Police Reform NOW: McKinney Pool Party Goes Awry

If you Google 'pool party' the first thing that will pop up is a video of a cop violently throwing a 14 year old black girl to the ground and putting his knee in his back after an end of the year pool party goes awry.   I'm over here like "Is this really happening again??"

It all started in McKinney, Texas when residents of a suburb got upset about outsiders swimming in the neighborhood's private pool. Some party goers had been given passes to the pool.  At some point, the party got out of hand.  One of the residents thought it was a good a idea to tell one of the black teens to go back to her Section 8 housing even though the young lady lived in the neighborhood.  Soon after those shots were fired, fists went flying.  Needless to say, cops were called. 

In comes fake 007 Officer Eric Casebolt with his wack parkour moves. Seriously, if you haven't seen it check it out.  It was the most unnecessary ground roll in the history of police patrol.  While trying to get  control (if that's what you want call it) of the teens, he yanks a girl, wearing nothing but a bathing suit, to the ground.  He forces her face into the grass and proceeds to  sit on her.  Literally. sits. on. her.  We also see on the video  the only ones being asked to get to the ground are the black teens.  Even the young boy recording the whole incident (who is white) said he felt like he was invisible.  Officer Casebolt has been put on administrative leave.

I'm not here to discuss what the details of the day were.  I was not at this pool party and can't say without a shadow of the doubt if the kids were suppose to be there or not.  However, I will say  I'm petitioning for a new lesson plan for police academies and as well as follow up police training:

BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT SUPER HUMANS AND THUS DO NOT NEED TO BE SUBDUED WITH EXCESSIVE FORCE.

I don't only want this to be put into the curriculum but I want it to be taught on the first day. On day one of police training, every student should have to write the above statement 100 times and then a 100 times more on a piece a paper and then turn to their neighbor and tell him/her 100 times.  After the first day of training, each trainee will recite it every morning to the end of their training.  On the day of graduation, along with the pledge they give to protect and serve their community, they will again recite: BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT SUPER HUMANS AND THUS DO NOT NEED TO BE SUBDUED WITH EXCESSIVE FORCE. 

On their exams, there needs to be questions like:

1. If you are trying to get control of a pool party that has gone bat crazy and you come across an unarmed, black 14 year old girl wearing nothing but a bathing suit is it necessary to slam her face first to the ground and then sit on her back?

A. No

B. No

C. No

D. All of the above

E. The answer is No.

2. At what point do you need to pull your gun out at unarmed black teens?

A. Never

B. Never

C. Never

D. Seriously, Never

3. If you are easily threatened by unarmed People of Color, what should you do immediately?

A. Not be a cop

B. Stop taking this exam right now and not be a cop

C. Whatever you do please do not be a cop

Some might say, "Ebony, don't you think these questions are a little much?"  No, not at all!  For the last 6 months the news has been filled with reports of cops killing unharmed people.  The only good thing about this particular incident is that no one was killed.  Even so, it's hard to ignore what has happen in the last year.  But what really makes me go 'hmmmm' is the fact it keeps happening.  When students continue to flunk out of school what do they do? Reform.  When trends showed that children were more obese now than ever before? School lunch reform. When studies showed  cigarettes were actually a danger to users' health? Reformed the way they were sold.  It's clear that humans know how to notice trends and make needed changes.  So, it blows my mind there hasn't been a more drastic shift in how police patrol people of color when every 2 weeks we are having to rally in the memory of someone who has been shot down by a cop.

What breaks my heart even more is that some white people truly don't understand what we are saying when we say #BlackLivesMatter.  On one of the segments on CNN a woman said this cop deserved a medal.  A medal?! Let's not act like he was breaking up an act of terrorism.  He was dealing with a teen pool party.  I think if it was changed to #BlackLivesMatterToo they would get it.  We are not saying that we want to be held  above the law.  We just want to be able to do simple things like walk to the corner store, play at the playground, take the trash out, and yes, swim and live to tell about it.  

UPDATE:  Officer Casebolt has resigned. Thank God. 

Black Women Entrepreneurs

In the celebration of Black History Month and me opening my new business (www.etsy.com/shop/EbonysKitchenSpa ) , I want to dedicate this post to some women who came before me and decided to do it for themselves. 

Annie Turnbo Malone:

Source: blackpast.org

Whenever people think of black women entrepreneurs in history, the go to person is Madam C.J. Walker, who many believed single handedly started the black hair industry.   What if I told you there was someone who came before her?  Four years before Madam C.J Walker, Malone launched her hair care business made for African-American women.  During the early part of the 20^th century, Annie ran hair care products and cosmetics like a boss.  Decades before Carol’s Daughters, Malone had the hair product game on lock. 

Annie Malone is the definition of overcoming.  Inspite of being a sickly child and not completing high school, she had the entrepreneur spirit.  It was during this time that black women were getting away from cornrows because of its connection to slavery.  They were turning to soaps, bacon grease, heavy oil, butter and other methods to straighten their hair.  In some cases, these methods were actually damaging to the hair.  Working with her aunt who was an herbal doctor, she developed a solution to straighten hair safely or as safely as you could get in the early 1900s. 

