For those of you who have not gotten enough of Marck Angel and Bry'NT I have great news they are at it again! Marck Angel has recently released his new song "Deep" which will be featured in the new film "Finding Me Truth" and it has already started a great buzz around the film. I give the music video 2 thumbs up and it is giving me some old school Jackson flava!
I am so proud of all the work our community is doing and Marck is on the Dwight Allen O'Neal list of top GayLebrities to follow!!! Go DEEP MARCK ANGEL... Deeper, Deeper, Deeper LOL
It’s now time to experience The Shirelles in BABY IT’S YOU!
BABY IT’S YOU! is the original Broadway musical inspired by the true story of Florence Greenberg, a suburban housewife from New Jersey, who discovered one of the greatest girl groups of all time, The Shirelles, and created Scepter Records, becoming the music industry’s first female powerhouse.
Most may view Nicki Minaj as just another rapper/singer/performer; but the multi-faceted entertainer is much more than that, she’s a bankable brand that’s only just begun to blossom. In a few short years, Nicki has influenced trends through her music and unmistakable fashion sense, and her involvement in cosmetics, television, hair and even the floral industry (Nicki has exclusive pink collection bouquets available on flowers.com for Valentine’s Day) has helped spike sales and visibility for a number of ancillary brands. Whether her detractors like it or not, Ms. Minaj is a one-woman marketing guru. BlackEnterprise.com takes a look at some of the brands the young starlet has—directly or indirectly—helped bolster by association.
Glee is going on tour again. Leading up to a brief European jaunt at the end of June, 13 members of the show’s cast will play a 16-city tour of the United States.
All of the New Directions choir will participate in the tour, meaning Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, Dianna Agron, Heather Morris and Kevin McHale will be in the house. Darren Criss will also join the tour, though Jane Lynch, Matthew Morrison and Ashley Fink will not. ‘Glee Live! In Concert’ kicks off in Las Vegas on May 21.
Here is a full list of the dates:
May 21: Las Vegas, NV, Mandalay Bay Event Center May 22: Sacramento, CA, Arco Arena May 24: San Jose, CA, HP Pavilion May 27: Anaheim, CA, Honda Center May 28: Los Angeles, CA, Staples Center May 29: San Diego, CA, Valley View Casino Center June 1: Minneapolis, MN, Target Center June 2: Indianapolis, IN, Conseco Fieldhouse June 3: Chicago, IL, Allstate Arena June 6: Boston, MA, TD Garden June 8: Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center June 11: Toronto, Canada, Air Canada Centre June 13: Detroit, MI, Palace of Auburn Hills June 14: Cleveland, OH, Quicken Loans Arena June 16: East Rutherford, NJ, Izod Center June 18: Uniondale, NY, Nassau Colliseum
Marsha sends a strong message about sexuality, suicide and bullying in her new video “Far Away.”
The video begins with Marsha beautifully sitting atop a piano, playing a particular note in red stilettos. Then Miss Ambrosius and who appears to be her boyfriend are walking through the park. He then comes to her house, and they share a glass of wine. Then, his boyfriend arrives! Blew my mind too!
Days later, the two gentlemen took a stroll through the park, hand in hand, and pass a group of “thugs.” Days pass, and the guy we assumed was Marsha’s boyfriend went through the park alone, and the thugs jumped him. Apparently, the bullying and rejection got to the guy, because he committed suicide by the end of the video.
Continue reading to view the message Marsha personally writes to the viewers and watch the powerful video!
Dear Friends,
Every year over 1 million people commit SUICIDE. Some were BULLIED because of their SEXUALITY. I lost a friend to SUICIDE, and I’m asking all of you to support alternative lifestyles.
Don’t put up with or join in with BULLYING. It’s time we became more aware in this WORLD. Take responsibility to make a difference. So if my MUSIC can save one life, I’ve done my job.
It's been a long time as I've been too intimidated. But today I'm nervously linking up again with the Red Dress Blog. My assignment: write a piece (fiction or non-fiction) inspired by a song. It can be any song of your choosing. If it is not clear from your story what the song is, throw us a bone and put a note at top or bottom of your post to let us know what you picked.
The song I chose is "Let Go" by Frou Frou. It's on the Garden State soundtrack, which is one of my favorite movies ever. How can you not love Natalie Portman my girl crush and Zach Braff (he starred in it but also directed it)? Garden State was released in September 2004, when The Father Load and I were in the thick of our infertility.
Flying down I-435 at 7 a.m., heading to Overland Park Regional Medical Center. Again. My red sharps box sits smugly next to me in the passenger's seat, half full of used needles. Evidence of my complete and utter failure as a woman. My body's unwillingness to cooperate. A symbol of the perpetual emptiness of my womb, the laziness of my ovaries. And super! It's the color of blood, the one thing any trying-desperately-to-conceive-woman dreads seeing. Well, aside from pregnant bellies, babies and birth announcements, that is.
