BET Awards – PLEASE Tell me you watched!!

I can’t even place into words how FABULOUS the BET Awards were last night! I mean from the beginning with New Edition opening the show to the Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo performance at the end – just pure fabulousness! To tell you the truth, nearly ALL the performances were off the hook. There were one or two that I would have deleted from the show, but all in all – the best show EVER!! Considering that they re-vamped the entire show just a couple of days prior to when it was supposed to air LIVE to have the show and almost of the performances geared toward Michael Jackson – it was great! Of course there were a couple of instances where the person on the BLEEP button was either to engrossed in the show to hit the button or wasn’t expecting the person speaking to curse and altogether missed the opportunity to bleep – that part of the show added to the humor for me!! Let me break it down by performance, but not in order of appearance…

Jamie Foxx – rocked the house!! He hosted the show and ALL of his jokes were funny! All his performances were off the hook! There was a lag time some time, but considering they changed the show up due to the passing away of Michael Jackson the same week it was scheduled to go live, I’m not mad at all of how the show came out! His moon walk and clothing changes were hilarious! He gave MJ the glory all night! He sang a couple of times, one with T-Pain and again with Ne-Yo at the end of the show. I’m a HUGE Jamie fan anyway, but after last night, I’m an even bigger fan than before!

New Edition (with both Bobby Brown and Johnnie Gill) – WHAT?! I almost couldn’t contain myself! They opened the show and about had me wishing they did more songs! Everyone looked great, except Bobby – no surprise there.. Lol..

GUY – OMG – that almost took me over the edge!! AND they sang my favorite song too – “I Like”. I couldn’t handle it!!

Keith Sweat – What!! Same ole Keith!!

Ne-Yo – Absolutely FABULOUS!!! I mean he has the perfect voice to sing MJ songs! I was impressed by his solo AND his duet with Jamie Foxx.

Keri Hilson – I love love love Keri Hilson! BUT, the last couple of moments of her performance, I could’ve done without. It was her first ever performance, which makes things a little bit better. That last 30 seconds was rough…

Keyshia Cole and Monica – Monica stole the show, and it was Keyshia’s song! Monica, put out a CD quick!!

Drake – Or Jimmy from Degrassi (however you recognize him) did a great job with Lil Wayne. I was surprised!

Lil Wayne – It’s Lil Wayne!! Fabulous!!

Fabolous – I’m not a big fan of his… I usually like the people he sings with than him on his own… I used this time to run to the bathroom and fill my drink.. Sorry…

Maxwell – it was beautiful and I’m not really a Maxwell fan…

Soulja Boy – he was alright.. They had to put someone on there for the younger crowd.

Mary Mary/Queen Latifah – I love this Mary Mary song! The beat is great and Queen was good.

Beyonce’ – I usually LOVE her, but she can sometime go over the top which is what happened last night. Way too much and the ballerina outfit was just wrong wrong wrong…

Jay Z – I’m not a big fan of his at all and his new song is wack… (Yes, I’m bringing “wack” back! LOL)

Ciara – I’m a HUGE Ciara fan, but her performance embarrassed me… She’s mainly a dancer and there were other songs she could’ve chosen to sing… She’s not known for her singing, but her dancing is what made her famous…

O’Jays – who could have anything bad to say about the O’Jays??

I’m sorry if I’m leaving anyone out but with all of the excitement from all the great performances, I’m not surprised if someone has been left out. All in all, a great show! It airs again on Tuesday, June 30th in case you missed it!

Michael Jackson - The Black Elvis (1958-2009)

(This post was written last night..)

Also known as the “King of Pop” – Michael Jackson has passed away. There are some things that don’t surprise you and then there are things that do. Some things you are prepared for and other things that you aren’t. Today was one of those days... There are days that come out of nowhere and knock you on your ass… Today, Michael Jackson died.

The blogosphere, the black community, the U.S. and the world will be in mourning today for the great MJ. I don’t want to talk about what he meant to the world, but what he meant to me instead. I have a lot of early memories of MJ. My Mom loved him which caused me to love him too. I remember how in shock I was when I heard his voice - so high. It was a Jackson 5 tape with “ABC”, “Who’s Loving You”, and “I’ll be There”. As time goes on, his earlier hits from his “Off the Wall” album – “Rock with You”, “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough”, and “She’s out of My Life” were all that mattered at the time. His music encompassed me – they made you feel good when you heard them and they still do today.