Along with her product The Great Wonderful Hair Grower, she opened a beauty school in St. Louis that trained other women to be hair stylists and employed women to sell her products door-to-door.  At some point Madam C.J. Walker worked for Annie and then decided to do her own thing.  I’m not saying there was tension between these two ladies but I can only imagine the side eyes that were probably exchanged between them. 

For more information on this incredible woman, go to www.anniemalone.com. 

Sarah E. Goode:

IKEA might be the go-to place for convenient furniture, but Sarah E. Goode was making furniture for small spaces centuries before the Swedish.  Sarah was the first African-American to receive a U.S patent.  Goode was born into slavery and moved to Chicago, IL after the Civil War. 

With her husband, Archibald Goode, a carpenter, she owned a furniture store.  Many of her customers were working class black people living in small, cramped apartments.  To help with their situation, Sarah invented a “folding bed” that could be put up when not in use and also be used for storage.  Not much is known about Sarah outside of her invention.  Nonetheless, she is worthy of a mention for an accomplishment that has had an effect on how furniture is made today.

Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley:

Source: blackpast.org

First Lady Michelle Obama is known as one of the most fashionable First Ladies ever.  It’s nothing to catch her in a designer dress by the world’s most acclaimed designers.  Before Michelle was gracing the State of the Union Address in Prada, the designer to wear was Keckley.  Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, a former slave, would go on to be a dressmaker and confidant to Mary Todd Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln’s wife).

After being born into slavery, impregnated by her owner, and being married for a short time, Elizabeth learned the art of dressmaking.  Her dresses were so popular with her clients that they offered her a loan to buy her freedom.  Elizabeth dresses stood out from the dresses of the time and she was an expert with fit.  She would eventually become the dressmaker for the political elite including Mary Todd Lincoln.  She would become very close with Mary Lincoln even being there for her when Lincoln was assassinated. 

Unfortunately, due to her tell-all memoir (Apparently, she was the TMZ of her generation)Mrs. Lincoln’s Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini.

she would lose her friendship with Mary and also her high-end clientele.   Even though she was offered a faculty position at Ohio’s Wiberforce University teaching sewing, she would have to discontinue because of her health.  She died in May of 1907 impoverished.  Her story was revived in 2013 in the book

It is an honor to follow in their entrepreneurial foot steps.  Today I open my Etsy shop, Ebony's Kitchen Spa selling homemade body butters and body scrubs.  From today to the end of February you can get my Body Whip for $9.50 and Body Scrub for $8.50.  Do not miss this store opening sale!

As always thank you for supporting this blog as well as my new business venture.

Yo Beyonce, Fowl Move for Stealing Ledisi's Moment

If you watched the Grammy's last night, you know that Beyoncé was the main attraction.  And in true star power fashion she was saved for the end.  My main problem with that is it shouldn't have been her on the stage but Ledisi.


Here's why:


Ledisi played the late great Mahalia Jackson in the highly esteemed, Academy Award nominated Selma.  Even though she was only in the movie for a few minutes she did an extraordinary job of conveying the emotions of the Civil Rights Movement through her rendition of "Precious Lord".  She even sings the song for the soundtrack. And she was going to be at the Grammy's.  So you can understand my befuddlement when it was announced that Beyoncé was going to be performing the song.


At first I was annoyed with the Grammy's for asking her to sing the song.  I thought it was a power move and because Beyoncé was the bigger name, the producers of the Grammy's thought she was the better pick.  However, when I learned that she [Beyoncé] approached John Legend to sing the song I. WAS. DONE.  Not only was I done with Beyoncé but I was done with John Legend and Common for agreeing to it.  John Legend's reply was he couldn't say no to Beyoncé?  Did they even have the courtesy to phone Ledisi and say "Hey girl, Bey asked us to do the song. So no disrespect but we going with Bey."  Still not cool, but it's better than nothing.  Ledisi didn't even know why she was snubbed. I'm calling fowl on the play on Beyoncé, John Legend, and Common.


The delusional Beyhive wants to say we are hating on Beyoncé and not giving her props.  This is not about hate.  It's not even about if she did a good job or not.  This is about doing the right thing.  As far as I know, Beyoncé has no connection to the movie.  She's not a financial backer, actress, or sang on the soundtrack.  It's the equivalent of Christina Aguilera singing And I Am Telling You from Dream Girls but you got Jennifer Hudson sitting in the audience waiting to belt it out.  It's ludicrous. 


I wrote a post questioning Beyoncé's claim of  being a feminist.  Rarely do I feel bad about things I post, but I felt a certain way about that one.  I felt like I was questioning something I shouldn't.  Some could still make the argument that I don't but I now stand by that post.  Correct me if I'm wrong but a huge part of feminism is women supporting each other.  When Beyoncé allowed Taylor Swift to finish her acceptance speech at the VMA's during her win because Kanye stage jacked her, we applauded her because it was a noble moment.  Why couldn't she let Ledisi, who has only been able to perform at BET and Soul Train Awards, have this moment? No shade, no tea but Ledisi needed this moment more than Beyoncé.


