Jenny holding strong

"No One Gonna Love You" is the next single off of Jennifer Hudson's album. The video premiered this week, & it is a cute video. JHud never looked better & she even added a little choreography. Get it J.

A King's Spirit Lives On

When I woke up today, I felt as if today was a holiday that I missed or something. As it turned out, it wasn't a holiday, it was the day Michael Jackson had passed away. To some people it is just another celebrity dead, but I look at it much different.

When Michael passed, it felt like losing a very close friend. Yeah, I know some of you are like "really?" Yes, really! Michael's music was a part of my life since I was born in 1985 & up until his death. His music followed me from the young childhood days, up to when I lived on my own as an adult. His music was part of the soundtrack of my life. His music is timeless & reaches to many different age groups & generations. Very few artists can say that their music has done the same or even come close.

On the day he passed, my sister called me from New York to give me the news. I didn't believe her, it was just another nasty rumor in my head. She told me people were crying on the subway as the news passed on. I suddenly thought it was for real. A few friends & I went to the Space Room bar for some beers & there it was on the news. Michael Jackson had passed away. I suddenly felt all kinds of emotions coming to me & wanted to enjoy the moment. Not just for me but for Michael. it wasn't long until radio stations started their tributes along with people in their cars blasting Billie Jean or Thriller. I will never forget where I was when I heard the news of his death.

So when the anniversary of his death rolls around, I try to celebrate the most of his spirit the best way I can. By celebrating his music. Long live Michael.

A Changing Face in the Church

There will always be the far distance between the GLBT community & the church. Regardless of what religion it is, it will most likely boil down to the communities belief system. There has been the ongoing battle of acceptance, dignity & respect from the GLBT community to the church.What happens when there are GLBT groups within the church reaching out?

Well it seems as if come Christians happen to know the power of love is much greater than spreading hate.There has been a few single-denomination groups that help spread education & awareness within the church when it comes to the GLBT community.  Groups like the United Methodists ' Affirmation focuses on GLBT issues while also having open door policy to all members including GLBT people. Catholicism's Dignity USA celebrates gay Catholics & celebrates their thirty ninth year this year.

There are also Ecumenical efforts such as Soulforce, Believe Out Loud, & Faith In America. These groups are going beyond fighting for acceptance in churches but also full acceptance in public policy as well. It is an uphill battle when fighting for equal rights in the church doctrine. It is also feels good to know there are others fighting the good fight within. There are many gay people wanting acceptance without losing their faith, at least there are a couple of groups to help with that.

Here is more info on some of the following groups: DignityUSA http://www.dignityusa.org/
                                                                             SoulForce http://www.soulforce.org/
                                                                             Believe Out Loud http://www.believeoutloud.com/#

Another State, Another Gay Marriage

Well it's official! New York has become the sixth state in the United States to legalize gay marriage. New York's  Republican controlled legislature has passed the vote with a 33-29 vote. This is the first time a republican controlled house has pass such a bill. New York is definitely sending a strong message with this historic bill for the state. Although it took much campaign from the GLBT community along with even an appearance from president Obama last night in Manhattan to sway some senators the right way.

With New York being the birth place for gay rights, this is a great way to kick off the pride celebration in New York as well. Gay couples will be able to marry within 30 days. Yay!! Let's hope there won't be a repeal campaign to follow like California.

For more on this story http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/06/25/new.york.gay.marriage/

Ooh Did That Just Pop?!

Chris Brown apologized for his gay slur the other day. Of course he did what every celebrity does, go on Twitter. It was just a few days ago when Chris Brown went off on a few photographers and quote "Yall niggas is gay!" Okay Riley!
 I'm pretty sure Brown didn't mean any harm but he now realizes that words can be powerful. He is just the latest celebrity in hot water for using homophobic slurs. Even though he apologized, he should definitely be put on blast, so others can know that it is not cool at all. Chris Brown is still a role model to many kids & a Twitter apology doesn't make up for it. I just hope he really meant it this time.

In surprising news, 50 cent will be releasing a anti-bullying book. Yes, 50 cent is releasing an anti-bullying book! I just had to repeat it because that is how I read it. I was a little taken back by this but I guess 50 is growing up. The book will be called Playground & focus on a kid who is a bully & then realizes his abuse on others. This will not be a children's book but mainly focused on the young adults. I'm glad there are Hip Hop artists speaking on a big issue in schools & neighborhoods. Hopefully some of the kids actually read it!

