3 Words... 3 Syllables

So I finally told him yesterday. This time I really told him how I felt. It felt like it was the right time to do this.

After getting very little sleep I had arrived to a bitterly cold DC on Tuesday morning. The day had already started off awful and to no surprise it would continue the same way. After battling my way from Dulles Airport to the Metro station which of course you have to take a $9 shuttle bus to the metro because Metro doesn’t go to the suburban airport (well at least not until 2012 or so) and of course Metro doesn’t furnish city buses out that far either. So I purchase my fair card and hop aboard the orange line to Metro Center to transfer to the Red line to Judiciary Square. It was arriving at Metro Center where I realized as much as things change… some things remain the same. Their had been a fatal accident on the red line and now all trains were single tracking which basically means 20-30 minute delay.

While I had hoped the mediation would go well… a resolution would be reached… and this entire ordeal with Kellen Company would be over, I knew in my heart of hearts that this would be yet another joke and wasted $150 trip on a substandard airline (gosh I hate Airtran). With all the lies… mistruths… and assumptions, I walked out wondering if maybe I was the one crazy or does this company just really not care that they single handily ruined my 2006.

At the end of the meeting we were supposed to hang out before my flight back to Atlanta that evening but I was so emotionally drained and physically tired from the lack of sleep that I called to tell him that I just couldn’t do it. I wanted to hang out and see him and just be around him but my mood had taken a turn for the worse and I didn’t want to be around anyone (luckily I got an entire row to myself for the flight home).

Later that evening he called to check on me and to see if I was ready to talk. Now it has been a couple years since we were quasi together (don’t you just love that word it is definitely one of those imperfectly perfect words), but since we have become better friends. It was what ended our conversation that I not so simply said I love you.

Amazes me how three words… three syllables, can often be the hardest sentence to speak.

A Day in the Life

http://www.adayinthelifeplay.com/

If you are in the Atlanta area you should definitely check this out!

Noah (and Blacks) Sails off Logo

Well with the recent dissapointing news posted on Patrick-Ian Polk's and Christian Vincent's MySpace and Rod and Keith's sites. I have come to the conclusion that we as African Americans are not apart of LOGO's target auidence. I mean how else can you explain taking their "hit flagship series" (their words not mine) off the air and turning it into a feature film (I will believe it when I see it). Noah's Arc was the only show on the all gay network that was geared and appealled to me and most African Americans.

The day before the 2 seasons started, I would call Comcast and upgrade my cable package to the level needed so that I could watch the season and the infrequent replays of my friend Maurice Jamal's Ski Trip. And as soon as the season was over... I went back to my money saving package. Well it is needless to say I won't be upgrading or supporting LOGO, since there is nothing geared to me on the network.

I say this not to knock the good news of the feature film and of course I will support this film if it ever makes it to the big screen but what about the every day programming on a network that runs 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

EXCLUSIVE: LOGO Chats With CLIK: Smoke Screen Or Real Movie Deal - Clay Cane

Noah's Arc Cancelled; Film Planned Instead - Keith Boykin

Noah's Arc has Sailed - Rod

The Press Release - Patrik-Ian Polk

No Ahh... Arc - Christian Vincent

Online Petition to Bring the Show Back

And the Nominees are...

This should be a good year for African-Americans at the Oscars...

Performance by an actor in a leading role
Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness” (Sony Pictures Releasing)
Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role
Eddie Murphy in “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)
Djimon Hounsou in “Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role
Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)

Achievement in costume design
“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount) Sharen Davis

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)
“Listen” from “Dreamgirls”(DreamWorks and Paramount) Music by Henry Krieger and Scott CutlerLyric by Anne Preven (sorry B!)

Achievement in sound mixing
“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer and Willie Burton

Achievement in art direction
“Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount) Art Direction: John Myhre Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

For a complete listing of the nominations visit www.oscars.com . I will say I was disappointed that Dreamgirls didn't get nominated in Best Picture, however I haven't seen all of the other nominees to comment on the snub.

Diddy is Back Once Again...

So he is at it again... Diddy and MTV are looking for Diddy and MTV are looking for talent for the series "Making The Band". This time around the rapper/designer/record label executive/ restaurant owner/father sets to form the all-male counterpart to his hit girl-group, Danity Kane.

While the nation-wide open call auditions for the show, which began Wednesday January 17th in Los Angeles, don't fret if you can't make it in person to the remaining auditions because MTV and Diddy are making it possible to post your video auditions online via makingtheband.MTV.com. Viewers will have until January 27th to go online and vote for their favorite, narrowing down the competition to 25. The remaining contestants will go on to Round Two, where they will be asked to upload a dance audition. Viewers then have until February 6th to vote. Three finalists will then have the opportunity to audition for Diddy in person.

