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Saturday, December 10, 2005

CommenTerry on "Tookie" Gangs Celebrity Weddings Issace Hayes and my new drama

MOOD: slightly perturbed…I don’t know if I am ready to share why. It’s a lil personal.
MODE: I am wearing my favorite designer today. Seven jeans (can you tell I love Seven jeans?) A Ralph Lauren long sleeve button up shirt (colors are pink and green, shout out to the AKAs) (Top layer is a fitted Ben Sherman zip jacket in chocolate brown with a green and cream-colored vertical stripe).
MUNCHIES: Scrambled eggs, coffee and cream and a bowl of fruit (not particularly pleasing but hey, it’s what the caterers brought up in here).
MUSIC: You know what, I am thinking about my Daddy and feeling Issac Hayes right now. More to follow…

MOMENT: I want to share a moment with you and ponder “Should we place expectations on our relationships?”

Good Saturday morning. I hope you are waking up in a warm bed with a roof over your head. It is very cold all around the nation. You could be on any blog (and you probably have been…can you please stop cheating!) but you are here with me and I am so thankful. Now kiss your jump-off on the forehead head for me and devote all of that expendable energy to me.

But first, here are some of today’s headlines:

GOOD MORNING, ACROSS MUCH OF THE NATION... RESIDENTS ARE CLEANING UP AFTER A MAJOR SNOWSTORM. IN ADDITION TO FIVE FATAL CAR CRASHES ARE BEING BLAMED ON THE STORM, SEVERAL MARRIAGES HAVE BEEN THREATENED BY THIRD PARTY PARTICIPANTS SEEKING WARMTH FROM THE COLD. THE THINGS YOU WON’T DO FOR A WARM BED.

NEW VIDEO SUGGESTS THE MAN WHO WAS SHOT BY AIR MARSHALS IN MIAMI WAS ACTING AGGRESSIVELY, EARLIER IN THE DAY. THE VIDEO APPEARS TO SHOW RIGIBERTO ALPIZAR IN A CONFRONTATION WITH ANOTHER PASSENGER. ALPIZAR WAS LATER SHOT AND KILLED AFTER CLAIMING HE HAD A BOMB. THERE IS ALSO INCREASING SPECULATION THAT ALIZAR HAD RECENTLY SEEN THE NEW CHALIZE THERON FLICK “AEON FLUX” WHICH MOST WILL AGREE WAS WORTHY OF A BOMB.

FINALLY – ACTOR MATT DAMON TIED THE KNOT WITH HIS PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND LUCIANA BOZAN IN A SMALL CEREMONY FRIDAY AT NEW YORK'S CITY HALL. OK, FIRST AL REYNOLDS, THEN TOM CRUISE, NOW MATT DAMON. I MEAN SERIOUSLY,
WHICH SWISHY STAR IS GONNA GET HOOKED UP NEXT….MS. JOHN LEGEND?

THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE IS BEING AWARDED THIS MORNING TO MOHAMED EL-BARADEI AND THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY. EL-BARADEI WAS SELECTED FOR HIS EFFORTS TO CURB THE SPREAD OF NUCLEAR ARMS AROUND THE WORLD. SO OBVIOUSLY THIS YEAR’S AWARD DID NOT GO TO CONVICTED KILLER STANLY “TOOKIE” WILLIAMS WHOSE ANTI-GANG CHILDREN’S BOOKS CLEARLY OVERSHADOW BEING CONVICTED OF FOUR MURDERS AND BEING THE FOUNDING FATHER OF ONE OF TODAY’S MOST DEADLY GANGS (OUTSIDE OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION).

In case you missed this:

Council Members Urge Calm Over 'Tookie' Williams Decisions
POSTED: 2:13 pm PST December 9, 2005 LOS ANGELES --

Four Los Angeles City Council members called for calm Friday as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger considers whether to grant clemency to Crips co-founder and death row inmate Stanley "Tookie" Williams.

With less than four days to go before Williams' scheduled Tuesday execution, sporadic-yet-credible threats of civil unrest have prompted the council members and representatives from the city and county human relations commissions to ask religious leaders to emphasize a message of peace during weekend services.