If Ledisi could have had that moment to blow on stage, can you imagine what that could have done for her?  We complain all the time about how these award shows do not give black people their fair due.  Kanye almost had a Kanye moment when it appeared he was going to interrupt Beck, who won Best Album of the Year, to tell us that Beyoncé should have won.  But the one opportunity we had for a dark skin, poised, and beautiful woman to grace the Grammy stage and instead it's given to an artist who's biggest hit this year could have been written by a 13 year old? (I jams out to 7/11 but let's not act like your lil' cousin couldn't have produced that) Nope... not here for it. 


Common and John Legend share the blame as well.  There was a time when both of these artists were considered Neo-Soul and not necessarily mainstream.  This would have been a good time to allow a fellow Neo-Soul artist to be on the come up.  The fact they chose a lack-luster introduction from Beyoncé instead is very disappointing. 


I know I have spent the last 7 paragraphs going in on this catastrophe but let me praise Ledisi on how she handled it.  When asked on the Red Carpet about the snub, she honestly answered that she was disappointed but said that she was excited to be in the movie and happy for the publicity that the movie is getting.  You go girl!! I love a person that can be classy and graceful after being done all the way wrong.  I'm going to be honest, I haven't listened to much of Ledisi but she has gained a new fan because of her character. 


What did you think of the infamous snub?  Comment below.

Fresh Off the Boat is HILARIOUS

Tonight was the premiere of Fresh Off the Boat.  It’s about a family that moves from D.C. to Orlando, Florida in 1995 so the dad, Lousis Huang (Randal Park) can open a steak house.  But what makes this show stand out from other family sitcoms is that it’s an all Asian cast.  Check me if I’m wrong but I think that is a TV first.  I’m pretty sure most people were worried about how this family was going to be portrayed.  Well, no worries… it was hilarious!!!

Source: imdb.com

First, off let me just give a huge shout out to Hudson Yang, who plays the oldest and most gansta, hip hop listening little boy ever, Eddie Huang.  Eddie cracks me up.  His idols are Shaq, Snoop Dog, and Biggie Smalls.  He has no fear and you can’t tell him that he ain’t the baddest dude on da block (sorry, had to get hood for a minute).  He actually reminds me of this Filipino guy I went to high school with.  He wore more South Pole and short sets than any black dude I knew.  Another thing I loved about this kid was his acting.  He was so natural.  He wasn’t corny like those new-age Disney show kids.   The boys that play his little brothers are just as talented: Ian Chen and Forrest Wheeler. 

The show is superb because it doesn’t spend 30 minutes making fun of Asians.  Being Asian is not the punch line.  They have real dialogue.  Anybody who has been 12 before can relate to Eddie and his mom, Jessica (Constance Wu).  For example, in the first episode, Eddie no longer wants take Asian food for his lunch because the kids make fun of the way it smells.  He tells his mom that he wants “white people food” so the kids will stop teasing him.  At first his mom plays hardball and tells him to suck it up.  Then, like a mom, she gives in to him, takes him shopping for white people food better known as the staple food of the 90’s, Lunchables. 

Jessica and Eddie are the best mom and son duo

Who can’t relate to being 12 and not wanting to stand out?  I remember back-to-school shopping and wanting Crayola crayons because that’s what the cool kids had.  My mom, on the hand, wanted to purchase Rose Art crayons because they were cheaper.   Not only did the cool kids not use Rose Art crayons, they were basically crappy.   Like Eddie, I would pout and whine until she finally gave in and bought the Crayola.  I look forward to seeing the two of them grow together.

Living in such a sensitive society, I was surprised there wasn’t any outrage about the show.  I do want to make the point that the show is based off the real life of Eddie Huang, restauranteur, chef, food personality, and former lawyer.  So these aren’t just a whole bunch of white writers in a room coming up with these storylines.  Yet and still, I just knew there was going to be rants on social media about how racist this show is.  After tonight’s premiere, I hope not to see any think-pieces dragging the show through the dirt.  If there is, I will petition to get the author of the think-piece banned from the internet.  Take your negativity somewhere else and let me enjoy the show.

I’m excited for this show and can’t wait for next week’s episode.  If you have not seen it, I highly recommend watching it on ABC Go or wherever it’s streamed.  It will have you laughing from the first line to the last.  Can I also say a big thank you to the Universe for giving us such good TV in the last year: Empire, Black-ish, How to Get Away with Murder, and Broad City.  For the first time in a long time, I have a regular TV schedule that I can be proud of.  

Can We Talk about Empire?

lostinterview.com

What happens when you mix a sassy ex-con, a pompadour wearing CEO, 3 fine sons, a bib, and a banging soundtrack?  You get Empire, Fox's newest primetime drama.  After one episode, I was hooked.  After an increase in viewership with the second episode, Empire has already been renewed for a second season.

In case you missed it,  Empire is about Luscious (played by the talented Terrence Howard), rap star and CEO of Empire Entertainment, who finds out he has ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) and has 3 years to live.  Since he is dying he has to figure out who between his 3 sons will take over the family business.  The three sons consist of Andre, Jamal, and Hakeem.  Andre (Trai Byers) is the oldest and the more business focused one so of course he wants to be the new CEO.  Jamal (Jussie Smollett), the middle son, is sentimental and musically gifted.  He is also gay.  Hakeem (Bryshere Gray) is the youngest son, up and coming rapper, and  the resident bad boy.

npr.org

But the real star of the show is the most fearless former drug dealer you ever met, Cookie played by the beautiful Taraji P. Henson.  Cookie goes to jail for 17 years for dealing drugs and is back to get what she's owed.  She owed because it was her drug money that started Empire Entertainment.  And Cookie has no shame in busting into business meetings to get what is her's.  However, not only does she realize that it's going to be harder to get her half of Empire but she comes to the hard realization that Luscious has moved on to some basic chick with a bad haircut from 2003.  Let's this be a lesson ladies: These dudes ain't loyal.

