R.I.P Lee Thompson Young (The Famous Jett Jackson)

I just heard about the apparant suicide of Lee Thompson Young. Some of you 90's babies may know him as Jett Jackson on Disney Channel's show of the same name, but I also know him as Detective Frost on TNTs Rizzoli & Isles. I watch this guy on TV every week and I was always amazed at how he was able to continue acting without being typecasted. He was one of the few lucky child stars that successfully transitioned into adult roles.

 His roles have been very different but somehow he brought something new and captivating to each role. What I saw was a happy well adjusted child actor making his way into an awesome and successful adult actor, but who knows what he was truly going through. We see the struggles with drugs, sexuality, finances, emotions of some but yet there are those that suffer in silence. He appeared happy and well adjusted but looks in this case were deceiving.

 His death confirms that what we see on the outside may not always be reality. We shouldn't take someone's smile for granted. Though a smile may be a sign of strength, we owe it to ourselves and to other's to dig a little deeper and not let appearances get in the way of us helping one another. You may need a hug, he may need a listening ear, she may need a shoulder to lean on. Whatever the need, we should make ourselves available to a loved one so they will know they are truly loved and cared for. Simply put, show you care; you might just save someone's life. We need to pray for Lee Thompson Young's family as well as our own.
Be Blessed!

Tiger's women: Home wreckers anonymous!

How many more women have to come forth with their allegations of affairs with Tiger Woods before we say enough is enough? It's obvious that these women are after some sort of financial gain. Why else would they even speak about their "relationships" with this married man.

Most of the negativity is being placed on Tiger's doorsteps because he's the public figure, but shouldn't these women suffer some sort of ridicule as well? Why does society put so much stock in the testimonies of these home wreckers? Shouldn't we turn our backs on them and say keep your trashiness to yourself ladies, we're not interested? Instead, we rush out to read the latest blog (thank you by the way) or to pick up the latest gossip rag which adds to their ill-gotten gain.

We know these chicks have been paid very well for their stories but I still feel sorry for them. They are really sad and desperate individuals, how else can we explain their behavior. Unlike some mistresses, these females knew this man was married with a family (& money) but they chose to have sexual relations with him anyway. Really, how low is their self-esteem. Well if they didn't know before they will soon because in a few months the story will die down, Tiger will go on with life (assuming his wife stays with him of course), Elin will still have all of the financial perks, but these women will forever be known as the one time mistress of Tiger Woods. That's it. What then? Nothing and that's exactly what they deserve. Then again, maybe they can start a club something like home-wreckers anonymous-where one time mistresses meet to discuss the culmination of their trifling ways.

Adam Lambert: The man of the hour

So Adam Lambert has caused yet another "controversy" on ABC with his sexually explicit performance on the AMA's earlier this week but why? Lambert has stated in several interviews that he feels it's a double standard and sited the many instances where female performers have done similar things in their televised shows and nothing was said or done as a reprimand. Let's not mention the millions of performances where male singers are groping and kissing the female fans and dancers on stage and no one says a thing.

I know everyone remembers Madonna tongue kissing Britney Spears at an award show several years and while it sparked some controversy, it's nothing like the backlash for Adam Lambert. So is there a double-standard for gay and straight entertainers? I think so. Madonna made no apologies and Adam shouldn't either. He has been very outspoken about his lifestyle and seems very comfortable in his skin. I'm amazed that in 2009, major TV networks still appear to be more conservative than their viewing audience. Sure, they received phone calls and emails but how many really? I mean come on, I saw the performance and while I was shocked I was far from offended. There are far worse things on TV that I need to complain about and Adam Lambert kissing a boy on stage isn't one of them. I feel he is being condemned for being a Gay man, period and it isn't fair. While I may not agree with his lifestyle, he has a right to his choices.

Is Chris Brown the only one at fault??

I told myself I wouldn't address the Chris Brown and Rihanna situation but I lied. Everyone is talking and voicing their opinion so here's mine. First let me say that I in no way condone domestic violence on a female or male. So with that being said, I would like to know how much responsibility does the victim need to take? I'm sure it's easy to say Rihanna is in no way responsible for what happened but is that really true. If I'm understanding her verbiage correctly, this wasn't the first time their verbal altercations turned physical. So why stay in this relationship? Love is one thing but stupidity is another.

