I'm Moving and . . . You're Invited!

Well We're Movin’ On Up . . . to Chicago Now!

Well my friends, the time has come.  I am moving and you’re all invited to the housewarming!!!! Sorry, I don’t mean my real place. I mean my blog! I have joined the ranks of Chicago Now – Chicago’s online community of bloggers!

With this move there will be some changes, the most important being . . . the blog’s new name. The blog will now be known as Who’s Invited?  Let’s face it, you didn't really remember the old name anyway! The blog will continue to discuss the quirky things that we talk about at parties, at bars, at get-togethers, and such.  It will also discuss “the guest list” – the celebs and news makers whose antics get them invited to (or disinvited from) our cultural consciousness. It should be fun!

So . . . Who’s Invited?

You are! I look forward to seeing you over at my new blog home http://www.chicagonow.com/whos-invited/ or on my new Facebook page. Come on over and check me out!

Who's Invited? Why Mimi G, of course . . . Darling!!!

Me and The Fabulous MiMi G!!!

Who's Next on The Guest List?
As many of you know, I have this party in my head that all the fabulous people are invited to attend. If you didn't already know, MiMi G is invited!!!  This weekend I attended a fabulous workshop on how to market, run, and brand your blog or creative business. It was the first stop on the MiMi G Passion to Profit Tour. 

Who is Mimi G, you ask?

www.mimigstyle.com

Well, if you are unfamiliar, she is a fashion/lifestyle blogger who is taking the world by the seams, honey! Her blog www.mimigstyle.com gets over 12 million page views!!! It features outfit-of-the-day's (OOTD's), Do-it-Yourself (DIY) sewing tutorials, as well lifestyle posts about her family and various other topics. Ladies love her for her fabulous style and guys love her because she is hawt!!!

For me and for many, she has changed the perception of sewing. I always thought of sewing as something that my grandfather, the tailor, did or as something that a home seamstresses did only to produce frumpy, "mammy-made" outfits (sorry - just keeping it real)! But after discovering MiMi G a few years ago, I too have learned to sew and have since been turned on to other sewing blogs and my perception has been forever changed!!!

Passion to Profit Tour
But, this workshop wasn't about sewing!!! She shared her secrets!!! She shared tips and tricks about blogging and running a creative business that this "baby blogger" sorely needed. She shared how she turned her "little sewing blog" into a profitable
platform for her tutorials, corporate partnerships, a custom made clothing website, and a commercial pattern line! She also shared her personal story about being homeless, being a teen mother, and a woman who was in a terrible cycle of abusive relationships. Her message about overcoming your circumstances resonated with many in the room.  Every attendee also received goodies from Verizon and a resource packet with valuable tools that bloggers and creative chicas could use tor grow their own business! Score!!!


Why is she invited?

www.mimigstyle.com

Not only is she down-to-earth, fashionable, and funny,  she is that person that is already your BFF inside your head! She was gracious, she took pictures with nearly everyone there, and was just an all around sweetheart! It also doesn't hurt that she is originally from Chicago! Chi-Town STAND UP!!!

Ultimately, she's invited because I just love a lady who is a BOSSSSSS!!!
You gotta love a successful woman who isn't afraid to share knowledge. Often in business, people will keep their secrets close to the vest. But, she believes that there is enough "success" out here for everyone and no matter how much she shares, no one will do it the exact same way. I like that. I'm definitely the kind of girl that will give another lady her props and I have to give props to my "BFF inside my head" and invited guest - MiMi G!!! Like a BOSSSSSSSS!!!!!

The MiMi G Passion to Profit Tour will be heading to Atlanta, Houston, New York, DC, and Philadelphia, for more info click the link.

5 Reasons Why Cookie Lyon is the ISH!!!

Last night the Season Finale of Empire proved that it is the breakout hit of year! I have friends who fall on both sides of the fence about the show. Some love it as a show that depicts the culture. Others find it over the top and have likened it to a soap opera or the Black/Hip Hop Glee (!?!). Such is life. As a Chicagoan, I for one am loving that the show has given so many of my friends work in front of and behind the scenes and seeing my city on the screen each week is pretty darn cool!