Through flashbacks we find that Luscious isn't too keen on Jamal being gay.  Like, he literally tried to throw him in the trashcan when was a kid.  He refers to Jamal's boyfriend as his roommate and refuses to allow him to come out the closet to the public or else Jamal will lose all financial support from his dad.  Another lesson: have your own and you can do whatever you want.  But who Jamal is sleeping with should be the least of Luscious' problems.  Andre is bipolar and will stop it nothing to be the next head of Empire.  Even causing tension between his brothers who are both about to drop albums.  Hakeem is a spoiled brat who needs the back of a hand to his face.  Well, he did get a broom to the head when he called Cookie out of her name but unfortunately it didn't do much.

The singing in the show is pretty good.  According to Taraji, all the actors do their own singing and rapping.  You could say it's the ratchet Glee.    There are also some corny moments like when Luscious was "on the phone" with President Obama cleaning up his youngest son's mess.  I don't think even Jay-Z has Obama on speed dial.  But even with that very unbelievable moment, the show keeps me wanting more.

To get you up to speed for tonight episode, here what you need to know:

• Cookie's has signed an agreement that she will not let anyone know that her drug money started the company
• Luscious kills his closest friend because he was about to snitch about the Luscious' thug past
• Andre and his girlfriend are working together to get his brothers to sabotage each other
• Cookie is signed to be Jamaal's manager
• Hakeem has no self control and is self destructive
• Cookie's assistant, Porsha, can't walk in heels
• And Cookie is being pressured by federal agents to talk to a grand jury about some pass events which could possibly get her killed

Hope that helps and be sure to tune in tonight on Fox to watch the newest episode.

2015 Theme: Perseverance

I know we are 19 days into the New Year but I feel compelled to let my readers know about my excitement/plans for the upcoming year.  I’ve never been one to make New Year’s Resolutions; instead, I will have a theme: Perseverance.  

Perseverance is defined as a steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.  In other words, continuing to pursue your goals even when life is kicking you in the face.  I will be the first to say that being an adult is nowhere near as fun as I thought it would be.  I would give my right arm to go back to college being an RA and my sole responsibility being to get to my 8:00 class on time.  However, until time travel is invented I’m stuck being a bill-paying, traffic fighting, student loan loathing adult.

But being an adult is not all bad.  Being able to choose your path in life and how you get there is exciting.   While on that path life is going to throw you curve balls, so perseverance is a necessity.   A necessity I’m going to need on my major venture in 2015.

Some weeks ago, I told you all that I was taking a break from blogging to work on another business venture.  I’m finally ready to let you all in on the news.  Starting late January, early February I will be bringing you my beauty product line.  It will offer body butters and body scrubs.  I have the most sensitive skin this side of the Mason-Dixie line.  As a teenager, I was close friends with acne and eczema so I had to be careful with the products that I used.  Thanks to the powers of Pinterest, I discovered coconut oil and all its many uses.   After dibble and dabbling with some recipes, I have come up with products that you and your skin will enjoy.  Stay tuned for more details.

And you better believe that I will get back to blogging.   I know that I have missed out on a lot of juicy pop culture events but I look forward to getting back to basics to the craziness that makes up our pop culture.  I will admit that it will be challenging considering that I work full time and starting a side business plus other responsibilities but hey, that’s what perseverance is for

I didn’t get a chance to say this in 2014 but I want to thank all my readers from the bottom of my heart that read each post, share it, or retweet it.  It means a lot that you all tune it to each post and see what I have to say about the latest antics in our world. I will continue to give you my best.

What’s your theme for 2015? 

What I Learned from my 10 Day (but really 5) Juice Cleanse

Before you jump on me for not doing the full 10 days, hear me out.  I have never stuck with anything health wise as long as I did with my juice cleanse.  For 5 days, I drank vegetable and fruit juice and ate nothing but raw vegetables, fruits, and lean meats.  Even though I had dreams of fried chicken and cornbread soufflé ( a new recipe that I love), I stood my ground and stuck to my cleanse. 

I think my face has slimmed a bit

You may be wondering why I didn’t go the full 10 days. Well, let me explain.  On day 3 I had lost 4 pounds.  I was so excited to see the number going down.  By day 5, another 3 pounds.  I couldn’t believe it.  Then I realized, after the cleanse I was going to have to find a way to retain the weight loss.  So I made a list of all the foods I didn’t eat this past week.  That included:

• Sodas
• Fast foods
• Starches
• Red meat
• Snack cakes

I decided that I needed to learn how to eat once off my juice cleanse.  I’m going to keep some elements of the cleanse.  I want to continue a glass of juice for breakfast and have a light lunch with lots of vegetables.  Dinner is still going to be a challenge for me because after work I’m starving and I tend to raid my kitchen like a crazy person.  Hopefully, meal prep and healthy snacks will help with that.

