I'M A THREADHEAD

A few months back I was surfing the net and found a cool site called "ThreadBanger". It's an online video show that features interviews and instructions for "Do It Yourselfers." The show documents all kinds of DIY projects and events for those of us who love to sew and make things. The hosts, Corinne and Rob, are the perfect pair to host a show like this too. They have a unique look, style and wit.

I absolutely love this site because I have found lots of great tips and techniques, not to mention, it has raised the bar for a lot of projects I'm working on...and I realize I can do so much more with them.

There's features where you can send in your own video detailing your project, or you can just post items to the site. People ask questions and post answers in the "forum" section, and I love going through those because you learn all kinds of stuff.

Some guy posted a recipe for making microwave popcorn using a brown bag and loose popcorn kernels. I always buy loose popcorn because it lasts longer than the 3 mini bags I get at the store, so this really hit home for me. Imagine, now all I have to do is buy the brown lunch bags, smear some butter on one side, pour some kernels in, and let it POP, POP, POP. And I don't have to clean up my big old pan each time. Sweet! If you don't know...you don't know.

There was also this other young kid who makes these awesome T-shirts, and he's gotten attention from Rock Stars, Movie Stars and the like...and his creativity is awesome. The fact that he's making money, and was willing to share his techniques online is great...because it showed me that I need to think "waaaaay outside the box." I am being too conservative...so I need to really let go once in a while. I can at least have a little of both you know?

The other thing I like is that they have their own "Threadhead" language (will post when I find it again), and they sign off on every show with this hand gesture that resembles cutting the air with scissors. (Check out the ad above and you can see Corrine signin') :0) You know how we all want to "identify" ourselves with something cool? Well if I start doing that, perhaps I'll run into some other Threadheads and we'll greet each other with our secret hand signals....I know, it's whacky, but what else is new? Snip, Snip!!

A COUPLE OF QUEEN B'S

I recently had an opportunity to listen, really listen again to Miss Mary J. Blige on her "The Breakthrough" CD.

I was having a particularly rough night, very emotionally spent, and I had to settle myself down. So I put on my iPod, and I had forgotten that I had selected Mary J. the day before. So when I hit the play button, she began to immediately speak...to me...like I had never heard her speak before.

I remember when I used to see those video clips of the young girls crying back stage at Janet Jackson's Rythm Nation concerts and they were just going on and on about how she touched their lives etc. Well, I now felt that same way.

It was amazing because there were at least 3-4 songs in a row that had a message that I hadn't thought applied to me. You know how you just hear that bangin' beat, and you sing the words, but you're not processing them internally? Well that's what I had been doing up until this night. And the richness of her tone and voice were just incredible...she is a true singer in every respect. I thought I knew it before, but I really do now.

I tell you, I had my own Breakthrough that night and I couldn't believe it. I didn't go out and change how I was handling myself the next day, but it confirmed within me that what I have been doing was ok. The songs "Take Me As I Am", "Gonna Breakthrough", "Can't Keep A Good Woman Down" and "Enough Cryin" did it for me. WOW!!! I have loved Mary's transformation over the years, heard her stories, and watched her DVD where she gives more insight into her songs, and I just began to really appreciate her journey.

I didn't realize how much our lives were being mirrored until that night, and I'm thankful that now I do know it. You just never know how the message is going to be delivered to you. Not only do you not know by whom, but I believe God knew I needed to hear it right then and right there....there's no other explanation.

So I have to say thank you Mary J. for continuing to make such wonderful music. I definitely do feel you.

BEYONCE

My opinion of this artist has been changed. From the moment I saw her sing an operatic song on an Academy Award show a few years back...I knew Beyonce was a consumate performer. She really did sing her @ss off!

My opinion up to that point was that she was all show and little substance (a Janet Jackson type - sorry but Ms. Jackson is a featherweight in the singing dept.). So I stand corrected Miss B.

I have never bought a Destiny's Child CD, but a friend made a copy for me. It was the CD before their final farewell CD. Surprisingly I liked most of the CD, and found a few songs where I loved the music and lyrics.

I remember the first time I ever saw Destiny's Child, I immediately taped the video, "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO." I used to tape a lot of videos years ago from BET's video programs and this was one I had to have.

As I watched them through the years, I was like, "umph, they're doing their thing" - nothing groundbreaking or earth shattering...until "Bills, Bills, Bills" came out. I loved that video and the clothes (of course). So I taped that one too.

Their albums came and went and I liked a few radio hits. Fast forward to Miss B's B-Day album. I was watching MTV Tr3s a few weeks back and caught her on a show that was already in progress. Beyonce was previewing the videos from her album and providing commentary on how they were created. It was a very good show!!