But in case you didn't realize this in Diddy's other 2 Making the Bands... Making the Band is not about the band but about Diddy himself. Just another way to keep his name/image/brand in the limelight. And this is the reason that I love him so much... he has to be one of the best if not the best at pimping the media for his own benefit...

So for all of those that dare to audition below are the remaining dates... hopefully you will be good enough to get on the show... pimp the show yourselves and walk away with a couple of other record labels wanting to put you out.

ATLANTA

DATE: Saturday 1/27

TIME: Line forms at 7 am, Open call begins promptly at 10 am

LOCATION: VERVE LOUNGE511 Peachtree St. NE Atlanta, GA 30308

CHICAGO

DATE: Tuesday 1/30

TIME: Line forms at 7 am, Open call begins promptly at 10 am

LOCATION: CLUB 720720 North Wells St. Chicago, IL 60622

DETROIT

DATE: Saturday 2/3

TIME: Line forms at 7 am, Open call begins promptly at 10 am

LOCATION: PLAN B205 W. Congress Detroit, MI 48226

NEW YORK

DATE: Tuesday 2/6

TIME: Line forms at 7 am, Open call begins promptly at 10 am

LOCATION: BLVD199 Bowery (at Spring St) New York, NY 10002

For more information, log on to www.makingtheband.MTV.com

Diana Gowins You are about a Dumb Ho

My mother and father seperated when I was quite young. And my mother raised me with very little and often no finacial support from my father. So when I hear a story like this it pisses me off to see the sense of entitlement. After reading this story this past weekend, I became enraged at Diana Gowins' sense of entitlement.

While Willie Gary is no angel, Diana was a mistress.. a ho.. a jumpoff, why does she think because she slept with a married man she is entitled to his way of life? Gary's only responsibility is to the two kids. And I believe $5,000, tuition and health insurance is more than enough. If he wants his kids to have anything else then he can provide that but the ho should have took the $14,000 offered now she will have to manage with just half that. Diana is a sad example of a strong black mother.

Child support limits face test: Mom asks court for $28K a month
By Beth Warren The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Published on: 01/21/07

At last count, Florida attorney Willie Gary raked in roughly $1 million a month. Featured on the TV show "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," the 59-year-old lives in a sprawling, $6 million waterfront home in Stuart, Fla. His law firm, which recently employed former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell, has three posh offices and owns two jets, including a 32-passenger Boeing 737 outfitted with an 18-karat gold sink and a $1.2 million sound system. But just how much money is too much money to pay in child support?

Atlanta resident Diana Gowins —- the mother of twins fathered by Gary —- could find out soon.
The 36-year-old is seeking to have reinstated a $28,000 a month judgment that was slashed last year to $5,000 by a judge who cited concerns about Gowins' spending habits and lack of a job.

The case, which is headed to the Georgia Court of Appeals for review, could set a precedent in how to deal with child support battles among the small number of Georgians who are so rich that current laws offer no directives. "At this level of income, the guidelines stop providing a lot of guidance. There's not that many people of this wealth," said Marietta family law attorney Stephen Steele, who helped craft state child support guidelines that took effect this month.

Gary, who is married to his childhood sweetheart, and Gowins met in January 2000 at a Florida event honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Gary was the keynote speaker and Gowins, who excelled at track, was seeking sponsorship as an Olympic hopeful. The two agreed to meet for business, but ended up having sex. Gowins, who became pregnant and gave birth to twins who are now 6, says she and Gary have dated on and off for four years. Gary's attorneys say the pair had two rendezvous at a hotel. Gowins has sole custody of the twins.

Gary's attorneys said he was willing to pay $14,000 a month until he found out Gowins had stopped putting money into a college fund for the twins and was instead spending much of the cash on herself. Gowins, who lives in a $600,000 home in south Atlanta, splurged on designer clothes, cruises without the kids and a tummy tuck, Gary's attorneys contend. She also spent thousands of his money on a Steinway piano, as well as private school tuition and diamonds for her oldest child, a teenage daughter from a previous relationship, they said.

Gary's attorneys filed court documents asking the judge to reduce the child support payments.
A judge heard evidence from both sides, then cut the payments to $5,000, not including expenditures for health insurance and school tuition. In taking the action, the judge cited Gowins' spending and her lack of employment. A former nurse, Gowins said the accusations that she's spending fistfuls of money aren't true. She also said she doesn't work because she wants to be a stay-at-home mom who is active in her children's academic and social lives. "I think it's very important my children have me at their side," she said.

