include: R&B singer Brandy, Michael Bolton, David Hasselhoff, America's favorite mom Florence Henderson, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino from Jersey Shore, former NBA player/actor Rick Fox, comedian Margaret Cho, Dirty Dancing's Jennifer Grey, That's So Raven and Cory in the House star Kyle Massey, The Hills Star Audrina Patridge, Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol Palin, and former NFL player Kurt Warner. Each week the couples are paired with dancing pros to deliver either one of these dances" The Cha-Cha- Cha, Quickstep, Jive, Argentine Tango,Charleston, Foxtrot, Jitterbug, Lambada, Lindy Hop, Mambo, Rumba, Samba, Tango, Two-Step, Vienesse Waltz, Paso Doble, Bolero, and Freestyle with the scores ranging from 1-10 for performances, and a total of 30 points overall for the dance. The show is going into week three, and the dances that have already been performed are the Vienesse Waltz, Cha-Cha-Cha, Quickstep, and the Jive.

The performances airs on Monday nights and the results show on Tuesday, which also includes live performances from the professional dancers, and singers.  The first week's couple to be eliminated was David Hasselhof and partner Kym Johnson after receiving tying in third place with the lowest scores alongside The Situation, which the judges were critical of his "club dancing and fist pumping" and Margaret Cho's performance was a "over the top, and they just didn't get it". This week, Michael Bolton and partner Chelsie Hightower's interpretation of the Jive to Elvis Presseley's "Hound Dog" was met with much criticism. Judge Bruno Tonioli stated "That was the worse Jive I've seen in 11 seasons," giving the duo a score of 3. They were ultimately eliminated from the competition with Bolton stating that Tonioli's criticism was disrespectful. So far the duo with the highest scores are Jennifer Grey and partner Derek Hough. During week one's airing of practice, Grey became emotional with the song they were to perform the Vienesse Waltz to, a song from the movie "Dirty Dancing" with co-star the late Patrick Swayze. The performance was so endearing, that judge Carrie Ann Inaba became teary eyed in her critique.

Highest scoring couple for Weeks 1 & 2- Derek Hough and Jennifer Grey

Grey and Hough's performance this week was followed by a total score of 24 was met with boo's from the crowd, and it wasn't determined yet what the boo's were for. Soon after the boo's host Bergeron introduced Sarah Palin. Rumors began swirling around the web, some guessing the boo's were toward Sarah Palin being in the audience, while others and ABC suggested the boo's were for the score of 24 for Grey and Hough, they believed their scores should've been higher. The facts were choppy with ABC claiming it was because of Grey and Hough's score, 24 was the highest score of the evening. Tuesday's night events became even more suspicious when visiting other blogs former season 10 contestant Kate Gosselin emailed family and friends encouraging them to vote for her, and a viewer stating she was trying to vote for Kyle Massey and the recorded voice stated "Thank you for voting for Bristol and Tony," some believe it is a political chess move on Palin's part due to her having a tv show, behind the scenes footage of Bristol's partner visiting the Palin home, attention given to her sitting in the audience, and her possible appearance on season 12 to boost her run for presidency in 2012.

Hmm... I smell some political bs going on. I for one do not want to continue to watch the show, if coverage is going to be given solely to Sarah and Bristol Palin. Also, what are the requirements of being a "Star" on this prgram? Bristol Palin is not a star, she's the single parent of a former Vice-President contender for the 2008 election, in my opinion, reality stars The Situation and Audrina Patridge aren't stars either, but hey, it does make for great entertainment. One person's behavior that surprised me was Brandy, she's whiny, irritating to watch, and she complains too much. I tweeted Tuesday night that if she were eliminated that night, she would probably cry, ugh, I do not vote for her, I'm rooting for Fox and Grey's teams. I believe the producers of DWTS wanted to shake things up by the younger "Stars" being on the show, to draw in younger audiences...the proof is in the pudding with the past two eliminations. Perhaps the most controversial DWTS news is former contestant Mario being arrested Friday for assault against his mother?! What is that all about?
(I didn't continue to follow that story, sorry guys).

