Jennifer Hudson Covers Life Magazine

Another day, Another cover, Jennifer Hudson does it again.



If it was anyone else, I would say "Enough Already", but I am one to always root for the under-dog. Jennifer Hudson has to be the top under-dog of all top dogs. Keep the Em' Coming!

Spike Lee, CNN get teens to film life in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS - Spike Lee handed video cameras to New Orleans-area high school students and told them to capture their lives in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for the world to see. "Let them know what's happening down here, that everything isn't okey-dokey," said Lee, who directed When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts, a four-hour documentary chronicling the Katrina disaster.
The teens' footage will air monthly as part of a special CNN series Children of the Storm. The first segment, in which Lee and host Soledad O'Brien handed cameras to 11 students, aired Friday morning.
The series will run until the second anniversary of Katrina in August.
Students will document how the hurricane affected their lives and neighborhoods while also sharing their thoughts about the city's recovery and their future in New Orleans, O'Brien said.
"You're doing this for the world," Lee said in the first segment. "Remember it's not just for yourself."

I applaud Spike Lee for his brave efforts to call out the grotesque treatment of the people of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. This documentary will be very important for the world to see. The media can be very disheartful and will seize any coverage of the aftermath in order to make "us", the public, forget. But we will never forget or forgive. Being from Houston, Texas, I frequented New Orleans and I know it will never be the same. All of the communities that were devastated will probably never be rebuilt. I hope that people across the country from all races will now vote intelligently, so this will never happen again.

Jamie Fox Blasts Comedian

Disclaimer: We know this is an old clip, but just in case you didn't see it, check it out, Jaime embarrasses the hell out of this guy!

Passport Spas

If you need some R& R, but can't get away, here are some International Rejuvenation spas in New York. Here are some of my Favorites and more to come.






















Swedish
Great Jones Spa
29 Bowery and Layfayette St
212 505 3185

This three-and-a-half-story holistic day spa in New York City offers Manhattanites a place to commune, detox, and eat a healthy meal. They're known for the "Swedish massage" which includes classic kneading and stroking.



Thailand
Azure Day Spa
155 Spring street
w. Broadway and Wooster St.
212 274-8121

A Thai message
Everything at this spa from the aforementioned greeting,(bowing) Buddha painting and the ingredients in its Sarahn product line all come from the homeland.

Even the pretreatment footbathing ritual is great!( manual yoga like stretching)
The best pedicure ever !!






Romania
Cornelia Day Spa
663 5th Ave Ste
Between 52nd Street and 53rd Street
New York, NY
(212) 871-3050

Romanian Facial
Despite being one of the largest day resorts in Manhattan and offering everything a glamour girl could want, this luxurious spa has an attention to detail even a perfectionist would praise. Swanky candlelit hallways lead to multiple stories of treatment rooms, a cozy library and the posh rooftop garden with a flowing watsu pool.(Fab pool!!)


One more thing, the La Prairie at the Ritz-Carlton Spa offers this fab French facial and also Caviar Firming Facial - True luxury with an unprecedented concentration of Caviar Extracts, AHA's and unique sea proteins leaves your skin feeling transformed, lifted and illuminated.

Ms Ray
Check it out Guys!

Milli Vanilli Film in the Making

I just got word from the BBC News that Milli Vanilli will be the focus of a film about their rise and fall in the music industry

The paper reports the film will be written and directed by Jeff Nathanson, who wrote Catch Me If you Can starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.
I am dying to know who will play the notorious duo of lip-synchers . This is definitely the movie I have waited all my life for. Who do you think should star in the movie?

Comedy Saved My Life: Mark Curry Contemplates Suicide

Appearing on "The Montel Williams Show" set to air Today, Curry, 42, said he suffered burns over 18 percent of his body after a falling can of spray starch ruptured and sparked a fire in his California home.


NEW YORK Feb 14, 2007 (AP)— Comedian Mark Curry, who starred in the 1990s sitcom "Hangin' with Mr. Cooper," says that if it wasn't for some of his comic friends such as Bill Cosby and Sinbad, he probably would have committed suicide last spring after a freak accident landed him in the hospital with second-degree burns.

"It was so bad … that pain was so excruciating that I just threw it out," said Curry, recalling the moment when he woke up from a three-day, medically induced coma.

"I wanted to kill myself and, by the fourth day, I said, `I can't do this.' I felt less than a man. I couldn't even look at my own body. I saw my hand with the peeling skin and threw up, and I didn't look at myself again."

