#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. 

#JusticeForTrayvon

Hey everybody.  I start this post with an anxious heart.  Today the jury will deliberate on the verdict for the George Zimmerman trial.  It has been hard for me to watch the case for the last week.  It is hard for me to imagine this had to be brought to trial.  You would think something like this should be open and close.  Simply put: if George Zimmerman would have stayed in the car, Trayvon would still be alive today.

Aside: I did not attend law school.  But at times during this case, I felt I could have built a stronger case against Zimmerman than the prosecution.  I will give it a try:  George Zimmerman spots Trayvon and calls 911.  George Zimmerman tells 911 he is following him and 911 tells him NOT to follow him.  At this point, Trayvon senses that someone is following him so now he is in self-defense mode.  So even if Trayvon did throw the first punch, it is because he thought his life was threatened.  Trayvon was "standing his ground."  At no point, did Zimmerman have the authority to follow or question this young man.  As neighborhood watch, his job it to watch, not to take action of any sort.

With all that said, I have a strong feeling that the jury will find him not guilty.  The prosecution has to prove that George Zimmerman did it out of spite or hatred.  I do not think he did it out to of hate rather than bad judgement.  Zimmerman made really ill choices and should be held responsible for the bad choices that he made i.e. getting out of the truck. 

Watching this case has been difficult for me because of how the Defense has painted the picture that Zimmerman had no other choice but to kill this 17 year old. He had a choice: stay in the car (see the pattern here).  The Defense said that Trayvon was armed with the "sidewalk."  They also said that following someone is not illegal.  Just because something is not illegal does not mean it is a good idea. 

I continue to pray for Martin's family.  This has been a difficult time for them to be in the courtroom day after day with the man who shot their son and has no regrets about it.  They are the definition of cool composure.  I also hope their will be no violent backlash if the verdict is not in Trayvon's favor.  Let's remember to be peaceable even in difficult times.

What is your take on this trail? What do you think the verdict is going to be?

#RachelJeantelKeyWitness

Hey everybody!! And a Happy Friday to you!! I could not let this week end without me writing something on Ms. Rachel Jeantel.  Now if you are not familiar with this young lady, she is the key witness in the George Zimmerman Trial.  She was the last person to speak to Trayvon before he was shot by Zimmerman.

Why Ms. Rachel Jeantel has become big news is not just because she is a key witness but because of her performance on the witness stand. 

Disclaimer: The purpose of this post is NOT to throw shade at her at all.

As I am writing this post I am having a hard time trying to figure out where I should start.  So I guess  I will just start with her whispering on the witness stand.  Why is she whispering?  For awhile, I thought something was wrong with the volume of my computer.  At times, she was even mumbling.  Like girl, what is wrong with you?  I would hate to be that person that has to type the transcript.  I would mean mug her real hard. 

Then she seemed to have an attitude the whole time.  From the moment she was sworn in to the moment she stepped down, she seemed over it.  She reminded me of what people look like in the DMV waiting area, pressed and ready to go.  It seemed to me she was more ready to go than wanting to do her best to defend her friend.  Her "side-eye" attitude was really confusing to me.  Like she had a year and half to prepare mentally and emotionally  for this and I feel she chose to have a stank attitude instead.

But what really took the cake for some folks and myself was her speech.  It does not bother that she does not talk like a Harvard Scholar.  But what does bother me is that she does not know how to switch between kicking-it-with-my-girls talk to I'm-in-a-court-of-law talk.  And you got some over zealous supporters saying she is only 19 years old.  Only 19??!!  You are technically considered an adult in the United States of America at 18!  She is 19, not 12.  She should be able to articulate herself better than what she was doing.  I bet when she with her friends she can articulate herself very well.  Does she not understand the seriousness of this trial?  Get cho life immediately.  I had to go to traffic court at 16 and I took that $200 traffic ticket more seriously than she is taking her part in this trial. 

I completely understand that she is under a lot pressure but her being 19 and English supposedly being her second or third language is not an excuse for me.  You are a grown woman and sometimes you have to do things that you do not want to do.  That is what comes with being an adult.  I am not sure to blame Rachel for her nonchalantness or the prosecution for their lack of preparing her for the defense's questions.  Whatever the case, I do not think that Rachel's performance made or broke this trial.  But this should have given parents a wake-up call to start early with making sure your children can present themselves in a mature way at least by 19, just in case they are a key witness in a major murder trial. 

