#PictureMania

Hey everybody!!! Whoever created the picture phone had no idea what influence this small piece of equipment would have on coming generations.  Then along came MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and pictures became something more than just photos on the walls of homes.  In the last couple of years, certain pictures have become staples on the internet.  I have decided to use this post to explore some of those particular photos:

• The Selfie This is a classic.  You simply turn the camera around and take a snap of yourself.  These are nice right after you do your make-up or got a new haircut. Or in some cases, stand in your bathroom in front of the mirror and take a hundred photos until you find one that you like. The problems with selfies is that if you have too many of them you could come off a little conceited.  So you need to be careful with these.

 

A selfie in its common place: the bathroom

 



• The Album Cover You see this when someone is trying to look like they are in deep thought in a profile pic.  You achieve this pic by looking off while the camera is in front of you.  Some even go further and put a black and white filter on it to make it seem artistic.  The main people you see with these kinds of pics are those who write these long, "deep" statuses everyday.  Too many of these pics and you seem like a pretentious douche.

I'm calling my album Who's Ready for Bed? I Am



• The Goofy When people want to show their personality they will take a goofy pic.  I do not have too much of a problem with these pics.  I actually like it when people stop trying so hard in their pics and just le their guard down.

I'm goofy with  a side of tiredness in this pic because I had just climbed a mountain

• The Infamous Duck Lips Everyone has seen this pic or taken one their self.  I do not know exactly when this trend started but at some point women thought poking their lips out was sexy.  Then you saw on every other pic on your Newsfeed.  You know it was getting out of hand when men finally admitted that it very unattractive.  Women have calm down a little bit on this face but like a dear on a side of country road, you see it every once in a while. 

Yes, I'm guilty of duck lips too

What is your favorite pic?

#2Sequels2Many

Hey everybody and welcome to day 4 of #31WriteNow challenge (that was launched by awesome blogger, Luvvie,)!  Today's post was inspired by some foolishness I saw in Wal-Mart.  Every time I'm in Wal-Mart, I go by the DVD section.  At the moment, we do not have cable and so I like to look for TV series on DVD.  As I am browsing, a particular DVD catches my eye.  The title of it is House Party: Tonight's the Night with younger actors and an older Kid and Play on the cover.  This will be the fifth installment in the House Party series and I wish I could backhand whoever thought this was a good idea.

Yep, another unneeded installment for House Party

Who were the group of executives that said "You know what?  We need another  House Party."  At this point, who are they targeting this movie to?  The generation that remembers the first  House Party could care less and this new generation doesn't have a clue who Kid and Play are or what they did for house parties.  As far as I'm concerned they could have stopped after House Party 2.  The other 2 were a waste of film.  I do not know who to be mad at: Hollywood or Kid and Play for letting Hollywood keep making crappy sequels to their legendary movie. 

Unfortunately, House Party is not the only movie that has way too many unnecessary sequels.  Bring It On, tragically, has more sequels than the Harry Potter series.  And why?! It is a movie about battling cheerleading squads.  Do we really need 5 more movies with the same basic plot?  And then there is Step Up, where there are currently 4 installments (one of the installments being in 3D because what's better than seeing a movie you've seen twice before but seeing it coming at you) and according to imdb.com there is a fifth installment in development.  Like, seriously?! The whole dance movie genre is getting old anyways and then Hollywood says "Forget being innovative. Let's just keep recycling this one movie from 2006." 

Consumers, I beg you to not stand for this.  I do not care if the next House Party sequel has Bernie Mac making a cameo from beyond the grave, please, for the love of good cinema do not buy it.  Together, we can bring a stop to bad, did-not-want-it-in-the-first-place sequels.

#TaxFreeWeekend

Hey everybody!!! Hope you are having a wonderful Saturday.  In Arkansas, it is tax free weekend.  For parents, this comes right on time since fall semester is right around the corner.  But for a single girl like me with no kids, it's an excuse to get a new blouse. 

