Congratulations to Dee the Shear Genius Season Two Winner!

Tonight’s episode was the season finale for Shear Genius. The winner whose work was Shear Genius would receive a $100,000 dollar prize, an apprenticeship with Nexus and the opportunity to style the hair on one of Allure’s photo shoot.

The three remaining hairstylists were Nicole the newbie, Dee the cutter and Charlie the updo man.

All three contestants had the opportunity to sit down with Linda Wells Editor-in-Chief of Allure magazine and get some expert advice.

Tonight’s Shear Genius final challenge was to tell a story of a woman’s life through her hair. The ages of the woman would be 18, 30, 45, and 60. The hairstylists needed to cut color and style each woman’s hair within three hours keeping in mind that they were telling a story in the process.

The winning hairstylist was Dee who I was very much happy for. Her 18 year old cut was funky and hot. And she made the 60 year old woman look younger and sexy. She really “rocked out” this challenge and that’s why she’s bringing home the grand prize.

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Thoughts Inspired by the Movie Sex and the City

“Being True to Yourself”

I have been a true fan of Sex and the City from the very beginning. I was watching Sex and the City when no one even knew it was cool.

The one thing that I loved about Sex and the City is that it definitely had “water cooler” topics. Issues between men and women always make for colorful conversation.

A few things have been on my mind since the opening weekend of Sex and the City the movie. And one of those things involved Samantha’s character played by Kim Cattrall.

Even though we loved that Samantha ended up with Jared in the series finale her giving monogamy and love a chance. I always knew it wasn’t for her. Don’t get me wrong I cried when Jared was still there after she slept with her ex Richard. Stood by her side through the diagnosis of cancer, treatments, and shaved his head to show support.

It was all very fairytale -ish and unrealistic. Samantha enjoyed being single, adored men and loved sex even more. I just didn’t buy it.

I know the feeling all too well of losing yourself inside of a relationship. And that is exactly what Samantha did.

Her life was consumed by Jared. She worked for him, worked with him, protected him and fought for him and changed for him.

Suddenly, you no longer saw Samantha.

I applaud Samantha for remaining monogamous in her relationship. Even though as we seen in the film that it was unquestionably difficult at times.

So my question is if you have to frequently struggle to be something you’re not should you do it?

That’s when I started thinking about being true to you. I would respect someone more it they said they could not be monogamous and left the ball in your court. Than a person who swore they could only to slip up every now and again.

So be true to who you really are. Don’t bring people into relationships without knowing who you are. Because all you end up doing is causing casualties along the way.

I was relieved when Samantha ended her relationship with Jared. It’s easy to be complacent in a relationship that you know isn’t working. However, it’s extremely brave to know what you have to do and follow through.

Sex and the City brought up some other thought provoking topics worth discussing. Look for them in future articles.

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Rapper Da Brat Was Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Shawntae Harris aka Da Brat was sentenced to 3 years in prison, probation and community service Friday, August 22, 2008. She plead guilty to felony aggravated assault.

In October of 2007 Da Brat was arrested after an altercation with a waitress at a night club owned by producer Jermaine Dupri.

It was reported that Da Brat and this waitress got into an argument that evening. After that a shoving match began which escalated into Da Brat taking a bottle and smashing it in the waitress’s face.

What is going on? Earlier this year Rapper Remy Ma was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Celebrities are not immune to being victims of crimes or being the perpetrators of crimes. But to work hard to reach any level of success it’s inconceivable that they would throw it all away behind foolishness.

I remember when “doing time” was a bad thing. No one wanted to do a “bid” even if all they were doing was hanging out on the corner.

I don’t want to go to jail or prison. It’s the same thing to me they both mean being “locked up.”

First of all they would need at least ten bailiffs to remove me from the courtroom. They might even have to pepper spray and tase me as I struggled to get away. And then when they finally got me out of the courtroom they would have to beat my white knuckles with batons as I held onto doorways, furniture or anything I could get my hands on.

There would be no dignity for me.

This is not the first time Da Brat had a run in with the law. If she’s given second and third chances what will it take for her to learn?