As for the judge's ruling, "It's very insulting to me," said Gowins. "I'm not the first and won't be the last to be a stay-at-home mom. I do have a job. I take care of the children, cook and clean."
The state Court of Appeals agreed to review the case and decide whether the judge should have revisited the amount after initially ordering Gary to pay $28,000. The state's current child support law charts out specific amounts Georgians must pay for their offspring, but it tops out at an income of $30,000 a month.

"There's not law that says what's right when you make $1 million a month," said veteran family law attorney Randy Kessler, who represents Gowins. Gary, who teamed with famed boxer Evander Holyfield and others to buy a cable TV network, was one of 11 children. His Web site tells of a rags-to-riches story of first toiling as a migrant worker before heading to law school and ultimately earning national recognition. He boasts of trying cases in 45 states and winning more than 150 cases worth $1 million or more, including a $240 million verdict in 2000 after teaming with the late Johnnie Cochran to sue entertainment giant Disney. His net worth is estimated at $60 million.

Gowins says Gary has called the twins only twice since 2004. His attorneys say he's stayed away to avoid interacting with Gowins. "Her lies and thievery make it difficult for him to trust her," said Tamar Oberman Faulhaber, one of Gary's attorneys.

Gowins dismissed that. "It's very hurtful," she said. "I feel like: 'Why introduce yourself to my children and not carry out your parental role?' "

Another Great Weekend...

I think my favorite thing about these special weekends is the opportunity to do things with friends from out of town... and this MLK weekend was no different. The weekend started off with me and my friend from New York, LB, heading to Atlantic Station to see Stomp the Yard. While the storyline is very Drumline (delete bands and add fraternities) but Columbus Short, Laz Alonzo, and Brian White are enough reason to go see the movie... which I will be seeing again. Friday ended with us sweating it up at Towers 2.

Saturday began with a walk or 3 around Lenox Mall... thankfully there were no chain thong incidents but the kids were definitely out. A house party with too much alcohol for some and an extra but funny host ended a rather lowkey evening.

Sunday..... well I had a very late lunch or possibly an early dinner with Maurice Jamal. He is such a character, that will definitely keep u entertained. It was great to hear about his upcoming projects especially the adaptation of James Earl Hardy's B Boy Blues for the big screen... and of course the upcoming release of Dirty Laundry this fall. The B Boy Blues movie website can be found here.

The highlight for Sunday and probably the entire weekend was attending my first ball with my boy LB (it was his first too). The House of Escada presented The Devil Wears Escada at the Fox Theater in the heart of midtown Atlanta. The ball was everything that I thought it would be and a lot I didn't. Frank Mizrahi served as our guide for the evening, answering the endless questions we had and introducing us to the many notables of the ballroom scene. While I anticipated the shade that has come to be expected from gays, that was quickly disspelled as the legendary Andre Mizrahi (remember the guy that vogued down on Apollo) not only spoke but gave me a hug as he did so. While I thought some of the categories were a bit extra and too long... and some people should have never even got up to walk certain categories it was interesting to see the effort the participants and houses put into their craft. Part of me thinks you can actually get more from attending a ball than going to a club. I mean you get music, you get a show, and you get to talk and meet people in decent lighting. I definitely plan on attending another one... hopefully with the expertise of Frank. Here are a few pictures from the evening but of course if you want to see them all you have to visit Frank's page.

All in all a great weekend... many thanks to LB and Dr. Frank for making it memorable.

Welcome Back to Atlanta...

Well it seems to be that time of year again. Seems like it was just four months ago we welcomed you to Atlanta, and now that time is upon us again. Well on behalf of Mayor Shirley Franklin, the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, and all the residents of metro Atlanta, we welcome you back to the King Weekend Celebration.

While we know you came in town to party, meet a jump-off, and go to the many Escada Balls… we ask that you keep in mind the reason we are all off from work on Monday. We ask that you take a minute and reflect on the man, the works, and the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. Take a minute and visit historic Auburn Avenue and the King Center (or at least drive down MLK Boulevard). Or take a few minutes and visit the AUC Library and look at our multimillion dollars pieces of paper… ooops nevermind they aren’t even on display yet.

But while here please remember to follow the 10 Commandments for Visitors during Pride Weekend Part 1

1. Thou shall not steal. Now we do not want a repeat of the events that occurred last year (although I am sure it was some tired ATL queens). So if you find the need to permanently borrow some new ‘fits… do that before you leave home. Just to forewarn you Signature 4 Men has since hired a very massive guard that doesn’t really care for homos.

2. Thou shall not harass the straights at Lenox Mall, because once again they will be walking around wondering why this mall is gayer than usual.

