My Apologies

About a year ago, I said some things I am not proud of about my new best friend, Kim Kardashian. A night of sleeplessness a few weeks ago led me to catch up on my DVR and even tune to E! for a few extra hours. I caught two episodes of Keeping Up with the Kardashian's and I was dying for a few more (and have since DVR-ed the Thanksgiving marathon). I was drawn to the close-knit family: Kim's 3 Kardashian siblings, Khloe, Kourtney, and Robert Jr., their mom, Kris, and her husband, former Olympian Bruce Jenner, Kim's Kardashian-Jenner siblings, and Bruce's son Brody. In the first episode I watched, "Photo Shoot," the family rallies around Kim as she must decide whether or not to pose for Playboy - which she is terrified to do because she is aware of her unfavorable and trashy reputation. In the second episode, the family is remembering the anniversary of patriarch Robert Kardashian's death. The special thing about this family, in my observation, is the reverence the kids all have for their step-dad, Bruce, and the respect that he has for their father. You probably have to see it to understand, but for sure, Keeping Up With The Kardashian's is worth a watch.

I say all of this to say - I retract my original estimation of Kim Kardashian. No hard feelings :)

Why? Why? Why?!

If you're a woman and you have seen Common's "I Want You" video, then you probably couldn't take your eyes off of Kerry Washington's boots. Problem is, she is sneakily sashaying around Common's apartment and you never get a clear view of them. She wore what appears t be some adorable ankle high, cinched, dark gray-maybe black, suede boots - and I have searched madly for them and found only these by Paul & Joe on Shop Bop. The problem now becomes -Why? Why? WHY? are the beautiful shoes $825?! Why must I lust after them and concoct ways to come up with the money or justify the credit card debt? Please, someone, find me some similar shoes for an appropriate price - I'll owe you one.

Sensual Seduction

What a title - for anything - a blog, a song, a Morris Chestnut film! Snoop's newest song and video "Sensual Seduction" is HILARIOUS and WONDERFUL all at once! Somebody finally figured out that T-Pain and Akon don't have to be on every track if you have your own voice synthesizer. (All my love to T=Pain, nonetheless) Congrats, Snoop!

Snoop Dogg - Sensual Seduction [EXCLU]
Uploaded by PeteRock

P.S. I know I am not the only person looking forward to Snoop's new reality show, "Fatherhood," on E! Then again, I know I am reality tv show fiend, so maybe I am the only one. Below is the commercial.


I know it's been a while, but expect more from me....soon.

Is That Yo Chick

Do you remember this look? I don't mean, like, do you remember when this look was cool. I mean, do you remember when Eve looked like this!! What a transformation this style star has made. Lately, I have been admiring Eve's fashion choices. From make-up and hair to an entire wardrobe overhaul, she has become a stylish performer. With her first album in 1999, she greeted us as a hardcore Ruff Ryder, a former stripper (I am not here to spread rumors - that is supported by her imdb page) with tattoos and colorful cornrows. I have to give it up to her because her latest videos “Tambourine” and “Give It To You” really caught my attention. As you know I watch videos day and night, so I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur. Not only do her newest videos have bright color and cute dance sequences, but Eve, herself looks amazing, absolutely adorable, and the videos are speckled with creative and classy high fashion ensembles worthy of my sincere envy. (I think I spotted the highlighter-yellow pumps she is wearing in the “Tambourine” video at Barneys – Christian Louboutin.)

It is not as though Eve ever appeared one-dimensional. She showed an interest in fashion early on with the launch of her clothing line, Fetish, and in 2003, her UPN sitcom, "Eve," where she starred as clothing designer/store owner. Somewhere in that timespan, she developed into an enviable fashionista. I am not the only one who has observed Eve's style blossom. This New York Times cover I found online stunned me. It associates her with "Fashions of the Time." The photo itself is hot and sexy and a look that couple years ago one would not expect of Eve. Also, check out this article about Eve’s new album and her transformation both physically and lyrically. She has really reinvented her image for the better.












Saving R&B

I have a friend who will kill me for writing about this artist – as he has had some unfortunate experiences with him and his ex-girlfriend - but I write as I am compelled and I must give props when due. J. Holiday is a talented new artist whose new single "Bed" is dominating radio and music video channels. However, I have been a fan since his first single “Be With Me.” The video was filmed in the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl in DC and, as a semi-native Washingtonian, that was the first thing that peaked my interest. I found, in that first video, an attractive guy with genuine lyrics and a seductive talent. I was a fan of "Be With Me" and rocked the song on my mixed tapes (y'all know I mean cds, but mixed tape sounds official, like I'm a DJ or something). Now that he has released "Bed," everybody knows who he is and it's hard not to listen. ("Bed" lyrics here) I have heard the song and seen the video over a hundred times, and with the signature "Aye, Aye, Aye, Aye--, Aye, Aye, Aye," I am drawn in. Anyone, who has heard it knows exactly what I mean. I get chills waiting to hear the repetitive pre-chorus, and ohhh, I am lost in the song now, completely taken from whatever I was previously doing.