Okay, it's the end of week four for the competition. Last week was story telling week, where Audrina Patridge and her partner Tony came in first place, knocking Jennifer and Derek out of the top spot into second place, and Brandy n Maks finishing in third. Last week's couples in the bottom were The Situation and Karina, Maragret Cho and Louie Van Amstel, and Bristol and Mark. Ultimately, the couple eliminated was Maragret Cho and her partner Louie Van Amstel after their Cha Cha Cha to "Coppacabana" dressed in colors of the rainbow,Maragret stated thy decided to bring awareness to the recent string of suicide with gay young adults.

This week, was Acoustic Week  with Jennifer and Derek reclaiming the top spot with their rendition of the Aregentine Tango, the bottom couples were again the Situation and Karina, Bristol and Mark, and Ana and Kurt. Sadly, The Situation's slow improvement with his dancing went unnoticed with his fans and the two were voted off of the show.

Okay, I haven't been keeping up with this blog entry and I apologize, after some upsets of couples going home, Bristol Palin is still holding on. Following The Situation and Karina's departure from the show, Florence Henderson and Corky were the next couple to be eliminated. I was a little bit disappointed with her elimination, especially after she danced according to the judges, her best dance yet. Unfortunately, there weren't enough votes to keep her on the show. The next week, was rock week where Audrina and Tony were at the top of the leader board, second was Brandy, and Jennifer and Derek landed in the middle after several missteps and stumbles during their Paso Doble. Audrina and Tony received their best scores yet, but shockingly were the next couple to be voted off. I thought with Bristol's inconsistency in her performances, she would be sent home, but to no avail "Bristol the Pistol" was safe for another week.

 Last week's show celebrated Dancing With The Stars 200th episode with many musical guests and appearances from former contestants, runner-up, and winners of the competition. The show began with a group dance for former DWTS winners Kristi Yamaguchi and Apolo Ohno serving as team captains. Both groups did extremely well; however, there were missteps from both groups, with Team Apolo receiving the higher scores. The best performances of the evening was Rick and Cheryl, Kyle and Lacey, Brandy and Maks, and Derek and Jennifer redeemed themselves with their Tango. Rick and Cheryl received their highest scores of the season, but after an awkward clip of the two practicing with Rick's girlfriend Eliza Dushku in tow, and Kyle and Lacey joining them in the bottom two, Rick and Cheryl were sent home. Either the judges were great actors, or they truly did not know that Rick and Cheryl were next to receive the axe.

I find it amazing that Bristol is still a contestant on the show. Most of the message boards have viewers explaining their reasoning for voting for Bristol and Mark. "She's doing well for someone with no prior dance experience...I love her personality and she's refreshing to watch...I'm tired of all of the complaining Jennifer is doing and Derek is too arrogant...," and so forth and so on.There's no way to sugar coat the truth...she can't dance...I feel bad for Mark because he's an excellent dancer, and he's in my opinion, the only reason why Bristol is on the show from his loyal fans. How ironic is it that tonight's instant dance had Bristol dancing better than before...hmm...something tells me she won't be sent home tomorrow, while another great dancer gets the boot.

Tonight's results show called for the encore of Kyle and Lacey's Jive to Little Richard's "Good Golly, Ole Molly," which was the most entertaining dance of last night. I was elated that they were the first couple announced to be safe from elimination. I put my votes into overdrive for these two since Rick and Cheryl were sent home last week. Highlights from Jennifer and Derek's Rumba last night showed that the choreography was simplistic;however, nonetheless, the dance was well preformed. The couple received a score of 30 last night and were the next couple safe from elimination. Kurt and Anna danced a Cha Cha Cha that showed Kurt's improvement on the dance floor, I studied his facial expressions, and through the smiles he looked worried that he would be the next star eliminated. Last night, Bristol and Mark performed an Argentine Tango that was their best performance yet; however, there were still missteps and times you could tell she lost her steps. Their Cha Cha Cha was uninspiring to say the least, a lot of shoulder shaking which any "dancer" can do. Brandy and Maks continue to go neck and neck on the leaderboard with Jennifer and Derek. Their Instant Dance was heavily criticized by judge Carrie Ann, and showed an indignant side of Maks. Brandy looked like a deer caught in headlights. Bristol and Mark were the next couple to be safe from elimination. I say it every week, this girl can not dance, and people are voting for her because she's supposed to be the most improved dancer? Over Kurt Warner? I don't think so. Once Rick was sent home last week, I knew it was going to be a miracle if Kurt continued on in the competition, but I held on to the shred of hope that people would clean their glasses in a sense to stop voting for Bristol. Sadly, Kurt and Anna were sent home tonight.

