YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER!

Receiving The Grey Goose Rising Icon Award in New York

2010-10-25T19:06:00.000-04:00

It was an incredible night! Your Biggest Cheerleader is so honored and humbled to be one of the recipients for the 2010 Rising Icon Award. The FABulous event left me wanting to do even more and be even better. Thank you a million times over!

xoxo,
Your Biggest Cheerleader!

FAB Family at Work for a Brilliant Cause - READING ;-)

2010-07-27T01:59:00.002-04:00

Dream to Live...

2010-07-05T13:13:00.000-04:00

“All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible.”

- T.E. LAWRENCE (Lawrence of Arabia)

just PUSH THE GREEN BUTTON! xoxo

2010-07-01T12:11:00.002-04:00

Thank you to everyone who voted! Please keep the votes coming in!! Just Push The Button!

PUSH THE GREEN BUTTON...

VOTE! YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER entered Oprah's "Host Your OWN TV Show" Competition!

2010-06-29T15:57:00.011-04:00

Vote for YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER here!

So... YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER is always up to something. I've been touring with The Cheerleader's EmPOWERment Academy, hosting the Yahoo! Benefit Concert for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and on the brilliant panel for BE @ Time Warner's Book Bash. NOW, I'm going sideways (as my new cute crush would say) and doing the so-possible - although at 11th hour. Your Biggest Cheerleader finally decided (at some of you dolls' firm request) to enter OPRAH'S "HOST YOUR OWN TALK SHOW" Competition/Audition and I'd be a drunken smitten kitten at last call if you voted for me (and told everyone you know on planet Earth - and Mars - with internet access to vote as well, lol - but really. No, Farealz!).

The Deets:

Vote for YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER Here!

STILETTO STORIES celebrates FABulous women! Period. It's a Movement. YOUR Movement. Stiletto Stories is a hybrid show, part adventure, part traditional talk show, and part health and wellness where we're celebrating YOU! We're telling YOUR STILETTO STORY! It's ROCKstar women - the Housewife, the Actress, the Teacher, the Attorney... - who are dealing with life's challenges. And we're meeting those challenges, those fears/struggles/obstacles head on and having a crapload of delicious fun doing it! And, of course, YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER will be right there with you - every step of the way with the goal of ensuring that no dynamic doll ever has to endure what I have - and definitely not alone! This City Girl will be right there with you, by your side every step of the way. So if you're challenged by the viewing audience to climb a mountain, then we're climbing mountains, we're running marathons, we're skydiving, speed dating, trucking cross-country, riding motorcycles, deep-sea diving... the options to live and love in life are endless! So VOTE. It's a Movement. Your Movement. And Your BIGGEST CHEERLEADER would be honored to celebrate your life with YOU!

FATIMA = BRILLIANT

2010-06-14T11:48:00.002-04:00

The Cheerleader's EmPOWERment Tour hits Sacramento State University!

2010-06-12T13:31:00.013-04:00

YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER took The Cheerleader's EmPOWERment Tour to Sacramento State University and had the honor of Presenting to some of the most FABulous and vulnerable students.We talked BOOKS, BOYS, BOOZE & BIPOLAR to the packed auditorium, engaging in raw dialogue reflective of their distinctive experience. So maybe, despite my Teflon exterior (NOT!), I teared up a little after the three-hour event when one of the students whispered in my ear, "I always thought I was the only one dealing with these issues."

The students were, in a word, brilliant! The questions were thought-provoking and their unique insight proved what I already knew: they are a generation of courageous minds dealing with real life in real time. College drop-out rates in their nuclear circles are staggering, as is the hushed rise in prostitution and drug-abuse. Apathy had no place in the auditorium. Victimization was turned away at the door. And after a few brave volunteers participated in the career trajectory design, I saw the light bulbs over a few of their heads brighten.

A heartfelt "THANK YOU!" goes out to the Delta Sigma Thetas, my beautiful Sorors, at Sacramento State University for inviting The Cheerleader to participate in their May Week festivities. In this millennium, to whom much is given, much is demanded, and these phenomenal young leaders are collectively doing their part to ensure, despite the economic monsoon drowning our communities, that theirs is a generation that won't be left behind.

I was honored to do my part to assist them on their journeys. For some, it's about surviving. For others, it's about thriving. For everyone, on that palpable night, it was about understanding that although their road is paved with significant challenges that can only be overcome with meticulous attention to their strategic plan, they can and will win. Our young leaders need our involvement, our guidance, and an enormous degree of empathy. They are tomorrow's doctors, lawyers and Indian Chiefs; they are today's students, today's sons and daughters - and our children.

Learned leaders they are becoming, investing in the artillery that will carry them through the war. The battle wounds will fade over time, becoming references for how they survived difficulty. I'm investing now, in their bear market, so that I can yield my return later.

Below is just one of many emails I received from a student. It keeps Your Biggest Cheerleader's perspective razor sharp!

Ms. Erika,

This is I spoke with you after you spoke at Sac State. I'm not in a happy place right now. I'm very sad. Im turning 21 next saturday and I thought this would be one of the happiest moments of my life but I'm not. I am trying to find myself and what I really want to do but I'm not sure. Changing my major is one of the hardest things. speech pathology, well I'm not sure if I wana do that for the rest of my life. Thinking of Journalism because I love to write, but theres fear of not liking it and ending up back at square one or not being able to find a job after graduation. Also, being in school forever...i cant afford it. I'm not sure what to do.

On top of that I have personal issues some of it comes from not knowing my purpose, others of it is insecurity, my weight, not liking myself (inside or out). I've sometimes thought something was wrong with me because of my actions with people. I'm just trying to figure myself out.

Well thats all.

No, it is just her beginning. With that level of introspection and dedication to her cognitive and emotional wealth, she will WIN! And I will be just one of her many Cheerleaders on the sidelines as she breaks through the warrior's tape at her finish line.

xoxo,

Your Biggest Cheerleader!

Love Notes.

2010-06-11T17:04:00.000-04:00

Best Days lyrics
Songwriters: White, Matt;

Every time I look at you
You always look so beautiful
Driving on the road again
The Chevys packed than and it is dust
And I would take some photographs
So I can dream of you

Can't say I've felt
Such twisting in my heart this way
We picture Ted and Avon sleeping
While you stay awake
The fire's burning softly
Singing songs so close to you

Do you believe
In love at first sight?
I think you do
We're lying naked under the covers
Those are the best days of my life

Can't take away those times
We stayed up and we talked all night
Chain smoking cigarettes and
Three bottles of red wine
Falling asleep together
Holding your body close to mine

And in the morning
Your eyes opened so innocent
The sun is blazing we are sweating
You look lovely
Nothing else matters anymore
'Coz you're in my arms again

Do you believe
In love at first sight?
I think you do
We're lying naked under the covers
Those are the best days of my
Those are the best days of my
Those are the best days of my life

Oh, I never want to be without you
So just stay with me
I will love you endlessly

Oh darling, darling
Those are the best days of my
Those are the best days of my life

Do you believe
In love at first sight?
I think you do
We're lying naked under the covers
Those are the best days of my life

Those are the best days of my
Those are the best days of my
Those are the best days of my life

Your Biggest Cheerleader will be hosting Yahoo! Benefit Concert

2010-06-11T15:05:00.001-04:00

Benefit Concert in Support of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

ARENA 135 W. 41st Street

New York

Thursday, June 17th

7-11pm

We're honored to be hosting/emceeing this FABulous musical concert in support of a brilliant cause.

And we'd be even more honored if you all you DELICIOUS DOLLS came out to support.

RSVP to thecheerleader@erikakendrick.com or mduarte@yahoo-inc.com

xoxo,

Your Biggest Cheerleader!

Brilliant.

2010-04-29T02:02:00.002-04:00

More Flix and Pix from Awards Night...

2010-04-09T14:12:00.001-04:00

LOVENOTES. DATING 101: Back to Basics

2010-04-09T13:52:00.002-04:00

Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas is a FANtabulous Doll who just doesn't seem to age nor get caught up in the Hollyweird dating dishasters. But when she does speak her mind (espesh now as she revs up for her uber sexxxy dating reality show that premiers this Sunday) we gush all over her dating epistomology. The perspective of this seasoned beauty is impeccable. Cliff Notes: NO! You don't have to shag every beau you audition for a starring role in your darling heart. She fesses on her Vibe blog...

..."When you truly, truly love somebody and it’s a healthy love, you always want to make sure you’re healthy yourself before entering a relationship and give that person your time. That’s why they call it dating. Dating doesn’t mean we’re sleeping together. Dating doesn’t mean I’m your girlfriend, you’re my boyfriend. It means that we are exclusively dating each other trying to get to know each other, figure out each other’s personalities, see if we click, if our morals are intact—all those things. And then you can graduate to the next level of the relationship."

And we couldn't agree more. Shagging every delish dude who takes you to Red Lobster or Cipriani can inevitably lead to you keying his wheels and/or stalking his rottweiler when the oxytocin speedballs through your veins and your needy, clingy texts, IMs, BBMs and emails hear crickets.

According to the almighty Wikipedia ...

"DATING is a form of courtship, and may include any social activity undertaken by, typically, two persons with the aim of each assessing the other's suitability as a partner in an intimate relationship or as a spouse. The word refers to the act of meeting and engaging in some mutually agreed upon social activity. Traditional dating activities include entertainment or a meal."

Take notes, Dolls! You're fabulous and you're oh sooo worth it!

P.S. But if a shag session tops your performance rider, then by all means...

xoxo,

YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER!

For the FAB and FASHION FORWARD

2010-04-08T14:45:00.002-04:00

KEEPING YOU FABULOUS...

Wednesday April 7th 6pm-8pm

Calling all Models, Makeup
Artists, Designers, Stylists,
Photographers, Hairstylists & Writers to network and be
featured on She-blogs.com
Fashion First Thursdays

COMPLIMENTARY Event

Please rsvp for location to
ally@she-blogs.com

Please come out if you are an artist & please pass on to other artists!

Compliments of...
Allyson Marie Leak
Founder-She-Blogs.com
CEO-Ally Marie Couture Jewelry
www.allymarie.com

"HEROINES FOR HAITI" honoring 8 Fab Women, including Your Biggest Cheerleader!

2010-03-28T14:50:00.004-04:00

So honored and humbled (and a little nippy)!

xoxo,

Your Biggest Cheerleader!

ONE TO GROW ON...

2010-03-27T23:55:00.000-04:00

We're being Honored tonight in NYC... moo-ey excited!

2010-03-26T13:06:00.002-04:00

We can barely contain ourselves we're so excited about the Heroines For Haiti event tonight in New York City. Your Biggest Cheerleader, along with 7 other amazingly fabulous women are receiving an award for our acclaimed work in our respective fields. Could we be any more humbled and, well, honored. It's beyond nice to be acknowledged and it only makes us want to be of more service. In the Cheerleader's Headquarters our mission statements says we "Educate, Entertain & Empower!" So much more we want to do for those in need...

to view flyer click here

For more info (or to see the flyer in full effect) you can click here!
Thank you, again, for all your love and support.

xoxo,

Your Biggest Cheerleader!

We're Reading at Hue Man in Harlem in Honor of Women's History Month!