Everyone makes mistakes and their celebrity in no way erases that fact. While most of the blame should fall on Chris Brown (especially since he witnessed this type of behavior in his own home as a child), shouldn't Rihanna accept some of the blame as well? We have all heard the stories of women being beaten to death by their partner only to find out this wasn't the first time the violence happened. At what point can we say, enough is enough and the get the hell out of there.

Again, it's probably easy for me to say this from the outside looking in (thank God for that) but I wonder how hard is it to leave an abusive partner, especially with no children involved. Don't we owe it to ourselves to put our safety first. If he hits you once, statistics say the chances are very high that he will hit you again. The ending rarely changes and that's the sad part. Is Chris Brown at fault? Sure he is. Has he really changed? Who knows, only time will tell. A man should never hit a women, but a woman shouldn't stay around long enough to see him make a change.

HouseHusbands of Hollywood

While I try to stay as far away as possible from "reality" shows, I do tend to find one or two that catch my attention from time to time. My newest reality vice this year has been Fox Reality Channel's "Househusbands of Hollywood". The premise of the show is to basically follow the day to day lives of husbands/significant others where the female is the primary bread winner. The show features:

• Billy - former professional Baseball player with the Dodgers and husband to a Hollywood make-up artist and father of two beautiful girls.
• Danny - newlywed, aspiring actor, now supported by his wife whose an Attorney (who works too much) and father to 2 Pugs.
• Charlie - Actor, whose wife is a psychologist is a father of one and a has served time in prison (He's also a friend of Ryan O'Neal).
• Grant - Former marine/actor whose the husband of a LA TV Personality and dad to Ruby.
• Darryl - Actor best known for his role as Ron on "A Different World" and partner of 16 years of Tempest Bledsoe(Vanessa Huxtable-"The Cosby Show").

There are several reasons why I like this show but the most important one is the relationship that is shown within their families as well as one another. I'm sure it's not easy to be known as a Mr. Mom, but in reality most of these men are just that. They take care of their households, support their partners, and still manage to carve out time to bond and support one another. This show gave me a different perspective on men that stay at home and how the family dynamic is affected. I'm not sure my husband could handle staying at home full time with our daughter while I work. (I'm honestly not sure how I would handle it either). The show has a lot to offer and grows on me more and more each week. Check it out on Fox Reality Channel, Saturday nights at 10:00 pm.

Why are people still hating on Tyler Perry??

According to ajc.com, Tyler Perry has issued a statement via Facebook and Twitter regarding fraudulent ad's for extras listed (the ad wanted to charge potential extras a $29.95 fee to join a casting club) on Craigslist:

“It’s a lie, don’t fall for it,” writes Perry to fans. “These folks are trying
to rip you off. I hate for people to prey on people’s dreams and hopes. Why
don’t people get a job and stop trying to steal folks’ hard-earned money.”

Perry goes further to indicate that he will seek legal action to stop the dream thieves. Now I applaud Mr. Perry for taking a stand against those attempting to profit from his name. Further, I think it's sad, that in these hard economic times, you have people out there trying to make money off of people who may have nothing but a dream of being discovered. These people should be ashamed and prosecuted to the highest extent of the the law. However, some people aren't as enthusiastic as I. Some posters on the ajc.com blog are accusing Tyler Perry of using this scam as a publicity stunt. Other's state that he treats his extras poorly when they are on set (I'm not sure what this had to do with the actual article..).

So my question is: Why do so many people still hate on Tyler Perry?? Is it because he is a successful Black man proving the reality of the American Dream? Or is it because of plain old fashioned jealousy?

While his TV shows may not appeal to the masses, it’s no denying that this man has Hollywood’s attention. He’s setting box office records for opening weekends, making full feature movies in half the time of major studios, setting records in TV broadcasting with two top-rated TV shows on the TBS cable network. Not to mention, he is creating jobs and opportunities, in addition to inventing a new reality for our youth. How many people can say that?