So the semi-finalists are Brandy and Maks, Bristol and Mark, Jennifer and Derek, and Kyle and Lacey. This is my prediction of the finals: Brandy and Maks winner, Jennifer and Derek runner-up, and Kyle and Lacey third place or Kyle and Lacey winners, Jennifer and Derek runner-up, Brandy and Maks third place. It would be so unfortunate to me as a fan of the show if the finals are read like this: Bristol and Mark winner, Brandy and Maks runner-up, and Jennifer and Derek third place or Brandy and Maks winner, Bristol and Mark runner-up, and Kyle and Lacey third place. If Bristol wins this competition, I will NOT watch this show anymore.
Sorry this is a week late, but this was the final results of the Season 11 of DWTS. Unfortunately I missed the results show for the semi-finalists, but it didn't take long until I hit my unofficial source for news twitter, to read that Brandy and Maks were eliminated. This came as a huge shock to me, Brandy hands down was one of the best performers on the show, and I was certain that she would have a spot in the finals. I was baffled at how she could be at the top of the leaderboard consistently but is sent home after performing her best dances of the season. Low votes from the viewers? Hmmm....the plot continued to thicken, there was no doubt in my mind that something wasn't right with those results.

When last Monday's two part episode finally aired, my hunch was correct. After watching both Kyle and Jennifer perform, I started my phone votes. I was only able to get two calls in and could not get through again until phone voting for my time zone expired. My next step was to vote online, the site either crashed or there was a serious overload on abc.com website. My votes continued via the web last Tuesday morning. I missed the first half hour of the results show, but saw that all of the seasons contestants came back to perform their last dance. The final dance of the evening from the three finalists: Bristol and Mark, Kyle and Lacey, and Jennifer and Derek was the Cha Cha Cha.

Although the judges have critiqued Kyle on his lack of footwork, both he and Lacey put on a great performance, this was also the best overall performance of Bristol Palin, often times she would miss steps and was critiqued for lack of emotion in her face, she did a great job, although I grew tired of seeing her "shimmy" her shoulders every week. Jennifer and Derek performed a near perfect performance, with all of her injuries it was clear that Derek's choreography was on the simple side. I was nervous and on the edge of my seat to hear the two finalists. Although Bristol and Mark received low scores since the beginning of the competition, viewers votes and "the tea party," and mother Sarah Palin played a significant role in Bristol still being in the competition. It was announced Bristol and Mark were eliminated and I sighed a sigh of relief. It didn't come much of a surprise that the winners were Jennifer and Derek. Although Kyle made it to the finals and was made popular from shows on the Disney channel, Jennifer Grey's movie Dirty Dancing is a cult classic, and Kyle simply couldn't compete with her legions of fans.

Okay here's my wrap-up of this season 11. David Hasslehoff and Michael Bolton, although eye candy for women 40+, the younger viewers aren't really familiar with the two to keep them in the competition. Maragret Cho's comic relief may not have been suitable for network television. I believe her biggest mistake was dedicating her performance to the suicides of gay young men and women, more conservative viewers may not have particularly cared for her personal views and that's why she was eliminated. The Situation couldn't dance at all, slew footed and pigeon toed made for a bad "situation" on the dance floor. Although he's a reality tv celebrity, he didn't generate enough fans voting to keep him in the competition.

Florence Henderson (Carol Brady) was a joy to watch, especially for the Brady Bunch fans. Her age may have played a factor in her elimination, especially with the lack of voting from younger viewers. The first shocker of the season was the elimination of Audrina Patridge and Tony. Considering how well she was doing in the competition, Tony was paired with a better partner this season (last season his partner was Kate Gosselin), the low votes came as a surprise, with the success of The Hills for the younger viewers. Perhaps, Audrina was lacking votes from older viewers. The eye candy of the season was undoubtedly Rick Fox and Kurt Warner.

