Monday, July 7, 2014

Beyonce Spends 7 Million to House the Homeless in Houston

Queen Bey's philanthropic work never ends -- as she continues to give generously to her fellow man.

This past June she gave to Chime for Change -- a charity which empowers young women, last Christmas she gave out gift cards at a New Jersey Walmart, and now she's working to house homeless individuals in her native Houston, Texas.

This beautiful superstar continues to show her enormous heart and was even praised by her Houston Pastor, Rev. Rudy Rasmus who had this to say,

“She’s an incredible human being. Has an incredible heart and has been extremely helpful in our mission and our ministry here,” Rasmus said in a recent interview with KHOU.

“She has a global platform and is doing some amazing work and I’m glad she’s a friend of mine,” he continued.

Well said Pastor Rasmus, wonderful words for an extraordinary human being. Keep up the good work Queen Bey!

2014 LA

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

BET Awards 2014 Rocked the House

The BET awards never ceases to amaze me, as I am always ready for some 'good ole' authentic black soul music and I love to feed my political appetite as well, which was effectively done by this years host, comedian Chris Rock. 
Mr. Rock (seen above), always gives you the political realness for reality with a side of laughter to go with it and lets face it, with the political sphere being what it is today it helps to laugh when you really want to cry -- which is why I enjoyed his comedic skit at the Monster Truck rally where he quizzed white people on all things BET, it was absolutely hilarious!

Singer Pharrell and infamous rapper Missy Elliott opened up the show with 'Come Get It Bae', which seemed to get everyone in the mood for a good time. I was most impressed and excited to see Chris Brown perform his infamous hit 'These Hoes Ain't Loyal', and waited anxiously for him to bust out in one of his legendary dance routines which he did, and I was thoroughly entertained.

It was great to see rapper Lil Wayne again -- and in good health might I add, since he has been pretty much hidden

from site lately and I often missed his lively performances coupled with his poetic lyrics. And Hip Hop Queen Nicki Minaj, never disappoints as she meshed femininity with her at times hardcore lyrics during her 'Pills and Potion' theatrical segment, giving you rough and smooth all at the same time while flashing that fabulous body that keeps your eyes glued to the television set.

As Nicki (seen-r) accepted her fifth award for the Best Female Hip Hop Artist category, it was said that she threw slight shade at rapper Iggy Azalea who performed earlier in the show, as she calmly and facetiously stated "What I want the world to know about Nicki Minaj is when you hear Nicki Minaj spit, Nicki Minaj wrote it," and she went on to thank the CEO of BET Debra Lee, for rewarding "Authentic" artists. Calling out the carbon copies, Nicki? I ain't mad at you!

Singers John Legend, Ledisi and Yolanda Adams sang brilliantly their tributes to the legendary Lionel Richie, who received the BET Lifetime Achievement Award. Then Mr. Richie got on stage to remind us why we've followed him for so many years, as he performed hits like 'All Night Long' and 'Easy Like Sunday Morning'.

Then BET took it back to the 90's with hits like, 'All I Do is Think of You' by Troop, 'I Wanna Sex You Up' by Color Me Bad, and 'Freaky With You' by Silk.

Actress Phylicia Rashad walked out on stage looking timeless, graceful and womanly, as she delivered her speech on legendary artists who've recently passed on, Maya Angelou and Ruby Dee. 

Chairman and CEO of BET Debra Lee, gave the audience a history lesson as she took us down memory lane with her speech and background images to remind us of Freedom Summer 1964, using it as a symbol of the progress we've made thus far with Civil Rights Activist Myrlie Evers-Williams, accepting the BET Humanitarian Award as she eloquently stated that there's still more progress to be made and to keep up the good fight, as she expressed that there was a time when black people weren't allowed on television networks.

Which is why I was especially happy to see so many new black movie trailers during the commercial breaks, it was at least 4-5 new black films coming out with all black casts -- and that's something to be proud of for sure.

Towards the end of the show Robin Thicke pleaded his 'Forever Love' case through song once more to his estranged wife Paula Patton, as a means of trying to win her back after she left him due to his previous infidelities. 

But the highlight of the evening was the performance by Jay Z and Beyonce, which seemed like a bit of a trick as most people thought the duo was in the building and set to give a live show -- but no such luck. The married couple is still carrying out their 'On The Run' tour but allowed BET to show their 'Partition' performance via satellite, which was as equally entertaining, sexy and impressive even if it wasn't a live show.

Overall, the 2014 BET Awards rocked the house and I can't wait to see how next years show will top this one. 

2014 LA