I saw one video in particular that nailed it for me...."Get Me Bodied." Ok, I'm a Theatre Arts major and I love musicals...and singing and dancing. That's why I get all hyped up about fashion, animation, and art & entertaining....I love performing.

As she began to talk about this video, I knew already that the theme was from one of my favorite musicals I had the opportunity to tape years ago, "Sweet Charity" featuring Shirley MacLaine, Chita Rivera and the awesome Paula Kelly. The dance sequences in that movie were choreographed by the late great Bob Fosse and they were incredible.

I had never seen this movie before, so when I happened upon it, it changed me forever because I realized that back then, Fosse was the king...or queen, :0) as it were. This movie made him a bad mutha (shut yo' mouth)!!!

Oh my gosh, the costumes, the sets, the dancers...PHENOMENAL. I have watched a number of Fosse movies, and this one was the best. This movie also starred a number of great male stars like Sammy Davis, Jr., Ben Vereen, Ricardo Montalban and Stubby Kaye...the old hoofers!

If you've never seen Sweet Charity, you might not have an appreciation for what Beyonce's people did. They kept the integrity of the dance number in tact while infusing what's popular in dance today. The clothing and bits of Sweet Charity's choreography were also used and it was done very well.

I enjoyed the commentary of each of the other video's too because it lets you know just how much work and technology is involved. I won't go into it because I can't remember everything she said...but it involves long hours and a lot of hard, hard work.

I have to give props where props are due....and they are definitely due to Miss B! I am amazed at her talent and her style. I felt that way when I saw her in Dreamgirls too. She held her own in my opinion although Jennifer ran away with the Oscar. Beyonce is very stylized. She has that "it" girl factor working for her and she's a triple threat...she sings, she dances and she acts (not in the dramatic, oscar winning category, but she's doin' the damn thang).

Thanks go out to Beyonce for bringing back a favorite musical with that video, and she has my vote for entertainer of the year. She is Beyoncelicious!!

DANCES FROM THA HOOD

Oh my goodness....this show is a hoot! I caught an episode on "what else?" - MTV Tr3s!! What can I say...there's some interesting shows on there if you catch them. :0)

I can remember my days being on The Dance Connection television show in Washington, DC, and when I saw this show, I was glad that we weren't in the least bit "Ghetto Fabulous" even with our low budget.

This show has a host who is very street savvy and she can move. She has her cast of regulars and they do all the latest dances from the streets and videos. So if you want to learn how to do the "Aunt Jackie"...you've got to watch "Tweetie" do her thang.

I was crackin' up at her....but she's got her tv host personality in tact. She's lively, she's funny, and she has kept this idea on tv where other shows like this have failed. They've had a couple of dance off tv shows and they just didn't last.

Gotta give props out to 'DANCES' FROM THA HOOD'. You've got to see it to believe it.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO.....???

I've had a wild and wonderful few weeks preparing for yesterdays craft fair. On Sunday, Aug. 12th I set up the Kiss'n Kuzn's booth as a vendor at Craftivism. Yep I did the damn thang, and it was fun.

Here's a few pics of the booth.

The organization that hosted the event, AIGA Design, picked the site of L.A.'s new building of loft apartments - Santee Courtyard on 7th and Los Angeles Street.

Very beautifully decorated lofts and crafts go together like...I don't know, somebody thought they'd go together.

Each visitor was given two free drink tickets with their $10 admission. So one had to pass all of us vendors to get to the lofts and the bar. Very clever indeed.

The hosts said 400 people showed up. That's incredible. From my vantage point (and sales) I wouldn't have believed that many people were there, but it was a great experience and wonderful exposure.

The brother with the hoops is from Tanzania. I didn't want to ask him to take too many pictures, but he was dressed from head to toe in his traditional outfit. Click on the picture to enlarge it, and you'll see that he had a large disc under his nose and plates in his lips. My first time seeing someone like him up close.

I liked this purse this woman was carrying. It's my next project. :0)

Check out these interior shots of the lofts, the furnishings were exquisite.

It's amazing to me to see all these wonderful designers/crafters in Los Angeles vying to catch someone's attention and desires. That's what these events are really about. It's not so much whether you "need" any of the stuff - you see something and this desire kicks in...and you walk around and review everything everyone has to offer and then you make a selection. If the desire doesn't warrant a purchase, you take a flyer or a card and tell yourself that you "will" buy something at some later date. That's what I do anyway.