3. Thou shall dance like nobody’s watching when the DJ plays the house version of MLK’s I Have a Dream speech; for this is the closest to playing homage most of you will get to this weekend.

4. Thou shall remember that the old Cypress Street has been gentrified and is now home to some of the most expensive condos and office space in Midtown… so don’t go trolling down there assuming to find… well you know what you were trolling for.

5. Thou shall not commit adultery. If you are vacationing without your significant other… keep it in your pants.

6. Thou shall not take late night walks in Piedmont Park. It’s too damn cold and the park closes at nightfall anyway!!

7. Thou shall remember this weekend is about peaceful progress. Stop gritting on each other and say hello when you pass by or at least smile.

8. Thou shall be a friend to your friend. Do not let them come out of the house in some shit that if anyone else had on you would be cackling about. I do not want to see a repeat of the chain thong incident walking around Lenox Mall.

9. Thou shall once again remember that Atlanta is currently at its homo resident limit, so no new homo residents at this time!! (the only exception to this rule: tall, light, masculine, educated, attractive, over 25 but under 35, employed, single with a great sense of humor and beautiful thighs and smile… otherwise you gotta go)

10. Thou shall have a good time, enjoy Atlanta for the weekend and take your ass home on Monday.

See also:
Is it Time for Gay Pride Travel Tour Already??

Remebering the Dream of a King

Farewell... Coretta Scott King

Welcome to Atlanta

An All Time Low

I Love New York has to be the absolute worse nonsense ever put on tv. This show is worse than Good Times, Flava of Love, and The Megan Mullally Show all rolled into one.

Everything about this show is tired and fake from the soundstage Mansion... to the corny and offensive gay sidekick, ... to her "I'd slap the shit out of her if she was my" mother. The guys are are so fake as well... very casting call, I want to be on TV please!!!

What the hell was VH1 thinking? There has to be something said about quality tv and there is nothing of quality here not even New York or her mother's awful weave jobs.

There is nothing at all about this show that would draw me back to watch... actually lets see it came on at 9pm and at 932, I had more than enough to last me a lifetime. I can't believe they created a season of this shit and haven't renewed the Wendy Williams Experience yet... VH1 you need to get on your job.

Is Whitney Back???

Check out this new single, Family First, from Tyler Perry's upcoming movie, Daddy's Little Girl, featuring Gabrielle Union and Idris Elba (ummm hmmm him).

The single also features the Cissy and Dionne Warwick as well.

Click here to listen to the song.

Another Church Experience...

Well yet another interesting church experience in Atlanta.

First several, several years ago when the rapper Ma$e decided to leave Diddy, Bad Boy and New York relocate to Atlanta and pursue his calling to become a pastor... I was like ummm ok.

Then, one day God spoke to him saying, “You’re walking millions of My people to hell and every time you enter into another city and open your mouth, more people join-in, unaware. But today, you’re going to let their hands go. What I want you to do is, go to Atlanta, learn about Me and I’m going to send you back to stop them before they reach the wrong destination. Then, you’re going to lead the flock back to Me!” At that moment, Mason Betha heard from God and obeyed.

Not long after Ma$e aka Mason Betha started Mason Betha Ministries and S.A.N.E Church International, my homegirl started attending and eventually joined his church. She would always tell me about how real his service was and would always say I would come and check it out. Well today I did.


Well S.A.N.E Church is definitely in its beginning stages. There are three services 8, 10, and 12 noon held in an auditorium that could fit about 300 people, however at this 8am service today there were approximately 80 people in attendance. Mason told my girl that because of who he is he has to cater to a very diverse group and that was definitely shown today. I sat next to men in suits, guys in urban wear, a white family and a black family. But one thing they all had in common was that they were definitely into the service. The service was very minimalistic which I liked. There was an offering, singing, a message, communion and a dismissal. There was none of that extraness that I experienced at Tabernacle last week.



I will say to see Mason in action was quite a surprise. I had gotten over the whole this is a gimmick after his ministry had been going for more than a couple years but I never imagined him to be such a captivating speaker. He was well versed and related his message so that everyone in his diverse audience could understand. I was completely impressed.

Well of course it wouldn't be me if I didn't have an issue with anything. As I sat there and enjoyed the service as it came to a close, I thought wow I can't wait to blog about this experience maybe I have found the right church. Until Mason expressed his biblical views on homosexuality... while it wasn't a bashing experience, he definitely let it be known that him and his ministry felt that homosexuality was a choice and not in accordance to the Bible. While I respect him for stating his beliefs, in which we are all entitled, his beliefs don't coincide with my reality and for that reason S.A.N.E Church is not the church for me. And my search for a church home continues.... oh how I miss Metropolitan!!

Random Thoughts this Friday morning...

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