Evidently three years in prison.

I hope that this lesson doesn’t break her; hopefully she learns from it and comes out a stronger and wiser person.

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Project Runway Drag Queen Challenge with Guest Judge Rupaul

This week’s episode was introduced by Project Runway Season 4 designer Chris March; dressed as a Viking Drag Queen.

Tonight’s challenge was to create a look for a Drag Queen. Tim Gunn encouraged the designers to be theatrical and over the top.

Meanwhile, Blayne was driving everyone crazy with his licious-ness. Man-licious, girl-licious finally it was like would you shut the licious up.

As the challenge progressed you see the designers working closely with their Drag Queen partners. Designer Suede was paired up with Drag Queen Heada Lettuce. Suede had made Heada Lettuce a pair of gloves to go with her outfit.

And clearly you could tell that Heada Lettuce was not impressed when she asked, “Did you make gloves because you were too lazy to make sleeves?”

Pow, right in the kisser, that surely knocked some of the wind out of Suede. But later on in the Project Runway sewing room Suede called her “a soggy piece of lettuce.”

Some of my favorite quotes this week come from the lovely Tim Gunn when he was giving constructive criticism to Blayne. He said his design “looked like a pterodactyl out of a gay Jurassic Park.”

The other one came from Michael Kors when he said that Keith’s design looked like a “sad chicken, a malting gray chicken.”

Let me tell you who I think are the ones to watch. That would be Terri. She is consistent, creative and fierce. Even though she hasn’t won a challenge yet she’s always in the top three.

The winner this week was Heterosexual Joe. You have noticed that he always mentions that in case we the viewers get confused.

And they had to say Auf wiedersehen to Daniel and it was way overdue.

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Is it a Garage or Garbage Sale?

I’ve never been too familiar with garage sales. Nor have they interested me. Not until one day when my co-worker walked in with a slightly used radio with a cassette deck, CD player and a mini TV to boot. And to top it all off the owner left a Luther Vandross CD in it. All of this for the bargain basement price of $10 dollars.

My co-worker continued to boast about all of the finds she’d made over the years. She felt she hit the mother load.

My mouth began to salivate with all the possibilities of treasures to be had. With much anticipation I tossed and turned in my bed all week, waiting for the golden garage day, Saturday morning.

With my cup of hot chocolate in hand I began to strategize. My strategy was to only hit garage sales in the best neighborhoods in Charlotte. I scoured neighborhoods such as Ballantyne, South Park, Piper Glen and the prime parts of Providence Road.

But to my dismay I found out the hard way that all that glitters ain’t gold. I was horrified at what some of these garage sellers were selling. There were broken lamps, scuffed up shoes, torn clothing, one legged dolls, one eyed stuffed animals and the list goes on.

The best find I ever came across at a garage sale was a love seat and chair in excellent condition. It was a beautiful color and had plump sturdy pillow cushions. I bought if for my sunroom.

On one occasion I went to a garage sale of a Charlotte Bobcat player. I purchased a vacuum cleaner for $10 dollars for my cleaning business. When I returned home and tried it out it emitted an order similar to the smell of feet that we couldn’t get rid of.

Another garage sale I attended the family invited us into their home to take a look around. As soon as we entered the stench slapped us in the face turning us all the way around. There were clothes everywhere, boxes of things that I didn’t care to look into. And cats on top of everything, need I say more?

As we continued to explore additional garage sales we started a system. We would drive by the garage sale as slowly as we could. If we couldn’t see anything from the street then one of us had to get out of the car and quickly assess the situation.

That’s when we came up with the phrase “garbage sale.” You would cough and quickly mutter under your breath “garbage sale.” Once you heard the phrase “garbage sale,” you turned around, got back in the car and sped off.

In my quest, I learned that one mans’ garbage is another man’s treasure. And some men’s garbage just needs to be thrown away.

Project Runway’s Lipstick Jungle Challenge featuring Brooke Shields

Project Runway opened this week briefly recapping last week’s Olympic challenge with winner Korto.