The second shock of the season was Rick Fox and Cheryl Burke's elimination. A clip of Rick's girlfriend Eliza jumping on Rick and the two of them galloping around was awkward for Cheryl and for viewers. There was a lot of sexual innuendos in their behavior, and may have not sat too well with older viewers, and fans of Desperate Housewives (ex-wife Vanessa Williams is now a cast member). Kurt was critiqued harshly by judge Len Goodman throughout the competition, and although former contestant and retired football player Warren Sapp won the competition a few years back, the former athletes weren't successful on this season.

I couldn't quite put my finger on Brandy's elimination especially since she was doing so well, as I aforementioned earlier, and people posting on the message board further stirred my apprehension of the voting process, some couldn't get through on the phones, while other stated she was eliminated for her bad attitude and Maks was responsible for them being eliminated with his verbal altercation with judge Carrie Ann Inaba. I didn't see an attitude from her, she was more so annoying but humbled by her experience on the show, and wanting to win for her daughter and build up her confidence from her current stalled career. Bristol was just a bad dancer, and it made me angry that better performers were being eliminated while she stayed in the competition. I believe that ABC magically changed the final results to keep the integrity of the show intact. Although Kyle was a great performer who bought excitement to the competition, but he wasn't competition for Jennifer and Derek, making her win very predictable. The finals would've been interesting if Audrina and Brandy made it to the finals because the three of them were the best performers of the season, then Jennifer would've had direct competition.

Brandy and Maks eliminated in the semi-finals

Bristol and Mark eliminated in the finals coming in third place

Kyle and Lacey runner-up

Jennifer and Derek winners of season 11 DWTS

~L.G.~

(Information and photos compiled from ABC.com)

~Next blog entry for this month- Delaware State University's Homecoming preview~

Living A Healther Lifestyle

Coming up, I went through and awkward stage, then I began to appreciate my looks, but deep down inside, there was still some level of insecurity about the way I looked. At 16 years old, I wore a pair of shorts after getting off from work at my first job McDonald's. I thought I looked good in them but one of my co-workers thought otherwise. "I thought you had a banging body, but when I saw you in those shorts, I changed my mind." That crushed my confidence so much that I haven't worn shorts in public in 10 years. After my first semester at Delaware State University, I was riding SEPTA and saw a guy I was crushing on in high school. We conversed for a bit on the bus until he said "Tia in high school you were the truth, but now I don't know." Again talk about a blow to my confidence. I was about 150 lbs during my senior year of high school, once I discovered how nasty the food was in Conrad cafeteria, I lost 25 pounds in one semester, the smallest I had ever been since junior high school. Throughout undergrad, my weight began to fluctuate while I still had that nagging insecurity worrying about my weight, and the physical changes happening to my body. Once I settled into a serious relationship, I began to become content with the way I looked. Then from March 2009, I began to experience a lot of stress, worry, doubt and personals struggles, that made me pack on the pounds. Although I wasn't eating everything in site, my inactivity from lack of exercise contributed to it. i began to have some physical problems, and took a look in the mirror and didn't like what I saw. After looking for a dress for homecoming and realizing that some manufacturers purposely make hideous clothes for "plus size women" and looking at pictures from my family reunion, I knew that enough was enough, I had to lose weight. A friend of ours told us about the HCG Diet where you can only consume 500 calories a day. It sounds risky, but my friend saw positive results. The diet consisted of one Grisini breadstick or one piece of melba toast, greens, spinach, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, 3 oz portions of either chicken breast, crab, lobster, shrimp, fresh white fish, or lean beef, no sugar, no dairy, tea, coffee or water for breakfast, and apple, orange, or half a grapefruit, and 10-15 HCG drops three times a day, a half hour before each meal.  So for the next month I will be on a diet. Starting yesterday September 6, I weighed in at 201.5 lbs.  I will weigh myself every week and take pictures of my process. I'm determined to live a healthier lifestyle to not concern myself with other people's perception of me, but it ultimately do what's best for me. Stay tuned folks

