Suzanne Collins' Mockingjay-The Final Chapter of the Hunger Games

Everything has led to this.
In Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire, became the Mockingjay, the living breathing symbol of the Rebellion against President Snow and Panem.
In Mockingjay, Katniss, finds out that the more things change, the more things stay the same.
After doing propos for District 13's President Coin and inciting the rest of Panem to rebel, Katniss and Gale and the other victors from the Hunger Games and Quarter Quell are forged into a special unit. They are the best shots in the rebel forces, but they're relegated to being political tools for District 13's President Coin.
After a desperate warning from Peeta about an upcoming attack, Katniss pushes for his rescue. She's left behind as the mission is done and successful. Peeta being brainwashed to kill Katniss on sight dampens any triumphant feelings, though.
After successfully compromising a key Capitol stronghold in District 2, the rebels decide to take the fight to the Capitol. What follows is a harrowing journey to the heart of the Capitol where Katniss' mission is jeopardized by Peeta's presence and the sneaking suspicion that Snow isn't the only one who wants Katniss
dead.
The finale to a series carries high expectations to not only measure up the the previous chapters of the saga, but also tie up all the loose ends and answer every question. In Mockingjay, Suzanne Collins does all of that and more and makes it look effortless. There are many surprises and cliffhangers (one of them literal), but in the end it comes down to Katniss, her bow and her courage. Just as it should.

Suzanne Collins

A Warm Welcome for Jim Butcher's Cold Days

Welcome Back, Harry Dresden...and it's been a long road back.
Ever since the events in the aptly named Changes, Harry Dresden, the only openly practicing wizard in the Yellow Pages, has died, solved a case as a ghost, a la The Invisible (Ghost Story) and been resurrected by Queen Mab and the island known as Demonreach.
We pick up with Harry waking up in Arctis Tor, deep in the Winter Fae territory, to a nurse named Sarissa and physical therapy as only Mab could dream up. (According to Harry, the montage of these scenes would be set to the tune of 'Walk' by the Foo Fighters. Even musically, Harry is cool.)
From there, Harry gets a Birthday party, Winter Fae style, and eventually returns to Chicago with a highly unusual directive from Mab: Kill Maeve.
From there, the mystery deepens and the stakes reach stratospherical heights, as Harry reunites with the friends and allies he left behind and works to find out why Mab wants Maeve dead and why some mysterious otherworldly beings want what's on Demonreach. The answers will blow his mind, chill his heart and, possibly, end the world if the forces arrayed against him have their way...
But that's a normal day for Harry.
If you you're a fan, picks this one up ASAP and if you're not, read this and become one!





Jim Butcher

Suzanne Collins' Fiery Tale...

If you haven't heard of Suzanne Collins, the Hunger Games or Katniss Everdeen by now, you're one of those Doomsday Preppers living with your head, and the rest of you, underground...a sad state of affairs for you...
But, seriously, Suzanne Collins' the Hunger Games is a legitimate phenomenon that took the world by storm when it was first published and grew even bigger when it was translated to the screen last year. I knew the movie was coming out so I read it...(Yeah, I'm one of those people who like to read the book before they see the movie)...and was completely surprised and delighted with how well the story was written.
The story continues with Catching Fire, where we see how Katniss and her family deal with the trappings of fame, the rumblings of rebellion and the constant underlying threat of President Snow, who Katniss and Peeta forced to declare them co-winners of the Hunger Games in the first book, finding a way to pay her back for that bit of defiance. And find a way he does...
It's called the Quarter Quell and all of the winners of the Hunger Games, past and present, are getting thrown back into the ring to fight and die once again. Not something to look forward to if you barely survived with your life in one battle royale already, not to mention the fact that people are possibly trying to mold you into the symbol of the resistance. It's safe to say that life is definitely no crystal stair for Katniss...
...But it makes for great reading. Run. Pick this up or download it before the movie next year.

