Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Are You Holding the Purse?


I have two quotes on my computer. One is by Marianne Williamson that says, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure! The other quote is by an unknown author that says "To get something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done, and sometimes you have to leave behind who you are to become who you're supposed to be!" My New Years Resolution in 2009 is to "stop holding the purse" and start "playing the game!" Life is too short to stand on the sidelines. Memories are created only if you make them. Goals are reached only if you strive to reach them. Are you ready to stop holding the purse?

d-the-VIP

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

The Secret Millionaire: Must Watch TV!


This is the season of giving and Fox is leading the pack with what I believe is one of the best shows on television. It's called Secret Millionaire, (airs Wednesday's on FOX). This “reality” show takes multi-millionaires out of their luxurious surroundings and places them "undercover" for 1 week in some of America's poorest most underserved neighborhoods. The millionaires, most of whom, are used to traveling by private jet, driving expensive cars, dining in exclusive restaurants, wearing tailored top label attire, and blowing wads of cash on everything from dinners with friends to trips to Vegas, now have to live on minimum wage and decide which person or organization they'll give $100,000 or more of their own money to. It's a serious "reality check” for some of the millionaires who because they are self-made approach the experience with the idea that they are going to help encourage the people they meet to do better, reach higher, and go further. By the end of the show, however the people the millionaires have met and the situation's they’ve encountered change them forever. The check that they end up writing truly is a symbol of change on their part as there seems to be a renewed appreciation for what they have and also a commitment to continue to help those who are less fortunate. As a viewer you receive the gift of hope and a renewed belief in humanity and the concept that one person can make a difference.

~d-the-VIP

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Birkin Bags are OUT! Black folks are IN!



The hottest accessory at this years New York Society party is not the Birkin bag it's an African American! At least that's what one person working for a prominent PR firm responsible for planning New York's most exclusive parties, has confessed. According to "loose lips" a memo called "Diversified Holiday Guests" was sent out informing staff that clients are heavily encouraging the addition of African-Americans to their Holiday guest lists. It seems that the newly elected first families ethnicity played a huge role in the decision. To ensure that everyone knew who was "acceptable" to invite. The memo also listed, in order of desirability, the top 10 "most desirable" African American New Yorkers. Just in case you're wondering who made the cut. Here's the list:



1. Bonnie Morrison

Bonnie Morrison (PR)-Publicity Director for KCD renowned PR firm for fashion designers

2. Genevieve Jones

Genevieve Jones (Socialite)-I don't know if that title quite applies to her. Although she has been seen with a who's who list of New York society and is always immaculately dressed in the latest designer looks, it seems that she's from moderate beginnings, an Engineer father and homemaker mom from Louisiana. But don't cry for Genevieve she may soon earn her title as her jewelry line is coming out soon.

3. Maggie Betts

Maggie Betts (Socialite)- Her father is Roland Betts, developer of Chelsea Piers in New York. She is very good friends with the Bush Twins, apparently her father, a staunch democrat is GW's frat brother and the two families vacation together often.

4. Malcolm Harris

Malcolm Harris (Designer)-Creator of Mal Sirrah clothing line/brand used Youtube to promote brand. Is passionately campaigning for aid to Darfur.

5. Moises De La Renta

Moises De La Renta (Son of Oscar)-The only son of Fashion Icon Oscar De La Renta was adopted as an infant however we'll see if his pops great taste in fashion has rubbed off as he will unvail a ready to wear line called MDLR, (his initials)

6. Kehinde Wiley

Kehinde Wiley(Artist)-Very popular artist. Works sell for between $12-40, 000 uses Hip-Hop imagery in art.

7. Nicola Vassell

Nicola Vassell-(Deitch Gallery Director)-A Model from Jamaica she is formerly a writer for Trace Magazine and Vibe.

8. Rachel Roy

Rachel Roy-(Designer)-Best known for her marriage to Damon Dash former partner of Rapper Jay Z and co-owner of Roc-a-fella records, Roy recently announced a $4 Billion dollar deal with Jones Apparel Inc.

9. Jason Campbell

Jason Campbell-(Journalist)-Editor of fashion site the JCReport, Campbell held the sites launch party at the swanky W hotel.