I actually was going to try to avoid going to the stores today.  I knew it was going to be packed and I did not feel like fighting the crowds (the main reason I do not fool with Black Friday).  But because of boredom I ended up at the department stores.  My first stop was Tarzhay (Target).  Usually, I want to buy everything in Tarzhay, today nothing caught my eye.  I have been wanting to do some new styles with my nails so I brought some nail polish.  I think I will call the nail look I am going to try "Summer Chic" (Pics coming soon.  Follow me on Instagram to see them: @ebonymariere)

My next stop was Marshall's.  Considering my closet is a mess and can barely fit the clothes I already have I really did not need anything else.  However, the rebellious me went into the Devil's Den (Marshall's) anyways.  I have been wanting to do better about saving money so I did not go overboard.  I just got a couple of tops.  I also went to Old Navy where I got some accessories. 

I also decided to stop by the Nike store.  Every now and then like to get some new workout apparel.  But when I walked in the store it was total chaos.  There were people every where and lines going to the back of the store.  I couldn't deal so I just walked right back out the store. 

Some of the stuff I bought during tax-free weekend

Whenever I go on an unexpected shopping spree I just say to myself, "I have been working hard and I need a little retail therapy."  Feel free to use that line when you buy something that you don't necessarily need. 

#PlaylistOfMyLife

Hey everybody!! It is nothing new that music reaches people on a personal level.  Regardless, of what type of music you like to listen to, there is one song that can take you back in time.  While doing my summer reading, I have decided to read ?uestlove's new book, Mo' Metta Blues.  Not only is it a memoir but also gives a little bit of history of hip-hop.  Another cool feature of this book is that
?uestlove describes these playlists that reminds him of different periods of his life. 

Reading his playlists got me to thinking about music that means something to me.  The following are songs/albums that take me back to a special time in my life:

• OOOOOOOOOOOO On the TLC Tip: TLC's first album This was my first cassette tape as a child.  This whole album describes what the 90's were: fresh and different.  I was only 4 when I got this tape but I spent hours listening to it.  At that point in my life, TLC was everything.  They were these cool women that had these independent attitudes. They were not the typical girl group wearing tight clothes.  They were wearing baggy clothes with condoms used as accessories.  I remember I wanted a haircut like T-Boz and her raspy voice gave me life before I even knew what giving me life meant.  Later on, I realized that I probably should not have been listening to this tape at 4 years old.  But when I listen to it today it takes me back to that childish period of my life. 
• I Miss You: Aaron Hall Every time I hear this song, it takes me back to being at my sister's house in Memphis, TN.  Another reason this song clings heavily to my memory is because I actually remember the video.  In the video, Aaron's girlfriend is pregnant and he's all excited.  Unfortunately, in the end she dies from giving birth but the baby lives.  I remember thinking that was the saddest video ever.  To this day if this song comes on the radio, I will think about this video. 
• Everything Brittney Spears did in the early 2000s I was a Brittney Stan when I was in middle school.  She was my Beyoncé.  I watched all her Making the Video episodes and tried to learn her routines.  I cannot explain why Brittney's music hypnotized me.  I remember singing Lucky, Oops, I did it Again, Stronger, and Drive Me Crazy over and over again.  It was crushing for me to see her going through her infamous breakdown.  It was difficult watching that talent waste away.  It has done my heart good to see her do better in these last few years.
• I Will Wait Mumford & Sons: Even though this is a recent song, this song for some reason takes me back to college.  I think because this is when folky/indie music started to hit the mainstream.  You heard it on every commercial and trailer for a rom/com movie.  This might sound cliché but during this time in college I was learning who I was: listening to new music, developing my style, trying to figure out what interest me.  Listening to music from this genre helped me to meditate on things going on in my life during that transition period where you are kind of an adult to becoming a working adult.   To this day I like to listen to indie/folk pop when I just want to think. 

Does this song not take you back to a warm place?

 



I have always loved how music can take you back to a familiar place.  Nothing is better than being on a road trip and a song from the past comes on and it makes you think of your first crush, Friday night football games, or hanging with family.  What songs take you back to your past?

#JayZAndHarryBelafonteGotBeef?

 Hey everybody!!! And welcome to the first post in the #31WriteNow challenge.  This was a challenge that blogger, Luvvie, proposed to other bloggers.  The challenge is to write for every day in August.  I have accepted the challenge and I am going to make a strong effort to write for every day this month.  Enjoy all the posts and please feel free to email me any ideas (ebony.read@gmail.com)!