                                                                    Suzanne Collins





Greg Rucka's Non-zombiefied Walking Dead

Greg Rucka is one of my favorite writers, right up there with Robert B. Parker, Octavia Butler, Laurell K. Hamilton and Jim Butcher.
I discovered the Atticus Kodiak novels after I read Mr. Rucka's work on Batman and Wonder Woman, repsectively. Like his comic work, Mr. Rucka's characters are very believable and his dialogue and exposition are top-notch. All of this is in evidence in Walking Dead: A Novel of Suspense. (Incidentally, the novel is named for the threat one of the bad guys makes to Kodiak, promising that he is dead, but he doesn't know it yet.)
Earlier, in the book Critical Space, Atticus was blackmailed into helping Drama, one of the Ten, a group of elite assassins, get from under them and in doing so, his whole world changed as he learned how to become a killer under Drama's tutelage. Then in Patriot Acts, he became an international fugitive and fell in love with Drama, whose real name is Alena Cizkova. At the end of that book, they're living and hiding in Georgia in the former U.S.S.R. It's an almost idyllic existence until, a neighbor, who has ties to some very unsavory people, end up dead along with most of his family, except for his fourteen year old daughter who is kidnapped and taken into sex slavery. The girl was close to Kodiak and Alena both and he decides to follow the trail and rescue her from the slavers.
In a chase that stretches from Georgia to Amsterdam to Las Vegas, Kodiak works to get the girl back, threatening the life he's built and pissing off all the wrong people.
Will Kodiak and Alena survive? I'm not giving that away. You've gotta read the book and believe me, it'll be worth every minute spent.



Greg Rucka

Obama Wins again...Thank God!

According to Peter David on his blog (@Peterdavid.net), several years ago, Mitch McConnell declared that the GOP's top priority was making President Barack Obama a one term President.
As we saw on Tuesday, November 6th, the GOP failed and with President Elect Obama recieving over 50% of the popular vote and 332 electorial votes, we can safely say that the majority of America knows good leadership when they see it and wanted to Keep The Change moving Forward...



Common's uncommonly good memoir...

Hello all...
After a some time away from this blog (I've been concentrating on my other blog, Facets of Creativity, plz go and check it out...) and welcoming a new baby girl into the world, I'm back and just recently finished Common's memoir, One Day It'll Make Sense, that he wrote with Adam Bradley. I have to say, it was a really good and very enlightening read.
I already knew of Common back when he was called Common Sense and his first album, Can I Borrow a Dollar? came out. It was cool because finally there was a Hip-Hop artist out of Chicago, which was very close to me since I grew up in NWI, so his book filled in a lot of blanks and revealed a lot of the Common, the artist and Rashid Lynn, the man.
He's had many albums out, my fave being 2000's Like Water For Chocolate, and gained major notoriety as a recording artist and an actor. His success wasn't overnight and the book details the beginnings of his life and career and how he got to where he is today.
Each chapter started with a letter written to someone close to him and the story told in the chapter reflected the content of the letter, kind of like a teaser at the beginning of a TV show. He talks about his beef with Ice Cube, how he was forced to shorten his stage name to Common and how he got his first acting gig.
If you enjoy Common's music or his acting, you should definitely pick this book up and learn more about him.



Zoe Saldana is a bad girl...

Finally watched "Colombiana" last night. I originally was kind of hesitant about watching it. Y'know, the whole Bad Girl with Big Gun thing and the best part of it being that Zoe Saldana was in the movie.
I was pleasantly suprised.
First off, it was written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, who also have the very successful films, "Taken", "The Professional" and "The Fifth Element" under their belts. Luc Besson doesn't do one dimensional stories, whether it's a perfect being discovering themselves while saving the world, a father searching for his daughter and tearing Paris apart as he does it or a cleaner passing along his knowledge and learning to live and love for the first time in his life, he has more going on than just the mayhem on screen. That was definitely the case with "Colombiana."
The story openes in Bogata circa 1992 with Cataleya's (Zoe Saldana) parents being killed in front of her by men in the employ of Don Luis. She escapes thanks to her father prepping a way out of Colombia and passage to get to relatives in Chicago. Her uncle Emilio, played by Cliff Curtis, is a career criminal, like her father, and tries to direct Cateleya out of a life of crime, but all she sees is revenge and he reluctantly educates her in the family business and wetworks.
We smash cut 15 years later and discover Cataleya has become a very successful assassin who is able to get to anyone, anywhere. Unfortunately, her preoccupation with revenge threatens to expose her to the FBI, who have been chasing her for years and Don Luis. It all comes to a head when Cataleya's boyfriend (Michael Vartan) takes a photo of her and his friend, wanting to do a background check on his boys' mysterious girlfriend, ends up getting her found, along with her remaining family.
The ending is predictably bloody, but the violence isn't gratuitous or spattered across the screen.
A lot of the critics didn't like the movie, but though it's not exactly high art, it is a good story with a lot of action and a lot of heart.