"Let Go" is on repeat, blaring from the speakers in my navy blue VW Jetta. I'm trying to let go, to not worry that my ovaries aren't doing what they're supposed to be doing. I'm "too busy writing your (my) own tragedy." I have a full feeling, I'm bloated, I've been crying at every God damn commercial and if a pregnant belly even enters my peripheral vision, I lose my shit. Surely there's something going on inside me, but I'm too scared to let hope in. The possibility of parenthood has always hovered just out of our reach. Today is the first ultrasound after weeks and weeks of injectible fertility drugs. First Lupron and birth control pills to supress me and mimic menopause, then daily cocktails of Gonal F and Repronex to rev me up and put my ovaries into overdrive. Eggs galore being the ultimate goal. Delicately balanced, of course, with the desire for quality over quantity.
This is my second round of in vitro, hence the reason I'm trying to let go. Because aside from all the money that's been spent, I'm emotionally, physically, and mentally undone. I'm hollowed out, a fragile shell of a person. The idea of doing this song and dance again nauseates me. I want to be a mother, but at what price? There are plenty of other babies and young children already living in this world who need homes. Carrying a child in my womb isn't necessary in order to be a mother or for said child to know he/she is mine. Sure, that part would be nice, but I'm not gonna quibble over that.
The other night our friend Yasmeen and her husband came by to visit. They were in from out of town and Yasmeen and I had grown close when we were both struggling to get pregnant in the early days. Then after a few weeks of not hearing from her, I got the dreaded call. Yasmeen was pregnant. I was happy for her, sad for me. I'm always being left behind.
When I go upstairs to greet them, her belly takes me by surprise and I start sobbing uncontrollably. I let her hug me even though there's a part of me that wants nothing to do with her, that jealous, selfish part of me that's so ugly I want to smother it. But the other side wins out, the side of me that wants what she has--life growing inside of her. I ask if I can touch her tummy. "Of course," she says, smiling. I lightly lay my hands on her. Her belly is high and hard, so round. She is lucky. She is living my dream. Something thumps my right hand and I jump, and then start to cry harder, but can't help the smile spreading across my face, which is now dripping with snot. I turn away and curl into The Father Load's waiting arms, bury my face in his neck. Let go. Don't hope that the drugs are working. Just don't. LET GO.
I snap out of the memory and remind myself I never thought I'd get this far. Never even thought I could give myself multiple injections every day. The first time was the worst. Standing in the kitchen shaking and hyperventilating, leaning against the counter with one hand, my shirt pulled halfway up and tucked under my armpit. I'm embarrassed, though no one is there to watch me. It's just a needle. How do drug addicts do this all the time, I think to myself. Then:
"Jump in. Whatcha waiting for? It's all right."
I pinch a small slab of skin from my lower abdomen, jab the needle in, and push the plunger. Done. Crying with relief, I call my mom and tell her I've done it. My husband comes home prepared to administer the shot, and I smile with tearstained cheeks and tell him he doesn't need to worry about it. I'm beaming. And with each day, administering the shots becomes easier. I'm practically a pro.
There's beauty in the beakdown. After weeks of injections and a tender, bruised belly, it's time. They retrieve 14 good eggs, and we have two to transfer on the fifth day. Six days later I'm at home and feel a familiar wetness in my panties. A sob catches in my throat as I stop right there in the middle of my living room, yank my pants down and see the bright red blood.
no no no no no no no no no I grab the phone and with shaking fingers dial my husband. "I'm bleeding," I say when he answers. Silence. "I'm going to call and see if I can get in for a pregnancy test. I need to know this is over. I need closure. I need to move on. I can't do this anymore." The Father Load is holding back his own tears and his voice has gotten so low I can barely hear it. "Okay," he mumbles. "We're going to adopt," I say. "Whatever you want," he replies. I hang up. I call the nurse and after blubbering into the phone I finally make her understand what's going on. She puts me on hold. For what seems like a long time. Then she comes back on and tells me I can come in tomorrow morning, because today is really still too soon.
No sleep that night.
I stagger out of bed, zombie-like, and go through the motions of brushing my teeth, using the bathroom, putting in my contacts. Before I know it I'm at the office with a tourniquet on my arm. And it's like I don't even know how I got there. I don't remember having driven myself. But I did. Then magically I'm back at home, as if transported. I feel nothing. I sit on the couch in silence, starting at the green patches of our yard coming back. After two hours, the phone rings. I look at the Caller ID and it's the nurse. "Hello," I say. Praying for the last time that this is some hellish mistake.
It is.
I am pregnant. With terribly low levels of progesterone, hence the bleeding. But after everything, I.Am.Pregnant.
And now?
I have let go of the desire for more children. We are enough. The four of us. My twin girls, my very patient husband, and me.
Someday I will have to let the girls go. But not today.
This week, Whitney Houston turns 47!!!Boy time flys… Houston was born into a musical family on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey. Join us as we take a look back at Houston's life in pictures. Don't forget to wish her a very Happy Birthday in our Comments section below, she surely deserves it!
