Q & A with Lady A

I just want to know...




1. Even though I'm not a fan of silly songs like "Chain Hang Low" by Jibbs, Is Hip-Hop really dead? Can't there just be two different types of hip-hop music...Good and just plain old wack hip hop? If you think about it, the good Hip-Hop makes the wack Hip-Hop even more wack!

2. When is Omarion going to cut his hair? The braids are looking a little spooky. You're 21 now buddy, grow up!

3. Did they really have to hang Saddam right before the new year? What a morbid way to start out the new year...

4. Shouldn't Beyonce be disqualified from the best actress category instead of the song category at the Oscars? Just seems a little backwards...

5. Who cares if Ashanti and Nelly are engaged? The real question is when are Bee & Jay getting married?! Nelshanti just isn't as interesting!

FOOLISHNESS, YES!!

Tyra, Tyra. When you have to settle for a one peice "Star Jones" bathing suit, that means it's time for you to seek some canceling for your situation rather than give unwanted advice on your show!Fanny, just stop this madness. Lookin' like a sweaty and smelly mess. Kiss that Jaime Fox!



Keish! Fire your stylist, ASAP!! PLEASE!!

I never really cared for Kobe ever since he snitched on Shaq. And now he claims that he is the next Jordan. This is not a Jordan look. This is more like, GAY!Oops is right!

More News....

2 FAST 2 FURIOUS

R&B artist Tyrese, is in the hot seat for supposedly assaulting his pregnant girlfriend. And the horrible part about it is that he supposedly hit her in the stomach a few times. How could the R&B crooner of relationships and love do such a thing? I just don't see it. His girlfriend was sent to the hospital and there will be an investigation. We will definitely keep you guys posted on this shocking news!

I know I'm wrong for this photo!

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SONS OF MOTOWN LEGENDS FEUD: Lou Rawls Jr. sues Marvin Gaye III. For more info click here

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Wyclef Jean has been appointed New Haitian ambassador. Well deserved!






CAN'T KISS YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE WHITE.
Did you know?
Denzel Washington once turned down a love scene with Julia Roberts out of loyalty to his African American fans, Allison Samuels reveals in her new book, "Off the Record".
Washington nixed the steamy segment even though Roberts insisted that he be cast as her co-star in "The Pelican Brief," writes Samuels, a respected Newsweek reporter.
Washington explained: "Black women are not often seen as objects of desire on film. And they have always been my core audience." This goes back to my point about the Taye Diggs post that became somewhat of a sensitive subject to some viewers. Should it matter who Denzel kisses on screen? He apparently thinks so. Click here to check out the later post on Taye Diggs

News: SAG Nominations, Sam plays James Brown, and Barak Obama...

SAG AWARDS

AND THE NOMINEES ARE:

Forest Whitaker / THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND – Idi Amin
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Will Smith / THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS – Chris Gardner - Sony Pictures

Eddie Murphy plays James "Thunder" Early in an outstanding performance in Dreamgirls. He is nominates for Outstanding Performance by a male actor in a Supporting Role and Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture

Jennifer Hudson is also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a female actor in a Supporting Role and Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture

Djimon Hounsou for Blood Diamond -Solomon
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

%Beyonce did not receive a nod for an individual award, but she is represented under Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture. Good enough for me! I'm sure upsetting for her!


Sam L. Jackson Plays James Brown?

An inside scoop has informed me that Samuel L. Jackson may play the role of the late great James Brown, which is buzzed to be directed by Spike Lee

I can't see Samuel L. Jackson playing James Brown. Can he sing or dance?

Obama may be blasted for past cocaine use

Earlier Today, The Washington Post wrote an article on Obama's admission for cocaine use in a memoir written 11 years ago. Obama's revelations were not an issue during his Senate campaign two years ago. But now his open narrative of early, bad choices, including drug use starting in high school and ending in college, as well as his tortured search for racial identity, are sure to receive new scrutiny.

At least he admits his downfalls. By no way should he be vilified for past drug abuse. How many politicians do we know of that didn't sniff coke? Ole' George Jr. is more than likely guilty of it, and so are his daughters. I should know because I went to school with one of them.

Check out the full story at the Washington Post

Style: Accesories

Stunna Shades:

In the world of Big shades, I wanted to find shades that are reminiscent of the past, but of course fly for the present. I wanted to get away from the nostalgia of the classic Jackie O's. The "Nicole Richie-esq" shades are tired and boring. Lets try something fun and different for a change gang! Take a risk!
Readers consistently e-mail me requesting specific vintage finds. Recently a reader asked me about info on "real vintage" shades, and I think a found some that may be deemed fit for the unusual but stylish category. When it comes to retro accessories and clothes, I try to go against the grain and research designers and labels that are not recognized or remembered. Here are a few that I would purchase myself.

