R.I.P Heavy D

I feel like a big part of my childhood just died. Heavy D, who was only 44, has died of a heart attack. Can I just say that when someone has been an adult your whole entire life you have no concept of how young they really are? It's sad he's gone so soon.

Heavy D is responsible for the soundtrack of my elementary school days. "Is It Good To You," "Nothing But Love," "Black Coffee," "Now that We Found Love," and the rap on"Candy Rain" by Soul 4 Real. Heavy D was truly an original. He had raps you could recite without getting in trouble, he danced, produced and had a clean image. He was also a business man, who was responsible for alot of successful acts at Uptown Records, eventually becoming CEO.

Heavy D's resume is extensive and it's a shame we've all but relegated him to the land of the "has beens." He has done a lot for music and he shouldn't have to die to be appreciated.

Dr. Conrad Murray

(showbiz411.com)

Here are my obligatory .02 cents on Dr. Conrad Murray. Conrad Murray has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and I believe the jury got it right. Conrad Murray injected Michael Jackson with propofol, although that was against the law. I also believe that Michael Jackson was wrong too.

I understand the Jackson's family need to place the blame on someone and I believe that blame should be equally divided between Dr. Murray and Michael Jackson. My analysis has nothing to do with Michael Jackson's music or my appreciation of it, it has to do with the facts that have been presented in the last 2 years.

Michael Jackson was a drug addict. Simple the end. He had been a drug addict for the better part of 25 years. His drug use was an open secret. Michael Jackson was set to perform 50 shows he could not handle, mentally or physically. He had to work long hours to get his show up to Michael Jackson standards. AEG basically gave Michael an unlimited budget and he used that to employ Conrad Murray. Although people want to chastise Conrad Murray, I believe that he did what most people in his position would do. To Dr. Murray, Michael Jackson was the answer to his prayers. Here is a man who was hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and here was the biggest pop star in the world, offering him $150,000 a month, a place to live, the chance to travel the world, and a resume boosting opportunity. I know I would take it. I know you would take it to. Anyone who says they wouldn't is lying. Dr. Murray probably calculated the benefits and said yes before the offer was extended. He didn't know that it would end so wrong.

Just like Dr. Murray knew the risks of injecting propofol, so did Michael Jackson. I know once people become celebrities their ability to do wrong is all but gone, but Michael Jackson wasn't a victim he was a volunteer. Michael Jackson specifically asked for "milk" and probably paid for it. He knew the risks and chose to proceed anyway. Michael Jackson played with fire and paid the ultimate price, he paid with his life. There is no way to get around it. He was a willing participant. He may have been the king of pop but he was still human. He was still mortal. He still had the ability to make bad decisions and he made several of them.

I believe that Dr. Murray should lose his license. I don't know if I believe he should get jail time. His life is ruined enough. Dr. Murray will always be a social pariah, he will likely be unemployed and destitute. The most he can do is make some money by telling his story. Dr. Murray has been punished enough. Let the verdict stand and MJ rest in peace.

Okay, Kim

*Sigh. I see I'm going to have to beat the deadhorse known as Kim Kardashian's marriage until someone gets a clue; namely Kris Humphries. The stunt queen, better known as Kim Kardashian, has booked a last minute flight to hee haw Minnesota to repair her image marriage. Of course the paparazzi were there to capture Kim catching her flight, landing in Minnesota, and leaving the pastors office with Kris. I guess I am the only one who sees the stunt for what it is.

After a week of being dragged through the mud and mocked, Kim did what she should have done a week ago, and spoke to her estranged husband. TMZ knew that Kim was filing for divorce before Kris did. In fact Kris found out with the rest of the world. Kim and her mother, Kris Kardashian been on a press tour to save their brand brand but admittedly have not spoken to Kris since before the divorce. The only person who truly deserved an explanation is the last one who got one. I probably know more about their divorce than Kris does. Kris is a better person than me because as soon as I heard she booked her flight, I would have booked my flight to some far off place. My attorney would have answered the door. Now that her brand is in turmoil, Kim wants to include pastors and Kris in it but the only one she consulted about her  divorce was her lawyer. She should have did this before she filed, not have her people call TMZ and Ryan Seacrest.

Kris, this is coming out of a place of love, if you take that stunt queen back the bit of basic respect I have for you, will be gone.I was hoping that you were smarter than the media gives you credit for, but I see I may be wrong. Kim didn't even have the common courtesy to call you and let you know that she was filing for divorce but you feel obligated to talk to her and her pastor. Screw a marriage certificate, let your attorney's talk.