Missy Elliot has been out of the scene for a while. I was just thinking when is the MC's new album going to drop? Hopefully soon. In the meantime, Missy has announced she has Graves Disease. Graves Disease affects the nerves & thyroid. She talks about losing weight because of the disease but living a much healthier life because of it. Missy Elliot will be featured in VH1's Behind The Music on June 29th. Good to know Missy is doing great, we need you back on the scene Missy!

The Rockin' factor of Gay Marriage

         

With the 2012 Presidential election only a little over a year away, many hot topics can work or go in president Obama's favor. Gay marriage can definitely be major deciding factor for Obama's re-election. Since Obama has been in office, five states have legalized same sex marriages. With New York, now on the deciding block, this will be another hot topic for the upcoming election.

The President will be visiting New York for a fundraiser event tonight in Manhattan. He will be addressing a large gay & lesbian audience during the fundraiser gala. Although, don't get too excited for this president to speak on his stance on gay marriage. He will definitely acknowledge the support from the gay community & he is going to need it for his upcoming campaign.

Gay marriage was the center of voters decisions & conversations in 2008, with Proposition 8 in California being the hot topic. I believe this is President Obama's chance to stand up & really speak on how he feels about gay marriage. I understand him having to work with both sides, but this will be something he cannot continue to tip toe around.

With the Democratic Convention being held in North Carolina in 2012, & Iowa being a major battleground state, he will have some tough questions from gay & lesbian supporters. Also the President's current residence, Washington D.C. legalized gay marriage. It is the only state below the Mason Dixon line to allow same sex marriages.

We shall see how the next few months pan out. If New York does legalize gay marriage, it will be the sixth state & the largest in the country to have same sex marriages. Let's hope they make the right decision.

Hope For The Future

                 For most of my almost 23 years of being a sports fan, the Pittsburgh Pirates have been the definition of suck, losers, pitiful, embarrassment, disgrace and many other negatives terms.  The Pirates have had losing seasons for the last 18 years and have turned into the laughingstock of professional sports.  Now I've always been a Pirate fan to an extent, I've always rooted for them but I have never been a supporter of the organization itself.  I have approached each season with a pessimistic outlook, knowing that no matter how much excitement surrounded the team that year, the talent that was being put out on the field each day just could not compare to the rest of the league. 

                Now as I type this the Pirates sit at 35-33, which is their best record at this point since 1999.  First of all, how sad is it that for more than 10 years, Pirates fans haven’t even had hope just a few months into the season.  Secondly, everyone can see that this record isn’t that great and isn’t a sign that the Pirates are ready to compete for anything.  But I do think it is something to be excited about.  If you removed the history behind the Pirates right now, this would be a decent team in the majors.  This is the first team in many years that shows promise and the glimmer of hope that one day the Bucs can get out of this hole they’ve dug for themselves.  Now is this the year they have a winning record? Eh maybe, maybe not, but that answer right there is enough reason to keep up on how they’re doing.  We haven’t even been able to say “hey at least we have a shot at making it this year” in a very long time.  The players on this team are also a group of guys that you can get behind too.  McCutchen, Walker, Alvarez and Tabata form a core group that is not only exciting to watch now but will continue to improve in the years to come.  Add in the way that the pitching has been performing this year and you have a team is not only likeable but that just might pull off the impossible.

I am not saying that is time for everyone to jump on the Pirates bandwagon and prepare for them to contend for the playoffs every year.  I’m still not sold on the front office and ownership, if they want to finally bring back all of the people that they’ve shunned away over the years then they’ll have to prove it.  They don’t need to go out and sign expensive free agents just to prove that to us, what they need to do is make sure all the talent they have brought up and put together stays here for the long term.  The people need to see the likes of McCutchen and Walker signed to long term deals.  The front office needs to show that they won’t repeat the past mistakes that others have made before them and that is how to do it.  Once this team really comes together and some of our other prospects finally make up here then they can go and sign those expensive free agents to fill the last few holes we will have.  Until then just make sure to open the checkbook for our own guys.  And for now, enjoy that we have decent baseball to watch because you may be able to see the beginning of a revolution or quite possibly the end of professional baseball in Pittsburgh.

- Dan Shaffer

Be Grateful

I'm trying to get into the habit of posting more great performaces I run across. John Legend, The Roots, & Jennifer Hudson reminds us why we should be grateful. Performing the 1978 Walter Hawkins classic.