If you don't know J. Holiday, get to know him. Jump on itunes immediately. If you do know him, together we will hope that "Bed" and "Be With Me" are some indication of his album, Bac of My Lac, due out in October.

And So It Begins...

I have always been someone who decided very quickly whether I was comfortable enough with someone to divulge my personal business. If so, I am an open book. By the same token, it doesn’t take me long to decide one should not be privy to that information. So I have walked a blurry line on this blog deciding exactly how much to say. I always wondered how Carrie Bradshaw was able to write about sex, love, and relationships to New Yorkers once a week and not feel completely naked in the street. Nevertheless, it’s probably good therapy for me and a bit of entertainment for you if I am candid.

August 10th began my life as a resident of Los Angeles. But the week before brought me much trepidation about this move for God knows why. My sister got married July 28th, one of my best friends had an engagement party (left), I lived out of suitcases and spent the whole week FedExing my belongings cross country, I got in a fight with my best friend, and I left a good man in DC. All of this left me exhausted, cautious, and insecure - insecure in the sense that my support system is seemingly disintegrating.

So, I found myself sitting on the plane leaving Texas for LA, and it is more than apparent where I am headed as two fake-breasted women sitting more than an aisle apart from one another are having a conversation. Two friends who didn't care to ask another passenger to exchange seats apparently could not go 2 hours and 43 minutes without talking to one another at the expense of the entire plane.
"Hey girl, are you sleepy? Can you believe all of the people on the standby list?"
"Like, no. A lot of them didn't get on the plane."
Woah, are they serious? Do I have to be in this conversation? That was the most ghetto, but I-live-in-LA-now-where-everyone-thinks-they're-special conversation I have ever heard. (It was almost as trife as my mom thinking she could use her blackberry to check emails while in flight.)

So a stressful and lonely couple of days followed as my mom and I unpacked my car full of ish, 13 huge boxes, and more than enough suitcases. My initial sadness slowly turned into acceptance mixed, of course, with excitement about school. Oh, and when my mom left me on Tuesday, I was again sad, especially when I was driving home from the airport and I saw a car with both a Howard sticker on the window and a USC license plate. I reached out from inside my car hoping they'd stop and say, "Hey girl! You went to Howard?! And now you're moving here? Me too!" Didn't happen. Ugh.

Things began looking up when I made plans to have dinner with my cousin, Tyler, who's in town living the bourgie life. (She is in college and travels around the country, asking her parents permission only after. If only I would have thought of that.) Don't get me wrong, she is definitely my rolldog, but much flyer than I was at 20. Me and the gals had dinner at The Belmont Cafe and I basically hung out with them until the following afternoon when my sister began emailing me about Pinkberry. I'm like "What the hell's a pinkberry?" (I thought it was some kind of fancy new Blackberry coming out or something.) Turns out it's some frozen yogurt concoction that Perez Hilton apparently blogs about (uhhh, my sister seems to be a huge fan of his blog). So, I don't even like yogurt and was ready to move along but Tyler loves it and insisted we go and now I am a fan. Like, it was REEEAAAALLLLLLY good. They have toppings like Capt'n Crunch (or however you spell it) and Granola, fresh cut strawberries, blackberries, and mangos. It was outstanding - a true treat. So here's to Leigh (my sis, if you didn't know).

I certainly can't forget about the personal highlight of my week...On Tuesday, when I went to The Belmont with Tyler and her friend, Sarah, I finally had a chance to proudly wear my pink satin avec rose Manolos. Early in the year, I saw these adorable shoes in Bazaar (my favorite of the fashion mags) with no price listed. I couldn't find them anywhere on the web, so I called the NY store and bought them (a bad habit I began in November of last year and can't quite shake). I haven't been able to really do them justice wearing them with the one sexy black dress I own, so in Dallas last week, I found this really simple and casual dress with a hint of pink and wasn't even thinking of the shoes until I got it home and I broke 'em both out on Tuesday and was SO happy.