Monday September 13, 2010
Okay, so this technically would've been the first week since I've been on the diet, but the temptation of desserts and my cousin's end of the summer cookout was too much for me to handle. By Saturday I was cranky, hungry and had a headache, which ironically are some "symptoms" of the diet. When discussing the diet with my family and friends they said it sounds like a plan, but when I said I could only consume 500 calories a day, they looked at me like I had two heads. Long story short, I broke and ate more real food. The drops takes a total of three days to be flushed out of my system, and after doing further research on diets, that one in particular wasn't the right one for me for two reasons: one it's dangerous to only consume that little bit of calories a day, second, for the "seven pounds" that I lost were all fluids...I actually only lost one pound. Talk about disappointing. I did my research on other diets that would not deprive me of food, and have now narrowed it down to three choices: Weight Watchers, The Fat Smash Diet, healthier foods with smaller portions 4-6 times a day with an exercise regiment. Once I've made a decision, I'll continue to update. Stay tuned. 

January 18, 2011
It's a new year, and my boyfriend and myself have decided to either cut back on certain foods or cut certain foods out of our diets altogether. Before the end of 2010, I decided not to eat pork anymore. This wasn't hard for me to do since I've only eaten pork for five years. The beginning of this year, I've also decided to cut beef out of my diet, cut back on fried foods, eat more fruit, drink more water and natural fruit juices, take my vitamins regularly and eat almonds. I read almonds are healthy for your skin if eaten in moderation. I haven't developed an exercise regiment as of yet; however, I do praise dancing in church every Sunday and I just started pole dancing lessons last week, which requires great upper body strength, tight abs and strong legs. I decided on a whim to step on the scale to see if I gained weight over the holiday season. When I stepped on the scale I was surprised to see my weight at 185.5, I lost about 15 pounds. I don't know exactly how it happened, but I hope to continue to lose weight and inches for a healthier me.

Passion, Pain and Pleasure Tour Meets Philadelphia

August 25, 2010 not only was the nine year anniversary of singer/actress Aaliyah's death, it also was the night veteran artist Monica and Trey Songz visited the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, PA to give the mostly young crowd of teenage girls an unforgettable night. The show's opening act was So, So Def recording artist Dondria. Dondria's singing a few of her songs off of her recently released album, Dondria finished her brief set with her single "Your The One" the crowd anxiously waiting to see the main attraction. Monica dressed in all black entered the stage singing the title track from her album "Still Standing". Monica sang songs from multiple albums, mostly her hit singles, "Don't Take It Person (Just One of Dem Days), Before You Walk Out of My Life,and Angel of Mine," While singing "Angel Of Mine" she admittedly forgot some of the lyrics. "I truly apologize y'all, I have two kids; a two-years-old and a five-year-old, and an album out, I wrote this song when I was 14 years old, please forgive me for forgetting the lyrics." After a quick costume change she stated this portion of the show was about relationships. Some good ones, some bad ones, and some stank relationships. Monica continued with her set singing, "So Gone, Love All Over Me, which she stopped and began singing one of her childhood idols Whitney Houston's classic "I Have Nothing". Monica finished with a melody of more of her singles, "Why I Love You So Much, You Should've Known Better, The First Night, Here I Am," and closed out her set with "Everything to Me." Throughout her set, she repeatedly thanked her fans for supporting her throughout her 16 year career.

After an intermission and the stage being prepared for the headliner Trey Songz, screams of admiration rang clear in the Tower Theater, the self proclaimed "Prince of VA" was set to hit the stage. Trey Songz started his set off with "Invented Sex," certain portions of the concert was hard to hear with the excessive screams from the crowd. Trey sang songs mostly from his last two albums, "I Need A Girl, I Can't Help But Wait, Last Time, Ready To Make Luv." As he prepared to began singing "Jupiter Love," he stated it was getting hot in there, and began loosening his tie, he stooped down to a young lady in the front row, she proceeded to taking his tie off, and he gave her a kiss. Trey began talking about crossing the fine line between being friends and lovers, some can turn into good relationships, while others can become f----d up.  Trey sang one of his new singles off his forthcoming album "We Can't Be Friends," in the middle of his song he stated, "Certain relationships should never be broken, some should stay together forever." Trey sang Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" before taking a brief intermission.






