Big-ups to the Funny Black Girl

Recently I saw "For Colored Girls" and liked it. Though it was heart wrenching and emotionally draining most of the movie,  I appreciated the comic relief that seeped through Loretta Divine's and surprisingly Thandie Newton's characters. The comedy wasn't in your face per say, but they were so completely living the life of their characters that the funny quirks came through and I loved it. 


It inspired me to give recognition to other funny performances by actresses. So here is the first video of many more to come. If you've seen this one , sit back, reminisce, and crack up. If not, you've got some catching up to do : )


CLASSIC!
Anne -Marie Johnson as "Cherry" from "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka"

I am gonna toast to the A**holes

I recently posted a link on Facebook with a interview with Kanye West : 
kanyespeaksthetruthpart1www.youtube.com.  I posted it with the comment of "You have to respect him".  I got feedback from a couple of people that didn't quite agree, statements like: 


"Kanye behaves like a child. Creatively, he's one of the best around, but his antics/personality are cliche. How much longer is he going to play the role of the misunderstood genius?" N.T


"I say all that to say I listen to his music, though I don't own all his CD's but I think the money, the adulation and praise he has received throughout his career has given him an amazing sense of himself, that can only be seen thru Kanye colored glasses. " R.E


I can admit that his comparison to his situation to Emmett Till was a complete stretch BUT I do respect his ability to say whatever he feels. He can act like a child but children are honest, they are free in that sense. 


Kanye plays a important role in our society. He goes against the norm, I would guess he despises it. It's so easy to dismiss someone , to say they're acting like a child when they do or say something that is so against what we perceive as proper conduct. And though it's unfortunate that people do get caught in the line of fire during these rebel's outbursts (Taylor Swift), it gives us another way to see-  if we really allow ourselves to open up and listen to these outliers - it forces us to look at things a different way, possibly as we did as children.


Of course we grow up and become responsible, but we also lose a lot of what made us creative- possibly our true selves. The shoulds and shouldnts get in the way- which becomes fear in going against the status quo, fear of hurting others, fear of being perceived as a bad person.  On this point I want to refer to an excerpt from an article that a friend recently sent me by Adrian Tan (Author of "The Teenage Handbook"), this was his speech to a graduating class of 2008 : 
  
" I now say this to you: be hated.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. Do you know anyone who hates you? Yet every great figure who has contributed to the human race has been hated, not just by one person, but often by a great many. That hatred is so strong it has caused those great figures to be shunned, abused, murdered and in one famous instance, nailed to a cross.

One does not have to be evil to be hated. In fact, it’s often the case that one is hated precisely because one is trying to do right by one’s own convictions. It is far too easy to be liked, one merely has to be accommodating and hold no strong convictions. Then one will gravitate towards the centre and settle into the average. That cannot be your role. There are a great many bad people in the world, and if you are not offending them, you must be bad yourself. Popularity is a sure sign that you are doing something wrong."


full article: http://www.hs.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=435703785332&id=838833 331


So here's a toast to one of the hated... Maybe he is an A**hole.  A child. But he gets us to think. 

Are you Hater if Something is Wack??

Before I get into my feelings on a  "hot" new restaurant I went yesterday, I want to first discuss the event of going out to eat in Hollywood. Living on the Westside everything is casual, I don't think twice about what to put on, everything seems to work in Venice. 

whatever man, I'm just doing me

But after the amazing experience I had at Cleo on Monday, I was happy to return to Hollywood again last night. Getting up to H.wood for dinner is rare and two nights in a row is super rare and maybe it's because it's been a minute but shit, it's like a whole new world. First off at the waitstaff in general are so good looking (duh), people get dressed and plastic surgery abounds. Whatever, sure, no surprise here.  But what is that thing that's in the "air" of many new restaurants, where because there's paparazzi outside or because it's by a renowned chef they can skimp on the basic details?  Case in point,  Rick Bayless's new restaurant "Red O" on Melrose.  www.redorestaurant.com/ 

We jaunted over there kinda excited to be somewhat in the know and being that the chef is well known, looking forward to a great meal.  We walked in and were pretty impressed by the decor ( California chic) - okay, so far so good.  We headed over to the bar because our table wasn't ready yet - a bit of a red flag here since everyone was starving, including pregnant sister.  Ordered Sangria, but oop, they were out, "Batch wasn't good and we want everything to be perfect"- really? Get to our table and the waitress recommends a wine for dinner  which tasted cheap, flat, and corky-  aw man.  Now to the food.  To sum it up simply, I'll leave it to one of my companions who stated "It was El Pollo Loco, no not even, Baja Fresh in a fancy joint"- great. Oh, and to top it all off, all of our stomachs were banging after- whoohoo! But hey,  Dave Navarro was there.  I'll just say I'm fine with being a hater on this one.

The importance of balance topped off with a Slamming Dinner

Had an awesome dinner last night with my great friend DJ at Cleo Restaurant at the newish Redbury Hotel in Hollywood (slamming- Go Go Go! - make sure to get the octopus and curry cauliflower)  www.cleorestaurant.com  

DJ and I hadn't seen each other in a good minute and had only talked briefly intermittently this past month and a half due to her incredibly busy work schedule, my traveling and perhaps both of our respective new findings (more on that later...maybe). Prior to this month we hung out very often, she actually served as my date on many occasions- needless to say she was my roll dog. We caught up on the going on's in our lives and did our usual kee-keeing.