2010-03-23T02:31:00.001-04:00

In honor of Women's History Month, we're reading from our SPICEEEE books this Wednesday, March 24th, in Harlem at Hue-Man Bookstore!

Here are the delicious deets:

March 24th

Hue-Man Book Store

124th street & Frederick Douglass Blvd.

6pm-9pm

Hosted by Princess Jenkins and The New York Women's Chamber of Commerce.

Bonus: light food and drinks and an opportunity to network and connect with other women in business.

Speaking on Big Brothers, Big Sisters Career Panel!

2010-03-16T13:23:00.008-04:00

Tomorrow we’re pulling up our chair for the career panel with

The Catholic Big Sister Big Brothers

“We offer dynamic, hands-on, and innovative programs that teach our students everyday social, personal, career and academic skills. Instead of the traditional classroom setting, we like to combine creativity and learning in one and that includes events, trips, and guest speakers.”

Career Panel Event Information

Day/Time: Wednesday, March 17^th from 530-7pm

Where: CBSBB 137 East 2^nd Street between 1^st and 2^nd Avenue

Purpose: To expose students to various Work Professions and to build net-working relationships”

We're so xcited (Your Cheerleader luvs the kids!) and our team will take plenty-o-pics!

xoxo!

YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER!

Everyone has a LOVE story...

2010-03-07T16:44:00.004-05:00

LIVE.

LOVE.

WRITE.

YOURS!

DANCE TO READ! Flashmob for a FAB Cause!

2010-03-05T16:56:00.008-05:00

I'll be presenting/reading at E. Lynn Harris Tribute...

2010-03-05T15:56:00.003-05:00

JOIN US SATURDAY

March 6, 2010

National Black Writers Celebration of E. Lynn Harris

Brooklyn Public Library @ Grand Army Plaza

Complimentary Admission

4pm - 6pm

*Erika Kendrick, Terrance Dean, James Earl Hardy, Stanley Bennett Clay, Victoria Christopher Murray,, Karen E. Quinones Miller, Karen Hunter, Donna Hill, and more...

We Presented at The Reader's Series. Dopeness!

2010-02-24T21:17:00.007-05:00

READING

Dearest Friends and colleagues:

I’m beyond pleased to present this month’s writers…

Leading off is the always spectacular Mitch Jackson, a series veteran and NYU Prof. Next, we are excited to have Erika Kendrick, former Chicago Bull Cheerleader the author of the novels CONFESSIONS OF A ROOKIE CHEERLEADER (Random House, 2007) and APPETITE (Random House, 2009). Our anchor for the evening is series favorite Raina Kelley of Newsweek.

Unfortunately, Ms. Keli Goff is hunkering down and putting the finishing touches on her latest and greatest. She promises to share when she’s done.

The Kettle of Fish is located at 59 Christopher Street, off of 7th Avenue. The fun starts at around 6:30-7, but come early and stay late… it’s a party!

As always, I look forward to seeing you in attendance and thank you, ahead of time, for your support.

Best,
Michael Mejias
Writers House

*pictured with fellow readers, Raina Kelley and Mitch Jackson

When My Life Makes BIG PICTURE Sense. Suicide Salvation.

2010-02-22T19:20:00.013-05:00

We're beyond aware of our sarcastic wit that sometimes slips between the pages, nuanced into the texture of our sentence structure. But there's one thing that we take very seriously - our mission to Educate, Entertain, and EmPOWER the young women who participate in The Cheerleader's Empowerment Academy!

We recently took The Cheerleader's Empowerment Tour to Tennessee where we spoke and guest lectured at Tennessee State University, Fisk University and Meharry Medical College/Elam. It was both an honor and a privilege to stream through the days of the dynamic dolls on campus. As I talked Books, Boys, Booze and Bipolar Disorder, I tried to cut through the noise and connect on a visceral level with each of them. Below is an email from one of the students in the audience.

Hello Ms. Erika,

My name is and you recently spoke to my class. I just wanted to let you know that I, once again, appreciated your testimony. I didn't want to tell you this in front of my classmates, but our stories are similar in many ways. I too am considered to be a manic depressive. I have my highs and lows. Sometimes there are days where I don't want to get up in the morning or just wonder why me? Why am I still here? I too, in high school was quite the over achiever. I was involved in over 14 clubs, varsity cheerleader for all four years, did other sports, and became Class President. I was known and loved by faculty and classmates but still was unhappy. This has been an ongoing struggle since the fifth grade. I have taken medication for my depression, cut myself over 10 times, and had suicidal thoughts. Your story is truly an inspiration to me and I just want you to know that what you are doing makes people like me know that we are NOT alone.

Yep, gets me right back to center and certifies that this lil leg of my journey through service-ville is where my life meets legacy. And since receiving this email, there have been others. It's my honor to let them know, among other things, that I'm now and forever, their BIGGEST CHEERLEADER in the Game of Life!

XOXO,

YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER!

Our feature in GUTS. GLAM. GRACE.

2010-02-22T18:51:00.004-05:00

We opened up and peeled back the layers until we found our G-SPOTlight! The editors decided to Feature YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER in their uber randy mag, Guts. Glam. Grace. We were humbled and honored to have REAL TALK IN REAL TIME with the delicious dolls over there holding down the phenom front. We walked away even more convinced that it really doesn't matter how Glam you think you are until you've been challenged with being of service to others. We're desperately trying to spread the good mental health word and do our small part... - and in our fab five-inch stilts! Ohhh behave... - or not!

Sneak Peak for my fellow A.D.D. Dolls who can't be bothered with clicking through to the actual article right HERE!

GGG: Has there been an event or person that has greatly influenced you to be the person you are today?

EJK: The usual suspects. The good, the bad, and the ugly in no particular order. My parents. My grandparents. My great grandma. My dear friends. My fake friends. My iconic role models. My yesterday. My tomorrow. And a sad little girl inside me.

I remember being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in college. I remember the doctors telling my parents that I’d never amount to much more than a vegetable, never finish college, never be able to hold down a job, never be off meds. That has kept me grounded and has often been the fuel for my motivating flight - to graduate from Stanford University, to become an NBA cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls (this little girl’s dream), to snatch my MBA and study abroad, to tell beautiful love stories for my publisher, to be working on my first film, to empower others on my motivational tour, and to still be excited about what comes next! I check in with that sad girl on a regular basis. She’s smiling these days. I’m good.

GGG: What advice can you give to other people on the rise?

EJK: Buckle your seat belt, hold on tight, and enjoy the ride of your life. And while you’re riding high, try and keep it all in perspective. Because what goes up…Then when you’re coming down, right before that last big loop that speeds around and hangs you upside down, don’t forget to breathe. Be present in your best moments. Relish them. Record them. Celebrate them. You did good! And probably most important, when the ride is over, step aside with grace, and help the next passenger as they get on. Because in the end, we learn that the ride doesn’t change, just the excited passengers waiting in line for the thrill of their lives. So go ahead, get on! “Buckle your seatbelt, hold on tight, and enjoy the ride of your life!”

XOXO, BETTINA!

YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER!

Your Cheerleader Featured in HONEY MAG! WONDER WOMAN WEDNESDAY!

2010-02-21T14:15:00.001-05:00

Your Cheerleader was featured in HONEY MAGAZINE's WONDER WOMAN WEDNESDAY! We heart this article. Check the full feature here: HONEY MAG WONDER WOMAN WEDNESDAY! And we can't deny that what we said is true when asked, "What do you like about Honey Mag?"

HoneyMag: What do you like about HoneyMag?

Erika: I LOVE that HoneyMag is US – YOU, ME and EVERY dope Doll in between. We’re reflected in all our three-dimensional, curvalicious, brilliant color. We are as diverse in our interests and passions as we are in our hang-ups and insecurities and Honeymag speaks to us in a language that we not only understand, but that we helped mold and shape. If you listen closely you can hear the dialect of our hot diaspora infused in every blog, every article and every fierce photo posted, much like the glossy posters we hung on our bedroom walls. HoneyMag is our home and she does a fabulous job at repping the textured layers interwoven into our beautiful tapestry. It’s our righteous movement and we participate with pride!

Thanxoxo, Ally, for all the yumminess!

xoxo,

YOUR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER!

CHICAGO TRIBUNE FEATURING YOUR CHEERLEADER!

2010-02-20T16:48:00.009-05:00

YOUR BIGGEST CHEELEADER's Featured in SUNDAY'S CHICAGO TRIBUNE!

Check out the VERRY RAW article here. No Sugar-Coating... Sugar-Coating makes you FAT!
CLICK BELOW:

Erika Kendrick Talks Books, Booze, NBA Cheerleading and Girl Scout Cookies!

or you can read the honestly dishy feature below:

*************************************************

Written by Chicago Tribune Columnist Mary Schmich

Before she went to Stanford, before she was a cheerleader for the Chicago Bulls and before all the rest, Erika Kendrick was Chicago's Girl Scout cookie queen. She was 9 the first time she won the crown, the first black girl in Chicago to be the top cookie-seller. When she angled for her third straight title at age 11, I wrote a story about her, and every January when cookie season rolls around I wonder: Whatever happened to the cookie queen?

Here's what: She walks into the Willis Tower Corner Bakery in a hip-hugging black skirt and shiny black stiletto ankle boots. Buried in her big black bag, under the red-and-white pompons she carries everywhere like charms, is a copy of her novel, "Appetite," whose first page includes this:

"I whip my achy nakedness around to the crescendo of a bellowing snore. Yikes! A strange man is stretched out on the floor beside me entwined in half my sheet — clearly one of the puzzle pieces misplaced somewhere between the first Bacardi Mojito and last call's obligatory double shot of Patron."

This is not the geeky girl in braces I remember. But at 35, Kendrick is still a Girl Scout. Really. Still pays dues. Teaches Girl Scouts. Says everything she needed to know in life — leadership, networking, teamwork — she learned as a Brownie. "I'm a Girl Scout nerd," she says. "Forever."

Kendrick was visiting Chicago last week, and when I asked to meet, she suggested the tower she still calls Sears. As a girl, she loved to doodle it the way other girls sketch horses. "This building," she says, "oh my God, has always represented, 'I gotta get the hell out of here.' My mom or dad would take me, or we'd go on a field trip, and being up at the top was, 'Oh my God, there's so much out there.' I lived in a house on the South Side, looked out at a tree."

Kendrick did get out, but the trail, as she describes it over coffee, has been hilly. St. Ignatius College Prep to Stanford. Stanford to a Chicago hospital on suicide watch, diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Back to Stanford. Graduation. Then another collapse, more therapy. Then a year as a Luvabull. "Dancing breathed new life into me," she says of her cheerleading days. "I thought, OK, I feel normal, whatever that means." She felt normal enough to earn an MBA at the University of Illinois. Then the sadness sucked her down again. "I felt," she says, "just very lost and empty." She drank too much, smoked too much pot and finally went through rehab. "I don't have an off switch," she says, "whether it's Haagen-Dazs or vodka." Then eight years ago, Kendrick moved to New York. The moment she first stepped out of the subway, she cried. She felt happy. Her breakdowns had taught her that she was most vulnerable when she couldn't express herself creatively. New York, she sensed, had energy big enough to match hers and would let her feel creative in a way no other place could. So far, she says, it has. Random House has published her two novels, "Confessions of a Rookie Cheerleader" and "Appetite." She's ready to embark on a college motivational speaking tour. Every other Saturday she teaches writing and self-esteem classes to Girl Scouts. "I'm always working," she says. "Unless I'm on a date. And even then I'm thinking about work." She also teaches seminars on dating. "I love dating," she says. "And then you've got banter for Friday night with martinis with your girlfriends: 'He did what?' " She says she no longer drinks, though. She eats no meat, meditates and plays basketball, all disciplines that, coupled with a creative life, have helped her manage her moods without medication. "But that's me," she's careful to say. "I don't say meds are bad."