Trey continued the second part of his show with "Black Roses and "One Love" before going into the second verse, the crowd finished the lyrics for him. "In the two, three weeks I've been touring, that has never happened." Trey quickly went back to singing the song. Next, he sung another new single "Love Faces," and decided he was going to pick a young lady out of the crowd to give a massage. This has become a regular part of his show since on tour. Once he found a young lady, complete with massage oil, he massaged her back while kissing her on her neck, grinding on her, hugging and caressing her. After his mini show, he went into "Panty Droppa, and Neighbors Know My Name, while simulating sexual positions. A brief incident occurred where a young man tried to jump on stage, only to be escorted out by security. It was unclear what his intentions were for doing so, one can only assume it was to start trouble. Trey finished his set with "Bottoms Up, and Say Ahh." Trey thanked everyone for their support on his first headlining tour and to pick up his new album "Passion, Pain and Pleasure" due in stores and iTunes September 14. Monica showcased true talent and in return her fans should her the dedication she appreciated throughout her career. Trey Songz has made a name for himself in his albums, mixtapes, and collaborations the past two summers. Although he hasn't yet reached superstardom, he his well on his way to proving he can hold his own in competitive world of R&B. ~L.G.~

BET Awards Rights A Wrong

As BET celebrated 10 years of the BET awards show last night, I reflected on how much the station has declined in those past 10 years in my opinion. I charged my phone's battery so I could tweet during the show.This year, Queen Latifah was the host and her lackluster jokes and many skits just weren't...funny to me, she was trying too hard. I missed the first few minutes of Kanye West's opening performance of his newest single "Power" . I couldn't gather if that was a chain or a dinner plate he had around his neck. It was apparent after keeping a low-profile from the Taylor Swift interruption, Kanye was trying to get his mojo back. More strange things unfolded as the night progressed. Jada Pinkett-Smith rocked a braided mohawk, presented the award for best Female Artist the recipient was Alicia Keys...four months pregnant Ms. Keys seemed surprised she won. Soon following her win, Ms. Keys took the stage the first of two performances performing songs off her latest release "The Element of Freedom" During her performance of "If I Ain't Got You", she bought out gospel singer Kim Burell. Many people had no idea who she was, as her joining her on stage was rather awkward. I've had much to say about her courtship with producer/sometimes rapper Swizz Beatz, some of my male friends on twitter debated back and forth with me about Ms. Keys and Swizzy but hey my opinion is my opinion. I re-tweeted this tweet of my friend's as the hook, line and sinker...( RT @BlkSportsOnline People love Alicia Keys hate Beyonce. Beyonce married. AK took a chick husband and knocked up. #hypocriticalabit about 15 hours ago via Touiteur) . 

              









   The next award recipient was Young Money as Nicki Minaj delivered the acceptance speech rocking a Ronald McDonald/Wilma Flintstone wig with a wedding gown. Some of my twitter friends called her the Bride of Chucky lol! I'll highlight a few things from the show that I liked. Monica although her choice of wardrobe was questionable (Batwoman) I did enjoy her performance of "Everything To Me" Ms. Arnold bought Deniece Williams who sang her 80's classic "Silly" the song Monica sampled for her hit single. 

Nia Long and Larenz Tate performed a brief skit from the movie "Love Jones" . Twitter was blasting Larenz Tate...(*DEAD* RT @BrookeAshley247 Larenz Tate should remember all his lines from Love Jones...I don't think he's been in a movie sense. about 16 hours ago via web) Umm hello did people forget that he was in "Biker Boys", Ashanti's "Rain On Me" video, "Crash" and 'Waist Deep?" 

Tyrese one of my favorite performers of the evening, paid tribute to his musical idol Teddy Pendergrass who passed earlier this year, singing a melody of the Mr. Pendergrass' songs "Come and Go With Me", "Close The Door" and "Turn Off the Lights", Tyrese later tweeted about his experience on stage. 












