#GrammysAndFrediWashington

Hey everybody!!! And a Happy Black History Month!! For this post you will be getting a 2 for 1 combo.  I will be reviewing this year's Grammys and discussing someone for Black History Month. 

This year's Grammys was pretty good.  I felt like I had front row tickets to 12 very different concerts.  Taylor Swift opened the show with her hit "We are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together".  I am not a huge fan of hers but she did a good job.  Some wins I was excited was my homegirl's Adele winning for "Set Fire to the Rain" in the Best Pop Vocal category and Kelly Clarkson winning for Best Pop Vocal Album.  Her [Kelly Clarkson] thank you speech was everything.  When she said "Miguel, I don't know who the hell you are but I want to work together." I bout fell out my recliner.  Had a few drinks before the show, Ms. Clarkson?  I also enjoyed the Bob Marley tribute even if it did include a Bruno Mars song and only one Bob Marley song.  The performance had a lot of energy and you need that in a 3 hour long show.  Oh, and shoutouts to Jay-Z for putting The Dream on blast for wearing that swatmeat hat to the Grammys.  It was like he woke up 30 minutes before the show and just threw on the first thing he saw laying around the room.  Get it together, The Dream.



Fredi Washington (right) in Imitation of Life

I know I missed the first week but I want to try to spotlight someone or something in Black History for each week in February.  This week spotlight is on Ms. Fredi Washington.  You might have never heard of her.  If you saw the 1934 movie Imitation of Life then you know that she played Peola, the fair skinned girl who was ashamed of being black and wanted to pass as a white woman.  If you have not seen this movie, I highly recommend it.  You can probably catch it on Turner's Classic Movie channel.  Ms. Fredi Washington caught some controversy for role in the movie.  Because of her convincing performance some black people thought that in real life she wanted to pass for a white woman.  In reality, she was an civil rights activist fighting to get fairer policies for blacks in the entertainment industry. 

Washington was told often if she wanted to be successful in Hollywood she should pass for a white woman because she was so light skin.  As a proud African American woman, she firmly refuse to do such a thing. 

Ms. Fredi Washington on passing, "I have never tried to pass for white and never had any desire, I am proud of my race."

 Because of her choosing not to "pass" and not wanting to be stuck with stereotypical roles,  there was limited work for her.  She decided to work in the theater and continued to speak on racial issues.  I admire her for her bold choice during an era when just being black could get you killed.  Let this serve as a reminder to be proud of who you are regardless of your color, size, or shape. 

Stay tuned for next week's Black History Month spotlight!

#BeyonceBowl

Hey everybody!! Now, you all know that I was going to review the most anticipated half time show in a decade.  And as Beyonce's biggest hater/fan, I would like to give her three snaps and a swirl for that performance.  Some have said that it was the best half time show ever and yea, I am not going to agree with that but it was better then they have been in last few years (Because of Janet's nipple slip, networks have been playing it safe ever since). 

I can't really break this performance down in highs and lows because it was truly good from beginning to end.  I love how she gave us overview of her 16 year career in 12 minutes.  When Bey did the "Uh, oh" part in the Crazy in Love song I seriously almost got up and started dancing myself.  Then the reunion with Destiny Child's was awesome.  I was a huge DC fan back in the day (still am) and so was really excited to see them back on stage together.  That all girl band was killing it.  It really made me wish I still had my saxophone so that I could join the band but I'm not even sure if I could remember the fingering for a G flat.  A Youtube blogger brought it to my attention that King Bey even had thicker girl dancers on stage with her.  As a follow thicker girl, this warmed my heart.  Then she ended the performance beautifully with "Halo".  All in all, she gets an A for this performance.

Now as Beyonce biggest hater/fan you know I had to find something.  Is it just me, or was Kelly and Michelle's mic turned down when they were singing "Single Ladies"?  I'm just saying.  And I also wish that Beyonce would have gave us a preview of a new single from the album she has been working on.  This would have been the perfect occasion for it. 

