“Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever” is that gift that keeps on giving. First aired in 1983, the special was a mainstay in my childhood for years later thanks to the newfangled wonder that was VHS recording. This is the same…

Loyal reader Miriam posted a link to the Huffington Post article about Sammy Sosa’s drastic skin color change, and added the note: “As far as I’m concerned, this is a Thembi-mergency.” Miriam, I am on the case.

This is Sammy Sosa. For those of you who don’t know, he’s considered one of the greatest baseball players ever. He’s of Dominican descent and his home run hitting ability was a source of pride for Latinos until he was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs and corking his bat in 2003. Sosa retired earlier this year, and since then seems to be passing the time gettin’ purty. That’s Sammy in May on the left, and

Maybe it’s just our recent culture of “brushing off haters,” but I have a heard time drawing a full distinction between “I’m so inspired!” and “I’ll show ‘em!” Let’s say, for example, your goal is to make a…

Man Calls 911, Doesn’t Know His Address

Police Say Man Reported His Marijuana Stash Stolen

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When you dial 911, there’s certain things you have to do to make sure you get the help you need.

First, know your home address, and second, don’t wait 45 minutes to dial 911.

Von Powell, 22, who lives near Gainesville, had a hard time doing both of those things after he said he was the victim of a home robbery.

The man also told police that one of the things stolen was his “personal stash” of marijuana.

When you’re committing a crime and you’re also the victim of a crime, it

Sesame Street turns forty years old today, which is quite an achievement even though Muppets can’t die and don’t age. The real accomplishment is that the show is an iconic collection of stuff about childhood and learning about our world nice and early. My Five Favorite Things About Sesame Street are…

5. The Robinson Family. Sesame Street was originally created for black, disadvantaged pre-schoolers, so the black Robinson family was supposed to be the focus of the the show even before the Muppets became part of the cast. Gordon Robinson (Roscoe Orman, who has played Gordon since 1974) is a teacher and is wife Susan (Loretta Long) a nurse. Throughout the show’s run we’ve met

As a little girl (and for that matter, as a teenager) I was so self-conscious about letting people see me dance. I think it all goes back to fourth grade, when I was in non-optional after-school jazz and tap classes.…

The WWTD Dinner and a Movie Event was so much fun that I’ll definitely have more in the future – the people who read this blog are fun and cool with sick senses of humor and an appreciation good times, so I want to thank everyone who came out! The real star of the event, of course, was Michael Jackson.

I don’t know who all has been anticipating H-Town’s comeback, especially since lead singer Dino died tragically in 2003. Oh, and that when Dino passed, H-Town was actually about to release their FOURTH album since their 1993 debut Fever For…

Fact #1: I cannot now nor could I ever double dutch

Fact #2: I cannot double dutch because I came from private school to a public school where no one would let me have enough turns to learn how to do it.

Fact #3: When I tried to participate by turning the rope, I was called “double-handed.” I still don’t know what that means.

Fact #4: Due to the above events, there is a hole in the tapestry of my blackgirlness.

Fact #5: Michelle Obama is way blacker and doper than I am, because even though she is not very good at it, she has double dutched on the White House lawn!

AND she hula hoops.

I HAVE TO see “Michael Jackson’s This Is It”. I simply must. I was torn for a while because of the exploitation potential, but I think Michael would want us to see it, don’t you?…

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to spend as little time as possible telling people what I don’t like or care about. Critique is one thing, but just moaning about how wack stuff is gets lame so fast and…

I’ve been thinking a lot about what qualities I find attractive in the opposite sex and realized that above all else dudes who remind me of Gerald Levert have an automatic edge. This oldies tribute performance by Levert and Boyz II Men from the 1992 NAACP awards will have to do for today, though.

Black Dynamite was simply the funniest movie I’ve seen this year. The blaxploitation spoof delivers everything from basic slapstick comedy to inside jokes about the black experience, and is all the more hilarious if, like me, you appreciate the outlandish nature of the spoof genre (Airplane!, Naked Gun), but also have a fascination with classics like Coffy, Shaft, and Black Caesar. Although the campy nature of 70′s black film is the running gag and wears a bit thin over time, the movie is an ideally complete and accurate parody of a characteristically ridiculous, yet undeniably significant genre of black film – call it the I’m Gonna Git You Sucka of 2009.

Michael Jai White is

It felt like a big explosion, minus the whole heat and debris part. So not an explosion at all, I guess. Just a swift kick in the gut.

I’ve been on pins and needles all week because this site was hacked by a malicious password-seeking virus. I’d rather drink pepper spray while sitting on a cactus and being fondled by Rush Limbaugh than have anything bad happen to this website. Fortunately, I’m slowly rebuilding what was lost in the recovery, mainly the last week’s worth of posts and comments, so if you left a comment anytime last week I’m sorry – it’s gone, just a fleeting moment, thanks for participating, au revoir. But hey, I’ll be back in full swing before

My freshman year of high school was so uneventful that I don’t even remember it. All I recall is my first serious teacher, Mr. Mealey, making me think about science in a logical and analytical way that until that point was unprecedented (even in the Mentally Gifted Program). A quick glance at the wiki entry on music of 1993 makes matters much clearer: that was the year of Wu-Tang’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).

Mmmm hmmm, that’s right. That is Ghostface Killah aka Tony Starks aka the thug gangsta jump off man of my fantasies with yours truly. Last weekend Ghostface did a show in my town, and when I heard he’d be signing autographs just