My Gift to NeNe

I wasn't planning on getting NeNe Leakes a gift for the season 4 premiere of Real Housewives of Atlanta but after watching the premiere, I decided that it would only be right. I want NeNe to take these chairs, put them in the corner, and have a seat. NeNe was never my favorite but after last night, I am too through.

While you're sitting in these chairs, I want you to meditate on a few things.

1. you got a check from Donald Trump, you're not Donald Trump, there's a huge difference. You may think that because you're getting checks from several different places, you're Donald Trump, you're not. He may have given you a nice check but trust he got at least 5 times that amount from your foolish antics. You do the work, he comes down once a week for 2 hours and says "you're fired" and collects nice checks. Take notes. You're not the boss, you're an employee. 
2. you've been in foreclosure before. I know you're "rich" now but before Real Housewives of Atlanta came along, you were hood rich. You were living beyond your means and I'm sure you still are. I'm sure Greg had money but his money isn't long enough to satisfy your champagne taste. Before you throw the fact that Sheree was in foreclosure before in her face, I suggest you goggle yourself and you'll find reports of your financial trouble from 2008, 2009, and 2010. 
3. take a look at Terrell Owens. He burned every bridge he ever crossed and look where he is now. If you stop smelling your money, you'll smell something else. It's called sulfur. Yes, you're making money as the loud, ghetto, stereotypical black woman on reality shows, but when your 15 minutes are up, no one will want anything to do with you. The only reason your phone is ringing is because you're the "it" girl but reality stars are a dime a dozen. Maybe a nickel, or penny a dozen. For everything you do, there is someone willing to do more for less. Stop burning your bridges and be a bit nicer to people.
   
4. I also want to gift you with a dictionary/thesaurus set because you have no idea how to use the word hating in a sentence. Sheree was not hating on you, she was calling you out on your BS and you had no leg to stand on. I never heard her attack your character or you as a person, which you did several times. Sheree seems very secure in who she is, I don't see jealousy as her M.O. She said what she had to say and she moved on. You want people to hate on you because you feel like you've "made it" and she didn't. Maybe I should gift you a stadium because you need all those seats. 

Side note: I know NeNe is your name and it's marketable but you're in your 40s, I need you to come up with something a bit more age appropriate. FYI: I only had them delivered them to you, you have to pay for them because you're rich and all. That is all. 

Privacy vs Publicity

I know I have been beating the dead horse formerly known as Kim Kardashian’s marriage past recognition, but this controversy has caused me to think. Lets think about the dilemma Kim and the Kardashian family finds themselves in. This family’s job is to be themselves. They are not actors, they are reality stars. They make millions off of being themselves. They let people in their lives on a weekly basis and it seems nothing is off limits. They have been on numerous blogs, shows, and magazines promoting themselves and profiting off their personal lives. They are their brand. Their brand is in jeopardy. Kim Kardashian made a public spectacle of her marriage. She sold every detail of her nuptials to People Magazine and E! for KUTK and Kim's Fairytale Wedding Special. Now that Kim's publicity stunt marriage has gone kaput after 72 days and $18 million dollars in profits from exclusive stories, ad revenue, gifts, and television specials, public opinion has turned on the Kardashians. The Kardashian family is now asking for privacy and striving to dispel rumors. I find this ironic. This has also made me think: where is the line drawn between private and public lives. What happens when the line is blurred? Do you have the right to redraw it?

There was a time when you actually had to have talent to be a celebrity. One had to sing, act, and dance to even be considered a celebrity. The personal lives of stars of old were pretty much off limits. There were no papparazzi trailing a celebs every move. There were no famous for being famous people. Now with the rise of blogs, daily entertainment shows, social networking, and tabloids, anyone can be famous or infamous. Talent is an option for one to be a celebrity. Even celebs with marketable talent find it necessary to have a carefully crafted image with a bit of personal details, real or fake. Although Beyonce is notoriously private, even she has found it necessary to share details about her pregnancy and marriage to Jay-Z.

When a celebrity's carefully crafted image is question or tarnished with scandal, the fans say "I like their music, acting, or clothes, etc" but when their image is used to sell said product, does the public deserve an explanation? People buy products because they feel a connection with the artist and what they're portraying/ selling. I don't believe that celebs should have to answer about personal tragedies or things they're not ready to speal about, for example sexuality and personal relationships, but the public does deserve the truth. If Kim Kardashian got married for fame, she should say so and move on. I dislike celebrities playing the victim role when something they chose to do backfires. I dislike celebrities opening up their lives to the public then asking for privacy when things go wrong. One of the pitfalls of celebrity is lack of privacy and opening up yourself to the public all but eliminates that. If you're gonna be an opeen book, be an open book.