Rihanna's video "Man Down" catching some heat

Rihanna premiered her video for "Man Down" on BET's "106 & Park" on Tuesday. It has only been two days & The Parents Television Council is asking for the video to be pulled.

The video starts off with Rihanna shooting a guy in the back of the head. As the story unravels, it tells the story of her killing her abuser after being sexually assaulted. Strong & different from Rihanna.

The Parents Television Council has stated that it send a wrong message to young girls. Also instead of Rihanna telling the girls to get help, she looks for revenge instead. I can see why they are upset but get real!
They obviously do not watch "106 & Park" because there are many other videos that are kind of racy. From the many Hip Hop videos with girls wearing close to nothing or even some of the dances. Young people are going to watch what they want to watch, even if it is not on BET. Have you heard of YOUTube?

When I watched this video, I did not think it was too much. I grew up in the 90's and this video is like PG to me. I know we are in a different world but the PTC needs to look more into internet world when it comes to young adults. Do not blame Rihanna or BET. I think the song & video send a strong message to everyone out there. Let's wake up people!

Dark Girls Documentary

Black is beautiful & that is what I have always believed. Black don't crack, black is beauty, black is amazing. Yet, it is much easier to say it, than live it to some women.

It is a sad reality when I am reminded of the many discriminations in the community. Not just the black community but our society as a whole. Being black & beautiful is from the inside out. Why is it that many of our beautiful sisters do not feel that way?

The documentary Dark Girls goes into the depth of the skin color among women. Starting with young girls in preschool to women in the workplace. In a world of Beyonce's & Halle Berry's, I can see why the media makes it much harder for dark skin women. I can see deep inside where the hurt comes from. Constantly compared to someone with lighter skin or "good hair". It also comes from the environment the women come from & live in.

This documentary explores the deep biases and attitudes about skin color toward dark skinned women, outside of and within the black community. It is something I never thought about before, but I will defiinitely be checking out the documentary when it comes out in the fall/winter of 2011.

Check out Dark Girls on Facebook for more info http://www.facebook.com/#!/DarkGirlsMovie

Legendary actress & pioneer passes away at 93

Legendary actress Clarice Taylor passed away at the age of 93 due to heart failure.

I was saddened by the news but also very happy she had the opportunity to live a life & a career that has spanned five decades.

Ms. Taylor helped open the doors for many African-American actors as one of the founders of The Negro Ensemble Company in the 1960's. During that time African-American actors were given very small acting roles, if none at all. Ms. Taylor helped change that. She also worked with the American Negro Theater.

Ms. Taylor worked on stage & television. She was the Good witch of the North on the broadway play The Wiz. She also played Moms Mabley in a play called Moms in which she won an Obie Award.

Most of us remember her from her television roles. She played Grady's cousin on Sanford & Son, she also
played Harriet on Sesame Street. Of course we really loved her as Anne Huxtable in The Cosby Show as Dr. Huxtable's mother, in which she was nominated for an Emmy in 1986.

What a great woman. Another pioneer in African-American Arts, she will definitely not be forgotten. Rest in peace.

Too raunchy for radio!

A couple of months ago, the National Hispanic Media Coalition & the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation launched a campaign against the Jose Luis Sin Censura Show. The radio show is broadcast in 37 markets across the U.S. & is very raunchy even for radio. The Jose Luis Sin Censura Show is like the radio version of Jerry Springer Show. They have shouting matches constantly, naked girls fighting, & unacceptable language throughout the show, even if it is in spanish!

A few months ago, the NHMC & GLAAD filed a complaint against the show to the FCC. The complaint was because of the language of the show that obviously offended many. In the show they had said words in spanish but still very ugly. Words like: "pinche (f***ing in english), "culero" (assf***er), "punal" (faggot), & even anit-latino slurs like "wetback".

The NHMC & GLAAD weren't the only organizations to complain, a total of 30 organizations filed a complaint to the FCC because of the show's vulgar segments. Yet, the show is still on the air.

This show obviously has an audience out there that continues to grow. Despite the hard campaign against the show, I don't think they will be pulled by the FCC. It will be different if it was television, but FCC allows a few loopholes when it comes to radio shows. There are many shows out there that are unfortunately still on the air, promoting hate. Look at Rush Limbaugh, he still has a very strong fan base. Depsite the fact that he called our President a muslim, joked about Michelle Obama's weight, & even backed up the Tea Party at times.