10. Marc Baptiste

Marc Baptiste-(Photographer)-A celebrity and fashion photographer. Baptiste has worked for everybody from Vibe to Vogue.


Pretty impressive list. It's a shame Diddy didn't make the cut! Doesn't he run New York??? Well,there's always next year!

~d-the-VIP

Monday, December 8, 2008

Congress: Stop acting like Scrooge!!!



Does it seem like the government is being extra hard on the auto industry? Sure they deserve to be scrutinized, their poor planning, not just the poor economy got them in the predicament they're in, but the same could've been said for the banking industry. It seems that our government wrote a $700 billion dollar check with minimal fuss for the banking industry while picking apart every facet of the auto industry bailout. Is it a case of the importance or higher value placed on "white collar" workers versus "blue collar" workers? Is our government placing greater value on a banking community who preyed on the dreams of the ignorant by providing loans that they couldn't afford, essentially raping and pillaging millions, all for the benefit of their stockholders and corporate heads versus the car industry who were warned back in 1973, (after the oil embargo), that they should start investing in the research and production of more fuel efficient cars, but instead focused on building prettier more luxurious gas guzzlers? Maybe the governments’ hesitation is truly a case of learning from the banking bailout and wanting to ensure that the auto industry's CEO's don't walk away with $250 million dollars like Mr. Fuld of Lehman Brothers. I can't help but ask myself how many weeks will our government allow the families of auto workers to languish not knowing if their jobs will exist? How many Auto industry families have not bought holiday gifts because they are afraid to use money that they may need for necessities should the bailout not be approved, while our Congress and Senate members shop freely knowing that their jobs are secure? I agree that strict guidelines should be in place to ensure that the government is paid back and that no handful of people benefit royally from the bailout but I also agree that it's time for Congress to put aside the finger pointing and browbeating and roll up their sleeves to create a deal that both the government and the Auto Industry can live with! At least the government can be compassionate enough to come to an agreement by the end of this week so that families, holding their collective breath's until this deal goes through, can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that their job's are a little more secure. It will give them just enough time to finally get into the spirit of the Holidays!

~d-the-VIP

Friday, December 5, 2008

Why I should be an SOBU Blogger


My blog should be selected to attend the SOBU because of the diversity of the topics written about and the diversity of the audience reading. While I’ve written about everything, from the Banking Bailout to the Real Housewives of Atlanta, the sometimes comical, sometimes serious but always interesting and intriguing blog appeals to readers from various ages, ethnicity's, and socio-economic backgrounds. In the blogging world that is quite rare. D-the-VIP.com is like radio back in the days when you could hear Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna, Shirley Murdock, and Duran-Duran all on the same station. The contributions I would make as an invited blogger would be significant. I'm smart, I'm witty but most of all I have my finger on the pulse of what's going on in and around the community. You want to talk about the recession? I'm ready, (especially since we're finally admitting we're in one! You want to talk about the astronomical foreclosure rates and the sub-prime loans that caused them? I'm ready! You want to talk lay-off's and the free trade agreement that helped get us there? I'm ready! And if you want to discuss rap lyric's and why Rapper's should censor their lyric's, I'm ready! I may not agree with you but one things for sure I will always have an opinion!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Snitchin or Steppin Up?



Rapper TI, (Clifford Harris), was in court a couple of weeks ago testifying in the case of his best friends murder, (See Video Above). What amazes me is how quickly and easily he was labeled a "snitch" for what amounted to a testimony to confirm facts. Have mafia/gangster movies blurred the lines of what is snitchin and what isn't to such a degree that we believe anybody who talks to the cops or testifies in a case is snitchin? A snitch, by street terms, is a person who commits a crime with sombody and tells the cops about that person after s/he gets arrested. So basically if you and I robbed a bank, I got arrested, and told the cops you were with me, I'd be a snitch. However, if you and I were walking down the street, and you got killed, and I told the cops who killed you, that is NOT, nor has it ever been, SNITCHIN!!! Unless of course you're Sunny Corleone and I'm Don Vito Corleone, (from the movie Godfather). You wanna know why? Because they are all in the same gang, the mafia, they may play for different teams but they are all in essence "robbing the bank together". So, when Sammy "the Bull" Gravano, long time "compadre" of John Gotti, testified against Gotti he snitched! However when, TI "Clifford Harris" testified in the murder trial of his best friend, he was just a man Steppin Up!

