Fifteen Friday Fancies

“Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you didn’t let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is you did everything you could. There wasn’t one more thing you could’ve done. Can you live in that moment as best you can, with clear eyes, and love in your heart, with joy in your heart? If you can do that gentlemen – you’re perfect!”

Today is obviously not Thursday. However, it is Friday and I’ve got fifteen fancies for the thREADERS. Let’s move…

Perhaps the biggest news of the week is President Obama’s announcement of his support for same-sex marriage (1). In the, what, 36 hours since the interview, I have seen so many vituperative remarks on Facebook and Twitter. People have just been spewing all sorts of ignorance, and it really is sad. On top of all of that, many of these people call themselves Christians. Now, I pride myself in not getting too political with my weekly columns. I’m not here to tell people how they should feel or hurl my beliefs and opinions on them. I value people’s opinions; I merely express mine here. With that said, it saddens me that this topic seems to bring the worst out of some people. Whether you agree with gay marriage or disagree with gay marriage, to me, the underlying issue is human rights. I have come a long way as far as my feelings toward this issue because of my desire to be open-minded and progressive. It’s not my place to stand in the way of people who want to be happy and have the rights afforded to their heterosexual counterparts. You can quote Bible verses and tell me what “thus said the Lord” all day, but I also believe in tolerance, acceptance, and love. Like I have said several times here in the past, we need to do a better job of taking care of each other. We’ll talk about this more Monday night on our radio show.

Graduation

It’s graduation (2) season. Around this time every year, I am reminded of this because of the flurry of graduations I find myself attending. Along with the congratulations and well-wishes, the rude reminder of the economic state (3) taps me on the shoulder. Every April/May/June, a new article or study comes out with depressing news for recent graduates. This year is no different. One in two college grads can’t find work. Ugh…when will my generation catch a break? Maybe we won’t. Perhaps, college is no longer the guaranteed answer. The education system churns out more graduates than the economic system can keep up with. The Thread has decided to team up with PootKat Radio to investigate this issue with a special radio show (4) Tuesday night. Is college still worth it?

Sports

Last week, I talked about the Brooklyn Nets’ new logo and what I thought of it. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one. Phil Mushnick of the New York Post (5) wrote an editorial that suggested that the Nets be renamed the ”New York N—–s (6).” What’s worse is that this man has been defending his racist remarks. He has said,

“I’m never comfortable using that word [ni----r]. That’s the way I was raised. Shame on my parents,” a sarcastic Mushnick writes. “The ONE time I spelled it out – for accuracy – I was widely condemned as a racist. So either way, I’m a bigot. I know what’s in my heart and my head, the way I was raised, and the way I raised my kids. But you’ve painted me a racist. Good work, James. And good work, if you can get it.”

There’s more…

“Such obvious, wishful and ignorant mischaracterizations of what I write are common. I don’t call black men the N-word; I don’t regard young women as bitches and whores; I don’t glorify the use of assault weapons and drugs. Jay-Z, on the other hand…..Is he the only NBA owner allowed to call black men N—–s?”

This guy still has a job. Mushnick is stirring up a hornet’s nest, and I would advise him to stop. His logic is extremely flawed and has no place in any publication. To suggest something so absurd, demeaning, and disrespectful is disconcerting. To base such a reasoning on Jay-Z (7) is asinine. I’ve had countless discussions, read several books, and attended several forums concerning the N-word. However you feel about the word and its use, the fact is that it’s not going anywhere. The problem with Mushnick is that he assumes that Jay-Z is the figurehead of the black mass public. If he has a problem with Jay-Z lyrics, I think he should take that up with Jay-Z. He should not implant such a ridiculous notion like calling a basketball team a derogatory name.

In other news, the “geek chic” (8) has been displayed in full force these past few months. I found this article describing many NBA players’ adoption of the new style of looking professional, looking “dorktastic”, and challenging stereotypes. Players like Kevin Durant, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James are now rocking glasses as accessories, skinny ties, vests, and shirt buttoned all the way up. I must say that it is a welcome site. I’ve even bought into the style. I honestly hope that stereotypes concerning black athletes are being rewritten.

Speaking of the NBA, these injuries (9) are beginning to pile up. We’ve seen several star players go down at an alarming rate this season/post-season. David Stern (10) contended that the number of injuries is no different this season than any other a few weeks ago, but he seems to be backing away from those sentiments now. I think we’re seeing the ramifications of a shortened season over a shortened amount of time with no training camp. I’m interested to see where things go from here and what kind of changes we see made.

In more disturbing NBA news, Chris “Birdman” Andersen (11) is under investigation by an internet child pornography unit. I realize that Anderson has had his issues with drugs and whatnot, but this is a completely different animal. I’ve watched enough To Catch a Predator episodes to know that this is serious if they’re searching his home and removing computer hardware. I don’t want to speculate too much, but this situation sounds disgustingly bad.

Music

Justin Bieber (12) is a part of Floyd Mayweather’s “Money Team.” Can we talk about this? I used to hate on Bieber all the time for being another singer for the teeniebops, but this young man is doing things. He’s part of Mayweather’s entourage, carrying his belts, and looking faded in the process. Then, I stumbled upon his new “Boyfriend” video. I talked about this song on Twitter a few weeks ago, and it is dope. Seriously, Justin Timberlake needs to return to music because Bieber is taking his style spot.

Chris Brown (13) and Rihanna (14) are at it again. I know, I know. I’m sick of them, too. Brown released a song that uses Kanye’s “Theraflu” beat, and he references his “old b—-.” Rihanna took exception to this and unfollowed him on Twitter. He returned the favor. Anyway, here’s the song if you care to listen.

Mother’s Day

Finally, I’d like to acknowledge and thank all of the mothers out there. This is your weekend, and I wish all of you a very happy Mother’s Day! Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!

