Review: The MTV VMAs

I really don't have much to say about the VMAs so I'm gonna try to make this as brief as possible. There was a lot of good and bad with this year's show, mostly bad. From the ridiculous wardrobe choices to the decision not to have a host, there was a lot going on. As far as the actual awards I really didn't pay much attention because MTV is such a joke that there's really no point in taking them seriously. I mean, they don't even play music videos anymore so who would take them seriously? Also, these days most awards shows are more of a popularity contest rather than an accurate judgment of talent. But I digress.

Let me start with the stuff I hated. Nicki Minaj's outfit, Katy Perry's multiple outfits and whatever it is that Lady Gaga did. That performance was mediocre at best and I feel like she kept up the whole dude act for entirely too long. One segment would have been more than enough. Also, I didn't find Kevin Hart to be that funny as the non-host of the evening and the dry audience didn't help matters.

About those so called "tributes" to Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears? Stop. Seriously, MTV just needs to stop. The Amy tribute was lame and very forgettable. But Britney? The fact that MTV turned Britney's moment into her pimping Beyonce was just ridiculous. Don't get me wrong, I love Bey but I don't think she should have had to combine her vanguard award win with announcing Bey's performance. I also felt that Gaga in drag took away from her moment as well. It was all so unnecessary.

Now for the performances. Gaga opening was, meh. Adele was nice and simple but I kind of wish she sang a different song but whatever. The Jay-Z and Kanye performance looked like someone just ran up to them in the audience and asked them to jump on stage real quick. Clearly it was thrown together last minute. One of the highlights for me was Jessie J rocking out in the chair with a cast on. She has a great voice and hopefully will get more recognition soon. I also love that she sang Firework better than Katy Perry ever did. That random new rock group performance? Whatever. The Britney dancers were cool and Bruno Mars was decent but nothing to get excited about. Lil' Wayne closing the show was disappointing at best. Those zebra print jeggings hanging off his ass while he ran around the stage looking crazy was just outrageous. Have SEVERAL seats sir. Chris Brown was just.....I mean, the dancing was good but the LEAST he could have done was pretend to sing in the microphone.

In my opinion, the best performance/moment of the night was Beyonce. For starters, Love on Top is one of my favorite songs from '4' so I was already happy when she started singing that. The performance wasn't too over the top and crazy, it was just enough. And of course showing off her baby bump and the end was cute then Jay and Kanye's reactions in the audience made it even better. LOVED the sexual chocolate microphone drop by the way.

Other than that, I really don't have much to say about the show. Overall, it was decent enough for what it was and as usual the Twitter commentary was more entertaining than the actual show.

2 Weeks in Europe Taught Me...

Here's a list of things, in no particular order, that I learned while in Europe this summer:

• NYC drivers are nothing compared to drivers in Italy....those people are INSANE
• Olive oil and bread is the best pre-dinner snack EVER
• Bread for breakfast every day is enough to make you crazy
• I need to learn another language (I can't tell you how difficult it was to communicate in countries where most people don't speak English....especially in Italy)
• Romanians are known to be pickpockets (who knew?)
• Old Gypsy ladies go HARD trying to get your money
• People with body odor shouldn't even be allowed on the subway platform much less on the actual subway, or Metro if you like.
• Snails are surprisingly tasty
• Currency conversion is the devil
• What looks like a sidewalk is actually a street; learned that the hard way....smh
• Starbucks is literally EVERYWHERE
• Europe has a totally different breed of homeless people (we saw a man with no arms O_O)

I'm sure there's lots of other things that I just can't think of at the moment. I may add to this in the future.

Stuff I Like: Commercials

Yes, I like commercials. Many of them are quite amusing and memorable. One that stands out in recent history is of the course the Betty White Snickers commercial. Good stuff. But now there's another commercial I really like. It's the newest Summer's Eve commercial. Have you seen it? It starts off talking about some mysterious thing that has all this power and is probably the most powerful thing in the world. In the end the powerful thing is revealed to be the vagina. Then it ends with 'Hail to the V' which I think is hilarious however according to YouTube comments some feminists disagree. Go figure. Anyway, check it out if you haven't already.