In every success story, there's a seed of trouble. In every story about trouble, there's a seed of better times. The former cookie queen has lived both. And as for cookies? "At 35," she says, "you've got to start watching the Samoas and Do-Si-Dos. But I sneak and eat them." She flings her arms out like a cheerleader. "My favorites are still the thin mints. Oh. My. Goodness."

Thanks, Mary, for the transparent feature!

I learned from listening so now I'm talking! Real Talk in Real Time! It's all very real and very raw. No Sugar-Coating; Sugar-Coating makes you fat!

xoxo,

Your Biggest Cheerleader!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!... Co-hosting the most GLAM event in Gotham!

2010-02-20T16:26:00.005-05:00

I know I'm late (please forgive YOUR CHEERLEADER), but New Year's Eve 2010 (or is it 2009? I can never keep that straight) was absolutely amazing. I Co-Hosted an incred Deeeee-lishis Gotham Gala with goo gobs of fabness (think: gorgeous men, fabulous dolls and chic downtown decor!)

LIVE. LOVE. LAUGH. PLAY. WORK. DANCE. CELEBRATE.

Thanxoxo for a monumental year to everyone who shared their love, support, insight and impeccable wisdom! We're xcited about our WHAT COMES NEXT!

Oh... and in case you didn't know... I really couldn't love you any harder.
REALLY!

Happy 2010!
from YOUR BIGGEST CHEELEADER

All I Really Need to Know I Learned IN KINDERGARTEN

2010-01-13T15:55:00.017-05:00

All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten.
ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW about how to live and what to do
and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not
at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School.

These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life - learn some and think some

and draw and paint and sing and dance and play

and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic,

hold hands, and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.

Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup:

The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody

really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even

the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die.

So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books

and the first word you learned - the biggest

word of all - LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere.

The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation.

Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

Take any of those items and extrapolate it into

sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your

family life or your work or your government or

your world and it holds true and clear and firm.

Think what a better world it would be if

all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about

three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with

our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments

had a basic policy to always put things back where

they found them and to clean up their own mess.

And it is still true, no matter how old you

are - when you go out into the world, it is best

to hold hands and stick together.

- Robert Fulghum

The Irony of Humanity

2010-01-07T13:34:00.007-05:00

Isn't man an amazing animal? He kills wildlife by the millions in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed. Then he kills domestic animals by the billions and eats them. This in turn kills man by the millions, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative - and fatal - health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer. So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and so violently, and once a year sends out cards praying for "Peace on Earth."

- Preface from Old MacDonald's Factory Farm, by C. David Coates

TRUMP TOWERS "INDULGE YOUR APPETITE" BOOK BASH NYC

2009-10-07T20:39:00.028-04:00

DEEELISHIS!!

BAD WORD ON THE STREET... Our Love Affair with US on the verge? Shut Yo Mouf!

2009-09-30T04:56:00.013-04:00

Word on the street is that our love affair with the oldest African American purveyor of our rich history and textured culture is in need of couples counseling. According to Newsweek, "It's been a year of excruciating decisions for publishing companies—layoffs, pullbacks, closures. Now it appears Johnson Publishing’s chairman and CEO, Linda Johnson Rice, has reached what must have been an agonizing decision: Johnson Publishing is seeking a buyer or investor for its flagship publication, Ebony, in an effort aimed at securing the survival of the nation's oldest magazine devoted to African-American life. It's unclear whether the company's other properties, including Jet, would be part of a possible sale." Viacom, adoptive parents to BET, and Time Inc, Moms and Pop to Essence Mag, were cited on the speculative list of potential buyers.

According to the Sun Times, however, the 61-year old magazine has denied the Newsweek reports. Evident that there is serious financial hardship at Black Cool's Headquarters is the cancellation of the 2009 Ebony Fashion Fair. This is a first for the 51-year old traveling show. Due to lack of sponsorship dollars and other recession woes, funding has dried up for the anticipated annual tour. Insert black sad face. We die for the dramz that the divas drrrrrag down the aisle along with the Sashay Shantaes and the twirls and spins mainstreamed by the ANTM Swirl Twins! So deliciously purrrrrfect, right?!

As this story develops, we'll be paying veddy close attention; it's all over our radar. We personally HEART Ebony and it's monumental influence that has criss-crossed generations. Besides, we don't do break-ups... so a loving "goodnight" (with deuces chucked and a lashy wink) will have to suffice. Goodbyes make us gag!

HOSTING E. LYNN HARRIS TRIBUTE IN NYC... EPIC UPGRADE!

2009-09-27T04:23:00.009-04:00

WITH SEAN JAMES (Sports Agent & E. Lynn's BFF) & TONYA LEWIS LEE (Author, Philanthropist & Spike Lee's Wife)

TONYA LEWIS LEE

SEAN JAMES

We hosted the New York leg of the E. Lynn Harris Tribute Tour at Borders in Columbus Circle with Sean James and Tonya Lewis Lee.
Standing Room Only.
Memories.
Stories.
Tears.
Love.

READY, SET...

2009-09-21T22:54:00.011-04:00

Muchos Besos, SET MAGAZINE TEAM!
SET = SPORTS and ENTERTAINMENT TODAY!

The All -Star SET Magazine Team killed it with the Feature Interview and Photo Shoot of The Cheerleader for their H.A.W.T. Summer Issue! The tag in the corner of our 2-page spread reads, "WHEN IT COMES TO BUSINESS, KENDRICK DOESN'T FOLD!" Score! We gushed all over ourselves... it was really quite embarrassing - and wet.

With humble thanxoxo, we bestow flavored kisses upon AnneMarie Conte (wicked writer), Darius Vick (Rockstar Photographer), Phillip Shung (cool ass Creative Director) and Ananda Khan (make-up wizard)! All the Dolls over here are indebted to you, as am I, for featuring our lil movement so eloquently. BUT we're majorly indebted to the Mega-Monster in the room - RETOUCHING! Ya heard!

Check for the Fall Issue of SET Magazine with Floyd Mayweather.

CAN'T, DON'T, WON'T... SAY WHAT NOW?!

KINGS OF LEON...GETS OUR PANTIES IN A BUNCH! (who are we kidding, we don't wear panties!)

2009-09-15T06:59:00.014-04:00

We're really gonna need all our PRIMO Rockstar Dolls to step up, espesh if you've been under a Fragal Rock or sippin' on some watered-down bullshit laced with "country" "rap" "trance" or whatever the hell Whitney had wrapped up in those $1000 blunts while she listened to "gospel" and talked to God. The time is NOW - for her too (eh), but today's sermon was prepared especially for YOU! Now, we're not judging... we don't really care if you spent your summer sunnin' in the Hamptons, St. Tropez, or on the stoop with our crazy Aunt Sheila, Uncle Pooky and Play-Cousin Ray-Ray...

The MESSAGE in today's bottle is Simple:
Hold our Hand & Rock with one of the
DOPEST MUSIC-MAGICIANS of the YEAR!

KINGS OF LEON is serving up the most visceral ride through a song that we've experienced in for-effn-ever! - we mean even longer than Aunt Sheila's been on that magic carpet ride through her Star Trek mind. But we braced ourselves early '09, held on tight for the ridiculous wickedness, and've been soul fully head-bangin' with them something MAY-JAH ever since. Sick single, USE SOMEBODY, was even the sountrack to our summer's most hypnotic kiss! We felt it in our toes!

TWITTER TIME! @thecheerleaderE

2009-09-02T05:33:00.016-04:00

FOLLOW @thecheerleaderE on TWITTER!
click HERE to jump over to @thecheerleaderE

She's waxing poetic, although this platform has a much more, ahem, intimate flow. She's dishing about her dysfunctional days, (did that shit really just happen?)... and they're routinely comprised of cute Boys, bossss Books, bizzy mtgs, sick updates... ok, maybe a fewww more Boys, uber-dope Dolls, dumb-dumb dates, and the fab-u-lushness that comprises the glam globe around her! Let's Get It, Dolls! xoxo

Stalk your stiletts HERE to head over now...

Your Tweets just got more... fabulous!

4th of July FABNESS!

2009-07-07T01:35:00.006-04:00

While we were taking a break from promoting APPETITE (now you know better than that... we had a bag full of books) we slid through Dan's pool party and indulged our APPETITE for a lil sexiness :)

The 4th was Fan-tabulous!!!
Keep the summer tight, Dolls...
that means the gym, an overindulgence in laughs, and uber delicious friends :)
... uh hem, did i mention the gym? :)

LET'S GET IT!

JUNE 23RD, SATISFY YOUR APPETITE!

2009-06-09T16:03:00.002-04:00

INDULGE YOUR APPETITE FOR A SEXY, SWEET, SNEAK-PEAK READ!

SUNSHINE, PALM TREES & OCEAN BREEZE!

2009-06-04T19:15:00.011-04:00

THE CHEERLEADER was finally able to get away for a lil vacay and get a lil gluttonous indulging in some Sunshine, Palm Trees & Ocean Breeze!!! It was uber rockstar but while I was away, Dolls, I found myself pondering the release of our next fabby creation, APPETITE! And I guess I've been so enraptured with the addictive characters from the series that I was certain I saw Hannah and Kennedy and Brit rockin' out in the cabana next to us - say what now?! That's when I knew it was time for me to close my eyes and let the rhythm of the sexy relax me... and mama's all better now! So as the drop date for APPETITE rapidly approaches, JUNE 23RD, Dolls... all I can say is LET'S GET IT!

A few yacht pics for your viewing pleasure (ok, so maybe just one is apprope)...

AND IT ALL MAKES FOR ONE VERY HAPPY CHEERLEADER!
CAN'T, DON'T, WON'T... SAY WHAT, NOW?!

ONE TO GROW ON...

2009-03-12T15:59:00.006-04:00

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

-Marianne Williamson

HEY BLACK CHILD!

2009-01-25T16:16:00.006-05:00

Hey Black Child
Do you know who you are
Who you really are

Do you know you can be
What you want to be
If you try to be
What you can be

Hey Black Child
Do you know where you're going
Where you're really going
Do you know you can learn
What you want to learn
If you try to learn
What you can learn

Hey Black Child
Do you know you are strong
I mean really strong

Do you know you can do
What you want to do
If you try to do
What you can do

Hey Black Child
Be what you can be
Learn what you must learn
Do what you can do

And tomorrow your nation will be
What you want it to be

by Eugene Useni Perkins

BLACK BEAN & RICE CAKES WITH CHIPOTLE REMOULADE AND ROASTED CORN SALSA! WHEW!

2009-01-15T21:26:00.005-05:00

HAPPY FRIDAY, DOLLS!

You've made it through an entire VEGETARIAN week with one of the best ingredients on the planet serving as your muse. BLACK BEANS RULE!

