Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
HP Computers are Racist
Urban Chameleon news
Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa Eve. Something that should not be on your holiday gift list is the new HP computer as they were not made with black people in mind. Even if you're white just consider your black friends coming over to your home and feeling offended by this gadget.
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa Eve. Something that should not be on your holiday gift list is the new HP computer as they were not made with black people in mind. Even if you're white just consider your black friends coming over to your home and feeling offended by this gadget.
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
South African Union Threatens to Boycott Jennifer Hudson
Urban Chameleon news
source: Independent Black Women Film festival
Last month Jennifer Hudson announced that she will play Winnie Manikizela-Mandela in the Equinoxe Film WINNIE (due out in 2011). The Creative Workers Union of South Africa (CWUSA) promptly issued a statement to South African newspaper The Citizen protesting the fact that a South African was not cast in the role, and locals haven’t been sought to star in or work on the film. The union is composed on South African creatives, including filmmakers, actors and musicians. Renowned South African theater actor John Kani pointed out that, “the problem was not Hudson playing Madikizela-Mandela, but the lack of respect and acknowledgment for local creatives.”
Ms. Hudson’s casting also highlights a recent trend toward casting entertainers and singers as actors. Actress Nia Long –in response to Beyonce Knowles starring in yet another film– even went as far to state, “It’s just not about how talented you are anymore. It’s about, ‘How much box-office revenue will this person generate?’ ” But Ms. Hudson is not alone in the push toward entertainers, especially African American entertainers. She’s one of many in a long line that includes Ludacris (CRASH, GAMER), Alicia Keyes (THE NANNIE DIARIES, SECRET LIVES OF BEES), Ice Cube (FRIDAY, BARBERSHOP), Eve (BARBERSHOP, TRANSPORTER 3), and a host of others.
This brings up several issues that have been plaguing Africans/African Americans in film: 1) The right to accurate representation, 2) the dearth of roles for Blacks, and 3) trivializing the “craft” of acting. The movie industry in the United States is focused on the business of show business, and rarely do African Americans have the luxury to present “art” that doesn’t “make money.” If African Americans in film can’t bring in an audience, then Hollywood –and some Blacks in film– will not bother to cast them in other films, or back films starring them. This is part of the reason why Hollywood continually brings in entertainers, and not actors.
Middle-America more readily recognizes Ludacris than it does Ruby Dee.
read full article on ibwff.com
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
source: Independent Black Women Film festival
Last month Jennifer Hudson announced that she will play Winnie Manikizela-Mandela in the Equinoxe Film WINNIE (due out in 2011). The Creative Workers Union of South Africa (CWUSA) promptly issued a statement to South African newspaper The Citizen protesting the fact that a South African was not cast in the role, and locals haven’t been sought to star in or work on the film. The union is composed on South African creatives, including filmmakers, actors and musicians. Renowned South African theater actor John Kani pointed out that, “the problem was not Hudson playing Madikizela-Mandela, but the lack of respect and acknowledgment for local creatives.”Ms. Hudson’s casting also highlights a recent trend toward casting entertainers and singers as actors. Actress Nia Long –in response to Beyonce Knowles starring in yet another film– even went as far to state, “It’s just not about how talented you are anymore. It’s about, ‘How much box-office revenue will this person generate?’ ” But Ms. Hudson is not alone in the push toward entertainers, especially African American entertainers. She’s one of many in a long line that includes Ludacris (CRASH, GAMER), Alicia Keyes (THE NANNIE DIARIES, SECRET LIVES OF BEES), Ice Cube (FRIDAY, BARBERSHOP), Eve (BARBERSHOP, TRANSPORTER 3), and a host of others.
This brings up several issues that have been plaguing Africans/African Americans in film: 1) The right to accurate representation, 2) the dearth of roles for Blacks, and 3) trivializing the “craft” of acting. The movie industry in the United States is focused on the business of show business, and rarely do African Americans have the luxury to present “art” that doesn’t “make money.” If African Americans in film can’t bring in an audience, then Hollywood –and some Blacks in film– will not bother to cast them in other films, or back films starring them. This is part of the reason why Hollywood continually brings in entertainers, and not actors.
Middle-America more readily recognizes Ludacris than it does Ruby Dee.
read full article on ibwff.com
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Kanye + Gaga= Controversial Dave La Chapelle Photo Shoot
Urban Chameleon news
And the King Kong image is BLack I mean back. It's like a Black hair movie, every few years one comes out. Remember Lebron and Gisele on the cover of Vogue?
Boy did this bring about some major controversy with Lebron portraying the stereotyped, animalistic black man, white-woman-obsessed beast. However, the difference between Vogue and LaChapelle is that you expect controversy from LaChapelle. If you know LaChapelle's work you would know it kind of wouldn't be a LaChapelle photo if it weren’t provocative and controversial. Now whether or whether not the images are always successful is another question. What do you think?
Personally I would have found it more interesting if Gaga was carrying Kanye...
for more images visit www.lachapellestudio.com
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Monday, December 21, 2009
When Will White People Stop Making Movies Like "Avatar"?