This week’s challenge was to design an outfit that can go from day to night for a high powered business woman. The winning design would be worn by Brooke Shields’ character Wendy on Season two of Lipstick Jungle.

The designers were given time to sketch some ideas for Brooke Shields character and present them to her. The Designers chosen for the Lipstick Jungle challenge were: Korto, Kelli, Jerrell, Keith and Blayne.

The designers needed to be paired up into teams. Each of the designers chosen by Brooke Shields had to pick a fellow designer to work with.

Here’s where the fun begins. Teamwork doesn’t mean teamwork on Project Runway. It’s the time when the “designer claws” come out. Project Runway is notorious for their challenges featuring teams. Friend or no friend if you mess with the wrong designer they will take you down. Everyone vows that they are not going home for some else’s mistake.

And over in the corner there is Stella hammering away on her leather.

In her video conference Korto stresses that she has immunity this week and will definitely throw Joe under the bus if she has to. My thoughts are, ‘why throw anyone under the bus?’ If they can’t send you home keep your mouth closed.

While the designers were working on their designs Terri had a quote that’s stuck in my head. In her quote she’s referring to her partner Suede.

“I don’t know if he has balls or a V-jay jay. I ain’t got no babies and ain’t nobody sucking on my tits. So man up.”

I would love to be a fly on the wall wherever Suede is watching tonight’s episode. That surely will make for some interesting conversation on Project Runway’s Reunion show.

On the runway this week some of the comments by the judges were a bit harsh. Kelli’s design was called, “slutty, slutty, slutty by Michael Cors. Brooke Shields thought it looked cheap. And Nina Garcia wondered if Kelli had any taste.

Simon Cowell has definitely brought judging to a whole new level. No one is holding their tongues anymore. But do they have to be cruel?

Mark my words if the judges continue down this road with any luck one of the designers is going to blow up this season.

This week’s winner of the Lipstick Jungle challenge was Keith.

And we had to say auf wiedersehen to Kelli and her cheap, tasteless slutty design.

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Opponents Unite In Beijing Olympics Sharpshooting Contest

In the sharpshooting Olympic contest Russia’s Natalia Paderna won the silver medal and Georgia’s Nino Salukvadze won the bronze medal.

These two competitors hugged and kissed on the platform as the world looked on. The significance of this embrace is that their two countries were on the brink of war since the Beijing Summer Olympics began last week.

For full story coverage please click here.

The two Olympic medalist winners will meet again in another event later this week.

The Dream Team Defeats China in Basketball 101-70

Beijing China – The Olympic Basketball opener was definitely one to watch. In attendance was President George Bush. There has been much anticipation about Olympic Basketball this year.

The Dream team vowed to reclaim the Olympic gold medal this summer in Beijing.

Kobe Bryant had a total of five dunks; driving the crowd wild including the Chinese.

Dwayne Wade scored nineteen points at the same time as Lebron James scored eighteen.

What we witnessed here was teamwork, showmanship and Olympic spirit. For more coverage of

The Dream Teams stunning victory click here.

To watch video of the game click here.

King of Comedy Bernie Mac Dies at Age 50

One of our beloved comedians Bernie Mac born Bernard Jeffrey McCullogh died Saturday, August 9, 2008 in a Chicago area hospital.

Mac suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. According to Bernie Mac’s publicists he died from complications due to pneumonia.

Bernie Mac was one of the Original Kings of Comedy. His fellow Kings were Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D.L. Hughley. He toured the country in this blockbuster hit show selling out concerts everywhere. The film was directed by filmmaker Spike Lee and filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Even though Bernie Mac had been working in comedy for several years, it was his exposure on Russell Simmons Def Comedy Jam that opened a variety of doors.

Bernie Mac appeared on television sitcoms such as Moesha before landing his very own show. The Bernie Mac show premiered in 2001 on the Fox television network. It’s series ending in 2006.

He starred in films such as The Players Club, Mr. 3000, and Guess Who with Ashton Kutcher. Bernie Mac is probably better known for his role in Oceans’ 11, 12 and 13.

One of my favorite roles he’s ever played; was the role of the janitor in the movie Pride alongside terrific actor Terrence Howard.

