Monday, May 31, 2010

REST IN PEACE GARY COLEMAN

...I JUST HOPE THAT THOSE IN HOLLYWOOD THAT ARE SPEAKING ABOUT YOU ARE THOSE THAT WERE THERE FOR YOU IN YOUR TIME OF NEED!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

HOW TO SPIRITUALLY SURVIVE THE RECESSION

Spiritually speaking we must always remember to exercise our greatest tool of faith regardless of how dire the circumstances may appear. We must also use our faith as a tool of creativity in order to remake ourselves for brand new career and job opportunities that will reveal itself to us but only when we muster the courage to persevere and to not give up.

For those currently unemployed or individuals seeking greater job and career opportunities, remember these three spiritual Truths.

1. It's Not Too Late to Succeed. Society would have you believe that if you haven't reached a certain job or income level by a certain age that the sun has set over your career. And if you're unemployed that your chances of getting a job similar to what you had before will be slim to none.

But as people-of-faith we must reject these notions of fear and negativity. You must recognize that you and God are a majority and that your future is far greater than your past. It's never too late to bounce back and to soar regardless of what Wall Street may tell us about our financial and job situations.

2. Everything You Need to Succeed Is Inside of You. We're often told that it's not what you know but who know that opens doors to job and career success. Well as people-of-faith, we know God and that's more than enough to open doors even during a recession. We have the power and force of the Universe inside of us waiting to give us all that we need. We just have to recognize it and embrace it. We are not alone, we have a comforter. You do not have to go through your situation alone. What is inside of you is far greater than the recession. God's children are not in a recession or in a depression. We are thriving no matter what.

3. You're not a Victim! Yes you may have been fired or laid off, but count that as a set up for something brilliant in your life right around the corner. Praise God for setting you loose from that job you didn't really like so that you can pursue your ordained passions utilizing your spiritual gifts. Use this down time to learn from your past situation then listen to the Creator in order to see where your footsteps should be ordered and when you should show up! But remember you are a victor not a victim! 

Friday, May 28, 2010

TONI BRAXTON PART IV

More Than a Woman is the fourth studio album by the First Lady of LaFace Toni Braxton, released in the United States on November 19, 2002 by Arista Records. It was certified gold by the RIAA in late 2002.

Most of the songs were written by Braxton, her husband Keri Lewis, and her sister Tamar Braxton. The album was produced by Braxton, Lewis, and Antonio "L.A." Reid. It sold around three million copies worldwide.

Originally, the first single was said to be a sample-heavy track called "No More Love", produced by and featuring Irv Gotti. However, after Gotti had leaked the song to radio, Braxton and Arista decided not to include the song on the final track listing.

The official first single released from the album was "Hit the Freeway" featuring rapper Loon. It peaked at number eighty-six on Billboard Hot 100, number thirty-two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number two on the Hot Dance Club Play.

The second single was set to be "Lies, Lies, Lies" (with an unreleased video shot as well), but it was switched to "A Better Man". No video was ever made for the song (since Braxton's second pregnancy was occurring at this time), although promotional CDs were made available for radio.

Additionally, to service radio shows, a double A-side vinyl for "Give It Back" and "Let Me Show You the Way (Out)" was released.

"Me & My Boyfriend" (a cover of Tupac Shakur's 1996 song "Me and My Girlfriend") was set to be a single at some point, but Jay-Z and Beyoncé released the single "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" around the same time, which is based on the same song, and Braxton refrained from releasing her version as a single, accusing Jay-Z of stealing her idea (although it should be pointed out that "How Much", a duet between Mariah Carey and Usher on Carey's 1999 album Rainbow, uses the same Shakur sample).

A few years after the album's release, a dance remix of "Lies, Lies, Lies" was leaked online on the fansite Toni-Online.
 "Hit the Freeway" is the only single from American R&B singer Toni Braxton's fourth studio album, More Than a Woman (2002), featuring American rapper Loon. As a result of the poor chart performance of "Hit the Freeway", no more singles from More Than a Woman were released. The beat of the song was sampled by South Korean pop-R&B singer U;Nee for her 2005 song "Call Call Call".

The music video, directed by Charles Infante and Dave Meyers, tells the story of a woman leaving her cheating boyfriend. There are several shots of Braxton driving down the freeway while her ex follows her, trying to rekindle the relationship.
Libra is the fifth studio album by American R&B singer–songwriter Toni Braxton, released in the United States on September 27, 2005 by Blackground Records. The album's title is a reference to Braxton's astrological sign, Libra.