Urban Chameleon news
To be honest I had no idea what Avatar was about. All I knew is that they gave James Cameron (director of Titanic) $400 million dollars to make his dream film, which I could not tell what the heck was about from the trailer that just shows some white people becoming unusual looking blue people. However, the commentary written about the film in the article below strips away all the fancy CGI technology and breaks down the symobolizism of the "white turned blue people" into a larger conversation about the colonialism.
excerpt from article:
Whites need to stop remaking the white guilt story, which is a sneaky way of turning every story about people of color into a story about being white. Speaking as a white person, I don't need to hear more about my own racial experience. I'd like to watch some movies about people of color (ahem, aliens), from the perspective of that group, without injecting a random white (erm, human) character to explain everything to me. Science fiction is exciting because it promises to show the world and the universe from perspectives radically unlike what we've seen before. But until white people stop making movies like Avatar, I fear that I'm doomed to see the same old story again and again.
read full article on www.io9.com
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
To be honest I had no idea what Avatar was about. All I knew is that they gave James Cameron (director of Titanic) $400 million dollars to make his dream film, which I could not tell what the heck was about from the trailer that just shows some white people becoming unusual looking blue people. However, the commentary written about the film in the article below strips away all the fancy CGI technology and breaks down the symobolizism of the "white turned blue people" into a larger conversation about the colonialism.
excerpt from article:Whites need to stop remaking the white guilt story, which is a sneaky way of turning every story about people of color into a story about being white. Speaking as a white person, I don't need to hear more about my own racial experience. I'd like to watch some movies about people of color (ahem, aliens), from the perspective of that group, without injecting a random white (erm, human) character to explain everything to me. Science fiction is exciting because it promises to show the world and the universe from perspectives radically unlike what we've seen before. But until white people stop making movies like Avatar, I fear that I'm doomed to see the same old story again and again.
read full article on www.io9.com
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
14yr old Millionaire in the Making: Damon Williams
Urban Chameleon highlight
Damon Williams is 14yrs old and already has a net worth of 50k from investing in stock. He one day asked his mama for some Jordans who basically said hell nah you betta invest in Nike and have them pay you to have Jordans and so he did. Check out his story
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Damon Williams is 14yrs old and already has a net worth of 50k from investing in stock. He one day asked his mama for some Jordans who basically said hell nah you betta invest in Nike and have them pay you to have Jordans and so he did. Check out his story
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Holiday Art with Dianne Smith
Urban Chameleon events
About the artist
Dianne Smith' is a Bronx native of Belizean descent. Her work has evolved from a unique and powerful mix of afro-cubism and surrealism, to a fully expressed emotion of abstract expressionism. Her intriguing and compelling minimalist abstracts are haunting and beautiful. Ms. Smith's work represents her inner connection of self. Her paintings reflect the artistic and spiritual journey that has enabled her to find her voice as a painter.
Often compared to the likes of Richard Mayhew and Norman Lewis, her work has the ability to incite our emotions with lush palettes and expressive brushstrokes. She creates provocative and meaningful imagery that challenges the viewer to see and consider pure color. While her work remains rooted in her African origins, its purpose is more universal. For more information visit DianneSmithart.com
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
If you are not already familiar with the works of Dianne Smith (on the right) I would encourage you to enter into the world of this enchanting artist who’s studio is located in Harlem NY. There you will find a unique selection of stunning canvases that are perfect for holiday gifts (if even for your self). Her work has been included in the private collection of Danny Simmons. Cicely Tyson, Terry McMillian, Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Calvin of the Abyssinian Baptist Church and Vivica Fox.
Dianne’s holiday studio sale will be open until January 15 so be sure to make an appointment before then. You will also be able to see some of her new sculpture work, which is created by raw materials using everything from paper towel rolls, wire hangers, newspaper, wood and more to create the most fascinating structures.
For appointments e-mail info@diannesmithart.com
About the artist
Dianne Smith' is a Bronx native of Belizean descent. Her work has evolved from a unique and powerful mix of afro-cubism and surrealism, to a fully expressed emotion of abstract expressionism. Her intriguing and compelling minimalist abstracts are haunting and beautiful. Ms. Smith's work represents her inner connection of self. Her paintings reflect the artistic and spiritual journey that has enabled her to find her voice as a painter.
Often compared to the likes of Richard Mayhew and Norman Lewis, her work has the ability to incite our emotions with lush palettes and expressive brushstrokes. She creates provocative and meaningful imagery that challenges the viewer to see and consider pure color. While her work remains rooted in her African origins, its purpose is more universal. For more information visit DianneSmithart.com
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Say It Loud (Keep it Short and Proud) in GQ
Urban Chameleon news
Writer Knox Robinson talks about a Black man's hair in this month's GQ
From Black Panther Afros to Iverson braids, rebellious hair has long been a quick way for a black man in America to make a strong statement. But as the formerly dreadlocked author learned, a new era calls for a more retro cut
I was dreaming deliriously on a flight back from Accra, Ghana, when I heard a woman's voice telling me to cut my hair. Even now I don't consider the whisper to have been a side effect of the undiagnosed malaria that landed me in a Brooklyn hospital two days later; I'd had dreads for fourteen years—they were down to my waist—and swore I'd never chop them for love or money. So I figured if they ever had to go, it would be the result of sudden mystical transmission.
I cut my hair soon after I landed. I was at the start of my thirties and dutifully undergoing the transitions of that age—the arrival of a son, new career moves. With a radically new appearance, I felt distinctly like a man who'd escaped through the back door of a burning building and used the second chance to set out on a completely new path. Old acquaintances stared right past me on the train, and at parties women who once denied my advances wondered who I was.
There's an élan to a tight cut I hadn't considered before; it's a throwback to an era of debonair brothers in the '50s and '60s, from Miles Davis to Sidney Poitier to Malcolm X. I didn't quite get that as a young dread; even those venerated icons seem like establishment figures when you're just starting out, so I took cues from '90s-era conscious rappers and old Bob Marley pics. I never was a cornrows guy, but Allen Iverson's braids served as a generational signpost for me.
Yet that era is over as surely as my own quarter-life crisis is behind me. We're now experiencing a restoration of black cosmopolitan glamour last witnessed fifty years ago, and the guys who define that sensibility are dudes like Usain Bolt, Lewis Hamilton, LeBron James, and yes, Obama. I see their close-cropped hair as marks of men singularly focused not on rebellion but on changing the game, or more acutely: results. It's hair for the man with a job to do rather than a comment to make.
Of course, it took work for me to find a rhythm; I was in the barber's chair every ten days, getting science on dark Caesars (No. 2 clippers all the way around), skin fades (No. 2 on top fading to clean-shaven sides), and lining—that is, debating whether my hairline should be sharp or natural. (I kept it natural.) But mainly my short hair led to new possibilities of personal style. Soon enough I fell into wearing suits and picked up vintage British looks on Portobello Road, dead-stock Dior in the East Village, and all-black-everything Comme des Garçons at Hejfina on trips to Chicago.