~d-the-VIP

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Presidential Pardon: Pardon me Mr. President what about the rest?


It seems a member of the rap community is getting help from an unlikely source. President Bush has commuted the sentence of John Forte, the rapper and producer who co-wrote 2 songs on rap Super-group, Fugees (Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, & Pras), break-out album, The Score. Forte was arrested in 2000 at Newark International Airport after accepting a briefcase containing $1.4 million worth of liquid cocaine. He was charged with possession with intent to distribute and conspiracy to distribute. Although, he had no prior criminal history, he was sentenced to a mandatory minimum 14 years and incarcerated at FCI Loretto, a low-security federal prison, in central Pennsylvania. Forte, who attended prestigious Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire on a violin scholarship was friends with Ben Taylor, son of Carly Simon. Taylor and Simon became huge advocates on Forte's behalf believing that he did not receive a fair trial. For years they fought for an appeal of the mandatory minimum drug laws that remove a judge's discretion in a case. As terms of his commutation John will be released from prison on December 22, leaving intact and in effect the five year term of supervised release with all it's conditions. John's story made me wonder how many other young men are sitting in jail due to mandatory sentencing so I did a little research and what I found was shocking!!! It seems that the justice system has stiffer penalties for drug offenders than they do for child sex offenders. According to the New York State Division of Criminal Justice the average sentence in New York for a Level 3 Child Sex Offender is 4 months in prison and 5 years probation. A Study conducted between 1985-1993 revealed that 70% of those found guilty did not serve any jail time and even insinuated that the Prosecutor's office in some districts generally called the press on cases where an offender was going to receive serious prison time so that the general public believed that they were "tough" on those crimes. The Federal mandatory drug sentences for first-time drug offenders is as follows:

LSD- 1 gram (5 Years) 2-10 grams (10 Years)
Marijuana- 100 plants or 100 kilos (5 Years) 1,000 plants or 1,000 kilos (10 Years)
Crack cocaine- 5 grams (5 Years) 50 grams (10 Years)
Powder cocaine- 500 grams (5 Years) 5 kilos (10 Years)
Heroin- 100 grams (5 Years) 1 kilo (10 Years)
Methamphetamine- 4 /5 grams (5 Years) 50 grams (10 Years)
PCP- 10 grams (5 Years) 100 grams (10 Years)

In other words you'll get more time for growing 100 pots of weed than you would for molesting a child. Mandatory sentencing reminded me of when I went on a Government retreat in High School. It was one of those get the "smart Burb and City kids together"-type of deals. Our speaker was a person, (who shall remain nameless), running for the US Senate. During his speech he disclosed that part of his platform included a push for the death penalty for "Dope dealers". During the Q & A segment I questioned the logic in the mandatory death penalty as I raised the question of whether he seriously thought he would be able to "electrocute" the cop, attorney, or judge who were getting paid to turn their heads. I asserted that the person most likely to be electrocuted was the kid who sat in back of me in second grade. The one who came to class smelly and hungry everyday. The one, who by middle school, was the best dressed kid in school courtesy of the dope money he was making. He wasn't just buying clothes and food for himself he was also supporting his siblings, paying rent and utilities because his grandmother had died, his father was in prison, his mother was strung out on drugs and at age 12 he was the oldest and therefore in charge. The press was there and my comments were reported. Needless to say that person did not win the Senate seat they were vying for. After I heard that news I felt I had won the battle now I know that I'd lost the war.

So John Forte, after serving 7 years of a 14 year sentence, will be home for Christmas. He's served more than enough time as punishment for his lapse in judgement. I only wonder how many more "John Forte's" are sitting behind bars destined to serve their full sentence because there are no influential friends and budding music career to persuade a President to commute their sentences. Congratulations to Mr. Forte on his commuted sentence! Bravo to President Bush for seeing how excessive the sentence was. But, Pardon me Mr. President what about the rest????
~d-the-VIP

Friday, November 21, 2008

Let's get ready to Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuumble!!!