Girl, What? For Real...Girl.
I realized how much I missed her and how much I appreciate our friendship. I'm happy that she has decided to demand more balance in her life, making more time for her family and friends and though I've been lucky to travel a lot this month, spending time with friends from different circles, I've realized I've actually got to balance out my social obligations/wants and strive to work harder on my career goals. The point here is balance, we all can get lost/lose focus-  I think my friend Yesim said it best, "I've had my head stuck up my ass [for past couple months]" needless to say, she pulled it out and is doing her thing. So whether it's to add the fun back in or add your work ethic back in, best get to it.  

What to do on an irritated day?

Do you push through, sit in it, vent, sleep it off, snap off at people, meditate, pray?   Well, today I'm sitting in it. Too many times we try to put on a happy face, deny our true feelings. I remember being in my first year of acting school and when I would cry I would leave class to "pull myself together", finally a teacher said, "you know you don't have to leave the room just because you cry".  From then on I stayed and though it was hard and embarrassing at first, I would cry,  get it out, get passed it, and move on. I'm sure that thought can apply to irritation too. How often do we really allow ourselves to be shitty if we want? Or maybe I should refrain the question to ask, how often do I? Because I certainly know people who sit in their irritation/crankiness/pissiness, own it and make no excuses for it. Granted you want to stay clear from them, but at least it's honest and I bet they feel pretty good once they get passed it. And shouldn't we have enough faith in ourselves and in the people in our lives to know that they won't judge us on this one moment/day? Look, big-ups to people who are always happy, always see the positive- maybe they were Golden Retrievers in their past lives and good for them. But for the rest of us that do get that day of fury,  I say celebrate it. It will pass, but in the meantime, I suggest you cross to the other side of the street if you see us coming.  Les

What is it about Brooklyn?

And can we get some of that in LA? I was in NYC this past weekend and spent a evening in Brooklyn. We started the night at Luz  http://www.luzrestaurant.com/- a small restaurant that serves Latin American cuisine. The food was delicious and I was looking around at how diverse the crowd was and wondering why I don't see more of this type of crowd anywhere in LA? Or am I wrong- if so I need to find it ASAP.  You had your obvious couples, girls night out then to same sex dates, and one party that interested us in particular- a group of 6 guys. Two of us off bat thought these guys were gay which I vehemently argued that why couldn't we assume that 6 straight guys could be cultured enough to organize dinner at a cool place for his boys- (well ha! turns out I was right Bachelor party). But anyway, that's neither here nor there. Bottom line - delicious meal, excellent vibe and dope diverse crowd. Before we were to leaving Brooklyn we dropped in to Madiba     http://www.madibarestaurant.com/home.php to use the facilities but the bartender convinced us to stay for a drink. Good decision because A) one of best drinks ever had - go Dennis!  B) Again crowd was dope- diverse, friendly, open and C) music was perfect... Decided then and there that if I lived in Brooklyn (hmmmmmm) Madiba would certainly be my "Cheers". SO I'm just saying do I have to fly across the country to find this same vibe? Well maybe that's just a challenge for me to find that place in good 'ol LaLa land. I'm up for the challenge. Will report results. xoxo Les

Word up to Life's ups and downs.

I went to Runyan Canyon today - the hard way (and suprisingly didn't pass out). I was in my head about a couple of things and had a bit of an emotional morning. Like most hiking trails there are mini mountains to climb,  then you hit the peak and you've got that lovely bit of flat land to catch your breath and enjoy an easy walk for awhile... then of course here comes another mountain. Every time I hike there, I am reminded of how much of a metaphor this is of life to me. Highs and lows. Ups and downs, whatever you wanna call it.  We are dreamers in LaLa land and with that dream comes some pretty freaking serious mountain climbing. 1000 more no's than yes's, working constantly and then NOTHING, putting in hard work and getting no recognition, waiting for your big break and then waiting for your big break and then waiting... But then all of a sudden something happens- inspiration, motivation, a job! It all comes together somehow and you're rocking that easy stride, "feeling good, feeling great", no one can touch you. ... Then shit- another mountain, wasn't I done??  Nope. I realize these mountains/hard times are always going to be there. But the thing is, it feels amazing once you pass it, you might be a little sweaty and stinky, but you did the damn thing. So thanks Runyan, for helping me keep perspective...

A Rebel?

The best compliment I ever got was from a college friend who I hadn't seen in over 5 years . He said "You've always been a rebel". I immediately felt perplexed and proud.  It's funny how you can be perceived. I never thought of myself as a rebel, there has always been a part of me that cared what other people thought, afraid of disappointing. But then I thought about another side, the side of me that found the normal boring and the off beat interesting. The side of me that was spontaneous and risky and did whatever I wanted to without a second thought of how I was perceived. As I've gotten older I'm realizing that this is the side I am most proud of.  I will not say in these moments I haven't made mistakes (because that would just be a hilarious lie) and I have certainly learned from these mistakes, but the wild isn't going anywhere (T.G).   So here's to all you wild spirits out there, "The Rebels"- even if you don't wear it as a badge- it's in you, you know it- enjoy and love it.