And to round out your week, we've giving you a challenging one... BUT once you get through it, the gourmet chef in you will be the envy of all the hotties in the 'hood! You'll be invited to more dinner parties than you can handle. Just don't forget about Your biggest Cheerleader... we wanna be your Plus 1.

HERE WE GO!

Prep notes: If the rice is cooked ahead of time, the Black Bean and Rice Cakes take only a few minutes to prepare. The Roasted Corn Salsa takes the longest (about 25-30 minutes), so get the corn roasting before you start on the rest.

BLACK BEAN AND RICE CAKES

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup black beans, rinsed
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
1 teaspoon dried cilantro/coriander flakes (optional)
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for sautéing.

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. Place half the mixture in a food processor. Whiz briefly, until mixture holds together. Combine the processed mixture with the unprocessed half. Shape into round patties.

Heat more olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. (Alternatively, use cooking spray to reduce the fat.) Sauté the rice cakes gently over medium-low heat until cooked through, about 3 minutes each side. (Try not to turn them more than once. They may crack, in which case just push them back together with a spatula. Or your hands. Did you remember to wash?)

Serve with Chipotle Remoulade and Corn Salsa.

Chipotle Remoulade

2-3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus a spoonful of the accompanying sauce 
1 package (12 ounces) silken tofu 
2 tablespoons soy milk 
juice of 1 lime
 a dash of salt

Place 2 or 3 chipotle peppers in the bowl of a small food processor. Whiz for a few seconds until they are chopped. (You may have to scrape the sides down.) Add the tofu and whiz for 2 minutes, until tofu is smooth and no longer grainy. Add the soymilk, lime juice and salt as you’re whizzing. (Note: Canned chipotles are not for the faint of heart. If you're heat averse, use 1 or 2 peppers. Or try it with a cup of chopped cilantro/coriander leaves for a much cooler version.)

Spoon onto plates and top with a Black Bean and Rice Cake and Corn Salsa.

Roasted Corn Salsa:

Kernels from 2 ears of corn
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil, in all
1 jalapeño or small green chile, minced
2 small shallots, minced
juice of one lime

Combine the kernels and garlic with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and spread out on a pan. Roast in a 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Place the kernels in a medium bowl. Stir in the shallots, jalapeño, lime juice and the remaining olive oil (or for a low fat version, leave it out).

Serve spooned on top of Black Bean and Rice Cakes.

thanxoxo, kathy flake

BLACK BEAN CHILI... for the LOVE of GOD!

2009-01-15T20:39:00.007-05:00

YUM YUM!!!
Sorry for the late posting for those of you following the Black Bean Journey, I had to make an earlier run to the gym than usual. BUT, this Black Bean Chili will be FEROSH for the weekend, espesh if you're in the frrrrreezing cold environs like us New Yorkers. As they say here, "It's BRICK!"
Enjoy... you can thank me later, gator!

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 2/3 cups coarsely chopped red bell peppers (about 2 medium)
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, drained, 1/2 cup liquid reserved
1 16-ounce can tomato sauce

Chopped fresh cilantro
Sour cream
Grated MontereyJack cheese
Chopped green onions

READY... SET... GO!

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté until onions soften, about 10 minutes. Mix in chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne; stir 2 minutes. Mix in beans, 1/2 cup reserved bean liquid, and tomato sauce. Bring chili to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend and chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle chili into bowls. Pass chopped cilantro, sour cream, grated cheese, and green onions separately.

thanxoxo, Epicurious

BLACK BEAN & CORN TEX MEX WRAPS! OH BEHAVE!

2009-01-14T16:36:00.006-05:00

CONGRATS, DOLLS! You've made it to Black Bean week's HUMP DAY with salacious Black Bean recipes to get your motor runnin' and your taste buds humpin' (prophylactics not needed). So what's the big deal about black beans anyway, besides their yumma-licious flavor and gnarly texture!

About.com says, "These shiny little beans are also called turtle beans or Frijoles Negros. They are high in dietary fiber (especially soluble fiber), magnesium, protein, folate, and iron. They are also very high in antioxidants, potent cancer-fighting chemicals. And they taste great too! Their mild flavor and texture reminds me of fresh mushrooms. You can use black beans in so many ways; as an instant pasta sauce along with sauteed onions and some Parmesan cheese, heated with rice and sauteed vegetables for a quick vegetarian entree, or add them to any canned soup to increase fiber and protein content." Told you they were the next coming... after Messiah Barack Obama, of course.

Ingredients

Black Bean and Corn Filling
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium-sized zucchini, diced
1 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup mild enchilada sauce
2 6- to 8-inch corn or flour tortillas
Toppings, Optional
Vegan sour cream or low-fat sour cream
Chopped scallions
Grated Monterey Jack cheese or vegan cheese
Shredded lettuce

Directions

To make Black Bean and Corn Filling: put all ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover, and cook for approximately 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until heated through.
To prepare Tortillas: preheat a cast-iron skillet or griddle on stove over medium-high heat. Lay tortillas in single layer on skillet or griddle for about 10 seconds. Turn and warm other side. Remove from heat, and wrap in a napkin or dishcloth until ready to assemble tacos.
To assemble, set a tortilla on a plate, and spoon on some filling. Top as desired, roll up and eat.

thanxoxo, Yumsugar

SMOKY CORN & BLACK BEAN PIZZA... Uh huh, that's right!

2009-01-13T17:42:00.006-05:00

... And for a tasty Tuesday din-din, we're bringing you one of your faves, PIZZA PIZZA, but with a heart-right recipe to make you carb counters smile. And yes, there's CHEEEEEEESE, but for you wannabe VEGANS, just sub it out for FOLLOW YOUR HEART VEGAN MOZZ.
I mean, really, the recipe as is ... 94 mg of Potassium and 14 grams of Protein. OH BEHAVE!

______________

Makes 6 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 30 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1 plum tomato, diced
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 pound prepared whole-wheat pizza dough
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella, preferably smoked mozzarella

READY... SET... GO!

1. Preheat grill to medium.

2. Combine tomato, beans and corn in a medium bowl. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a large baking sheet. Stretch the dough into about a 12-inch circle and lay it on top of the cornmeal, coating the entire underside of the dough.

3. Transfer the crust from the baking sheet to the grill. Close the lid and cook until the crust is puffed and lightly browned on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes.

4. Using a large spatula, flip the crust. Spread barbecue sauce on it and quickly sprinkle with the tomato mixture and cheese. Close the lid; grill until the cheese is melted and the bottom of the crust is browned, 4 to 5 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 316 calories; 6 g fat (3 g sat, 0 g mono); 13 mg cholesterol; 48 g carbohydrate; 14 g protein; 4 g fiber; 530 mg sodium; 94 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Calcium (15% dv).

thanxoxo Eating Well

BLACK BEAN WEEK!... vegetarian style!

2009-01-12T20:06:00.011-05:00

Now, because I'd rather DIE than leave you hanging without any chomping options as you transition into your healthier lifestyle, or begin to think about it, below is the recipe for a YUM-TASTIC dish - a BLACK BEAN BURGER!! And if you love black beans like we do, then your taste buds will bow down and thank you! We know, we know... there's an egg thrown into the mix, but I figured I'd better ease you into the game, after all, it's your gourmet dinner (or lunch) not rubber chicken and Jello at your hospital stay.

So grab your whole wheat 7 grain bun, the condiments of your choice... and ENJOY! And don't say we never gave you nuttin' honey :-)
_______________

PREP TIME	20 Min
COOK TIME	10 Min
READY IN	30 Min

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 onion, cut into wedges
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 egg
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.

*thanxoxo allrecipes.com

HUFFINGTON... I HEART YOU!

2009-01-06T15:09:00.002-05:00

FROM THE DESK OF ARIANNA HUFFINGTON
DECEMBER 31, 2008

Earlier this week, I offered my list of all the things that happened over the last twelve months that I'd love to forget, and asked you to remember any that I might have forgotten.

You responded with a fantastic collection of unforgettable Things to Forget. Here are our favorites. Let's remember them one last time, then delete them from out internal hard drives forever -- collectively starting 2009 off with a clean slate.

That Eliot Spitzer wasn't the sleaziest governor in 2008. (reynoljh)

That Dunkin' Donuts pulled an ad with Rachael Ray because the wingnuts convinced them she was wearing a terrorist scarf. (Sue236)

Henry M. Paulson Jr. asking American taxpayers for $700 billion with only a three-page contract. (SantaFeStars)

People who still think Obama is a Muslim. People who think being a Muslim is a bad thing. (MartineFromMontreal)

John McCain's campaign. (WADIIAH)

$147 for a barrel of oil. (ibsteve2u)

Prop 8 in California. (jfrisco11)

Hillary dodging sniper fire. (DemMD)

Sarah Palin winking at us. (poeticsinger)

"You betcha'!" (KarelS)

"Drill Baby Drill!" (SantaFeStars)

The First Dude. (LanosIceland)

That "Hancock" was a blockbuster hit while "Religulous" wasn't. (abius83)

The implosion of the newspaper industry. (night_owl)

"America is a center-right nation." (foolwriter )

Blago's hair -- and everything else about him. (hellerious)

The Bradley Effect. (ankae)

The term "under the bus." (Craftyone)

Chuck Norris. (adamselzer)

Elisabeth Hasselbeck. (PSZ)

Tucker Bounds. (DemAbroad)

Tom Cruise, in any form whatsoever. (Pamelafisk)

Jeremiah Wright. The right wing media's coverage of Jeremiah Wright. (Archontruth)

[Insert First Name] the [Insert Profession]. (aka-ub)

That no matter what the Bush administration did, 27% of the population would still support him. Even as a Cubs fan, I don't understand that kind of loyalty. (rsquared99)

That America tortures. (M1)

That bees are disappearing. (M1)

That China allowed underage girls to participate in the Olympics gymnastics events. (Obamerican)

For all of the True Geeks out there: Dungeon and Dragons 4th Edition. Knight Rider. The last Cylon model. RIAA and MPAA lawsuits. (Zortag)

The Detroit Lions' history making 0-16 season. (secordry1)

Auto execs flying into Washington on corporate jets to testify before Congress. (mryfrtsn)

The leader of this nation saying "nucular." If you can't pronounce it correctly you shouldn't be in charge of the button. (oneyedsnake)

Shout outs to third graders. (gayinmt)

Heather Mills' divorce from Paul McCartney. (Harobamason)

Barack Obama bowling. (Harobamason)

"That one." (Bobcaaat)

Bill Kristol cluttering the Times. (Imago)

Jen vs Angelina -- yawn. (metivo)

Christopher Buckley's resignation being accepted at the National Review. (JBCinSD)

The housing market crash. The stock market crash. The Lakers' NBA Finals crash. (exdubyafan)

My husband losing his job. All the other thousands of Americans losing their jobs. (Deidroni)

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota implying that liberalism was anti-Americanism. (IranQuest)

That Michele Bachmann was reelected. (theone718)

Just So We're Clear...