On another note: apparently, Keisha Cole came for Michelle Williams on Twitter.  Back some time ago, Michelle had some bad words for Keisha and Keisha is still pressed about it.  At this point (mostly because of Chris Brown), I need some of these celebrities to hand their Twitter accounts over to their PR people. 

Oh, I cannot forget that my SISTAH did an awesome job singing with the children chorus of Sandy Hook Elementary.  She did a flawless job but who was doubting that she wouldn't?

For your viewing pleasure here are both J Hud's and Beyonce's performance:

#ChrisBrownAGAIN

Hey everybody!! I went back and forth about writing yet another post about Chris Brown and his unfortunate events. But because I blog about current events I feel it is my duty to discuss this hot mess.  So apparently, Chris Brown and Frank Ocean got to arguing over a parking spot.  Then things escalated and Frank Ocean caught Chris' fist in the face.  By the times the cops got there Chris was gone.  

Now I don't want analyze the events since we don't know all the details.  But one thing about this mishap that made me give a hard side eye was when I heard Brown was possibly going to be charge with a hate crime.  Even though I do not agree with Brown's recent behavior, I really don't feel he has  started targeting gay people.  Honestly, I feel trouble follows him.   He has never been able to shake a really bad mistake he made 4 years ago.  Now let me make it very clear that I do not condone domestic violence in any way but I do not feel he should have to pay for that one behavior for the rest of his life.  He made his public apologies, payed his debt to society, and hey, even Rihanna is over it.

Now with that said I need Chris Brown's team to get on their job.  As of right now, and I think I have said this before, Brown has a lot of "Yes" people in his corner.  In other words, he doesn't have anybody telling him "Hey, just let it go.  You're on probation right now and you do not need the bad press."  Nope.  He has people telling him (in my deep man voice) "Hell yea, I would have hit him in the face over a parking spot too. It's about respect."  Dear Chris, if you happen to stumble upon this blog post please fire those people that are encouraging your bad choices. 

Update: Apparently, Chris posted a picture on Instagram of Jesus Christ on the stake with the caption "Painting how I feel today."  You know what, Brown?  I think this is going to be last post I write on you.  Yes, readers, this will be the last time I report on any of Mr. Brown's foolishness.  If he does not have a new single coming out you will not see his name on this blog. 

And on that note,  I think it's time to end this post.

Remember to follow me on Twitter, @EbonyMarieRe and leave feedback on this post and others.

 

#BeyonceDoingKaraokeNow?

Hey everybody!! By now you have heard about the first controversy of 2013: Beyonce may have possibly lip synced the National Anthem at the Presidential Inauguration.  Honestly, as I am writing this I can't believe this has made big news the way it has.  I expect TMZ or Entertainment Tonight to make a big deal about this but now you got CNN and MSNBC covering it like it's the war in the Middle East.  But since it has made major news, I felt compelled to write a post on it.

First, let me discuss how I feel about any artist lip syncing.  If you call your self a singer then I expect you to sing live whenver you do a performance if the conditions allow it.  What I mean is if you are inside a venue standing in front of a mic then you should be singing live for dear life.  Now if you are dancing your butt off, hanging upside down, doing backflips, or maybe singing outside under harsh weather conditions, then lip syncing to a pre-recording is understandable (even though I have been to an outdoor concert when it was cold and raining and I know the performers were still singing live).  I believe artists owe it to their fans who support them to give them good live performances.  If I pay to go to your concert, I want to hear you, not a recording.  I can stay at home and listen to your CD.

Do you think she sang live?

With that said, let me get back to Ms. Beyonce.  It actually does not bother me if she was lip syncing or not.  If she did it, she is certainly not the first artist to do it.  But what does make me give a side eye is that I keep hearing a lot of excuses about her supposed karaoke performance.  The main excuse is that the weather made it hard for her to sing it live.  Let me mention that Kelly Clarkson (also singing outdoors) sang live.  It also makes me raise an eye brow that no one from her team has confirmed that it was a live a performance.  All we have gotten is that a member of the Marine band saying that even though they were not actually playing their instruments they cannot confirm if she did sing live or not.  But we know that Queen B is good at playing the silent game. 