Here are my favorite “Mom” songs:

5. “Mother” by Pink Floyd
4. “Blueprint (Momma Loves Me” by Jay-Z
3. “A Song for Mama” by Boyz II Men
2. “Dear Mama” by Tupac
1. “Hey Mama” by Kanye West

-23

 

The Best 25 Cheating Songs from the Cheaters Themselves (Top 10)

We’ve finally made it to the Top 10! Here are the first and second installments of “The 25 Best Cheating Songs from the Cheaters Themselves” playlist if you missed them. How did we get here? Let’s do a quick rundown of the first 15:

25. “She Don’t Have to Know” by John Legend
24. “Maybe I Deserve” by Tank
23. “Second Chance” by .38 Special
22. “The Other Woman” by Ray Parker, Jr.
21. “Human” by Human League
20. “Unfaithful” by Rihanna
19. “Infidelity” by Trey Songz
18. “You Know I’m No Good” by Amy Winehouse
17. “Never Keeping Secrets” by Babyface
16. “Ooo Baby Baby” by The Miracles
15. “Confessions Part II” by Usher
14. “Heart Turns to Stone” by Foreigner
13. “Creep” by TLC
12. “Picture” by Kid Rock featuring Sheryl Crow
11. “Thin Line Between Love and Hate” by The Persuaders

Leave your judgment at the door and step on into my Top 10 cheater songs. With no further ado…

10. “O.P.P.” by Naughty by Nature – Yeah, you know me. I had to put this song on the list and put it high. It just might be the most light-hearted, realest, and hardest-hitting song of all 25. Hell, I’ll go ahead and call this one the anthem. First of all, this isn’t a gender-specific song. Men cheat. Women cheat. The only difference is what you choose to let the last “P” in the acronym stand for.

Favorite Line: “That wasn’t the thing; it must’ve been the way she hit the ceiling / ‘Cause after that, she kept on coming back and catching feelings / I said, ‘Let’s go. My girl is  coming, so you gotta leave.’ / She said, ‘Oh, no, I love you, Treach.’ I said, ‘Now child, please.’”

9. “Listen to the Clock on the Wall” by The O’Jays – I didn’t know The O’Jays had this kind of song in them. I must have been too busy chasing money, taking the stairway to heaven, crying with my woman, looking for my euthanized dog, Brandy, and waiting for the love train. Somewhere in the midst of all of that, I discovered this dark song. Two married people step out to see each other regularly and imagine a day they won’t be rushed by ticking clocks and oblivious spouses.

Favorite Line: “Girl, you better hurry / Your husband might get worried / And my wife, she doesn’t see / The change in me”

8. “I’m Gonna Miss You in the Morning” by Quincy Jones featuring Luther Vandross & Patti Austin – Before Luther Vandross was known by one name and before Quincy Jones was known by one letter, there was this romantic ode to unfaithfulness. Patti Austin lends her angelic voice to this and mixes with Luther to create one sinful, soulful serenade. Once again, time is of the essence and spoken-for lovers find themselves stealing away…if only for a short while.

Favorite Line: “I’m gonna miss you in the morning / So, baby, love me tonight”

7. “Bad Habits” by Maxwell – One of the most confusing songs lyrically that a lot of people still don’t understand. Based on the steamy video and cryptic lyrics, I’m able to surmise that this is another regretful ballad inspired by cheating. Comparing the other woman to a bad habit is something we have yet to hear from anyone else. Maxwell has a way of making bad things sound so…alluring.

Favorite Line: “You’re my bad habit, baby, you’re my / You’re takin’ my soul down to the letter ‘O’ / Can’t escape the way you got me locked out, baby / I gotta break from you, break from you, break from you”

6. “As We Lay” by Shirley Murdoch/Kelly Price – I went back and forth trying to decide which version of this song to use for this playlist, but I couldn’t decide. Off the record, I enjoy Kelly Price’s slower version a bit more than Shirley Murdoch’s original. Although Kelly and the man she refers to in this song both belong to someone else, the man’s wife takes precedence. Kelly seems to care more about not hurting the man’s wife more than she cares about hurting her own man. Oh, what a tangled web we weave…

Favorite Line: “We should have counted up the cost / But instead we got lost / In the second, in the minute, in the hour”

5. “Secret Lovers” by Atlantic Starr – The recurring theme of this playlist aside from cheating is time. This classic doesn’t stray from that worn path. Here, we have a man and a woman singing to each other about their hot affair that is reignited nightly in secrecy. Unfortunately for them, time constraints always leave them wanting more. Well done and perfectly formulaic.

Favorite Line: “In the middle of making love, we notice the time / We both get nervous ‘cause it’s way after nine / Even though we hate it, we know that it’s time that we go / We gotta be careful so that no one will know”

4. “Your Love” by The Outfield – This is my surprise pick. Imagine this setting, if you will. If you’re over the age of 23, you’ve probably been to a bar or wedding where they play this song and everyone sings the chorus at the top of their lungs. You point to the object of your affection or the closest pulchritudinous person and sing, “I just wanna use your love…TONIGHT! I don’t wanna lose your love…TONIGHT!” Newsflash: This isn’t a warm and fuzzy song. This song is about infidelity. The first line tells us that the singer’s woman, Josie, is away on vacation. He then invites an ex (“you know I’d do anything for you”) to…keep him company and stay the night in his current girlfriend’s stead. Of course, he asks her to keep this transgression a secret as she leaves.

Favorite Line: “I ain’t got many friends left to talk to / Nowhere to run when I’m in trouble / You know I’d do anything for you / Stay the night, but keep it under cover / I just wanna use your love tonight / I don’t wanna lose your love tonight”

3. “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul – I have a confession to make. This song almost didn’t make the cut. One line in this song gave it its rightful spot on this list, and that is, “Because she’s got her own obligations / And so, and so, do I.” By the “Mrs.” in the title and the majority of the lyrics, you would think that Billy is just the other man and therefore, not a cheater. However, he sings about how much it hurts and how wrong it is, so I’m led to believe that he, too, has a woman back home. It doesn’t seem to hurt unbearably bad because the forbidden lovebirds have a date set for the same time and same place the next day.