GALS:

Remember "New-New" (Lauren London) from the movie ATL featuring TI and Big Boi? If not, you missed the most inspirational movie of that year. All jokes aside, check out her shades. These shades are like a very last minute purchase, meaning: they were probably cheap and cute enough to wear around town. I really enjoyed this look in the movie, very 1988 "southern girl". I would have loved to see her in something more original and not so off-the-shelf like the vintage finds below.

CHECK THESE OUT

Paloma Picasso 3707 in silver. Circa 1978. I know I would rock the hell out of these!

Vintage Christian Dior 2650. Circa 1981, FIERCE!

Christian Dior 2605. ORIGINAL!

GUYS:

For true eighties inspiration, check out the collections of Jamel Shabazz. His photographs captured the essence of black culture in New York where many of these trends were created.

Carrera 5413
My dad rocked these in the eighties at the beach and at family barbecues and I am sure he didn't pay over $30 bucks for them.

When you step out in your new sleek linens this spring, forget Tom Ford's over priced shades, slide these on for a mere $120.


My favorites, the Cazals. Few celebrities are rocking these. You may find fashion showstoppers like Big Boi, KelisNas, and Pharell wearing these to parties or on the red carpet, but not many regular folk. Cazals were made popular from Run DMC. I remember the ballers rockin' these way back when. When I say favorites, I mean most original. Can't anyone just wear these. One could easily look foolish and clown-like in an attempt to look fly. WARNING BE CAREFUL!!


For any questions on where to purchase these shades, just send me an e-mail.
If you have any additions that are reminiscent of classic eighties clothes or accessories or just have general questions, feel free to e-mail me at vanitypages@gmail.com or just make a comment, I enjoy the feedback!

Fashion: Ciara on Vibe Mag & Ashanti in Jane Mag

Ciara covers February 2007 issue of Vibe



Talk about one chick who made an excellent upgrade in 2006. I'm so glad she went with a natural hair color instead of the blond hair she sported during the Goodies album. She looks good and I'm still loving the Promise video and those hot high waist pants. Get it Girl!

We Found Ashanti!


She looks really cute in these pictures from her Jane Magazine photo shoot. She really needed a new look, gotta love the hair. Lets just hope that her next album is better.
(thanks concreteloop and ashanti-street)

Inner city kids don't appreciate the value of a free education

Oprah Winfrey is firing back at critics of her decision to build a $40 million school complex in South Africa - saying she didn't build it in the U.S. because inner-city kids here don't appreciate the value of a free education. "I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn't there," the TV talk-show maven says in the current issue of Newsweek. "If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPod or some sneakers. In South Africa, they don't ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school." The tough talk comes as the famously philanthropic Winfrey unveils her Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa - a sprawling, 28-building complex for impoverished teens that features a yoga studio and beauty salon, among other luxuries. The 22-acre complex has taken more than five years to build and has raised eyebrows in the U.S. and abroad, she said. "I understand that many ...feel that I'm going overboard, and that's fine," Winfrey said. "This is what I want to do. I wanted to take girls with that 'it' quality and give them an opportunity to make a difference in the world." Winfrey handpicked the 152 girls who will attend out of an application pool of more than 3,500. Winfrey has also supplied millions of dollars to educate needy children in the U.S. through the Oprah Winfrey Scholars program. Nicole Bode

I have to agree with Oprah, children in the inner city just don't appreciate a free education. They want the bling and things. My parents and grandparent always stressed the important of an education. ( free education is a privilege) The education system is so far behind other countries, and it's not getting better. We have created new consumers and no producers. Parents I understand you want to give your kids what you didn't have as a child, but really are we losing focus here? They will live without Sean John, or Rockawear Let them get a job and work for it. I did! My parents wanted me to have a better education not the latest outfit. What about you? Ms Ray

Vanity Pages Remembers

Gerald R. Ford, 93
1913-2006
Former President
38th president when Richard Nixon resigned in 1974.









Godfather of Soul James Brown, 73
1933-2006
pneumonia

Brown's hit Say it Loud (I'm Black and I'm Proud) became a civil rights anthem during the turbulent 1960s and he performed the song at Richard Nixon's inaugural in 1969








Gerald Levert 40
1966- 2006
American R&B singer
He passed away in his sleep
apparent heart attack.