Where Are All the Black TV Dramas?

A reasonable question don't you think?

Recently I was thinking about TV shows, black shows in particular and it dawned on me that there really aren't many successful, long running Black TV dramas. Sure there's plenty of other television dramas that feature one or two black characters as a part of the primary cast but it's not really the same. Then you look at the other side at comedies. There's been a TON of black comedies. Quick, name all the black COMEDIES you can think of! GO!

• Martin
• The Cosby Show
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
• The Jeffersons
• Good Times
• Family Matters
• The Jamie Foxx Show
• Sister, Sister
• The Hugleys
•  My Wife and Kids
• Everybody Hates Chris
• Sanford and Son
• Eve
• Girlfriends
• The Game
• Those Tyler Perry shows
• Half & Half

I could go on forever baby! (dig the Home Alone 2 reference). Now let's try the same thing with black television DRAMAS.

• Lincoln Heights
• Umm.....
• Hmm....
• *Crickets*

Now if you're anything like me, the only relatively recent black tv drama you could think of is Lincoln Heights. Even that took me a good 10 minutes to remember. So I ask, where are all the black television dramas? Why aren't there more of them? Is it that "the man" is only willing to accept us if we're shucking and jiving and making him laugh? Is there really no genuine interest in this particular type of television series? What's the problem? Do you know, because I just don't get it.

After doing admittedly MINIMAL research on black television dramas of the past I was able to find a pretty decent list of them on Wikipedia. Two problems with that. One, most of the shows I've never heard of in my life and some I would consider comedies rather than dramas. Two, it's Wikipedia. Need I say more?

Some of the shows I found included Lincoln Heights that I mentioned before and also the show Roc but I remember that being a comedy. The reasoning was that at some point the show started taking a more serious turn so it was considered a drama but I disagree. Also included was In the Heat of the Night which my mom used to watch but the only people I remember are Carol O'Connor as the sheriff, a black cop named Vergil and that skinny black lady who was on In Living Color. There's also Hawthorne with Jada Pinkett-Smith which I totally forgot about even though I watch it religiously. Other more familiar shows listed were New York Undercover, Oz, Noah's Arc, Soul Food and, get this, Moesha. Really though?! Moesha was NOT a drama series! But like I said, this is Wikipedia we're talking about. The other shows I mentioned I never really watched myself so I'm not sure about the casts. Except for Soul Food which is obvious because it's based on the movie. See their complete list here.

What do you think of their list? How many black dramas have you even heard of? Any thoughts on why there aren't more and they're not more popular?

Dump Your Friends???

This post was inspired by a rerun of Girlfriends I was watching the other day. In the episode Maya told the girls that she couldn't hang with them anymore because her husband Darnell told/asked her not to. It made me wonder if most people would actually stop being friends with someone just because your significant other told you not to. At this point, I don't think I would drop my friends just because some guy told  me to. Like, who the hell are you to tell me who my friends should be?

I think some of it depends on the nature of your relationship. For example, there's a big difference between a boyfriend/girlfriend making such a request compared to a husband/wife. I think most people would me more likely to agree to drop their friends if a spouse was asking instead of just a bf/gf. And I suppose it would also be dependent on the reasoning behind the request. Even still, I'm not sure if I could do it. I mean, they're MY friends, it's not like you have to be around them all the time.

On the other hand, if we're talking about opposite sex friends that might be a different story. Sure, she might JUST be a friend that you've lived next door to since kindergarten but I'll be damned if y'all are gonna be having private dinners that I don't know about. It's difficult because I believe that females can be JUST FRIENDS with guys but I'm not sure that guys can do the same with females. If that makes any sense. I don't know, I suppose it's a sticky situation all around.