Favorite Line: “Well, it’s time for us to be leaving / It hurts so much, it hurts so much inside / Now she’ll go her way and I’ll go mine”

2. “If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don’t Want to Be Right)” by Luther Ingram – Pick your poison. Millie Jackson? Bobby “Blue” Bland? Percy Sledge? David Ruffin? Isaac Hayes? Rod Stewart? LeAnn Rimes? All of them covered this song, but Luther Ingram struck gold first on this musical staple of adultery. This is one brazen and unremorseful song. Ingram, in this case, has a wife and two kids, but calls his woman on the side “the best thing he’s ever had.” At least he doesn’t make any excuses for his feelings and behavior like some of the other people on this playlist.

Favorite Line: “Your friends tell you there’s no future / In loving a married man / If I can’t see you when I want to / I’ll see you when I can”

1. “Part-Time Lover” by Stevie Wonder – The most deceptive, slickest, craftiest, and most lyrically complete song on this list comes from none other than Stevie Wonder. Much like my sentiments toward The O’Jays, I didn’t know Stevie had this kind of song hiding behind his shades. Shame on me for thinking this superstitious, I’ll-be-loving-you-always, happy-birthday-singing, signed, sealed, and delivered crooner couldn’t create this kind of masterpiece. I’m sorry, Stevie. I truly am. This song serves as the cheater’s handbook to not getting caught. 1. When your part-time lover gets back home from a night with you, have her call, let the phone ring once, and hang up. 2. Blink the lights so your part-time lover knows that you’re not with your girlfriend, and tonight is her night. 3. If you’re with friends and you and your part-time lover happen to cross paths, she is to pass you by and not speak. 4. If there’s an emergency, tell your part-time lover to have a male call and ask for you. This is all so scandalous…and impressive. Just know that “two can play the game.”

Favorite Line: “If she isn’t with me, I’ll blink the lights / To let you know tonight’s the night / For me and you, my part-time lover”

To repeat, I do not condone nor do I advocate cheating. However, tell me there haven’t been some great songs as a result of cheaters recounting their transgressions. We’ve seen contrition, confusion, regret, happiness, bitterness, and everything in between as a result of this topic. Let me know your thoughts or if there is a song that didn’t make my list.

-23

 

Thirteen Thursday Thoughts

“Mama always said, dying was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn’t.”

Junior Seau

This Junior Seau (1) situation is truly sad. It didn’t really hit me until I read players’ tweets and watched interviews on TV. Marcellus Wiley (2) was in tears talking about the type of human being Seau was. The details are still sketchy, but it appears that Seau was battling depression and committed suicide at his home. Junior Seau was never my favorite player, but I had a lot of respect for him. At a time when the NFL (3) is being sued by former players, coaches are being suspended for an entire season, players are being suspended for multiple games, and investigations are ongoing for alleged cheating; the timing of this apparent suicide probably couldn’t be worse. I know I wondered if Seau’s death was somehow related to a brain injury or some other form of trauma he sustained as a player. I pray for his family and friends. I also pray for the Chargers organization. Since 1995, eight former Chargers have passed away. All of them were under the age of 45. David Griggs died in a car crash; Rodney Culver died in a plane crash; Doug Miller was struck by lightning; Curtis Whitley died from a drug overdose; Chris Mims had an enlarged heart and died from complications with that; Shawn Lee and Lew Bush each had a heart attack and passed. *sigh* Rest in peace, Junior.

Scattershooting

So…there’s a church…in Tulsa, Oklahoma…at a bar…called the Drunk Monkey Tavern (4). After my initial shock, I got to thinking, and it’s not a bad idea. A local church streams its service to the bar every Sunday. The bar doesn’t serve alcohol during the service, which is nice. As a Christian, I find this to be progressive. You’re not always going to reach people at a typical church with pews, preachers, and judgmental parishioners. I respect the effort to be fishers of men.

Lil Boosie (5) is about to have his day in court. He has been charged with first-degree murder for plotting to have someone killed. I’ve seen a surge in #FreeBoosie hashtags on my timeline on Twitter. Each time I’m tempted to unfollow these people. There are causes to take up, there are people to rally around, and there is Lil Boosie. Sorry, the justice system can keep him. He hasn’t been proven guilty yet, but he was stupid enough to talk about the murder in his music. See: “187″ 

Speaking of music and controversy, I watched VH1′s documentary, which highlighted the LA Riots (6) and hip-hop’s role in them. Watch “Uprising: Hip-Hop & The LA Riots” here. I was really impressed with it. When the LA Riots were going on, I was at an age where I didn’t completely understand what all was going on. I didn’t have my head buried in the sand, but it was before my time. The documentary did a great job of explaining everything from the Rodney King beating, the subsequent acquittal of the policemen who beat him, the Korean lady’s exhoneration after killing Latasha Harlins (7), and the racial turmoil in Los Angeles during that time. All the while, there was music. The music that told the world what was really going on before it gained national notoriety. VH1 went a step further and compiled a tracklist of the songs that defined the LA Riots.

Thirteen people have now been charged in the hazing death of Robert Champion (8), the former FAMU drum major who was killed in November. This whole situation sucks. I had and still have so much respect for FAMU’s band, the Marching 100 (9) and I hate that this is how many people will remember it. Currently, the band is indefinitely suspended. No matter what happens, no one will win here. A young man has lost his life, parents have lost a child, several students are facing felonies, and the school itself is tainted by this. This will get ugly.

Sports

The Brooklyn Nets (10) unveiled their new colors and logo that Jay-Z (11) helped design. I’m not impressed. First of all, it’s extremely plain. The black & white color combination is even worse. The Spurs already wear those colors. Ugh…I was expecting better.

These are pathetic.

Entertainment

There’s a push for “The Bachelor” (12) to feature its first African American. Lamar Hurd is a former professional basketball player from Oregon, who is in the running to be the next Bachelor. Here’s an interview with him from CNN and here’s his YouTube video.

