“You Don’t Embrace Your Black Side!’

Source: Google Images

Source: Google Images

I just so happened to be watching an episode of the Wendy Williams show (I’ve loved her since she was on the air in Philly) and she had Tahj Mowry (Tia and Tamera’s younger brother) as a guest.  Wendy began discussing the issue of his sister being openly ridiculed and verbally attacked for marrying and having a baby with a white man.  Tahj began sharing stories about how his followers on social media reach out to him saying things like “you don’t have any black friends” if he happens to post a photo with only white people.  They even say things like “you don’t embrace your black side” and it shocks him.  He and his sisters are bi-racial, with a black mother and white father.

Source: Google Images

Source: Google Images

I can’t express how disgusted I am that things like this still occur.  Growing up as a mixed kid, I feel his pain.  I was never black enough and I was never Puerto Rican enough…I mean, what is “being black enough”?  Are there certain stereotypical things that I should be doing or is there a certain way that I need to speak in order to be considered black?  CRAZINESS!  It’s so sad that any one person can be placed in a box or expected to “act” a certain way simply because others THINK they should (a total sign of insecurity and ignorance).  If only the world minded their business, lived their own lives and stopped caring about stupid shit, the world MIGHT be a more enjoyable place to live.

First Promo Poster for 50 Shades Revealed!

fifty-shades-of-grey-poster

FINALLY!  There is some headway in the production of Fifty Shades of Grey!  We have been patiently waiting for a sneak peak, a glimpse, even a sign of who was cast as the infamous Mr. Grey!  Well, the lucky man is supposedly Jamie Dornan (pictured below) and the first installment of the trilogy is set to be released on Valentine’s Day 2015.  I am eagerly anticipating all three films as I was a huge fan of E.L. James’ masterpieces.  Here is the hottie, Jamie Dornan!

Source: Google Images

Source: Google Images

Did LUPITA NYONG’O Get the BEYONCÉ Treatment?

Famed actress, Lupita Nyong’o, known for her moving role in 12 Years a Slave, has been the center of a touchy subject.  She recently did a photo shoot with Vanity Fair and they are catching some heat because fans and readers believe that Lupita’s skin was lightened (hence the Beyoncé treatment).  There has always been a stigma when it comes to black skin.  Some act as if dark is not beautiful.  Is this the case with Vanity Fair or was it simply just the way her skin photographed with an all-white background?  Either way, she is beautiful, but I really hope and pray that this was not intentional because that would be just sad.

Lupita on the red carpet:

Source: Google Images
Source: Google Images

Lupita in Vanity Fair:

Source: Vanity Fair
Source: Vanity Fair

Lupita in Vogue:

Source: Vogue
Source: Vogue

Was her skin darkened for this photo shoot with magazine, Dazed and Confused?:

Source: Dazed and Confused
Source: Dazed and Confused
Source: Dazed and Confused
Source: Dazed and Confused

Celebrities Have Big Things Going On Too!

You know my motto…I keep celebrity talk classy!  Here are some big things that are going around in celebrity-ville; check it out:

EVA’s ABOUT TO POP!

Source: Instagram

Source: Instagram

Eva Marcille is pregnant with her first baby with singer and songwriter, Kevin McCall.  She is due any day now and I must say, she is one of the cutest preggers I’ve seen.  She’s been sharing her belly growth on Instagram throughout her entire pregnancy and there’s nothing more beautiful!

Source: Instagram

Source: Instagram

Wishing you the best delivery ever and your latest photo proves that you are ready to pop!

Source: Instagram

Source: Instagram

CASSIE’s EN-WHY2EL-AYE!

In other news, singer and Diddy’s girlfriend, Cassie, is extending her reach into the entertainment world with her brand new fashion partnership with clothing brand, Young & Reckless.  Cassie will be creating her own line, “EN-WHY2EL-AYE” which is a funky derivative of NY to LA.  Some of her pieces incorporate artwork made personally by Cassie herself, which is pretty cool and original.  It’s no secret, she is a beautiful girl, so modeling her own pieces is a no-brainer!  Work it girl!

Cassie-models-for-Young-Reckless

cassie1

Cassie-models-for-Young-Reckless-4

DAY 26 IS BACK!