The gloves are off!!! During the reunion episode of Atlanta Housewives there will be more punches thrown than are thrown during a Floyd Mayweather fight and the jabs will be harder than Mike Tyson's! Here's what I know:


Sheree: During the finale she will remain as cool, calm, and "W-itchy" as ever. I guess she has bigger fish to fry as word around Atlanta is that the clothes and shoes that she's been buying in spades on the show were all loans and were returned. While Ms. Sheree is banking on a big payday from her husband who is rumored to have been having an affair with Nicole Gilbert better known as Nicci, one time member of the 90's group Brownstowne, (you may remember their hit song If You Love ME, okay maybe you'll remember they were signed by the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson), It seems that she has reportedly bounced a check here and there hence her new assistant. Am I the only one who noticed that her assistant looked a lot different during her fashion meeting? It seems Evander Holyfields daughter quit after getting one of Sheree's checks that had more bounce than an NBA ball. I hope she gets that settlement money soon or it won't be her "success" people will be talking about!

Ne-Ne: Being true to her character will "keep it real" and say exactly what she thinks. I don't think any of us doubted that. Word has it that she's the break-out star of the show and has been hitting the talk show circuit in New York and may be moving to LA to fulfill a life long dream of being in movies. While she may have dropped 6-G's for her son a few "grown man" suits and close to 40-G's on his graduation gift, (a truck), she knows when and where to save and was recently spotted at one of my favorite, "Brand name for less stores", (TJ Maxx), shopping til she dropped! Unfortunately word has it that a house belonging to a Greg Leakes, (Ne-Ne's husband's name), in the suburb that Ne-Ne reportedly lives in is in foreclosure. Hopefully her husband, a Real Estate investor, is doing a business maneuver or else Ne-Ne will go from being "one of the Joneses" to watching them. She can always fall back on her past career which I've heard involves a pole.

De Shawn: Is as neutral as ever and tries to keep the girls from tearing each other apart. Why not stay calm. She's sitting pretty as her husband Eric (Snow) will collect $7.3 million dollars this year as the last payment on his contract with the Cleveland Cav's. Not one to let his wife "suffer" by not allowing her to keep the accoutrement's that she's grown accustomed to, industrious Mr. Snow has already agreed to be an NBA analyst once he's officially retired, (they're waiting on insurance/disability paperwork to be processed). Yeah he'll still get that 7.3, and his name is on the top of a couple NBA Teams' list for the job of head coach. That pretty much secures this Atlanta Housewife's return next season. I'd say she is a "success"...at choosing a great hubby!

Lisa: This sophisticated lady turns into "Smack-a-witch" in a matter of seconds after she confronts Kim about rumors that she called her a "Crack-ho" and indicated drugs as the reason why she was not awarded custody of her kids, (with R& B crooner Keith Sweat), while on a movie set. Apparently a couple of the actors, including Demi Moore overheard Kim's comments, a few of the actors were friends of Lisa and told her about the incident. Remember in the Incredible Hulk when Bill Bixby used to say "Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry"? Well that should be Lisa's new saying. Wu Tang Clan had a song called Wu Tang Clan ain't nuthin to F-ck wit!, Kim should have remembered Lisa's last name and kept her mouth shut. As for her home life, Lisa has maintained that the only reason she wasn't given custody of her sons was because of their father's fame and says that while she was with Keith she not only raised their 2 sons together but his daughter from a previous relationship. She and her husband are currently working on getting a more satisfactory custody situation and in the meantime are trying to add another bundle of joy to their household. If you need any more proof that Lisa's husband, Ed Hartwell, (who was dropped by the Oakland Raiders), is a sweetie here it is. When asked about his step-son's he said "I don't call them my step-son's. I call them my son's. I tell people I have 3 son's cause that's what I have." Ain't that cute???? Now that they've brought this spitfire to life I can't wait to see her next season. I wonder if Ne-Ne will find out she's the one who told Kim about the song in the limo or better yet will she ask her about it?