Tidbits

As a student in television and film producing, it was not difficult to convince my mom that all the premium cable channels and a DVR are necessary parts of my life. In preparation for school, I have a list of classic films to watch, but it is important for me to keep up with current shows and films that influenced my passion to be where I am. So, even though I am in a new city with new people to meet and new sites to see, I am a slave to my tv set. While waiting for the premium cable to arrive (I should have been watching one of the films on my list), I got caught up in what is now one of my FAVORITE shows in existence. Oxygen's Tori & Dean: Inn Love is fantastic. It's a reality show that follows a Tori Spelling and her actor husband, Dean McDermott, as they embark on the business of owning and operating a bed & breakfast. The catch is - she is majorly pregnant and increasingly unable to participate in all the work that needs to be done, they are on a budget, and needing to move into the B&B (as they call it) get the business up and running before she has the baby. I am on the edge of my seat in suspense at every moment as well as totally enthralled with the dynamic between the two of them. Of course, it's tv, but I find them to be incredibly cute and loving toward one another and ridiculously HILARIOUS. I watched the entire first season in a day and just finished watching the Season 2 premiere - They are back at the B&B with the baby, the Jamiacan-born nanny, Patsy, and with some unwelcome mice in infiltrating their business. Eew. Please watch! I was not expecting to be such a fan, but I am hooked. Thanks, mom (for the DVR).

Also, thanks to HBO's Entourage for introducing me to Alice Smith. They used her song "Dream" for an episode a couple weeks ago and I bought the album on iTunes immediately (yes, I BOUGHT it). Check out her website or iTunes to hear the song and others.
Then, last night, I caught up on last week's episode with Mary J. Blige and they ended that one with a new track from Mary J. that I can't find. I am not the only one though - I have read a couple of blogs looking for the song "Grown Woman Complex." It was a hot song and I am not the biggest Mary J. fan. Hopefully, you can find it and listen to it.


A Pictorial History of My Summer (well, some parts anyway)

This is for all of y'all who keep saying, "When are you going to blog about me?" and for those who text and email me angry messages when I don't update you as to what is going on:




Miami, FL - Bye Leigh Brooks...Hello Leigh Butler. Isn't that a gorgeous cake?!







Miami, FL - A long time coming....Me and Mercedes









Coco Beach, Puerto Rico - Me & my boo. Yes, he has huge hands and it looks funny with his hand on my belly, but there's nothing under it. Ain't we cute, though, y'all?









Washington D.C. - Pre-fish fry dinner. I had a fish fry in DC to say goodbye before I moved away. Tyler, Shone, and Chervonti were my helpers. Thanks, girls!





Washington D.C. - Love blossoming!
(Yeah, I said it. I put y'all on blast) I chose this picture to celebrating the blossoming romance between two of my friends - If it doesn't work, I'll delete the pic :)



Baltimore, MD - That's Keyshia Cole, y'all and I know you think my picture sucks, it doesn't! Why? Cuz I took it. Keyshia came to Artscape in Baltimore and performed. I love Keysh (as I affectionately call her) and with her fit new figure and short haircut, she looked great (unlike in her new video which really disappointed me), but her performance in Bmore was WONDERFUL, of course. LOVE HER!





Washington D.C. - Shone came in town to see Ibiza and I gave her this dress. What you don't realize is that leapord print Escada number used to belong to my mom. That dress is HOT and she gave it to me, but I never could come close to filling it out, so I gave it to the well-endowed Shone. (a compliment of course - one of our male friends actually licked this picture when he saw it)




Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (Grapevine) - Kim's cousins, Janeen and Janelle (the two between me and Kim), the gorgeous women I look toward for guidance for when I try to get my "grown woman" on. Whether they know it or not, Kim and I find hope in everything they do and say. This pic is from a night at home with them, Brittany, Kayla, and Cindy to celebrate Kim moving to New York.





Fort Worth, TX - My love: Anthony, my godson. He's so cute!






B.F.E., TX - My ladies. Erika, Kim, and I representin' at Andrew's engagement party.








Downtown L.A. - Tyler's friend, Sarah.




Manhattan Beach, L.A. (or right outside of L.A., I don't really know) - one of my favorite line sisters is on her way to Berkley for grad school and stopped in L.A. with her boyfriend to visit his mom. Turns out, they're from Dallas and she is one of the sweetest (and chicest) mommies I know! I love Texas folk all over this country. It is no mistake that we are known for our Southern Hospitality.

The Devil Gave Me Prada

The Date: Christmas morning, ‘06.
The Location: My living room in Texas
My gift from my mom: some basic black 1-inch Prada pumps for me. The thought was there but they were just not my style. I like high high heels…and she said I could exchange them….so, duh. It was a process though. It’s not like I could go to a department store and turn in my Prada pumps. She bought them through her stylist in Chicago, who got them from Prada in Chicago. So I had to send them to the Chicago store and wait for my credit to return. $375 – OK, everything at Prada is, like $400 plus, but whatever, it’s something. So, there’s no Prada in DC where I live, but it was cool, I go to New York all the time. Ugh! But then, I kept forgetting the credit receipt every time I went up there, so finally, 6 months later, someone suggested that I take it to LA since I had to go for a visit.