Obviously, she knows how to handle a gun...lol

Notes on the Passage...

I recently finished "The Passage" by Justin Cronin. It was an awesome book, not to mention long. (800 pages! I didn't know what I was getting into because I got the Kindle version of the book.)
The story starts in the present with a U.S. Army sponsered expedition to a remote part of the Amazon to somehow use the attributes of  the vampire bat (Regeneration and longevity) in soildiers. Something happens where the whole of the expeditionary group is killed except for the lead scientist who makes it back to the States. Additionally,  a little girl named Amy, who has a strange affinity for animals, gets left at a convent in Memphis by her mother. She's taken into a government facility in Colorado to be part of the same vampire bat experiment. Twelve death row inmates are inoculated with a viral substance that was developed by the scientist who escaped from the Amazon.
As expected, the experiment goes wrong and the real fun begins...
Smash forward to 100 years in the future and most of humanity has been wiped out by a vampire-like group called Virals. In a colony of survivor's we meet Peter Jaxon, a survivor who is a member of the Watch, the people who are the equivilent of soldiers. We follow him as he struggles with finding his place among the Watch, since his brother is considered the golden boy and Peter has an intense curiosity about the world before the Virals took over.
Mr. Cronin is a gifted storryteller and whether it's now or the post-apocalyptic world of the Viral ravaged future, all of it feels real and believeable. All the characters are engaging and ultimately very human. The Virals, who remind me of the vamps in "30 Days of Night", are frightening and savage and seem a totally implacable foe until Amy retuns to the story, looking about 13-14 years old, but is actually over 100 years old, and saves Peter during an attack on a scavanging run.
From that point, a lot of questions that Peter has start to get answered and he gets his heroes' quest and grows into the man he longs to be.
I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of sprawling epics like Stephen King's "The Stand" or "The Lord of the Rings". The book is being made into a movie slated to be released in 2013 and a sequel called "The Twelve" is coming out a little later out this year. Yes, I will be getting it and continuing on this journey.

                                                         The U.S. cover

                                                       The U.K. cover

                                                    The Mass Market Paperback cover
                                                       
         

Justice League, the Dark and Dangerous Birds...

I was very doubtful about the whole New 52 thing from DC Comics when I heard about it. Over the past few years, since Dan Dido took over as editor in chief, there were so many different events going on that redefined the DCU and all the continuity, it seemed like DC just was trying too hard to stay relevant.
I think it's safe to say that this particular change, though it retcons everything again, will actually stick and make the DCU better as a whole.
The New 52 is basically taking DC back to a more simplified universe. All the characters are younger and are starting from scratch. All of the convoluted continuity and weight of the past has been jettisoned and the DCU is starting from Year One. They're able to compete with Marvel's regular universe and their Ultimate universe. It's refreshing and cool and we get to meet all the characters again for the first time.Which brings me to The Justice League.
The flagship title of the DCU is back with a vengance. Geoff Johns, who recently wrapped up "Blackest Night" and "Brightest Day" and Jim Lee, who's doing his best work since "Hush" and "All-Star Batman", are currently introducing the heavy hitters of the DCU to a new audience.
Batman and Green Lantern are on the trail of some mysterious creatures that are plauging Gotham and Coast City, respectively. As the story progresses, Superman joins the fray. The series is up to issue 4 and The Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Cyborg have all shown up as well as a new iteration of a familiar DCU villan.
I've heard that it's the best-selling title for DC right now. With Mr. Messers Johns and Lee doing great work like this, it's no surprise.
Then there's Justice League Dark. This title focuses on the Supernatural aspects of the DCU with Zatanna, Shade, John Constantine, Deadman, Mindwarp and Madame Xanadu taking on the Enchantress who has been separated from June Moone and has propmptly gone a little mad.  Peter Milligan and Mike Janin are the creative team and they're both doing some top-notch work. The writing is solid and the artwork is dark, atmospheric and easy to follow. I also like the way the characters are being being brought together and the cool little twist is the darkness that they're facing is not only in the personage of the Enchantress, there's plenty of darkness and dysfunction inside of each of the characters for them to overcome.
Finally, we have the Birds of Prey. Just read the first issue, and it's a great read. Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz are doing some great work. Two of the main characters, Black Canary and Starling, are partners in a covert ops team based in Gotham City. They've been operating for some time, when the book first opens and have attracted the attention of an investigative reporter bent on uncovering their identities. This in turn have drawn out strange men in chameleon suits who are after the girls and the reporter. Action and general mayhem ensues. The series is up to number four, so I have a little bit of catching up to do, but I like the looks of it. And the first issue ends with a bang. Literally.