The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, selling 114,000 copies in its first week.[1] Only three singles were released from the album, and due to lack of promotion from Blackground Records, Braxton's then-record label, all of them failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, subsequently causing Braxton to terminate her contract with Blackground. 

Nonetheless, as a result of the European success of "The Time of Our Lives"—Braxton's collaboration with the group Il Divo, which served as the official 2006 FIFA World Cup theme song—, German label Edel Records re-released the album in continental Europe in late June 2006 including "The Time of Our Lives" as well as a brand-new cover art. Previously, the regular European edition of the album had included three bonus tracks: "Suddenly", "I Hate You", and "Long Way Home".

Libra gained gold status by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 4, 2005,[2] having sold over 445,000 copies within the U.S. to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[3] The album cover was included on Maxim's list of Sexiest Album Covers.
 
"Please" is a song by American R&B singer Toni Braxton. It was written by Scott Storch, Makeba Riddick, Vincent Herbert, and Kameron Houff and produced by Storch for Braxton's fifth studio album, Libra (2005).

The track was released as the album's lead single to U.S. rhythmic and urban AC radio formats on May 30, 2005.[1][2] While "Please" reached number thirty-six on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 but instead, reached number four on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart, making it one of Braxton's lowest-charting singles of her career. "Please" was the only single from Libra for which a music video was shot, directed by Chris Robinson.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

¿WOULD YOU F&CK YOURSELF?


Assume you are locked in a room with a perfect clone of yourself. NO one will see what you do and the clone will COMPLETELY disappear in one hour. Would you go for it and find out what it is like to sex with yourself or would you do nothing?

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

ANGER IS HEALTHY...


Anger is healthy...Yet when we don’t go beneath the anger, to acknowledge the pain that is there we end up staying with the anger and often ending up directing it inwardly-as depression; or outwardly; as rage. Hurting ourselves, or re-creating the cycle on someone else. 

Most of us have not, and so much of this is about class, been exposed to or given tools with which to help us process our anger. Most of us have not even been offered the opportunity to express our rage and pain; we are so often silenced by communities and society. So today, I wanted to share some beliefs and ideas that help me with my anger and with not being bitter-with the hope that maybe one of them may be helpful to you. 

1) Check your perspective- Check the narratives you tell yourself about who you are. Are you kind to yourself? Or harsh? Do you berate yourself, or lift yourself with compassionate accountability? Do you forgive yourself for what you couldn’t do, didn’t know how to do, or weren’t able to do at the time? Do you see your relationships, failed or otherwise, as opportunities to learn and grow, or just spaces where you were "done wrong" as if you played no part in the chaos of it?
What decision did you make that created the situation, or the situations you are in now? How can u be accountable enough to let go?

2) Stop the comparisons- There is only one you. And if you were meant to look like, be like, be shaped like, and be smart like anyone else, well then you wouldn’t be you. And considering the divine creator of all this made you the way she/he/it did-then it must have thought you were damn good. And you are. YOU are your own standard!! There is no comparison. Comparison is a tool used by those with lack of imagination and disrespect the divine order. Like who you are. In fact, love who you are. How you look, and how you are, at whatever place you are, love yourself. And if you want to work on things about you-don’t start with judgment and hate, it doesn’t help. Your body responds and all you do is slow down your ability to shift. Be loving to yourself and the rest will follow. 

3) Face your fears- too many of us are held hostage by fear in our lives. We have created all these imaginary monsters that we think are going to have all these horrible things happen to us. Fear of following our dreams, fear of facing our truth, etc. Take the time to face your fears intelligently head on. Remember "Fear is faith in reverse."

4) Learn Yourself. Learn your wounds, your issues and challenges. And don’t just justify them-find a way to have a different relationship to them that does not hinder you in the present. Find a therapist, or a counselor. Except help from others. If you we were meant to do it all alone, or to figure it all out by yourself, god/goddess would have just dropped you on an isolated rock somewhere in a remote part of the galaxy as opposed to this rock which is actually teeming with people who can and would love to help you. Seek them out. 

5) Make your life what you desire; brick by brick: A large part of our reality is about interpretation. It's about how you choose to see what’s happening around you. We all witness the same phenomena everyday, and both have a totally different idea about what is happening. This "interpretation of reality" does not mean crazy shit won’t happen to you, or unfair shit won’t happen, it says instead that how you look at it makes a big difference in what you can learn!