Remember the Bad Boy group, Day 26?  They made some pretty popular hits, such as Exclusive, and since their abrupt disappearance from the scene, fans have been wanting a return.  Recently, all-female Bad Boy  group, Danity Kane, reunited (minus D. Woods, whose publicist refused to make a statement on the subject) and they are making their way back on the scene.  Therefore, it’s not a surprise that Day 26 followed in their footsteps.  This week, Day 26 will be performing in NYC at SOB on Sunday; details are below.

day26albumx500

Source: Instagram

Source: Instagram

Would You Be Willing to Give Up Everything for Personal Happiness?

We all must walk our own path in life.  No one person in this world can live our life for us.  That means that we all possess an immense amount of power, starting at birth.  However, most don’t even know the tools that they are equipped with to help them on their journey through existence.  Think about even the most basic of tools such as tear ducts.  Who knew that we would have a tiny hole on our bottom lids to release fluids?  When we are upset, hurt, happy, etc. we can release those emotions through tears.  Imagine if you had to keep those emotions inside; how weird or traumatized would our bodies feel?  Let’s take it a step further.  What about our limbs?  We have limbs to help us run, walk, jump, crawl, roll, dive, swim, hike, flip, etc.  In danger, we can move fast.  In competition, we can excel. We are able to work, play and survive.  Humans have intricate organs to keep them alive and healthy and are given the most important muscle of all; a brain.  This isn’t an anatomy class; this is understanding that we have everything we need, to make decisions for ourselves and to work for the things we want in life.  So, why are people stuck in their unhappiness when they can essentially create any situation that they want to be in?

We are attached to personal things and create a false sense of value for ourselves that eventually clouds our judgement.  We work crazy jobs with long hours and unhealthy environments, just to be able to pay bills.  Daily routines are established that produce robots out of people who are meant to be extraordinary.  So, I ask the question again…would you be willing to give up everything for personal happiness?  All of the things and people that you are personally attached to, could you let them go?  Could you jump out in the world with only your God-given tools and make something of yourself?  Instead of working to pay bills, could you work to travel and enjoy life?  True happiness isn’t being able to afford the best things, it’s being able to feel fulfilled without.

I’ve heard this preached to me many times, I’ve read books to explain this concept, I’ve tried to adopt the principles of such a lifestyle.  However, I just never allowed myself to fully live in the premise because I was too attached to what I thought was happiness.  It wasn’t until I lost the “things” that I was attached to, that I began to think in a different way.  All of the attachments I had used to make me feel safe and protected.  I was able to pay rent and bills, I had friends whom I became dependent upon too much, I was comfortable.  My world was shaken when I lost my comfortable job of four years.  I had no clue which way was up and I was devastated.  But, then I realized…it was a sign.  I would have never left my job.  I was good at it, it paid my bills and I had my routine down.  Now, I realize that I was just going through each day with no sense of living in the “now”.  Days, months and even years had passed and I didn’t have much personal happiness to show for all of the time invested.

Fast forward to present day.  I’m in a basic job where I serve.  How much money I make is dependent upon the level of effort that I want to put in.  I don’t work everyday, I pretty much make my own schedule.  I don’t have an apartment anymore that I have to pay an extreme amount of money for.  I have a very tight circle of friends whom I just appreciate for being in my life.  I don’t have it all, but for the first time EVER, I feel so free.  I can pick up and move where I want to, I can take as much time off of work that I want, to just travel and explore, I’m not tied down to material things.  I have so many moments that I didn’t have before.  I don’t just feel happy; I AM happy.  Can you say the same?

“We don’t grow out of comfortable situations…we really start to grow when it’s uncomfortable for us.” ~A Friend

Jay, Thank You for the D.C. Love!

Source: Danithedreamgirl

Source: Danithedreamgirl

I have seen him perform plenty of times and the experience never gets old.  I loooove watching Jay-Z perform.  He goes on stage with no back-up dancers, no hype men, no extras…just himself and a mic and he rocks it every time!  I had a blast and didn’t sit down once last night during the Magna Carta World Tour.  For that, thank you and D.C. appreciated every second of your show!

Source: Danithedreamgirl

Source: Danithedreamgirl

Source: Danithedreamgirl, Nelson Mandela tribute

Source: Danithedreamgirl, Nelson Mandela tribute

Source: Danithedreamgirl

Source: Danithedreamgirl

Source: Danithedreamgirl

Source: Danithedreamgirl

Is J.R. Smith the New A.I.?