I now wear a suit every day of the week and sometimes on Saturdays. Today a three-piece feels less like a George Jefferson sight gag and more like a suit of armor, and I get a charge knowing that my son will remember me picking him up from grade school, understanding that his father has been handling business. Last year I saw I was heading for a rough patch, and I grew my hair and beard out in preparation for what I thought would be a long walk in the wilderness. When I realized how bad things were truly getting, however, I wheeled into a barbershop and took it all the way down. I wanted to be ready.—knox robinson
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Derrick N. Ashong Gets his Own Show on Oprah Radio
Urban Chameleon news
Remember that Youtube video of the dude who surprised that interviewer with his knowledgable explanation of why he was supporting Obama? Well he's getting his own show!
Come back in January 2010, when Derrick will be hosting his own show on Oprah Radio!
Remember that Youtube video of the dude who surprised that interviewer with his knowledgable explanation of why he was supporting Obama? Well he's getting his own show!
Come back in January 2010, when Derrick will be hosting his own show on Oprah Radio! About Derrick
Derrick N. Ashong, or DNA as he is sometimes known, is a Ghana, West Africa, native and has dedicated his life to building bridges between the fields of business, media, technology, youth culture, pop culture and politics. Derrick has lectured on five continents on the use of media as a tool for human development, including recent talks at the London School of Economics, King's College (Cambridge), the Reconciliation Forum in Washington, D.C., the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and before UK Parliament on the subject of "The Obama Generation." He is a member of the internationally recognized Next Generation Leadership Forum and a participant in the Arts & Entertainment task force of the U.S.-Islamic World Forum. Derrick is a Harvard graduate and resides in Los Angeles, where he is the leader of the band, Soulfège.
About Derrick's Show
Taking social media to the next level, the The Derrick Ashong Experience is socially meaningful media designed to entertain, inform and elevate the national dialogue. Experience a multiplatform, globally plugged-in community with interests spanning the arts, society, business and politics and with the passion to seek the truth and to empower seekers to make a true difference.
NFL Star Chris Henry Dies After Auto Accident with Fiancée
Urban Chameleon news
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry died Thursday from injuries sustained in a Wednesday fall from the back of a pickup truck. He was 26.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry died Thursday from injuries sustained in a Wednesday fall from the back of a pickup truck. He was 26.According to authorities, Henry was involved in a "domestic situation" with his fiancée, Loleini Tonga, at a residence. As she drove off in a pickup truck, Henry jumped onto the bed of the truck, police said. At some point, Henry "came out of the back of the vehicle."
No charges have been immediately filed.
A fifth-year veteran of the Bengals, Henry caught 119 passes for 1,826 yard and 21 touchdowns during his tenure. He had been sidelined since Nov. 8 due to a broken arm.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Successful, black and lonely: Bitch is the New Black
Urban Chameleon news
from the Washington Post
D.C. author's tale of young black women's loneliness catches Hollywood's ear
By DeNeen L. Brown Washington Post Staff Writer
Helena Andrews is 29, single, living in D.C., and might be the star of a black "Sex and the City" -- stylish, beautiful and a writer desperately in search of love in the city. Andrews's life appears charmed: The film rights for her memoir, "Bitch Is the New Black," a satirical look at successful young black women living in Washington, were purchased before the book was finished. Shonda Rhimes, the executive producer of "Grey's Anatomy," is set to produce the film and Andrews will write the screenplay. When Andrews pitched the book, she described it as part "Bridget Jones's Diary," part "Sex and the City." The book is to be published in June by Harper Collins. "What I am trying to say about single black women in any urban environment is, you don't know them as well as you think you do. They may not know themselves as well as they think they do," Andrews says, seated at a table with a white tablecloth in a restaurant on U Street. Her appearance is flawless: She is wearing an ivory blazer and skinny jeans, her movie-star eyes glisten with shadow and her hair is cut in a fresh bob. Perfect. Image is everything. And it means nothing. "The book was a time for me to step back and reflect," to capture the internal dialogue and the dialogue with girlfriends who are "caught in a quarter-life crisis." She is not talking about all young black women, but some. Revealing a story not oft told. A lot of black women put up an exterior that says: "Everything is together. 'I'm fine. Perfect. Don't worry about me. Keep it moving.' That is the trend," Andrews says. "Put on new stilettos. Put on a mask of bitchiness." But that image -- prevalent in both the media and the workplace, Andrews believes -- is one-dimensional. "When people think about black women, they have only one adjective for us, which is 'strong,' " Andrews says. "The girl you see walking down the street looks like she has it all together," but she may not. A journalist who has written for Politico and The Root, Andrews says her book attempts to reveal what's behind the veneer. In a series of essays, Andrews documents the lives of so many young black women who appear to have everything: looks, charm, Ivy League degrees, great jobs. Closets packed full of fabulous clothes; fabulous condos in fabulous gentrified neighborhoods; fabulous vacations, fabulous friends. And yet they are lonely: Their lives are repetitive, desperate and empty. They are post-racial feminists who have come of age reaping the benefits of both the civil rights movement and the women's movement, then asking quietly: What next? "Gone are the [college] days when friends are an elevator ride away, dinner plans are made on the way to somebody's hall, and Thursday is Friday or Friday is Thursday (who cares, you'll figure it out in Philosophy C203)," Andrews writes. "Soon enough, the little old lady living in a shoe is you -- and the rent is effin' unbelievable, and nobody comes to visit because you're too far from the Metro. Adulthood comes in little jigsaw pieces. Once the painstaking work of fitting them all together is done, the picture doesn't look nearly as cool as it did on the box." Andrews writes about what it is like for a young, black woman dating in D.C., trying to find a mate who seems ever elusive. The futile rituals are familiar: the dressing up, the eager cab ride over to the party, the hold-your-breath as you walk in, scanning the room quickly for any looks returned. The mantra sounding in the back of your head: "So-and-so found a man last year at a party like this. Maybe tonight is my night." Then one by one, the men prove to be disappointments and disappointing: married, uninteresting or uninterested. The disappointment as you end up at the bar once again, committing straw violence in your drink (stirring the drink frantically and unconsciously). Andrews writes the truth of those nights. The truth is for too many, they never work out. Not for Andrews and not for her friend, Gina, who is a prominent character in her life and in the book. "For a lot of black women, especially young successful black women, we have a lot of boxes on our master plan list checked off," Andrews says. "We think happiness should come immediately after that. But that is not always the case." Love is much too hard to find and when these women do, it may go all wrong because of issues that are too complicated for statistics, Andrews says. She is quick to say, "There are tons of black families who are healthy and good." Even so, black women are more likely than white women to grow up poor or otherwise struggling financially; to be fatherless and to experience a myriad of other societal and/or familial dysfunctions. Ironically, the "issues" can also include being a "strong" woman: the can-do, opinionated type many black women become after growing up in a matriarchal household, the type with whom some men still just can't deal. "I have tons of friends who are extremely successful lawyers and lobbyists, staffers on the Hill. They are great at what they do. They are in their late 20s and early 30s," Andrews says, sipping Ethiopian coffee. Her dog, Miles, is sitting beneath the restaurant table, whining softly. "But there is loneliness at their jobs, because most likely they are the only black person there and people treat them like they are the only black person there. They dress a certain way. They go out on the weekend. . . . And still they end up going home, and it's you and your damned dog."