6) S.I.N = Self Inflicted Nonsense: You were not born, nor are of evil or wrongdoing. You were born into circumstances and situations, systems and societies with ideas and beliefs that created a reality for the people who brought you here...Anything that happened to you is not a reflection of your worth, only a commentary on how the world is ignorant to your beauty and value as a human being. Don’t let their neglect become your own.

7) Trust that the relationship you need will find you; and celebrate the relationships you have. Too often we devalue our good friends, who, like lovers, are often our emotional supporters. We also can be self defeating in thinking that; I’ll never find someone, or there aint no good guys..yadda yadda. Let that talk go. Trust you deserve to have a partner that you love. 

Sunday, May 23, 2010

@ A CATHOLIC CHURCH NEAR YOU...

This Sunday is going to be a pretty important day. Yes, it's the series finale of Lost. But in the religious world, it's also known as Pentecost Sunday, and for the Rainbow Sash Movement, that's a day dedicated to challenging the institutional Catholic Church's opposition to gay rights.

Their plan? Well, much like their name asserts, scores of LGBT people of faith around the globe will show up to their local Catholic cathedral, dawn a rainbow sash during the liturgy, and try to spark dialogue with both people in the pews, and local clergy, including bishops. Some may even try to take Communion, which in the past has worked out well (Los Angeles, Detroit), and at other times has worked out not so well (Minneapolis/St. Paul).

As the Rainbow Sash Movement notes, the goal is not to protest church services, but to show religious leaders that LGBT people exist within their parishes, and won't stand to be made invisible any longer.

"We can no longer bury our heads and remain silent," the Rainbow Sash Movement writes, "nor can we promote the ideal that somehow our own spiritual comfort is more important than civil rights of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community."

The thinking goes that if people of faith know we're in their midst, it's a whole lot harder to use theology as a wedge to divide us. Of course, tell that to a few Catholic bishops, particularly the head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Francis George. The good Cardinal doesn't really appreciate the Rainbow Sash Movement, or their work to get people talking about sexual orientation and religion.

Five years ago, Cardinal George instructed priests in his Archdiocese (Chicago) to refuse Communion to wearers of the Rainbow Sash.

"The policy of the U.S. Conference of Bishops is to not give Communion to those wearing the Rainbow Sash," Cardinal George wrote at the time. Word has it that he still stands by those words, too, which is why he'll be a prime target of the Rainbow Sash Movement this coming Sunday, during his 11:00am mass at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago. 

Earlier this year, a group of activists in the Netherlands protested a local Catholic Church, after it denied a prominent gay man in the community Communion. Activists responded in droves, with hundreds of people showing up in pink wigs and clothes during a church service, and walking out during the Communion service.

The man originally denied Communion? According to the BBC, he wanted to deliver a message to Catholic clergy: if you're going to deny Communion to one group of people deemed "sinners," you better be ready to deny Communion to everyone.

Perhaps that's the moral of the story, and the moral behind the Rainbow Sash Movement's action this coming Sunday. Sash it up folks; this Church is a body that needs as much dialogue as possible on the subject of LGBT rights.


Friday, May 21, 2010

TONI BRAXTON PART III

The Heat is the third studio album by American R&B singer–songwriter Toni Braxton, released in the United States on April 25, 2000 by LaFace Records. This album marked Braxton's departure from her ballads in favor of a more urban sound. Most of the songs (including the nearly instrumental "The Art of Love") were written and produced by Braxton and her husband Keri Lewis (the former member of Mint Condition), two ballads were penned by Diane Warren, and collaborations featured rappers Dr. Dre and Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. The album opened at number two on the Billboard 200 selling 199,000 units its first week. To date, the album has been certified double platinum by the RIAA and has sold over two million copies in the U.S.
 
"He Wasn't Man Enough" is the lead single from Toni Braxton's third studio album, The Heat (2000). It reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of May 6, 2000, where it stood for several weeks, as well as number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for four weeks. The song earned Braxton her fourth Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 2001.

The video directed by Bille Woodruff from February 25-26, 2000[3], starts out with Braxton as an animated superhero who unzips her shirt to ward off villains. Next, she is shown dancing in a red cylinder-like hallway. The shot turns to a club where her ex (played by Braxton's husband) and his current wife (played by Robin Givens) walk in. Givens looks Braxton up and down and flashes her wedding ring at her. Braxton scoffs because she'd had him first and knows what a cheat he is.