I Gotta Man! Tyra Banks with V-day Sweety

The gates of Heaven have opened. Tyra was spotted out with a mystery man on Valentine's Day. I hope this works out for her, because I am so over her bringing up subtle details of her failed relationships on the show. No one cares ! She might be able to keep him if she would just zip it!

Who Cares?

Randomness fo' that @$$...

...these are just a few of my thoughts along with today's pointless headlines that I found rather interesting. It's amazing what makes breaking news and it's funny how entertaining it can be. So if you have nothing else to discuss with your friends and family, perhaps these topics will make great conversation pieces, consider these tidbits Valentine's Day gifts from me to you!

e Tracey Morgan pleads guilty for drunk driving full story

e 50 Cent and Irv Gotti stare each other down (just in time for Valentine's Day) at a Grammy party full story

e Wasn't it nice to see Carl Anthony Payne (most of us remember him as either Cockroach from The Cosby Show or Cole Brown from Martin) on Girlfriends Monday night? It was just kinda weird to see him as a woman beater though!

...speaking of the Cosby Show, Bill Cosby's dog won the Terrier group at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on Monday night full story

e Paula Abdul says she's never been drunk...oh please! full story

e Is it really necessary for Tyra to have an entire show dedicated to her trying on the swimsuit that she wore when she graced the cover of the SI swimsuit edition 10 years ago? full story

Ok, Tyra is cool and all, I like her but her show topics are so limited sometimes-makeover this, oh I'm too fat that, eating disorder this, I'm crying on stage because i don't have a man, blah blah blah...

Men's Apparel and Accessories 07

We promised to bring more men's fashion and we are keeping our word.
A peak at next Fall '07

Just giving you heads-up! Guys

fall/2007-Bottega-Veneta
























fall/2007-Armani

Beyonce Covers Sports Illustrated

So what if J-Hud has out-shined her on everything related to Dreamgirls. J-Hud might have Vogue, but B covers Sports Illustrated. Ummm! Yeah! not as impressive as Vogue. I'm sure Beyonce damn near regurgitated when she found out. But to say the least, any press is good press, right!

Long Time no Gossip.... IF I Was Your Girlfriend

Ok. guys and gals. I haven't spewed any gossip lately just because the celebs are getting boring. Yeah I'm sure you heard about Whitney and Bobby getting back together, and the infamous Micheal Jordan Mistress debacle, but I just I had to shit on Ray J for a hot second. I'm sure ya'll also know about this sleazy sex tape as well, no need to get into that. But apparently "Mr. Brandy's Little Brother" got kicked out of a party that Kim Kardashian hosted for Complex magazine's pre-grammy party. He apparently tried to waltz his way into the party and she smooth kicked his ass out, SHAME!!! Now supposedly she's dating annoying-ass Nick Cannon. Lets hope he could sneak a sex tape out of this one. Ya'll know he's dying to lose that cornball Will Smith persona!

Ray J with his used-to-be-girl Kim

Nick Cannon with Brandy's Lil Brother's-used-to-be-girlfriend, KIM

Until next time.... Stay Vain!

Black Style Now Exhibit Ends on Feb. 19, 2007

Just a Reminder: If you are in the New York area, be sure to purchase your tickets to the Black Style Now Exhibit. The last viewing will be on Feb. 19. You don't want to miss this fantastic display of black style dating back to the 70's.
Check out the Museum of the City New York for ticket info here

(left, photo of Donyale Luna -First Black woman to cover Vogue)

Jennifer Hudson Makes History Again: Vogue Magazine

Thanks to concreteloop.com, I obtained the recent photos of the J-Hud cover for Vogue.


I did not realize that Jennifer Hudson will be the first African American singer to grace the cover of Vogue magazine. Beverly Johnson, Shari Belafonte, Oprah Winfrey, Liya Kebede and Halle Berry are some of the few that have graced the cover of the fashion bible, Vogue. I congratulate Jennifer for all of her success. Annie Leibovitz is an extraordinary photographer, but she did no justice with the photographs for Jennifer. The second photo was taken at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. I like the idea, but the pose is awkward and uncomfortable, it looks very unnatural. The cover is nothing special compared to the work that Leibovitz is known for. But with all that said, at least she got the cover. B must be sick right now!

For more pics of past Vogue covers featuring African Americans check out Clay Cane.

Men's Apparel and Accessories

B. Oyama

Images of Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and Nat King Cole aptly adorn B. Oyama Homme, a Harlem men's boutique that sells tailor-cut suits; an assortment of shirts; and haberdashery items such as ties, pocket squares, gloves, cuff links, and suspenders. "I love to see a well-dressed man," beams the proprietor, Bernard Oyama.

