pop culture

“Scandal” Catch Up

So, we are a day away from the 4th new episode of Season 3 of “Scandal”… and I have yet to write a post about any of them.  See, what had happened was…

On the evening of October 3, I was minding my business, watching “Grey’s Anatomy” in the comfort of my own home, when I decided that the episode wasn’t that exciting.  So I was going to take a quick nap and be up in time for “Scandal”.  The next thing I know, I wake up, see what doesn’t appear to be “Scandal” on television, grab my phone and see that it’s 11:19, and fearfully realize that I have slept through the season premiere. To say I was pissed, shocked, and amazed at myself is an understatement.  I can go to sleep at 9 o’clock any night of the week except Thursday.  It’s like my body subconciously KNOWS what night it is and realizes it’s vitally important that I stay awake and not be tired.  But on October 3, my body worked against me.  And so was Comcast.  I’m not happy to admit this, but I have woken up at 5 am on a Friday morning in the past to re-watch an episode of “Scandal”. (Don’t judge me.)  So I wasn’t worried.  I just figured I would go to bed, wake up at the crack of dawn, and watch the episode so that I could contribute to the conversation that was sure to take place at work.  Because I had gotten so much rest, I woke up on my own at 4 am…checked On Demand…and did not see “Scandal”.  I didn’t panic.  I went to sleep on the couch, woke up around 5, and looked at On Demand again.  Nothing.  There was nothing new at 6, either.  So, against my better judgement, I looked at stories that discussed the premiere, but not anything that would totally give the main stuff away.  By the time I made it home Friday night with Chinese take-out, the new episode was up, and I was good to go.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t that impressed.  It possibly could have something to do with the fact that I kinda knew what to expect, like Byron Douglas aka Eli/Rowan giving an EPIC speech to Olivia during the first scene, Olivia standing up to her daddy, Mellie name-calling Olivia to her face (that was good), Fitz telling Tom to let it slip that Olivia was his mistress, and some other non-notable things that happened, except for Jeannine being set up to have been with Fitz; that was kinda genius.  Because I do not know in WHAT realistic world Fitz would think that the world would be cool with him marrying his mistress and making her First Lady.  Well, unless your Mark Sanford-then it’s possible. Oh, and Byron really did give a good speech.

But that second episode…What a wonderfully glorious episode!  We all know I am not a fan of Edison, but I was excited to see him!  (Do NOT ask me why, because two weeks later I still don’t know.)  And you all know I love a good flashback, so I was happy to see the evolution of Byron/Eli/Rowan and Olivia’s relationship.  Suffice it to say, there were definitely some moments in the first two episodes that reminded me of Southern Dad and myself.  Anywho, it was just great television.  I am super super weirded out that Huck let it out about B613.  And I was even more super weirded out when Byron/Eli/Rowan came face-to-face with Huck.  The “arguing” scene with Olivia and Daddy was priceless.  That was excellent acting.  Oh, can I also say that I am so mad that Huck choked Liv…but she kinda had it coming. She should not have lied.  BUT, I was SO pissed at Quinn!  I just want her to sit DOWN somewhere!  UGH!!! She’s always into something!  If she had just minded her own business, Huck never would have found out.  Now Huck and Olivia have to re-build their trust in each other again.

Episode 3 was boring…except the end when Huck was following Byron/Eli/Rowan and threatened him.  I knew he wasn’t going to shoot him, though.  And it’s amazing that Byron/Eli/Rowan still has that kind of control over Huck!  I just want to find out about Operation Remington…

So, that’s my re-cap over the last 3 weeks.  I tried to not have it be that long and focus on the episode I really liked.  Feel free to share your thoughts or anything I missed, because I know it’s alot!  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city!

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Elle’s Lemon Squeeze

A lot of things have been occurring, in my life and in the world in general.   Some good, some bad, some ok…So, I’ll share with you guys my thoughts on some things that have been going on.  Feel free to share your comments as well!

North West… Congrats to Kim and Kanye, but I am SO upset they named this baby North…like really.  I know I’m not a parent and they can name their baby anything they want but sheesh!  We can just add this to the list of weird baby names like Apple, CoCo, and Blue Ivy.