 

Source: The Root

 Let me dive in to this post discussing the "beef" between Jay-Z and Harry Belafonte.  Nope, you did not read that wrong.  Hip-hop mogul and civil rights activist are going at it.  In an interview, Mr. Belafonte was asked was he happy with the image of minorities in Hollywood today.  He replied "Not at all." (Mr. Belafonte even went as far to say that Bruce Springsteen was blacker than Jay-Z.)  To get his full answer as to why he is unhappy with minority celebrities and Jay-Z's reply click here.  He talks about how they have "turned their back on social responsibility" and goes on to name Jay-Z and Beyoncé as perpetrators. 



Well, you know Jigga was not going for that.  In his reply, he basically says that his "presence is charity" and goes on to kind of compare himself to President Obama.  Honestly, I am not surprised by this arrogant answer.  In one of his stage names, he boldly compares himself to God (Hova=Jehovah).  It goes without saying that Jay-Z is one of the most successful rappers in hip-hop.  But let's not get too carried away, Jay, you ain't no Savior.  I do not care how many arenas you sell out. 

I kind of understand what Mr. Belafonte means by social responsibility.  When in your music you refer to women by the b-word and use the N-word in every other lyric it is not going to be taken positively from someone Mr. Belafonte's age.  In his eyes, Jay-Z is not using his influence to set a better example for the current generation.  But do we need Jay-Z to be the poster child for social responsibility?  We have Gabby Douglas, Dwyane Wade, President Obama, Kerry Washington, and others. 

Also, does Jay-Z have to put solving social injustices on his agenda?  One mistake that I think those from the civil rights era has made is by painting a picture that all black people of the past were freedom riders.  That was just not the case.  My mom lived in that era and did not take part in one protest or demonstration.  Does this make her an irresponsible person? Not at all.  My mom played her part in that era by not carrying a bitterness from that time and evolving into someone that, regardless of the times she lived in, she could still treat all with compassion and respect.  That to me is just as powerful as any march that has been organized. 

Basically, this beef is not even worth it.  It seems there is just a misunderstanding between the two. And I see them probably forming a charity together (or presenting an award at the 2014 BET Awards at the very least) to show they have squashed any differences between the two.  For me, it gives something to cackle about with friends.

What do you think of their misunderstanding? 

#MrsCarterShow

Hey everybody!!  I am excited to  write this post about my latest concert attendance.  Yep, ladies and gentlemen, I saw Beyoncé in concert.  And honey, she shut it DOWN!!

The concert opened with Luke James as her opener.  Because of my fav Youtubers, The Skorpion Show, I knew Luke James was the opening act.  I had never heard about him other than the interview The Skorpion Show did with him.  But even then, I still cannot say that I went and looked up any his music.  One thing I can say is the boy can sing.  He has a soulful voice that reminds you of that old school R&B.  I could not sing along to any of his song but I was really feeling his voice.  So if you are looking for new music, check out Luke James.

The first thing I want to discuss is how homegirl is making money even when she is not on stage.  Just in case you didn't know, Beyoncé has a bajillion dollar contract with Pepsi.  So at her concert, there was a Pepsi truck outside with her silhouette on the can.  Then between her opening act and her coming on stage she had every commercial for everything she is selling: perfume, H&M , Pepsi, and a single for an untitled album.  Whatever your personal feelings are about Beyoncé, one thing you have to admit is that she is a business woman.  The rest of the girls in the game could take lesson from Bey.

Now let's get into the details of her concert.  She had this French mini-movie thing going on throughot her concert.  It was like her movie was presenting her to you as Queen Bey.  It was really artsy.  But what I was ready to see was the dancers.  Bey has the best backup dancers.  Like seriously, I find myself watching them rather than watching Bey at times.  They dance so hard for 2 full hours without missing a step.  I can only imagine how hard it is to become one of Beyonce's backup dancers and the shape you have to be in to put on that show night after night.  What really impresses me is that she is doing all this while singing LIVE!  I do not believe that Beyoncé has the strongest voice but I have to tip my hat to her that she dances as much as she does while also hitting multiple runs.

