James Cameron's "Avatar"

It's the movie everyone is talking about - James Cameron's "Avatar"! At first I was a little intimidated to see this movie because just based on the previews the imagery and realism was overwhelming. To be honest with you, I don't like movies about aliens and creatures, but there was something about this movie that made me want to see it nonetheless, and I'm glad I did. It features the voice of one of my favorite actresses, C.C.H. Pounder, she plays the high priestess of her alien civiliation and she really plays up the power in her voice using their distinct native tongue. Also impressive was the performance of Sam Worthington, who most of will know as the good Terminator cyborg in the last Terminator movie. I encourage you all to see this movie and if at all possible, please do so in 3D and where available IMAX 3D. It gives you a whole new level of viewing pleasure, and it is well worth the 3 hour viewing experience!

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Roads. Signs. Messages. - Original Prose

There are times when I feel like I'm all alone in the world,

sometimes its unbearable, other times it feels like it's a protection against myself...

There are times when it feels like no one knows that I exist,

yet sometimes, when I least expect it. I'm told "I love you" from the most unexpected sources...

There are times when I feel like I can't do this anymore, to just give up because it's easier that way...

yet there are times when after pushing aside the loneliness, and after being lifted from the fall... I suddenly realize...

I... didn't... know... MY OWN... STRENGTH!

...sometimes the loneliness begets you, but to feel lonely you first must feel loved....

My strength is not my weakness...

My weakness IS my strength...

Because I am strong enough to recognize the danger... posted like a rusted hazard sign on an old country road...

its been there seemingly forever, but right as you are pull up to the edge of the cliff, the headlights reflect it's cryptic message... "beware - hazardous road conditions ahead..."

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Beyonce & Lady Gaga - "Video Phone"

Let me just preface this commentary by saying, I love Beyonce and the wonderfully-talented Lady Gaga. Yes, I do! ...again, yes I do! When it was announced that these two ladies would be joining forces and remixing my 2nd favorite track from the Bey's "Sasha Fierce" album, I was more than elated! Even more greater was knowing that there would also be a video for the collabo... what more can you ask, right? ...right??? I have to admit, this whole idea was an epic fail.

First things first, the SONG! Gaga's chorus and additional ad libs don't even fit the theme of the song. It leaves you kinda like, "um, okay... hmmm...*awkward silence*". So I say to myself, perhaps this is going to be one of those songs, you have to see in a video to really get the picture... yet again, I'm left asking myself, "um, okay... hmmm... *ackward silence*".

As expected I assumed Beyonce would gloss over Gaga in this video, after all it is her song, but let's just compare the stats... Beyonce - approx 15 costume changes vs. Lady Gaga - one outfit, that just so happens to match Beyonce's. ....yeah, exactly! It's one thing to focus more on the primary artist, but to "white wash", literally and figuratively one of the greatest divas of eccentricity in our era was kinda a low and deliberate blow, but what can I say, again it is Beyonce's video.

The video starts out with a sexy intro, nothing new here, yet I'm talking to myself yet again, "Riri is that you?" From the hair, makeup, outfit and even the facial expression, Beyonce channeled Rihanna almost better than Rihanna if that is possible. Then we move on Lady Gaga... it was nice to see her a little toned down, but come on now, the few flashes we see of her all she is doing is mimicking Beyonce ala "Beautiful Liar"... I kinda felt like this video was not a real collaboration, more so an attempt to say, "look what I can do!" -- as in "I can make you look less important, relevant and hot than me!".

As I already stated, I love these two women, but ya know, sometimes, it's best not to combine two of the things you love, that's why they say, "there's room for everyone", so perhaps, each one needs to stay in their own bubble of celebrity, because this duo performance let me empty inside... ya know, come to think of it, I should have had a V8!

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Song of the Week - "Whatcha Say" by Jason Derulo

New up and coming R&B artist Jason Derulo, is taking over the music scene with the #1 single on Billboard's Hot 100. Derulo has a refreshingly different style than a lot of the urban music acts out today, and he forging his own path on his musical journey. "Whatcha Say" is following the current trend of infusing dance\pop beats and musical elements into R&B, thus making an all new fusion of genres. It seems this fusion is working in Derulo's favor as he has recently been announced as an opening act for Lady Gaga's "The Monster's Ball" tour. If you search the Internet you will more than likely be able to find a lot of tracks that may possibly be on Derulo's debut album. One of my favorites of these unreleased tracks is "Broken Record" which shows Derulo's crooning ability. With such a huge and successful introduction into the music scene, let's hope that Jason Derulo's music career will crescendo into greater and more successful avenues!

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Life is "Precious" indeed...

"Wow"... is all I can say about indie movie "Precious". I have never experienced being in a movie theather were EVERYONE responded to each of the heart-wrenching and at times overwhelming scenes in this picture. The vocal and physical reactions from the crowd caused me to reach to emotions I never thought I would express in public, let alone to characters on a movie screen. This movie is powerful, intriguing and very necessary.