But, most won't deny that Taraji Henson kills it as Cookie Lyons! She has already achieved iconic status in popular culture with her signature fashion sense, her witty one-liners and snappy comebacks. Baby girl can READ!!! So, here are my Top 5 Reasons Why Cookie Lyon is the ISH!!!

5.  Cookie is a fashion icon!
Cookie has no fear when it comes to fashion. She can rock a head-to-toe cheetah complete with a pimp hat and dare you to say she ain't shaaaawp!! Her fashion is "timeless"! She goes to jail for 17 years and the outfit that she gets locked up in has time to go out of style and come back in style again! I'm swear I've seen girls rocking that same outfit in the clubs recently.


4. Cookie is "cold-blooded"!
Literally! Cookie can rock a fur coat! PETA be damned, she rocks them indoors, outdoors, day, night, lunchtime . . . . It's not really clear what season (or what year) the show takes place in, but you can best believe that Cookie will swing a fresh fur for you!

3. Cookie is a Musical Genius! 
Hip Hop, R&B, she can even do Alternative with Elle Dallas (Courtney Love)! After 17 years in prison, with little influence from popular culture she can still comeback and slay the hits.

2. Cookie's Broom Game is Nice!
Cookie is from the old school where when a Mama needed to WHOOP a child she would grab what ever was closest - a broom, a shoe, a hairbrush . . . Her son Hakeem thought he was a Hip Hop superstar until he met her broom game. Don't play with Cookie!

And the #1 reason why Cookie is the ISH . . .

1. Cookie Is For The Kids!!!
You know you've reach the top when Vulture makes a paper doll in your honor! The doll doesn't exactly look like Taraji P. in the face but it definitely captures her essence and her most memorable outfits - cheeky cheetah, boardroom lingerie, they even include the broom! I'm printing mine today! You can get yours and have a good ole time producing records, fighting with BooBoo Kitty or otherwise reliving your favorite moments from the season.  Get yours here!

Not sure if Cookie Lyon is invited but come on now, a paper doll! You gotta admit, that's hot!

Damon Dash . . . You Are Cordially Invited

The internet is still buzzing from Dame Dash’s interview on The Breakfast Club on Friday with Charlemagne The God and DJ Envy.  Dame basically s#!% on their lives because they have a boss. 

"I hustle for my last name, not for my first."

Ouch! Shout out to everybody who is employed out there!!! He came for you . . . us!

The initial clip that everyone posted and reposted over the weekend paints Dame as the "bad guy", snapping again. He was there to promote his newest project, an independent film, Loisadas, but the conversation kept getting off-track. The radio personalities kept trying to ask him about his former partner, Jay-Z. 

He let them have it and the full interview shows more of why. Dame reminded us that the old Roc-A Fella days are over 15 years ago and he felt that rehashing questions about that time and entertaining gossip was disrespectful. It no doubt struck a nerve. 

Frankly, I thought that it was cool that he talked to them about the mindset and mentality of a "boss", but I also thought it was too extreme to challenge the guys' manhood simply because they don't share the same world view. 

"Calling another man boss is like calling him Daddy"!

"Jobs are for people who are too lazy to invest in themselves"

"Real men don't talk about other men"

So how could someone who does that get invited? Well,  many of you know I have a fabulous soiree . . . in my mind . . . attended by all my favorite celeb friends. Dame is invited because it's no fun if everyone thinks the same. I actually really like when I am at a get together and happen upon a lively discussion/debate about anything from the trivial and the important.  

He's also invited because he makes a good points. 

- In today’s society, with user-friendly technology the internet it is easier than ever for the average yo to be a boss.

- Working a 9 to 5 everyday just to have to ask someone when you can take a vacation or a sick-day does make you feel like less than a (wo)man.