“The 25 Best Cheating Songs from the Cheater Themselves” Honorable Mention (13)

I’m dropping the top 10 (25-18; 17-11) of this list tomorrow morning, but I figured I’d tease the thREADERS with the songs that missed the cut. These are great songs, but three of the four couldn’t make it to the list simply because they are not from the perspective of the cheater. They’re still great songs, so I’m showing them some love.

1. “It Wasn’t Me” by Shaggy – This song met the criteria, but it couldn’t quite crack the top 25. Perhaps Shaggy’s denial is what kept this song off the list. His girlfriend had all the evidence necessary to prove that her man was cheating, but he spends the entire song denying it.

2. “Follow Me” by Uncle Kracker – I really like this song, but like the next two songs, it doesn’t meet the criteria for this playlist. He’s the other guy who is convincing the woman to leave her husband. It’s so lovey-dovey sounding that you forget that it’s a song about secret lovers.

3. “Down Low” by R. Kelly –  This song was literally sitting comfortably in my Top 10 until I realized that R. Kelly wasn’t a cheater. There is no mention of a girlfriend, wife, or anything. However, there is a paramour. What a tragic tale this becomes when you watch the video.

4. “My Little Secret” by Xscape - Before Kandi was a “Housewife” and selling sex toys and before Tiny found T.I. and fell victim to plastic surgery, there was this jewel of deception. Instead of the quartet representing the woman who steps out on her man, it represents the side chick homegirl messing with a man who has a girlfriend. What’s more intriguing is that she likes being in the same room as the couple. Messy, messy, messy…

-23

 

The Best 25 Cheating Songs from the Cheaters Themselves (17-11)

Here’s a recap of the first installment of “The 25 Best Cheating Songs from the Cheaters Themselves”:

25. “She Don’t Have to Know” – John Legend
24. “Maybe I Deserve” – Tank
23. “Second Chance” – .38 Special
22. “The Other Woman” – Ray Parker, Jr.
21. “Human” – The Human League
20. “Unfaithful” – Rihanna
19. “Infidelity” – Trey Songz
18. “You Know I’m No Good” – Amy Winehouse

17. “Never Keeping Secrets” by Babyface – This is the most ambiguous song on the playlist, but it’s a classic. Babyface never actually says that he cheated, but all of the signs are there. Why else would he be begging to get back with his ex and swearing that he’ll never lie or keep secrets? Reading between the lines, he got caught cheating and made this song to convince her that he was a changed man. Bunch of promises…good luck.

Favorite Line: “Momentary insanity must be the reason why I did you that way, babe / So now I’m telling everybody that I know I was a fool / To take a chance of ever losing you / And I can’t take losing you”

16. “Ooo Baby Baby” by The Miracles – If we’re talking bad lyrics, some of the gems from this song just might take the cake. I expect more from Smokey Robinson, but this song came out during the Motown era and probably got watered down to cater to a larger audience. The worst line? I’m thinking, “Mistakes, I know I’ve made a few / But I’m only human / You’ve made mistakes, too.” There’s that pesky “I’m only human” excuse again. Oh! And he backhandedly justifies his wrongs by saying that his girl has done wrong, too. Not the best way to go about improving things, Mr. Robinson. With all that said, this is still a timeless song.

Favorite Line: “I did you wrong / My heart went out to play / But in the game, I lost you / What a price to pay”

15. “Confessions Part II” by Usher – Not only does Mr. Raymond have to tell his girlfriend about his cheating ways, but he also has to tell her that he’s having a lovechild. We’re eleven songs into this countdown, and this is the first mention of a consequence of this kind. Usher just upped the ante on this playlist.

Favorite Line: “Third thing was me wishing that I never did what I did / How I ain’t ready for no kid and bye bye to our relationship”

 

14. “Heart Turns to Stone” by Foreigner – The birth of a woman scorned. Hell hath no fury…The singer had a great woman who stood behind him, stood by him, and supported him, but he cheated on her. In turn, her heart…well, you know the rest.

Favorite Line: “All the hurt inside, the wounded pride / Oh, what she went through for you / You cheated and lied as her love slowly died / And her heart just broke in two”

 

13. “Creep” by TLC – Yet another vindictive song for the playlist. The crazysexycool ladies tell the story of a woman who loves her man, but she knows that he is cheating and lying about it. What’s a girl to do? Put on silky pajamas and get hers on the side, too. She doesn’t dare tell anyone about it, though. Except us. Shh…

Favorite Line: “I’ll keep giving loving / ‘Til the day he pushes me away, never go astray / If he knew the things I did, he couldn’t handle it / And I choose to keep him protected”

12. “Picture” by Kid Rock & Sheryl Crow – Ah, yes…a painful, drug-referencing duet. Up until this point, I can say that this is the song that illustrates the most torment. Kid and Sheryl are both cheating on each other, which is nothing new to this playlist, but something is different with this song. Maybe it’s the fact that both singers admit to hurting each other. Powerful track.

Favorite Line: “Since you’ve been gone, my world’s been dark and grey / You reminded me of brighter days / I hoped you were comin’ home to stay / I was headed to church / I was off to drink you away”

11. “Thin Line Between Love and Hate” by The Persuaders – If you looked at my favorite line from this song first, you’d think that the guy was the one being cheated on. Wrong! His sweet woman got fed up with his infidelity and put him in the hospital. *cue Lynn Whitfield trying to kill Martin Lawrence*

Favorite Line: “I didn’t think my woman could do something like this to me / I didn’t think she had the nerve, so here I am / I guess actions speak louder than words”

The top and final 10 songs of “The 25 Best Cheating Songs from the Cheaters Themselves” will be coming at you soon…very soon.