What are your thoughts on the Rachel Jeantel and/or the trail so far?

Socially Awkward Forever

Hey everybody!! Sorry for neglecting you guys.  I know I have been off my blog game lately.  But I am back!

I have a confession I need to make: My name is Ebony and I am socially awkward.  I am not a fan of small talk. I get anxious when I am in a room of people I do not know.  I do not always know how to end phone conversations.   And I never know what to say at funerals.  Whoo, it felt good to get that off my chest. Until now, I hated my socially awkward ways.

One night I was bored and decided to watch Awkward Black Girl on Youtube.  After one episode I fell in love.  Within 2 days I had watch both seasons.  Where had Issa Rae (creator of Awkward Black Girl) been all my life?  Like seriously, why are we not best friends?  I could relate to every episode dealing with dating, making friends, socializing at parties, and getting a new job. 

Here is the first episode to start you off





I think Issa has been secretly watching me for the last 25 years and decided to make a Youtube series from her observations.  But she hadn't and she was talking about her life.  She was a success because she accepted who she was and was not trying to change it.  Then I had a epiphany:  I can be awkward and be good at stuff.  Issa had taught me to embrace my weird ways.  It is what makes me...me. 

There were times I wish I could be smooth like the popular folks in college.  Now I did not want to hang with them too much because of a lot of them were elitist douche bags  but I did wish I had their smooth ways.  But it seemed like when I tried to be "cool" I actually made myself seem even more awkward.  I remember when I was in college and I was in RA training.  The room was packed and I unpurposely ended up sitting next to some Black Greeks (If you know anything about Black Greeks, they can instantly make you feel your cool level is nonexistent).  One of them made a joke and I tried to chime in by laughing too.  Needless, to say it was a bust.  They kind of glared at me like "Who gave you permission to laugh at our cool jokes? You ain't cool." 

At 25, I have come to the realization that I am socially awkward.  But not only have I come to that realization but also I can't say that I want to change it.  I love telling my roomie and other friends my awkward interaction stories.  I have stories for days about not  remembering who the president of the organization I work for is and calling my roomie Celie instead of Sydney the first few months we knew each other.  It makes my life seem so much more interesting.  You can keep your smoothness.  I will take my weird social interactions any day.

#InstagramHasVideo

Hey everybody!!! Hope your Thursday has been great! If you have not heard by now Instagram has video and I, for one, am excited.  Out of all the social networks that I am a part of I will have to say that Instagram is my favorite one.  I enjoy seeing others' lives through photos.  I think it is because I'm such visual person.  Fortunately, I follow some real cool people on Instagram so I am entertained on a daily.  I see vacations, baby photos, dinners, lunches, fashions, and creative memes. 

Today Instagram announced they now have a video option.  You can record up to 15 seconds of video.  I am excited for this new option because I cannot wait to see how creative people get with these 15 seconds. On one hand, I know I am going to see millions of baby first steps or sounds.  I look forward to seeing snippets of concerts and lectures.  But as history has taught us,  foolish people will take something like this to another level.  I can only imagine what the ratchet will do with 15 seconds of video.  Twerking teams? Cussing folks out? 15 second rap demos? People showing off their joint rolling skills? Yep, I can see all that happening. 

I think this is the first time I have looked forward to an app update.  If you have not updated your app yet, you should.  Go head and put up your first video and if you want to follow me on Instagram @ebonymariere.  I will most definitely be using this feature. 

Lets have a moment of silence for Vine.  I never downloaded you but I've heard you were the Instagram for videos.  You will be missed

 



Thick, Baby! Presents NishaSPEAKS







Thick, Baby!

Presents

NishaSPEAKS



Hey everybody!! I am back with a new video!! In this interview, I sit down with Tonisha 'NishaSPEAKS' Porter about her new single "I Love You" that will be on iTunes, Amazon, and CDBaby on June 11. Be sure to check it out and leave comments!