Friday, October 24, 2014

TGIT Week End Review

I'm distrubed I feel the need to recap my two favorite shows: Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder. So, I will keep it short and sweet today. Just a few of my favorite tweetings...


Scandal



Oh yeah, this was nice. Jake receiving a beat down from the Prez while reminiscing about doing the nasty with Liv on vacay - And he lets old Fitz know how much he enjoyed doing his girlfriend. Bet.







My girl Mellie. Forget them. Drink until you feel better. Then write a best-selling, tell-tale bio on your low down husband.







How to Get Away with Murder 


Let's get down to the git down.

Lies
Round 1
Poor Sam. That hot little hussy seduced him and he couldn't help but to sleep with her and text her pictures of his ding dong. Of course he didn't love her. It was all her fault. She was a student in his class, just sitting there looking pretty. What was he supposed to do?

Q: How many times did it happen?
A: Is 'a lot' a number?

Q: Do you love her?
A: No! It was HER FAULT.






LIE












Lies
Round 2



Repercussions 
Sam, Sam, Sam. You're going to have to come stronger than this if you want to convince Annalise of your lies.





Until Next Thursday...

@lafleur2009 

Thursday, October 23, 2014

TGIT Previews

I don't want to hear about how I'm a Scandal and How To Get Away with Murder junkie. Apparently, you are too.

Here's the Scandal promo that aired following the October 16th broadcast for tonight's show (sorry about the ads):




Here are Annalise's scheduled events for October 23rd. She poses a great question. Yes Sam, can you explain to us why your penis is on a dead girl's phone?


See you on Twitter tonight. @lafleur2009.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Valerie June


On Saturday, October 18th, I was lying in bed, flipping through the TV channels, hoping to fall asleep. I stumbled across Austin City Limits on PBS. What I saw amazed me. I watched an electrifying performance by a musician named Valerie June. Her "organic moonshine roots music" is a mixture of R&B, Blues, Jazz, Blue Grass, and Country. She swirls it all together, adding a little bit of this and pinch of that, creating a sensuousness, hypnotic, hybrid marriage of folk rhythms and lyrics, serenading and captivating our imaginations and souls.

A master at the guitar, banjo, and other string instruments, Valerie spins her musical tales while tossing about her dreadlocks, up-swept into a curly coif. "Working Woman Blues" is one of my favorites by her. Here's video of Valerie performing the song in the Music Lounge at the Bumbershoot Music Festival in Seattle:


Another favorite was "Pushing Against A Stone" at the AFROPUNK Fest:


Valerie will be playing Carnegie Hall on February 13, 2015. For ticket information, please click here.

To learn more about Valerie and her music, please visit her website at valeriejune.com.

Friday, October 17, 2014

TGIT Got Me

It's official! I've fully surrendered my soul to the #TGIT on ABC, aka the #Darkside, aka #Scandal, aka #How to Get Away with Murder, aka, #ImNotEditingMyBookBecauseImWatchingTGIT. It's all so entangled, lowdown, smart, treacherous, devious, and delicious. You can find highlights from ABC's Thursday night tour of Shondaland all over the net, but here are some my takeaways.

Scandal
 1. I'm need clarification on what #EiffelTowering is? Please keep your explanations as clean as possible .

2. Those bottles of wine have started talking to my girl, Mellie. Don't feel shamed Mellie. Trust me, you're not alone in Outer Limits of Merlot. In any case, wine therapy has made our girl 'as crazy as a Betsy bug,' as my Southern mother would say.



 



3. Wine courage (a byproduct of wine therapy) can get you in trouble. Shaunte Bell shared Chaz B (@chazbeasley) Twitter post on +Google:






4. Mellie, Fitz doesn't respect you anymore. He snapped hard on you. That was wrong, but I guess he was fed up, thinking, "My Liv wouldn't break down like this." Thanks to Luvvie A for summarizing.

  


How To Get Away with Murder

I'm still getting into this show, but it isn't short stopping on clips and quotes.

I was on Twitter, so I missed the scene leading up to this. This is a classic scene of a woman who is outdone and outraged by her man's mind blowing betrayal. Watch out for her quiet, controlled fury. It's time for Annalise to go to war with the man she loves. When the wig, makeup, and jewelry comes off, the sh## goes down. Sam's betrayal has left her soul bare and exposed, or so it seems. If you ask me, Annalise just strapped on her armor.


 
Until next Thursday #TGIT nation. See you on Twitter!!! @Lafleur2009

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

On My List: Debbie Doesn't Do It Anymore

I'm a Pinterest fanatic and maintain several boards. Some time ago, I started a board called On My List, tracking books I fantasize about reading in the near future. Today, I encountered...