In June, I went to LA to try to obtain an apartment, meet some of my future classmates, and visit with my line sisters and friends. I was there for 5 days and had lots to do, but it was a priority to go to Prada. I had to use my credit! My friend, Candace, and I went to Prada minutes before closing because I had it in my head that I wanted this black wallet I had seen in Paris during fashion week. I wouldn’t have to spend much more than my credit, so if I couldn’t find anything else cheap, that’s what I’d get. Well, with some convincing from the salesgirl and Candace, I decided on this amazing vintage-looking clutch they just got in. It was a bit more than the wallet, but how often to I get a chance to buy Prada and not pay full price anyway?

Checking out, we were hurrying because the store was closing and I pulled out my credit card ready to pay the difference and be happy with my selection.
“Umm, you don’t owe us anything, and actually you still have some credit left.”
“Really?” I said, in complete disbelief, but I didn’t want them to renege. “Uhh, how much?”
“Like $200. I can’t look it up right now.”
With that, I slid out the door too scared to try and buy my wallet and risk Prada realizing they made a huge mistake. I was plotting my next trip already. The next day, I called to make sure their computer system still reflected my $200 plus credit and ran to the store as soon as I could. I got my wallet and I couldn’t believe it! A fabulous Prada clutch and adorable wallet for a grand total of approximately $1000…and I paid $200. $200! I was baffled and grateful all at once. Oh, and don’t tell anyone ☺


Look at my flyness when I carried the clutch to the BET Awards and afterparty. First of all, I LOVE this French Connection dress. It's perfect! I have worn it to a wedding, the BET Awards, and a presidential debate. (It's on sale now at French Connection.) Check out the pic of me, my hot dress, and my fabulous bag - and my proud stylist, Mark Gill.


Ibiza!!
On Friday, July 6th, the newest presence on the DC night scene opened its doors with a couple celebs and, of course, the fantastic ME. Ibiza, named for the popular and wild Spanish party island, had its grand opening with bright lights and a swarming crowd of thousands. All jokes aside, several of my friends are involved in the creation of Ibiza from financing to PR and promotion and I couldn't be more proud! We had a ball and I am sad to leave DC because I will miss the club's imminent growth and prosperity

If You Don’t Know, Now You Know PART II

I am moving to LA in 31 days!!! If you recall, I took the GRE a while back and “failed” horribly. Well, don’t think I stopped there. I took it again a few weeks later and “passed” with flying colors. I received a score well above that required for my application and that plus an essay, 3 strong recommendations, a resume, and an ambush interview and I am going to USC, ya’ll! (That's Southern California, NOT South Carolina, folks.)

Time to share some things I have been keeping quiet. I love movies! I love TV! And I love entertaining! Years ago, I was a theater and (minor) television actress in Texas, but I stopped to pursue a “regular” life playing sports and focusing on school. (Yes, that is my old headshot. on the right) I have always absolutely adored the excitement, drama, and emotion that the big screen brings and I finally found and outlet so that I can actually enjoy my career by doing someting I love. In 2 years, I will have a Master of Fine Arts from USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program. The program grooms students to be television and film producers as well as executives in the industry. I have been completely in awe of the program since the moment I discovered it’s existence on the web (thank God for technology) and On March 14th they called me to congratulate me on being accepted into the program. What a dream! USC has an outstanding reputation for it’s Cinema-Television department and there is no better place to learn about the industry than Hollywood!

Since I was accepted into the program, I have met a few of my wonderful classmates as well as communicated with everybody and their mama’s cousins, sisters, brothers, daughters, and friends living out in LA. Though all of my loves are in Texas and the east coast and I am terrified to separate from them, LA and USC are a welcome change in my life, which I wholeheartedly believe is something we all need. This is MY YEAR! Of course, it is the first of many successes, but with confidence and determination, I found my way to USC and I plan to proceed with success in each step.

Why the belated celebration? Until Friday, I had a full time job and it was best for me to conceal my news from the public until I could inform the j-o-b. (I told them a couple weeks ago, but it was best to write, once I was unemployed.) The last two years out of college have been a time for me to learn to live on my own, attempt to support myself, and find a way to fulfill my passion for entertainment. I am here and there's one thing I must explain:

The title of my blog – My Scene: I selected it back when I was ready to begin blogging in November and certainly did not want to delay the process because I didn’t know what to call it. I love movies and entertaining. If money was no object, I would go on auditions all day everyday and pursue acting. However, I am also a businesswoman. It would never be enough for me to receive a check when I could be the one writing them. I came up with “My Scene” because I knew I wanted the title to have something to do with film, but I didn’t want to give myself away. So, my blog is called My Scene because it is where my opinions, my activities, and my stories shine. If my life is a film full of intricate plot twists and an assortment of interesting characters, each of my blog posts is my scene, where the reader sees my side of the story.