We'll Miss You, Whitney.

Social media was all abuzz last night with the news of the death of Whitney Houston; she was just 48. Houston is said to have been found with her face underwater in her bathtub at the Beverly Hills Hotel; her cause of death has yet to be determined. She is survived by daughter, Bobbi Kristina, and her adopted son, Nicholas Gordon. Houston touched many lives with her angelic voice and her striking beauty. In her career, she was the recipient of 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 22 American Music Awards, and 30 Billboard Music Awards. Her album Whitney was the first female album to ever debut at #1 on the Billboard Charts; to date, she has sold over 200 million albums world wide. She was one of not just America's, but the world's sweethearts, one who managed to transcend race and genre boundaries with her talent. What saddens me the most is that her amazing career and legacy were overshadowed by her long and highly-publicized bout with drugs and alcohol. For years, she was the subject of ridicule and jokes. Stories of a disheveled and discombobulated Whitney, forgetting the words to her classic songs and missing important events circulated widely, and her erratic behavior on the reality show Being Bobby Brown was undeniable. The Queen of Pop took a sad and dramatic tumble off of her pedestal in the media. (The media giveth, and they also taketh away. I blame Bobby.)

I have always been a Whitney Houston fan; Whitney was one of the first cd's I ever bought with my own money. I belted Whitney tunes at the top of my lungs; I even sang her songs in my sleep (true story ... let's call that a confession). I was fortunate enough to see the talented Ms. Houston at the peak of her career in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, for the 1994 leg of The Bodyguard World Tour. It was every bit as breathtaking as you can imagine; even today, it ranks in the Top 5 concerts that I have ever attended. She was a diva by definition, a class act, an iconic songstress, and an exemplary performer -- raw talent at its purest and finest. The studio artists of today would be well-served to take notes from her (although all of the notes in the world cannot equate to the purity of her voice). THAT is the Whitney Houston that I will always remember.

In tragedies such as this, it is important to remember that celebrities such as Whitney Houston are people, too. Everyone has problems; however, not everyone's problems are highly-publicized, enabling others to pass judgment. In her memory, let us celebrate the legacy that she left behind, and for once, let the awesomeness of her achievements overshadow her shortcomings.

And so I leave you with a little tidbit of Ms. Whitney herself. Although I'd love to be able to simply post my favorite Whitney Houston song; with her discography and long list of noteworthy tunes, it is a task that is truly impossible. Instead, I'll give you one of my favorite pictures of the beautiful Ms. Houston herself. R.I.P., Whitney. I salute you.

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Redemption Song

Monday, bloody Monday! Did everybody get their football and junk food fix last night? I honestly don't care enough about sports to sit through an entire game of football when my Gators aren't playing, so I only tuned in during halftime. 

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What. Was. That? Believe you me, I love me some Madonna (well, at least old school Madge - "Music" and older). Who doesn't? She's the fiercest, the original "don't give a f*ck," in your face, superstar. In fact, I liked Madonna so much as a child, that I stood in line in SOUTH KOREA to buy The Immaculate Collection on cassette, because I was out of the country during its release. No joke. But last night's debacle was just that, a debacle. The material matron was doing the wobble, baby (and I don't mean the newest dance craze to hit the scene)! She almost fell a couple of times, and was totally out of breath. It honestly made me a bit uncomfortable to see her trying so hard for relevancy. I don't want to remember that Madonna. I want to remember the Madonna with the cone bras, and the hot chained up guys. Not the Madonna prancing around in too-tall-for-someone-her-age-to-be-dancing-in boots, madly flourishing gold pom-poms and screaming at me to L-U-V Madonna! Yikes. That said - her production rocked, and it was entertaining, to say the least.

Okay, let me stop harping on last night's halftime show ... Moving on (because I could probably go on forever), today is Bob Marley's birthday!

(6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981)
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He was more than just a reggae legend; he was a revolutionary.* His music, although it sounds like clever lyrics over a funky, Caribbean, ska beat, was wildly political. As the third world's first superstar musician, he used his notoriety to speak out against apartheid in Africa, and to be the voice of his people and black resistance. I think that maybe too often, people associate the memory of Bob Marley with lazy days and ganja smoke; but they neglect to honor the memory of what he fought for and believed in. People have managed to commercialize him, effectively softening his militancy, and thus, not truly honoring his legacy. In the book Reggae and Caribbean Music, author Dave Thompson addresses this issue as such:

Today's Black History Month Tribute goes to Bob Marley, the militant revolutionary, the Rastafari, the original Tuff Gong. So, Get Up, Stand Up, put your lighters up, and t'row on I Shot the Sherriff; let's give this man the props he deserves.

*He was also a bit of a philanderer, with a total of 11 children (acknowledged on the official website; there may be more). Only 3 were with his wife, Rita. Fun-filled fact of the day:  in 1972 alone, he fathered three children, who were all born within a month of each other. Bloodclot! Ya boi got around, yunno? Talk about Kinky Reggae.

At Last ... Miss Peaches Found Her Peace

Last Friday, January 20, legendary songstress and "Matriarch of R&B," Etta James, passed away after her battle with leukemia. She would have turned 84 today. Miss Peaches will always have a special place in my heart - I danced my first dance with my husband to her timeless classic, "At Last." That's a moment I will never forget.

Today, on her birthday, let us celebrate the life, the legend, and the longevity of Miss Etta James, whose memory will live on forever in her music.

Happy Birthday, Dr. King.

Martin Luther King, Jr. is celebrated today, January 16, 2012, one day after he would have turned 83 years old. Today, many of us are off of work, enjoying the many luxuries that we often take for granted. Some have more than others: nice cars, vacation homes, private jets ... but we all have our freedom. We all have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of our own happiness. So today, let us not forget the struggle that came before us, the loooong trek to the mountaintop of civil liberty. Let us celebrate how far we as a nation have come; but also not forget how far we still have to go. Today, let us remember a man who helped to pioneer the Civil Rights Movement, and challenged our nation to lift [itself] "from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood." Happy Birthday, Dr. King - today we celebrate your memory and your vision.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Excerpt of speech taken from YouTube

*If you live in Atlanta, and have not been to the MLK memorial - for shame! You should get on over there, at least just to see it. Culture, remember? Get you some!