read full article on washingtonpost.com
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
from the Washington Post
D.C. author's tale of young black women's loneliness catches Hollywood's ear
By DeNeen L. Brown Washington Post Staff Writer
Helena Andrews is 29, single, living in D.C., and might be the star of a black "Sex and the City" -- stylish, beautiful and a writer desperately in search of love in the city. Andrews's life appears charmed: The film rights for her memoir, "Bitch Is the New Black," a satirical look at successful young black women living in Washington, were purchased before the book was finished. Shonda Rhimes, the executive producer of "Grey's Anatomy," is set to produce the film and Andrews will write the screenplay. When Andrews pitched the book, she described it as part "Bridget Jones's Diary," part "Sex and the City." The book is to be published in June by Harper Collins. "What I am trying to say about single black women in any urban environment is, you don't know them as well as you think you do. They may not know themselves as well as they think they do," Andrews says, seated at a table with a white tablecloth in a restaurant on U Street. Her appearance is flawless: She is wearing an ivory blazer and skinny jeans, her movie-star eyes glisten with shadow and her hair is cut in a fresh bob. Perfect. Image is everything. And it means nothing. "The book was a time for me to step back and reflect," to capture the internal dialogue and the dialogue with girlfriends who are "caught in a quarter-life crisis." She is not talking about all young black women, but some. Revealing a story not oft told. A lot of black women put up an exterior that says: "Everything is together. 'I'm fine. Perfect. Don't worry about me. Keep it moving.' That is the trend," Andrews says. "Put on new stilettos. Put on a mask of bitchiness." But that image -- prevalent in both the media and the workplace, Andrews believes -- is one-dimensional. "When people think about black women, they have only one adjective for us, which is 'strong,' " Andrews says. "The girl you see walking down the street looks like she has it all together," but she may not. A journalist who has written for Politico and The Root, Andrews says her book attempts to reveal what's behind the veneer. In a series of essays, Andrews documents the lives of so many young black women who appear to have everything: looks, charm, Ivy League degrees, great jobs. Closets packed full of fabulous clothes; fabulous condos in fabulous gentrified neighborhoods; fabulous vacations, fabulous friends. And yet they are lonely: Their lives are repetitive, desperate and empty. They are post-racial feminists who have come of age reaping the benefits of both the civil rights movement and the women's movement, then asking quietly: What next? "Gone are the [college] days when friends are an elevator ride away, dinner plans are made on the way to somebody's hall, and Thursday is Friday or Friday is Thursday (who cares, you'll figure it out in Philosophy C203)," Andrews writes. "Soon enough, the little old lady living in a shoe is you -- and the rent is effin' unbelievable, and nobody comes to visit because you're too far from the Metro. Adulthood comes in little jigsaw pieces. Once the painstaking work of fitting them all together is done, the picture doesn't look nearly as cool as it did on the box." Andrews writes about what it is like for a young, black woman dating in D.C., trying to find a mate who seems ever elusive. The futile rituals are familiar: the dressing up, the eager cab ride over to the party, the hold-your-breath as you walk in, scanning the room quickly for any looks returned. The mantra sounding in the back of your head: "So-and-so found a man last year at a party like this. Maybe tonight is my night." Then one by one, the men prove to be disappointments and disappointing: married, uninteresting or uninterested. The disappointment as you end up at the bar once again, committing straw violence in your drink (stirring the drink frantically and unconsciously). Andrews writes the truth of those nights. The truth is for too many, they never work out. Not for Andrews and not for her friend, Gina, who is a prominent character in her life and in the book. "For a lot of black women, especially young successful black women, we have a lot of boxes on our master plan list checked off," Andrews says. "We think happiness should come immediately after that. But that is not always the case." Love is much too hard to find and when these women do, it may go all wrong because of issues that are too complicated for statistics, Andrews says. She is quick to say, "There are tons of black families who are healthy and good." Even so, black women are more likely than white women to grow up poor or otherwise struggling financially; to be fatherless and to experience a myriad of other societal and/or familial dysfunctions. Ironically, the "issues" can also include being a "strong" woman: the can-do, opinionated type many black women become after growing up in a matriarchal household, the type with whom some men still just can't deal. "I have tons of friends who are extremely successful lawyers and lobbyists, staffers on the Hill. They are great at what they do. They are in their late 20s and early 30s," Andrews says, sipping Ethiopian coffee. Her dog, Miles, is sitting beneath the restaurant table, whining softly. "But there is loneliness at their jobs, because most likely they are the only black person there and people treat them like they are the only black person there. They dress a certain way. They go out on the weekend. . . . And still they end up going home, and it's you and your damned dog." read full article on washingtonpost.com
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Monday, December 14, 2009
Korean Nail Salon
Tickles Tuesday
video by Tickles.Tv Entertainment for the Urban Chameleon
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
video by Tickles.Tv Entertainment for the Urban Chameleon
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
The Princess and the Frog Leap to #1 at the Box Office
Urban Chameleon news
Walt Disney's first animated film featuring a Black princess brings in $25 million dollars this past weekend making it now #1 at the box office in its first weekend of nationwide release. “The Blind Side’’ dropped down to second-place with $15.5 million, raising its total to $150.2 million. The #3 spot goes to the debut of Clint Eastwood’s Nelson Mandela saga, “Invictus’’ at $9.1 million and “New Moon’’ has moved to the #4 spot with an $8 million weekend, raising its domestic haul to $267.4 million.