-23

 

The 25 Best Cheating Songs from the Cheaters Themselves (25-18)

If you’re a regular here, you might have seen a few playlists that I’ve done in the past. Here are a few in case you missed them: Father Playlist, Grown & Sexy Playlist. I decided to make this one my most well-researched one yet. They couldn’t just be any songs, though. There are a million songs dealing with this subject. These songs had to be from the vantage point of the actual cheaters involved in the cheating. That also means that songs about being cheated on (i.e. Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats”) did not make the cut.

Disclaimer: I do not in any way condone cheating. At the same time, this list is not intended to insight judgment. Songs inspired by strong emotion tend to be some of the best, so I felt that I would discover and rediscover a myriad of incredible songs. Obviously, I couldn’t put every good cheater song on here, but I certainly got a lot of them. Anyway, let’s get to it…

25. “She Don’t Have to Know” by John Legend – I could have used any number of his songs (“Number 1”, “Again”, “Another Again”, etc. However, I decided to go with this one because it captures that feeling of knowing you’re wrong, but lying to keep from getting caught.

Favorite Line: “Girl, I know you’re doing the same thing, too / But I won’t tell your man the things we do”

 

24. “Maybe I Deserve” by Tank – Tank put an interesting spin on this song by going around the fact that he cheated. He never actually admits it until towards the end of the song. Instead, he creates an imaginary tale of his girl doing what he did to her in real life. Impressive.

Favorite Line: “Maybe I deserve for you to say, ‘Yes, I cheated on you.’ / And I won’t care ‘cause after all I put you through”

 

23. “Second Chance” by .38 Special – I can’t help but laugh at some of these lyrics. It’s amazing how many feelings the same kind of act spawns. This song provides some of the weaker excuses for cheating, but it’s a good song, nonetheless.

Favorite Line: “I never loved her / I never needed her / She was willing and that’s all there is to say / Don’t forsake me; please don’t leave me now”

 

22. “The Other Woman” by Ray Parker, Jr. – “Who ya gonna call?” Well, if you’re Ray Parker, Jr., you’re obviously going to call the other woman. He messed up by falling in love with her, though. If you’re looking for a song filled with begging, pleading, and remorse, this ain’t the one for you.

Favorite Line: “Oh, this affair is unique / All my life I never met such a freak / She keeps going strong for so long / When I get home, it’s all gone”

 

21. “Human” by Human League – Now that I’ve established that some of these lyrics are weak, allow me to present Exhibit B. I get a kick out of some of the justification I read when I look at some of these lyrics. What’s the excuse for cheating in this song? “I’m only human.” Well, now that you said that…

Favorite Line: “I wouldn’t ever try to hurt you / I just needed someone to hold me / To fill the void while you were gone / To fill this space of emptiness”

 

20. “Unfaithful” by Rihanna – “Once a good girl goes bad, she’s gone forever.” RiRi wasn’t lying when she resurrected a Jay-Z lyric. Here, she is cheating on her lover, and he knows that she’s cheating on him. The worst part is that she’s happy with the other guy. Fortunately, she doesn’t want to cheat on him anymore. Out with the old, in with the new, I suppose.

Favorite Line: “I say, ‘I won’t be long. Just hangin’ with the girls.’ / A lie I didn’t have to  tell / Because we both know where I’m about to go / And we know it very well”

19. “Infidelity” by Trey Songz – This song is for the good lovesick girlfriends everywhere. Trey’s girlfriend loves him no matter what he does. He decides to do the admirable thing, which is to break up with her. “[She] can’t be mad at that…” Brutal. Poor girl…

Favorite Line: “With all my infidelity / You loved me so incredibly / Inside I’ll fall apart / If you ever love someone instead of me”

 

18. “You Know I’m No Good” by Amy Winehouse – Unhappily married and stuck together is how I’d describe this song in short. Amy goes back to an ex-boyfriend and does everything she can to make her seemingly dumb good husband divorce her. At least he knew what he was getting into.

Favorite Line: “Upstairs in bed with my ex-boy / He’s in a place, but I can’t get joy / Thinking on you in the final throes / This is when my buzzer goes”

 

Look out for songs 17-11 on the “25 Best Cheating Songs from the Cheaters Themselves” playlist tomorrow.

-23

 

Friendly Reminder: Don’t Get Caught

Hello, thREADERS! Just wanted to give y’all a friendly reminder that, whenever you KNOW all eyes are on you, or even when you think no one is watching you… always buckle up and be careful not to get caught with your pants down.

You don’t want to be this guy. Okay, well, maybe you do, but not like this.

"... Till I get flashed by the paparazzi/ Damn, these niggas got me!" - Flashing Lights

 

Thirteen Thursday Thoughts

“Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honor to meet you…”

Music

It’s been a quiet week (thankfully), so this set of Thursday Thoughts will largely dwell on the past. First and foremost, Dick Clark (1) passed yesterday at the age of 82. Although he was before my time with the exception of New Year’s Eve every year, I must take a moment to salute the man. Clark basically made it acceptable to bring black music by black people to white households on television. American Bandstand (2) was one of the first shows to allow blacks and whites to perform on the same stage, have black performers, and a desegregated audience. My prayers are with his family and friends.

Coachella (3) started this past weekend, and the biggest news came during Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s performance. A hologram of Tupac (4) appeared during the set and performed “Hail Mary” and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted”. Technology has come a long way. It certainly gives credence to the idea that one’s legacy lives on and never really dies. It has subsequently stirred up some debate, though. Personally, I have to give Dre credit for giving us this glimpse of ‘Pac again. Along with his Beats headphones, he has had a huge couple years. Now…about that Detox album.

Perhaps one of the more unheralded performances last weekend came from The Weeknd (5). I really didn’t mean that as a pun. As some of you know, I am a HUGE Weeknd fan, so I was looking forward to hearing his performance. Watch it here. His live vocals need work, but it’s worth a look, since most fans have never seen him perform live. The Weeknd is still a bit of an enigmatic character. His cryptic and often disturbingly obscure videos on YouTube don’t give us a good idea of who this mysterious Canadian really is. I’m almost holding out hope that he stays the shadowy artist that he is. If he blows up, I fear the limelight from the mainstream will severely cripple the dark persona that he has meticulously created.