I also learned to control my portions and when to push the plate away.  It was great not having this “about to burst” feeling in my stomach.  I slept great at night knowing I had only eaten good food instead of having guilt from eating a lot of stuff I knew I didn’t need.  

In conclusion, this juice cleanse helped me to see the importance of eating right.  It’s going to be work but I’m will to change my eating habits to continue to see the number on the scale going down.  

Juicing: Day 1 and Day 2

If you read my previous post, you know that I am on a juice cleanse and I’m taking you on my journey. 

Day 1 was not too bad.  Drinking a juice for breakfast wasn’t too hard for me considering I don’t have much of an appetite in the morning anyways.  Lunch was a different story.  There are great places to eat within minutes of my job so it was hard passing them up for a spinach salad and grapes.  But I’m proud to say that I resented temptation and stuck to my cleanse.   I had slight of a headache but it subsided by the time I had my final juice of the day.

My lunch

Day 2 was little better.  I had a blueberry mint juice.  It was a bit tart so I made this weird face every time I took a sip.  What was more difficult today was dinner.  The way to end a stressful day is a delicious meal.  Well, since I couldn’t sink my teeth in a juicy piece of fried chicken, I switched up my dinner juice.  Instead of eating a green juice, I had carrot, banana, and apple juice with a handful of almonds.  Not quite fried chicken but it will work. 

Dinner juice!!!

One thing about a juice cleanse is that it will make you think about all of your favorite foods: shrimp fried rice, Chipotle burrito, PB&J sandwich.  I would fight a tiger right now for just a sip of a Diet Coke.  Even though it’s day 2 I’m realizing that it’s going to take a different type of self-discipline to get through the next 8 days.  You know, the type of self-discipline that monks have when they take a vow of silence. 

Thankfully I’m off the next few days so at least I can be cranky and hungry at home.

Stay tuned and be sure to follow me on Instagram (@ebonymariere) for pics and videos of my juice cleanse.  

Juicing: Taking You Along for the Journey

While everyone is making their New Year’s Resolutions for 2015, I’ve decided to get started a little early…2 weeks to be exact.  On Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, juice cleanses are all the rage.  As a nutrition educator, I was skeptical of limiting myself to only one type of food.  As a food connoisseur, eating an all liquid diet didn’t excite me. 

Getting ready to make some juice

Let me just put it out there, I LOVE food.  By lunch time, I’m already thinking about what I’m going to cook for dinner.  It’s nothing for me to rummage through Pinterest for hours looking for new recipes.  I have numerous screen shots in my phone of recipes I find on Facebook.  The fat kid inside me gets excited about restaurant openings.  If there already wasn’t so many, I probably would have become a food blogger.

My last meal before the cleanse

Unfortunately, my love of food is also why I have gained more weight than I would like in the last couple of years.  At the beginning of 2014, my goal was to get out of the 200lb mark.  I work out and I do my best to eat right.  But sometimes McNuggets just be calling my name.  Sad to say, it’s the end of 2014 and I have yet to accomplish that goal.  Well, drastic times call for drastic measures. 

After talking to a couple of friends, I have decided to start a modified juice cleanse.  For me this will mean a juice in the morning, a light lunch, and juice for dinner.  I will also include snacks like raw vegetables, fruits, and boiled eggs and almonds for protein.  This isn’t a true cleanse.  A true cleanse would be a juice for all three meals, however, I ain’t bout that life.  It puts my mind at ease knowing that my body will still be getting a variety of nutrients from different sources. 

First 2 juices for Monday

Chicken for my light lunch

 I’m already nervous thinking about the hunger pains and headaches.  But like anything else, you can only take it a day at a time. My goal is to do this for 10 days.  Yes, 10 days.   In order to keep me on my toes, I will try to keep you all updated daily about my cleanse either here on my blog or on my Instagram account (@ebonymariere).  Be sure to follow to stay up-to-date with how I’m doing. 

 Have you ever done a juice cleanse?  How did you do? 

Sorority Sisters: A Review of the Criticism

Hey everybody!!! I am glad to be back for a minute to discuss the craziness going on in pop culture.  If you were on Twitter or Facebook on Monday night, you probably saw a lot conversations surrounding Sorority Sisters.  Sorority Sisters is a VH1 reality show following 9 women from each of the 4 historical black sororities.  Needless to say, Black Greek members and others in the black community were none too happy about the premiere of this show.

Source: hellobeautiful.com

Let me go on the record by saying that I'm not a fan of the Mona Scott Young franchise.  Mostly because her shows bore me.  Every show (Love & Hip Hop ATL, Love & HIp Hop New York, Love & Hip Hop Hollyood) is about wannabes clubbing and fighting.  Ain't nobody got time for that. But when I heard she was going to do a show about sororities, I was like "Wow.  Mona Scott Young will stop it nothing to get these coins."  So yea, I already knew that I was going to watch the first episode at the very least.

The only review I have of this show is that if I had it on mute I couldn't tell the difference between this or Love & Hip Hop or Basketball Wives.  Same weaves, same over contouring make-up,  same Forever 21 outfits, same leopard pumps : the formula for showcasing basic chicks.  Honestly, I'm not sure I'm interested enough to tune in next week.