 

A Group Shot of the New Justice League

The cover for Issue 4

Justice League Dark Issue 1

Dangerous, and possibly angry, Birds

If you haven't checked out any of these titles, give 'em a try. You won't be sorry.

It's Been a While...

Hello again. It's been a while since I've blogged about anything, but something significant has happened...
I'm about to be a father.
On August 7th, my wife Kim called me into our room to talk to me about something. (She said the dreaded, "We need to talk." Usually, that's not good...) I'd just gotten off of work earlier that morning and went to church besides, so I was laying down in our bed and she'd left the room. She came back in, looking slightly apprehensive as she laid on the bed and asked me what I was doing in nine months.
I answered, "Having a baby with you."
At that point, she handed me a pregnancy test from Walgreens. There were two lines there.
Yeppity, Sir. We were pregnant.
The experience of watching Kim's stomach grow, seeing the pics from the ultrasound, going to the doctor, telling everyone about the impending birth has been like nothing else in my life. Ever. People have been telling me that when our little Sydney Giselle is born, (and all my facebook friends love her name) I will experience a love like no other. I don't doubt it. Though, I do have truck with the whole wrapping me around her little finger thing...I ain't John Goodman's character in The Princess and the Frog who fusses at his daughter that she can't go having everything she wants, then gives her a puppy...I got more steel than that...maybe.
Anyhew, I talk to her through Kim's stomach, play music for her, (She loves Stevie Wonder) and generally blush when I talk about her to people and how far along Kim is. 24 weeks as of yesterday, by the way.
All I know is that I will be a very happy man when Sydney comes and I'll at least be emotionally ready for all the changes that will come and love her and my older daughter, Mya, the best that I can and train them to be responsible and God fearing people. As Seal said, "Bring it on."

Wonder Woman DOA

Sometimes, It's hard for a Themscyrian...especially if she's the Ambassador to Man's World...
I'm sure by now we've heard about the Wonder Woman pilot not being picked up by NBC, despite all the tweaking done and that David E. Kelley was in charge of the show. (That part could've possibly sealed it's fate, but i digress...)
The initial outfit was cool, I thought, but there was a major outcry, cuz it looked like a bad spandex/leather dominatrix costume or something of the sort. They tried to tweak it and make the leggings look less leather-like, but ultimately, it didn't work.
I would like to see Wonder Woman back on TV or in the Movies. The time is ripe for it, but it does need to be done right. The effort should be made to keep everything beloved about the character but ground it in reality as much as possible (a la Dark Knight and Heroes). As far as suggestions go:

-Reference Greg Rucka or Gail Simone's runs on the comic. Possibly even have one or both write on the show.

-Keep the original costume, but make it look more in keeping with a warrior culture. (See the attached pic.)

-Look for someone who can be beautiful, but strong and warrior-like. Like Angela Bassett in "Strange Days". She was beautiful, but you didn't wonder if she could kick your ass or not.