- A Good Woman Makes Everything Better. 

Most importantly, he is invited BECAUSE he's a boss.  I need more people like that in my life.  I really admire people who set out to do it their own way. Dame's career has certainly had it's highs and lows, but, who better to learn from that someone who 's experienced both. Someone who picks himself up and keeps on grinding.

So, Damon Dash, You Are Invited! The invitation has already been sent, simply awaiting a reply. 

Oh, and uh, . . . I Promise We Won't Bring Up Jay-Z. He'll be there anyway,

Peace (and Prosperity),

CD

If you haven't seen it. Catch the full interview here.

Death of a Diva

"High heels are pleasure with pain"

---Christian Louboutin

I don’t go out much. But when I do, I am well past the age of feeling like I need to be uncomfortable for the sake of fashion. But there I was, at a friend’s birthday party this weekend, nearly doubled-over in pain, wincing, hobbling through the venue like a ninety-year old woman. Well, not really. That’s just how I felt in my shoes. Shoes that will never be worn again! Not by me.

It wasn’t that they were too small, I don’t play that! It was something about the width or the shape or the style of the top of the shoe . . .  I’m not sure, but it was a mess!

All I could think about was, “How AM I HERE”!?! I know better.  I buy my size, I buy quality, I walk in heels on the regular! I am the teacher who silently pities the girls who show up to prom in heels they’re wearing for the first time, walking tenuously like balancing on stilts.  Poor things, I bet now I’ll empathize more .  . .

But that ain’t me! I love a good heel. Heels always help to elongate my 5’4’’ stature. They make me taller, thinner. They put that dip in your hip, that switch in your sway, that sass in your . . .
The higher the heel, the closer to GAWD! Needless to say, I like a good heel! This night was no different, I got dressed and was feeling pretty good about my self. I even took a bathroom selfie! BAM! I put on the heels and awakened The Diva! I was ready for the night!

“How AM I HERE”, I shouted as my feet screamed!!!

How I guess it happens when you don’t go out much and you take your fashion cues from blogs. It happens when you buy online. It happens when you’re the kind of person who receives shoes in the mail, tries them on only one foot (the left), feels satisfied and then throws them in the closet . . . for months.  

It was my right shoe that betrayed me, that made me sit it out when they played “The Wobble”. It was the right shoe that made me silently beg for mercy as I stood during the tributes and acknowledgements. It was the right shoe that made me move past the appetizers, hungry though I was, because I couldn't manage eating, walking, talking, smiling and hiding my pain all at one time.
Too many sensations. It was the right shoe that did me wrong and made me end my night.

 

Sexy swagger. Spent.

Diva. Dead.

Had it not been snowing, I would have walked to my car barefoot!

Cause of Death

Oops!!!

Who's Invited!?! My "A -List" New Year's Eve Party!

It’s New Year’s Eve!!! As so many of you hit the streets to “Turn Up” (2013’s most annoying phrase --- that I can’t stop saying), I’ll be laying low this year and kicking back.  What better time to play one of my favorite games --- one that my friend Puni and I call, “Who’s Invited”!?!

When it comes to celebrities, I am not an Idol Worshiper!  When we talk about celebrities, we talk about them in terms of who we think would be the most fun at a party, who would you most like to hang out or shop with. Who is cool.

It basically goes like this . . .  you decide on the venue, the occasion and then tell who would make the guest list.  My event would look like the New Year’s Eve Dinner Party from the movie Brown Sugar.  But better, bigger, on an island maybe or in a penthouse, with the ubiquitous long table that’s in every dinner party scene. It’s an intimate gathering with good food and drink in an environment where people can talk and laugh.  It’s a casual affair. People can wear jeans and sparkles.  J

So, who makes the list? For me it’s people whose private personality seems just as interesting as their public persona. So here goes . . .