B. Oyama Homme
2330 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.
Between 136th and 137th Streets
New York, NY 10027
212-234-5128 phone

When in New York or In Harlem please visit Oyama Store, Just Fab!! and He's a great guy

Ms Ray.

News: Accidental Drug Mix Said to Kill Levert

CLEVELAND Feb 11, 2007 (AP)— R&B singer Gerald Levert's death last fall was an accident caused by a fatal combination of prescription narcotics and over-the-counter drugs, a coroner said.

The drugs in his bloodstream included the narcotic pain relievers Vicodin, Percocet and Darvocet, along with anxiety medication Xanax and two over-the-counter antihistamines, Geauga County Coroner Kevin Chartrand said. The official cause of death was acute intoxication, and the death was ruled accidental.

HOT GRAMMY LOOKS!

I give props to all the Black Star Power that was going on at the Grammy's. They looked so so lovely.

All hail the Queen.

Beyonce looks great, but look at Tina Knowles. She finally pulled it together this time!

Mary looked better than ever. She has upgraded herself to new heights!

I could just rip that dress off of her.

Beyonce gave it to us in this number. Glitz and Glam. Hollywood Baby!

Underground Music: Supa Lowery Brothers

If I had to describe the genre of this group in one word, I would say "jazzhiphopsoulrnb" okay, so it's almost impossible to describe it in one word! Literally, the Supa Lowery Bros are the coolest, hottest, young jazz band that I have heard in a long time. Living in New York allows you to be surrounded by many (almost too many) people with talent. I mean, every second there is someone trying to hustle for a dollar doing anything-i.e. bums performing on the train for a little change is an everyday thing. However, it is rare to actually hear a performance that is REALLY good. The most memorable performance was hearing the SLB when getting off the train at Columbus Circle and it never failed that there was a huge crowd around them every time they were playing...and, I'm sure it doesn't hurt that the band members are attractive! They were selling their CD for $10 and I haven't stopped listening to it since. The vibe is relaxing, you can just let the CD play. The majority of the songs are instrumentals of course but, when there are lyrics, the words are incredibly
inspiring, deep, and thought provoking. I encourage you to support this band, they are not signed to a major label yet but you can purchase their self titled CD's on iTunes and CD Baby.


The group is made up of two brothers originally from Philly, Chris (trumpet) and Wes Lowery (drums). Also, Kwama Hall-Alto Sax, Aaron Bumpus-Bass and features Phatlace, Kazi the Blak and Pakeeso Young-guitar. You should definitely check out their websites: myspace.com/supalowerybros and www.supalowerybros.com

The Obama Report

Obama announced his bid for the presidency this past Saturday.

We all know this man is very qualified and capable of possibly cleaning up the mess that the Bush regime created, but is America ready for a black president? I have mixed feelings about it. I am just more fearful for his life and his family.
How do you feel about the country possibly having a black leader for president?

Clive Davis's Pre-Grammy Party

Pics from Clive's Party

Whitney was supposed to perform at the party but she felt she wasn't ready to sing. I am so eager to hear her voice. Sing already damn it!

Bill Maher can't keep his hands off the strippers! He is shown here with his new girlfriend,
"Sexual Chocolate"!

Ciara posing with New Orleans Saints running back, Reggie Bush.
Get him girl! If she doesn't, Rihanna probably will, if she hasn't already!

Nasty-Neyo with Rihanna. Her dress is so tight. I'm sure she couldn't move for the entire night. I can't hate, her body is sick!

We can't forget about Knock Em' Out Naomi. She and Terrance look like a fab Bonnie and Clyde. I would have picked a different shoe for Terrance, but hey, he can't win em all!

Mary and her husband Kendu complimented each other very well with this soft mauve and grey number. They look very well put together.

Mary's Grammy Party

This party was definitely the place to be. Jada, one of Mary's closest friends through a party for her at Boulevard 3. Check out the pics...

Friends to the end!

Mario dancing with his momma.........Oops, that's Vivica Fox! My bad.

Omar Epps and our favorite funny man Chris Tucker represented

Corrine Bailey Rae and Mary. Stunning!

Melissa Ford never seems to miss a party. A Wise industry exec told me: "Never make yourself available to any and every event, especially an industry party, it makes you look like you have nothing else better to do." Not to say that this party wasn't worth it, but Miss Ford refuses to be left behind.

Best looking couple, Boris and Nicole, take a break from raising the kids to party with Mary.