"All you need is a few to disrupt the entire city," Parks said, referring to the events that led to the 1992 riots. "You don't need large numbers of people to start a problem." Williams, now 51, was sentenced to death in 1981 after he was found guilty of murdering four people during two separate robberies two years earlier. Williams has maintained his innocence.

And the governor could issue a decision at any time. The Crips street gang, founded in 1971 in South Central Los Angeles, went on to become one of the most violent and widespread in the United States. Family members of Williams' victims say he should be put to death for his actions.

But Williams's supporters say he has reformed because he spent much of the past 24 years writing children's books and teaching at-risk youth about the dangers of gangs. Supporters also have nominated him for Nobel prizes, for peace and in literature.

"For those who believe in redemption, they should remember that for the past 13 years, Mr. Williams has been talking about peace, not violence," Councilman Herb Wesson said. "I think the biggest tribute they could pay to him is to ensure that whatever happens ... they should be respectful to how he lived his life for the last 13 years."

And in case you didn’t know, one of the family members of a slain victim appeared on Good Morning America on Friday and said that after all of these years, Mr. “Tookie” has never apologized for the murders of his victims. Now, some of you might say that he should not apologize for a murder he did not commit. However, I would say that even if he was falsely convicted, I would contact the family member and say that I was sorry for their lost and then tell them, even though I am paying for this crime – I did not commit it.

I mean if he is so sincere and rehabilitated, how can you write all these books for strangers about anti-violence but not contact the people whose lives you have directly affected.

And let’s just say that he did not commit the four murders for which he is charged…I want to know has he killed anyone else and simply gotten away with it. I mean, the Crips were not the Black Panthers. They were not on some anti-violence and empowerment campaign. They were a gang defending their “turf.”

And SIDEBAR: Why do people fight over tacky-impoverished communities? I mean, do any of these gang members run drugs out of the community? No. Do they confront the older men (aka R. Kelly) who prey and pee on vulnerable young girls? No. Do they go to the local parks and recycle trash and old used crack pipes? No. Do they confront the seedy businessmen who trick older women into taking out second mortgages so the banks can turn around and increase their interest rates to later repossess their homes? No. So you know what, don’t give me this I love the community bullcrap. Even if he didn’t kill those four people, I think the non-profit organization (you didn’t know gangs were NGOs?) he founded has done enough that he probably deserves to be on death row, right?

Now you might say, he has been rehabilitated and he has paid for his crimes. Please. If you ain’t apologized to the victims I fail to see your sincerity. And jail doesn’t rehabilitate anyone…didn’t we cover this when we all watched the biopic “The Mike Tyson Story?” Jail just screws up your mind and makes you get tattoos and loose your spirit to fight. And it makes you incoherent…though that may have been a problem going in.

SUPER
SIDEBAR: Didn’t Robin Givens looking stunning while she recounted the details of her dangerous liaison with Mike Tyson to Oprah Winfrey last season?

And since I am from TEXAS maybe that makes me less sensitive to the death penalty. And yes, I know black men are disproportionately executed and I know a lot of people on death row are innocent, but I can’t get on the “Tookie” train just cause he wrote some children’s books. I didn’t buy the whole “I love children” act from Madonna and I am not buying it from him. And Madonna is clearly a better actress…did you see Swept Away? Performance was flawless!And by the way, EVERYBODY finds God on death row so let’s not get all impressed by that display of emotion.

GOSSIP:
PASS THE VODKA

LEAVE it to the land of legal ganja to come up with this crafty beverage: bong vodka. New from Holland, the liquor comes in a bottle that looks exactly like a bong, the glass water pipe that stoners use to smoke weed. One marijuana expert who saw the novel vessel marveled at the quality of the glass piece — but noted it required a strategic hole near the base to be fully functional. Reps for the product assure us it's "extremely smooth, with a silky finish." And the bottle is reusable, too. Officials say several bottles have already been snapped up by Whitney and Bobby.

LOS ANGELES - Chris Rock won't be back cracking wise as the host of next year's Oscars telecast. "He is not hosting the Academy Awards," the comedian's publicist, Matt Labov, said Friday in a brief statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. He did not elaborate.