Well, that's my two cents. Prayerfully, Wonder Woman will be on the air or in a theatre really soon.

How Wonder Woman should look

The Doomed TV look

 

Essntial X-Men and Future Foundations...

Johnny Storm is dead.
In Fantastic Four #587, Johnny Storm, the Human Torch went out in a blaze of glory. It marked the end of an era that began in 1964 when Stan Lee and Jack Kirby brought the Fantastic Four to life.
And now, from the ashes of that comes The Future Foundation. The book is helmed by Johnathan Hickman, Steve Epting and Rick Maygar. I've heard a lot of cries against the Torch getting, well, torched and call it just another publicity stunt.
Honestly, if they can get past that and just read the book, I think they'd really enjoy it.
Johnathan Hickman has done something no one has done with the Fantastic Four Since the glory days of Lee/Kirby or Byrne's run on the book-He breathed new life into it.  Admittedly, the Millar/Hitch run was awesome and stretched the boundaries, but he didn't take the book in any new or fresh direction. It's just the 2nd issue and Valeria Richards, the genius daughter of Reed and Susan Richards, made a deal with Victor Von Doom to get rid of her father if she helped him restore parts of his brain...and she used Reed to do it!
Say what you will, but this is a series I will be following as long as long as Mr. Hickman is on the book.

Other than that, I've been reading the Essential X-Men TPB's. I'm up to #8 which has Storm regaining her powers, Havok, Longshot, Dazzler and Psycloke forming the core of the team, The introduction of Mr. Sinister and the prelude to the Fall of the Mutants. This is some of the best stuff from the late 80's with Chris Claremont paving the way and Marc Silvestri making his debut as regular X-Men penciller.A lot of insiration for my art came from these issues and artists and it's great to revisit it. Heck, it gets me all inspired again.

  

The Tipping Point

If you're a waiter (or Server, as is the proper nomenclature nowadays), the following scenario may be familiar to you:
You've just finished waiting on a table of four people. They were pleasant and didn't demand any special orders or run you crazy during the meal. You were prompt, got all the meals out accurately and in a timely manner. Basically, you made sure they were taken care of. After cashing them out, they gushed about how good of a server you were and would definitely ask for you again when they came back. You're smiling as one of them presses some money in your hand. The smile fades when you look and see that they just gave you a $3 tip on a $50 check.
As strange as the previous example sounds, this actually happened to someone I work with.
This happens more often than one would expect and frankly a lot of servers I know get fed up with busting their humps and getting little to nothing to show for it. So, since I am a server and have the fortune of writing a blog, I'm going to offer some guidelines, if not actual rules for tipping properly and more than a little personal opinion on the subject as well.
First things first: If you can't afford to pay for your food and a proper tip at a sit down restaurant, then go to Mickey D's or BK. They have value menus there and you don't have to concern yourself with leaving a tip.
We earn our money on the tips that we get, not an actual paycheck. At most restaurants, servers only get paid $2.13 an hour.
YES. $2.13 an hour.
Even with a full 80 hours, how much do you think that someone is going to take home after taxes? Could anyone actually live or support a family on that kind of a wage?
Secondly: As servers we are there to serve you, not be your personal slaves. We are people doing a job, yes, but more to the point, we're people. Just because we serve you is no reason to treat us like we're less than you or that when you're there, you're the only table in the place.
Has any of you seen the movie "Waiting"? There's a scene in the movie where a bunch of the waiters make a 'special contribution' to a bitchy woman's steak. As she tucks in, she's none the wiser and seems to enjoy the steak very much.
"Oh, meat" indeed.
Mind you, I've never seen this happen in any of the places I've worked, but it's a safe bet that somebody, somewhere, has made a 'special contribution' to the food or drink of guests that have pissed them off. The warning here is clear: we handle your food and on the wrong day, someone may put their professionalism aside to get theirs back. Even at the cost of their job.
Third: The proper amount to tip on a bill is 15 to 18% of your total bill.
For example: $50 bill=$7.50 tip(15%), $9.00 tip(18%), $10.00 tip (20%)
That's the norm. If the service was excellent, you can tip more if you like. If it wasn't quite up to par, then maybe 10% of the total bill is appropriate ($50 bill=$5 tip[10%]), unless your server just sucked. Then I can understand anything under 10%.
The point is: if we did a great job, tip us properly. Lavish praises are not going to pay a light bill, put clothes on our family's back or food on our table. Again: we make our living on our tips.
I apologize if the tone of this post is a little sharp. I've been a server most of my adult life and what I've mentioned here is a stinging source of frustration, because it happens a lot. (Not to me necessarilly...)Personally, I believe most people don't know how to tip, have never been taught how to do it properly or are mistaken about how we earn our money. I'm just trying to put the information out there so that the next time you go to Red Lobster, Joe's Crab Shack, Olive Garden or any of the many restaurants that are out there, you'll be able to show proper gratitude for a job well done.