Whatever the case may be, we know that Beyonce can sing and that she can sing live.  If she chose to lip sync the National Anthem to play it safe then I guess I'm okay with that.  I mean, really, who wants to mess up such an epic song knowing the nation is watching?  But, Beyonce, if you did lip sync that performance you need an Oscar for that performance because you were lip syncing like Blue Ivy's life depended on it.  I'm just ready for her half-time performance at the Superbowl.  The only controversy that might come out of that is her not letting Kelly or Michelle  get any singing time.

P.S.

My SISTAH sang live!

My SISTAH singing live is never a question.

#CatfishAndBeyonceVsUSA

Hey everybody!!! First blog of 2013!  I was waiting to make a post because I wanted the first post of this year is to be something interesting.  So I am opening up the first post of 2013 about the new MTV show Catfish and Beyonce vs. the people. 

Catfish started off as a documentary about this guy who found out the girl he had been talking to on Facebook was lying about her identity.  Like for real, this lady created this whole other universe that only she lived in and had this guy in love with her.  Well, Nev (the guy who got punked) has started a TV show based on the documentary that is also titled Catfish.  Nev helps others connect with their Facebook lovers.  My major drawback with this show is that I feel that every person that is on the other side of the Facebook pic is lying about....everything. 

I could do this guy's job

The first story I watched  included a girl who had fallen in love with a guy over Facebook who claimed to be a model, cue card writer, and going to online school to be an anesthesiologist.  And this girl needed Nev to come and tell her that this guy was totally bogus.  Not only that, it took 40 minutes to find out this guy (who actually was a girl) was bogus.  I could have told homegirl in 5 minutes dude/girl was a hot mess.  And that is basically every episode: people have been dating crazies on Facebook for a year or more without seeing each other and then meet and then the crazie was not who they said they were.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is a real show... that is 10 years too late.  Have not talk shows and news shows not warned us about this a million times.  Honestly, I only watch the last 10 minutes of this show to see the face of the crazie.  I do not need to watch Nev google somebody for 30 minutes.


America is bored.  I know this because they are creating these crazy petitions and sending them to the White House.  A recent petition created by health advocates is trying to ban Beyonce from singing the National Anthem at the Presidential Inauguration.  They feel she is not setting a good example of good health since she signed a $50 million deal with Pepsi.  As I stated in an earlier post, I am Beyonce's biggest hater/fan but I am with Bey on this one.  The last time I checked Beyonce is not a health advocate but a business woman.  Now if Beyonce was making Health PSAs all willy nilly then I would be like ok, how dare she! but yea, Beyonce is not making PSAs.  So America please, find something else to do and leave performers of the Inauguration alone. 


Even Beyonce had to laugh at that one

I hope you enjoy this first post of 2013 and I look forward to bring it to you guys this year!!!

#ILIVEDIn2012

Hey everybody!! I had to give you all one more post before the end of the year.  This has been a good year for me and the blog.  I was published in the Sync, a weekly newsletter in central Arkansas, and started doing videos.  There has been some setbacks (my horrible internet connection making interviews over oovoo impossible) but I know in 2013 I plan to continue to take the blog to a next level.  In this post I want to talk about some random things that gave me life in 2012:

1. Got 2B Real If you have never seen this Youtube series you are seriously missing out. Patti LaHelle is the creator of this hilarious shady reality show. Ms. LaHelle has copied and paste interviews of Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Beyonce, Dionne Warrick, and the late-great Whitney Houston and turned them into Divas who come at each other with much force. The shade in these videos will have you in tears. You will find lines like "Aretha, I know you single and ready for a pringle" and "Ooooo na na, what's your name?" Unfortunately, this series will be coming to an end but you can always watch the videos of on Youtube. Be sure to tune in and try to catch the shade.
2. The Skorpion Show This past year I have fallen in love with another Youtube show called The Skorpion Show. This show is hosted by the hilarious Kevin Simmons and Makael Mclendon. If you are looking for funny commentary on movies, music, and current movies you need to tune into these guys weekly. I truly get my life when I hear these guys go in on rappers, singers, and especially the ladies of reality TV. I do not understand why they have not been picked up by a major network yet. I mean these guys are really funny. If you want to hear the latest about Beyonce or who has the number one album be sure to search The Skorpion Show on Youtube and subscribe.
3. Glamour This has become one of my fav magazines. Glamour is not just another magazine to get make-up tips, but a magazine that makes you proud to be a woman. I started reading Glamour last year but I really started make sure I got each month's issue this year. What I like most about the magazine is that is not just about showcasing skinny white women but they explore the lives of all women of various backgrounds. I enjoy their Women of Year issue where they highlighted women around the country that are doing awesome things. This year they highlighted athletes from the U.S. Olympics team, clothing designers, and architecs. Another thing that nailed it for me was when Glamour said they are going to calm down on their photoshopping of the models in their magazine. Glamour has gained a faithful reader in me.
4. Pinterest Like everyone else, I have become obsessed with arts & craft, unique recipes, and making my own home decor. If you have ever been on this website you know that you can easily spend hours on this site pinning for multiple boards. What I like about Pinterest is that it brings out the creativity in a person. What I do not like about this site is that some of projects are misleading and have you think that they can be easily done. Believe me, that is not the case. I did a project where I had to melt crayons on a canvas and lets just say that I had melted crayon all over the kitchen counter and little of it on the canvas.
5. My mom Unfortunately, my mom's cancer took a turn for the worse this year. She has become weak but her faith is stronger than ever. I was really afraid that my mom would not make it through the year but she is still holding on. Even though she cannot always get out the bed she finds enough energy to talk to her loved ones each day. I am always told that I am handling her condition well. But it is because she taught me not to be depressed about her cancer but to enjoy the time that I have left with her. She has taught me to be strong in the darkest situations and hope to carry that lesson into 2013.

I hope I have brought something interesting to you this year. And I want you to know that I have enjoyed bringing you my twist on different subjects with each post. I want to continue to bring you interesting subjects and grow this blog. Thank you to the readers that RT my tweets and like my post on Facebook. It is all appreciated. Do not be afraid to give me feedback on the blog and tell me things you would like to see. Again, I thank you and hope you have a great 2013!!!

#ChrisetteMichele:FlawlessTalent

Hey everybody!! I know it has been a long time since I have blogged but there has been a lot of things going on in my life personally.  But after last Friday night, I had to post about an amazing artist I had the honor to see. Honestly, underestimated artists have a special place in my heart.  They are the artists that do not get the radio play.  You do not see them on the cover of the major magazines.  And you do not see them performing at the VMAs or the American Music Awards.  Unfortunately, these artists are left in the shadows of the bigger pop stars.

By the name of this post you already know who I am talking about, yes, Ms. Chrisette Michele. I absolutely adore this artist.  Her talent is so unique.  I believe every word that she sings.  I have had the opportunity to see her twice in concert.  Even when she performs live I believe she is reliving what she is singing and from that you get a genuine performance.   I love artists that can put their life experiences in beautiful melodies.  And Chrisette does this amazingly.    For me the year 2010 was the year of Chrisette Michele.  I listened to her CD for a year straight.  I could connect with every word of every song.  When I saw her this time last time in concert all I kept thinking about was how one person can possess that much talent.  Like, why isn't this girl killing on the charts when she drops a single?

Then I have to remember the majority of music buyers are not into real music.  Now I, too, listen to my fair share of pop tunes but I would like to think that I give all artists of all genres a chance and I wish other music listeners would too.  Chrisette Michele is a part of a genre that is in desperate need of CPR (I am proud of that metaphor): R&B and Jazz.  With that being said, I feel Ms. Michele is breathing (pun intended) new life into these genres.  I got a chance to listen to some songs off her latest mixtape Audrey Hepburn: An Audiovisual Presentation and yes, she is bringing it! 

Chrisette Michele performing at Montego Cafe in Little Rock, AR. She shut it down!

Chrisette Michele is a flawless talent.  Her voice is special and stands out from the other voices on the radio.  If for some strange reason you have not listened to her music, after you finish reading this post YouTube her music and start listening to real music.