2008-11-06T23:14:00.000-05:00

Dear Red States,

We've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and
we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't
aware, that includes Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, New York, and all of the
Northeastern states. After this election, we'll be adding Colorado
and New Mexico. We believe this split will be beneficial to the
nation, especially to the people of our new country - Nuevo
California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave
states; we get stem cell research, the best beaches, and the best
ski resorts. We get the Statue of Liberty; you get Dollywood. We
get Intel and Microsoft; you get WorldCom. We get Stanford,
Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Cal Tech, MIT and Columbia; you get Ole'
Miss. We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and
entrepreneurs; you get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax
revenue; you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than that of
the Christian Coalition, we get a bunch of happy families and you
get a bunch of under-educated single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and
anti-war, and we'll need all of our citizens back from Iraq at
once.

If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They apparently
have kids they're willing to send to their deaths for no purpose,
and they don't mind if you don't televise their kid's caskets
coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq and hope that those
Weapons of Mass Destruction turn up for you, but we're not willing
to spend any more of our money in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States, we will control 80 percent of the country's
fresh water, 90 percent of pineapple and lettuce, 92 percent of the
nation's fresh fruit, 97 percent of America's quality wines (you
can serve French wines at your state dinners), 90 percent of all
cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the U.S.
low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, and all
the Ivy League and Seven Sister schools. We also get New England,
the Great Lakes and Yosemite, thank you very much.

In the Red States, you will have to cope with 88 percent of all
obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92 percent
of all U.S. mosquitoes, 100 percent of tornadoes, 94 percent of
hurricanes, 99 percent of Southern Baptists, virtually 100 percent
of all televangelists, and Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bob Jones
University, and Clemson.

Additionally, in the Red States, 38 percent actually believe Jonah
was swallowed by a whale; 62 percent believe life is sacred unless
it involves the death penalty or gun ownership; 44 percent claim
that evolution is only a theory; 53 percent insist that Saddam
Hussein was involved in 9/11; and 61 percent of you crazy bastards
believe you have higher moral standards than those of us on the
left.

By the way, we're taking all the good pot, too. You get that dirt
weed from Mexico and Kansas ditches.

Peace out,
The Blue States

-Anon

Introducing... The First Fab Family!

2008-11-06T23:13:00.000-05:00

Uh huh, that's right!

2008-09-16T12:14:00.008-04:00

Fabulous piece by Tim Wise, a white, anti-racist activist & writer.
I encourage you to also read his " Your Whiteness is Showing": Open Letter to White Women
http://www.lipmagazine.org/~timwise/WhitenessShowing.html

This is Your Nation on White Privilege
By Tim Wise [white anti-racist activist and writer]
9/13/08

For those who still can't grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because "every family has challenges," even as black and Latino families with similar "challenges" are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

White privilege is when you can call yourself a "fuckin' redneck," like Bristol Palin's boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll "kick their fuckin' ass," and talk about how you like to "shoot shit" for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.

White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of peop le as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don't all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you're "untested."

White privilege is being able to say that you support the words "under God" in the pledge of allegiance because "if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it's good enough for me," and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the "under God" part wasn't added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.

White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you.

White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was "Alaska first," and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she's being disrespectful.

White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you're being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college--you're somehow being mean, or even sexist.

White privilege is being able to convince white women who don't even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a "second look."

White privilege is being able to fire people who didn't support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.

White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God's punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you're just a good
church-going Christian, but if you're black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you're an extremist who probably hates America.

White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a "trick question," while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O'Reilly means you're dodging
the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.

White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it a "light" burden.

And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is
increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren't sure about that whole "change" thing. Ya know, it's just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.

Thanks, Joel!

INDUSTRY UPGRADE!

2008-09-03T01:15:00.007-04:00

WHEN YOU'RE GREAT, YOU WILL BE CHALLENGED;

WHEN YOU'RE GONNA CHANGE HISTORY, THERE'S A PRESS.

WITHOUT A PRESS, THERE CAN'T BE A VICTORY.

WE WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!

~LAURIE ANN GIBSON

SEX AND THE SUMMER

2008-07-27T18:59:00.030-04:00

Summer is in full swing and several of you delicious dolls have been shying away from the sandy beaches cuz of a little tummy bulge - and well... some of you clearly have not.

Lately more of my fab friends have been asking about healthy lifestyle tips so they can polish off their swerve in that two piece bikini for their tryst in St. Tropez, St. Barts or The Shore Club in M.I.A.

Me? I'm a runner... 25-30+ miles a week and I relentlessly pass on the meat... that means no chicken, beef, pork or turkey for me. And yes, I'm totally aware that this may sound a bit looney tuney, especially if you grew up with the requisite Sunday dinners totaling a yummy 3000+ calories, complete with cornbread, collard greens with ham hocks, sweet potatoes, buttermilk biscuits, fried chicken, seven cheese mac & cheese, fried catfish, rib tips, black-eyed peas, pound cake, apple pie, German chocolate cake and of course, sweet tea...

But take a deep breath, Dolls, and have no fear, I'ma double knot my super-cape and bring up the rear. On this After School Special, I'll be divulging my golden dietary/lifestyle tips just for you and pinky swear they work - with visible results in less than a week or two! Now only share these with your most hearted BFFs, cuz haters will be checkin' for you from far and from near. But don't say I didn't warn you cuz snatching these tips will def guarantee you that bangin' beach body before you can even say Jenny Craig spotted at Weight Watchers inhaling Lean Cuisine.

Now take my hand... cross my heart this won't hurt a bit...

- Exercise 6 to 7 days a week (I know... EW!, but put the 4am mozzarella sticks down and RUN - straight toward the gym).

- Try to break your workout into two different sessions, this gives your metabolism a jolt.

- Drink 10 to 12 cups of water a day. And try to drink ice cold water in the AM).

- Take enough vitamins, especially ones that promote weight loss (such as 1800 mg. of Fish Oil, Vitamin B Complex, Co-enzyme Q-10... - do your research and rap with your MD).

- Drink green tea (it's been shown to speed up your metabolism).

- For your metabolism's sake, eat within 1 hour of waking up and don't eat 3 hours before you go to bed. No more late night 'frigerator bonding... stop blaming it on the noctambulism (google it) and two-step your ass back to bed!

- Look into a vegan or vegetarian diet. (Baby steps! I used to think the same thing you're thinking right now, "I'm not giving up my ribs!").

- Drink 12 oz. of warm lemon water (use the juice of 1/2 a lemon) with a little sea salt every morning. This will detoxify your body and make your skin look amazing - for most of you.

- Or, if giving up meat just isn't your thing, just count calories. Try to have around 1200 a day.

- Try to avoid white, bleached, or enriched flour. This stuff is tre bad for you!

- Stay away from high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils.

- Eat every 2 to 4 hours to keep your metabolism going (snacks = handful of nuts, blueberries, raisins, etc. CAUTION: Snack does not equal Oreos, Doritos, OR Cheetos).

- Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day to keep your metabolism up.

- Try to get 6 to 8 hours of sleep. When your body is deprived of sleep your appetite increases by 15%.

- Sugar and artificial sweeteners are the devil. If you have a sweet tooth, grab some fruit.

- Avoid all junk food, fast food, and fried food. PLEASE! You'll thank yourself later.

- Try only drinking water, tea, and black coffee. There are so many hidden calories in drinks. (Did you know 1 bottle of Vitamin Water has 150 calories? Uh huh, that's right!)

- Eat whole grain foods and healthy fats (like olives, avacados, nuts, etc) and stay away from refined or "bad" carbs.

- Remember to read the labels. And beware of "SERVING SIZE." They hide so much junk in "healthy diet" foods. If you can't pronounce it, try not to put it in your body. Because you are what you eat.

- Set small goals (like 5 pounds) and when you reach your goal reward yourself with something (not food! But I didn't say shopping was out of the question).

And just remember that you can do this. It's not impossible. You just have to stick to it and the weight will just fall off. You'll have great abs in no time.

AND BEFORE YOU KNOW IT...

NOT JUST ANOTHER BULLET POINT ON YOUR WISH LIST ANYMORE...

The RAP ON RAP

2008-07-09T19:02:00.002-04:00

HOTNESS GODDESSES!

2008-07-06T05:07:00.022-04:00

and if you've ever wanted to know how its done...
In the WORLD OF WIMBLEDON, it was one of the most competitive matches the sisters have EVER played against each other. When the director yelled "CUT" Venus had taken the WIN over Serena 7:5, 6:4. This FAB DOLL is now a FIVE-TIME Wimbledon champion... ya heard me - CINCO!

The Dynamic Duo also won the doubles final, defeating Raymond/Stosur 6:2, 6:2, making it their 11th doubles title and seventh Grand Slam doubles title. They are 7-0 in Grand Slam doubles finals. And don't let me start in on their economic fortitude - and such as... uh huh. On that Saturday afternoon alone, the dynamic Dolls netted a delicious $2.5 million. Dollars. GLAMTASTIC by ANY standard.

This is what Simon Barnes, Chief Sports Writer for the Times Online, had to say...
"Time, I think, to start marvelling at those Williams girls. They really are the most remarkable pair in the history of tennis. We have known them as child prodigies, we have known them as youthful champions, we have known them as supreme champions at their absolute peak. And now they are giving us something new: they are giving us longevity. If things go on much longer, people will start to love them."

No worries, we clearly understand how "people" feel about our prodigies, Mr. Barnes. And to ensure that we're all on the same page... this is how we feel about "PEOPLE!"...

AND on other "steppin' their game up" fronts... this pic was taken at a photo shoot for VARIETY. Sophisticate chic, chicas... and filthy rich. Upgrades all around. Take notes, Dolls!

PROVING ONCE AGAIN WHY THEY ARE ROCKSTAR ROYALTY!

EBONY UPGRADE!

2008-07-04T05:04:00.007-04:00

I SEE YOU, KENARD, MAKING IT RAIN OVER THERE AT EBONY!
UNDOUBTEDLY... THIS COVER IS THE TRUTH!

UPGRADE!

2008-06-28T21:26:00.008-04:00

In case you haven't checked it, BET is currently airing (prob a trillion times - but in this case that's def a sexy thing) HIP-HOP vs. AMERICA PART II with a panel of illustrious thought-leaders from our community who are unique purveyors of our weighty lifestyle and its cultural branding on America.

Ecclesiastical apartheid, the pervasive misogyny throughout hip hop,the invasive pathology killing our community, the ill effects of patriarchy, and our communal fight with America that necessitates an uprising from within are some of the focal topics debated throughout the segments. Regardless of how you may feel, Ms. Lee and Stephen Hill did their thing and went there, authorizing the airing of our dirty laundry during primetime programming... BUT kudos to the network for recognizing the dire necessity for the heated roundtable.

Hosted by Jeff Johnson and MC Lyte, panelists for "Hip Hop Vs. America II" include "Flavor of Love 2" winner Deelishis London Charles, David Banner, Talib Kweli, Lyfe Jennings (R&B recording artist); Lola Ogunaike (journalist); Allison Samuels (Newsweek magazine); Nelson George (author/director/producer); Kevin Powell (writer/cultural critic); Michael Eric Dyson (author/professor, Georgetown University); Ali LeRoi (producer/writer/director); M1 Dead Prez (hip hop artist/activist); and San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris.

They Brought the Verbal Assault:

Talib Kweli: "An artist's job is to voice the struggle to inspire a generation of leaders. It is wrong to put the job of raising children on the artist when it comes in the home first."

Kim Osorio, author: "We need to see more female video directors, we need to see more female executives and we need to just diversify really what we're looking at. It's just one type of man that seems to be running the business of hip hop."