It sheds light on various subjects affecting many communities, not just the ghettos of Harlem as depicted. Sadly statistics show that across the board, more and more young people are experiencing some form of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Worst case scenario, the culprit is oftent times a family member or shockingly the parents themselves.


"Precious" is very necessary, because it is far past the time that someone has stood up for the for those who are unable to sand and speak out for those who remain silent. Aside from the message of the movie itself, I must say I am more than impressed with the introductory performance of Gabourey Sidibe, who was able to capture the grittiness of the subject material and also impart the innocent nature of her character in several multi-faceted ways.


Also, look out for the stellar performances from Mo'Nique and Paula Patton who play Precious' mother and teacher respectively. Based on the buzz that has already been generated and from me own viewing experience, we should expect to see several accolades associated with this film.

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...is my work desk doing a little "too" much?

...hey, you gotta find something to keep the day moving! :)

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"Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" - Alicia Keys

...the wonderfully gifted and talented Alicia Keys is back with another smooth single... I really love when Alicia bridges out of the laid back grooves of her piano-laced signature tracks and does something totally unexpected. This track proves that point, but doesn't fail to give us the quality lyrical content we expect from Keys catalog. Key phrases likes, "tonight I'm gonna find a way to make it without you" brings back to mind moments we've all shared in the game of love and hate - sometimes you have to force yourself to find a way to get through the present situation to finally be "okay" in the end. Be sure to add this latest single to your music playlist, it just may help you through your own moment of sleeping with a broken heart...

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Monster's Ball (Games of Love) [original poetry.]

I remember a time when just hearing the sound of your voice made me feel safe, loved, wanted and needed...

...but the last time that we spoke, when your voice responded from the reciever all I felt was disgusted, hurt, used and broken...

Some would describe you as a monster because you purposely misused my trust, but I was the one who allowed you to tear through my brick wall in the first place,

Sadly I knew you were no good for me, but I still wanted you,
Sadly I knew you would hurt me, but still I needed you,
Sadly I knew we would never last, but still, yes I had to have you,

...so through it all, the real monster, was... me...

I savagely attacked myself by inflicting your aura of instability upon me, and now... I'm left shattered, broken, disturbed, absent - lonely...

...the fact remains, however, for what its worth, I honestly love you, because, in the end, you were the one who freed me from my inner shell, but yet I had to let you go...

...some may say you're a monster, but you'll always be my first, my last, my everything...

...so now I make a promise to myself - "never play with a monster again..."
...never let my insecurity to love influence my stupidity to accept affection for face value...

I deserve so much more than this, but I have to be keep myself worthy for when real love finds me... so maybe I need to start with myself...

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Love is Evil... [original poetry by me.]

...I thought that I would love you... but I didn't even love myself...

...often times as we fall in and out of love, as we breath in and LIVE in this moment, this "love" finally spoke to me...

...filled with emotion, I transposed it, and now my reality is that all of it was sheer vanity from the beginning, it was EVIL, cloudy, unpure...

...I've always been known to be a deep person... but tell me, how far do these craters and fault lines have to bury before the explosion occurs?

...Now I have regained all sensibleness and have come to the realization, if I LIVE for this EVIL, with a love that is unpure, I can only begot love's battle scars, clouded by the smoke and mirrors of happiness...

...am I ready for this? ...am I ready for the first scratch?

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"Grey's Anatomy" ... ooh the drama!!!

Let me just say... Shonda Rhimes, thank you for your creative genius! I don't even watch Grey's Anatomy but this was definitely THE season premiere to watch! I loved every element from Izzie's resuscitation to George's death to Callie's breakdown to Christina's crude humor, it was well worth watching 2 hour long episodes of a show I've actually never seen before. Wherever you go this show is definitely the water cooler subject so I definitely feel like I KNOW this show without even watching it and the 2 hour premiere felt like a fast-paced movie sequel! The writing on this show is absolutely amazing and definitely I see why now why this show is so popular, so this just may be one of my "must watch" shows on ABC! P.S. - This show would sooo suck without Izzie... note to Shonda, please keep Katherine Heigl a happy actress...seriously! ;)

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"Dancing With the Stars" - Season Premiere

Like a lot of TV viewers, I am a reality TV junkie! One of my main staples has always been Dancing With the Stars, because of its ability to intermingle awkward "celebrity" figures with professional dancers as they battle it out for the coveted mirrored-ball trophy! But it seems like over the last couple of seasons, the celebrities are become less awkward and more experienced... so it begs me to ask the question, is Dancing With the Stars TRULY a reality show or just a clever cover to add in some B-list celebrities, who aren't quite "old news" but still popular enough to bring faithful fans into their viewership. The most outlandish example is R&B singer Mya from this season's contenders. Let's just make a few clarifications... this young lady is known from her music career where she was known as being a more than capable dancer. In fact, she was specifically recruited to give dance tributes to both Michael AND Janet Jackson on different tributes over the years. And its public knowledge that she is a trained tap dancer who studied with the Dance Theater of Harlem. ... does this qualify or disqualify her for this competition? I mean come on, is it fair to put her up against someone like Kelly Osbourne or Macy Gray who are true amateurs with no dancing experience? I personally love Mya and I love her performance thus far on the show, but I just don't see how this can still be considered an amateur competition anymore when there have been so many well-known musicians and professional gymnasts who clearly have the upper hand when it comes to choreography, flexibility and understanding timing and performance. The funny thing though, there may be a breakout star this season from the amateur end, so you never know! Let's stay tuned to find out!