The video flashes between Braxton dancing in the hallway and the club scene. At one point, the two women are in the bathroom of the club and Braxton lets her know why she dumped her husband. They set up an act where Braxton goes into a private room with him, and gets him to drop his pants; all the while he is on camera, and everyone at the club, including his current wife, is watching. At the end, Givens busts in and throws the ring at him, and the two women give each other a high five.

The video also features cameo appearances by Rodney Chester, Dawnn Lewis, and Tamar Braxton.
 
"Just Be a Man About It" is the second single from Toni Braxton's third studio album, The Heat (2000). It was released as a DVD single in the United States on November 21, 2000 and in Canada on February 6, 2001, including the music video for the song as well as the video for "Spanish Guitar".

The single's music video, directed by Bille Woodruff, opens with Braxton's boyfriend (played by rapper Dr. Dre, who also provides additional vocals to the track) leaving a Hawthorne, California strip club named Bare Elegance, accompanied by a woman. He stops at a payphone to call up Braxton, who is in their apartment. She looks happy at first, but as he tells her not to wait up for him that night alleging he needs space, her facial expression suddenly changes. The following scenes show Braxton wandering about the apartment, talking on the phone, standing next to the balcony, lying on a couch, and throwing objects such as a picture frame containing a photo of Dre and vases. At one point, Dre hangs up on Braxton, which infuriates her. Toward the end of the video, a man (Q-Tip) shows up to visit Braxton; they hug each other and proceed to cuddle on the couch, much to Dre's annoyance by the time he arrives home. When Dre questions Braxton about the man, she remains indifferent, causing him to give her the finger and then walk away.
 
"Spanish Guitar" is the third single from Toni Braxton's third studio album, The Heat (2000). Released in 2000, the song was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, the same team behind Braxton's 1996 smash hit "Un-Break My Heart". It was never released as a commercial single in the United States, causing the song to chart outside the top ninety-five of the Billboard Hot 100. This song remains a fan favorite as Braxton often performs the dance version live.

In 2010, the song was recorded by flamenco guitarist Benise (with Kimberley Locke providing vocals) for his album also entitled "Spanish Guitar".

The video opens with Braxton floating on top of the water. The scene quickly changes to a crowded cafe and centers on a Latin man, Kamar de los Reyes, playing the guitar. The scene changes to a modern white and red room where Braxton, wearing a red dress, sings her longing to be in his arms. There are several shots of him playing the guitar than the guitar morphing into Braxton in his arms. Towards the end, he and Braxton have a dance scene together. This video was directed by Billie Woodruff, who also directed the videos for "Un-Break My Heart", "He Wasn't Man Enough", and "Just Be a Man About It".

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

TWO BALLS N’ A BAT…


The six months temporary job program that I am currently employed under is set to end sometime in June. There are twelve of us that started this program in December last year and out of that number they are keeping about 5 persons to fill positions that are available. Now it has been rumored that 3 out of the positions will go to the 3 males that are employed under the program and the other two will go to two females in the program and the remaining 7 ladies would be left out in the cold. As I sat and thought about the prospect of being employed again, I couldn’t help but feel ashamed that I am a man. You see working for the Government in the Treasury Department; the women here seem to NOT get along with each other. They back bite and do all sort of things to each other…it is almost as if they want the other to grovel and beg for some sort of human kindness.

I’ve worked in 3 different areas in my short time @ the Treasury and no matter where I went there were females that didn’t like each other. It could be one supervisor to the other; it did NOT matter because as long as two vaginas occupy the same office space there will be tension! One of the areas I worked in, I had to deal with a supervisor that was petty… (Though not as petty as the supervisor in another area I worked), she still got on my nerves. One day she gave me an assignment to complete I did and I did more than she asked for and she was upset. Now before I took on the project, I asked her 3 times what she wanted and I even repeated to her what she said and she replied, ‘okay you got it.’ So imagine my surprise when I came back from lunch and she told me that I didn’t do the work she wanted and then asked me if I have a communication problem. I explained to her what she wanted and that was that…or so I thought. She kept going on and on about it and asked if I agreed with her that I have a communication problem? I looked her dead in the eyes and said, NO I DON’T! Of course this FRUSTRATED her to NO end, but she did ask me the question…

So the next day we came to work and she tells me how she couldn’t sleep all night because the work place was on her mind. She went on to tell me that her not wanting to take bread out of anyone’s mouth was keeping her up because @ the same time she HAD to be honest when it came time for them to review our performance over the past few months. I told her, ‘not to worry and do what she must and make sure she is honest in her reports.’ That was that and we went on with our working day…The next day the other temp person that worked in the same area with me told me that she was told by the same supervisor that she was NOT IMPRESSED WITH HER @ ALL! Now imagine my surprise when I heard this because this young lady works VERY hard and does things the supervisor CANNOT! I thought well if she thinks this about her what would she say about me? Well I soon found out…we were in the office all alone and she told me that she was impressed with me and apart from our misunderstanding the other day, she has NO problems with me and my work ethic. You could have knocked me out with a feather because I could NOT believe she was saying this to me.

