by Valerie on September 14, 2009
This is too long for Twitter and too short for a blog post. However . . .
My daughter called me last night to tell me that Kanye West had interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance award to give his opinion that Beyonce had the best video. I am appalled but not shocked.
Kanye West is a spoiled egotistical jerk. His mother would have been mortified and embarrassed by his behavior. People need to boycott Kanye’s CD’s and his concerts. There is absolutely no reason to reward bad behavior.
I understand that Kanye has apologized on his blog. That’s not enough. I believe in forgiveness but Kanye needs to be punished. The only thing that will make him have a “light bulb moment” is if he feels it in his bank account.
Kudos to Beyonce for giving Taylor Swift her moment.
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by Valerie on September 10, 2009
Un-Beweaveable
On the 2009 fall season premiere of the Tyra Banks Show, Tyra asked all of her audience members to wear their own hair. No weaves, wigs or hair pieces. Tyra had been on several magazine type shows to hype two things about the first show of her new season: 1) she was going to show the world what her real hair looked like and 2) she wanted to tell people that the Tyra Banks Show had moved to the CW network.
The show turned out to be quite a bit more than I expected, which is why I occasionally watch Tyra’s show. I’m not exactly the target demographic for the Tyra Banks Show, but I enjoy some of the real life issues that she tackles. I also find that her show allows me some insight into what’s going on with younger generations.
No Surprise
I was not surprised that Tyra has a full head of very healthy hair. A little longer than shoulder length, her hair is long enough to be very versatile. She came onto the show with freshly washed and conditioned hair that was still wet. While the show was going on, her stylist worked on her hair as she talked with guests about their hair issues.
Surprise, Surprise, Surprise
I know that black women have a lot of hair issues, but I had no idea how many woman – black and white – allow their hair to define them. Each of the three guests wore weaves, wigs or hair pieces and each of them was defined by her hair. Surprisingly, (in my opinion) they all looked better with their natural hair that had been styled by Tyra’s hair stylist. It also helped that Tyras make-up people toned down their make-up and worked a little magic.
A Heart Wrenching Guest
One of Tyra’s guests was bi-racial. Her issues surrounding her hair were very sad and heart wrenching. Because this young lady’s mother didn’t want people to know that the girl was half black, she was fixated on the girl not showing her natural hair. This poor girl couldn’t get through her story without crying almost the entire time. I felt bad for the young lady but I was upset with her mother for destroying this girl’s self esteem, self image and self worth. The young lady has a head full of thick curly hair. The style they gave her was wash, scrunch and air dry. The result was one that I’ve seen hundreds of women weave into their hair or buy wigs to get the effect.
What You See Is Not What You Get
Kudus to Tyra for reminding her viewers that what they see on TV and in magazines is not real. By the time celebrities are weaved, wigged, air brushed and made up by professional make-up artists, they have been transformed into what their managers and handlers want them to be. Professional stylists select outfits that will flatter their figures and undergarments to enhance them.
Tyra’s Emmy Award
This show and many others is an example of why the Tyra Banks Show won an Emmy. She tackles subjects that are taboo and that we whisper about but don’t talk about in public. Some of her shows aren’t for me but that’s OK, the show wasn’t designed for me, it was designed for 18-35 year olds. I think she’s doing a great job and hope she continues to produce shows that will help young women be more confident and build their self esteem.
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by Valerie on September 8, 2009
Last week this story broke out of the Metro Atlanta area and was carried on news and blogs across the nation.
A Gwinnett County man is in custody accused of slapping a stranger’s crying toddler in a Stone Mountain Wal-Mart on Monday. Sonya Mathews, the mother of the 2-year-old child, told police that both were walking in the aisles of the Rockbridge Road store when Roger Stephens, 61, approached and said “if you don’t shut that baby up, I will shut her up for you,” according to a police report.
This morning Roger Stephens, the accused baby slapper, waived his bond hearing and opted to stay in jail for now. According to Jennifer Leslie (twitter.com/jleslie11alive) from 11Alive News in Atlanta, Stephens court appointed attorney said Stephens is too poor to post bond.
The Flip Side
I understand why Mr. Stephens wanted to slap the child. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve been shopping, in the airport or (the worst) on an airplane near a crying or screaming toddler. I’ve wanted to slap hundreds of children and their parents. However, I have enough sense to know that I have no authority over another person’s child, especially a stranger’s.
I don’t know what Mr. Stephens was thinking but I bet he’ll think next time – if there is a next time. He has been charged with a felony: cruelty to children. If convicted, Mr. Stephens could spend a long time in jail. If he is fortunate enough to get probation, I don’t think he will accost any more crying children.
What Would You Have Done?
I went to a wedding on Saturday and my table had a discussion about this while we were waiting for the bridal party to arrive at the reception. Overwhelmingly, the mothers and fathers at the table had the same response. “If that had been my child, I probably would have gone to jail too.”
I’m really glad that I was not the parent or grandparent involved in that situation. I know for a fact that a can of green beans or a bottle of milk would have been upside that man’s head before I had time to think about it. For all those people out there who say violence is not the way to solve a problem. I agree. But in this case, it would have been quite satisfying!
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by Valerie on September 7, 2009
I am a big fan of two reality TV shows – Top Chef and Project Runway. At the end of every season, I watch the re-runs and wait for the new season to start. This year I found myself hoping Top Chef didn’t end up in any legal disputes like Project Runway had with Bravo.
I love to watch all of the chefs at the beginning of the season as they come together to compete for the coveted title of Top Chef. As a result of the show’s popularity it’s two hosts, Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi have reached a new level of celebrity. For the past year I’ve seen Padma in hair care commercials but the reality of their celebrity didn’t really hit me until I saw Tom in a Diet Coke commercial. What can I say, I like the commercial.
Top Chef Masters
An added bonus this year was Top Chef Masters that featured Rick Bayless (winner), Hubert Keller, Michael Chiarello, Anita Lo, Suzanne Tracht, Art Smith, Tim Love, Christopher Lee, Cindy Pawlcyn, Rick Moonan, Michael Cimarusti, Elizabeth Falkner, Wylie Dufresne, Mark Peel, Roy Yamaguchi, Graham Elliot, Wilo Benet, Michael Schlow, Lachlan Mackinnon Patterson, Nils Noren, John Besh, Ludo Lefebvre, Jonathan Waxman and Douglas Rodriguez.
While it was fascinating to watch the masters compete, the best thing about the show was watching them struggle as much as the non-celebrity top chef contestants. My favorite moment from the show was when Art Smith won the elimination round with his fried chicken meal. Out of all the complicated dishes prepared, Art won with fried chicken. Who knew!
Top Chef: Las Vegas
This season Top Chef has moved to Las Vegas and added a few twists. The winner of the first Quick Fire won $15,000. That’s a first. There are also two brothers competing against each other in the competition. The brothers seem a little distant and I’m beginning to wonder if they really like each other.
There’s a lot of talent that’s going to make for an exciting season with a lot of the typical drama. At this point three cheftestants have been eliminated. My favorite at this point – Jennifer Carroll. She’s got skills and she’s no nonsense when running the kitchen.
My “are you kidding me” moment: When Preeti, a lesbian chef, copped an attitude when they had to cater a bachelor/bachelorette party because gays can’t get married. Are you kidding me? It’s not about you stupid, it’s a competition for $125,000 and several other top level perks. Concentrate on the task and leave your political views at home. Anyway her days were numbered, she bit the dust last week.
I’m ready for this week’s episode.
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