Well, then of course “Thriller” comes out and the world has been forever changed. I had "The Making of Thriller" on a VHS (A VHS tape is a tape that is used in a VCR - just thought I'd break that down for those young people reading this. lol) tape and my brother taped over it with a couple of episodes of "Speed Racer". I was soooo mad and I cried and cried! I tried my best to get him in trouble for that. We lived in Germany at the time and only had a couple of channels - so that tape was everything to me. (Hey Toot, you still owe me!)

Yes, there may be some people reading this who would like for me to acknowledge that Farrah Fawcett also passed yesterday. She had been ill for a long time with rectal cancer so everyone knew her death was soon to come. There is a difference when you someone is suffering like that and then they pass. It's like they have been set free from their illness and will no longer suffer. However, when someone passes that is NOT sick, the death is a surprise and harder to accept. I digress...

I believe I was a bigger Janet Jackson fan than Michael fan, but without Michael, I would've never noticed Janet. My room was basically wallpapered full of pictures of Janet Jackson. She is on my mind as well during this time. She spoke of her brother often, shared her love that she had for him several times in speeches and on award shows. (Do you remember when there was a rumor saying that Michael and Janet were the same person?)

There are several songs as I've mentioned before that I loved of his, but my favorite of all time is "Human Nature". I've added it below for you - this version was from a concert he preformed. I love you Michael! Your legacy of greatness will live on. Your musicality and artistry will continue to influence the up and coming artists of today. I hope someone picks up the reigns and follows in your footsteps with the songs that have helped children and adults suffering from hunger and unrest all over the world - "Heal the World" and "We are the World".

Looking out across the night-time

The city winks a sleepless eye

Hear her voice shake my window

Sweet seducing sighs

Get me out into the night-time

Four walls won't hold me tonight

If this town is just an apple

Then let me take a bite

If they say, why, why, tell 'em that is human nature

Why, why, does he do me that way

If they say, why, why, tell 'em that is human nature

Why, why, does he do me that way

Reaching out to touch a stranger

Electric eyes are everywhere

See that girl, she knows I'm watching

She likes the way I stare

If they say, why, why, tell 'em that is human nature

Why, why, does he do me that way

If they say, why, why, tell 'em that is human nature

Pet Peeves

Do you have things that just get on your nerves no matter what you do? A “pet peeve” has been defined as a particular or recurring source of irritation. I have so many, but I'm going to try a list a couple... In no particular order...

1. Going through the drive thru, then having to go back when they screw your order up. (This happens to me almost every time I go through a drive thru.)

2. Drivers who don't use a turn signal.

3. When you genuinely ask someone what's wrong (when there obviously is something wrong) and they respond half-heartedly, "hmmm? oh nothing..."

4. When restaurant staff tries to clear dishes away when you’re not finished eating OR when they come WAAAAAAAYYYYY too often OR not enough… (thin line there…)

5. Having to explain the same thing more than once.

6. People who don't say "thank you" or even acknowledge you when you hold the door for them.

7. Lazy people.

8. People at a store/supermarket who wait in a long checkout line, and then when they finally need to pay they take forever to find their checkbook/cash/credit card.

9. Having to use more than one remote control (one for TV, dvd player, cable box, etc.)

10. Men who refer to "babysitting" their own children.

11. When people don't flush the toilet.

12. Hearing someone eat OR seeing someone talk with their mouth full.

13. People who don't cover their mouth while sneezing or coughing.

14. People who ride their bikes in the road when a sidewalk is right there.

15. People who take up 2 parking spaces.

16. People who don't control their spoiled/whiny children.

17. People who leave shopping carts in the parking lot instead of taking them back to the corral.

18. Unexpected company.

19. Using the toilet paper down to the last few squares without getting a new roll.

20. People who honk in front of a house/apartment instead of getting out of the car.

Well that list got out of hand and the sad thing is I could go on and on... Would you like to add to this list?