I will be attending Gay Pride down here in my hometown New Orleans. Honestly, it will be the first pride I ever attended. Just thinking about attending it is making me nervous. I want to start the weekend by giving ya'll some good advice. The LGBT community have been celebrating like crazy, I had thoughts about drinking pina colada Daiquiris. Then I remind myself I'm only 18 years old. Here is some advice I have given before, but I feel like it's the right time to talk about it again.
I am 18 years old, but work like a 25 year old. Most people are shocked at how my work ethic is. Not only that, but I am comfortable with who I am. If anyone asks me if I'm gay, I'm fine with that. I've got nothing to hide. You don't have to assume. Just ask me nicely.
Because of the fact that I am so young and becoming successful very swiftly, I feel like I have a responsibility for the younger audience in the LGBT community. Many people around my age are dealing with nonacceptance from family and friends. All this homophobia and criticism around them are starting to crush them like poison that can spread across the body in the blink of an eye.
For all the young ones out there, be comfortable with who you are. Only one person controls you're life and that's you. Take control and write your own story. Now that you're reaching adulthood, you are becoming 100% independent. At this time, focus on your life.
I love and accept who I am. No one forced me to be this. I have had feelings for guys since I was 2 years old. At times, I denied it. But as the years gone by, I realize this is who I am. When people see me doing what I've always wanted to do at 18 years of age, they imagine what I'll be like when I'm 25. Life is something. All we can do is accept it for what it is. A balance between positive and negative.
Surround yourself with people that are going to influence you to a better future. For me, it's great feeling to talk to people who i know is going to inspire me everyday. My friends Nathan "Seven" Scott and Dwight Allen O'Neal are one of the bests. I can speak and chat with them, knowing that I am not alone. I am not the only homosexual being on the planet. This is something that has been going on for years.
So for all the young ones that are still going through this, just know that we've been there. We've experienced it. We know what it feels like. Don't even think of yourself as an outside. Think of yourself as a human being just like everybody else.
It's time to celebrate people. Just like one of my favorite songs ever, it's time to celebrate yourself.
TF: Where are you from originally, and currently reside?
JB: I'm a military brat.. the "where are you from" is always a fun question.. but in my heart Kansas City is home, where the family is. Now I live in San Francisco, aka thebest city in the world!
TF: Describe your style of music?
JB: My style is definitely R&B, and I take both of those classifiers with substantial weight. I love rhythm. I love to dance and cannot listen to music without movement. I also love the blues. I love telling my stories and letting people see more of who I am as a person through my art.
TF: Where would you like to be as an artist?
JB: Now that the album is done and all of these amazing things are happening, what I want more than anything is the recognition of my peers. I hope Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Janet, Lady Gaga.. all of them will listen to and appreciate what I'm doing with sound and music.
TF: Tell us about the evolution of Evolove.
JB: I realized that love has evolved in so many ways from where it was as I was young. Society has begun to understand that we can love another human being, and gender is not the qualifier for that love. Most importantly, I saw my personal evolution in love. This album is really a biography of my relationships over the years. I can hear where the love began, where the love ended, and where I was ready to love again.
TF: Name one guilty pleasure.
JB: Besides boys? HAHA! You know what, I cannot get enough of Degrassi on The N (In no small part to Adamo Ruggiero).
TF: We know that you are an out-gay artist, any words of wisdom for other aspiring out-gay artists? JB: If any of you lacks wisdom, should ask for it. It will be given generously and ungrudgingly. I truly believe you have to stand for something or be victim to fall for anything. I stand for my truth and that paved the way. Thanks you guys! It's been a pleasure.
The FUTURE wishes JayBezz a tremendous amount of success and blessings as he continues to Evolve in his extraordinary work.
Moms (& Dads), if you have little ones who love to groove, this giveaway is for you!
Funky Mama is a local kids' entertainer. She loves to play her guitar, "Candy," and rock out to tunes that make kids jump up and down. My girls can't get enough of her and two of her cd's are in my car at all times lest someone have a breakdown. Please go hereand click on "video"to get a feel for her and see what the fuss is all about!
(isn't she adorable? She played for the girls' 4th birthday party and couldn't have been sweeter!)
Funky Mama has just released her newest cd, entitled "Sing," and has given me an extra copy to give away to one of my readers! It includes 14 incredible tracks (which you can hear clips of on her site if you go here):
1. Sing! 2. Don't Shake the Box 3. Bananas Foster 4. Big Brother 5. Farmers' Children 6. Meet Me in the Mountains 7. Playdate 8. Gimme Sugar 9. Get Up Jam 10. Hi-Yah 11. Squaretangle 12. Little Funky Mama 13. Every Happiness 14. Songbird
Tweet about this giveaway with a link to this post: 2 entries (be sure to send me a link to your tweet and include my username in it @erinlynn76): 2 entries --you may tweet twice daily
Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post (and email me a link to make sure I see it): 5 entries
Follow my blog: 1 entry
Follow me on Twitter (@erinlynn76): 1 entry
Tell me why you deserve to win this giveaway: 1 entry
The winner will be chosen on Sunday, February 21, 2010 at 7:00 a.m. CST. GOOD LUCK!