I had the pleasure of reading Bernie Mac’s autobiography titled, “Maybe You Never Cry Again.” It is one of the most inspirational books you’ll ever read.

It’s filled with struggle, determination, and triumph. It would probably shock most people at how long and hard Bernie Mac had to work to get to where he wanted to be.

The obstacles he had to overcome losing his mother at the early age of 16. Being knocked down and getting back up all the while remaining a loyal and devoted husband and father.

Some on of my favorite quotes by Bernie Mac were:

“Bust your head till the white meat show.”
“I ain’t scared of you mother@%!*s.”
“I swear for Lord.”

Bernie Mac will be deeply missed by the entertainment community as well as fans alike. But no one will miss him more than his family whom he loved so much.

He is survived by his wife Rhonda McCullogh, daughter Je’Neice and granddaughter Jasmine.

Condolences nationwide go out to the Mac family. May he rest in peace.

Team USA's Soundtrack for the Olympics

AT&T is the proud sponsor of Team USA’s Soundtrack. Downloads of this soundtrack supports Team USA’s athletes. Check out the complete soundtrack along with videos, interviews etc here.

John Edwards Comes Clean He Admits to Affair

Today Friday August 8, 2008 John Edwards came clean about his affair with Rielle Hunter a producer of one of his videos for his political campaign.

If Elizabeth Edwards has forgiven him and moved on then what business is it of ours?

It’s always going to be the business of the republicans because any ammunition they can get against the opposing candidates is always useful.

But what about the democrats the ones that believed in him and supported him? The ones who watched as he publicly denied the affair and pretended such a thought was preposterous.

The fact that John Edwards initially denied having an affair Ms. Rielle Hunter is what makes it look so terrible Now he just comes across as dishonest, but also human. But how many people would publicly admit to having an affair when asked unsuspectingly when they are not prepared to talk about the subject?

Knowing how the media can be of course they wouldn’t want to go through this publicly. The stories have already gotten out to hand. Infidelity is a private matter it’s not something that needs to be weighed in on by the world.

John Edwards cheated on Elizabeth Edwards; not the American people. They have made a choice to fight for their marriage and that must be respected. Forgiveness would have to come from Elizabeth Edwards and apparently it has.

Shear Genius’ Dog Cut Challenge – August 6, 2008

Shear Genius started out tonight with a gentle reminder of how Jaclyn Smith was disappointed with last week’s Charlie’s Angels challenge. No cut hung on the Allure wall of fame. And hopefully it shamed the hairstylist to get their act together.

This week’s quick cut challenge was to create a futuristic style using ingredients that can be found in the average kitchen.

Some ingredients used were: salt, flour, honey, molasses, peanut butter, beets and squid.

Paulo was the winner of this week’s quick cut challenge. And he was positively pleased.

The loser of the quick cut challenge was Nicole. She absolutely didn’t know what she was doing. She had no foundation for her hairstyle; which was essential to this particular challenge. And also key to being a good hairstylist. She tried placing squid in her clients’ hair which didn’t make any sense at all. It just showed how lost she was in this challenge. Plus, Nicole has a little mouth on her it’s going to get her in trouble before this season is over.

Nekisa is such a BS artist. Her styles in her mind always come out exactly how she wanted them to. But all the rest of us see is how she’s missed the mark once again. Nekisa there’s a reason you’re always in the bottom.

Can anyone tell me, “Why is Charlie so hateful?” He’s playing the part of the angry gay.

This week’s Elimination Challenge was to cut and groom your dog. In addition to that they had to cut and style the dog’s owners hair giving them a look inspired by the dog.

It was clearly evident that none of the stylists knew how to cut and groom a dog. But I loved how Daniel added a hair piece and barrette to his dog. It made her hair pop!

Nekisa was put on the spot in front of her client when Rene asked if she liked the style she was given.

On the runway Nekisa once again was the queen of excuses. Did anyone catch how irritated Jaclyn was to hear yet another one?

Charlie admitted that he wasn’t into this week’s challenge and I think that without doubt rubbed the judges the wrong way.

That was a wrong move Charlie.