Then out of nowhere we got a little surprise: Mr. Carter himself was at the concert.  During Bey's energetic performance of Crazy In Love, we spotted him standing behind one of the stages.  I thought he was going to perform his part but he didn't. .Side note: he's not that big of a guy in person.  She performed most of her songs from 4 and I got my whole life!  But the song I was really waiting for was Grown Woman.  Yall, I put my purse down and I did all the choreography to the song.  I was breathing hard and had pops of sweat on my forehead by the end of the song.  And yall already know I showing out on the Single Ladies dance routine.

Beyoncé gives her all throughout her concerts.  Like at no moment did I feel she was half-assing it.  She knew that the people in that audience had spent bill money to be there and she made sure it was worth it.  You knew a lot of practice, time, blood, and sweat had gone into this concert.  She is a performer.  She realizes that every time she steps on that stage that is what she is getting paid the big bucks to do.  You also realize that this is her passion.  Not one time she was on stage did I feel like she was just trying to get through the song.  But she wanted to make sure that we [the audience] was enjoying every moment.  I can respect that in any artist. 

Basically, it was one of the top concerts that I have ever attended.  Homegirl most definitely puts on a show.  It is worth the rent money you are going to have to spend to get a ticket.  Be sure to check out the pics and videos in this post. 

Ready for Queen Bey!!

Can't quite remember what song this was.  Maybe Single Ladies

At this point Beyoncé is soaring over the crowd to the second stage

Still soaring

Singing Irreplaceable

 

Performing Irreplaceable

 



 

Performing Love on Top

#SNL:WhereTheSistas?

Hey everybody!!! Hope you are having a great Friday! This past week has been full of emotions.  If you read my last post you already know how I feel about the George Zimmerman verdict.  So I will not go into how crappy a verdict it was and how I cannot believe that a grown man can stalk a young man down, gun them down, and still claim self-defense.  Nope, I won't go into all of that.  But I will discuss another travesty that is happening in America and  going unnoticed: Where are the black women on Saturday Night Live?!

One night as I was getting ready for bed I was doing my usual last check of Instagram and Twitter (I hate to admit it but I am a bit of a social network junkie).  I came across this tweet that was titled "7 Reasons Why "SNL" Has To Hire A Black Woman Yesterday".  Being a huge fan of SNL, this immediately caught my eye.  And I was immediately inspired to write this post.

Now let's be clear I am not saying that SNL should start filling a status quo.  I have admired the fact that SNL recruits raw talent and I feel they should continue to do that.  But you are not going to tell me that there are absolutely NO funny black women trying out for SNL.  Heck, some of the women they already have on  SNL are only lukewarm funny (i.e. Nasim Pedrad and Vanessa Bayer).  You can throw a lukewarm funny black girl in the mix.

You might wonder why this is even an issue in the first place.  Well, in the show history's there has been only 4 (and 15 black cast members in all) black women since the show premiered in 1975.  Once again, you are telling me that between now and 1975 there have only been 4 black women funny enough to grace the SNL stage.  Unfortunately, once they were on the show they had limited camera time.  Danitra Vance, SNL's first black woman cast member, actually left the show because she was tired of only doing roles that were stereotypical (maids, baby mamas, waitresses, girl-with-a-bad-attitude.  This is probably one of SNL's biggest flaws concerning their black cast members as well as Hollywood's in general).  Maya Rudolph has been the most successful black female cast member on the show.  She is funny and because of her fair skin she could pass for just about any female celebrity, regardless of race. 

Yvonne Hudson (featured player)

Danitra Vance (first black female regular cast member)

Ellen Cleghorne

Maya Rudolph



I understand that you have to be quick with the wit on a SNL so not everyone that is a stand-up comedian can cut it on the show.  But it is really hard for me to believe that in the show's 38 year run only 4 black women have shown up to auditions that were good at improv. If you click the link about "7 Reasons" you will see that the article gives suggestions on who SNL should look to bringing on next season.  And all those ladies are funny! I'm not just saying that because they are black but because they are actually funny.  I could most definitely see Nicole Byer and Sasheer Zamata on SNL doing some crazy character for Weekend Update (and not the stereotypical black-girl-with-an-attitude character). 

So yea, SNL get cho life immediately.  It's 2013 and black woman, along with other minority women and men can be as funny as Fred Armisen, Will Ferrel, or Kristen Wiig.  Or at least half as funny those SNL cast members that no one remembers. Remember Rosie Shuster? Yea, me either.