However, what I'm more interested in is the criticism the show is receiving.  Black Greek life can be a very touchy subject.  Mostly, Black Greeks don't like non-Greeks discussing it unless you are praising their organizations.  Don't discuss the at time tragic hazing incidents or the elitist attitudes that some of them  carry.  Just praise them for the good community service work they do.  Okay...

On Twitter, some tried to start a boycott of VH1 and the companies who advertised during the first episode of Sorority Sisters.  So I can't get my pasta bowl from Olive Garden because they had a commercial during Sorority Sisters?? Or I can't rock comfy Fruit of the Loom underwear because you mad that VH1 put your sorority on front street? Don't blame Fruit of the Loom cause your sister showed up to the auditions.  Not one gun was put to the head of these women to join the show.  The producers are not holding them hostage to show out in front of the cameras.  All 9 of them, willingly, chose to participate in this show.  It sounds like you need to be finding them on Facebook and giving them a stern, but respectful, DM and leave me to my never-ending pasta bowl.  

My face when people want me to boycott food and underwear

Another part of this criticism that is confusing to me is how people are acting like Black Greek Life is too sacred to be  showcased in this format.  Last year, I wrote a piece on my disgust of how Preachers of L.A. was turning Christianity into a cheap spectacle that was misleading people about what the Bible really teaches.  Even though I heard a few objections to the aforementioned show, it was nowhere near the belly aching I have heard about Sorority Sisters.  Am I to believe that people are more upset about their organization being embarrassed than at Oxygen for mocking God whom they claim to owe their life to?

I don't believe that some Black Greeks are mad that they are being exploited.  I believe they are more upset that they are being knocked off that high pedestal they have put themselves on for so long.  As I mention earlier, Black Greeks don't like you talking about them unless you are praising them.  This makes them feel special, like they are a special breed.  However, this show is doing every thing but praising them.  So now we are seeing that they can be just a loud and brash as the rest of us. Fancy that...

As a blogger and someone who will be starting another business soon, I get wanting to protect your brand or reputation.  I also understand that these organizaton have years of history of sisterhood and service.  But I have a feeling that this particular situation is more about keeping up appearances than brand protection.  

What were your thoughts about the first episode of Sorority Sisters?

How to Get Away with Murder: My Theories

Source: abc.go.com

Six weeks ago, we were introduced to TV's most addicting murder mystery.  How to Get Away with Murder(HTGAWM) has had me glued to my couch every Thursday.  It's also probably the only time my phone is not in my hand.  If you have ever seen this show you know that it needs your ENTIRE attention.

This Thursday we will find out who killed Sam Keating (and hopefully find out who killed Lila Stanguard).  Every week HTGAWM has flashbacks to the students trying to get rid of Sam's body.  We have been given little clues along the way as to how they got there.  Before tomorrow's episode, I would like to pitch a few of my own theories of #WhoKilledSam and #WhoKilledLila:

Rebecca killed Sam: Last week, Rebecca admitted to killing Sam.  However, I believe this solution is too obvious.  But for the sake of this post, I will entertain it.  Rebecca knows that Lila was having an affair with Sam.  If you recall, we found out the last 10 minutes of last week's episode
that Lila was pregnant when she was killed.  Rebecca finds out about the pregnancy and confronts Sam because as we know Rebecca has a mouth piece on her that she doesn't know how to control.  Sam becomes enraged and tries to kill Rebecca.  Rebecca wasn't going so she grabs the statue and kills him.

Wes Killed Sam: I'm willing to put money on this theory.  From the start, Wes has been the ultimate underdog.  Lost his mother to suicide at 11 years of age, went to a junior college, and was wait-listed for law school.  Wes also has this need to be Captain Save-A-Jezebel.  So when he sees Sam trying to kill Rebecca (killing her for confronting him), Wes comes to the rescue and kills Sam with the statue.

Sam killed Lila: This too is obvious.  Sam killed Lila because she was going to snitch to Annalise about the affair and also she was pregnant.

Bonnie killed Lila: I know this is a stretch because we really don't know Bonnie's angle but bear with me.  At first, I thought she had something for Sam.  Then I thought she had something for Annalise.  On the other hand, she got her panties all in the bunch with Laurel when she sensed her and Frank were getting naughty. Then out of no where we see her in bed with Asher so yea I haven't cracked her yet.  With that said, I believe she killed Lila to protect Sam and Annalise (maybe she has a thing for the both of them; I mean, she is always at that house).  Bonnie possibley overheard Sam on the phone with Lila discussing her unwanted pregnancy and took it upon herself to take care of it; killing Lila that is.

Questions I still haven't been able to answer:

• How did the other students get involved with getting rid of Sam's body?
• Why is Bonnie sleeping with Asher of all people?
• How did Asher loose possession of the statue?
• Why doesn't Annalise just wear her real hair rather than those homemade wig units?

I can't wait for this upcoming episode.  I'm so ready for my questions to be answered.  What are your #WhoKilledSam theories?

How to Get Away with Murder: My Recap

Source:abc.go.com

At the request of my sister-in-law, Charlene, I’m coming back to my blog this week to do a recap of How to Get Away with Murder.  I had been anticipating this show ever sense I saw the preview for it over the summer.  So all day at work all I could think of was what the fierce Viola Davis had waiting for me.