Apples & Oranges & The Gulf Between

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been called "Obama's Katrina" by Republicans.
Are they brain dead or is it just me?
How can you even begin to compare Hurricane Katrina, which was localized to New Orleans and an oil spill that threatens the enviroment or every city that borders the Gulf, the animal life that lives in or draws sustenance from those waters and the economy of the United States that is dependent on the oil that being lost every hour the leak isn't fixed?
The only truly comparable event would be the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. After 20 years, there are still after effects in the habitat in that area and may take another 30 years to recover. This is what President Obama has to deal with: something that, considering where it occured, could effect the country, the enviroment and, ultimately, the world for the next 20 to thirty years. Definitely more devastating in the long run than Katrina...I'm just sayin'...

A Review-Iron Man 2

Just so we're clear: I am a comic geek from WAY back!
So I was very excited about the 1st Iron Man movie, though I was skeptical of Robert Downey Jr. playing Tony Stark. Watching him bring Tony Stark to life on the big screen was a joy to behold. Jon Faveraeu and Co. made Tony Stark's world feel like something that could happen in the real world. It was very believeable.
The second movie builds on the 1st and is even better than its predecessor. Outside of the returning cast of characters, (excluding Terrance Howard, but including the very talented Don Cheadle) Scarlett Johansson smoldered as Natasha Romanov/Black Widow, Sam Rockwell played Justin Hammer to smarmy perfection, Mickey Rourke, fresh from "The Wrestler", was dangerous and sinister as Ivan Vanko/Whiplash and Samuel L. Jackson owned the screen as Col. NIck Fury.
The stakes are raised as Tony Stark is dying from the Palladium in the Mini-Arc Reactor, the very thing that saved his life in the 1st movie, while competitors and the Government want him to turn over the Iron Man armor. There are some Daddy issues for Tony as well and we get to see how even a man as boudlessly confident as he could be made insecure by the genius his father displayed.
I'm not going to give away the story, but there are some cool scenes: The fight between Iron Man and War Machine, Whiplash's first attack on Tony at the Monaco Grand Prix, The fight scene with The Black Widow and Happy Hogan and watching Tony Stark build a particle accelerator in his basement.
Iron Man 2 will be a delight to hardcore fans of the comic books and to those who came onboard with the first movie. Trust me, a good time will be had by all. (In Meredith Grey Voice)Seriously? Seriously.

A Mother's Day Post...

At work today, a co-worker was telling a group of us about her brother-in-law who said, while his prematurely born child lay in the hospital fighting for thier life: "don't worry about children, you can always get more kids, you can't get another spouse."
Does anybody else find this deeply twisted and distrurbing besides me?
The sad part is, a lot of men have similar attitudes towards children, their own or the children of the woman they're dating. They'd rather deal with the woman and leave the kids behind.
Guys or even some women, with this mentality are missing the point: women and their children are one complete package. You can't have one without the other. If you love (or even reasonably like) the woman, you love or reasonably like the child.
Motherhood is a very big and sometimes scary thing. Ideally, it's supposed to be a man and woman together in marriage raising children and training them to become good and decent, God fearing people. More often than not in the beginning of the 21st Century, women are raising children by themselves without the fathers there, but prayerfully, with a support system of family and friends to help. I could go into the whole topic of how fathers need to step up and be there for their children, but that's a whole other post...and this is about the mothers.
A lot of us don't really know what women go through to raise their kids, what kind of sacrifices have to be made and the like. I watched my mother after my parents divorced and both of my sisters struggle as the father's of their children left them in a lurch and have to fend for themselves. I have some idea, but I have no illusion that I know empirically. I do know this though, I appreciate my mother doing what she could for me and my sisters for being good examples of what women should be even in a difficult position. I appreciate them and love them and respect them. They inspire me to be there for my children (When I have them...) and my wife and treat her like the queen she is and cherish her.
In closing, I just want to say Thank you Corrie J. Sherrod for bringing me into the world and helping me, even now, navigate through it. I love you now, Mom, and I always will.
Happy Mother's Day

