February 26, 2007: What Martin Scorsese and Three 6 Mafia Have in Common

Remember last year's Oscars, when host Jon Stewart, who was keeping score, announced that in the Oscar tally, Three 6 Mafia had one; Martin Scorsese had zero? Well, all that changed last night when Martin Scorsese received a long-deserved Oscar as Best Director for The Departed -- a movie I didn't see, but hey, that's what DVDs are for, right?

With the exception of Borat, I hadn't seen ANY of the movies nominated this year. I remember the days when my sister, Chrissie, and I would take a fistful of dollars and spend the entire day at the movies. Flash ahead ten years. With responsibilities of The Plantation, trying to find time to write, and my duties as co-host of The Book Squad, I hardly have time to clean my house (which is a mess) or play with my dog (who, God bless him, is patient with his owner).

I thought Ellen DeGeneres was hilarious! When she came out with that vacuum and started cleaning up, I thought my hour had come. I also did think all the right folks won (Forest Whitaker, Helen Mirren, Al Gore, etc.). I thought that Eddie could've cancelled Christmas the moment that P.O.S. Norbit hit the screens. I was especially excited when Miss Jennifer Hudson got her Oscar. I could just hear her saying in her head, "F*ck you, Simon Cowell!" I want to have the year she's having. From discounted and down-and-out to Oscar winner. I wonder what the equivalent of that would be in the book world?

Now I'm bleary-eyed from a lack of sleep, because, typically, the shit ran over. They could've cut that crappy Road to the Oscars mess and started the show a half-hour earlier, so that those with us with jobs could still get our pop culture groove on and still been able to function on the J-O the next day.

Every year, I swear I won't be taken in by Awards season. Every year, I'm wrong. I think I keep watching, because it helps me keep my eye on my prize... and my focus squarely on my own dreams. There's no way I can look away from that!

Until next year...

February 14, 2007: The Grinch Who Stole Valentine's Day

I hate Valentine’s Day.

I know it’s strange for someone who writes relationship fiction to feel this way. But I do hate Valentine’s Day. And I’m cool with that. Life is filled with many contradictions that run deeper than my personal feelings for a manufactured holiday.

I’m past being envious when I see happy couples strolling around. I’m past wanting to smash them in the face. As I got older, I realized that there was nothing wrong with me because I didn’t get an arm full of flowers and a box of heart-clogging candy on the one day of the year that Hallmark or whomever designated was the day for it. Flowers and candy on February 14th seem to mitigate a multitude of sins that occur on the other three-hundred-sixty-four days of the year. Hey, I’m sure even O.J. bought Nicole flowers and candy on Valentine’s Day.

To read the entire blog entry, go to the February 14th posting at Blogging In Black...

February 8, 2007: Don't Forget...

Listen to Karyn Langhorne and me on The Book Squad, tomorrow at noon, at www.wmet1160.com.

Our guest include poet Kwame Alexander, prolific romance author Karen Rose Smith, and Sherry Argov, author of Why Men Marry Bitches: A Woman's Guide to Winning Her Man's Heart.

My kind of precursor to Valentine's Day.

Join us, won't you?

February 5, 2007: Trying to be the Queen of All Media!

Hey, folks.

One of my fellow bloggers on Blogging in Black spoke recently in her post about signs, about how she wondered whether Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith's historical SuperBowl first could be interpreted as a sign that we, as a people, would succeed this year.

I sure hope so. Because my good friend and fellow multi-culti author Karyn Langhorne presented me with a unique opportunity -- to host a radio show about books and publishing with her. I jumped at the chance. On Friday, February 2, Karyn and I hosted the inaugural broadcast of our radio show called The Book Squad on www.wmet1160.com.

In case you’re wondering, The Book Squad is a fast-paced, high impact hour in which Karyn and I interview authors and dish about trends within the publishing industry. There’s also the 12:15 pm segment on the show called "Buy it or Burn it." You can call in and give your own recommendations on what's hot and what's not. Our version of the radio deejays' Pump it or Dump it,' or 'Slam it or Jam it.'

That Friday, the mountains didn't crumble. The seas didn't roar. Nobody asked us to go to DisneyWorld. But we had the best time, dishing about books and Hollywood with Denise Nicholas, the author of Freshwater Road, a phenomenal book about a Black girl from Detroit going down to Mississippi to register voters during Freedom Summer. And we got people excited about talking about books -- I think.

So, I hope my fellow blogger is right, that, for Karyn and I, this is one of our Tony/Lovie moment. You can join us too, if you'd like. No pressure. We're on Fridays from 12 noon to 1 p.m. at www.wmet1160.com. You can also check out The Book Squad website and blog.

Come and join us.

P.S. Congrats to Tony Dungy and The Indianapolis Colts. Thanks for the inspiration!

February 5, 2007: Black History Month

Hello, all.

As you know, this is the month where America reflects on the achievements of its citizens of African descent. Even though I think this should happen year-round, having a month to raise consciousness is a good first step. I'm not going to be like Chris Rock as Nat X and complain that it's the shortest month of the year. I do believe the decision was made to honor Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, whose birthdays fall in February to honor their impact on us as a people.

So, celebrate and be mindful. Hopefully, one day, our accomplishments will be seen as part of the tapestry of American History. Call me a cock-eyed optimist! :-)