Not to excuse her behavior, but Paula Deen is a woman of a certain age that is from the South.  Kudos to her for being honest, but boo to her for all of the nonsense that she wanted her employees to engage in.  This is a prime example of people that have lost their minds.  And don’t be confused-just because I understand the era in which she grew up does not mean I condone her behavior.  Let this be a lesson to EVERYONE that racist behavior is not cool, not appreciated, and not right.  And Black people must realize that we must take some responsibility as well.  We need to stop referring to each other as the “n” word, stop referring to women as b*thces and h*es, and just have respect for each other in general.  It’s amazing that we don’t get upset when we disrespect each other but get up in arms when a non-Black does us wrong.

And speaking of the South, let’s discuss the SCOTUS’ decision regarding Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  So they justices decided to put the decision back on the hands of Congress to update the language, which apparently they stated they would do in 2006.  This is just another reason that shows be careful of who you elect as your Senator and Representative in state elections.  Most times, the decisions they make are more important and more impactful than the ones made by the President.

George Zimmerman’s trial started this week.  The only thing I’ll say (at least until the trial is over) is that you have an unarmed teenager that was pursued by an armed grown man.  Even if Trayvon Martin was the aggressor, I understand why.  I would be too, if someone were chasing me.  At the end of the day, Zimmerman decided to ignore the instructions from the 911 operator and chased this kid down.  And not only did he continue to follow him in his car, he got out of his car and ran him down on foot, with his gun in his waistband.  To me, this just means he (Zimmerman) was looking to pick a fight that night.

In recent months, the men that I have encountered/dated have left a LOT to be desired.  At first, I thought something was wrong with me, since I am the common denominator.  I have since changed my thinking and realized it just happens to be the duds that I meet.  So, I toyed around with the idea of asking select friends to play matchmaker…AND even bringing the matchmaking idea to my blog.  But the more I think about it, the more I’m going to be a little more patient.  I may bring it here-I may not.  I may take it to my friends-I may not.  But as of right now, I’ll wait it out.

I just came back from my summer vacation, and I’m kinda sad to go back to work today. 😦  But at least next week is a short work week as well!

That’s all I’ve got for now.  Feel free to comment on anything I haven’t shared.  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city!

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I Don’t Know, Bey…

*My open letter to Beyonce*

To say I’m a Beyonce fan is an understatement.  To say I’m a Stan might be an overstatement.  But I respect and admire a woman who is poised, talented, beautiful, and humble…well, we may have to re-visit the humble part after the release of your newest song, “Bow Down”.   The woman who sang such girl power anthems as “Survivor” and “Run the World” is now telling b*tches to “bow down”.  And just last month, you wrote the greatest note about how you were so proud to perform next to your girls Kelly and Michelle AND gave props to Jennifer Hudson and Alicia Keys regarding their Super Bowl performances.

We all have haters-and I hate to use that term.  No matter what we do in life, someone is not going to like what we do.  And that’s totally fine.  You aren’t going to please 100% of the people 100% of the time; if you are, something’s wrong.  But who was the song directed towards?  And why put a song like this out now?  You’re 31 years old, a wife, AND a mother.  And not just a mother, but you have a daughter-a little girl that is looking up to you and will one day emulate you.  I could kind of understand if you put this song out on your first album, when you were a little younger and a little cockier and getting your wings as a solo artist.  But to put something out like this now…maybe because you HAVE proved your haters wrong and you HAVE proved that you can do it all.  Sort of like a “look at me now”.  I get it, kind of.  I guess I am just at a point where I don’t really worry too much about what people say about me.  But I’m also not in the public spotlight having every little thing I do scrutinized.  This song doesn’t even sound like you-the beat, the musicality of it all.  I just don’t get it.

When I found out you were coming to DC I was SO excited.  So much so, I rounded up some of my girls, and we went through hell and high water to get tickets.  Now, I’m re-thinking this whole thing.  (Well, not too much since I’ve already paid for my ticket.)  Maybe this is just a mid-career crisis and you felt like you had to get some things off your chest.  I guess I can respect that.  Since your concert is in July, I have about 4 months to get over you telling me to bow down.  I take that back.  I’m not a b*tch, so I will not take that personally since that was not directed towards me.  In the meantime, hopefully with the things that are sure to occur before this summer, I’ll forget about this song and can fully enjoy the Beyonce experience at the Verizon Center.  And if not…it’ll be totally unfortunate-for you and for me.   For you, because you’ve probably lost the support of one of your biggest fans.  For me, because I’ve seen a great woman and entertainer fall just a little.

