Like Father...

As teenagers, my brother and I used to accompany our father on his various money-earning ventures.  Well, his manual labor, money-making ventures: mowing yards and cleaning buildings.  He'd give me five dollars for helping him mow the yards.  I got nothing for helping him clean the buildings.  Nothing monetary, that is.  But I did tell myself I'd never do that kind of work when I got older.  I would feel so bad for him when I'd see him get down on his hands and knees to clean the restroom floors of office buildings.  He never even cleaned his own house with that much attention to detail, I thought.  Well, fast-forward from then to now.  And, no, I don't work a job where I get down on my hands and knees to clean floors.  However, I DO serve.  Literally!  Food and drinks.  And, from time to time, I wash dishes and pots and pans and stovetops.  And all for a buck.  Just like Daddy.  One thing I know for sure is that we, as people, can say what we will and won't do till we're blue in the face.  However, we can NEVER know WHAT we'll do until there's NO BREATH in us.  And, even then, if there's no breath in us, we STILL won't know!  No one could ever have told me as a child that I not only received my father's name; I also received the fear he had of CHANGE.  And when one fears change, HOW, oh HOW does he CHANGE that????????? 

Good Night & Goodbye, Young Lady

Just this week I've noticed several people on Facebook expressing sorrow for the untimely death of an actress here in L.A.  They said so many nice things about her I had to look her up.  Her photos alone illustrate one heck of a young lady.  She died from a heart attack.  At 34 yrs old.  Wow!  I wonder if she had high cholesterol.  Or high, blood pressure.  Or diabetes.  Well, whatever the cause of her heart attack was, it's obvious to me that she was truly and deeply loved by those who knew her.  What more out of life could a person truly wish for?  I wish her spirit the very best.  And I hope & pray I, too, can be a blessing to the lives I touch on this planet as she apparently was!!!!!!!!  Good Night & Goodbye, MISS CHANE'T JOHNSON!!!!

The FIGHTER!

Last night I went to the Premiere of Mark Wahlberg's new film, THE FIGHTER.  I enjoyed the film.  Melissa Leo was terrific as his mom.  And the young ladies who portrayed his sisters were...uh..."interesting-looking."  Lol!  Anyway, after the screening, I went to the After Party.  Food was catered by Wolfgang Puck Catering.  I knew most of the cater-waiters working the event!!!  Well, this morning, I awakened to an uneasy feeling.  And, shortly after getting up out of bed, I hurried to the bathroom where I proceeded to hug the toilet bowl for waaaaaaaay longer than I cared to.  I mean, ALL that Wolfgang Puck crap fine cuisine came back to haunt me!  WTF!!!  I'm gonna take a long walk now so I can feel better.  I already feel better, but I wanna feel my optimum best.  Guess Mark Wahlberg isn't the ONLY fighter in this town!  Haa!

Don't Look Too Good, Nor Talk Too Wise

One of my Facebook buddies bought a new BMW 6 series converible two months ago.  And, just recently, while parked in his driveway, it was STOLEN!!!  GONE!!  VANISHED!  I have to wonder, if the vehicle was a Hyundai Elantra would it STILL be parked in his driveway this evening.  Goes to show you, that which is shiny and flashy catches the attention of folks one may NOT want to catch the attention of!  UNDERSTATEMENT is KEY!!!

So Very Very Thankful

My brother's S.U.V.

The hit-and-run driver's vehicle.

My brother texted me a couple nights ago that he had just been in an automobile collision and that the person who hit him fled the scene immediately afterward.  Can you believe that?  The person nails him and keeps going!  My brother's vehicle was too damaged to drive, so he was stuck at the scene of the accident until the police came.  Luckily, there was a witness or two who followed the hit-and-run driver to his apartment building.  They, in turn, led the police to his doorstep, too.  The guy's car was impounded, but he wasn't arrested at the time.  The police knocked on his door, but he wouldn't answer it.  So, my brother doesn't know what has happened with the case since then.  All he knows is that he's verrrry unhappy with the tiny, rental car he has right now till his SUV is fixed.  He said he's driving a Chevy Cobalt.  Haaa!  That's one of the rental cars I almost ALWAYS get when I rent!  And, no, I don't love the tiny vehicle, but it sure beats the heck out of hoppin' on a train or a bus!  --- I'm just happy my brother is fine.  I hope & pray the person who hit him feels some kind of remorse for what he did.  Because his actions were those of a person who couldn't have cared less what happened to anyone except himself.  And I don't want to believe that's the case.  I just don't. -- Oh...turns out the hit-and-run driver is a Mexican.  The police told my brother that he probably fled the scene because he is/was either a.) uninsured b.) unlicensed c.) an illegal alien d.) intoxicated --- or ---  e.) ALL of the above!  Geez!  Gotta love America!!!

Why? Oh, Why?

Every time I look at a magazine stand or turn on the television or go to a movie or read entertainment blogs I ask myself why, oh why am I still here in Hollywood hoping and praying to earn a living in show business?  Then...I was sent a link to a spoken word performance by an actor who "looks like me."  After listening to his story, I immediately knew he was speaking MY language.  And the language of virtually EVERY actor/writer/dancer/singer "of color" in this town.  We keep fighting the seemingly pointless fight because we don't know anything else.  We don't WANT to know anything else.  And because we pit hope against hope and truly trick make ourselves believe we WILL come out of this fight on the WINNING side!  Yeah, right now, I love show business; although show business doesn't appear to love me.  But she will.  But he will.  But it will.  Yes, she/he/it will!  Whether she/he/it likes it or NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Daughter's A Daughter

Just came across this duet by Mariah Carey and her mom, Patricia.  They performed it on Mariah's recent, Christmas special.  Throughout the entire special, all I could think was, WOW!, Mariah is in PHENOMENAL voice!!!!!  I had never heard her mom sing although I knew she sang opera back in the day.  I have always loved Mariah starting a song softly and building to her outrageous belt.  And, in this Christmas song, and throughout the entire special, she delivered BIG TIME!!!!!  Good for both of them.  They sound terrific!  I might just have to go out and buy this dang cd!