David Banner: "I will say this to all the women: If you want to change what's going on - pick better mates. In most cases, with these men, you know what type of men they are when you lay down with them. You have to make a decision for yourself to pick a better mate. If you want to change this society, close your legs."

... now that's Black Entertainment Television.

5 STARS

HEY BILL! WE AIN'T IN KANSAS ANYMORE, YOU DOUCHE!

2008-02-28T21:34:00.010-05:00

AND THIS IS WHAT OUR RESIDENT COMMUNITY DIVA, STAR JONES, HAD TO SAY...
STAR GOT GOOD AND ARTICULATE WITH THIS ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE, RIGHT WING RASCIST WHEN HE GOT BESIDE HIMSELF AND SUGGESTED HOSTING A WHITE HOODED HOE-DOWN... BUT STAR INTERCEPTED HIS SEGREGATED INVITES AND GOT IN HIS ASS!
E-LISTED SAYS WITH POWERFUL WORDS LIKE THESE SHE CAN SPEAK FOR US... ANYDAY!

Bill O'Reilly's Throwing a Lynching Party

Posted February 23, 2008 | 12:34 PM (EST) on THE HUFFINGTON POST

I'm sick to death of people like FOX News host, Bill O'Reilly, and his ilk thinking that he can use a racial slur against a black woman who could be the next First Lady of the United States, give a half-assed apology and not be taken to task and called on his crap.

This week O'Reilly gave the following response to a caller on his radio show who was making unsubstantiated negative charges against presidential candidate Barack Obama's wife, Michelle Obama:

"And I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels. If that's how she really feels -- that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever -- then that's legit. We'll track it down."

Star Jones: "What the hell? If it's "legit," you're going to "track it down?" And then what do you plan to do?

How dare this white man with a microphone and the trust of the public think that in 2008, he can still put the words "lynch and party" together in the same sentence with reference to a black woman; in this case, Michelle Obama? I don't care how you "spin it" in the "no spin zone," that statement in and of itself is racist, unacceptable and inappropriate on every level.

O'Reilly claims his comments were taken out of context. Please don't insult my intelligence while you're insulting me. I've read the comments and heard them delivered in O'Reilly's own voice; and there is no right context that exists. So, his insincere apology and "out-of-context" excuse is not going to cut it with me.

And just so we're clear, this has nothing to do with the 2008 presidential election, me being a Democrat, him claiming to be Independent while talking Republican, the liberal media or a conservative point of view. To the contrary, this is about crossing a line in the sand that needs to be drawn based on history, dignity, taste and truth.

Bill, I'm not sure of where you come from, but let me tell you what the phrase "lynching party" conjures up to me, a black woman born in North Carolina. Those words depict the image of a group of white men who are angry with the state of the own lives getting together, drinking more than they need to drink, lamenting how some black person has moved forward (usually ahead of them in stature or dignity), and had the audacity to think that they are equal. These same men for years, instead of looking at what changes, should and could make in their own lives that might remove that bitterness born of perceived privilege, these white men take all of that resentment and anger and decide to get together and drag the closest black person near them to their death by hanging them from a tree -- usually after violent beating, torturing and violating their human dignity. Check your history books, because you don't need a masters or a law degree from Harvard to know that is what constitutes a "lynching party."

Imagine, Michelle and Barack Obama having the audacity to think that they have the right to the American dream, hopes, and ideals. O'Reilly must think to himself: how dare they have the arrogance to think they can stand in a front of this nation, challenge the status quo and express the frustration of millions? When this happens, the first thing that comes to mind for O'Reilly and people like him is: "it's time for a party."

Not so fast...don't order the rope just yet.

Would O'Reilly ever in a million years use this phrase with reference to Elizabeth Edwards, Cindy McCain or Judi Nathan? I mean, in all of the statements and criticisms that were made about Judi Nathan, the one-time mistress turned missus, of former presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, I never heard any talk of forming a lynch party because of something she said or did.

So why is it that when you're referring to someone who's African-American you must dig to a historical place of pain, agony and death to symbolize your feelings? Lynching is not a joke to off-handedly throw around and it is not a metaphor that has a place in political commentary; provocative or otherwise. I admit that I come from a place of personal outrage here having buried my 90 year-old grandfather last year. This proud, amazing African-American man raised his family and lived through the time when he had to use separate water fountains, ride in the back of a bus, take his wife on a date to the "colored section" of a movie theater, and avert his eyes when a white woman walked down the street for fear of what a white man and his cronies might do if they felt the urge to "party"; don't tell me that the phrase you chose, Mr. O'Reilly, was taken out of context.

To add insult to injury, O'Reilly tried to "clarify" his statements, by using the excuse that his comments were reminiscent of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' use of the term "high-tech lynching" during his confirmation hearing. I reject that analogy. You see Justice Thomas did mean to bring up the image of lynching in its racist context. He was saying that politics and the media were using a new technology to do to him what had been done to black men for many years -- hang him. Regardless of if you agreed with Justice Thomas' premise or not, if in fact -- Bill O'Reilly was referencing it -- the context becomes even clearer.

What annoys me more than anything is that I get the feeling that one of the reasons Bill O'Reilly made this statement, thinking he could get away with it in the first place, and then followed it up with a lame apology in a half-hearted attempt to smooth any ruffled feathers, is because he doesn't think that black women will come out and go after him when he goes after us. Well, he's dead wrong. Be clear Bill O'Reilly: there will be no lynch party for that black woman. And this black woman assures you that if you come for her, you come for all of us."

2 snaps and a neck roll from the Dolls' Digest.... and we mean that in the most higher education havin' way!

LYRICIST LOST

2007-09-13T17:51:00.001-04:00

Rest in Peace, Pac.
11 year anniversary of passing... for those of us who believe the infamous ingenue really is dead.

¡feliz cumpleaños!

2007-09-13T12:28:00.001-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, P!
YUM-MO is... the most under-rated salacious celeb in the 'wood!
... a girl can dream!

BESTEST FANS in the MATRIX!

2007-08-14T00:10:00.000-04:00

"HEY DOLLS!!!!" Can you see me? *swinging through my mind with my keyboard close behind*

I'm hidden inside this silver box in my parallel universe with my BFFs Kennedy, Hannah, and Britt. I know I've been spending an obnoxious amount of time with them inking the sweet & spicy Spin-Off to CONFESSIONS... and since I know a thing or two about being neglected (yes, can you believe it - moi?) I wanted to take a quick sec and pull myself away from the Brats and let you know that I'm still here, just not there, but hidden deep deep inside here (think the Matrix meets Tron, circa 1982) contracting carpal tunnel just for you!

I want to sneak in this opp to gushingly praise all you Dynamic Dolls who've read THE BOOK, especially those that crushed so hard you had to read it more than once (you all make me school-girl-blush every time you tell/write me that once just wasn't enough). It means more to me than you could ever know, particularly now that I'm swaggering into the INFERNO with my overheating laptop and my durrrty DEADLINE in tow!

So for all my avid readers and all my far-too-fierce fans that have expressed how much THE BOOK meant to you and how much you can't wait to get your girly grubs on the next one... please know that I've gotten all your hundreds of emails and they've given me the ROCKSTAR MOJO to keep the 2nd BOOK as fabulush as the first!

And just so you know that I'm not twisting tales, below I've pasted the most recent and absolutely adorable email sent from one of you fantastic Dolls... and please know, Ms. ALEXIS ADAMS, that your proposed storyline is tre' intriguing... so maybe there's a laptop and a myriad of intersecting plots in your future :)

Luv you like hot pickles and peppermint sticks!

xoxo,

E-ROCKA

Alexis Adams wrote...

"I KNOW THAT U MIGHT NOT KNOW ME, BUT I WANTED 2 ASK U IF U WERE THINKING ABOUT MAKING A SEQUAL TO YOUR BOOK" CONFESSIONS OF A ROOKIE CHEERLEADER"!!!...I REALLY LOVE THAT BOOK!!!...AND I WAS THINKING THAT IT WOULD BE GOOD IF U WERE TO MAKE A SEQUAL WITH ALL DA SAME CHARACTERS; HANNAH, MAX, BRITTANY, KENNEDY, NANA, ALIYAH, ELIJAH, COBRA, AND EVEN MONA!!!!....LYK HANNAH AND MAX COULD HAVE GOTTEN MARRIED IN HAWAII!!!...ALIYAH AND SHEPHARD HAD THEIR BABY, BUT WAS WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TYM TO GET MARRIED!!!!...BRITT WAZ DA SAME OLE BRITT DOING WHAT SHE USUALLY DID...KENNEDY WAZ ABOUT TO STAR IN A MOVIE NOW AND NOT JUST IN SOAP OPERAS AND COMMERCIALS!!!....ALL THREE OF THE BRATS LIVED IN NEW YORK....HANNAH AND MAX BOTH LIVED TOGETHER IN NEW YORK, OF COURSE!!!!....BUT THEN SOMEHOW MONA AND ELIJAH MEET AND BOTH HAVE A BONE TO PICK WITH THE SAME PERSON....HANNAH!!!!.....SO THEY TRY TO SABBOTAGE HANNAH AND MAX'S RELATIONSHIP AND TRY TO RUIN HANNAH'S CAREER AT TRU RECORDS!!!!!....BUT THAT'S JUST SOME IDEAS, BECAUSE I WOULD REALLY LOVE IT IF U WERE TO WRITE A SEQUAL TO THE BOOK!!!!...ACTUALLY TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, LAST NIGHT WAS MY 2ND TIME READING THAT BOOK!!!!...THE 1ST TIME I GOT THE BOOK IT ONLY TOOK ME 2 AND 1/2 DAYZ TO FINISH BECAUSE I HAD TO KEEP STOPPING TO DO THINGS, SO ORIGINIALLY IT ONLY WOULD HAVE TOOK ME ONE DAY!!!!...BUT PLEASE TAKE THIS EMAIL THAT I SENT YOU INTO CONSIDERATION, AND EMAIL ME BACK LETTING ME KNOW THAT YOU GOT IT, AND THAT YOU'LL TRY TO MAKE THAT SEQUAL HAPPEN!!!!....IM BEGGING YOU TO!!!!...PLEASE!!!" - Alexis

So of course, Alexis, me and the Lit Rockstars at Random House are on the case and you can pick up your sesssy sequel next year sometime! Oh yeah, and don't forget to check your inbox for my response to your purr-fectly inspiring email!

THXOXO,
E-ROCKA

http://www.erikakendrick.com/

A PRAYER FOR MY DYING GERTRUDE

2007-07-23T15:15:00.000-04:00

Fearless people,
Careless needle.
Harsh words spoken,
And lives are broken.
Forceful ageing,
Help me I'm fading.
Heaven's waiting,
It's time to move on.
Crossing that bridge,
With lessons I've learned.
Playing with fire,
And not getting burned.
I may not know what you're going through.
But time is the space,
Between me and you.
Life carries on... it goes on.
Just say die,
And that would be pessimistic.
In your mind,
We can walk across water.
Please don't cry,
It's just a prayer for the dying.
I just don't know what's got into me.
Been crossin' that bridge,
With lessons I've learned.
Playing with fire,
And not getting burned.
I may not know what you're going through,
But time is the space,
Between me and you.
There is a light through that window
Hold on say yes, while people say no
Life carries on!
It goes on
I'm crossing that bridge,
With lessons I've learned
I'm playing with fire,
And not getting burned
I may not know what you're going through.
But time is the space,
Between me and you.
There is a light through that window.
Hold on say yes,
while people say no
Cause life carries on
It goes on
It goes on.
Life carries on.
When nothing else matters.
When nothing else matters.
I just don't know what's got into me.
It's just a prayer for the dying.
For the dying.