D'Merlincasell - fabulous original clothing. Haute Couture baby! This designer had his own booth space at end of the courtyard - standing alone from the rest of us. Very deserving too.

There was food, an on site art gallery and of course the lofts and bar to take in. Quite a lot to digest in four hours, but everyone I saw was smiling and having a great time.

I heard other vendors doing well while some didn't do much. It was hot, the sun kept taunting us going in and out, and then before you knew it, the day had faded away and the event was over. I'm glad I was a part of it.

I LOVE THESE TORSOES......awesome aren't they?

The artist, Michel Beausoleil, said that he used discarded torsoes from Neiman Marcus. I want that hook-up! :0)

ANIMATION NATION

I don't know about you, but I am "hooked" on prime time television shows featuring animated characters. And they're not cartoons, because cartoons are a whole other genre.

From the moment I saw "The Simpsons" on The Tracy Ullman show years ago, I knew that I would tune in to watch these wacky characters. To date there has been only one other show that rivaled the Simpsons for me, Eddie Murphy's "PJ's". Unfortunately the show was so frought with controversy on it's political correctness...it was doomed before we really had a chance to see how far it would develop.

It was utter nonsense to me the way Black folks were up in arms about this show. "It's stereotyping people in the Ghetto." "He's making Black Folks look stupid"...and on and on. Hello!!!??? It was a ground breaking idea, as there were no characters in cartoons or any other animated show that were about Blacks. Why can't we just let people do their thing, and respect their creative ideas? That show was funny, I don't care what you say. And on top of that....Black actors were working at a steady gig! What's the problem here?

I am the first one to get on my soapbox and talk about being politically correct. But the PJ's was nothing more than "farce" and it was damned entertaining - plenty of laughs and it was also educational. I dont' live in the ghetto, so I appreciated being informed on the term "ghetto fabulous" or "crackhead"....it was the first time I saw those characters, and it was in this show. And again...IT WAS FUNNY! Sometimes we're our own worst critics. Moving on....

Adult Entertainment themes...

Last night I was exhausted from the craft event, so I just laid on the couch and watched the whole line up on Fox TV - The Simpsons, American Dad and Family Guy. I also catch King of The Hill when I can because that truly is a funny show about Texas rednecks.

As I watched the latter two shows, with it's Adult Content viewer warning, I began to wonder how these shows can be so successful with the violence, sexual innuendos and dysfunctional family life they portray. The writers are witty and clever, but some of the dialogue makes even me blush at times.

If you have never seen American Dad or Family Guy, you owe it to yourself to watch a couple of episodes. As hard as they try to always end on a positive note, it's getting through all the blood and gore and racy humor that makes these shows a hit. I can't say that I watch each and every week, but like last night, if nothing else catches my attention - I am more than eager to watch an episode of these shows.

American Dad did a take on "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" and the Family Guy incorporated a very entertaining segment featuring a Hollywood Musical with Gene Kelly. It was a hoot! I enjoyed that sequence so much, I could not stop laughing. I also was in awe of the technology they used to digitize the baby, Stewie, into the scene because it was seamless. The show even ran opening credits like a movie studio movie would...it was sheer genius. Seth McFarlane, the creator of both of these shows has a team of creative people who really push the envelope.

American Dad had to grow on me at first as it features a talking fish (with German accent), and an Alien as part of the family. Even for animation, it was weird. But I watch and laugh "if" I get some their humor. It's that kind of humor that is pretty high-brow at times or just plain stupid.

I also like the idea of knowing that a lot of big name and unknown actors do the voices for these characters. They make guest appearances either as themselves, or some ludicrous character.

And even though you can count the number of cast "minority" characters on one hand, they are in these shows. Again, you never know who's working the voices, but it gives so many people a chance to make extra money doing voice overs and it's just plain fun I'm sure. Look at all of the feature films featuring famous actors? That in itself is testimony that actors enjoy this kind of work.

These shows have been on for years, and they poke fun at EVERYONE and EVERYTHING. And no one has any problems with it. People accepted it, and they watched these shows grow. I've always said, if you don't care for a television show, DON'T WATCH IT!! Instead, some people believe they wouldn't be exercising their constitutional rights if they didn't join in on the controversy. Now look what you're stuck with!!

I can't stand South Park, and I didn't understand why Beevis and Butthead were so popular. I watched. If I liked it I would tune in again...if I didn't like what I saw...I didn't watch. Pretty simple if you ask me.

So, if you think watching those cookie cutter sitcoms is really good television, think again. Tune in to Family Guy or King of the Hill, and you just might be surprised at what you find in Animation Nation. The world according to???.......indeed!