No Good Women and No Good men...

This morning on Facebook, a friend of mine was asking for opinions about the theory stating that if you see a No Good woman, it's safe to say she's dealing with a No Good man. It kind of got me to thinking...
Asking that is a lot like asking if the Chicken or the Egg came first..(If you're a Christian you already know the answer...the Chicken...but I digress...)...No one goes into a relationship looking to be a No Good anything. Everything is hearts and flowers and passion, there's not too much thought about what kind of person they are, because you think you already know them.
The only way to get to know someone, really, is to spend time with them and see how they interact with friends, family, co-workers and ultimately, how they treat you.
The Truth will out, meaning, what's really inside of a person is going to come out. If at bottom, a man or woman is a good man or woman, you're gonna see it. Conversely, if someone is a No Good Man or woman, you're also gonna see it. All you'll need is a little time and patience.
Most of us, sadly, don't have the patience.
If a man is truly into you and wants you, he'll show it. He will take the time to be with you and make time for you. He'll respect you and your wishes, but you have to let him know the boundaries. If you don't set them and let him know that you won't go beyond them, one, he'll never know and two, he will treat you however he wants to treat you.
That's where self-respect comes in: If you don't want to be treated any kind of way, Woman Up and say something. If he cares, he'll toe the line, if not, cancel the subscription. Most of us are too scared of being alone to be as ruthless as that, but it's the truth and would save a lot of people a lot of headaches and heartaches. (By the way, the previous also applies to guys seeking female companionship. Y'know, the whole what's good for Goose and Gander thing...)
Just think, if a lot of the people who are complaining about their significant others had taken the time to get to know them and teach them how they wanted to be treated, they'd know if he or she was good for them and, if not, could step off with a clear conscience and make plenty of room for the man or woman that would be a Do Right man or woman.
So, I guess to answer the question my friend posed, if you see a No Good woman, she more than likely is dealing with a No Good man...because she chose to.

A Review-Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married, Too

I'll admit, I'm a latecomer to the Tyler Perry Party.
The first movie of his that I saw was The Family That Preys. I really liked it. There was drama, mad drama, love, betrayal, vindication and hope. I may not've been instantly hooked and obsessed, but I definitely liked what the brotha was doing and started watching the other films. I also had the opportunity to see his latest stage production "Madea's big Happy Family" which had me me laughing and thinking very hard. If you get the chance, definitely check that out.
But, I digress...
Why Did I Get Married 2 picked up about three years after the first film and we get to see what happened to all the characters in the interim: Marcus and Angela (Michael Jai White and Tasha Smith) reverted back to the constant bickering since Marcus now has a job as a sportscaster and Angela's salon isn't doing so well, Gavin and Patricia (Malik Yoba and Janet Jackson) look like the solid, stable couple, but there is crack in the bedrock, Terry and Dianne (Tyler Perry and Sharon Leal) are still going strong, but there are possible footsteps in the dark and Troy and Shelia (Lamaan Rucker and Jill Scott) are expecting, but Troy hasn't found work since moving to Atlanta. The four couples take a group vacation down to the Bahamas looking to just relax and chill when Mike (Richard T. Jones) shows up. The drama flows from there.
The movie is well written and Mr. Perry manages to keep the movie from becoming too formulaic and gives you twists that keep you hooked until the end. The main theme I saw was that life is short, so cherish the ones you love while you have a chance. The death of one of the main characters drives this home very poignantly. Lou Gosset Jr. and Cicely Tyson have cameos as an older couple who let the youngsters know that sometimes, the course of True Love, sometimes doesn't follow a straight line, but the bends and curves in the road are worth the ride.
All the actors turned in solid, believable performances, especially Janet Jackson who really and truly shows some nice dramatic range.
I would heartily recommend this movie to everyone, especially if you're in a relationship. It will make you laugh, it may make you cry and it will defintely make you think and spark all kinds of conversations. But isn't that what good movies are supposed to do?