As much as I respect Shonda Rhimes for her success in television I have to admit that I’m not that crazy about Grey’s Anatomy and no matter how much I try, I cannot get into Scandal.  With that being said I was willing to give this new show a chance.

My notes while watching the show

So here we go…

In true Shonda Rhimes fashion the show moves a mile a minute.  I mean you cannot take your eyes off the television or you will miss a vital clue.  And everyone talks so fast.  Like for a minute, I felt like a kid who should be in a remedial class but got stuck in an AP class by accident.  I had to use the commercial breaks to marinate on what happened.  Finally, I got into the flow of things and was able to catch on to most of what was going down.

The show starts off with students trying to figure out how to hide a body.  We are then introduced to Viola Davis playing the smart, no nonsense law professor, Annalise Keating.  She was basically that teacher you had in high school that you thought was mean but you actually learned the most from her.  She starts the class off with a case that her law firm is working on and asks the students to come up with a reason why her client is being accused.  Poor Wes Gibbins, played by Alfred Enoch, just got accepted two days before classes started so he didn’t have time to get caught up on the case.  This is brought to attention when Professor Keating asks him a question and he cannot answer.

Another student answers the question for Wes which prompts Professor Keating to say,

“Never take a learning opportunity from another student.  No matter how smart you think you are.”

From jump we know that we are going to get a special kind of life philosophy from Professor Keating.  She assigns the students to come up with a defense for her client whom has been accused of attempting to kill her boss who she was having an affair with.  Whoever comes up with the best defense gets a statue that will exempt them from one of her exams and the opportunity to work at her law firm along with other students that she picks. 

Now I’m far from a law student so I’m not even going to try to decipher the many different defenses the students came up with but let’s just say that Wes, Connor (Jack Falahee), Michaela (Aja Naomi King), Asher (Asher Millistone), and Laurel (Karla Souza) end up obtaining spots at her law firm.  These different ones get their spots because of their willing to go far and beyond to get more evidence to help win Keating’s case.  This includes invading people’s health records and hooking up with random people at bars. 

Keating let’s us know there are 3 ways you win a case

•       Discredit the witness
•       Introduce a new suspect
•        Bury the evidence to create doubt

We see Professor Keating do this with elegance and grace while using her students as her henchmen to do the dirty work.  I have a feeling before it’s all said and done these students will be doing more than getting a law degree.  They will basically be Keating’s oompa-loompas (Oompa, doompa, doompa-dee-dee, what will you do to get your law degree?). 

Throughout the show we keep getting flashes to Wes and ‘em trying to figure out what to do with a dead body but we have no idea who the dead body is until the end.  We also keep hearing about a girl who has gone missing and you know the missing girl has to be connected with one of the main characters.  We also find out that Professor Keating is a THOT.  When Wes thinks he has found a break in the case he rushes over to her law firm to find her getting down with Billy Blanks’ twin brother.  He turns out to be Keating’s side boo thang(who happens to be a detective connected with the case she is working on) and that she is actually married to one of the professors at the college who wants kids but unfortunately Annalise is having a hard time getting pregnant.  Or at least that is the story that she tells Wes (he’s the only student that knows she’s having an affair).  At this point she can’t be trusted (most THOTS are untrustworthy). 

However, not only does Keating have THOT tendencies but she’s a true playa for real.  When it seems that she is about to lose her case, she gets her side boo thang to lie on the witness stand.  Now you know you a playa when you get can your side piece to commit perjury.  At the end, they find the missing girl floating in a water tower and the dead person the students have been toting around is actually…wait for it…Mr. Keating.  Things have gotten real and it’s just the first episode.

So here are my final thoughts and questions:

• The show is most definitely not for the family: there were 2 steamy scenes within minutes of each other.
• Michaela is going to get on my nerves (she is an obnoxious over achiever)
• I'm scared of Connor Walsh because he seems like a man with no boundaries.
• I think Mr. Keating was having an affair with the missing girl or Wes' next door neighbor or both.  You never know with Shonda Rhimes.
• What happened to the law student that used to live in Wes' apartment who left the bite marks on the bed post and the scratching on the wall?
• Lastly, who killed Mr. Keating???????

I’m looking forward to see where this series is going to go.  What did you think of the series premiere of How to Get Away with Murder?

Sheryl Underwood Shares Her Truth and People Get Butthurt

Source:smashinginterviews.com

Hey everyone!!! For my followers on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you might remember I announced that I will be taking a break from blogging to work on another business venture.  I’m still working hard at it but something in my spirit told me to head over to my blog.


You might have seen the video of Sheryl Underwood on The Talk discussing her experience of fellow comedians talking about her without them knowing she was listening.  The gist of it is that she got on early to a conference call that was discussing a potential sequel to the Queens of Comedy.  Sheryl had put her phone on mute.  When the other ladies (Sommore, Adele Givens, and Ms. Laura Hayes) got on the conference call they started talking about Sheryl in a not so nice way unbeknownst to them that she was on the call.  Sheryl explained that instead of letting the women know that she could hear them, she instead chose to take notes and use their criticism to better herself.  She has since gone to work on other projects with the ladies and had never mentioned to them that she heard their comments.


Watch the rest here.