Seal - Prayer For The Dying

GERTRUDE, INTERRUPTED

2007-07-21T20:37:00.000-04:00

First, know that I am in here waving the white flag, asking that you step back from that penalty pistol and forgive me for taking so effin long to get back to the basics of blogging, my personal, albeit public, constitution. Believe me, I hoarded all your zillions of emails and I missed you too, Dolls - Dearly! Admittedly, I have been going through what I am comfortable calling a series of rather challenging "Life Challenges", but I'm determined that with each "Hoo-Rah!" I'll Elvis back onto my virtual stage plucking my crimson-and-cream guitar pick against the keys of my laptop, strumming the chords of harmony and balance. Too deep? Too honest? So Sorry, Dolls, but it's the authentic space in which I've found myself as of late as I've been dealing diligently with the universal ramifications of death.

YOUR EPISTEMOLOGY ... What about you? I mean have you ever gone really deep and thought about what exactly happens when we leave... you know when we "pass", when we "expire", when we "move on", when we... well, I think you get the point. I mean, have you ever really given it the depth of thought that such a question deserves? You know I'm talking about that truly intelligent layered thought - that thought that takes you way beyond "the pearly gates" and the big guy with the white beard holding the scrolls clocking off how many times you were either naughty or nice. Thinking beyond the bright white light and the Gary Coleman of yesteryear in his poofy white wings with the job responsibility of flying down to escort you through the halogen tunnel to heavenly happiness. Well, I've been forced to evaluate my beliefs about the "AFTERLIFE" and while it isn't my duty to question your belief system, it is my mission to simply share with you what exactly has this AUTHOR, INTERRUPTED!

THE BACKSTORY ... My mother's mother (my gram-ma) was rushed to the hospital exactly 22 days ago after 77 years of excellent health - serious wheelin' and dealin' 2 steppin and old school Chicago style reppin, collard greens and homemade buttermilk biscuit bakin' - health. She was the GODMOTHER of the Jones' Mafia, the one who knew everything about each and every extended family member stretched from the beaches of Cali to the Buffalo of New Yok. She was the fire behind the cracker and the fabulous number five next to Chanel. Her name was Gertrude... and Gertrude had the clandestine connects to the supreme court judges and could quietly jew a prison stint down to highway cleanup (sans the hideous neon orange jumpsuit with the reflector capabilities, of course). Gertrude was the Clean-up Queen and forever the one to be seen on the see and be seen scenes!

22 days ago, Gertrude was indulging in her love affair with life without a coronary care in the world when her routine was rudely interrupted with what was initially thought to be either a stroke or a mild heart attack. As fear permeated through the Jones' lineage, leaving no relative spared, the city stopped as the Matriarch of the most powerful middle class family in Chicago exhaled.

Gertrude never returned home from the hospital; rather, she was posed with the following life-changing question as she helplessly looked up at the doctor from her hospital bed:
"Well, Gertrude, you've got two choices: either (1) remain on life support for the rest of your life in a verrry special intensive care facility or (2) allow us to pull the plug while you slowly expire, but with the numbing calming effects of morphine, of course" (as if that makes the biggest decision of her life any easier, I mean, C'MON!).
Gertrude's only response to this life-changing proposition that would inevitably change or end her life as she knew it was... "You mean I'll never go home again?"

Well, what would you do?

We spend our lives desperately dying to get ahead - as quickly and effficiently as humanly possible, never thinking of our final day on earth...

what will the temperature be? will it rain? will the market be up? will anyone really care? will we even be wearing clean underwear?

QUESTIONS FOR THURSDAY ... Gertrude chose to pull the plug and for three days following her fateful decision she struggled to hold on until a few of her close loved ones were able to catch flights to her bedside. She fought exceptionally hard using the minimal energy she had on reserve as the uninvited fluid that surrounded her lungs drowned them slowly and painfully, suffocating her last breaths. Undoubtedly, Gertrude stood on Death's doormat ruminating on the questions for Thursday, Death's Day:

What will the temperature be?

Oh, Gramma, it was a perfect 75 degree day.

Will it rain?
No, Gramma, it didn't rain.

Will the market be up?
Yes, Gramma, it was a Bull day.

Will anyone really care?
Yes, Gramma, you overfilled the waiting room with so many people that everyone was forced to take shifts just to be by your bedside and bid you adieu.

Will I have on clean underwear?
Yes, Gramma, your children made sure you were as fabulous the day you died as you were each day of your Alabama born Chicago bred badass black bourgeoise life.

Now as Destiny, or God or Buddha or Christ would have it, everyone made it in from around the globe to bid her farewell the eve of her self-imposed extinction, except me. See, after a whirlwind of fights with my own immune system, it is now 6am and I am finally on a jetplane headed back to the place I call home to be with the family I call mine... and I was informed just one hour ago that Gertrude "passed" peacefully in the night.

GERTRUDE GOT THE LAST WORD ... I rejoice for this original Rockstar because looking death in the face and deciding to rock out with it is much more intense than any fantasticallly fabulous Doll should ever have to endure. "Going" in the night with her legacy in the waiting room asleep on uncomfortable hospital chairs awaiting daybreak to Kumbaya with her as she gripped the handlebars of death's Harley was never her plan. So while we all slept last night, she grooved on into the afterlife in her pimped out duster and her Chanel number 5 holding her waist as she sped off in divine couture with a hint of indulgence on her face, knowing that in the end she went out on her terms, in her time, and in her fashionably glam, terrific taste.

And when we all awoke, Gertrude was gone...

REST IN PEACE, ROCKSTAR!

E-LISTED LEGEND

2007-06-07T20:26:00.000-04:00

STILL ROCKIN' YOUR LEGENDARY ANDROGYNY AT 49!
We, over here, bow down.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOLL!

E-LISTED UPGRADE!

2007-06-05T21:00:00.000-04:00

Just before jetting back to Chi this past weekend for more persistent promo at the downtown Hilton, I had the ridiculously enviable honor of being invited to participate in the 2007 Book Expo America. The BEA took place at Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York with only the tre elite in the lit game today. Needless to say I was just "BEYOOOND," particularly because just two years ago I was a lurker at said bananas book expo... that's right, a LURKER (EW!)... and my expo adventure didn't end quite so well that particular year. This rather unhappy ending prob had something to do with the fact that I was an amateur trespasser slash stalker: No invitation, No badge, No floor pass, No NOTHING! But I ain't 'shamed, it is what it is, people, and why let a lil something like "PERMISSION TO ENTER" separate a hustle from its flow. I mean, really! So there I was, scoping and scheming all up and through the place tryna get my network on and 'Meet & Greet' like the rest of the paid and published. Wheelin' and dealin' and talkin' to whoever would listen about this lil cheerleading book I wrote had been my mission... right up until I was stopped and dropped somewhere between eavesdropping on a meeting and poking my head into a pre-paid panel presentation. Double Boo!

Funny how two years can have a chick turning Gloria's beat around to the tune of a seat with the Rockstar Royalty that is the Random House Signing table surrounded by goo gobs of avid readers and fabulous fans and the "Random House One World/Ballantine Championship Team:" Nikki Turner, TuShonda Whitaker, Treasure, and well, lil credentialed ME!

Between jane hancocks, I swigged down some Evian and poked my head around to realize we were situated at a table right next to super-dooper-model, Alek Wek, who has her memoirs in the marketplace and Dr. Randal Pinkett, who was backing his brainy bestseller, Campus CEO.

After the long line of appreciative readers got all their bags-o-books signed, I rubbed elbows and discreetly (read: this was a convo that happened only in my mind) compared weave technique and hair quality with the hotness that is Heather Hunter, who was there promo-ing her present proj, INSATIABLE. Yum-mo!

Fabulosity aboud, I exited with my uber-editor, Melody Guy, and her fantastic entourage of Top Tier editorial elite and cruised alongside the Hudson River toward Harlem for an exclusive Post-Expo Dinner. It was all I could do to sit still in my seat and sip on my merlot while pinching myself under the table. OUCH! But it was def real, and I was a lurker/stalker no more!

Gnarly night neverending, I hopped in a towncar with my mind in a fog, dazed out about the magnificent eve I'd just had... which only got gushier when I stepped outta the ride and into the arms of a jazz cover band, my vodka martini and my latest, albeit temporary, crush. Simply Delish!

WHEN I GROW UP...

2007-05-14T01:12:00.000-04:00

M is for the MILLION things she gave me.
O means that I OWE her all I own.
T is for her TENDER sweet caresses.
H is for the HOUSE she made a home.
E means EVERYTHING she's done to help me.
R means Right and right she'll always be.
Put them all together they spell MOTHER,
A word that means the WORLD to me!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO THE UBER-HOTTIE IN MY LIFE...
I LOVE YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE!

HOMEMADE LAUGHS & LOVE

2007-05-13T15:24:00.000-04:00

So I was back on a jet plane headed to one of my fantastically fave destinations in all of this wicked world. Some call it the Windy City, some have deemed it the City of Broad Shoulders, or more plainly put, Kanye's Kingdom (actually I conjured that one up - hot huh?). Conde Nast Traveler Magazine has named it one of the best cities to vacay in the summer, but I simply like to call it HOME!At this amazingly booty-ful event , I spent the eve signing, schmoozing and even snorting out loud (promise it only happened once) at the downtown Chicago Hilton and Towers in the company of some of the funniest gut-grabbing comedians in the Make-You-Laugh-Your-Ass-Off (and your lengthy lady lashes) game today!The super duper cutie patootie and King of Komedy, Damon Williams, hosts Funny First Saturdays each month. On the sneak and without any radio promo (no budget for metal detectors), he showcases the skillz of the Talented Tenth in front of several hundred of the hottest Chi-City thrillseekers around, including Big Poppa, the quintessential Pimperoni (flicked below).

Leaving the stage after a rather entertaining interview about the book(ahem *shaking my head and clearing my throat*), I got my giggle on before signing several books for the supportively sexy scene.
AFROCENTRIC BOOKSTORE was on site providing me with boxes-o-books and welcomed whispers of advice about how to continue to successfully navigate this Big Book Journey. Thxoxo for that, Desiree, you're such a megastar! And in case you didn't already know, Desiree Sanders is the Proprietor (read: OWNER) of the acclaimed Afrocentric Bookstore in Bronzeville (flicked above) and def an entrepreneurial Doll who's in the game to WIN and take the talented to the top with her. Kudos & Kisses to both she and Damon for loving on the neos on the come-up!

WARNING: Now if you're serious about a consistently yummy funny night of Stand Up, don't say I didn't dish the details... cuz his hilarity jumps off at 9! And I'll def be back every First Saturday at The Hilton continuing to build buzz, move books, and get jiggy with my minstrel giggle!

Oh, and next time I'll remember to dab a lil extra adhesive on those lengthy lashes expressly for when D commands the crowd and gets his ROFLMAO swagger on! OK, TTYL! XOXO! ... too much? Yeah, I agree.