Kim: Gets her "come-uppance" Big time!!! While Sheree was there to co-sign Kim's big talk during the other episodes, Kim is gonna find her missing in action when the Sh*t hits the fan on this one. It's a good thing that her Louboutin's were most probably new because she seems to keep putting her foot in her mouth. First Ne-Ne and then Lisa. Who's next??? I guess going on a show while dating a married man probably wasn't the smartest thing to do either because it seems that Big Poppa and Kim have broken off their engagement. Ending their long..... 7-month relationship!!! You heard me right.... 7 MONTHS!!!! According to Kim she broke it off because she felt "Big Poppa wasn't gonna leave his wife." You think??? Heck I'd heard the house shown on the show was a quick move after Big Poppa's wife found out about her. I have tried in vain to find out who Big Poppa is and have heard that he's quite possibly well known Commercial Real Estate tycoon Lee Najjar who's 24 year old son Jared is financing Brody Jenner's, (of MTV's show The Hills) line called Archangel off his "Daddy-supplied" "Black card." Reportedly Jared has also supplied Jenner and Spencer Pratt, (also from The Hills), with a Bentley and Rolls Royce and is called the Godfather because of his limitless funds. Ironically Najjar's wife is named Kim, but, again I have had no confirmation, that he's Big Poppa! What I do know is the Real Housewives' Kim has completed the country album you all are dying to hear and has agreed to bare it all for Playboy, (uh huh, Hugh Hefner's Mag). One other thing.... she's reportedly dating Billionaire Dr. Stefan Lemperle creator of Artefill a widely used wrinkle filler. YEP!!!! BILLIONAIRE!!! (Probably the real reason she broke up with Big poppa). Lemperle can definitely keep her in enough diamonds, Manolo's and Birkin's to make next season!

I don't know how the Real Housewives series can top the Atlanta Housewives. We'll just have to wait and see.

~d-the-VIP









Tuesday, November 18, 2008

A Teddy Bear Squeezed: Gerald Levert on love, life, and his new album


I wrote this article in 2004 after the television show I was producing had the opportunity to interview the late great crooner about his upcoming album. I am convinced that our interview is the greatest most in-depth interview with him ever, as not only did we talk about the album but we talked about his love life, his family, and the first song he ever wrote. So, in honor of his life and in recognition of the second anniversary of his death, (November 10th), I am re-releasing this article. I hope you enjoy it but most importantly I hope you tell someone close to you how much you love them because one thing Gerald taught us is that tomorrow is not promised.

~d-the-VIP


__________________________________________________________________


A Teddy Bear Squeezed: Gerald Levert on love, life, and his new album by D-the-VIP


The chocolate Teddy Bear of love walks into the room methodically. He’s tired but his perceptive gaze doesn't miss the interviewer, in the corner getting wired for sound, or the producer, around the corner, half-in/half-out of the bathroom, whispering about the questions. He takes his designated “hot” seat with the grace and skepticism of a panther in captivity. I feel like Loretta Divine in “Waiting to Exhale” when she walks away from Gregory Hines but looks back to check if he’s watching, One look in the closet mirror confirms, He’s Watching! Mr. Too Damn Good, I’d Give Anything, Made to Love You, himself, Gerald Levert. Dressed in jeans and a button down striped shirt, a beautiful diamond earring and an exquisite bracelet, his casual simplicity is more reminiscent of a suburban weekender than a major R&B sex symbol. This should be interesting. It’s time “Lights, Camera, Action!”

He starts answering questions with the guardedness of a pro. Until asked whether he gets tired or frustrated about people always mentioning his father when talking about him. That’s when the loveable bear growls. He’s more frustrated and annoyed with those who ask that question, than those who make the reference. His pride in his fathers accomplishments are written all over his face as he passionately reminds us that his first group was named Levert and he uses his first and last name. No hiding for the son of the legendary Eddie Levert of the O’Jays. The business has taught him one thing for sure. He would not have “Gotten out the block” if he didn’t actually have “something to offer in his own right.”

The questions pass with a newly revitalized G. When the interviewer tells him he’s challenging James Brown for the title of Hardest Working Man in show business and asks why he stays so busy? His answer is simple, “Keeps me outta trouble,” he says. What trouble? I began to wonder but before my imagination takes me too far he answers the next question about his work ethic. If you’ve never ever, in-your-long-legged-life gone to a Gerald Levert concert you have missed the best sex ever! After an hour and a half of him sweating, sanging, (That’s what we call REAL singing), rose tossing, and gyrating, the women are frantic and frenzied and the men are smiling like cats that ate the canary because they know that their wives or girlfriends are going to give them all the “love” that Gerald Levert has stirred up, as soon as they get home. “I like to make sure my audience is satisfied and they feel they’ve gotten their money’s worth.” As one who has witnessed this phenomenon let me be the first to say he leaves his audience more than satisfied!