Personally, I've been on the opposite side of this situation. There was one point when my friend's (now ex) boyfriend decided he was no longer a fan of mine and every time she and I would hang out it was always a problem. Before I get into details let me give a bit of back story: The whole problem started with the Myspace top 8 (stupid I know). My friend had me at #1 then put her bf at #1 when they started going out. I made a JOKE on her page saying something along the lines of "how dare you replace me with that man...lol" or something to that affect. I was obviously joking but he didn't take it that way. He claimed that I was disrespecting their relationship and that he didn't like me anymore. Boo freaking hoo! According to my friend from that point on whenever she told him she was hanging out with me there would always be a face or a disappointed sigh. Spare me. The real crazy part is that he was actually trying to get his sister to fight me at one point. Are you fucking kidding?! She and I were at a diner one night after partying when he called and he asked her would it be wrong if he told his sister to come down there. Really sir? -_-

The thing is, aside from his bipolar mood swings, I NEVER had a problem with him.When he wasn't having a mood swing he was cool people, so for him to just flip flop over a joke about a Myspace top 8 is just outrageous. As far as I know he never actually told her to stop being friends with me but you get the idea. In any case, I'm pretty sure I would never drop my friends for a boyfriend. Husband? I'd consider it but I don't know.

What do you think?

Movie Review: Final Destination 5

****Spoilers may be mentioned****


Overall I thought the movie was good enough for what it was but nothing special. I thought the ending was a good way to tie this last movie in with the rest of the films. My main complaint with the film were the special effects. I just felt that the effects they used to enhance the 3D were just extra, cheesy, corny and cartoonish. For example, when the bridge collapses and the girl falls on the sail boat and her guts are removed by the pole to be shoved in your face. To me it just looked fake as hell. Almost laughable.

Another thing that was unrealistically laughable was when the girl's eye popped out after she fell through the window. I mean, really? Her eye just happens to roll right out of her head like that? Please. Then they add to the stupidity buy having the eyeball get run over by a car. Pathetic. I honestly couldn't even believe they went there. I'm sure there were other ridiculous moments that annoyed me but those two are the ones that really stood out. Also, I wonder if it's really possible for that whole body bend and break to happen to a gymnast. Ew.

As far as the characters, the chubby guy with the glasses, Isaac I think, was THE most annoying piece of shit ever. And I just REFUSE to believe that a guy who looks and acts like him would be able to bag all the women he was claiming to bag throughout the movie. Also, I instantly hated the main girl Molly. I don't know why but there was just something about her I hated on sight. The boss was also annoying but the rest of the characters were okay. Sad that the one guy went a little crazy at the end but whatever. Of course a bright spot was once again seeing "Candy Man" being all creepy. He's probably the best character in the entire Final Destination franchise.

Anyway, the movie was decent but if I had to do it again I'd probably wait for it to come on TV instead of actually paying to see it.

Delayed Reaction/Review: Beyonce '4'

I know the '4' album came out a while ago but I just couldn't focus on posting a review of it. In fact, I never even thought of posting a review until recently. Naturally I had to buy the deluxe edition that was being sold exclusively at Target. Before I was able to make it to the store I was seeing horror stories on the internet about Target stores being sold out of '4' within minutes. I was all prepared to go to all three Target stores that I know of nearby but was pleasantly surprised to find it in stock at the first one I went to...yay!

Now on to the point of this post....

I have to say that '4' is probably my favorite solo album that Beyonce has come out with. I instantly liked 1+1, Best Thing I Never Had, End of Time, I Care, Run the World (Girls) Countdown, Party and Start Over. It took me a few times listening but I really grew to like I Miss You, Love on Top and I Was Here too. I don't know why but something about Love On Top gives me an early Michael Jackson/Jackson 5 feel. It reminds me a bit of ABC for some reason. Anyway, the only song I really have no problem skipping over is Rather Die Young. It's okay but certainly not my favorite song on the album.

