WILL SHE OR WON'T SHE MARRY MR. BIG?

Today is the day the rest of the world finds out if Carrie Bradshaw marries her Mr. Right, aka "Big". The SATC girls have had a couple of premieres, abroad and in New York, and today the movie hits theaters everywhere. I truly hope it doesn't flop. It seems that since the show was such a success that all of us die hard fans are going to support it, right? Let's hope so.

I have been a fan of Sex and The City since it appeared on HBO way back when. I loved it the moment I saw it and was very sad when I had to miss a few seasons because I moved to Cali and could not get cable right away.

However, I was able to catch up on the major character's life changes and story lines by watching the reruns at 11:00pm on my local station. When I found out that Miranda finally married Steve, Charlotte married and converted to Judaism, Samantha had cancer, and Carrie moved to Paris - it was all too exciting.

However, I knew that these were very watered down versions because these ladies never bit there tongues, nor did the writers ever stay away from any taboo subjects. They taught me so much about lots of things I dared not even reveal an interest in (wink). Sex and The City put it out there and they did it with humor, class and dignity.

I think I'll probably go alone because there aren't too many folks in my circle who have even expressed an interest. No matter. I'll enjoy it all the same. I've seen the incredible fashions, and I hear the plot is full of surprises and twists and turns....even fantasy sequences. So the big question in my mind is will Carrie and Big live happily ever after in a grand luxury apartment on the Upper East Side with her big closet of designer shoes and duds. I sure hope so. It's every girl's dream, even mine!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISTER

I am blessed to have two wonderful sisters in my life, as well as two (remaining) brothers who I adore. We've been through a lot as a family, and I'm grateful to be able to see this day as my oldest sister reaches a milestone.

My sister Tobie was the first to graduate from college in our family and I remember attending her graduation at Long Beach State. Our family came all the way from Sacramento to this place I had never heard of, or been to before.

My middle sister and I ended up staying with cousins we had never met before and learned some very interesting things about folks in Los Angeles. We were in Gardena as a matter of fact and the year was 1970. The Temptations had a song out called "Ball of Confusion" and I learned the entire lyrics to this song from my new cousin Jean. She and her friends were sooo cool. They played bumper pool (billiards), hung out on the street corner, partied, and did things me and my sister Fran had never done. And this happened all in a weekend, which felt like an entire week. Even though we "country girls" were like fish out of water - we had so much fun.

We arrived at the college and made our way into this huge auditorium. Wow! So many hundreds of seats, and this huge stage was decorated with flowers and such. It's amazing that as a kid you really can't take in the brevity of a situation until you look back on it many years later, or now as understood when I graduated from college and my family attended. I remember when they said her name and we cheered so loud, I just knew she heard us from way down below on that stage.

Yep there I was, a kid of 13 attending my oldest sister's college graduation. I'll never forget that day, as I was so proud of her. I dodn't know if I ever told her that, but my being there was evidence that we loved and supported her.

She went on to accomplish so many more "firsts" for our family and inspired me along the way to reach for my goals and dreams. She was the youngest supervisor in her department at GE telephone company after college; she was a mere 24 years old. She was also the first black female to anchor the news in Baltimore in the 1980's. She worked at WMAR, an NBC affiliate. This was the same station that Oprah Winfrey got her start on television.

So today she's having a birthday and I'm so happy to wish her another one. Blow out another candle sister, and I wish you many, many more to come. I love you!

THE "LICIOUS-NESS" OF IT ALL

I believe it was Beyonce (and Destiny's Child) who coined the word and awakened the "licious" consciousness of America.

"BOOTYLICIOUS" became the ideology of the day because of the song and Beyonce's hip shaking, booty bobbing, dance routines in her videos. No one could drop it like it's hot like Beyonce. The pervasiveness of the word even garnered inclusion into the new Urban Dictionary.

boo.ty.li.cious \'bu:t-e-'lish-*s\ aj. (modif. of MF butin, fr. MLG bu-te exchange) 1: curvaceous or voluptuous, esp. in the derriere (i.e., booty) 2: see fine 3: sexually attractive in a way that causes males ages 18-25 to desire to grope, fondle, lick, or otherwise touch the booty cheeks

Nowadays, when the media wants to describe something SEXY, YouNG, HOt, BaD, and BoDADious.....it ends with "licious". And that's cool. Slang terms are used everyday and I am feeling the Licious-ness of it all.

Women in the entertainment industry are quickly being dubbed as queens of "liciousness" when they are beautiful sexy women. Most recently Robin Antin, founder of the Pussycat Dolls singing group, sought to create another singing girl group and they would be named "Girlicious." I watched with anticipation each week, much as I did when the Pussycat Dolls (PCD) searched for an additional member, because I wanted to know what it took to be Girlicious too. Licious-ness is the new Sexy Siren and Video Queen who is every man's fantasy....."Don't you wish your girlfriend was Hot Like Me!" - asked the PCD's. Yes I do. I really do...but can I become Licious?

It's something to aspire to if you like the look...the hair, the clothes, the attitude and the talent to top it all off. If you have half of that....you are a bona fide contender.