After more of what I call the warm up questions we get to the one that makes him say, “Good Question!” How is he able to write from an average Joe perspective when he’s never been an average Joe? I almost didn’t include this question because I didn’t think he’d understand what I was really asking. How can a kid born rich, from the suburbs of Cleveland, with a famous father, write lyrics that make you feel as if he’s experienced the hardships of poverty, and the pain of anonymity? Now I was glad I had added this question. He took a second, as if gathering his thoughts or composing his words before answering. When he starts to speak, he speaks openly about why he’s able to write the way he does. He talks about being raised doing regular every day things right down to attending public schools. Maybe that accounts for his down-to-earth demeanor. He speaks candidly about the fact that the Levert household saw some lean years. After the 70’s, the O’Jays, like many other groups of that era, went through some years when the name, and fame, was there but the money was not as plentiful. “It was to the point where people had to get jobs.” Maybe this is what keeps him humble. He goes on to talk about how being famous and broke is not a place he’d like to be, “I’d rather be rich than famous” he says with no hesitation. I can definitely understand that.

What does he think is the most romantic song of all time? He quickly turns interviewer and asks the host what does she think is the most romantic song. She says the Dramatics, I Wanna Go outside in the Rain, the debate is on. After professing his love for the Dramatics and this song the lyricist in him proclaims his confusion about the songs story. “Go outside for what?” He asks. After reciting the lyrics out loud, and listening to the host as she tries to explain the story, he decides to give up the debate. “I still don’t know why he wanna go outside. I don’t get that.” Unfortunately, he never said what song he’d pick. That’s what I think he intended all along.

The most poignant moment came when he answered the question. What is love? “Unconditional” He says quickly, with all the hopes and dreams of a man that has everything, except maybe someone to laugh with, cry with, and share his world with. In his new single One Million Times, he sings about the one that he can’t let go, with the emotional intensity of a man that’s been there or the desperation of a man who is still there. When asked to respond true or false to rumors of a relationship with comedienne’s Mo’Nique, Kym Whitley, singer Kandi Burris or music exec Sylvia Rhone, he squirms more than Ben Stiller attached to the lie detector in the movie “Meet My Parents,” but he answers. “False.” He and Sylvia Rhone are just friends as are he and Kym Whitley, “Kym is my friend and she’s from Cleveland.” When asked about Mo’Nique he says “Things aren’t always what they seem. People see you hanging out with somebody and they assume that you have something going on, with Mo’Nique being a comedienne she just played on that, but nobody ever asked me,” until now. True! G once dated Xscape member Kandi Burris although the relationship didn’t last, listening very closely to One Million Times… makes you wonder if their last chapter has been written.

As the interview wrapped I reflected on a moment when he was asked to sing a song he wrote when he was five called Silly Me. The thought makes me laugh to this day. He sung it with all the boyish charm of a five year old and when asked to say goodbye to the viewers, he did so in a crazy high pitched ladies voice, and laughed. Does Gerald Levert Speak for the World? I’ll let you be the judge. One can be certain he speaks from the heart.
~d-the-VIP

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Are you Holding the Purse or playing the Game?


I have two quotes on my computer. One is by Marianne Williamson that says, "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure! The other quote is by an unknown author that says "To get something you've never had, you have to do something you've never done, and sometimes you have to leave behind who you are to become who you're supposed to be!" My New Years Resolution in 2009 is to "stop holding the purse" and start "playing the game!" Life is too short to stand on the sidelines. Memories are created only if you make them. Goals are reached only if you strive to reach them. Are you ready to stop holding the purse?

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Best Damn Cry EVER!!!