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Must Be Love - Cassie's Hot New Single

...yeah, it must truly be love if I'm posting about a chick with half of her head shaved off! I have to give it to her on this one though! I'm finally starting to see Cassie's growth as an artist and singer with this song. It not only showcases a more grown-up side from the Princess of "Bad Boy", but she's even trying to add a couple of runs and voice inflections into the mix. Aside from the hair, aside from the controversy, I LOVE this song! Even the video is hot, it's kinda poetic just like the song, it gives you a glimpse of the mysterious back and forth between the vocal contenders on the track - Cassie and Diddy, without being over the top with the sensuality! So be sure to check out Cassie's video for "Must Be Love" on your favorite video station and\or the streaming video site on the 'net! ...until next time!

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Whitney Houston's "Million Dollar Bill" Video...

Ladies and gentlemen, "The Voice" IS back! ...well in video at least! Now I have to admit, Ms. Houston has not been impressing me lately after the Good Morning America concert and the lack-luster "I Look to You" video, but she most definitely brought back "90's Whitney" in her look, performance and grace in the new "Million Dollar Bill" video. I was really not expecting to like this video for some reason, mostly because of her odd performance in the previous video, but Ms. Houston not only performed the heck outta that song, but she was working her outfits out - yes, she LOOKED like a million dollar bill! You gotta hand it to Alicia Keys & Swizz Beatz for this song! It's totally reminiscent of the "Songs in A Minor" album song selections, but it totatlly suits Whitney's voice. This is one of the best examples from the "I Look to You" album that showcases Whitney's vocals as she flawlessly sirens other beats and melody. Let's pray... literally, that Ms. Houston continues to prosper and keep herself looking as healthy and vibrant as she appears in this video. Enjoy the screenshots and be sure to check out the official video on your local\cable station and\or the Internet!

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Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" in Theater's Now!

I am so excited to review Tyler Perry's latest movie adaptation from his series of plays. The big screen version of "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" will literally make you laugh, cry, sometimes all at the same time! I can really appreciate his writing style and his ability to recreate his own masterpiece into a similar yet very different tale. *Spoiler Alert* Contrary to the play version, the lead female character is not a drugged-out mother living with a pimp, but rather an Aunt of a teenaged niece and 2 young nephews whose crack-addicted mother has passed away over a year ago and now their primary caregiver, their grandmother, is missing no where to be found! They arrive on their Aunt's doorstep after they failed to break in on none other than Mabel "Madea" Simmons home, who surprisingly feels bad for the children, and decides to take them to their nearest relative instead of the police. There's lots more than I can say, but let's make this clear, this movie may have a lot of cameos by various singers, but this is truly an all-star cast when it comes to acting. In addition to a powerful performance by the talented Taraji P. Henson, be sure to check out leading man Adam Rodriguez, and moving cameos by Gladys Knight, Mary J. Blige and Marvin Winans. One of the best performances came from Brian White of "Stomp the Yard" fame! He gave a very convincing performance as the main antagonist in the film, much different from his boy-next door and teen\young adult characters he's played in the past. Yes folks, Tyler Perry has done it again, so be sure to check out a screening at your local theater, and be sure to extra tissues with! Old and young, male and female will truly be affected by these performances and the message from this movie. Overall it will make you appreciate your family even more so and help open communication about some very serious subjects that are often kept quiet in many families.

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10 Late Night Confessions...

Let me just preface this by making a few general statements, "I am a tad bit mentally unstable", "I am reasonably narcissistic to a certain degree" and "I love the color blue!" ...ohh and also I AM the most random individual you will likely ever meet! *smile*

Confession 1 # - I like to be the center of attention though I am crucially anti-social!

...#2 - I'm allergic to chocolate and peanut butter, but I still eat them both nonetheless!

...#3 - My favorite childhood toy was Shaving Fun Ken! ...and I still believe shaving is fun till this day!

...#4 - I am a habitual procrastinator! For example, I should be a Doctor by now but I am very anti-progressive in regards to registering for school and sticking to a major... currently I am working on finishing my B.A. of Registered Nursing...

...#5 - I truly believe Halle Berry is a completely overrated sex symbol... I just don't see it, I mean she not particularly curvaceous, she's rather plain and gawky if you ask me!

....#6 - I'm obsessed with my hair! I don't like people to touch actually, just admire it from afar thank you!

...#7 - I choose to be overweight... I can loose weight very easily but I think I look better larger, when I was skinny my head was too big and I just didn't like the way I look! I do want to tighten up a little bit though now...

...#8 - I prefer watching kid movies and teen comedies more than anything!

...#9 - I'm still trying to pass for 19! :)

...#10 - I'm scared to drive! Seriously! Believe it or not, I have a car that I have never driven before!

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