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Walt Disney's first animated film featuring a Black princess brings in $25 million dollars this past weekend making it now #1 at the box office in its first weekend of nationwide release. “The Blind Side’’ dropped down to second-place with $15.5 million, raising its total to $150.2 million. The #3 spot goes to the debut of Clint Eastwood’s Nelson Mandela saga, “Invictus’’ at $9.1 million and “New Moon’’ has moved to the #4 spot with an $8 million weekend, raising its domestic haul to $267.4 million.
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Sunday, December 13, 2009
10 Tips Obama Can Take From Tiger Hitting News Stands
Urban Chameleon news
Boy does Golf Digest have some trouble shooting to do.
Apparently the January Golf Digest cover story, 10 Tips Obama can Take From Tiger, was written over the summer and the issue went to press in November before Tiger's world fell apart. But I'm sure "the people" will understand...NOT!
A quote from the issue from source blog.suntimes.com
"Woods is a good role model ... because he has always been able to pull himself together after setbacks. Woods never does anything that would make himself look ridiculous."
Ayayayaya...you can't have role models people.
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Boy does Golf Digest have some trouble shooting to do.
Apparently the January Golf Digest cover story, 10 Tips Obama can Take From Tiger, was written over the summer and the issue went to press in November before Tiger's world fell apart. But I'm sure "the people" will understand...NOT!
A quote from the issue from source blog.suntimes.com
"Woods is a good role model ... because he has always been able to pull himself together after setbacks. Woods never does anything that would make himself look ridiculous."
Ayayayaya...you can't have role models people.
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Singer Brandy Reemerges As Rapper-Bran' Nu
Urban Chameleon news
Brandy (you know Ray J's sister) is back but as a rapper and calls herself Bran' Nu.
Bran' Nu told MTV that she has been rapping for a while. "I was rapping as a hobby, just something I did for my friends, just played around on videos and stuff like that," she said. She posted some of her videos on YouTube and when Timbaland saw one of them, he immediately called her. "He was like, 'Yo you have to do this. You have to come to the studio next week. We got to really get in and just see how you sound.'" Timbaland was impressed and decided to feature her rapping on his album, and gave her the rap alias, Bran' Nu. Timbaland's stamp of approval is a big deal.
read full article and watch Bran'Nu perform with Timbaland at yahoo.com
see below Brandy rapping before she became Bran' Nu
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Brandy (you know Ray J's sister) is back but as a rapper and calls herself Bran' Nu.
Bran' Nu told MTV that she has been rapping for a while. "I was rapping as a hobby, just something I did for my friends, just played around on videos and stuff like that," she said. She posted some of her videos on YouTube and when Timbaland saw one of them, he immediately called her. "He was like, 'Yo you have to do this. You have to come to the studio next week. We got to really get in and just see how you sound.'" Timbaland was impressed and decided to feature her rapping on his album, and gave her the rap alias, Bran' Nu. Timbaland's stamp of approval is a big deal.read full article and watch Bran'Nu perform with Timbaland at yahoo.com
see below Brandy rapping before she became Bran' Nu
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Thursday, December 10, 2009
annnnnd the Grammy Award goes to
Urban Chameleon news
Didjuknow that the comedy troupe Lonely Island (best known for skits Lazy Sunday & Dick in a box) has been nominated for a Grammy Award for their song "I'm on a boat" featuring T-Pain for BEST RAP/ SUNG COLLABORATION?
And watch these mofo's win...
This is a little disturbing and not on no racial tip but because the song is a mockery on top of a mockery it's completely ridiculous for it to be placed as contender amongst serious artist. For crying out loud just create a musical parody category instead of helping to contribute dilute Hip Hop culture more than it already has been!
I ask you, does the evolution of a culture eventually evaporate that culture?
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Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Sex & the City (Gay-rated)
by today’s Urban Chameleon contributor Funnel Cake
A gay friend and three straight girl friends spend the evening talking about sex and race on a Friday night over four bottles of wine. The more you drink the more you reveal. Questions about each others past arise involving three sums, sex toys and other erotic fantasies turned reality. Of course the gay man wins for being the most sexually “progressive “ (see blog: Sexual Respectable Black Girl World). The unspoken rules of conversation- whoever’s story is most “interesting” takes the stage and his certainly did when revealing the number of married men he’s encountered who’ve cheated on their wives with other men.
What’s that about? Are these men all on the DL?
Not even. Although some do just get married for the show, the family and or a surrounding community of homophobes some men simply aren’t being sexually satisfied at home. Think about it, he tells us, who better to understand your clitoris than another woman?
Point taken but I’ll stick to a man continuing to find clarity with my clit. He goes on to explain how there are even men who go as far as not even wanting look at the other man, it’s just sexual pleasure. Such a disconnect for me in my straight female world where sex is purely mental but I guess it’s the same idea for a man who can bang a stripper or a jump off and be out.
