Stuff that makes me smile: The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars

(from my blog Stuff that Makes Me Smile)

Who hasn’t felt this way?

It’s impossible to watch this video and not smile. Can’t be done.  This song is fantastic. I love this video.  I love the choreography via Poreotix. I’ll admit I was slightly creeped out by the monkey masks, but after watching it a few times this goes away.

SMILE METER: 8

My New Favorite Thing: The Ultimate Movie Mashup

I found this cool video on Urlesque.com and thought it was awesome. You know I’m totally obsessed with mashups and this is a great one.

Thanks again to Urlesque.com

Pop Culture Inspiration: Beyonce

“I always pray that I just have one more week, but eventually it is what it is. It’s time to go there. It’s time to let it all out and do what you were born to do.”

~ Beyonce (from my blog Pop Culture Inspiration)  Beyonce was describing beginning her concert tour, but we all have that thing in our lives that always wanted to try but just never felt like that timing was right. Maybe its starting a business or writing a book. Maybe its starting a family or trying out a hobby. The lesson here is, there’s never a perfect time. Rarely do the stars and planets align just right to allow you to do the things you feel you’ve been destined to do. Sometimes you just have to step out on faith and take a chance. You have to be willing to try and realize that whether you fail or succeed there’s a lesson in that. The longer we wait for the perfect right time, the more time we waste. That valuable time we’re wasting is time we can be doing that thing that makes us happy. Life is short eventually we run out of time and we regret not taking action sooner. Today, I challenge you to go for it. Don’t wait. Take that first step today.

Quote of the Day

From my sister during a discussion about one of Lil Wayne’s baby mamas, Lauren London:

I wouldn’t have a baby with Lil Wayne. He looks like a roach. He looks like he should be crawling on the floor looking for crumbs.

From Punkgirl to Naughty librarian: Walking the Runway of Life

 I share a special kinship with Madonna.

 Both of us are exhibitionists to a degree. Both of us are artists. Both of us feel strongly that sexuality can be a legitimate form of artistic expression (Only one of us has managed to become a millionaire as a result, bet you can’t guess which one).

 One thing I really admire about her is how she’s been able to reinvent herself so many times without losing who she is. I”m old enough to remember the “Like a Virgin” days of black-off-the-shoulder tees, capri leggings, and crosses, to the “True Blue” days of the short blond cut, to the Kabbalah days where she’s tamer, but still just as fierce.

 This came to mind recently because I love to reinvent myself. I change my look pretty often. I’ve read articles where people have said this means I’m unhappy with myself, but I disagree. Getting dressed and doing your hair is one opportunity we have all day to be artistic and creative. It’s the only opportunity some of us wage slaves get. To me it’s like getting to play dress up and assume different personalities every day. Its like being a supermodel on the runway of life every single day. You’ve got to strut it and work it out. Clothes should be fun not just functional. 🙂

 It also says that I’m not just a one-dimensional person. I’m a mulifaceted woman with many sides to me. What mood I’m in will determine what side of me you get to see today.

 My most recent fashion transformation went from a pretty extreme assymetic haircut (sort of pseudo-punk) to a long layers and a pair of ugly glasses. I was going for that whole sexy librarian look. I love the contrast of sexy and educated, because I definitely believe sexy is smart. So over the course of the past few months I went from punk to librarian chick with the change of a hairdo and some glasses.

 How about you? Are you a fashion chameleon or do you stick with good old tried and true? What are some of your favorite looks?

Me on a Soapbox: Love advice from J-Lo

 Jennifer Lopez  actually said something that got me thinking.

I wrote about this in my other blog Pop Culture Inspirations (shameless plug).

 On a lazy day off I was watching J-Lo’s Behind the Music on TiVo. They were talking about her life and many loves: Diddy and Ben Affleck, etc. They end on how she’s finally found lasting love with husband Marc Anthony. Then she said something so profound. I’m paraphrasing, but basically she said being with him makes her want to be a better person and thus being with him makes her better.

It was an a-ha moment for me. This is what I’ve been doing wrong. Find a person you love and that makes you a better person. She didn’t say find the guy with the most money or find the sexiest guy. She said find the guy who makes you want to be better.

 This woman has dated  all types of men from the rich and powerful (music  mogul Diddy and actor/writer Ben Affleck) to regular guys (waiter Ojani Noa and backup dancer Cris Judd). She has dated across racial lines (black, white, Latino).

 I’m by no means a relationship expert, in fact I’m the queen of bad relationships. I do however know this is a method I have not actively tried. I opt for the guy who is the cutest or the most fun or who has the best swagger. None of those things have amounted to diddly squat and here I am 30-years-old, perpetually single, and the only one of my siblings not to give my parents a grandchild.

 I guess the point I’m making is sometimes we have to go outside of our comfort zone to get something we’ve never had before. My most recent relationship was with a guy who was a teacher and was pursuing an advanced degree. He had a job where he was making a contribution to society. He was making himself better educated. It made me realize I could be doing more. It made me want to be more.

 Insanity is doing the same thing and getting a different result. Maybe finding love is doing something so totally different and being open to the possibilities.

My New Favorite Thing – Pop Culture Inspirationals

I just can’t leave well enough alone, LOL, I’ve started yet another new blog and it’s called Pop Culture Inspirationals

Pop Culture Inspirationals came about during a really difficult time in my life. I’d just learned that I didn’t get this journalism job that I really wanted. I was depressed. So as I do most every Wednesday night, I went to Bible Study. And it just came to me.

