back on my game (with a cover!)

The blog Gods probably think I'm the lamest blogger, ever. Sometimes I think so, too. My only excuse - well it's not as much an excuse as an explanation - is that the faster life moves, the harder I fall off of my blogging game.

Please forgive me...

Today, I'm in the library catching up on some work and trying to meet impossible deadlines, as per my usual. I ate waaaaaaay to much food (and birthday cake!) over the holiday weekend and I must repent, starting today. Well, maybe I should start tomorrow since I've already started the day off with a slice of pizza. But then again, I made sure to order the "broccoli & mushroom" slice, so I did have some veggies. That counts, right? Right?!

Anyway, I wanted to post the image for my latest cover story, which shall be hitting newsstands momentarily. Also, here's a link to a little online story I whipped up, real quick, on Anika Noni Rose and The Princess and the Frog.

I'm so happy that we featured Anika as this movie is a must-see. I was sitting in the theater, wishing I was seven-years-old and seeing Miss Tiana on screen as my first princess. All the little girls, all over the world, should be thrilled about the movie and the merchandise. Did I mention that Tiana's princess gown is fah-bulous!

Happy Monday, ya'll.

oh, and one more thing...

The volume and consumption of pop culture is far too loud for me these days. It's a whole lot.

am I the last to know?

Today, I got the memo that it's better to be fast than to be good. Am I the last to know? I think so.

What am I supposed to do with that information...quicken my pace and just be cool with being wack? There has to be a happy medium. There just has to be.

pure, unadulterated randomness.

Though I'm ashamed to admit (some of) it, here are a few things that have been wracking my brain as of late...in no particular order.

OK -


The Wendy Williams Show.
I'm officially-obsessed. She finally got the guest line-up together and the show is hilariously-insane. Love it. I should be honest and admit that I'm currently watching today's episode on Tivo, hence she's at the top of this list.

Barack Obama.
How can folks be hating on him so, 10 months into his Presidency? The naysayers act as though he destroyed the economy, started wars and zapped the life out this country. They are truly pissed about the Peace Prize, too. As if! Keep doing your thing, B. Note to the haters: Fall Back. Damn!

Southland.
Just did a fabulous piece on Regina King...how on earth could this show be canceled? I'm livid!

The Mo'Nique Show.
Why is she screaming?
- sidebar: Is she serious about jacking up her chances for an Oscar nom? Sure seems that way.

The Game.
Been watching reruns. Pooch Hall is a hottie.

Jay Leno.
This new 10pm time slot is going to do a number on primetime television (see previous note re: Southland!)

sushi.
Is it bad that I want to eat spicy tuna rolls every, single day?

Wanda Sykes.
Her mainstream swerve is the real deal.

The Good Wife.
Feeling it! I've always wondered what happened on the home front once the dust settled after a "political, sex scandal." I wonder if Eliot Spitzer's wife is watching.

Good Hair.
No disrespect to my weave sisters, but do ya'll not realize that you all have the same hairstyle?

Usher vs. Tameka.
I could care less, really!

Mad Men.
Am I the only person who's not hooked? I feel like I need to get into it, pronto.

Halloween.
Finally, I've been invited to a sure-to-be-fab Halloween shindig. Whom shall I be? Hmmm...

Jay-Z.
The Blueprint 3. Enough said.

Starbucks.
They must be sprinkling crack rocks into their blended drinks. That's the only justification I can muster for my addiction.

Verizon Wireless.
The worst customer service - ever!

the California sun.
Like, where is it?

books.
I must find something fabulous to read...like, now.

award tour.

OK, perhaps I've exaggerated a bit. I wasn't necessarily on an award tour this past Sunday...it was actually HBO's Primetime Emmy Awards post-party. I bumped into the honorable, ever-fabulous, Michael Williams, who graciously posed-up with me for this shot.

All I'll say is that HBO knows how to throw a bash. The Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood was decked out in full True Blood regalia, so much so that I almost felt tempted to catch up on the show. Almost. Something tells me that I'm probably the only person who's not hooked on the series, but honestly, I just don't get down with blood & vampires. But I did drink my fair share of blood, orange soda at the soiree, which was everything. I think I've found my new drug of choice.

The guest list was fabulous. Off the top of my head, Bill Maher was in the house as was Shirley MacLaine - love her! - Jeff Garlin, Jamie Hector (who will just always be Marlo Stanfield to me, sorry, Jamie!), Sigourney Weaver, Chloe Sevigny, the Entourage crew and who else? Oh, and I got to chat with one of my favorite stars-on-the-rise, Tristan Wilds. I think he's such a winner. Trust me, keep watching. I can't say that I actually tune into to see him on 90210 (I'm officially out of the demo) but I'll be sure to buy a ticket for his next flick, Red Tails, which chronicles the Tuskegee Airmen and hits theaters in 2010. And a special shout goes out to publicist extraordinaire, Cecile Cross-Plummer. Thanks for looking out, girl.

Wait, how could I forget to mention the buffet? Beet salad, seared tuna, corn tortellini...yum-my! But the best part of the night had to be walking out with a giftbag chock full o' Laura Mercier goodies. Yes! But then again, my feet didn't ache - like, not at all! - which is always a very good thing.

happy birthday, Val!

Val's in town...and as of yesterday, she is a year older! I will not divulge her age because doing so might jeopardize the sheer veil of truth that I have draped over my age. She's sitting here laughing at me as I type that line.

Yesterday, we ate and ate and ate...and ATE...at the Four Seasons for brunch. Her ace-boon from back in the day - the honorable Barbara H. - sent her a lovely birthday arrangement, which the host delivered as soon as we sat at our patio table. Aren't those colors fabulous?!

All that said, please join me in wishing my mom a happy birthday and a blessed ?? year! I loved seeing the smile on her face when the waiter delivered her "Happy Birthday Mom" ice-cream spread! That was yesterday...today, I'm dropping her off at the spa!

not to make it all about me, but -

There's nothing like a fab cover story to make a girl feel...well, fab!

Check the September issue of Essence, on stands now, which also features a heartwarming dedication to MJ. Ironically, Gabrielle and I had our interview, over dinner, on the night before MJ and Farrah's deaths.

OK, a couple of random musings:

1. This morning, I picked up a copy of Vanity Fair (see previous post) and on top of being enthralled by the MJ pictorial, I was, for some reason, completely fascinated by the Farrah Fawcett story which is, oddly enough, 75% focused on Ryan O'Neal. He is a total piece of work, which I've known since I read Tatum's book, A Paper Life, a few years back. All I'll say is that Tatum - along with her three brothers whom are, seemingly, just as broken as she is - gets a pass from me. If you'd been raised by an abusive/druggie/narcissistic/evil bastard of a parent like O'Neal, you might be shooting up, too. That man is such a monster and by his own admission, made the lives of those he claimed to love quite miserable. Makes me wonder what his early life was like.

2. I just read on cnn.com that Billy Mays, the Oxy-Clean pitchman dude, had coke in his system at the time of his death. While that is quite an unfortunate fact, do the masses really need to know that he was hitting the powder? I mean, is anything sacred? I could see if he'd caused harm to others (a la Diane Schuler, who was high and all kinds of drunk when she stepped behind the wheel and killed 8 people including herself, her daughter and three nieces as well as three others), but why are people's toxicology results up for public consumption? It's a tad much.

3. Last, but surely not least - BIG UP TO SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR. She'll be confirmed tomorrow. How amazing is that? Very.

Happy weekend.