Tonight’s winner was Dee; her work was Sheer genius and I totally agree.

Nekisa gave her Final Cut tonight and deservedly so. True to form Nekisa blamed waffles the dog for getting her kicked off the show.

Good Bye Nekisa!

Down Home with the Neely’s “Get Yo man chicken”

My sisters and I started a cooking club; it’s one of the worst organized clubs I’ve ever belonged to. We don’t meet regularly and we often bail out at the last minute. But it’s our cooking club nonetheless.

The concept behind the club is to prepare meals we have never made or tasted before. We can get recipes from magazines, cookbooks, friends or even television.

So one of my sisters had watched an episode of Down Home with the Neely’s. And one of the dishes featured was, “Get Yo man chicken.”

My sister explained to us how the Neely’s raved about this dish. With all the moaning and groaning they did she thought this was a dish we should definitely try.

Now with this particular sister she does a little research first. She logged onto the Food Network website and began her search.

She likes to peruse the recipe and read the reviews given by other viewers that have prepared the meal themselves.

The reviews were stellar so “Get your man chicken” was going to be featured at our next meal.

We decided to meet on a Saturday evening to sample this savoir faire.

I’m sorry to say to The Neely’s “Get Yo man chicken” was a total miss.

Listen in on a few responses from that evening:

“Are you sure you followed the recipe?”
“Yes.”

“Did you leave out any ingredients?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes I’m sure.”

“So how do you like it?”
“It’s um edible?”

“Now, what man are you supposed to get with this chicken?”
“I think this is, “Man get away from me chicken.”

And it went on and on but we laughed and had a wonderful time.

We watched a movie, drank and talked till we couldn’t talk anymore.

Needless to say, thumbs way down to the Neely’s “Get Yo man chicken.”

I have watched their show and thought that their food would be quite tasty.

I definitely give a thumbs way up to spending quality time with my sisters.

Until Next Time Bon Apétit!

Bar – B- Q King as featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives

Bar-B-Q King was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives one of my favorite shows on the food network. It’s hosted by Guy Fieri.

Bar-B-Q King is located right here in the Queen City Charlotte, North Carolina.

I’ve drove by The Bar-B-Q king several times while driving around the city of Charlotte. At times I wondered if it was still a working establishment. Being a big city girl I wasn’t too familiar with the drive in concept. I was curious as to how they worked but was too scared to ever try one.

While watching Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives I see Guy Fieri on my television screen raving about this Drive-In located right in here in Charlotte, North Carolina.

If you’ve had the pleasure of watching Guy’s show I know there are a multitude of places that he has visited that you just want to try for yourself.

Unfortunately, not all of them are located right in your own backyard. So when Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives featured the Bar-B-Q King I knew it was a place that I had to try out for myself.

I’ve never seen a food establishment that Guy didn’t like. Definitely wanting to see what the hype was all about I ventured out on my own.

So Guy Fieri put your money where your mouth is.

The first thing I wanted to do was try what they are famous for and that’s the Bar-B-Q. So I ordered a Bar-B-Q plate and a quarter Bar-B-Q chicken dinner. And yes I did have family members there to help me out.

I have to admit the Bar-B-Q chicken was different from any version of Bar-B-Q chicken that I have ever tasted. This particular Bar-B-Q chicken is deep fried first then dipped in their secret Bar-B-Q sauce that the owners use for their Bar-B-Q. It might sound strange but it works.

I do need to let you know that I am a huge fan of Bar-B-Q. And I have tasted some of the best Bar-B-Q that is out there.

Now this Bar-B-Q isn’t the best out there but it’s definitely one of the better ones here in Charlotte, NC.

If you’re expecting five star services—get over yourself. You’re only expected to get your eat on and drive away.

I have three categories in which I put a dining experience in.

1. Recommended – Meaning I would eat there again and recommend it to others.
2. Toss up – Means you have to decide for yourself by visiting the establishment.
3. Drive By – Means keep on driving pass the restaurant.

So how do I rate Bar-B-Q King? I would have to say: Recommended.

Until next time Bon appétit!