Ironically, the subject of the Bible Study was using our spiritual gifts. In that message he said several things that struck a chord with me, but one thing in particular: “Maybe everything you’ve been trying hasn’t worked, because you haven’t been using your gift to glorify Christ.” It was something like that.  I’ve always loved to write. This past semester, I took a television analysis class and said I wish I could find a way to make a living watching television and writing about it. On many occasions I’ve found inspiration in things I’ve seen on television. This was a way to combine all those things.

This blog is not going to hit anyone over the head with religion. I simply hope through this blog I can teach show some of the inspirational life lessons we tend to overlook because its packaged on television or by a blinged-out rap star. The first lesson of Pop Culture Inspirationals is that appearance isn’t everything…

Please check it out and tell your friends: http://popcultureinspirationals.wordpress.com/

Two Throwback Thursdays for one

…I did a Throwback Thursday. I heard this song today and had to post the video.

I didn’t realize until just now that this sampled another song that I loooove

…speechless after I saw this.

Saw this on the magazine stand and literally stopped in my tracks:

My thought was, “Oh wow!” I don’t really follow football so I had no idea who this was (it’s Reggie Bush, BTW). Of course, I was looking at this purely superficially, but on some further research I found this was a controversial cover.

 Some Essence readers had a problem with Reggie Bush being on the cover of a magazine for black women when he’s been in a pretty long, very public relationship with a woman who isn’t black. (Bush is dating reality TV star Kim Kardashian who is of Armenian descent). One reader comment  claimed “Bush had shunned Black women.”

 I can argue for both sides on this. First of all I have not seen or read anything that says Reggie Bush is against dating Black women. For totally selfish reasons I hope that’s not true (no chance for me, not that there was one anyway). Dating someone outside of your race by no means says you’ve shunned your race. If he has come out against dating black women than I agree that he is not an appropriate person to grace the cover of a magazine dedicated primarily to Black women. Put him inside, maybe, but not on the cover.

 My belief is that Essence made an excellent choice of cover models. I have not picked up an Essence magazine in months and I saw that cover and grabbed it immediately. I took it to the checkout counter and the cashier had the same reaction I did. It gets attention. Plus the issue is a celebration of Black men and there is no question Reggie Bush is a black man.

 Let the man date who he wants. Its not our business. If we put that same energy into our own relationships I think a lot less of our relationships would be in trouble. Just saying.

 What do you think? Are you offended by Reggie Bush being on the cover of Essence? Does it bother you that he is not dating a black woman?

…an awards show hater critiquing the Golden Globes.

I hate awards shows.  I really do, but as part of my Television Analysis class I was assigned to watch and write a paper about the show. It actually wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be.

Great things about it being a live show:

• Wardrobe malfunction: Chloe Sevigny’s big crazy Valentino  dress getting ripped by an usher and Kristen Bell just playing it off
• Showing Leonardo DiCaprio’s picture when they said Jeff Bridges name. (I love me some Leonardo so I didn’t really mind, plus Jeff Bridges ended up winning the award so I’m sure he got over this really fast)

Number of times they played the music before the person finished their speech (this always cracks me up): Once while the writers for Grey Gardens were giving their speech.

Shows what I know: I was totally ragging on Michael C. Hall for wearing a hat with a tux to an awards show. Turns out he’s receiving treatment for cancer. Oops, my bad.

Acceptance speeches I loved:

• MoNique – I didn’t see Precious (yet, plan to finally see it this week and blog about it), but I love MoNique and she seemed truly stunned to win the award. There is something that is just really genuine and human to me when someone on these shows wins an award and they truly didn’t expect it. That always really touches me.
• Drew Barrymore – I have no idea why, but I love this girl. Maybe its because ET was the very first movie I ever saw in a movie theater. Anyway she rambles and mumbles about growing up in this room and thanks all the people that ever wished the best for her. It makes me long for the day I one day do something that makes all the people who’ve ever invested time and effort in me feel proud that they did.
• James Cameron – says he wants to hurry up his speech because he “has to pee something fierce.” Hilarious.
• Robert Downey Jr. – Classic I loved his whole acceptance speech, especially when he says “If you start playing violins I’m gonna tear this place down.” I loved that he said his wife told him not to write a speech because he wasn’t going to win and I loved that he used his speech to not thank people.

Funniest jokes:

• Paul McCartney: “I’m Paul McCartney or as I’m now known, that guy from Rock Band.”
• Paul McCartney: Animation is not just for kids, its also for drug-taking adults. Now here are the nominations for animated films selected by drug-taking adults
• Ricky Gervais: Calling Colin Farrell a drunk sweary hellraiser

Kind of creepy, uncomfortable moment: Robert DeNiro’s joke about Martin Scorsese having sex with film…the joke that just wouldn’t end.

Touching moments:

• Mo’Nique winning the award for Precious made me cry
• Sandra Bullock’s speech made me cry when she said she never knew what it was like for someone to have her back until she met her husband
• Julianna Margulies – the night she won the award was her son’s birthday.

Mentions of Haiti: (3 direct, 2 indirect):

• Nicole Kidman mentions George Clooney’s charity
• Jason Reitman when he won for the screenplay for Up In the Air
• Maggie Gyllenhaal explains how to donate to Haiti via the NBC.com website;
• indirect mentions by Drew Barrymore and Meryl Streep in their acceptance speeches

Knocks at NBC:

• Ricky Gervais says he needs to get on with the show before they replace him with Jay Leno
• Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on the cost to get hired (or fired) by NBC

Dresses I loved:

• Sandra Bullock’s purple Bottega Veneta gown. She got a lot of flack for that dress, but I think it was fly. Work it girl.

• Halle Berry’s black and gold Kaufman Franco gown

And save the best for last: Glee, my favorite new show won for best TV show comedy or musical.

Congrats to everyone.