Now for the backlash…


Needless to say, the other women were none too happy that Sheryl blasted them on national television.  Adele responded with a tweet

“wow. The View must be pulling some really great ratings!”

And Laura Hayes responded with an Instagram pic of a wig, I guess implying that she is about the snatch wigs (an urban saying meaning she is about to go in on Sheryl.)  Sommore just retweeted some of her fans tweets about how jacked up Sheryl was for shading them.

Not one woman has denied the conversation took place or even offered an apology.

Even Rickey Smiley got in on the action by discussing some not so great things that he knew about Sheryl Underwood. 

It seems that the main problem that people had with Sheryl Underwood’s truth was that she named names.  Rather you agree or not that she should have kept the names secret that was not the point of her truth.  She explained that we do not often get to hear people’s real opinions of us.  We hear praises but not so much criticism.  She chose to take this negative and turn it into a positive.  She took note of what was being said about her and tried to improve herself.  How many of us would have reacted like that? 

I also commend Sheryl for not dogging the accused women.  She could have easily pointed out the fact that she is on a national TV program while the rest of the women are still on the comedy club circuit.  She could have even stated her relevance compared to the others but she didn’t.  She told her story, explained what she learned from it, and left it at that.  She called them out but she didn’t dog them out.


The fact that people have attacked Sheryl for sharing her story reiterates what I have said before: women are not allowed to discuss how they really feel about situations they have gone through in their lives.  The moment we open our mouths and share our story about how someone made us feel we are seen as bitter, jaded, or accused of not letting go of the past.  We are expected to keep things bottled up or when do speak them we have to walk on eggshells because God forbid we bother someone else with our story.


I know there are two sides to every story but I can't help but believe Sheryl's side of the story because what does she have to gain by lying.  And the other women have not denied it.  Yea, she could have kept the names secret, but whatever, her truth was told and sometimes we need to be blasted to remind us that we have something to work on.  So women, continue telling your truth and don’t let anyone make you feel bad for it. 

Why Does Torrei Hart have to be Bitter?

Source: bet.com

I’m just going to get straight to the point: stop calling Torrei Hart bitter.  Reality TV have conditioned us to see all ex-wives as crazy and we start lumping them all into one group.  We have all seen the ex-wives who live lavish lives because of alimony and/or child support checks.  So we make quick judgments about all Hollywood ex’s and call them jaded and greedy.  However, I’m not going to put Torrie is this category because homegirl is just being honest. 

Torrei has made news throughout social media because of the uncanny way she speaks about her ex-husband, Kevin Hart.  Back in April 2014, she was asked about how she felt about Kevin calling his girlfriend “my rib”.  Ms. Hart kept it all the way real and responded with:

"It's easy to be somebody's rib when their millionaire."

Of course, the interwebs went crazy and went on a “she’s bitter female dog” campaign.  But let’s go on to what else she had to say after that comment:

“You’re working at City Sports and I’m taking you to your shows, you’re driving my car, you’re crashing my car several times, and I’m still there for you, supporting you, went out and got a job for the phone company and still making sure I got your back so you can pursue your dreams…That’s what ribs do!”

Some might say she is living in the past but what I hear is someone who is telling her truth.  Kanye said it best with this lyric in Gold Digger, “And when you get on he leave yo a—for white girl.” or in this case, mixed girl.  She was there when we didn’t know what a Kevin Hart was.  She made huge sacrifices so he could live out a dream that she probably doubted at times.  Why is it that when she tells her side of the story, she has to sugarcoat it and give old tired PR responses?

Just this past week, Kevin Hart proposed to girlfriend, Eniko Parish.  Because he did it on the night that Vh1’s Atlanta Exes premiered starring Torrei Hart, some said that it was a blow at her.  Kevin has said that he did it that night because it was Eniko’s birthday.  When asked if she thought if Kevin would cheat on Eniko, Torrei responded, “Well he cheated on me..."  

I congratulate her for being honest.  We, as women, constantly put our feelings aside, heck, bury them 6 feet under.  We, too often, blame ourselves for every wrong thing in our past instead of placing blame where it needs to go.  We continue to put up a front when we are actually breaking down on the inside.  It’s almost like women aren’t allowed to be angry or hurt.  God forbid, we act like humans.  We are just supposed to suck it up, smile, and keep it moving.  But the moment we tell our truths, we are bitter, angry, or “stuck in the past.”  Torrei Hart isn’t stuck in the past, she is stuck on the truth.  He got on, cheated on her, and now gives new girl all the praise and glory. 

Before you start calling me a feminist Nazi, I know there are two sides to every story.  He has admitted to his wrong doings and constantly wishes Torrei well.   Torrei has even admitted to the part she played in their divorce.   In fact, I’m actually a huge fan of Kevin Hart.  My point is that being classy doesn’t mean that she has to hide her feelings about what she has gone through.  Anybody that has gone through a break-up will tell you that you may move forward but the scars are always there.  Unlike most ex-wives, Torrei has to constantly see her husband professing his love to new girl.  So the healing process is a bit different from the average ex-wife. 

Only time will tell how Torrei will continue to speak of Kevin and Eniko.  Since she is doing this reality show maybe interviewers will stop only asking her questions about Kevin and more about herself. 

How do you feel about how Torrei responds to Kevin’s new relationship?