As far as the bonus songs, I instantly liked Schoolin' Life and eventually grew to really like Dance for You. I didn't like Dance for You at first because it's like 6 minutes long and my attention span just isn't that long but now it's one of my favorites. I don't like Lay Up Under Me at all. I don't even remember how the song goes because I've only listened to it one time. Also, I really don't like any of the Run the World remixes featured on the album. They're pointless, the original is way better.

Now if I had to pick a favorite song it would probably be End of Time but the song I sing at the top of my lungs when I'm alone in the car is I Care...lol. That's all for now.

Newly Discovered Music: Jhene Aiko

Okay, so Jhene Aiko may not be new to some people but she's new to me. Shout out to one of my friends/twitter peeps for putting me on to her mixtape. Now some of you may remember Jhene simply as the cousin of Lil Fizz from B2K (I know that's all I remember her as). I honestly never heard any of her music before but after recently listening to her mixtape I decided to write a brief review.

The name of the mixtape is Sailing Soul(s). Not sure why the other 's' is in parentheses but whatever. Overall it's not a bad tape. My main issue is that all the songs are slow or mid-tempo and I like to have a least a couple of more uptempo songs. My favorite song of hers is 'Stranger' because it's pretty much the story of my life as far as guys and relationships but I also like 'Popular', 'My Mine' and 'Hoe.' I really like her voice and her song lyrics are definitely on point.

You can download the mixtape here.

Open Relationships: Yay or Nay?

The other day over on Necole Bitchie's blog there was a big discussion about open relationships after she posted something about Jill Scott's and Chilli's thoughts on the subject. There were several other celebrities whose opinions were listed as well as a number of readers. This made me start to think about my feelings on the subject. To be honest, I have no desire to ever be in an open relationship, especially if that relationship is an actual marriage. I just don't see the point in being with someone with the understanding that stepping out of the relationship is okay.

I suppose the arguments in favor of open relationships can be viewed as relevant but I still disagree. One argument in favor of open relationships mentioned that even if you're with one person you can still be attracted to someone else, which I agree with. Just because you're committed to and in love with one person doesn't automatically make you dead to the rest of the world. However, that doesn't mean that you should act on it.

I personally feel that there's no point in having an open relationship, marriage in particular. I mean, what's the point of getting married if you're still gonna see/hook-up/sleep with other people outside the relationship. You may as well not even get married. I guess the big difference is that your partner knows what's going on but still. That wouldn't give me much comfort. It sounds like dating to me. There's a few people you like, maybe one more than others, but you're keeping your options open. To me that's not what a relationship is about. I feel like if you're gonna marry someone that person should be enough. Period. Sure you'll always find other people attractive and there's nothing wrong with that, but have some self control. Is it really THAT difficult? I don't think so.

Anyway, that's just my two cents. Do what you want, it's your life.

That's all for now.

He Doesn't Want a Relationship....

So recently I met this guy who I'll refer to as 'New Boy'. We've been talking and texting pretty much every day since we met which is a big change from 'old dude' but we won't talk about him right now. After basically being strung along and played by Old Dude for the last couple of years, meeting someone new was a nice surprise. So far he seems like a genuinely nice guy and he's very easy to talk to. The one slight downside is that he has a kid which is new for me but let's not get carried away.

My real issue is that once we started talking about relationships and why neither of us are currently in relationships, he flat out said "I'm not in a relationship because I choose not to be; I don't want one right now." Le fucking sigh. That was disappointing to hear but I know enough to know that there's nothing I can do to change it. It's possible that he could change his mind during the course of our.....whatever it is......but I won't hold my breath. It's unfortunate because I DO want a relationship for the first time in a long time. Up until now I've been fine doing the single thing and being free but now I want something more. I think I'm going through a quarter life crisis.

Most people I know around my age (25) are engaged, married, having babies or at the very least are in long term committed relationships. I feel like I'm missing something but who knows. Anyway, for the time being I don't mind just casually "dating" this guy without it being anything serious. It just means that I can remain open to other people who may come into my life. If I find someone else I like then even better. There's no reason for me to close myself off to the possibilities.

That's all for now....