Online dating is another world he tells us. There are men who write things in their profile like, “Looking for hot guy preferably Italian or Latin no blacks because they stink.” We all gasped! He was so appalled at the time that he reached out to the guy and demanded he come over to his place to smell him. When the guy arrived he was butt naked and told him to start sniffing. After every area was covered he then asked, “Do I smell?” The guy, who turned out to be Mexican, learned that day that not all black people stink.
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Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Sade Where Have you Been All My Life...
Urban Chameleon news
Sade is BACK with a new album, Soldier of Love scheduled to be released February 2010. In listening to her single (click here) I cannot wait to get me a couple of bottles of red wine and HIT IT.
Sade is BACK with a new album, Soldier of Love scheduled to be released February 2010. In listening to her single (click here) I cannot wait to get me a couple of bottles of red wine and HIT IT.
Nubian Gangsta (episode 2) "The Louis?"
Tickles Tuesday
In episode 1 of NUBIAN GANGSTA, we witnessed the Nubian rob a health food store with some whole milk and pork juice. Find out what she is up to now in episode 2.
Tickles.Tv Entertainment for the Urban Chameleon
Click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
In episode 1 of NUBIAN GANGSTA, we witnessed the Nubian rob a health food store with some whole milk and pork juice. Find out what she is up to now in episode 2.
Tickles.Tv Entertainment for the Urban Chameleon
Click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Monday, December 7, 2009
Richard Pryor's Alphabet Break down on Sesame Street
Urban Chameleon moment
Wait...wait...I'm not sure any child should learn the alphabet this way but then again some brotha's have unique approach to some tings.
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Wait...wait...I'm not sure any child should learn the alphabet this way but then again some brotha's have unique approach to some tings.
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Is Black Love Still Something to Care About?
by today's Urban Chameleon contributor Treasure
Anytime someone gives praise to “Black love” I can’t help but chuckle because the term sounds dated plus we don’t acknowledge any other culture’s love like, “Oooh look at that couple walking down the street holding hands that is some real Asian love right there” and we damn sure aint neva heard of someone celebrating white love (have you checked out : I Don’t Care About White love?).
Therefore why does Black love get it’s own hand clap?
Looking back, Black love like Black Power was born during a time when Black people needed to define their own existence in a society that excluded them. Given the challenges that a Black man and woman were faced with the idea of the two coming together as a couple let alone staying together was a symbol of strength in the community and surely something to be celebrated. As times have changed and Black people can now sit in the front of the bus and even run a country does the term Back love still have relevancy? Another way to think about this is do the mechanics of making a Black relationship work any more difficult than any other romantic relationship?
Some would say hell to the MUTHAFREAKIN YEA!
Although “Blackness” has been more integrated into society the residue of initial oppression still resides in the DNA, causing one hell of a dynamic of how the men and women can relate to each other. This evolution is speculated to have began during slavery when Black men were completely emasculated in front of their community and more importantly women. This would effect how the two would go on to love, love each other and their children and so was born a perpetuated cycle of dysfunction. It’s no secret that a lot of members of Black families have had to make conscious decisions to break patterns of abuse, which stem from miss placed anger and learn to love healthily.
A lot of Black women today talk about being exhausted by their relationships with Black men as a result of taking on the role of being the “fixer” the fixer of both his and her problems. On the flip side a lot of Black men talk about being exhausted by Black women’s over bearing and aggressive nature, which hurts more than heals. There is still a level of emasculation that many Black men feel today with in society not to mention if they’re with a woman who is financially doing better than them this may cause even more imbalance. In a nutshell, Black women may mean well by trying to make everything right but in the process may ended up stepping on the man’s role and so the dysfunctional love continues.
What becomes even more complex is as Black people, in specific, continue to evolve the ideas of “community” change. Although we’ve come as far as having a Black president many Black communities still need developing, conversations on racism are not over as it is still a fight to be understood and accepted. How this affects “Black love” is that many Black people still look to this union as representing strength and advancement. Some would argue that these people are stuck in a time warp for love is love and should be unattached to color. It’s the irony that comes along with race progress. Some have progressed so much that they don’t need Black love to represent cultural strength and some still need the image to achieve it.
Nia Long was on Wendy Williams the other day talking about her son who attends a predominantly white private school. Wendy asked her, does he know what kind of woman he likes? Nia said that he likes what’s at school because that’s what he’s surrounded by but that she is working on exposing him to Black women and Black beauty however she’s fine with who ever he ends up falling in love with. The reality is images do create culture and it’s something to be conscious of when helping young people to shape ideas.
Regardless of what color of love you find always remember to celebrate real love first and hey if it happens to be Black Love, power to the people.
Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing tickles.tv@gmail.com
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Anytime someone gives praise to “Black love” I can’t help but chuckle because the term sounds dated plus we don’t acknowledge any other culture’s love like, “Oooh look at that couple walking down the street holding hands that is some real Asian love right there” and we damn sure aint neva heard of someone celebrating white love (have you checked out : I Don’t Care About White love?).Therefore why does Black love get it’s own hand clap?
Looking back, Black love like Black Power was born during a time when Black people needed to define their own existence in a society that excluded them. Given the challenges that a Black man and woman were faced with the idea of the two coming together as a couple let alone staying together was a symbol of strength in the community and surely something to be celebrated. As times have changed and Black people can now sit in the front of the bus and even run a country does the term Back love still have relevancy? Another way to think about this is do the mechanics of making a Black relationship work any more difficult than any other romantic relationship?
Some would say hell to the MUTHAFREAKIN YEA!
Although “Blackness” has been more integrated into society the residue of initial oppression still resides in the DNA, causing one hell of a dynamic of how the men and women can relate to each other. This evolution is speculated to have began during slavery when Black men were completely emasculated in front of their community and more importantly women. This would effect how the two would go on to love, love each other and their children and so was born a perpetuated cycle of dysfunction. It’s no secret that a lot of members of Black families have had to make conscious decisions to break patterns of abuse, which stem from miss placed anger and learn to love healthily.