Power of Music

Have you ever heard a song and it stir something inside of you that you can’t seem to recover from after you’ve heard it? Does that same song mean something totally different to you at another point in your life whether it is a happier or a more turbulent time? The power of music is so overwhelming to me. Quite frankly, it’s indescribable. If you can put your feelings into words, feel free to comment. Also, name the title and artist of the song if you can… Peace…

Black vs. African American??

Okay, okay, after watching the video, I’m sure one or two of you will think “Here we go again with this racial stuff” or “Why won’t black people let it go” or even “Why is this still a conversation?” The last question, I even ask myself sometimes when I see things on the news or just in conversations. It’s still a conversation, because it still needs to be. On one hand, it doesn’t bother me what people call me or how people refer to me. I’ve never been the type to give a rat’s ass about what people’s opinions are of me, but at the same time – no one likes being disrespected. I’ve heard several times, “It’s not how you refer to me that matters, but what I ANSWER to”. Let’s think about that for a second…

If you care how people view you, what you answer to can make or break you in the eyes of others. It’s all about how you view yourself and how important YOU are to YOU. Your view of you can only be changed by one person – YOU. I’ve been told by more than one person at more than one time in my life that I’m mean or too straight forward. Maybe "blunt" is a better word to use here. I may be blunt, but at least you know what is on my mind and there is no question about where I stand on any particular subject. I’d rather be “Straight Up” with you than considered a liar about anything. I digress…

So Tiki, what do you refer to yourself as? I’d answer that by giving one or more of these answers: a mother, a friend, a listener, a neighbor, a sister, a daughter, an inspiring writer… That list can go on and on. I am all of those things and more and I happen to be black also. Hardly anyone believes me when I say that I’m black anyway. It has always been that way and will continue to be. People always want to know what ELSE I’m mixed with… Then I go into the explanation that both my parents have the same skin tone as me… and so on and so on… In this day and age, is the explanation really necessary? Why not take me for what I say??

I’ve had several instances in my life where my skin tone was an issue. People either automatically hated me or they assumed that I thought I was better than them.. WTF? Because of my skin tone? C’mon people.. I know about the “Paper Sack Test” and the slave who was either in the house vs. outside… Are we still in that era?

I just don’t see things changing anytime soon. “Why can’t we just all be considered part of the human race?” Yes, why can’t we?

Any Regrets??

Regret: we should have no regrets. The past is finished. There is nothing to be gained by going over it. Whatever it gave us in the experiences it brought us was something we had to know. - Rebecca Beard

I agree with this quote by Rebecca Beard, but I also can’t help having at least some regret sometimes over some things… I know, I know, I can’t change anything that has been done, but I can’t help the shoulda woulda coulda’s that I sometimes have. I try to put a positive spin on things, but sometimes you have to look harder to see something although it’s right in front of your face. Although the past is the past, can you ever TRULY get over something that has happened to you that you WISH you could have changed?

“Whatever it gave us in the experiences it brought us was something we had to know…” That’s deep.

Obama Assassination Ad??

Pennsylvania Newspaper Runs Ad Calling for Obama Assassination Friday, May 29, 2009

Print ShareThisWARREN, Pa. — A small-town newspaper is apologizing for running a classified advertisement calling for the assassination of President Barack Obama.

Warren Times Observer Publisher John Elchert says the ad appeared Thursday. It read, "May Obama follow in the steps of Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy!" The four presidents were all assassinated.

Elchert tells The Associated Press that the newspaper's advertising staff didn't make the historical connection.

He says the northwestern Pennsylvania newspaper turned information over to police and that the Secret Service is investigating the person who placed the ad.

A note in Friday's paper says the newspaper "apologizes for the oversight."

Apologizes for the oversight?? Is that all they have to say? I'm not sure what I wanted them to say but I know I wanted more than that.. The things that people do never ceases to amaze me! People are always so quick to want to go overseas and fight the "terrorists" that live there instead of dealing with the ones we have living and breathing in our own country. I wonder if this were another President, would stronger actions have been taken against: the person who, number 1) placed the ad, number 2) who printed the ad, and number 3) for the editor of the paper... Puhlease...