Source: Google Images

Source: Google Images

There is nothing sadder and more disappointing than to see an athlete with God-given abilities, waste them without so much as a flinch.  I’m all for living life on the edge and doing things in an unconventional way, but when you are given chance after chance and take that for granted, that’s a problem.  Most young men can only dream of playing in the NBA, so why would anyone not appreciate the chance to live out such an opportunity?  It drives me crazy when I see young (black) athletes living up to the stereotype.

If you have such great skill, why is it necessary to purposely untie the shoe laces on your opponents’ sneakers while your teammate is shooting a free throw?  Why do you need to skip practice to go shopping?  WHY is it necessary to charge $3,000 of room service (that you didn’t even eat) to your team’s bill, only as some sick joke to see if they would keep delivering it.

Source: Google Images

Source: Google Images

It just doesn’t make sense to me!  It’s all too familiar as well.  We’ve seen strange behavior from all-star  athlete, Allen Iverson, when he was in his prime.  A.I. was one of the greatest to play, but his attitude and reputation always preceded him.  From his ball-hogging antics, to his rebellious behavior to organization rules and skipping practices, it almost seems like he has been reincarnated in the league.  What’s even crazier is, Allen Iverson regretted some of those bad decisions and you would think someone like J.R. Smith would want to do it differently.

I hope Smith gets it together before it’s too late.  Otherwise, he’ll just be another talent wasted and ego bruised.  I genuinely hope that he can find his way because the clock is ticking and people are noticing his bad-boy ways.  I’m rooting for him to get it together, quickly!  I like to keep my posts as positive as possible, but to see such behavior is disheartening.  J.R. Smith has a golden opportunity to reach his full potential and enjoy the feeling of being one of the greats, but it is slowly slipping away.

Ciara Addresses Negative Bloggers!

See, I told you that the world is full of negative/gossip bloggers in my post, “Why Don’t I Blog About Gossip More Often?”  Even celebrities are paying attention and fame does not exempt someone from getting their feelings hurt.  Recently, Ciara addressed the negativity surrounding social media, specifically bloggers who are focused on earning money for their harsh stories.  It makes my stomach turn to read some of the trash that gets published, but Ciara proves that I am not the only one who feels this way.  If you are a REAL writer, you don’t always have to rely on putting others down to be noticed!  She states:

Dear Blogger, It’s never worth it in the end when you sell your soul for a quick dollar, by creating bad stories about people. At some point, it will all reverse on you and you’ll end up regretting all the trash you wrote or said about people.

The universal friend “Karma” has demonstrated this over and over again. I strongly encourage you to project more positivity into the universe. If Social Media is a world that’s growing more massive by the day, why not use it to shed light?? Otherwise, you are merely contaminating our universe.
What about your family and kids?? Do you think about them?? You’re definitely creating a harmful and volatile environment where they must learn to live. It’s almost like you are cursing future generations with your bad energy.
Not to mention…Your “Personal Karma”??… Forget about it!
You better start doing some serious praying and rebuking, cause only The Lord knows!…:)

I sure do miss the good ol days when the focus was about the pure creativity of being an artist. Back then there was still some mystery. Social Media Is Beginning To Take Away The Specialness of What That Was, and Is.

Now, Off Blogs. Peaceful Mind. Living In My Happiness. Creativity Only.

Love, C

E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Source: Phillyfandom.com

Source: Phillyfandom.com

Yes indeed, I am a die-hard EAGLES fan!  That means, the Redskins suck, the Giants are fluke winners and the Cowboys are some bitches in my book and I will NEVER cheer for them!  I question a man who cheers for Dallas and I will kick a girl’s ass for cheering for Dallas just because the guys she’s dating is a fan.  I BLEED green and I always will!  I am from PHILLY and rep for my team all-year ’round.  I defend my Eagles and am proud to break out in song when they score (FLYYYY EAGLES FLYYYYY)!

So, now that we are all caught up on which NFL team I root for, it’s time to address all of you bandwagon/division haters out there.  Plain and simple, we were the only team from our division who experienced a playoff game this season and WE ARE the NFC East Champions!  What does this mean?  While your butt was on the couch watching OUR playoff game, you were trying to think of something clever to say in case we didn’t win.  It means that you were all in hiding while we went on to become 10-6 and didn’t resurface until you saw the Saints beat us by 2 points last night.  I am PROUD of my team and when we DO win a Superbowl (because it’s going to happen soon), I want all of you haters to unite so we can give you a stiff middle finger all at once!

CONGRATS to by BIRDS for a great season!!!!!!!!!!!  Keep on flying!!!!