"This Time"

I never thought I'd post a 15 minute video on my blog and actually expect people to watch it. Better yet, I never thought I'd be this moved by a YouTube clip. So I'm posting it and you'd be a fool not to watch. Below you'll see director Matthew Cherry's latest work of art, a short film that was written by actress Reagan Gomez-Preston. "This Time" stars Reagan Gomez, Michael Moss and Terri J. Vaughn. It's a moving film and a love story that pays tribute to the men and women who have given their lives to protect our country. It's sad so if you're anything like me, have tissue handy near the end. I hope you enjoy and feel free to comment below.



To find out more about Matthew A. Cherry, click here.

Download Jojo's Mixtape

I've been waiting patiently for some new music from one of my favorite singers. I'm a huge Jojo fan so it's only right for me to share info about her new mixtape, Can't Take That Away From Me. I'll be honest and say that quite a few of the tracks will have to grown on me. I've decided to share "Just A Dream" since it ties for my favorite so far. The other song that I'm in love with is "Boy Without a Heart" because it showcases her vocals brilliantly. If you'd like to get your free download of the entire mixtape, click here.

I AM NOT GAY!

Hello there. I just wanted to go ahead and thank those of you that take the time out to read my posts and have subscribed to this blog. I appreciate it more than you know. An old friend from high school happened to find me because of the site so I'm extremely excited about that as well. Oh and do you see my new headshot that was taken by Stella Simona? I love it. Now let me get to the topic at hand. I am a very opinionated person. If I feel some type of way about an issue, I will give my opinion as long as I am not being rude about it. I rarely feel the need to "go off" on people, but this Saturday I was tempted to do so. After helping a non-business man with his event, I happened to meet a very obnoxious short guy that I have had previous conversation with via a BlackBerry Messenger group. I repeat, BlackBerry Messenger. This means that I had never once heard this man's voice yet I already felt a sense of disdain for him because his participation in those group conversations was nothing more than ignorance. Anyway the conversation was simple at first but somehow escalated to him putting his hands in my face and physically touching my hand. Ummmmm. Excuse me?

I don't like when people do either of those things especially when the person is a male. The non-business man decided that he should jump in and help the situation by questioning why we were arguing. I simply let him know that the other guy's hands had no business on me or in my face. He then decides to call me sensitive, uptight, and too reserved among other words that led those surrounding us to think that I was a prude. This immediately reminded me of earlier that evening when the non-business man got behind me and danced. I not only asked him to move, but I had a disgusted look on my face. Call me crazy, but I am uninterested in dancing with people that I'm not attracted to. Nor do I like people dancing behind me in a sexual manner. It's just not my cup of tea. Wait, I just got sidetracked, allow me to get back to the story. After the non-business man told everyone that I was too reserved, he made a bold statement. "I don't even think Alex likes men." He didn't get the response that he was looking for so he decided to repeat himself numerous times. Needless to say, I was utterly annoyed by both of these fools.

Seriously, just because a woman doesn't like a guy does that give him the right to question her sexuality? I didn't decide to write this post based off this one event. I have been called gay or had my sexuality questioned on numerous occasions. I can truthfully say that I am reserved and what some may call a prude, but I have never once been attracted to a woman. There is nothing wrong with being homosexual, don't get me wrong. But I am sick and tired of lame men trying to validate themselves by speaking negatively about others. Dear non-business man, a female is not gay simply because she is not interested in you and your antics. Get it together!

What are your thoughts? Has something like this ever happened to you?

Thanks for reading,

Alexandria B.

What T.I. and Tiny's arrest says about Black people...

Last night, rapper T.I. and his wife Tameka "Tiny" Cottle were arrested in Hollywood for possession of a controlled substance. The newlyweds were released soon after on$10,000 bail. Yes, this man is a star AND executive producer of the number one movie in the country. Yes, this man got out of jail less than a year ago. And yes, this man is currently on probation. No one knew exactly what controlled substance was found in the vehicle, but TMZ just reported that it was a small amount of ecstasy after previously speculating that they were sipping codeine. Whatever they had, it's a shame that they possessed any kind of drugs when T.I. has had numerous run-ins with the law. Watching this story unfold has shown me three things about Black people:

1. HOOD PEOPLE DO HOOD THINGS - As the saying goes, "You can take the boy out the hood, but you can't take the hood out the boy." I couldn't agree more. Let's just assume that the ecstasy belonged to someone other than T.I. for there were more than two people in the car. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt. But the cops also smelled weed when they were pulled over. Let's say T.I. was not smoking. Why would one allow a scene like this to play out knowing you are on probation? I would never let anyone smoke in my car. Besides, T.I. obviously possessed something if he was taken into custody. I hope that it was not enough to land him back in jail. So back to my point, T.I. has a past that shows why he would allow such shenanigans. Early album titles such as "Trap Muzik" indicate that he is no stranger to drugs. No matter how much money or success a person from "the hood" gets, he or she may still do hood-like things.

2. WE CARE MORE ABOUT CELEBRITY GOSSIP THAN IMPORTANT CURRENT EVENTS - Many popular blogs that are geared toward minorities posted information about recent events such as Barack Obama ending the war in Iraq and the recent shooting at the Discovery Channel's headquarters, but these stories received fewer comments than gossip filled ones. This morning alone there were over one hundred comments on the T.I./Tiny arrest story at NecoleBitchie.com.

3. WE'RE NOSEY, WE MAKE IGNORANT JOKES ABOUT OTHERS AND FEED OFF NEGATIVITY- While some people on blog comments glorified Tiny being a "ride-or-die chick" others joked that T.I. needs to use drugs to deal with her appearance. So many people co-signed on the latter and made other ignorant and rude jokes. There were also individuals that expressed concern for the couple's children. Granted, they are not setting good examples for them but when did it become our responsibility to place judgement on others? Why are we so concerned with their lives anyway? I've also seen numerous tweets and facebook statuses about their arrest. If the general public minded their own business I wonder how different things would be. Hmmmm.

This post is just to show that I think that Black people, people in general actually, need to reevaluate what's important. Is it T.I's legal issues, Tiny's appearance, or political happenings that may actually affect you? Regardless of whether or not he goes back to jail, he'll still have more money than most people who are so determined to make jokes or give their opinions about his situation. What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading,

Alexandria B.