Nobels and Mudslinging...

This is an old post I had on Authornation.com I've finally moved it here...enjoy...

Is it me or does it seem President Obama can't catch a break?

Before he even got into the White House, people were begging him to fix the mess Dubya left there and caught all kinds of flack for the bailouts and trying to kick start the economy. Since then, he's been demonized for encouraging kids to stay in school and wanting healthcare to be available to everyone and not just the priviliged.

Now that President Obama's been selected to recieve the Nobel Peace Prize for reaching out to the World and showing them that America's politics are changing for the better, he's getting static from every Tom, Dick, harry and Jane. One blogger said he was unaware that the Nobels had an Affirmative Action Quota.

Obviously, some blogs have an Idiocy and Bigotry Quota.

True, being the first Black man voted into the Office of the President is going to bring a certain amount of scrutiny, but doesn't it seem that Barack Obama's had more than the normal amount of naysayers and negative publicity? (Don't let me get started about the Tea Party Idiots.)

Empirically, I can't say it's because he's Black. Given America's beginnings as well as race relations since the Emancipation Proclamation, it's an easy dig. To be fair, not all White folks are racist or prejudiced. It's not fair for me to hold anything against them for what their ancestors did to mine. We've come a long way since the 'I Have a Dream' Speech and the fact that a Black man has been elected President, basically, fulfilling the very words that Martin Luther King Jr. Spoke about, says a lot about how far we've come as a nation.

The fact that a White politician called a Black man, who just happens to hold the Highest Office in the Land, a liar says a lot more about how much farther we have to go.

I'm just sayin'...

Got To Be Real...

Remember when Mariah Carey first came out? The woman could SANG. She could even do the Minnie Ripperton Super High Falsetto note to great effect. Her first 3 albums were packed with great singing, passion and emotion. The girl had talent and the chops and complete control of her insturment.
Flashforward to now, Mariah's music still has the great singing, but it seems overly slick and lacking real passion and emotion, like she's phoning her vocals in.
Which leads me to my point: A singer who is singing from their heart and giving the best that they have, even if they're not in Mariah's or Whitney's league, will always be better than somebody who's technically proficient, but ultimately, lacking honesty and emotion.
Take Erykah Badu, for instance. She's doesn't have Mariah's vocal range, but you won't find someone who puts more passion or soul into their performance. Chrisette Michelle is another example. She has the vocal range and the chops, but she doesn't just coast when it comes to her performance, she's singing from her heart and you can feel it.
And need I mention Jill Scott or Corinne Bailey Rae or Nikka Costa or Anita Baker or Gabrielle or Bjork?
On the male side of things, Luther Vandross was undoubtably the Gold Standard. Any of his songs fron the late 70's to the early 90's were instant classics. But, like Miss Carey (Or should I say Mrs. Cannon), his more recent recordings were slick and had his trademark vocals, but not as much of the emotion or passion of his earlier stuff.
Now, Seal may not have as much of a range as Luther, but he's got so much more soul. (Not a shameless plug of his latest release by the same name) Listen to every song on his 2nd album (The one with 'Kiss From A Rose' on it) and there is passion, soul and great emotion coming through on each track.
Sting is another performer who, though he's white, has a lot of soul in his performances. He sings from his heart and so does D'angelo, Rob Thomas, Musiq Soulchild, Bono from U2, Adam Levine, Stokley, Boys II Men, Brandon Boyd and John Legend.
Maybe I'm just picky, but when it comes to music, you can't fake it. To quote Ms. Cheryl Lynn,
It's got to be real.