Beyonce and Jay-Z – You already know. I have to have Forbes’ Highest Earning Celebrity Couple at the Par-tay! They are not invited for their celebrity status, but truly I think they are interesting. They travel, support causes, they read, I’m sure they have interesting stories to tell . . . if they’ll tell ‘em!

Sandra Bullock – Why you ask? I just like her.  Anyone who gets publicly humiliated the way that she was by her ex-husband, quickly gets herself together, then “pimp struts” outta there like Angela Bassett setting the car on fire in Waiting to Exhale and never look back . . .  That’s a cold piece right there!!! She can bring the kid too. He can play with Laila.

Kevin Hart – Is he having the Best Year (or few years) EVER or what!!! It’s been a long time coming and he seems to have a funny take on all of it. I’ll just need him to use his inside voice.

Robert De Niro – I think he is so New York. I think he is so cool. Enough said. I imagine him having a drink after the dinner. He might even take his shoes off while he’s talking. Bring the wife!

John Legend – Not only is he an amazing talent. He supports causes that I admire and he produces films that have substance. I know he and his wife Chrissy would be fun at a party and who knows, he might just jump on the piano too (yeah, there’s a piano there)!

Jilly from Philly (Jill Scott) – That’s Jill Scott for those who don’t know.  I haven’t heard much from her lately.  I need her to come through so that we can catch up!

Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade – Yes. They are invited.  I think my guests are classy enough not to ask about the latest scandal involving them – although they will be watching their body language . . . bet that!

Regina King – I’ve known her since my childhood and she continues to reinvent herself.  I feel like she was missed in the latest films, but out of all the Gabby-Sanaa-Nia-Taraji Black Actress crew she’s been around the longest and might have some stories. Plus, I wanna know what happened with Theo Huxtable!?!?

Will Ferrell – I just think he would be fun. In some interviews he seems so over Hollywood. But he also seems like the type that can’t finish a story without cracking “his-own-self” up! Love that.

Dave Chappelle – He has been on the guest list for years . . . and he ain’t coming off! He will have to come

all the way from obscurity in Ohio for the party but I know that he’ll have fun stuff to talk about.  The only thing would be getting the other Hollywood types to leave HIM alone because he is still (low-key) your favorite comedian’s favorite comedian!

Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson – Have you ever read his celebrity stories!?! THE BEST EVER!!! Not because he’s talking about celebrities but the way in which he talks about his encounters with them.  Some he is simply in awe of some and not for the reasons you’d think (like Prince), and some he artfully shows them as “on bullshit”, on some “hollywood shit”, or on some “disrespectful shit” in a very relatable sort of way. I KNOW he’ll have great stories to tell. Don’t believe me? Then check out his description of Will Smith’s house: http://curbed.com/archives/2011/07/28/roots-drummer-uestlove-pens-epic-tribute-to-will-smiths-house.php

Idris Elba – Aside from being distractingly handsome, I think he would be fun.  He’s been in some stand out films, he knows music, he has an accent, three things that definitely take your party's “cool factor” up a few

notches. He can bring a date . . . I guess.

Ben Stiller – There’s Something About Mary, Meet the Parents, Zoolander and his latest movie about one of the classics from my “literary childhood”!!! Never takes himself so seriously that he can’t try something new.  I know he has some stories to tell! He can bring the wife and kids too. And his parents!!!

Mary J and husband Kendu – Of course, I can’t have a party without my homegirl! Imagine her and Robert De Niro in conversation! Love it!

So, there’s my New Year’s Eve Dinner Party. I chose people that are so busy that you don’t often imagine them “sitting down”.  I am intrigued by what they must be like at those moments.  Surely my guest list would change if I were planning a Ladies Night Out or a Super Bowl Party or some other kind of shin dig but this is my “A-list” kick back.  My reality show favs are not invited to this one. 

Now tell me, who would you invite? And to what? What kind of soiree would you invite your celebrity “friends” to and why?

Have fun, be safe out there, and see you in 2014!