KATE MOSS British supermodel Kate Moss underlined her durability in the fickle world of fashion on Friday with a commercial for phone operator Virgin just three months after a cocaine scandal threatened her career.The 31-year-old was dropped by several fashion houses after pictures allegedly showing her using cocaine appeared in a tabloid in September, but since leaving a drug rehabilitation clinic the following month she has launched a comeback."Kate Moss is an icon," James Kydd, brand director of Virgin Mobile, said.Moss has also just appeared on the cover of French Vogue, one of fashion's most prestigious publications, with the title "Scandalous Beauty."Moss, whose gaunt features ushered in the "heroin chic" fashion style of the 1990s, did not confirm cocaine allegations made against her, but issued a short statement after the scandal broke apologizing to people she let down.

Shout out to Kate Moss: I am also rocking the Heroin chic look.

ISSAC HAYES RELEASES GREATEST HITS (again)Long before Isaac Hayes transformed himself into a libidinous chef on the cartoon series "South Park," he was cooking up numerous hits on the charts, both as a songwriter and performer.Along with Al Green, James Brown and Stevie Wonder, Hayes was one of the dominant black artists during the first half of the '70s, reaching his commercial peak in 1972 when he won an Oscar for his No. 1 hit "Theme from 'Shaft."

'He last released a new album in 1995, and has focused more on acting, touring, radio, charity work and entrepreneurial activities. With his name reaching a whole new audience thanks to "South Park," his label has just released a two-CD retrospective, "Ultimate Isaac Hayes: Can You Dig It?" to remind people that he is primarily a musician.The package features hit singles, album tracks, rarities and movie tunes spanning 1969 to 1975, including bold reinterpretations of pop standards like "By the "Time I Get to Phoenix" and "Walk On By" as well as his own "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic." All showcase his smooth, baritone voice, a seeming prerequisite for soul stardom (back then - cause Usher, Omariona nd Chirs Bown are giving us sulty soprano).

BALD AND SEXY

Hayes got his big break in the early 1960s when he joined Memphis-based Stax Records as a studio keyboardist. He soon joined forces with lyricist David Porter to compose some of the biggest hits for Sam & Dave, including "Soul Man" and "Hold On! I'm A Comin'." Hayes came up with the introductory horn line for the latter tune while Porter was in the bathroom. He yelled at his collaborator to hurry up, and so Porter barreled out with pants around his ankles, yelling the words that would become the song's title.With his shaved head, dark shades, flamboyant clothing and plentiful jewelry, Stax executives groomed Hayes as a star in his own right. He released his debut album, the poor-selling "Presenting Isaac Hayes," in 1968, but broke through the following year with "Hot Buttered Soul," which contained just four songs but sold over a million copies.

SIDEBAR: You NEED this album in ya’ life. It’s like crack music!His work on director Gordon Parks' urban crime drama "Shaft," a project he had hoped to star in, was the first of many forays into movie soundtracks. He got in front of the camera for the 1974 cult classic "Truck Turner" and has kept busy with film work ever since, most recently appearing in the hip-hop drama "Hustle & Flow."

With "Theme from 'Shaft," an irresistibly urgent mix of wah-wah guitars and hi-hat cymbals spiced by the famous line, "They say this cat Shaft is a bad mother-/Shut your mouth!," he became the first black composer to win the Academy Award for best song. But he had to overcome stiff resistance from the old guard to become eligible, since they claimed he did not actually write it."If I dictate to somebody what to write by playing on the piano or humming, I wrote it," he said. "

It took Quincy Jones, (trombone innovator) J.J. Johnson, Henry Mancini to fight for me, as well as (screen composer) Dominic Frontiere."BANKRUPTCY, BOOKSHayes left Stax in a dispute over royalties in 1975, the year the faltering label went bankrupt. He himself filed for bankruptcy shortly thereafter, and lost all his songwriting royalties. He plans to write a book about his financial woes.

SIDEBAR: Shout out to my Daddy for turning me onto Mr. Hayes. My dad has introduced me to so much great music. I love you Daddy!

BRADJOLINA UPDATE – IT’S OFFICIAL!• Brad Pitt has adopted Angelina Jolie’s children as his own. Hopefully he won’t get sick of them the way he did Frank Gehry and drop them after two meetings and a dinner.

BRITNEY KICKS KEV OUT OF LUXURY TRAILER PARK• Britney Spears throws her no-good husband out, repos his Ferrari, cuts off his credit line, and, perhaps most shocking of all, turns his background dance studio into a mirrored playroom. Cold, woman, cold.

AND FINALLY:'Jimmy Kimmel Live' has been showing episodes of their hilarious send-up of R. Kelly's 'Trapped In The Closet' R&B opera. The latest episode features guest appearances by Mike Tyson and Alanis Morissette. Watch the first six episodes of Kimmel's version, entitled 'The Pizza', at ABC.go.com.

And now for today’s heartfelt topic:

Should we place expectations on our relationships?

Now folks, I know I am longwinded (in several areas of my life – wink wink) but I just have so much to say to you. Please stay with me. Ok, I am going to tell you my drama and just put it out there for you to help me work through.

I am dealing with two situations.

I sent an email to a group of friends whom I want to reconnect with and there is one particular friend whom I really miss. We were really close before I moved from Chicago (and in case he is reading this, it’s really not about you. It’s about me and my issues so take yourself out of this and continue…ok) and then we stopped talking. So he responded to the email but sorta like he always responded when I lived in Chicago. We have a weird friendship in that we never talk (both of our faults) and when we do talk we usually make sarcastic comments to each other which leads me to ask myself why are we friends anyway.

So, he finally got back to me and it was business as usual. We keep our conversations at a very surface level and never really talk like friends would talk. I have tried several times to express myself openly and let him know I want to be the kind of friends who talk about our lives and what we are dealing with but he does not seem to be receptive; yet we never really cut each other out of our lives completely. Am I wrong for expecting him to be the kind of friend I want him to be and do I have a right to be angry that he is not giving me what I need?

And the second deals with romance. Now I shared with you earlier than I am a dreamer and I spend a lot of time daydreaming about whom I want to marry and what it will be like. So this is what it is like to date me. If you are secretly attracted to me I am about to reveal a flaw (though so many of us like to pretend we don’t have flaws). I tend to meet people and build a character in my mind with assumptions and expectations regarding behavior and outcomes. When my assumptions and expectations don’t pan out the way I want them to, I get REALLY angry and I end the relationship.

Now, I know you can see this is wrong, and I can’t sorta see it to…but why shouldn’t I expect who I am dating to act a certain way. Yes, I expect you to be wrapped up in my drama. I am a drama king; why else would you sign up for this? Yes, I expect you to indulge yourself in my every emotion. I am obviously sensitive, so why else are you in this? And yes I expect to be pampered and cuddled. I am high-maintenance, if you didn’t like that, why did you sign up for this?

I think I lay out a lot about my wants, needs, and insecurities through my actions. SO why can’t I expect certain responses?

My friend, Bobby Brown Jr. (and why does he get all these shout outs on my blog and his a$$ has never mentioned me on his blog but that is another dang post) says I should release all my expectations. I should not projection these expectations on another person because people have to create their own paths and choices and that is outside of my realm of control. Now Bobby is a smart guy but he stole a lil of that from Dr. Robin and Oprah. But you see his point right?

Do you place expectations of your parents, friends and lovers? I mean seriously…do you? And when they don’t pan out, do you bail from the relationship or do you stick around to make trouble? Just a thought. Let me know.I love talking to you. Let’s do this again tomorrow. I’ll be wearing my Sunday smile and Saturday night afterglow. See you then.

TEXAS TIGER

UPDATE: My colleague (work works next to me) is an excellent poet and she and I write haikus together. We just came up with this these haikus about my situations.

her poetic name is: soled and delivered

Why don't you write me?
Angry, confused, too busy
Please make yourself clear

Will we ever be close?
I still remember your laugh
Do you remember?

Posted by Texas Tiger in NYC :: 6:09 AM :: 0 Comments:

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