There's always an audience out there that is easily entertained & influenced. The good outcome is that many coporate companies have taken notice to such behavior on The Jose Luis Sin Censura Show & pulled their advertising. AT&T has pulled their advertising as of today from the show.

That's a good start but they will still have an audience in 37 other markets. I think they just say whatever comes to their head without thinking. Although, the ad for the show looks pretty gay to me! What's with the hot guys half naked behind the host? Okay!

Mary J. Blige is still on top!

I cannot get this song out of my head! Get it Mary!

Cousins Getting Married over Gay Marriage. WTF?

I would have never thought about this before but now it has caught my attention. As the debate for same sex marriage continues, many seem to think gay marriage is okay. Of course same sex marriage should be legalized but many states don't look at it that way of course.

Out of the fifty states, nineteen allow you to marry your first cousin! Any family reunion crushes you want to marry? While only five states in the country allow same sex marriage.

Although, you probably won't see any highly publicized cousin marriages since Albert Einstein or H.G. Wells, this is still something to look at. Even though you don't want to look.

I guess the next debate will be gay marriage vs. cousin marriage.

More on this story http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/96371/more-u-s-states-allow-cousin-marriage-than-gay-marriage/

Superman Hangs Up the Cape

Today, we found out that we must say goodbye to the Deisel. Shaq has given us so many great memories, from his forgettable rap music, hilarious(boring) commericals, & of course Kazaam!

In all seriousness, I was not shocked but saddened by Shaq's retirement announcement today. He has helped change the game with his talent & unapologetic behavior on & off the court. No doubt, Shaq will be in the Hall of Fame. The guys has four NBA titles, one MVP trophy, three finals MVP trophies, & the eighth-most points in league history.

Even though O'Neal's shine seemed to dwindle towards the end of his career, he has set a new bar on what a NBA superstar should be. Since being the number one pick in the NBA to the Orlando Magic in 1992, Shaq has had the attention of the world & never let go. He snabbed rookie of the year his first season. From then on of course he went on to have a great run with the Orlando Magic but obviously needed a team that can handle him.

On to the Lakers he went & started a so called dynasty. As Shaq joined the Lakers, so did the bandwagoners. Making the Lakers the most hated team in the NBA. Every championship they won, it made more & more of me think why? Well, with someone like Shaq, who won the MVP trophy in 2000. It was bound to be some ruckus in the west. Too bad it didn't work out between Shaq & Kobe but he did go on to win another championship with Dwayne Wade in 2006.

Through his many contributions to T.V., education, law enforcement, & child organizations. Shaq is the readl deal. He knew how to play the game on & off the court. Some should take some notes from this guy.

I know he can be annoying at times but there is only one Shaq & it would take some big shoes (size 23) to fill.

Thanks for the memories Shaq!

Ooh! Did that just Pop?! Vol. 8

Happy belated Memorial Day weekend everyone! I'm sure everyone has recovered from their hangovers by now. This past week was full juiciness. When spring is in the air & summer on the rise, there is bound to be some good stuff in between! J.Lo loses in court, Beyonce debuts new track, we said goodbye to Oprah & look forward to watching more of Ellen now!

Hopefully J.Lo had a great Memorial Day weekend, after losing in court last week. Ms. Lopez was suing her ex Ojani Noa from releasing intimate videos of her. Noa, has attempted in the past wih trying to get money out of his now super famous ex. He tried to get a book made about her, a movie & now these tapes. Lopez's lawyers were able to stop the book & movie but her sleezy ex found a loop hole for the videos. Noa sold the tapes to his now current girlfriend, so in California, Lopez cannot sue him over property he has sold. No details on what is in the video but the ex is trying to get paid big time. He going for at least a million! What a jerk. I hope Jenny from the block sues his girlfriend now too! God don't like ugly!

Kim Zolciak from Real Housewives of Atlanta gave birth to a baby boy with fiance Kroy Briemann. Kim gave birth on Tuesday & took to twitter right after the baby was born, announcing "we have a very healthy baby boy!" Ok, you have tweet while your in the hospital bed? Okay Kim. Congrats to Kim & Kroy!

Another Kim that I like much more, Ms. Kardashian of course! Now that Kim is engaged, everyone wants to know about the wedding date, the ring, the house, blah,blah,blah. I want to know the juicy stuff! Well, Kim has hinted that she would like to go all the way & lose the last name Kardashian. What?! The name that gets her paid!? Yes, Kim is willing to take up the last name Humphries. Hmmm, Kim Humphries? Nah, I like Kardashian much better.