After taking in what was said to me, I soon realized why she felt the way she did. She told me that there are TOO many females in the service and they are NOT adding anything to the process and she finds that men tend to work a whole lot better. I was SO stunned that I just sat there and took it all in. A few minutes later one of the deputy treasurers came into her office and she saw me there. She asked why I was in this department and after being told she said that I make it a point to remember the names of the males in the program because we need more men in this place. I just stood there looked @ her in amazement and I realized that this “men over women sentiment’’ comes from the top. I find this SO crazy because ALL of the top positions in this place are held by WOMEN! How do I sit @ a desk in this place when I know that the females in this program worked just as hard as I did to secure a job? Isn’t it sad that because I happen to be a man, that I have TWO BALLS N’ A BAT that I am one of the chosen few?

¡EVOLVE ALREADY!

 


You know when you haven’t seen or spent time with a certain person in a while, then you do and they make you realize why. Well a few weeks ago, I invited a long time friend of mine to spend a weekend here with me as I was in the house alone. The weekend went fine…he cooked; we caught up and had a few laughs. After the weekend he decided that he didn’t want to go home just yet and I was okay with that. He isn’t working and I know what that is like and I know that where I live is such an oasis, so it was no problem. Talk about a sanctuary turning into an insane asylum…

First off I lent him my car and it came back smelling like smoke! He swore up and down that he didn’t smoke inside the car, but near it as he hung out with a few friends of his. I let that slide because I know that as a non-smoker, I would be able to pick up that scent with relative ease. Well not only did I pick up the smoke scent, it made me sick with the flu…(I know it sounds crazy, but I swear it did). So here I am in my room trying to sleep while fighting the flu and after I finally fell asleep, I felt this tap on my shoulder by my friend. He wanted to know if I could take him to a BOOTY CALL! Now I stood up, tried to make sure that I heard correctly and when I got myself together, I told him NO! I mean come on, how could I have taken anyone anywhere in the state I was in? This is the same guy that constantly feels sorry for himself because he can’t seem to find anyone to be with long-term. This man beats himself to death with questions about being destined to be alone. That is okay with me to an extent because the thing about him that gets me is the FACT that he HATES being - - -! He often tells me how he would change this about himself and live a normal life because he doesn’t want to go to hell. Now I understand where he is coming from, but I always say if something is bothering you, take the steps you need to change it. I mean how much of a bother is it when you are wishing for a man to hold you? How much of pain can it be to wake up a sick person to take your ass to get some dick? 

What is SO interesting about our relationship is that he thinks that I am an atheist because I question the bible and constantly tell him that I don’t believe in the god that he believes in. He wishes that he could have a relationship like the one I have with Noel, and I often ask him -what God is going to allow the man you need to come into your life when you have a problem with yourself? Of course he sees that as a cheap shot from me because I am just trying to keep him from evolving. I think that he is doing such a marvelous job @ that! But all things aside, thinking about him and others out there that are doing this to themselves HURTS me like NOTHING on this planet because I CANNOT take that evolutionary step for them; they have to do it themselves. I just see him becoming this old, bitter n’ jaded human being…I’ve met many men that are this way and so many fall into this pattern when they don’t have to. 

Why can’t he realize that his various sexual activities won’t yield the relationship he wants? I learned a while back that "single" doesn’t mean I can’t have a brilliant, beautiful and productive life. So sad that reality is, that he MUST learn to be happy with himself, much less someone else…Shit I feel that a - - - man in this day and time has so much more to offer when you think about how many of us have lived and are living through the HIV/ AIDS crisis that has taken so many friends and lovers. How can he not see that living in a world where relationships are often competitions for control and power, we - - - men have been socialized to "read" each other instead of communicating our concerns compassionately. His focus is the six pack abs, thug masculinity, economic superficiality and all the other unrealistic markers of this world. As gay men on very different levels of experience, I get the struggle…I get that the world that he has created is scary, but I still believe he can make a choice to face the darkness, grow in confidence that he is taking himself in the right direction and EVOLVE ALREADY!