Your Fellow Southern Girl,

Elle

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This Week in the News

I know…SHOCKER!!! When was the last time I did a “TWITN” post??? It’s been a minute.

First, I want to ask that we pray or have a moment of silence for all of the people that lost their lives in the attacks in Libya and Egypt earlier this week.  Hate is such a terrible thing, and I wish leaders would make a real effort to try to eradicate it.

Next, I want to go on record as saying that you people who think O.J. Simpson is Khloe Kardashian’s dad need a hobby… Seriously people???  Yes, Khloe looks a little different from her siblings, but that’s what happens when you have four children with the same parents.  Have you guys ever heard of biology and recessive traits??? If not, look it up, because I refuse to go into detail about genetics work.  I will say I know plenty of families with more than 4 children and not all of the children look alike.  Some are shorter, some have ligther skin, some are a little thicker than most.  It happens….

For those of you that watch “Big Brother”, I know you’re probably salivating at the mouth to find out if Dan will win again.  He is such a sneaky little snake this season!  He has played an awesome game, and if he can convince the jury of that, he has a pretty good shot at walking away with the prize.

Now, while my Jaguars had WAY better stats in Sunday’s game than Minnesota, they weren’t able to pull out a win.  I do hope (and pray) that they get their first W of the season at home…against Houston.  I know it may be a long shot, but Jacksonville is looking MUCH better than they did last year.

Next week, I’ll be focusing on Voter Education.  While I don’t care who you vote for (actually, I do!), I believe that we should ALL be well versed in the rules governing our voting rights.  So be on the lookout!  Enjoy your weekend, and until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city!

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What is Black? Part 1

Please Black People Ask God to Help Us Stick T...

Image by Thomas Hawk via Flickr

It’s a shame that in 2011 race is still an issue in the United States.  What’s even more of a shame is that Black people are still finding ways to tear each other down, ridicule each other, and find ways to separate us, based on skin color, our neighborhoods, and our familial backgrounds.  I’ve come across multiple articles within the past week that discuss race within the Black community.  A few weeks ago, my book club read “Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America” by Eugene Robinson.   I’m sure we’re all familiar with the comments Jalen Rose made regarding Grant Hill and other Duke University basketball players during the documentary “Fab Five”.  “Clutch” magazine had an article titled “What Kind of Black are You?“.  And lastly, “Coco and Creme“, another on-line magazine, had an article titled “Do Mixed Chicks Hair Care Products Make Light Seem Right?”.  Because I have a lot to say, this will be (at least) a two-parter.

First, let’s discuss what is Black.  Black is beautiful, successful, strong, educated, resilient, historic, amazing, wonderful, insightful…I could go on.  What I don’t understand is why we, Black folk, continue to find ways to divide ourselves.  Some think you’re not Black enough if you use proper English.  Others think you’re not Black enough if you do well in school.  You might be too Black if you wear your pants hanging from your tail.  Too Black may include having locs or being natural.  All of these things are ridiculous.  Growing up, most of my friends in school were white, and I got ridiculed by some of the Black kids; I got told things like “You talk like a white girl”, “Is everything all white?”, and my personal favorite (a message in my middle school yearbook) “Oreo, I hope you unlock the magic this summer.”  Yes, kids are cruel, and we hope they don’t grow up to be cruel adults.  Having an education has always been synomous with being an “Uncle Tom” or acting white or not being Black enough.  Why is that?  Why is it cool to not do well in school?  Although Southern parents divorced when I was young, both parents were, and still are, involved in my life and made sure I did well in school.  Both parents are college educated so going to college wasn’t a question for me-the question was, “Where are you going?”  But I digress…

Why must we separate ourselves?  The author of “What Kind of Black Are You” and Robinson address the various “sub-groups” in Black America, those Blacks who are from the Carribean or Africa.  I strongly believe in embracing your culture and your country of origin if you’re not American, but why must we belittle others who aren’t like us, which happens at times?  Black people come in all hues, shapes, sizes, cultures, and the like, so we should embrace our differences, but not go so far as to demean someone who’s not EXACTLY like us.  I love my Southern heritage, but embrace those Blacks who are African, Caribbean, Northern, and wherever else they may be from.

That’s it for Part 1.  What do you guys think?  Why are we still finding ways to separate ourselves as Black people?  Is this all this still relevant in 2011 or should we find ways to bring ourselves together as one race?  Until next time, I’m just a Southern girl…in the city!

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