The cover art and intriguing title author Walter Mosley chose for his novel definitely compelled me take a second look. Here's the summary provided on Amazon:

In this scorching, mournful, often explicit, and never less than moving literary novel by the famed creator of the Easy Rawlins series, Debbie Dare, a black porn queen, has to come to terms with her sordid life in the adult entertainment industry after her tomcatting husband dies in a hot tub. Electrocuted. With another woman in there with him. Debbie decides she just isn't going to "do it anymore." But executing her exit strategy from the porn world is a wrenching and far from simple process.

If you've read the novel, I'd be interested to know your thoughts.

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Gina And Pat Neely

Those of us who have been single and alone all of our lives are always encouraged by happy couples blessed with long marriages. We may hear rumors about trouble in paradise from time to time, but super-couples (both celebrity and regular folk alike) work it out. They've learned over the years to forgive one another, come to an agreement and move on. The longevity of their unions gives us single people seeking our soul mates a sense of comfort and hope that one day, we too may find true love as well.


Denzel and Pauletta Washington

Will & Jada Pinkett Smith

Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos

Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman

David Bowie and Iman
 (To view the article, please visit: 15 Long-Lasting Celebrity Marriages)

I find it unsettling and a bit heartbreaking when a great relationship ends. Another scale chipped away from the armor of innocence, love and fairy tales. We all know marriage is anything but a fairytale, but it's nice living in the single folk land of make believe, looking over the fence and admiring Cinderella's and Prince Charming's castle.

For years, I've enjoyed my lovey-dovey Neelys on the Food Network, cooking up fun and good lovin' for all of us to enjoy. Sure, sometimes they put too much sugar in the love pie, but it was still nice to see.

Gina and Pat Neely
Looking in the window from the outside, I wonder what was so bad about their relationship they couldn't work out? If one is in an abusive, toxic, unhappy situation, of course, they should leave. No one should live in misery everyday. You should NEVER allow anyone to ABUSE your body, spirit or soul. However, you're heart will take a hit from time to time. It's just the way it goes if you continue your journey in the land of the living.

Well, let me shut up. It's not my place to conjecture on why they hated each other, as TMZ reports. But if it was hate, I have this to say about my own experience: what I hated in others were the same characteristics I disliked about myself. When I looked at the person I despised, I found myself peering into mirror. My own soul stared back at me, less than perfect. It's easier to hate them than to change me.

So, here's my two cents and then I'm going to leave it alone (Sorry, this looks more like five cents):

A. There's nothing out here but solitude and reflection. Reconsider.

B. Forgive one another.

C. Forgive yourselves.

D. Love and accept one another for whom each of you are.

E. Love yourself.

I've never been married. I've never had a boyfriend (hence the birth of my fantastic imagination and storytelling superpowers). Yet, I've had to learn these lessons over the course of the last year with other people in my life. I'm better now. I let go of the hurt and pain, for only I suffered. Everyone else had moved on with their lives.  In any case, after walking through the fire, I can live and work with the people around me again. But I must give the praise - God saved me.

Maybe divorce is the only way Gina and Pat can find the peace and happiness we all seek in life. I don't know; hell, I can't figure out my own issues. I'm not there with them behind closed doors. I can only wonder. Perhaps once they complete their journey apart, they both will discover they already possessed the true love they desired, each other.

Maybe not.

Gina And Pat Neely To Divorce After 20 Years Of Marriage

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

San Diego Film Festival : September 24-28 2014

The Mall.

It's a scary place. It takes my car note and rent money. So, when I venture into the terror/pleasuredome, I go with a specific agenda. No window shopping. Don't run into Nordstrom's for a minute. Do not walk through Bloomies. I enter through a common, outdoor area, go to the mall directory, find my destination and head there.




My mission was successful. I located Sephoria, purchased my hair product (Wen, it worked pretty good. I'm a first time user). I was hungry, so I found a bite to eat, and then went home. Yet, as I was leaving the mall, something caught my eye. A banner for the San Diego Film Festival. A film festival? Although I rarely go to the movies, I enjoy film festivals. I attended the San Diego Black Film Festival at the beginning of the year and had a great time.



Of course, the festival occurs at the same time I have a big conference at work; however, I hope to at least make one showing. Directed by Travolta Cooper and narrated by Dennis HaysbertBlack Moses, the story of Prime Minister LO Pindling and his struggle to bring independence to British ruled Bahamian Islands, will screen at the Reading Theater in the Gaslamp on Saturday September 27 at 4:30 pm. For ticket information and the festival schedule, please follow the link below:

2014 Schedule | San Diego Film Festival : September 24-28 2014 : Passes On Sale Now




Friday, September 19, 2014

iPhone 6 Madness --- The Drama Continues

He up all night to get his iPhone...