Tuesday, May 18, 2010

¿HOW FAR WOULD/HAVE YOU GONE TO GET "IT"?

SO THE OTHER DAY MY BARBER & I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE GIRLS HE TRY TO GET WITH. IT WAS A SUNDAY & HE PICKED UP HIS CELL & PHONED ONE OF THEM. SHE TOLD HIM THAT SHE WAS IN CHURCH, SO HE THEN ASKED, WHY DIDN'T YOU INVITE ME? NOW I LAUGHED BECAUSE I KNOW THAT HE ISN'T INTO RELIGION LIKE THAT...HE JUST WANTS TO GET "IT" FROM HER. SO MY QUESTION TODAY IS, HOW FAR WOULD/HAVE YOU GONE JUST TO GET "IT" FROM ANOTHER?

Sunday, May 16, 2010

THE GREAT GLOBAL KISS-IN

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INTERNATIONAL AIDS CANDLELIGHT MEMORIAL




TODAY IS LIGHT A CANDLE DAY FOR ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN TOUCHED BY HIV/AIDS.

The virtual Candlelight Memorial serves as a reminder that HIV/AIDS touches every person in every part of the world.

To light your candle, click HERE >>>>

(There is no cost or obligation involved)

Friday, May 14, 2010

TONI BRAXTON PART II

Secrets is the second studio album by American R&B singer–songwriter Toni Braxton, released in the United States on June 18, 1996 by LaFace Records. After selling eight million albums domestically of her debut album, earning a bevy of awards—including Best New Artist at the 1994 Grammy Awards—, and having consecutive top ten singles on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, a lot was riding on this project. Nearly three years after her eponymous debut, Secrets was released on June 18, 1996. The album was nominated for Best Pop Album at the 1997 Grammy Awards and has sold eight million copies in the U.S.

The first single released, "You're Makin' Me High", became a smash success earning Braxton her first number-one single on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. Its B-side, "Let It Flow", was another radio airplay smash and was featured on the multi-platinum 1995 Waiting to Exhale soundtrack.

The second single, "Un-Break My Heart", became a monumental hit peaking at number one on the Hot 100 for eleven consecutive weeks, number one on the Hot Dance Club Play, and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, besides topping the singles charts in several other countries.

After the triumph of two consecutive number-one singles, Braxton offered her third single, "I Don't Want To", during the spring of 1997. The R. Kelly-written and -produced single made the top twenty of the Hot 100 and the top ten of the R&B chart. Its B-side, "I Love Me Some Him", was a major radio airplay hit domestically.

The fourth official single, "How Could an Angel Break My Heart", which features Kenny G on the saxophone, became another top forty hit in the United Kingdom while failing to dent the charts in the U.S., but propelled Secrets to eight-time platinum status.

The album was well-received both critically and commercially. Braxton also added more awards to her mantle, which included another two Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
 
"You're Makin' Me High" is the lead single from Toni Braxton's second studio album, Secrets (1996). A joint collaboration between the Grammy Award-winning producer Babyface and Bryce Wilson resulted in this mid-tempo song. The song was issued in the United States as a double A-side with "Let It Flow", the airplay hit from the 1995 motion picture Waiting to Exhale.

It became Braxton's first number-one single on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts; it remained atop for one week on the former and for two weeks on the latter, eventually going platinum by the RIAA. A dance remix by Morales allowed the single to also top the Hot Dance Club Play chart for two weeks in August 1996. Another remix for urban markets was created featuring rapper Foxy Brown.

The song earned Braxton her third Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1997. The success of "You're Makin' Me High" would later be continued with the release of "Un-Break My Heart". The song was sampled for Method Man & Redman's 2001 song "Part II", from the How High soundtrack.
"Un-Break My Heart" is a song by American R&B singer Toni Braxton from her second studio album, Secrets (1996). Written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster, the ballad was released as the album's second single. The song ranked at number ten on The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs[1] and number three on the Top Billboard Hot 100 R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

The song became Braxton's second consecutive number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It stayed at number one for eleven weeks in a row during late 1996 and early 1997, becoming Braxton's biggest hit to date. It also rose to number two on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Background vocals were performed by R&B singer Shanice Wilson. In the United Kingdom, the single was held off the number-one spot by the charity band Dunblane's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door"/"Throw These Guns Away", who were raising money in the light of the Dunblane massacre. After falling before peaking again at number two it was held off by the Spice Girls' "2 Become 1". In total "Un-Break My Heart" spent twelve weeks inside the UK top ten.