A lot of Black women today talk about being exhausted by their relationships with Black men as a result of taking on the role of being the “fixer” the fixer of both his and her problems. On the flip side a lot of Black men talk about being exhausted by Black women’s over bearing and aggressive nature, which hurts more than heals. There is still a level of emasculation that many Black men feel today with in society not to mention if they’re with a woman who is financially doing better than them this may cause even more imbalance. In a nutshell, Black women may mean well by trying to make everything right but in the process may ended up stepping on the man’s role and so the dysfunctional love continues.
What becomes even more complex is as Black people, in specific, continue to evolve the ideas of “community” change. Although we’ve come as far as having a Black president many Black communities still need developing, conversations on racism are not over as it is still a fight to be understood and accepted. How this affects “Black love” is that many Black people still look to this union as representing strength and advancement. Some would argue that these people are stuck in a time warp for love is love and should be unattached to color. It’s the irony that comes along with race progress. Some have progressed so much that they don’t need Black love to represent cultural strength and some still need the image to achieve it.
Nia Long was on Wendy Williams the other day talking about her son who attends a predominantly white private school. Wendy asked her, does he know what kind of woman he likes? Nia said that he likes what’s at school because that’s what he’s surrounded by but that she is working on exposing him to Black women and Black beauty however she’s fine with who ever he ends up falling in love with. The reality is images do create culture and it’s something to be conscious of when helping young people to shape ideas.
Regardless of what color of love you find always remember to celebrate real love first and hey if it happens to be Black Love, power to the people.
Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing tickles.tv@gmail.com
click here for: How the Urban Chameleon Came to be
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Tiger Woods a Fraud or Flawed?
by today's Urban Chameleon contributor
Queen of the Last Word
Boy does the media take it to anothe
r level when a “scandal” breaks. It’s as if they’re always trying to match the level of coverage of O.J Simpson in the white Bronco. Think about it?
But on another note Tiger Woods is off the hooks and not because he cheated (for I don’t judge) but because of how’s he handled the situation. The fact that this man thinks that he’s really entitled to privacy is hilarious as released in his statement. Uhhm no, you don’t get to be a billionaire without consequences, you’re a billionaire because “we” made you one and there for your life is our entertainment. Furthermore if you really want people to stay out of your bidness, here’s an idea DON’T CHEAT! Especially with a cocktail waitress. I mean how do you really expect that situation to end?
Here’s the thing, in life we are constantly faced with the choice of either taking the red pill or the blue pill. We can either enter the matrix and go down, down, down the rabbit hole or take a cold shower wake up and shake sh*t off. Tiger chose to go down a rabbit hole of stanky danky sh*t.
All that being said, I could care less about this man’s situation for I never held him up to a pedestal. He is human and humans are flawed but anyone who thinks he should lose his endorsements just because he’s cheated is DELUSIONAL. Sorry to tell you but it’s NOT happening. Nike has not displayed a history of dropping a famous athlete for infidelity and chances are won’t be starting now. Come on people this is America, C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) Now had he hit that woman OH LAWD that would have been another level! His ass might have at least been spanked and sent to bed with no TV.
So now the latest-not only is he not losing his endorsements but apparently there will be a renegotiation of him and his wife’s prenuptial agreement. Before the wife was to get 20 million if she stayed married to Tiger for at least 10 years (5 more years to go!) just because she is seen as the ideal wife (i.e. not pimping a skin care product on the Home Shopping Network) they (Tiger’s people’s) want her to stay! And for this she would be paid what would total to be an estimated amount of 75 million dollars for 7years! (source form sports.yahoo.com) Man oh man when I tell you that these are some rich people’s problems, holla if ya heard. Can’t relate. Can’t relate.
Watching ESP earlier they interviewed the friend, the guy who apparently introduced the wife to Tiger Woods, who said that he owes her an apology for they thought Tiger was a better man. Are you kidding me? They don’t owe that woman nada; she’s getting 75 million out of the deal. Excuse me but do you know how many heartbreaks I’ve experienced and have not gotten sh*t? In fact, some how I ended up owing the dude five dollars.
Sh*********************************t.
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Barack Obama Ecstasy Pills Hit Streets: Approval Ratings High
Urban Chameleon news
Things that make you go hmmmmmm
PALMVIEW, Texas (CBS/AP) President Barack Obama's approval rating may be hovering in the 50 percent range, but that doesn't mean America's Commander-in-Chief isn’t catching on with new constituents.
There is now a line of Ecstasy pills made in the image of the 44th president of the United States, according to Texas police who have snatched a batch off the streets.
Ecstasy is known for a sense of elation, diminished feelings of fear and anxiety, and ability to induce a sense of intimacy with others.
Perhaps a good Election Day strategy to get out the vote?
A stash of the brightly colored tablets was found Monday during a south Texas traffic stop.
Police in Palmview detained a driver after finding black tar heroin, cocaine, marijuana and several Ecstasy pills in the back of his car.
The drugs look like a "vitamin for kids," police spokesman Lenny Sanchez said.
Police say that other Ecstasy pills they found were made to look like the cartoon characters Homer Simpson and the Smurfs.
The 22-year-old driver is expected to face felony drug possession counts.
Palmview is near the border with Mexico.
No word on the driver's political affiliation.
This might top the Obama condoms.
source from cbsnews.com
Things that make you go hmmmmmm
PALMVIEW, Texas (CBS/AP) President Barack Obama's approval rating may be hovering in the 50 percent range, but that doesn't mean America's Commander-in-Chief isn’t catching on with new constituents.There is now a line of Ecstasy pills made in the image of the 44th president of the United States, according to Texas police who have snatched a batch off the streets.
Ecstasy is known for a sense of elation, diminished feelings of fear and anxiety, and ability to induce a sense of intimacy with others.
Perhaps a good Election Day strategy to get out the vote?