A PERFECT PENTHOUSE PARTY IN THE SKY....

2007-05-01T14:24:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago in a land past Chelsea and straight down 9th Avenue, the chicest of TRE CHIC birthday boogies went down and yours truly was smack damned in the middle of it all, showing my very E-Listed love (read: holding folks' purses and pocketbooks and locking down all the incoming money-maxed b-day cards).This Super-Soiree was held in honor of my gorge girl's 35th birthday on the ROOFTOP of the Hotel Gansevoort, "an urban heaven" according to Wallpaper Magazine, and every bit the 360 degrees of TRUE POSHNESS!

Now if you've ever been to New York City and haven't made the requisite trip to the MEATPACKING DISTRICT and indulged in the glam Gansevoort lifestyle, then sh-sh-sh-shame on you! Celeb packed, Trust fund fabness & Beautiful, like, squared three times - (1) People, (2) Drink Concocts and (3) Panoramic Views of Gotham!

And all this fantastic fuss was being made over Killa Karen, (she's that Doll that runs ish over at MTV and is holding down all the money matters in the Latin American Market). Ms. Abdul, if you're nasty, rocked red carpet ridiculously with her very Janet "YOU KNOW YOU WANT THIS" couture lady frock.

I arrived unfashionably on time, (ok, so maybe I was 30 mins not so on time) with my Sands, Reshon, who was in town on work alert. We slinked in and quickly noticed that the swanky penthouse had been overtaken by the beautiful ones - and very very BROWN ones - who repped from every vantage point of Karen's current and previous life... so you know the ex-factors were in full effect and the E-listed EX-love-of-my-life (but I'm so hot and over you right now that I invited your new girl too) was peppered all up and through!

The Passion Fruit Martinis were the designated drink of the eve with the expected Belvedere Apple martini variation thrown in for good measure. Karen was stalked by her very own snapparazzi as she graciously made her rounds while inquisitive looks and uncertain stares were thrown around by the not-so-browns. And by the end of the night and too many too count 'tinis later, we shut it down, tossing the duece and exiting in serious sway! Good times were had by all!

Happy Birthday, K!

FOR THE Xs & Os and their RETRO TANGO

2007-04-25T22:18:00.000-04:00

Say baby, can I be your slave
I’ve got to admit girl, you’re the shit girl
And I’m diggin’ you like a grave
Now do they call you daughter to the spinnin post, or
Or maybe Queen of 2,000 moons
Sister to the distant, yet risin’ star
Is your name Yimmy-Ya
Oh hell nah, it’s got to be Oshun
Ooo, is that a smile me put on your face child
Wide as a field of Jasmine and Glover
Talk that talk honey, walk that walk money
Hound legs that’ll spank Jehovah
Shit, who am I?
It’s not important
But they call me brother to the Night
And right now
I’m the blues in your left thigh
Tryin to become the funk in your right

Who am I?
I’ll be whoever you say
But right now, I’m the sight raped hunter
Blindly pursuing you as my prey
And I just wanna give you injections, of sublime erections
And get you to dance to my rhythm
Make you dream archaetypes, of black angels in flight
Upon wings, of distorted, contorted, metaphoric jism
Come on slim
Fuck yo’ man, I ain’t worried about him
It’s you who I wanna step to my scene
Cause rather than deal with the fallacy
Of this dry ass reality
I rather dance and romance your sweet ass, in a wet dream
Who am I?
Well they all call me brother to the Night
And right now, I’m the blues in your left thigh
Trying to become the funk in your right
Is that alright

-Darius Lovehall

Happy 10 Year Anniversary, LJ! xoxo

AN E-LISTED UPGRADE...

2007-04-19T19:46:00.000-04:00

I was straight off a jet plane from Chi-City from the bananas book signing at the Borders Bookstore in hipster Hyde Park after I'd closed my eyes and envisioned the land of OZ just before clicking my heels 3xs and snatching Toto to venture down that yellow brick road... 1.5 hours later I landed in the City of Brotherly Love and was unexpectedly drowned in an exorbitant amount of X's and O's...

Driver kicked me out at the Power 99 radio studio where I rocked out for 3 hours with the Total Temptation that is TT Torrez, an Undeniably Dynamic Dyme who graces the afternoon airwaves for "Philly's #1 Station Bangin' Hip Hop & R&B" (in my best Voiceover Queen twirk).

TT is a SUPERSTAR (so stoked you loved the book, darlin') and she got good and E-Listed and rocked out with me, gossiping (girl, he know dat's his baby), giggling and talking dish about THE BOOK. Thxoxo for the love affair, Doll, and keep daring to dream BIG, HUGE, MEGAWATT!.. and I'll keep sprinkling that pixie dust!

Then I hitchhiked down the street, up the block and around the corner with Dayna, a Jerzey Jewel, who crept through the traffic with ease, ditching me and my traveling tradeshow just 5 mins shy of my panel performance call time for As The Page Turns, an exclusive book club, who was having a Mardi Gras Themed 6 year Anniversay Author Discussion and Soiree. Nakea Murray was dutifully inducted onto the E-List and now def deserves a mini-vacay for pulling off something so sophisticate chic glazed with a sprinkle of crunk! Philly dymes proved they absol know how to set it out and make a Chi-City country girl comfy as they popped bottles and got good and gourmet with it. Reppin' the lit game with the likes of Donna Hill (did yall readin' folk know she's inked over 50 titles) and the urban lit king they call K'wan was beyond hot! Ha, he says in all his flix he reps like a burglar... truuuuu, but I love you anyway, K'wan, and your million dollar hood hustle is the ish! I feel you on the burglar vibe, but I'd have to say more like somethin' out of a semi-vintage Dave Chappelle skit (oh, Dave, where art thou... last I heard, playin' favorites at the Laugh Factory giving them the ecstasy that is YOU ON STAGE FOR 6 HOURS MAKING PEOPLE PEE THEIR PANTS!) but I digress... The E-Listed Love was fantastically flowing right along with the hancocked books - I heart you too, Borders Express and the mango margaritas that called shotgun!

But turn the beat around, cuz I just can't fathom continuing this keyboard shuffle without dishing about the fabulous par-tae that was thrown a few events ago for me (well, not only for me, but I had an invite, a table, hella books, and my sharpie situated in the middle of that 'tique so it was all yummy and shit) at my absolute favorite designer destination, N Harlem, Harlem's premiere upscale boutique. Belvedere was on site pouring a mixed concoct that had us throwing em back like old school red kool aid, sans the stained teeth and the magenta mustache. Of course I can't remember the ingredients of said delish Belvey concoct, so drop me a line anytime if you, too, exited N Harlem gettin' your sway on!Crimson & Cream smoochies for Nikoa Evans, one of the far-too-fierce owners of the couture clothing shop. She also happens to be a chapter soror - I see you, O-Chi!.. and believe it or not, we didn' t know each other until smidgeons before my New York Book Release Bash... Pinky swear I'll throw up a few flix from that glam gala in a few... anything to get off you dolls' ishlist...

Pressing on... I followed the indie scenester crowd down the ridiculously long avenue to the afterparty at GINGER - aka 'STANDING ROOM ONLY' - and copped a squat at the VIP table that Kim Sledge (she's that chick that'll make you question your sexuality) had reserved for me and my sessssy all girl glam band.
In case you've been outta "the know" or just haven't made the hustle up to the re gentrified 'hood, GINGER has def taken it's place on the seen and be seen scene! Lemme know what's really good with the book, Mr. Lover (Natasha, heavy hotness for all of that!) Seated in the cushiness, surrounded by good grub, good girlfriends and all that gushy stuff was the perfect pre-am to my E-LISTED night as I sexed it up for my cameo on the Reggie & Naledi Show.

Officially OFF DUTY, me, my Sands, Reshon, and my traveling tradeshow hopped in the Escalade and Driver slicked downtown for Lil Flip's Album Release Joint being held at some greasy spot where the bottles were poppin' and some entourag-ed stud who was channeling Turtle tried to spit game with his stale and starchy "yeah, ma, you need to get at me." EW! This was all just before he came to the realization that I wasn't there to get my 'GROUPIE' on, just my drink on, and that the cat that signs off on his checks, or his under-the-table-whatevers, was a 'close & personal' (and a decent enough kisser) though I'd never go back for seconds, or 1 and a halves for that matter, but again, I digress...

REEEEWIND...

2007-04-07T17:58:00.000-04:00

This week had been ridiculously wild & wicked, but before I rev into all the E-Listed lace-ups, I simply must backtrack to some sweetheart soirées and signings, one of which went down at Harlem's Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe! First lemme say that they have the most stellar staff in all of the bookstore-&-cafe free world... and Marv Allen and Rita Ewing (yes, as in Patrick Ewing'$ ex-wife) were the first to book me @ Hue-Man as soon as the book galleys were sent off to the leaders of the literary world. She's def a diva-licious dyme who's doin' it big with her own books (BRICKHOUSE, HOMECOURT ADVANTAGE, PATRICK'S PALS) and co-ownership of aforementioned bookstore in which to promote them. Additionally, she's absolutely gorge and rocks both a nursing and a law degree - k, pure hotness! Nuff said!

It was such an indelible honor to be in that particular store signing cuz it's known to cater to the caramel-coated celeb lit world and the likes of Wendy Williams, Angela Bassett, Dr. Ian yadda blah you get the point... so I was all of two cups of latte and a diet pill past jittery when I got there to see they'd set up tons of space complete with a table for moi and chairs for, uh, thwah(?) - so when I popped open my red suitcase to unveil my traveling tradeshow display of red and white cheerleading sparkle, the E-Listed eve got good and yummy! Unforgettable thanx to all the E-Listers who laughed with me, cried with me and allowed me to do my theatrical thang without a single snicker or snort from the standing-room-only-honey-roasted-peanut gallery that included entertainment industry icons, NYC BFFs, cafe regulars and chapter sorors (oo-oop!) Rockstars, You All Are!

Around the same mind-blowing time AOL Black Voices, Black Diamonds & Pour Moi (they were promo-ing a very smooth cognac made esp just for us girlies) held a sophisticated soiree in honor of Women's History Month for Black female authors from varying literary genres in March in Manhattan in the tre New Yorky NYU neighborhood. Sexy!... and I was the first to rock out the series. I can't think of a better recipe for an unforgettable E-Listed evening than sickeningly beautiful people, top shelf libations (thx, Glenn), and a super cute DJ who forces you to involuntarily bob your head and get jiggy within the constricted confines of your seat (you know how we do when we don't wanna sweat out the weave cuz we can't get in the chair for an appt til next week, esp when it's time for a touch up - EW!)

And all the glameratti were on site including the adorably gorge Dominga Martin, who repped casual glam extra hard with her Creme Magazine team (I'm sooo crushing on my mag review, D!!!) ... and Kisses & Kudos to the Rockstar crew who orchestrated the hotness: Pam Pickens, Alvin Bowles, Darryl Dye, Hue-Man Bookstore, Ken Gibbs and Cheryl Thompson (xoxo for the beautiful blog you dolled up about me on the AOL BV website)! Could I be any gushier and downright annoying right now!? Totally! But for my inner circle neophytes, I'll spare you the eyeball rolls and neck gyrations for a later time when I'm dishing about an irresistibly cute boy I shagged.