Sports

In news that isn’t really news, the wife of Antonio Cromartie (6) announced that her and her husband are expecting twins. For those of you keeping score at home, these will be numbers 11 and 12 for Cromartie; three and four for the couple. As for the other eight, they are dispersed between seven other women. My head suddenly hurts. Now, I’m not one to judge, but…do none of these people believe in some kind of birth control?? There was talk of a reality show featuring all of the mothers, kids, and Cromartie, but apparently, he declined the idea. I’ll just put this out there. Cromartie shouldn’t decline any form of income. He won’t be a cornerback forever and that $252,000 a year in child support will start to hurt soon if it doesn’t already.

Major League Baseball celebrated its annual Jackie Robinson Day (7) earlier this week in which every player dons the number 42. Every year, this commemoration brings with it negativity concerning the lack of African Americans in baseball. As it stands now, 8.05% of all MLB baseball players are black, the lowest in 60 years. Enter Marlon Byrd (8), Chicago Cubs outfielder. I will just quote him because I think he hit the nail on the head, and I can’t say it any better myself.

“If you want to take polls, then take polls asking how many black lawyers do we have now, or how many black judges or black doctors there are now. Just because we’re black doesn’t mean we have to play sports. You can go through other avenues. If the decrease (in baseball) is because they’re going into academic fields, so be it. More power to them.” -Marlon Byrd

He is absolutely right. More power to you, good sir.

To wrap up sports news, a basketball legend stepped down this week. Notice that I said basketball and not women’s basketball. Pat Summitt (9) stepped down from her post as head coach of the women’s basketball team at Tennessee, and I’m honestly pretty sad about it. I don’t pretend to be the biggest women’s basketball fan, but she was one of the best and most dominant coaches, and it is a shame to see her go because of health concerns. She is battling early onset dementia. I pray for her and her family. Well done on the press conference today, Tennessee.

The Week of Tragedy

Today is April 19, 2012. Can you believe it has been 19 years since the Waco Tragedy (10)? Can you believe it has been 17 years since the Oklahoma City bombing (11)? I was a kid, but I still remember those days like they were yesterday. There are haunting images firmly entrenched in my head from those days. Waco is like a second home to me. Seventy-six people lost their lives, including 27 children on this day in 1993 at the Branch Davidian Compound in Waco.  Two years later, 168 people lost their lives in Oklahoma City. Hundreds more were injured. I was fortunate enough to visit the memorial in Oklahoma City a few years ago, and I advise everyone to experience that place. It’s amazing that they were able to create a space of such peace and serenity when it was anything but on that tragic morning of April 19, 1995. We observed the five-year anniversary of the Virginia Tech shooting (12) this week (April 17, 2007) as well. On the day we all became Hokies, 32 people lost their lives, while 30 more were injured. I was a junior in college. I remember being in the library when I heard the news of a gunman on a rampage on the campus of Virginia Tech. We have lived through entirely too many of these depressing events. The 13-year anniversary of Columbine (13) is tomorrow. Fourteen students and a teacher died that day in Littleton, Colorado. Sadly, It takes times like these to remind us just how precious life is and how quickly it could end.

-23

 

Thirteen Thursday Thoughts

“Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold.”

The Tale of Five Lawyers

It’s been another week full of news surrounding the Trayvon Martin case. Of course, George Zimmerman was charged with second degree murder yesterday. That’s not what I want to focus on, though. Let me preface all of this by saying that I am not an attorney. I don’t have a law background aside from the Sports Law classes I took in undergrad and grad school. I want to focus on the parade of lawyers that I’ve seen this week. First, there were Zimmerman’s first two lawyers, Hal Uhrig (1) and Craig Sonner (2). I saw these two on a late-night political show, and they quickly pissed me off. I was amazed by how abrasive and unprofessional they came off. I was honestly sickened by the whole interview. So when Uhrig and Sonner withdrew as Zimmerman’s counsel on Tuesday, I was thrilled and concerned at the same time. If they had stayed on the case, I think it would have been an easier case for the prosecution. Prosecution. Enter Angela Corey (3). I watched her press conference last night, and she impressed me. She was very sharp and astute, and for the first time, I felt like this case was in very good hands. She took control of the presser and I think she has some damning evidence that has yet to be presented to the public. Just a hunch. Like I said, I’m not a lawyer. You know who is a lawyer, though? Benjamin Crump (4). *sigh*

Really???

Now, I’ve gotten some flack from some of my followers on Twitter for voicing my disapproval of Crump. I respect and applaud his efforts with such a high-profile situation. He has been relentless when it comes to justice for Trayvon Martin, and I have the utmost respect for that. Now that that’s out of the way, I think the guy is a joke. Every time I see him on TV, which has a been A LOT the past few weeks, I cringe. I realize that he’s the family lawyer, and maybe he’s the best they could get. I don’t know. That doesn’t change my opinion of him, though. I find him extremely rough around the edges, and he struggles to form literate sentences. When I compare the 10 minutes I saw of Corey and the 3 weeks I’ve seen of Crump, I thank God she’s running the show from here. Finally, there’s Mark O’Mara (5), who has now become my biggest concern. Why? I like the guy. He is the first breath of fresh air coming from the Zimmerman camp. I’ve now seen three of his interviews in the past 24 hours, and he has nailed all of them. The first words I heard him utter were condolences to the Martin family. He comes off as a genuine human being who knows that his life has changed forever and who understands that a parent should never have to bury a child. This will surely get very interesting. Stay tuned…

Sports

The juxtaposition of Bobby Petrino (6) and Ozzie Guillen (7) this week would be comical if both weren’t involved in such incredibly stupid situations. Petrino essentially got fired for dipping his pen in company ink that he helped pay for and urged the company to invest in. Yeah, I can milk metaphors. The 25-year-old Jessica Dorrell (8) and 51-year-old Petrino have been involved in an “inappropriate relationship” for the past seven months. The worst part…Dorrell is engaged. Her fiancé is the loser in all of this. He’s a swim coach at Arkansas and has to deal with this mess. All in the family, I suppose. The formerly happy couple had a wedding website up a few days ago, but it has been taken down. If you’re curious about that guestbook and how it got absolutely mutilated, look here. By the way, Petrino and his wife put their $2.5 million dollar house on the market. A $2.5 million house for coaching kids whose compensation is a scholarship and stipend? I digress. Wait…there’s more… Now, for Ozzie Guillen. I’ve gone back and forth in my head debating whether or not I think Guillen should’ve been fired for his comments regarding Fidel Castro. On one hand, by offending a huge percentage of the Miami Marlins fanbase, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to keep him around. However, after watching his press conference, I think Guillen is sincerely remorseful. He made a mistake, acknowledged it, and I would say that he deserves a second chance…if he wasn’t already on his fifth or sixth chance. Let’s face it. Guillen is a hothead who has said a lot of stupid stuff. The media has made him the brazen manager that he is, and he should thank all things holy that the media didn’t destroy him.

I was going to talk about Lamar Odom (9) finally getting cut from the Dallas Mavericks, but he seems like such a waste of a precious spot. Then, I remembered that he’s a Kardashian. He gets paid for doing nothing. Good riddance. Speaking of Dallas-area sports, have you heard about this two-foot-long hot dog (10) available at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington??? Does Subway have some competition? Not with the $26 price tag. Yeah, there’s a reason why Americans are fat. No, thank you.

This just looks disgusting.

Techy Stuff

Facebook bought Instagram (11) for $1 billion. Let that marinate. For what? Why is something that lets people take pictures, mess with them, and post them even worth $1 billion? Facebook already has some absurd amount of users. What is it, 850 million? What’s something as trendy as Instragram going to do for Facebook? Is this a way of infultrating Twitter? That’s the only reason that would make sense to me. To be frank, I’d get rid of Facebook if I wasn’t on this thing we call The Thread and tagged in over 1,000 pictures. Twitter is my social media platform of choice. Now, that my mom, aunts, uncles, and random church members are friends of mine on Facebook, I have little use for it. #Twitter > #Facebook

Music

I am not mad at you, bro.

I can’t keep up with Jennifer Lopez (12) and her flavors of the week. Her boo, Casper Smart, is probably the envy of 25-year-olds everywhere, though. J. Lo is doing the cougar thing, and those of you who know me know that my ears perk up at the sound of cougars. I like the idea of cougardom. I happened to see this video late one night, and Mr. Smart, I approve. Good for you, sir.

I want to set my sights on someone who can actually sing, though, and that is Melanie Fiona (13). I’ve been listening to her album, The MF Life, for a little over a week now, and I love it. I wasn’t even the biggest fan of her music, but something told me to give this album a listen. Maybe it was “4 AM”. Either way, it is a wonderful album. Here are my five favorites:

1. Like I Love You
2. Can’t Do This No More
3. Bones
4. Break Down These Walls
5. Change the Record

-23

 

Thirteen Thursday Thoughts

“To making it count…”

Movies

Just as I finished digesting the news of Whitney Houston’s toxicology reports, TriStar released the trailer for Sparkle (1), starring Whitney Houston, Mike Epps, Derek Luke, Cee-Lo (2) (more on him later), and Jordin Sparks. I realize that this is a remake, but I’m really excited about it, and I have high hopes for it. I’m going to see it, if for no other reason than to see Whitney and hear her angelic voice one more time. 

Music

I finally got to see The Hunger Games, and I loved it! It wasn’t as good as the book, but what movie is ever as good as the book that precedes it? I felt that the movie did it justice, and I’m excited to start reading Catching Fire. Since I’m on the topic, Lenny Kravitz (2) as Cinna just might have been my favorite character outside of Katniss. I loved Rue, too. I won’t spoil the plot for those who have yet to read the book or see the movie, but I will say that he added a serenity to the movie, and he nailed his role. I’m glad to see that Helen, I mean Roxie Roker (3) passed some acting skills down to her son. Movin’ on up…here’s a list of my 5 favorite Lenny Kravitz songs.

1. “Little Girl’s Eyes” (duh…)
2. “Fly Away”
3. “Again”
4. “I Belong to You”
5. “I’ll Be Waiting”

Kanye West (4) made the news again this week for his song, “Theraflu”, where he admits to falling in love with Kim Kardashian, throws his respect for Wiz Khalifa, and well…here:

“And I’ll admit, I fell in love with Kim, ’round the same time she had fell in love with him, well, that’s cool, baby girl, do ya thing, lucky I ain’t have Jay drop him from the team,”

I think Kanye is disturbed in all honesty. I’ve thought something was off ever since 808′s & Heartbreak. His “Runaway” video was the icing on the cake for me (even though I loved it). Fellow Threader, Terry the Trainer, eloquently nails my sentiments with this gem:

“Kanye’s new song reminds me of how badly I do NOT. WANT. FAME. Ever. Falling in love with Kim K while she falls in love with the dude she marries on your watch, just to dump him two months later, and leave you feeling empty…Now one ex is with an inferior rap guy (Wiz) and another ex is over you, overpaid, and thanks to your own big mouth, over-publicized as you openly admit defeat to an NBA guy who is as famous as he has recently become…Because of your ex. At a certain point, you are so celebrated, you just chase what (and who) is celebrated. You forget what you once were and what type of company you once pursued. I feel sorry for that in a way at the same time. You CAN’T be normal anymore.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. “The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul” (5) found her way into my “Thirteen Thoughts”…again. By now, you’ve probably seen, heard, or heard about the now infamous Burger King commercial that has her looking like Catwoman on a table singing about crispy chicken, fresh lettuce, an assortment of cheeses, and ranch dressing. I suppose her days of drama, real love, goin’ down, and breaking through are over. utpipeline gave us a classic post yesterday, so I’ll just leave this subject with that. *walks away* *looks back* *shakes head* *continues walking* Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary… *sigh*

Cee-Lo (6) is quickly becoming another all-star on my Thoughts, but I’m not happy with him at the moment. A few weeks ago, Cee-Lo performed the unedited version of his hit single, “F*** You” at a fundraiser for President Obama, which was hosted by Tyler Perry (6) (more on him in a second). Dammit, Cee-Lo, you can’t do that!!! My people, my people…while I’m sure this is a popular sentiment directed at several of Obama’s opponents, it will certainly not help get the President reelected. *slightly head-bops*

Radio Show

Thread Radio is off and rolling now, and we’ll keep it chugging next as we talk about Tyler Perry (7). He has been the subject of several debates over on the Thread, so we figured we’d bring it to the public. So many people love him; so many people hate him. Is he good for black entertainment or is he bad for it? However, you feel, be sure to tune in Monday night at 10 Central at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/threadradio. Here are our first and second shows in case you missed them.

Sports

The Masters started today, and Tiger Woods (8) seems to be an early favorite. Timeout. You mean to tell me that it only took one win after 2 years for people to hop back on Tiger’s bandwagon? That’s it? I’ve watched so many “experts” and “analysts” say that they believe he’ll end up with the green jacket on Sunday. Color me skeptical. Oh, congratulations to Baylor for winning the title in women’s basketball! I got my wish of getting to see Skylar and Brittney Griner (9) square off, but I knew Baylor would prevail. Griner is simply unstoppable. I suppose Baylor Law School (10) was too excited about the win, and pushed some of the wrong buttons. Congratulations to the new class…I suppose.

YouTube

YouTube has done what it always does and provided some great entertainment for people this week.Here’s the 5-year-old comedian who calls out lazy parents (11). 

On a Personal Note

I’m not Catholic, but I am a Christian, and I’ve been taking part in a fast in observance of Lent (12). I usually give up all liquids except water, which is also a tribute to my grandmother as she used to do the same thing. I also gave up fast food. Let me just say that this was probably the most challenging fast to get through. It’s not over until Easter, but goodness. I’ve been the awkward guy at the social outing at a bar who asks for water far too many times this past several weeks. All for good reason, but I’m glad it’s almost over. To God be the glory. Finally, it’s been a tough few days for me as tragedy (13) struck entirely too close to home. This guy that I grew up with and went to church with murdered his mother, who also went to church with me. There really isn’t much I can say because it’s such a tragic and heart-wrenching situation, but my thoughts and prayers are with the immediately family and close friends. I wish there was something we could’ve done. We knew the young man was on the wrong path. Maybe we didn’t pray hard enough. Maybe we didn’t reach out to him enough. Maybe we didn’t keep him close enough to us. I don’t know, but my heart is heavy. Let’s take care of each other.

-23

 

“What Do We Do In the Mean Time?” asked Mary J. Blige to the WB Frog

So I cheated. I’ve already posted this to my other blog www.theblackhollywoodreporter.wordpress.com (check it out), but I thought I should just share the love!

I come to you today realizing there is a paradigm in Black Hollywood, and I don’t know how I feel about it. This realization comes after the backlash of Mary J. Blige’s Burger King Commercial.

Click Here to Watch the Video

Many believe it was coonish for Blige to sing the song about chicken, burgers, and even ranch dressing, but as I sit on the other side of the industry, my gut just wouldn’t let me get as mad as I probably would have a few years ago. My mind didn’t directly move to disgust and dissecting the “issue”, but it DID make me wonder about the meeting Blige had with her team. I could picture her agent presenting the opportunity her. It was probably like, “Burger King wants you to do a song.” If I came to you and plainly said, “Burger King wants you to do a song,” would you honestly shut it down? Would chicken and ranch dressing be the first thing to pop into your mind? Maybe not, so let’s just say that you agreed. Once you read the lyrics, even if a red flag was raised, what would the conversation be like with your manager about the backlash of your career?  Before you answer, let me tell you that commercials make people a lot of money for a little time. While movie shoots would probably last 100 days, a commercial lasts 3. While making an album may last months or even years, you would probably spend a day in the studio to record the song. And the residuals for a national commercial bring in some nice bread… very nice. So think about the complexity of her decision especially when the digital boom has cut musical artists’ income.

But trust, Blige is not alone in the struggle. Think about Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer. With the scarcity of parts, should [black] actors turn down roles? Did people stop working for BP waiting on them to clean up the spill? Did the LAPD officers quit the force after those police officers were acquitted for beating Rodney King? So as we wait for more quality television shows and movies, what do black artist do in the mean time while whites offer a narrow scope of characters and blacks don’t take the time to educate themselves in order to create quality work? Artists still need income, and inactivity is the best way to be forgotten. How does Black Hollywood deal with this paradigm?

Honestly, the resolution of this paradigm doesn’t bother me as much as the realization that we are dealing with the same predicament Robert Townsend dealt with in Hollywood Shuffle. It’s been at least 30 years, and we really haven’t progressed. I’ve racked my brain trying to find solutions to this problem. Each solution seems to cancel each other out, and in the time of quick, fast, and in a hurry products (reality tv), it’s so hard to find someone willing to take their time and make something of quality. To be transparent, The Game and Let’s Stay Together are a chore to watch, and I won’t even get on Love That Girl. No one supports Treme resulting next season being their last season, and after Red Tails, it seems we cannot rely on someone else to tell our story. We are slowly getting mainstream roles, but “they” protest. For example, the backlash of Idris Elba in the movie Thor: http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011/05/02/thor-star-idris-elba-on-fan-racism-and-ghost-rider-sequel-but-not-prometheus/ , or recently the African Americans casted in Hunger Games: http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/hunger-games-fans-have-racist-debate-over-stars-playing-rue-thresh-2012263 ? So in this slow transformation, what do we do… because BILLS are do!