A stash of the brightly colored tablets was found Monday during a south Texas traffic stop.
Police in Palmview detained a driver after finding black tar heroin, cocaine, marijuana and several Ecstasy pills in the back of his car.
The drugs look like a "vitamin for kids," police spokesman Lenny Sanchez said.
Police say that other Ecstasy pills they found were made to look like the cartoon characters Homer Simpson and the Smurfs.
The 22-year-old driver is expected to face felony drug possession counts.
Palmview is near the border with Mexico.
No word on the driver's political affiliation.
This might top the Obama condoms.
source from cbsnews.com
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Are the “Mistress” and the “Jump-off” the New “Wifey”?
by today's Urban Chameleon contributor JDenise
Not too long ago, the “wifey” was a coveted title by many women in relationships. Why? I’m still not quite sure. See, the “wifey” was the woman a man cared deeply about. She was his “ride or die,” the woman he introduced to his boys and the fam. “Wifey” had all the potential to be this man’s wife; but she wasn’t. This is perfectly fine if you have no desires of being married; but, so many women with hopes of being married found themselves stuck in “wifey” territory. At least this was uniquely their domain. Nowadays, women are fine being some man’s side piece. You know that phrase “a piece of a man is better than no man at all”? Well, far too many women believe this and are willing to share a man than to have one of their own.
Recently, I had a conversation with my mom about women in “desperate situations.” Well, actually it was about desperate women. This conversation was sparked after I read an article that attempted to sum up why numbers of black women are single, (like black women are some kind of static being with a one stop fix for them all). The male writer argued that black women are single because their standards are too high. (Like setting standards is a bad thing.) This notion is hilarious to me, because I know several black women that settle for being the “jump-off” or the “mistress” just so they can say they have a man.
Not too long ago, the “wifey” was a coveted title by many women in relationships. Why? I’m still not quite sure. See, the “wifey” was the woman a man cared deeply about. She was his “ride or die,” the woman he introduced to his boys and the fam. “Wifey” had all the potential to be this man’s wife; but she wasn’t. This is perfectly fine if you have no desires of being married; but, so many women with hopes of being married found themselves stuck in “wifey” territory. At least this was uniquely their domain. Nowadays, women are fine being some man’s side piece. You know that phrase “a piece of a man is better than no man at all”? Well, far too many women believe this and are willing to share a man than to have one of their own.
Recently, I had a conversation with my mom about women in “desperate situations.” Well, actually it was about desperate women. This conversation was sparked after I read an article that attempted to sum up why numbers of black women are single, (like black women are some kind of static being with a one stop fix for them all). The male writer argued that black women are single because their standards are too high. (Like setting standards is a bad thing.) This notion is hilarious to me, because I know several black women that settle for being the “jump-off” or the “mistress” just so they can say they have a man.
Some people may believe the “jump-off” and “mistress” are one in the same. I distinguish them in two ways. First, both married and single men can have “jump-offs” but only married men can have “mistresses”. Second, the “jump-off” is a woman that a man messes around with on the side. There is no emotional connection on his part. She may be emotionally invested, but for him it’s purely physical. On the other hand, the “mistress” is the woman a married man has a full-on affair with; he is physically and somewhat emotionally involved with her. Whether the man is emotionally involved with the woman or not isn’t the point. I’ve heard women say they don’t want to be in a relationship, so they have no problem being the “mistress” or the “jump-off.” For them, it’s more a thing of convenience. If you say so. But I know women that are stuck in these situations and won’t come out for fear of being alone. So I ask, is it the new standard to settle as the “jump-off” or the “mistress” just to have a piece of a man? For countless women, the answer is yes.
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
BREAKING NEWS: Official disclosure of extraterrestrial life is imminent
Urban Chameleon news
Ah! Finally something to take the attention off of gay rights
An official announcement by the Obama administration disclosing the reality of extraterrestrial life is imminent. For several months, senior administration officials have been quietly deliberating behind closed doors how much to disclose to the world about extraterrestrial life. Dissatisfaction among powerful institutions such as the U.S. Navy over the decades-long secrecy policy has given a boost to efforts to disclose the reality of extraterrestrial life and technology. The impending disclosure announcement follows upon the secret implementation of a year long openness policy on UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Over the period February 12-14, 2008, the United Nations held closed doors discussions where approximately 30 nations secretly agreed on a new openness policy on UFOs and extraterrestrial life in 2009. The openness policy was implemented but never publicly announced due to threats against UN diplomats not to disclose details of the secret agreement. h The secret UN agreement was based on two conditions. First, UFOs would continue to appear around the world; and second, the openness policy would not lead to social unrest in liberal democracies. Both conditions have been satisfied making it possible for the next stage to begin – official disclosure of extraterrestrial life. Obama’s September 24, 2009 chairing of the UN Security Council meeting on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, signaled his emerging leadership role in tackling major global issues such as nuclear weapons. The Nobel Peace Prize was an important step in giving global legitimacy to President Obama in making an extraterrestrial disclosure announcement. Obama is therefore poised to play a prominent role in the increased global governance that will be necessary after an extraterrestrial disclosure announcement. The timing would most likely coincide sometime soon after his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech on December 10, 2009 in Oslo, Norway. There have been various sources that have revealed deliberations are underway to make an announcement concerning the existence of extraterrestrial life by the end of 2009. These include, Dr Pete Peterson, a whistleblower who has recently emerged revealing high level discussions have taken place concerning announcing the existence of extraterrestrial life. In a Project Camelot interview, Dr Peterson revealed that “Obama is planning to disclose the reality of ET contact by the end of the year; and that most, but not all, of the ET visitors are friendly.”
Another source is David Wilcock, a prominent researcher of emerging scientific paradigms. Wilcock has been told by additional independent sources that extraterrestrial disclosure will take place by the end of 2009. He furthermore claimed in a Coast to Coast AM radio interview that “a 2-hour international TV special has already been booked that will introduce an alien species, similar to humans, to the world.”
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