Interestingly enough I enjoyed watching these ingenues fight for a spot in this group. The drama was hot and heavy, but more importantly for me - I WAS ABLE TO LEARN EACH WEEK WHAT IT TAKES TO MAKE IT IN THE MUSIC WORLD as a dancer and singer in this day and age.

True enough I have long since lost that kind of youth "physically", but mentally and spiritually (and on my best physical days) I believe I can ENTERTAIN with the best of them. Trouble is, no one knows it but me - at this point. That's all well and good because as it goes, there's too much on my plate and with a full time job. How in the heck can I focus on performing like that at that level? I can't!!! But I can listen, watch, and learn to be ready when my opportunity comes a knocking...and don't think I won't jump at it.

Even though the entertainment industry thrives on the power of YOUTH, there's room for everybody who has a dream fueled with passion. I don't plan on giving up on mine because it's in my soul. I do not care what any one thinks or says....time and opportunity will tell the tale.

Watching these reality shows can be so crazy though. The competition is fierce and sometimes so unbalanced. The judging is skewed to say the least, but again, you learn what it takes to stand out in the crowd. So it's to your advantage to Watch, Learn and Listen well. Just take my nephew's dance crew and their experience.

The Jabbawockeez auditioned for "America's Got Talent" and made it through to Los Angeles. However, they never got any further than one performance on the show. The judges knew they had talent, but you often hear judges say...."we don't think you're right for this show."

And so off they went to WIN America's Next Best Dance Crew. So take that America's Got Talent! They are living their dream and it was all because they believed they had something unique to share with the world. God continues to bless them every day!


When Donald Trump began his "Apprentice" tv series, I was there watching and taking notes. Seriously. Straight talk from Donald's lips to my ears about making it in the business world...oh yes, not an opportunity to know more was lost on me. I am not going to make the same mistakes I see other people make when building their businesses and business relations. Tucked away safely in my resource files, this information is solid gold. I give props out to the television industry for keeping it real for folks like me....living life vicariously through these candidates for fame and fortune.

My other must see tv show is "The Biggest Loser". Even though these folks come on to lose hundreds of pounds, and I struggle with 25 to 30 pounds to lose - they prove that anything is possible with dedication, strict guidance and will power. I've sat watching them week after week, convincing myself that if they can lose the weight - surely I could do as well. I revel in their big reveals where they show the before and after every week and you can "see" just how they are changing right before your very eyes. It's amazing and so inspiring.

Back to Girlicious. Toward the finale, the group of ladies left in the competition were equally talented and the producers and judges were being challenged to fill 3 spots for this group. At one point during an elimination night, the rules changed and allowed the 5 remaining girls a last chance effort to prove why they belonged in the group. Their fate was delayed for one more week until the finale. I saw the struggle to believe in yourself when others seem to have more of what the judges were looking for. I saw how self doubt can ruin your chances to be the best you can be. I saw how in fighting and dissention is always the undoing of a close knit unit. I saw how no matter what anyone else thinks of you, you have to know in your heart of hearts that this is the best you can ever give...and sometimes its enough, but with the wrong attitude - you can lose it all in the blink of an eye.

I was happy with the choice of girls who made it....Christina, Tiffanie, Natalie, and Nichole. The judges ended up breaking their own rules and allowed 4 members to form the group instead of going with their original plan of just 3 members. It was the right thing to do, and the best thing to do because these 4 girls were the best and truly are GIRLICIOUS.

Last, but certainly not least - AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL is the show of all shows for me. I have admired Tyra Banks ever since I saw her in George Michael's video, "Too Funky." Tyra was a supermodel, but Naomi Campbell was often touted as the only black supermodel whenever a group photo was taken of the world's supermodels. Tyra was always breathing down Naomi's neck but stood out to me even then as an unknown. I had always seen Naomi walking the runways and didn't notice Tyra as much in the magazines and runways. Tyra was "fierce" in that video as were other supermodels of the day....Linda Evangelista, Estelle, Nadia etc.

Then Tyra wrote a "how-to" / semiautobiographical book and I bought it. After I read the book I began to look for her more and more. I caught a special on her and her girls camp and she seemed so genuine and down to earth. Soon she began to make movies; she was in the news more and then she landed her talk show deal. She was different from the other wannabe talk show hosts like Queen Latifah and Ananda Lewis...who failed at their attempts.

Her "home girl with class" attitude has brought her legions of fans and support as she continues to build her empire. She is a role model and helps young girls and women understand the truth about the images we see in magazines and television. She's even put herself out there for scrutiny and told the critics, "kiss my big, voluptuous, curvy ass." YOu tell 'em Tyra. I love ya gurl.

So I say all this to say, I'm living my dreams through some of these shows because they inspire me to be a better me and to know what the industry's expectations are. It's a tough nut to crack when you enter into it so you better be in it for the long haul....or you'll be washed up and whacked out like so many we've seen who vaporize themselves and their careers.

Will I ever be a grammy winning, oscar nominated, queen of hip hop soul diva? Maybe not, but that will never stop me from dreaming...and living my life to the fullest with all the Licious-ness I can muster. I'm reaching for the stars, moon and everything in between.