Usher performed "There's Goes My Baby" and Trey Songz performed "Yo Side Of the Bed" blending in Prince's "Purple Rain" which some thought was actually the tribute to this year's Lifetime Achievement recipient. Diddy-Dirty Money's performance was pretty good although the strobe lights hurt my eyes for the rest of the evening, I'm still trying to recover from it smh...Diddy spoke his success into existence ten years from now, we'll still be on top, and he is, even with 20-year-old dance moves. Kirk Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Karen Clark Sheard, Kim Burell, Fred Hammond and Yolanda Adams performed their tribute song "Are You Listening: A Love Song For Haiti" which some of my followers felt was another awkward moment in the show.

After the train wreck of last year's Michael Jackson tribute throughout the length of the show I was anxious to see who they would have perform a tribute to the greatest entertainer of my generation. Jermaine Jackson thanked the fans for their support of the Jackson family as they grieved the death of Michael Jackson, Jermaine didn't know who was performing as his introduction was yet another awkward moment in the show. The performer of the tribute was now other than Chris Brown. C Breezy obviously studied the moves, thrusts and agility of MJ as his dancing closely paralleled Mr. Jackson. I had my reservations about Breezy performing last year due to my favoritism of Usher, but Breezy single handedly killed that performance. Complete with glow in the dark hats and suits during the performance of "Smooth Criminal" America and the twitter community witnessed a historical performance. When it was time to sing "Man In the Mirror" Brown couldn't hold back the tears as the message in the song spoke volumes. Just two years before Brown was on top of the world, winning the best male R&B Artist that was totally blotted out by that ugly incident last February involving then girlfriend Rihanna. Many blasted Brown for pulling a publicity stunt, some thought he was crying over that situation from last year, while the legions of his fans knew the real reason behind those tears.

This 21-year-old man was allegedly banned from participating in any tributes for the King Of Pop, radio stations stopped playing his music, his album sales didn't match the success of his last two albums, forcing him to do mixtapes Brezzy is cryin' cuz of errthng he went thru. Almost lost his career,freedom &he FINALLY got 2 perform the tribute he shld had did 1 yr ago about 15 hours ago via Echofon....Chris brown lost EVERYTHING. This is his 2nd chance and on an emotional song he cried. Don't throw stones unless ur perfect about 15 hours ago via Echofon...) 

The two final performances I enjoyed most was the tribute to Prince and El DeBarge. Janelle Monae, another new artist, Alicia Keys and Patti LaBelle all performed. I couldn't gather why a tribute done by all women and not one man came to mind to do one of his songs? Alicia Keys' performed Prince's "I Adore"  which was pretty good followed by her crawling across the piano which warranted a safety issue and a perplexed expression on Prince's face. Not to be outdone by the younger pack of singers, Patti LaBelle performed a stirring rendition of "Purple Rain" kicking off her shoes in true Patti style, receiving a standing ovation by Mr. Prince Rogers Nelson himself. Many tweeted about his flawless hair, outlandish wardrobe, his mesmerizing eyes and his sexuality for the remainder of the show.  Mr. DeBarge with his golden voice still proved he has it. Performing a melody of his hits as well as songs from the group DeBarge I wondered to myself if he either had an album coming out soon or if BET gave him a reality show like so many others on the network.













There were more awkward moments some of the newer artists performances were cut short by commercial breaks, and announcement of award recipients not shown during the show, I figured they must have been pressed for time. So here's a list of all the winners of the evening: 

Video Of the Year- Beyonce' feat. Lady Gaga "Video Phone


Best International Act - Dizzee Rascal

Best Actor - Idris Elba

Best Movie – “Precious”

 Video Director of the Year - Hype Williams

Best Collaboration - Jay-Z & Alicia Keys

YoungStars Award - KeKe Palmer

 Best Actress – Mo’Nique

Best Female R&B Artist - Alicia Keys

Best Group - Young Money

Humanitarian Award Recipient - John Legend

Best Male R&B Artist - Trey Songz

Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient: Prince

Best Gospel - Marvin Sapp

Subway Sportswoman of the Year - Serena Williams

Subway Sportsman of the Year - LeBron James

Best New Artist - Nicki Minaj

Fandom Award- Chris Brown

Viewer's Choice Award- Rihanna feat. Young Jeezy "Go Hard"