The music video was directed by Billie Woodruff[3] and featured Braxton mourning the death of her lover, played by model Tyson Beckford. Braxton won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1997. She also won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in the same year for the song "You're Makin' Me High". In a 2006 poll for Channel Five's program "Britain's Favourite Break-up Songs", "Un-Break My Heart" was voted twenty-seventh. The song also appeared as one of the official songs for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany on the Voices from the FIFA World Cup album.
"I Don't Want To" is a song by American R&B singer Toni Braxton, released as the third single from her second studio album, Secrets (1996). Written and produced by R. Kelly, this ballad describes the agony of a break-up. The single—released in the U.S. as a double A-side with the airplay smash hit "I Love Me Some Him"—shot to number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and number nine on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs during the summer of 1997. While not as successful as the two preceding singles, it became her third consecutive chart-topper on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play in July 1997, following "You're Makin' Me High" and "Un-Break My Heart".

The music video was shot during a hectic time in Braxton's career. After the commercial success from the preceding singles and co-headlining a tour with Kenny G., Braxton was exhausted. The time schedule for a video was roughly one day for director Billie Woodruff. A simple video featured Braxton wandering around in a white room wearing a white tanktop and blue jeans.

The original treatment for the video was a one-take version. Woodruff told MTV News that he shot multiple takes and at the end of the day, the best version would be picked. The video had Braxton walking around a house, trying on various wigs and scrubbing her feet in a bathtub. Oddly enough, this was the controversy when creating the video. This video remains unreleased but MTV aired a short "making of" during editions of MTV News.
 
"How Could an Angel Break My Heart" is the fourth and final single from Toni Braxton's second studio album, Secrets (1996). The song, co-written by Braxton and Babyface and produced by Babyface, features Kenny G on the saxophone. At the time of this single's release, Secrets had reached eight-time platinum status by the RIAA.

The fact that the single did not manage to chart on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts was a surprise for fans and observers. However, it was potentially influenced by the fact that two of the three singles released from Secrets prior to "How Could an Angel Break My Heart" were double A-sided and their flipsides had also turned into essentially huge airplay hits. This means that at the time this single was released, Braxton had already dominated the charts with five songs from the same album, therefore radio programmers put very little emphasis on the sixth.

The music video, directed by Iain Softley, followed the lyrical content of the relationship between Braxton and her lover. He has left her for a Caucasian woman and she is left to pick up the pieces.

The remix version of the song has the storyline laid out a little differently, with Babyface singing back to her and duetting with her from the second verse. Babyface's vocals replace Kenny G's saxophone parts.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

10 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER SAY TO A LESBIAN

(I DEDICATE THIS POST TO MY BARBER!)
Lesbians are great for hanging out with, talking to about sports and beating you in arm wresting. Unfortunately, the porn industry has also done a pretty good job of convincing you lesbians also want to have sex with you.

Luckily, this real, flesh-and-blood lesbian to set you straight (heh). Without further ado, here are a few lines that are almost certain to get you ousted from lesbian ladies night at your local pool hall.  

10. "You just haven't met the right guy yet." No, but I certainly seem to be talking to the wrong one right now. Maybe you haven't met the right guy.

9. "Wanna have a threesome?" No, but I'll take your girl home and teach her a thing or two about what she's been missing.

8. "Lesbians can't have sex." Oh yeah? You just keep telling yourself that, if it makes you feel better

7. "So who's the man in your relationship?" Maybe you didn't notice but there is no man in this relationship because we're both girls. That's sorta the point of being gay.

6. "You don't look gay." What is that supposed to mean? Just because I'm not wearing a bandanna and baggy jeans and riding in a pickup truck doesn't mean I'm going to sleep with you. Go away.

5. "How do you know you're gay? Are you sure?" If you want me to answer this honestly, you'd better sit down because it's going to take a while. See, I have to tell you about the painful realization that started when I was 14, and the agonizing coming-out process. But I probably don't want to share this with a complete stranger, so it's likely I'll just tell you that, if I had any doubts before I met you, they're gone now.

4. "I think they should just give gay people civil unions." Gee, thanks so much for your support! Separate But Equal is always the way to go, right?

3. "But you've been with a man, right?" Yes, take a deep breath. I know what I'm "missing," and I gotta tell you, fellas, it's not much. Also, don't take the fact that I've been with a dude as an invitation to question my sexuality.