Claydes Charles Smith, 57
1948-2006

Co-founder and lead guitarist of the group Kool & the Gang,
Smith, who was known as Charles Smith, wrote the hits Joanna and Take My Heart, and was a co-writer of others, including Celebration, Hollywood Swinging and Jungle Boogie.








Corey Lidle, 34
1972 – 2006
Plane crash
was an American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for seven different teams in his nine-season career, last playing for the New York Yankees.







Don Knotts, 81
1924-2006
Pulmonary/respiratory complications. (Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, the TV repairman in Pleasantville.)







Ruth Brown, 78
1928-2006

Cause of DeathComplications of Surgery

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 1993
Tony Best Actress (Musical) (1989)
Grammy

Ruth Brown, Rhythm and Blues Legend






Joseph Barbera, 95
1911 - 2006
Yabba Dabba Doo!
The prolific partnership produced a huge proportion of the popular TV cartoons of the twentieth century including Tom and Jerry, The Flintstones, Wacky Races, Scooby Doo





Bo Schembechler, 77
1929-2006
Schembechler, who became one of college football's great coaches in two decades at Michigan,

Bo Schembechler won 194 games as head coach at Michigan.





Floyd Patterson, 71
1935 -2006
died from Alzheimer's

was raised in Brooklyn, got into trouble early, and at age ten was sent to a juvenile facility, where he learned to box. He was 17 when he won the Olympic Gold Medal as a middleweight, and 21 when he became professional heavyweight champion of the world, beating Archie Moore for the title. No fighter has ever won the undisputed championship at a younger age.
As a professional, Patterson had 55 wins, 40 by knockout, with eight losses and one draw.





Pat Corley , 76
1930- 2006
Murphy Brown actor Pat Corley, who played Phil the barkeep on the 1988-96 sitcom

James Yancey (J-Dilla)
1974-2006
lupus

American hip hop producer and MC, who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip-hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. He began his career as "Jay Dee" but used the name "J Dilla" from 2001 on. Many considered Dilla a creative genius; he influenced some of the world's biggest hip-hop and R&B stars, many of whom he worked with











Professor X of X-Clan
Robert Lumumba Carson, 50
1956- 2006
died from meningitis,

Professor X gained notoriety for his catch phrases "Vainglorious" and dissed fools by calling them "sissies."









Billy Preston,59
1946--2006
Musician

Wrote, You Are So Beautiful
Kidney failure


The Beatles Keyboardist 1969
The Rolling Stones Keyboardist 1971-77






Gordon Parks, 94
1912- 2006

Famous for Shaft
Film Director, Photographer, Author
Cancer - unspecified

In the more than ninety years of his life, Gordon Parks became internationally renowned as a photographer, filmmaker, poet, novelist, and composer.


Son: Gordon Parks Jr. (film director, Superfly, b. 7-Dec-1934, d. 1979 plane crash)






Corretta Scott King, 78
1927-2006
Activist
Widow of Dr. Martin Luther King

Cancer - Ovarian

Remains: Buried, Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, Atlanta, GA






Edward R Bradley, 65
Ed Bradley
60 Minutes News

Bradley was among the first black journalists to make a name for himself on national television when his battlefield reporting from the Vietnam War – in which he was wounded in 1973 – pushed him onto the national stage

Cancer - Leukemia









Author Bebe Moore Campbell, 56

died of complications from brain cancer at her home in Los Angeles .

Her novels about African-American life were best sellers, winning praise for their authenticity and readability, as well as their serious themes.








Wilson Pickett, 64
Soul singer
Albums: The exciting Wilson Pickett, I want you, In the Midnight Hour, and more...songs: Ninety-nine and a Half (Won't Do), Danger Zone,
Albums: The Exciting Wilson Pickett, I Want You, In the Midnight Hour, and more...
Songs: Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do), Danger Zone,











Earl Woods , 74

Earl Woods, died at his home
in Cypress, Calif., of cancer.









Lou Rawls, 72
1935 - 2006

His voice has been described as “sweet as sugar, soft as velvet, strong as steel, smooth as butter.” His hits include “Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing,” “Dead End Street” and “You’ll Never Find (Another Love Like Mine).”
He had lung and brain cancer.









Al Lewis, 95
1910-2006
Most famous as Grandpa Munster









Aaron Spelling, 83
1923 - 2006

Aaron Spelling, infamous creator of such TV trash as Beverly Hills 90210, Dynasty and Melrose Place







Peter Boyle, 71

who starred in many movies (including "Young Frankenstein") and "Everybody Loves Raymond,"











Moose, age 16 ½
June 1989 - 2006
actor (played Eddie on "Frazier")



Vanity Pages