Just want to shout out to a talented friend Travis Senger with Lincoln Leopard Films from my College day’s whose short film is gaining major industry buzz. White Lines and the Fever: Death of DJ Junebug is picking up major momentum as it tours the film festival circuit. Below is a clip that aired on CBS that talks about the short and why it is becoming so popular.
July 25th the film will be playing at the LA ShortsFest. Tickets go on sale July 12th. Hit me if you want to come to the screening with me.
Today (July 4th, 2010) pregnant Alicia Keys fell on stage while performing at Essence Music Festival 2010. Before I talk about the video below that captures Alicia’s fall let me preface this by saying I am a major fan of Alicia Keys music and I’ve always been inspired by her courage and work ethic.
Here is a woman whose debut album Songs in A Minor sold 12 million copies around the world. At age 16 she graduated valedictorian y’all from her performing arts school in Manhattan, New York. She is the co-founder and global ambassador of Keep A Child Alive (the irony). She spent months in Africa helping children with AIDs and their families by providing medicine and being engaged demonstrating with her time how much she cares. That kind of generosity and devotion is very rare. In a world where formal music training is being taken over by synthesizers Alicia Keys has helped us appreciate the value of organic music. Her songs (though chorus heavy) resonate with the heart and she has made a lasting impression with so many music fans.
Now, having said all that which is true, since hearing about Alicia Keys and Swiss Beats hooking up after their work together on Whitney Houston’s Million Dollar Baby album I have tried hard to ignore the buzzing about their romance. Even though I try to separate the artist from their personal lives sometimes depending on what exactly has transpired it can be hard to do. Things were going well for me as far as keeping my nose out of her business until a friend of mind sent me a link to Mashonda’s (Swiss Beats Ex-Wife-pending-papers) open letter to Alicia Keys. Without getting into the details of it what struck me is that Mashonda and Swiss Beats were still married. Needless, to say I decided to keep riding with Alicia because quite frankly I don’t know the whole truth and I don’t care to because it ain’t my business. Ok now fast forward to mid May when the announcement came out from Alicia’s camp about her pregnancy. My reaction was WOW…then I said it backwards WOW.
A new life! Alicia Keys producer extraordinary and songstress is pregnant! My heart swelled for her because motherhood is a beautiful gift to be cherished. So imagine my reaction as I watched a five months pregnant Alicia Keys working the top of a piano after she walked out to the stage in some 4 inch heels at the BET Awards. Umm? WITW what kind of stylist is on her team?
I thought for sure after seeing the expression on Prince’s face and the reaction of the BET Awards Show audience she would hang up her heels and calm down her routine. Negative, today Alicia Keys fell all the way down during her Essence Music Festival performance, but what tripped me out the most is she didn’t so much as look down to check her belly and her Baby!
Alicia you are in my prayers. I’m not sure what’s going on, but something is up. You went from being obsessively private about your first relationship and engagement to Kerry “Krucial” Keys to this some what of a public scandall with your new engagement. You’re pregnant by a married man, engaged to a married man, waiting on a divorce to finalize, and your performing and working as though you are not pregnant. Everything that gliters ain’t gold …I pray that everything is well and I pray that someone from your inner circle sits you down and brings you back to earth. Your true fans will love you through the good and the bad, but Alicia please don’t risk your babies life on stage. We ain’t worth it!
Below is a video of a two year old boy Ardi Rizal who chain smokes 1-2 packs of cigarettes a day. Chances are you’ve seen the video already it has over 1 million YouTube views, but I just needed to share some comments because there are several things in this video and about this situation that really set me off.
According to Ardi’s parents their son started smoking when he was 11 months old. Apparently, Ardi was being very fussy so his parents let him play by himself at the village market. When Ardi’s parents later followed him they found him smoking.
What?! What is right with this story? You have an 11 month old son and you let him go play by himself at the market with all the kidnapping and sex trafficking going on in Indonesia? Listen, my Dad is from a rural fisherman village in Ghana, West Africa and that is unheard of (toddlers 3 and older yes, but a small child wondering around alone at the village market? No way). Nope Mr. & Mrs. Rizal I am not going to let you play the third-world-card. This is why naive Americans who travel to developing nations end up getting mugged. You can’t trust a sad face and a smile. Ardi’s parents are milking this media run and exploiting their child. It’s a hustle, I’m not knocking them, but I’m willing to bet tourists have been going to see Ardi and leaving money with the family long before this became a media blitz. They’ve got a son that smokes like a trained tobacco spokesperson and now their on a CBS interview talking about their afraid to make him stop because he bangs his head on the floor? Someone should have slapped the cigarette out of his mouth when he was 11 months old.
11 month old children are just beginning to stop making sounds and start forming sentences. The whole situation is sad not to mention Ardi’s weight. The boy looks like he is 100 plus pounds and he is only 2 years old. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t care where you are at in the world being a parent isn’t about pleasing your child and making them happy all the time. Parenting is about teaching and doing what’s best for the WELFARE (long-term well being, people) of your child.
According to early morning news reports President Obama has summoned US Commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal to the White House to explain comments made by McChrystal during an interview for Rolling Stone Magazine. The article with the General’s remarks is called “The Runaway General” and will be published in the July issue of Rolling Stone Magazine and was written by former Newsweek Baghdad correspondent Michael Hastings. The New York Times reports that Hastings was given intimate access to McChrystal and his inner circle.
“Most of the comments appear to have been uttered during unguarded moments, in places like bars and restaurants where the general and his aides gathered to unwind.” ~ New York Times
In my opinion, one of the most damaging quotes made during the interviews is from McChrystal’s advisor about a one-on-one General McChrystal had with President Obama (Note: Love the irony that an ‘advisor’ to the General would say this).
“It was a 10-minute photo op,” says an adviser to McChrystal. “Obama clearly didn’t know anything about him, who he was. Here’s the guy who’s going to run his fucking war, but he didn’t seem very engaged. The Boss was pretty disappointed.”
The GOP is going to have a field day with this comment. Mark my words this will be the FOX News sound bite of the week. You would think by now that government leaders and officials would have gotten the point. There is no such thing as “off the record” in today’s journalistic climate (except for amoung the select few journalist who continue to fight to uphold the integrity of the profession). General McChrystal is an experienced military leader and one who should be fully aware of the potential calamity a bad quote can have on not just an individual, but a strategy or administration.
Message to General McChrystal:
McChrystal get your life in order and oh by the way, stop trying to sabotage that which you are a part of. I wish more people could grasp the fact that when you talk $#*! about a leader in your group it makes YOU look like King Sh!t not the leader. Personally, I don’t believe the advisor’s description of what took place during McChrystal’s one-on-one to be true, but whether it is or isn’t I except much more professionalism from an advisor to the US Commander of Afghanistan!
And Gen. McChrystal, if you are going to use the notion that your comments and those of your advisor’s were supposed to be “off the record” as an excuse- please let us not forget the lesson in Jesse Jackson’s “off the record” comments:
These circumstances definitely call for anger and I am glad to see that President Obama is not watering down his emotions. I don’t imagine that General McChrystal is going any where, but I sure hope that President Obama gives him and his staff a good shouting behind close doors and more then a slap on the wrist.
Today (July 4th, 2010) pregnant Alicia Keys fell on stage while performing at Essence Music Festival 2010. Before I talk about the 
