Dangerously Beautiful

Ahhh the latest way to stay abuzz- Marriage, under the guise of Love, of course. Or at least “serious romance” under the guise of a television show. Who are we to say any of this isn’t real?

Fly-by-night weddings, 2-second romances, terrible television programming- I won’t pretend to understand the celebrity world. I also won’t pretend that I’m the intended audience for any of this stuff, I don’t seek to watch any of this stuff (although I did catch a Flava of Love marathon in Peru one time). Those VH1 marathons are killer though, who can turn away from the buffoonery?

What is the difference between a bunch of actors pretending to be Lost on an island and a bunch of actors pretending to be seriously engaged in a budding romance…..with Flava Flav. 9-1-1 isn’t the only thing that’s a joke. Perhaps it just makes for reality-tinged entertainment, though it is troubling how hard these shows cling to the idea “We’re Sooooooo In Luv!” Some people really do marry for money and notoriety without a television crew, so perhaps its sham-art imitating scam-life. I guess we should just wish everyone the best in their romances, or more importantly their careers (side eye).

Does Real Chance of Love offer a real chance at fame? I don’t know.

What I do know, however, is that with this contrived notion of love, Real love doesn’t stand a Chance. (Get It???)

Finally some music!

Just got this mix from DJ T.Elle fresh off the presses.  The LOVELY T.Elle is based in Atlanta by way of NYC.  This mix is upbeat & to the point, and its great to see (hear) ladies represent on the turntables with skills.  It runs short, but that just means you get to listen to it all over again!

http://djt-elle.podomatic.com/

I think we definitely need more music on the Dangerously Beautiful site. What do you think?

I have to admit that I’m not an avid Oprah viewer.  But when I heard that she was not only interviewing Jay Z for her magazine O, but also planned to have him on her show, I suddenly found myself watching the show Again.  I watched her previously this month when she interviewed Whitney.

Oprah Winfrey and Shawn Carter have both endured a very challenging  journey  to obtain their success.  As Oprah puts it, “they both came from poor circumstances.”  This is why I am happy to see that Oprah got over her whole not interviewing rappers bit and interviewed Jay Z.

The interview was very entertaining to me and I think that we got to see another side of Jay Z.  Having knowledge of his drug dealing days and Hard Knock Life, it’s great to see the media and hip hop mogul speak casually and show his witty sense of humor.  To me, he showed a very humble side when he said that he finds himself  shocked at times to see  the Rocawear sign when he gets off the elevator of his office (I can’t wait to say the same).  He has accomplished so much and believes that “its the passion for what you do and finding something true,” that has helped him come this far.

They go on to discuss racism, Rihanna, his businesses, marriage to Beyonce and that fact that Oprah thinks he smells good!  The pair agreed to disagree about the use of the N-word and Jay even tried to teach Oprah how to freestyle.

I’m glad these two powerhouses came together and gave us insight on his life.  I don’t know if it’s the cologne he wears or just his “swag,” but its clear that Jay Z is  in the building.

It’s officially fall. Time for the rich vibrant colors that only fall can bring.  If you know me, you know that I LOVE shoes!!  Sometimes, I’d rather buy shoes than eat, which in my case is a very big deal because food is my second weakness!

You will begin to see boots everywhere.  The true representation that fall has arrived.  From booties to stilettos, boots can complete any fall ensemble.  Lately, I have notice celebrities wearing these thigh high boots. While they look super cute, they’re not fun to try on if you have big legs.  (I’ll tell you about my episode in DSW later.)  Since I live in Miami, I normally stick to ankle and mid calf height in a neutral color.  I love suede, but since winter here means a whole 20 degree difference (we get to 70 degrees if we’re lucky), I stick to leather.  My favorites this year have been the cute booties like the slate ones in the picture above.  A staple shoe, they look great with jeans, leggings, or a dress.

Moving on from boots, you must have a nice pair of pumps and flats.  A true lover of heals, I love to experiment with colors and prints.  Peep toe is another way to add your own style by sporting your fresh pedicure.  Animal print is in as always, but I like to steer away from the real animal hair.  It gets dull and my dog is not fond of it at all.  I can’t wait to go and purchase a nice pair of plum or fuchsia suede heels (I knew I could fit suede somewhere in there!).

Flats have been on the come back for past couple of years.  There’s tons of options and they’re a great alternative when you just feel like taking it easy, but don’t want to sacrifice your style.  One great advantage of living in Miami is that sandals are never out of style.  For fall we get to take it to high levels with studded platforms and leather wedges.

This fall brings suedes, zippers, wild prints, chains, vintage, western, buckels, over the knee boots, and embellished flats.  So wherever you are and whatever shoe you decide to wear, make sure to wear it with the Dangerously Beautiful attitude.

Tyra Banks has been getting a lot of attention lately. Last night, she appeared on ‘Larry King Live’. In a very candid interview, Tyra explains that she carried the extra weight for 2 years since she told the world to “kiss her fat ass.” She did so by eating ice cream and salad with ranch dressing and croutons and bacon bits. Since then, she has lost weight in a recent weight-loss challenge with her friends. Tyra goes on to say that she feels “great when I don’t have clothes on” and is very happy with her body.

The two-time Emmy-winning talk show host kicked off the fifth season of The Tyra Show revealing her real hair. A fan of weaves, wigs, pieces, clip-ons, clip-outs, and clip-downs since the age of 17 wanted to show the real Tyra. “This is me… It felt so liberating. I have worn fake hair since I was 17 years old.”

I think its great that Tyra feels comfortable with herself. Hollywood and the media puts so much pressure on women to maintain a certain image. Almost everyone we see on TV and magazines wears fake hair, tons of make up, and can’t be bigger than a size 4. What a joke!

Thanks Tyra for being a Dangerously Beautiful woman.

When I see a news piece on something Michelle Obama is doing I generally get amped. She is bad! I just adore her. So, it’s no wonder that today’s headlines had me shouting like I was in church. It seems First Lady Obama is jumping in the healthcare reform arena. As important as the issue is, I’m not on that right now. I’m just loving how right when things were looking real greasy for our beloved president, Super Michelle is jumping in there to meet her man half way. It’s like she is saying, “I got this! Don’t even worry about it.” And as if that wasn’t enough, she is pulling in other women . . . just to show us how it’s done.

It was bound to happen. The First Lady had to come out strong into the forefront of the political arena. She is too smart, too fabulous and so necessary. But she bided her time like the supportive wife she is. And now, it’s time. I’m on Team Michelle!

A beacon of light in the heart of Harlem

I just got straight put out of a meeting. Sure, I have a hand full of Puffs, I’m walking slightly hunched over, my eyes are not really focused, I am coughing and sneezing a little and I keep dozing off only to be awakened by muscle aches. So! I still got work to do. When I leave here, I still have even MORE work to do at home.

I got the evil eye the whole time I was in the meeting and someone who I thought was a friend yelled at me for sneezing into my own hands. All this because of fear. H1N1 fear. Now, it is a fact that I will call you a “stank nasty” if you sneeze or cough more than once in my presence, but I’m no “stank nasty”. I aint got no swine flu!

Anywho, to preserve my non-stank-nastihood I’M OUT! I just might call off tomorrow, too. Thanks Joe.

How NOT to be a Stank Nasty

Is it possible to be disillusioned and experience a renewal of faith all at once?  As in love with love as I am, I think I just might be turning into one of “those people”.  You know the ones; they’d rather put up the wall then risk getting screwed over yet again.  On the other hand, this is NOT me.  I would never turn my back on love or close myself off from a new, loving experience.  This is what I live for.  Right?

Well, this is where I am.  Everybody’s got to be on top.  Everybody’s got game and everybody’s got the game figured out.  I’d absolutely hate to describe myself (God forbid!) as a player of games but honestly, I maintain this little arsenal of knowledge (real or imagined) that serves as my GPS through the singledom.  It’s like I have almost completely lost all hope in the possibility of a “good guy”.  Of course, I could just modify my mental perception of this ideal guy be done with it but that would be too easy.  Instead, I’m changing my mind.  It is what it is.  I’m not going to stop being smitten even with the GPS’ repeated warnings.  I love love.  I love men.  Boom.  Faith renewed through acceptance.

In a two part interview with Oprah Winfrey, Whitney Houston opened up about the bad and very bad aspects of her life.  This included her life with ex husband Bobby Brown, her drug use (which she gave Oprah a quick lesson about), and 7 months of wearing pajamas.

Whitney says that she tells her story to move on for herself, not for money or to make Bobby look bad.  And I have to say that even though I’m a very skeptical person, I believe her.

Whitney had a very strong support system to help her through her rehab.  Her mom, Dionne Warwick, and her daughter Bobbi Kristina were by her side every step of the way during her recovery.  Her mother at one point had to bring sheriffs to get her to realize what she was losing.

I was happy to see how Bobbi Kristina has grown up to be a beautiful 16 year old with such poise and maturity.  From the “evil eyes” to all the fighting she witnessed, it’s awesome that she stayed by her mother’s side and is able to have “normal” 16 year experiences.

At the conclusion of the interview, Whitney performed “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength.”  I feel that she isn’t 100% Whitney yet, but she’s on her way back to the Whitney that did “I Will Always Love You.”   She still has an amazingly powerful voice and looks great.  I wish her well as she takes it “one day at a time.”

You just had a wonderful meal.  The food was brought in a timely manner, your breadbasket stayed full, and you never had to ask for a refill because your glass was never empty.  When the check comes around, of course you will tip the waiter generously.

But what if the experience wasn’t so great.  Ever gone to a restaurant and felt like you had to basically beg for service. No one even knows who your waiter is going to be or where they are.  You have to wait 15 minutes just to get a glass of water let alone order appetizers.  And aren’t appetizers supposed to come BEFORE your meal.  Then after the hour long fiasco, someone brings you a check and EXPECTS a tip. Ha!

I believe some waiters/waitresses don’t really understand the meaning of a tip.  Tips are a customer’s way to provide feedback about the service in a restaurant, and should be used to reflect quality.  Yes we all know that waitstaff make their living in customer tips, not wages, but that doesn’t mean that its mandatory.

Sometimes, I agree with Kermit/Mr. Pink.

by Latrice