OK, it's a poor take on Daft Punk's Get Lucky, but you get my drift. Folks done plum lost their minds over release of the iPhone 6. Released on Friday, September 19, 2014, it has caused a state of manic hysteria in the streets and shopping malls worldwide, compelling folks to camp out, stampede, and scream to to anyone who will listen about the iPhone 6.

Here in San Diego, eager fans camped out in Mission Valley to be the first to seize the Holy Grail of smart phones.

 iPhone fans line up in Mission Valley for Latest Release, San Diego 6

Then there's the poor guy in Perth, Australia, so geeked to finally secure his prize, he drops it.



But wait, there's breaking news! Apparently everyone is not in agreement that iPhone and its manufacturer, Apple, rivals the second coming of phones. Somewhere in Mission Valley, nestled within the hills of San Diego, the clamor of the disenchanted arises...


Uh oh. The SEIU is protesting. Not good. Now, I'm wondering why? What has Apple done/not done to upset them? I will keep you posted.

In any case, whether you've been in line for three days to get your phone, bought your phone and dropped it before you could even use it, or you have a beef with Apple...

Happy Friday. Enjoy your day.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Iphone 6 Galaxy S5 & - Time to retire my flip phone?

So I missed a few calls.
OK, I just received the text you sent 24 hours ago.
No, I didn't hear my phone ring.
Yeah, I drove around aimlessly trying to remember where I'd seen the Thai food restaurant.
No, I don't have GPS.
Hmm, I'm not sure why this picture looks fuzzy.
No, I haven't seen what you posted to Facebook; I'm not in front of my computer.


That's right folks. I have an old phone. It's not quite as old as the brick shown above; however, it's a 5 year old basic flip model. Nothing fancy. I can call out. You can call me if you like. I can send you a text. It works. Besides, I have a first generation IPad, so what's all the fuss to possess a smart phone as well? Owning both seems a bit redundant to me.

Everyone hates my phone. My niece laughs at it. My best friend and my sister both dog me. It's funny though, everyone hates it, but no one has offered to pony up to the $$$ to pay for the smart phone, the monthly service fees or for the data.

But...

If I was to have another financial lapse in judgement and get out the old debit card, what should I get?


This is all the rage right now. According to techradar.com the anticipated release date for the iPhone 6 is September 19. The device boasts a bigger screen than past generations, plus a bunch of other features I probably wouldn't use.  Will this phone take pictures of my finger prints? Hmm, maybe I watch too much Person of Interest. I'm not sure about all this new fangled technology stuff.

And then there's...



Samsung Galaxy S5. It seems to do the same things as the iPhone. Heck I don't know. I'm reading androidcentral.com review to better understand its features and functions. 
LG G3 is another competitor for my $1K (well not quite that much). I like this phone. LG offers a great metallic gold color that matches the car. Gadgets.ndtv.com has written a comprehensive review on the LG G3, comparing it to the iPhone 6, the Galaxy S5, the HTC One and the Sony Xperia Z3. I guess I need to read it.

Maybe I should just stick with my iPad, or get a new one. The iPad Air has been out 10 months. I know that if I plunk down $800 bucks, they'll come out with a new one!


I have too many devices to choose from! Any thoughts? What are your experiences with these products? I would love to hear your input.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey

 What I Know For Sure - Oprah Winfrey




Something bad happens. Perhaps, a series of events occur, unfolding into our reality like a onion cut wrong. Everything falls apart. People leave us; we lose things that are precious to us. Every word uttered to us rings with criticism and disdain, casting us further down, deeper into the core of the onion. We tend to get mad at first, and maybe encounter bitterness. After having spiritually exhausting ourselves, we turn back to the Lord's teaching and reach for his love and understanding. All that has happened will be proven to have occurred for our good. 

Perhaps.

Well not perhaps. It is so. It all happens for our good. I do believe that. However, sometimes we're worn down, losing hope, unwilling to face what must be dealt with. You ask the Lord for a sign, for guidance. When you've given up, you plop down on the couch and turn on the TV. At the moment the picture comes into focus you hear, 'I'm talking to someone out there. I'm talking to you.'

Oprah? Sure enough, it was her, doing an interview on Entertainment Tonight about her new book. I sat on the couch in disbelief. God heard me and had sent someone to talk to me.

"It doesn't matter what you're going through right now or what you've been through," said Oprah. "There is not one single thing that has ever happened to you that is going to be wasted. Everything that has happened to you has really happened for you to build strength."

Well how about that? It's amazing how the Lord comforts us to know he's watching us and listening to our cries. Thanks to Oprah for allowing the Lord to use her on September 9, 2014 at about 7:15pm PDT.

Check out the interview on ET: http://bit.ly/etonline-What-I-Know-For-Sure-Oprah-Interview

I'm going to read the book. If you want to link to it What I Know For Sure