2. "Dyke."
Don't use this word. Somehow it has snuck into everyday vernacular, but it's derogatory and offensive. File it under "homophobic" and shut up.

1. "Can I watch?"
No.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

CHANGE IN GENDER...

IF I WERE TO GET A SEX CHANGE OPERATION & CONTINUE MY RELATIONSHIP WITH NOEL, WOULD WE STILL BE A HOMOSEXUAL COUPLE?

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

REMEMBERING LENA HORNE

Legendary singer, dancer, actress and civil rights activist Lena Horne, 92, died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Sunday night, a hospital spokeswoman said.

No other details of her death were made public.

Horne was the first African-Americans to sign a long-term movie contract with a major Hollywood studio when she joined MGM in 1942.

Horne's expressive and silky voice made her a singing star, known best for her hit "Stormy Weather," after Hollywood failed to give her roles that might have made her a big screen starlet.

Horne complained she was used as "window dressing" in white films, mostly limited to singing performances that could be easily edited out for play in southern theaters.

The light-complexioned Horne refused to go along with studio plans to promote her as a Latin American.
She later said she did not want to be "an imitation of a white woman."

Horne, whose parents divorced when she was 3, lived a nomadic childhood traveling with her actress mother. She spent much of her time growing up in Brooklyn, New York, where she was born in 1917.

Horne was 16 when she began her show business career as a dancer at Harlem's Cotton Club. She later became a singer there, playing to packed houses of white patrons, with band leaders Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington.

She began taking singing lessons in 1935, and eventually landed a part in the all-black Broadway production "Dance With Your Gods."

Her work as a feature singer with touring bands and in nightclubs increased. She became the first African-American singer to tour with a white group in 1940, according to her official biography.

Her first film role came in 1938 in "The Duke is Tops," but her next movie didn't come along for another four years.
She was given a screen test by MGM and signed to a seven-year movie contract after a studio scout saw her performing in a New York club.

Her stepfather, Miguel Rodriguez, negotiated with MGM head Louis B. Mayer for her to never be cast as a maid or "Tarzan extra."

"I think the black boy that cleaned the shoes and me were the only two black people except the maids who were there working for the stars," Horne said in a CNN interview. "And it was very lonely and I wasn't very happy."

Still, Horne said she was grateful that her World War II era films -- including black musicals "Cabin in the Sky" and "Stormy Weather" -- were seen by black and white soldiers.

"But after I realized I would only go so far, I went on the stage," Horne said.

With only subservient roles available for a black actress in Hollywood in the 1940s, Horne turned to recording top-selling songs.

Horne said performing for live audiences was what she loved most.

"I'm always happy when I'm surrounded by people to react and feel and touch," she said.

While traveling with a USO tour during the World War II, she walked out on a show because German war prisoners were seated in front seats, ahead of African-American troops. After the USO withdrew her from the tour, she used her own money to travel to sing for the troops.

She has a son and daughter from a first marriage that ended in 1944.

Horne married again in 1947 to Lennie Hayton, who was then MGM's music director. She kept the marriage secret for several years, since Hayton was white. When it was made public, the couple received hate mail and threats of violence, according to her biography.

Radio, television, film and nightclub jobs were harder for Horne to find in the McCarthy era of the 1950s when she was blacklisted. That ended in 1956 when RCA gave Horne a new recording contract and she earned a guest spot in the movie "Meet Me in Las Vegas."

Horne returned to Broadway in 1957 for her first starring role there. "Jamaica" ran for 555 shows.

She became active in the civil rights movement after she was involved in a public altercation following a racial slur in a Beverly Hills, California, restaurant in 1960.

She was an active supporter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights movement. Horne was there when King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech on the Lincoln Memorial steps in 1963.

Variety television shows welcomed Horne as a musical performer, especially in the 1960s. She appeared on numerous episodes with Perry Como, Dean Martin and Flip Wilson.

She returned to film for a final role in 1978 as Glinda the Good Witch, opposite Michael Jackson and Diana Ross, in "The Wiz," an adaptation of "The Wizard of Oz."

She got a special Tony Award for her 1981 one-woman Broadway hit "Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music." She also won two Grammys for the recording of the show.

Horne was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1989, and she also won a Grammy in 1995 for best jazz vocal performance for her album "An Evening With Lena Horne."

In her later years, Horne said she found peace.

"The best time in my life I guess is now because I'm quiet and I'm logical and I accept without flying off the handle -- sometimes I do," Horne said with a laugh.

TODAY IS SUMMER LEISURE DAY!