List of winners compiled by BET.com
Pictures compiled by Google image search




 
 

Jill Scott and Maxwell- One Night Only

A few months ago, my brother called to tell me he bought tickets for us to see Jill Scott and Maxwell in concert during my birthday month. I was excited, being a fan of both artists music, so I looked forward to the day approaching. A short stint in traffic had my brother and me worried we would miss the beginning of Jill's performance. After hiding my camera which I didn't have to do since no one checked my bag just my ticket, we were relieved to see Guy Torry as the opening act. We soon learned we didn't miss much with him being on stage 1) He shouted out Kobe Bryant when the vast majority of Philadelphia doesn't like or claim Bryant as a Philadelphian 2) He dissed our home team the 76'ers saying we were mad they continue to lose games. I wouldn't have been surprised if someone would have jumped him on stage, being as though we are deemed the worse fans in all sports. Less than 10 minutes later, the show began with shadow dancers doing there thing, the band setting the crowd's atmosphere, the background dancers adorned in Adidas rocking to the beat, and then enters Philly's own Jill Scott. Dressed in an Adidas jacket, rocking Gazelle sunglasses, her signature Afro, sparkly tights and some hot shoes she began her set with "Gimme" and quickly went through a catalog of her hits from all three albums: "The Real Thing", "Insomnia","Whatever", "It's Love","Come See Me", "He Loves Me", "Not Like Crazy","Crown Royal", "A Long Walk" her new single "I Love You" and finished her set with "Hate On Me" followed by Ms. Scott chanting "North Philly's in the house", and striking a b-boy stance as a message to all the haters.
 During her set Ms. Scott made her fans feel like she was a close friend, she wasn't afraid to show her vulnerability in love and life, she also spoke on being hurt in a relationship, and surprisingly her messing up in a relationship. She made her fans laugh telling the all too familiar tale of conflict between your head and your privates; a man that's good for pleasure, who sends a tingling up your spine, but gives you grief with their irresponsibility. Before exiting the stage she thanked Philly for all their love and support, for accepting her as she is in the fickle music business that prefers a slimmer, half naked woman, instead of a woman who's a little thicker in the waist and chooses to wear clothes that leaves something to the imagination. "Thank you Philly for allowing me to be...human. Thank for letting me go to market to buy groceries, thank you for allowing me to take my son to the park, Philly is my safe haven." She finished her set telling the ladies to get ready for Maxwell "He's even sexier in person" which was met by screams from women.

After a brief intermission, Maxwell entered the stage dressed in a gray suit and a pair of sunglasses. It didn't take long for women to begin rushing the stage, screaming, and reaching out to touch his hand. Some women even threw their panties on the stage, and gave him a card. Maxwell stated  per her fans request, he was going to do a mix of his old and newer songs. He went into a a string of his hits and some album favorites of fans "Sumthin', Sumthin'", "Ascension (Don't Ever Wonder)", "Bad Habits", "Fistful Of Tears", "Stop The World", "Cold", "Fortunate", "Reunion", "'Til The Cops Come Knocking", and the Isley Brothers "Don't Say Goodnight" While watching Maxwell perform, I finally understood how older women felt seeing people like Teddy Pendergrass and Marvin Gaye in concert. Maxwell has all the makings of the perfect man: he's handsome, immaculate style, a beautiful smile, talented performer and a great sense of humor. "I smell that good stuff, y'all smoking at my show? Where's the connect at...it smells like badussy in here...but that's not what it's about tonight it's about love...I know a lot of you fellows don't wanna be here, but after tonight she'll give you some." much to the laughter of the crowd. Maxwell finished his set with "Pretty Wings" or "Wangs" as he sings.
  Overall, the show was more than I expected these two performers don't get half the credit they deserve, they have more than studio voices, the can sing, they can rock to the beat, they can open up and relate to their fans on levels not yet achieved by other artists. I hope I get the opportunity two see these two again in concert...again...for one night only.


Here's some video from the concert: