Da Brat... make that the Dumb Ass

Will someone please tell these femcees to stop doing dumb ish to go to jail and boost their careers? I mean seriously, Da Brat has taken desperation to a whole 'nother level with this ish. And I'm pissed that I have to take a moment from my writing cave to give my fifty 'leven cents on it. But this trend is just too ridiculous not to comment on. First Lil' Kim went to jail. Then Foxy started losing her mind slapping folks and throwing cell phones trying to get into enough trouble to best Lil' Kim and then Remy decides to shoot someone. And now Da Brat decides she wants to hit a young woman in the face with a bottle of rum. Dumb ass. I'm not even gonna front, next to Remy, Da Brat could probably handle herself in the big house with Big Wilma... But I'm just saying... Why go through all that. You were doing fine trying to bring attention to yourself by being on all those wack reality shows. I loved you on Celebrity Fit Club! And your performance on The Surreal Life? Superb. And I'm not even gonna touch your stellar judging on Celebrity Rap Stars... amazing! (Okay, y'all know I'm lying. I didn't watch Celebrity Fit Club or The Surreal Life... and I'm going no comment on Celebrity Rap Stars...) But that's not the point. The point is that the way to rescue your career from obscurity is not to go around hitting folks with bottles, dumb ass. And if one more female MC does something stupid just to get a rep, I am going to scream. Now I have writing to do...

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Cool Interview with Actress Tasha Smith in that Magazine

Finally, something worth reading from the former bastion of profession black womanhood that was Essence ! I just found this wonderful interview with actress Tasha Smith. I adored her in Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls and she is one of the main reasons--besides all those yummy fine brothers in the movie--that I will be in the theater as soon as I can to see Why Did I Get Married? I liked her as an actress and now that I’ve found out more about her, I just love her! This interview should have been in the print magazine, not just on-line. I bet they’ll run an interview with Kim Porter and why she finally left Diddy--if they haven’t already--right in the magazine and not on-line. Oh well…

Here’s some of the interview:

Tasha Smith: Survival of the Fittest
Actress/activist and motivational speaker Tasha Smith talks about her latest film role and her real-life drama

By Kenya N. Byrd

Hollywood can be a fickle town when it comes to making or breaking talent, but some actors withstand the shuffle and show promise of longevity. Tasha Smith is that chick. Some might recall that the statuesque beauty once busted guts on the comedy strip in Los Angeles. Most will remember Smith as Jennifer, the vindictive ex-wife, in Daddy’s Little Girls or from her days as a crack addict on HBO’s Emmy Award-winning gritty street drama, The Corner ,. No matter where the Camden, New Jersey-born actress banks screen time, she is a bonafide scene-stealer. This month, Smith co-stars in Tyler Perry’s latest film Why Did I Get Married? as Angela, a feisty entrepreneur who is trying to mend her marriage during a weekend getaway with three other couples. Essence.com caught up with the fire starter to talk about the power of “ghetto” women, her past drug abuse and paying it forward.

Essence.com: In the film, your character Angela handles her business and husband. Her mama-don’t-take-no-mess attitude could be perceived as “ghetto.” Do you think real women who express themselves unapologetically are wrongfully deemed uneducated?

Tasha Smith: I don’t think it’s a lack of intelligence, but a lack of truth. People are so used to not being transparent with their feelings. Angela is smart, fearless and keeps it real because she’s not pretentious. It’s a shame that some people might identify that transparency as “urban” or “ghetto” because there are a lot of wonderful businesswomen who are truthful, transparent and confrontational. And I don’t mean “confrontational” in a negative way, but more like, ‘This is what this is, let’s deal with it.' Angela is our mother, our auntie, our neighbor and our mail lady. Trust me, there will be more women who identify with Angela than not.

Essence.com: So, would you recommend this film to women whose marriages are in crisis?

T.S.: A woman told me, ‘A group of my friends are going through some marital problems and we are going to see the film together.’ And I said, ‘No you need to go with your husbands to see the film. Don’t go with a bunch of chicks thinking that you’re going to get validated by your girls to give up on your marriage. Instead, go with your husbands and hope that something is going to be spoken that will make you guys say, `Hey baby, why did we get married? Let’s talk about that and the good things we have and how much we love each other so we can stop harping on everything that made us angry and unforgiving.’

Read the rest of the wonderful interview here:

Tasha Smith: Survival of the Fittest

Crank That Holy Ghost... ???

Okay, normally, I'm all for doing what it takes to bring the young folk back to the church. But this song makes me think that the elders may be right about some things being a little too secular...



When teenagers in the church were saying "Ain't no party like a Holy Ghost party, 'cause a Holy Ghost party don't stop..." I thought that might have been a little too much club and too little Jesus... But with crank that... I think the line is forever blurred... What do you all think?

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Foxy Brown is going to jail... (Inga, Inga, Inga....)

Foxy Brown is going to jail for a year. How many ways can I tell these rap chicks that jail is not cute? And Foxy is going to jail behind some dumb stuff. Hitting someone with a cell phone? Just because Naomi Campbell got off with community service for doing that does not mean you can get away with it. I mean really do we have to talk to you like you’re a two year old, Foxy? Okay, here goes… “Foxy, no, no, no. Use your words, sweetie. No hitting.” And trust me you don’t want to be the chick in jail for hitting someone with a cell phone. I mean really, try looking tough in front of Big Wilma talking about, “Yeah, so then I threw my cellie at the chick and told her she must not know ‘bout me. I’m Foxy Brown, B!@#*!” Unh unh. Nope. Not gonna work. Oh well, may be you’ll be able to share a cell with Remy Ma… For now, I’ll just watch this old remix of Total's “No One Else” featuring Foxy Brown, Lil' Kim and Da Brat and remember the days before female rappers thought it was all the rage to go to jail. Who knew orange jail jumpsuits would become so chic…



much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Is it just me....

Or did Amy Winehouse pull a swagger-jacking...



On Macy Gray?



When I first heard Amy Winehouse's hit song "Rehab," I thought "hey she's biting Macy Gray's entire style, the voice, everything." I mean Amy even stopped combing her hair. ;-) And they both have that "I'm so high right now" look. (Well, they might actually be kinda high...) But I wrote her off as a "beat biter, dope-style taker" to quote femcee MC Lyte. I pretty much dismissed Amy Winehouse and that annoying song "Rehab." I refused to like her because she wasn't original. Just a Vanilla Iced Macy Gray, in my opinion. And then I heard this song...



And, I'm a sucker for old Motown, especially anything that calls to mind Marvin and Tammi in their heyday. So shoot me, I like the song. And I would be cool with that, if the swagger-jacking wasn't so blantant and glaring. Check out Macy's first video...



And you can see why I'm torn... So I thought I'd bring it to you all. Is it just me or is Amy Winehouse a swagger-jacker? And I'm not even going to get into the wholesale ripe-off of R&B... Just the theft of Macy's swagger and style... For now, I think I'll just stick with the original... Sing... "Shoo Be Doo," Macy.... Sing...



Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Talk about incentive...

... to buy a Kanye West CD

50 Cent said he would stop making solo albums if Kanye West out-sells him when they both release on September 11th.


"Let's raise the stakes," the 31-year-old rapper told hip-hop Web site SOHH.com in an interview posted Friday. "If Kanye West sells more records than 50 Cent on September 11, I'll no longer write music. I'll write music and work with my other artists, but I won't put out anymore solo albums."

Promises... Promises... I don't know about y'all. But I'm buying as many Kanye West CDs as my budget can handle. I'm talking about, family and loved ones might be getting them for birthday gifts and Christmas. Both 50 and Kanye are pretty annoying in an man-child kind of way... I mean instead of having a contest for who can sell the most CDs, they could have a contest for who can through the biggest tantrum. I wouldn't even know who to put my money on for that one... But I actually like Kanye's music. And if there is a chance he can help get rid of 50, hey... why not? If only 50 said he would shut up and disappear forever if Kanye outsold him. Boy, I'd really buy a lot of those Kanye West CDs then...

Buy Kanye West's CD and let's see if 50 disappears... LOL.

My Fifty ‘Leven Cents on Remy Ma

Well, there's something about Remy all right. And apparently it isn't all about the rhyme. Female rapper Remy Ma has gone and gotten herself arrested for a shooting. When will they learn...

First of all, girlfriend, femcees going to jail is so-oo two years ago. Lil' Kim has been there and done that even down to the shooting. Second of all, anyone walking around with a two-toned hairstyle a la Josie and the Pussy Cats is not really hard. (How can we take you seriously as a threat with that hair?) You getting arrested is not going to up your street cred in that regard. Third of all, I really hope that you weren't stupid enough to have actually pulled the trigger. And if you didn't I hope you're not on some silly "I won't snitch" tip like Lil' Kim was. Because you will not have access to hair dye in prison and how will you get that little front section of your hair the proper shade of auburn? A girl has to consider these things before she goes out and commits a crime. Now, I really hope that you didn't have anything to do with it. But if you did just know you will more than likely go to jail. If they sent Martha Stewart and Lil' Kim to jail for lying, you know they will get you... And don't expect the same media hype that these other women got when they went to jail. I told you, it's so-oo two years ago... All folks will have for you is "whatever..."

My Fifty ‘Leven Cents on Puffy and Kim's Spilt...

I know I shouldn't be happy that Kim and Puffy (And I know he's Diddy now. But I don't care. He'll always be Puffy to me) broke up. I know that I'm a romance writer and I'm supposed to be all about the love. But if you've read my blog before, you know how I feel about Puffy and Kim. All I can say now is I hope the sista has finally seen the light and leaves his ass for good. I knew when I saw recent gossip that he was running around with some other chick and his twins are barely seven months old, that Kim was in for heartache the likes of J-Lo all over again. But it looks like Miss. Kim ain't having it. Time will only tell... Take my advice girlfriend, run as fast as you can. (But don't forget your child support!) And for the record, I think her silly behind will take him back yet again after the sting of his latest affair wears off. And he still won't marry her... What do you all think? I'm sure you all saw it coming...

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

My Fifty ‘Leven Cents on The View

The show wasn’t really all that great until Rosie came. Even when they had Star on there, I hardly ever watched. (For some reason, I never really liked Star all that much… Oh well, that’s another post…) The View seemed to be made up of fake chicks, except for maybe Meredith. She seemed real. But she wasn’t really interesting. So I didn’t watch it much. And then Rosie came on and it was suddenly interesting. I found my self tuning in for the hot topics and not even watching the guests they had on. I just wanted to see what Rosie was going to say next. And Rosie’s presence even gave Joy a voice and she became a little interesting too. Who knew? And finally people started checking that annoying Elisabeth! Sheesh. Talk about people who make me wanna holla and throw up both my hands! Elisabeth is the kind of person I try to avoid. And that’s why I knew even last year when Rosie made her first appearance on The View that it wasn’t going to last. It was doomed to fail. I’m surprised it lasted as long as it did. Rosie may be crazy, loud and opinionated, but she was also real. Real folk can’t last long with fake folk all around them. Soon they will have to cuss the fake chick out and there goes the neighborhood. I’m pretty sure Rosie realized that fake chicks were all around her when Barbara played her out in that whole Rosie versus The Donald debacle. The big blow up with Elisabeth was probably just the last straw. And the argument was so silly, really. Rosie didn’t call the troops terrorists… Now… she did sort of imply that the United States government was a terrorist… But that too is another post…

At the end of the day, I blame Rosie for this. That’s what she gets for surrounding herself with fake chicks. And that’s what she gets for trying to have a rational discussion about war and politics with an idiot. That’s why I stay away from fake chicks and idiots. I hope Rosie learns from this. Now what will I do at 11:00 in the morning. I guess I’ll have to write… Oh well… Bye, Rosie. If you get your own show again, I’d watch…

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

I Learned Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Supporting Characters from Watching Dream Girls

Okay... not really... But... It makes an interesting title; so, I'll keep it. With Jennifer Hudson up for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for the role of Effie White in Dream Girls, which Jennifer Holliday won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for in 1982, it seems only fitting that there be some kind of writing lesson here. So here's the lesson as far as I can piece it together.

You see, I read the article in Jet Magazine where Jennifer Holliday reflects on that moment. And while scholar/professor me would cringe at the thought of using Jet Magazine as a citation source, cultural critic me knows that the old saying "if you didn’t read it in Jet Magazine, it didn't happen in the black community" exists for a reason. And romance writer me, could care less about citation source blah, blah, blah. So, anyway... As the story goes, the character of Effie White may very well indeed have started out a "supporting role," a "side character" so to speak. But by the time Jennifer Holliday got done fighting for her character, the character had extra songs in the musical, more space to shine and most important, the character did not die.

When you add to this the fact that the original play is said to have been created for Nell Carter, and you know she wasn't going to play no Deena Jones... and you know she would have been the star not a supporting character... then the fact that the role of Effie has somehow become a supporting role seems all the more strange… but I digress… Because anyone who has seen the film knows that Jennifer Hudson's performance in this role, like Jennifer Holliday's before it, was not a "supporting character." She was the star of the film. The script and writing dictated it. If you take away the character Effie then you have no story. Adding the song "Listen" does not make Beyonce Knowles's portrayal of Deena Jones become the "lead" in the story. They needed to rewrite the script for that. And since I promised there would be a writing lesson here, I'll add that there is a certain finesse to writing truly supporting characters that Dream Girls, the film becomes the perfect "how not to" template for. In fact, the film breaks key supporting character rules that writers should be mindful of when they create side plots and side characters. First, your supporting characters are there for support. The main action should happen to the leads, your heros and heroines. In the beginning of the play and film, the action happens to the girl group and that is fine. But as we watch the film, where does the drama really unfold? Who do we find ourselves on the edge of our seats caring about, wondering what will happen next to her, damn near crying (okay, I really did cry, but I'll never admit it) for when life dealt her another blow? If you say anyone but Effie White, you're a liar and the truth ain't in ya! This leads me to the second supporting character rule, readers should like the support cast and be interested in them yes. But if the reader starts to like the supporting cast more than the lead… if we become more interested in what happens to the side characters and could care less if the so-called lead is there or not… we have a writing problem. I'm sure we've all read books where we've experienced this. We could care less about the hero or heroine but that spunky friend, that witty comrade, now that's someone we'd like to get to know. As writers, I'm sure we've all had side characters that are just begging for their own books. And most of us know how to give just enough of these characters so that they don't outshine the lead. Which leads me finally back to Dream Girls and the character Effie. She wasn't a supporting character in the play's debut in 1981. And no matter what they billing the film role today--or why they billed it that way--she is not a supporting character now. The play just wasn't written for her to be sidelined. The writing dictates that she's the star. The fighting that Jennifer Holliday did for the role back in the eighties demanded that the she be a star. The performance that both Jennifer's contributed to the role demands that they be awarded "Best Actress," not "Best Supporting Actress." But nevertheless, there are writing lessons to be learned by watching the film. I found one. Now, I can call watching the film writing research. ;-) What do you all think? Do you have any thoughts about supporting characters and side stories? Do you think Jennifer Hudson is being cheated of the rightful nomination of Best Actress? Do tell...

Eddie, Eddie, Eddie...

Just when I thought I might have to take you seriously... Just when I thought you might be on the verge of making a comeback...


You come out with this...


I'll be honest, I haven't seen the film yet. I probably won't go see the film. From what I've seen of the previews, I can't imagine who would want to see the film. But if there is an audience for "Flava of Love, "I Love New York," and "Soul Plane" I guess there must be an audience for "Norbit"... I have no words. What do you all think?

Hooray for Hollywood...On the Real!

Well, Dream Girls didn't get the Screen Actor's Guild Award for Best Ensemble Cast in a Film... But they did show the sistas some love this evening. The cast of Grey's Anatomy won for Best Ensemble Cast on a TV Drama. So, yay for Shonda Rhimes! I love that show!

My girl, Chandra Wilson won an award for her portrayal of Dr. Miranda Bailey on Grey's Anatomy. And her speech was a hoot. She even gave a shout out to the brotha in rehab. LOL. And she even made mention of the fact that she was going home to show her award to her daughters so that they can see what is possible even with her skin, nose, height and weight. Really positive!

And Jennifer Hudson won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Effie in Dream Girls. In my opinion, she should have been in the running for best actress. There wasn't anything supporting about that role. There wouldn't be a movie without Effie and Jennifer Hudson steals the show from everyone. Heck, she's the star. They're supporting her... but that's another post. Anyway, it looks like Hollywood is finally showing thicker sista some love. And they didn't have to play maids or prostitutes to get the statue. We'll see what happens at the Oscars... But, dare I start to feel a little hopeful... Probably not wise... I'll just bask in the fact that tonight three thicker sistas got some well-deserved props and hope that it continues. In any case, congratulations to Chandra Wilson and Jennifer Hudson! Well done ladies! Well done!

Two birds with one stone... (Because Elle tagged me again and I have something to say about Isaiah)

He opened his mouth and hate spilled.



So, Elle tagged me to tell a story in six words. And I wanted to say something about the Isaiah Washington situation. So, I'm killing two birds with one stone in this post. Above is my attempt at the story in six words. And although the tag didn't say I could use visuals, I found this image and it seemed to fit. At first, I thought 'this brother really needs to think before he starts spewing.' But then I thought no, that's not the problem. The problem is his homophobia. The problem is he has issues that he needs to deal with. The problem is not that he should think before he speaks, but that he should deal with his hatred. There is enough hate in the world. He should take a hint from this image of himself and shut up. And then he should do some soul searching and get some help.

That's my two cents. What do you all think?

(Oh and for those who don't know he is one of the stars of the show Grey's Anatomy and he used a homophobic slur to refer to one of his co-stars. It's been all over the news.)

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Stupid Stuff in the News and My Two Cents

The Donald vs. Rosie with Barbara in the Middle

With everything going on in the world, you would think that the media wouldn't be taking so much time to focus on this so-called feud. But they are. It's on every channel. So now they have forced me to add my two cents. I didn't want to. They made me do it. I swear... But anyway, the funniest thing to me about this feud and the most newsworthy part of it is Barbara Walters and her serious blunder. (Because I don't care what she is saying, I have a gut feeling that she said exactly what the Donald said she said about Rosie) See, here's what I think happened... Barbara tried to clear up the beef by doing the old two-faced shuffle (some people might see it as being diplomatic or politically savvy. I think it's just classic school-yard two-facedness) I think Barbara called up her boy and was all commiserating with him in hopes that he would just calm down and forget about his public beef. But he pulled the ultimate no-no and repeated everything she said to him in the media. And if she wasn't such a proper white lady, you know she would have been like, 'you motherf*&%@#!' But she just went on air and denied, denied, denied. I just don't understand how the Donald can call his girl out like that. And I know Star is somewhere laughing the rest of her butt off at this mess. As for my two cents, the fact that the Donald let the little drunk/high girl keep her crown is not the only wrong thing he did. His playing Barbara Walters and telling what she probably told him in confidence is just wrong! But it is funny as all get out too. I bet she'll watch who she talks about and to whom now. I'm telling you Barbara you should not talk about people behind their backs unless you are prepared to back it up. That's the first thing us little girls in the hood learn. Doing so is the quickest way to get caught up in some he-said/she-said mess…Umm…

Oprah Winfrey and the School in South Africa

So it seems that some people are mad at Oprah because she didn't build a school in an inner city in the United States instead of building one in South Africa. I have to say first and foremost, Oprah can build a school wherever she wants to build a school with her money. Would it be nice if she built a school in the inner-city here? Yes. Would it have been nice if she hadn't had a Bill Cosby moment and started mouthing off in the media about how inner-city (read black) kids in the United States don't want to learn and only want expensive stuff? Hell yeah! (You wrong for that O. Keep it up and you're gonna have more than ignorant behind 50 after ya) But none of that changes the fact that it is her cash and she can spend it how she wants. The girl children in South Africa need that school. It will provide a safe haven and a way out for so many young women. In a country where some men are still raping virgins and girl babies in misguided hope of 'curing' themselves from HIV/AIDS, are we really begrudging these young women a school? I don't understand how people can fix their mouths to complain about this. Truth be told, the United States is a rich country that could do more to help the kids in the inner cities than Oprah could even with all her money. Like Pac said, "they got money for wars, but can't feed the poor." How we can see our way clear to spend billions every day to bomb and kill when little Tyrone, Johnny, Dick, Jane, and Shaqueeta can't read is beyond my comprehension. But I'll tell you what… I won't be calling Oprah out on this one, not when she's trying to do good work in the world.

But hey, I could be wrong. What do you all think about these two divas of talk and interview and the recent media attention they've been getting? Until next time...

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Kiss and Tell

But first, a word from some hip-hop femcees:

"And you? I ain't mad you a ho. I'm mad you trying to teach my babies how to be a ho. When I ain't home. Taking that video to the dome. While you trying to clone bitches. I'm trying to raise queens…” – Medusa, rapping in Rachel Raimist's film Nobody Know My Name

"What's going on in ya mind, is what I ask ya… But like Yo-Yo, ya don't hear me though…" Queen Latifah, "UNITY"

"And dudes quick to take these groupies to bed. Betta watch out for they write a book about ya like Superhead…" Lil' Kim, "Slippin"


Yes, if we're honest, we can all point to instances where we may not have made the smartest decisions about men. Every girl has her stories. (Or has a stupid girlfriend who never ever seems to learn that self-respect is worth more than having a man between the sheets.) We could probably swap all kinds of stories about being young and dumb. But most of us know better than to put our stupidity on blast. Not so for Karrine "Superhead" Steffans and Carmen Bryan… By now I'm sure you've all heard of Karrine Steffans's book, Confessions of a Video Vixen. It was the hot tell-all book a couple of summers ago in which a former video girl names all the names of all the rappers and basketball stars she's slept with. Now we have Carmen Bryan's book, It's No Secret: From Jay Z to Nas, From Seduction to Scandal--A Hip-Hop Helen of Troy Tells All. In it, she tells all about her love affairs with famous rappers and basketball players. Are ya sensing a trend here…

Now I write erotic romance, so these women's sexual exploits really don't bother me. I'm all for sexual freedom, especially for women since we've been told for so long that boys can and we can't. And, if their books were just about a sista getting her swerve on, that might be different. But the phrase "sucker for love" comes to mind… The claims of love abound in these so-called cautionary tales. These women claimed to love each and every guy that used them and abused them. All of them... For real... Love… In theory, I get it... As much as our community is concerned about little black boys, little black girls are going through some stuff too. I won't go into statistics here. Because we all know that the rising prison rates and HIV/AIDS rates for women of color are kicking our behinds. And as I think of Karrine and Carmen, I can't help but think that we need to do something to help little black girls find the love in themselves so that they don't fall victim to all the bullshit.


As much as Karrine and Carmen paint their stories as cautionary tales, they don't work that way. Let's be real, if you give these books to a young sister thinking you are providing her with a cautionary tale, you will be making a grave mistake. Karrine's book could aptly be re-titled, "How to be a Video-Ho." The critical self-reflection that is a requirement for caution is not present in her book. And Carmen's book could be a connecting book to "How to Sex a Baller Out of His Mind and Money," if they were written by the same author… and if Carmen would have had to have been a little bit more successful at what she tried to do... Come to think of it, would be a kind of crappy how-to book for the way she constantly gets played. (And on a side-note, but totally in theme with my biggest gripe this month, guess which magazine is doing a feature on Carmen Bryan in their new issue… just guess… that's right Essence… anyway…) Neither of these women seemed to have learned anything. They are just recounting their stupid repetitive mistakes. And they are irritating for that reason… (The same reason that the character Robin in Waiting to Exhale got on everyone's nerves until she got some self-respect and a backbone. But at least Robin had a career and a life outside of her quest for a man…)

To hear Superhead tell it, she loved every single guy she screwed. It was like a mantra, "I rea—lly lo-ved Gotti, Ja-Rule… fill-in the blank." Carmen would have us believe that she re-ally lo-ved Jay Z and Nas and Allen Iverson. I posit that these women don't know what love is. And that is really sad. Carmen claims that the whole battle between Nas and Jay Z was because of her. That Jay Z made the diss song "Is That Your Chick" because she accepted Nas's proposal and he was hurt. (But those of us that listen to rap know what Jigga sounds like on wax when his feelings are hurt over a woman. See "Song Cry" and the recent verse in "Lost One" in which he mourns the fact that Beyonce is choosing her career over their relationship. None of these are the scathing and misogynist lyrics we find in "Is That Your Chick." But, I digress…) The point is the men she claims loved her so much that they went to war on wax have both moved on and she is left telling a story that is all too familiar.

So at the end of the day, what do I really think about the "Kiss and Tell" frenzy that we seem to be moving in? I really think that these books tell us things that go far beyond the gossip and the sex. They tell us a lot about the traps waiting for our little sisters and baby girls if we don't start showing them and teaching them what love really is. What do you think? Until next time...

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

The Brotha Please Awards, 2006

Welcome and thank you for tuning in to the first annual Brotha Please Awards also known as the "boo, negro boo awards." I'm your host for this evening, Gwyneth Bolton, and tonight we'll be honoring three brothas who need to sit their behinds down and shut up. Now, I know that we shouldn't reward bad behavior. But we should have a way to call attention to these brothas in a way that serves to curb that kind of behavior in the future.

So without further ado, the first award of the evening goes to a young man who has been writing for a while. He built his career off of the hard earned dollars of loyal female readers and a few years back had the nerve to stand in front of an audience of women book club members and complain about having majority female readers. You see he wants men to read his books. And he even went as far as to chastise the women for not doing more to make sure their husbands and boyfriends read so that he can have men read his masculine books. Then he wrote and essay in a major black women's magazine (Essence 2/06—I told y'all they have fallen off…) going on and on about how he is such a successful alpha male with so many women adoring him that when his wife is too tired for sex or has a headache it makes it hard for him to keep wanting to be faithful. Brotha Please! Omar Tyree gets the Most Sexist Brotha of the Year Award.

The second award goes to a rapper who began his rap career talking about how many times he'd been shot and also started a war with another popular rapper at the time. Now, there is nothing wrong with attacking the guy on top in order to take his place. Law of the jungle, kill or be kill, whatever… But this rapper went a little crazy with it and couldn’t seem to stop starting trouble with other rappers and just stirring up all kinds of mess. Every new album he releases he has a new beef with yet another rapper. One would think that he wanted to get shot again… But now the brotha has really lost his ever-loving mind. He is going to war with Oprah Winfrey! He's complaining to everyone who will listen (White Media…) that Oprah doesn't like black men and she is no longer black identified, etc… whatever… And he is doing this because he feels that Oprah doesn't have enough rap artists on her show. Hmmm… let me see… last time I checked it was the Oprah Winfrey Show. She can have whoever or whatever she wants on her show. When you get a show then you can have what you want on your show. See how that works? You still don't get it do you? Are you slow? No, you just like starting shit, huh? Brotha Please! 50 Cent, please step up and take your two awards: The Whiniest Brotha of the Year Award and the special So, You Wanna Be Starting Somethin' Certificate.

The third award of the evening goes to my friend and yours… we've talked about him on this blog before. He is also an… entertainer… (The hip-hop purist in me won't allow me to call him a rapper…) He just released an album and he has been seen everywhere promoting it. Luckily he and his long-term girlfriend are expecting twins just in time to help build the hype around his new album. And luckily his momma is a long time friend of Essence Magazine's former editor and iconic presence Susan L. Taylor… (How else can one explain the many covers devoted to this fool over the years, especially the most recent one?) Anyway, there are so many reasons why he should get the Brotha Please Award. But this year he gets it for using his girlfriend's pregnancy to sell records. That's just tacky, tacky, tacky. Pimping your children before they even get here is so not cool. All I can say is Brotha Please! Puffy or Diddy or whatever you are calling yourself these days, come on up and get your Tackiest Brotha of the Year Award.

Now I realize that you might take issue with this year's awardees. You might think we here at Gwyneth's Blog have been too harsh. Or you might think that there are others far more deserving of this award. So, please feel free to voice your opinion and share your thoughts. Also feel free to nominate and even give out your own awards. And before you say I'm picking on the brothas, let the record show that I fully intend to have a Sista Please Award Show soon. Because some of y'all have lost your minds as well… Kim Porter… Essence Magazine… Superhead… Carmen Bryan… New York from the Flavor of Love… all the sistas on Flavor of Love…

So, let us know what you think. Until next time…

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Puffy and Kim

First, I know he's going by Diddy now. But he will always be Puffy to me. Puffy just fits him better. His entire presence is kind of Puffy, if you think about it. All fluffed up and nowhere to go… But that's another post… Second, I do realize that in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter if Puffy feels that he's ready to marry Kim or that she's pregnant with twins and about to give birth to his children yet again without the ring. I know that marriage isn't for everybody. And if Puffy is grown-up enough to realize that he isn't grown-up enough to be a faithful husband, but sort of grown-up enough to be a halfway faithful boyfriend, then that's a good thing, well… sort of. And at the end of the day, who really cares? There are wars going on, children starving, and much more interesting celebrities with much more interesting crap going on in their lives (if that’s your thing.) But, Essence Magazine has deemed Puffy and Kim's story newsworthy by placing the giddy, happy-go-lucky couple on the cover. And far be it from me to argue with the magazine that used to be the bible of professional black womanhood (Looking for a new bible of professional black womanhood, by the way. See recent issue with Puffy and Kim on the cover. Essence's continual downward slip has fallen too low to salvage. But that's another post…) Anyway, I don't really care if Puffy marries Kim or not. And, I don't care that she's having twins. It kind of irritates me that Puffy is pimping his girlfriend's pregnancy to help out with the "Press Play" record sales. But not in a real, 'I'm so-oo angry' sort of way. More like a 'look at what this fool has to stoop to now to get sales' kind of way, or in a 'first, Biggie's death and now this' sort of way. But the actual fact that Kim sat there and told Essence magazine that she didn't care about the whole Puffy and J-Lo thing (even though reading between the lines, it was clear as heck to me that the chick was and still is heartbroken), didn't really bother me enough to blog about it. Kim isn't the first silly girl to take a lying, cheating SOB back. She won't be the last. And truth be told, maybe Puffy is really doing her a favor by not walking down the aisle. I'm not even going to enter the discussion about whether or not Kim is just a cold, gold-digger who's having babies for the loot. So what if she is? Can you think of a more fitting guy to get taken for the loot than our commitment phobic 'thought-I-told-you-that-we-won't-stop' friend, Puffy? In my humble opinion, if he persists in knocking sisters up without the ring then let the gold-diggers have at him. He has the money to keep making glossy, glittery, the-death-of-hip-hop videos, so he has the money to pay child support. And maybe if he knocks enough women up he won't have any more money to make his glossy, glittery, the-death-of-hip-hop videos anymore. Hey, a girl can dream can’t she? So, I guess I really don't care enough about Puffy and Kim tying the knot to make a great observational blog post about it. I care more about Puffy staying the heck away from the studio, unless he’s going in as a "producer" and never-ever-again as an "artist." I think he's a talented producer. But that would be another post, and probably one my alter ego should tackle… oops… she doesn't care that much about Puffy as a producer or artist to write about it either… Oh well, maybe I'm way off and have missed the boat entirely. Maybe, there are valid reasons why I should care. What are your thoughts on the matter?

much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Flavor of Love....

Am I the only one in the world who just doesn't get it? To be fair, I never really got "The Bachelor," "Joe Millionaire," "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire" or any of those other reality shows where multiple women compete for the love of one man. So, it's not just my incredulity at the thought that a group of women would be fighting over Flava Flav. But come on… For real? I mean… seriously… And the stuff these women do… I wouldn't do for any man, let alone Flav. So, somebody please tell me, what am I missing? What is the appeal? With those other reality win a man shows, I saw that folks might have been buying into the romance of it. Even then, I thought, so this is what feminists struggled for… so women could go on TV and compete for a rose from some clown, or a big clock necklace in the case of "Flavor of Love." Even if these women see this as their shot at stardom, it stills seems like a bit much. And if "Flavor of Love" is supposed to be some kind of spoof on all those other bachelor shows, the comedy is really lost on me. To be fair the extent of my watching the show is limited to catching a couple of episode during those marathons when they show them back-to-back-to-back. But I really don't understand how or why people watch. And that goes for "Flavor of Love" and "The Bachelor." So tell me good people… what am I missing? What is the appeal?

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth

Top Five African American Romantic Movies of All Time

Okay as you all know by now, I am a sucker for Black Love. I'm also a sucker for a good romantic-themed movie, any kind, from romantic comedies to the tear-jerkers. So for this post, I decided to list my top five favorite African American romantic movies. If you feel I left something off or that my list is just plain wrong, leave a post and give your own picks!

1. Claudine
I loved this movie. It used to come on at stray times during the year on a Saturday and I'd watch it every time. There is so much love going on in the film. The romance is central but you got love and family at play as well. I still want a copy of the soundtrack. "Gettin' wit the huggin'. Gettin' wit the kissin'. Gettin' wit the lovin'. On and on..." Woo!

2. Mahogany
"I just want my old man back!" Enough said. Diana Ross and Billy Dee Williams made fire on the screen.

3. Love Jones
I don't care what anyone says, this movie renewed the love for poetry and spoken word in the black community! After it came out every body and their mother started reciting poems in dark clubs and giving soul snaps of appreciation for a verse well-said. The soundtrack was fire too. Lauryn Hill's "The Sweetest Thing" is worth the price of the CD alone.

4. Love and Basketball
Okay, who didn't cry in that final basketball match between Sanaa and Omar? Their chemistry was awesome in that film.

5. Deliver Us from Eva
This is the one that I'm sure people will argue with me about. But there was the love between the sisters, the romance and umm... well... there was LL! Holla!

That's my list! What's yours?

Much love and peace,

Gwyneth