When I was 5, I would watch Phil Donahue with my grandmother. At some point I decided that I wanted to be a talk show host, so whenever I was asked what I wanted to be I'd say "I'm going to be the first black female talk show host!" I remember the adults doing the, "Awww ain't that cute? Poor thang doesn't know any better", smile every time I made that pronouncement. Don't get me wrong nobody outright discouraged me or shared their disbelief in my ability to make it, in fact they offered words of encouragement said I could be whatever I wanted to be but I always remembered the smile. I remember the "I told you so smile" that I gave after watching Oprah's debut show. I guess on Tuesday, there was an African-American boy who smiled an "I told you so smile", while watching Barack Obama's Speech. I wonder if his parents cried as I had? Yeah I cried!!!! In that moment I remembered the stories my mother told of the Ku Klux Klan riding down her street with the headlights off while the inside car lights were on so their outfits could show. I remembered hearing about the times my uncle wasn't home when they drove past, (he had been out fishing), and how he had to hide up under the house until they had gone. I remembered the story of how my mother didn't receive her last paycheck and had never received any of the tips she'd earned working all summer at Irene's Diner because the owner was upset that she chose to go back to high school after the summer ended rather than dropping-out of school to continue working there as the owner had suggested. I remembered going to work with my mother, (on take your daughter to work day), and seeing her bosses face turn beet red after he'd asked me when I was going to work for his family-owned business and at 12 I told him "when I owned it!" I cried because I knew at that point no African-American child would ever go through their history book only to feel that their only contribution to American history was that of a slave and Martin Luther King. Most importantly I cried because I knew that no child would ever again see a smile that hid the knowledge that certain goals were unattainable because of the color of their skin. So Yes Tuesday I cried but it was the BEST DAMN CRY EVER!!!!!

~d-the-VIP

Monday, November 3, 2008

Voting: A Right or A Privilege





Is Voting a Right or a Privilege? Some people will say its a right. If that's so then why are the voting rights of inmates and ex-felons revoked? That means that voting is actually a privilege. One that is taken for granted by those who live in our country, but is often envied by those living elsewhere. Just recently I saw a video of a young African-American man in his early twenties. In the video he said he wasn't gonna vote because "his vote didn't make a difference". I was so disappointed to see this young man nonchalantly throw away his right to vote. I thought of James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman, who were in their early twenties when they were killed because they were registering people to vote in rural Mississippi. Their deaths prompted the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlaws discriminatory voting practices. Those practices included testing and in most cases bodily harm and death to dissuade African Americans from voting. So it's extremely disheartening to see 43 years after the Act was initially passed, 1 year after it was renewed, and countless numbers of deaths later, that this young man can casually toss aside this hard won privilege. I love the Rock the vote campaign, but I think we need to incorporate lessons on the true sacrifice of those who paved the way for us to-- "Rock the Vote!" The last couple of weeks, I've watched the Presidential debates with my German neighbor. I can't tell you how many times she's expressed the desire to vote in this years election, but unfortunately she can't, (she's not a permanent resident yet). Also Saturday, I got a call that my cousin had given birth, however she's upset that she won't be released in time to vote, (Cesarean). So on behalf of my German friend and my cousin, I'm asking ALL of You to vote!!! Think of those who can't and honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. One more thing while you're there Vote Obama-Biden!!!


Take a minute to look up your polling place on our voting website, VoteForChange.com


~d-the-VIP



Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Money Doesn't Matter to God!


A lot of people have asked the question why was Jennifer Hudson's family still living in the "hood" after she'd "hit-it-big"? "She's Rich!" some have said. Sometimes when we see people on television we automatically assume that their pockets match the lifestyle it seems they're living. While Jennifer has done a lot in a short period of time. I'm not quite ready to say she's rich or even in a position to support her entire family. Yeah, she's graced the covers of several national magazines, appeared in two blockbuster movies, won an Oscar, has an album at the top of the charts and has even made the gossip mags, (we all know that's the TRUE tell-tale sign that you've hit the big leagues), but is she rolling in dough? No! Although Jennifer has done a lot and we've seen her everywhere when you do the math she really hasn’t made a substantial amount of money. Her Academy Award winning role in Dreamgirls didn't pay well by Hollywood standards and was a labor of love for the A-listers involved. Heck Jamie Foxx initially turned down his role in the film because of the salary and only took the role after Eddie Murphy and Beyonce had signed on. As SJP's assistant, her role in the Sex in the City movie amounted to an extended cameo. Although it paid well, she certainly wasn't rich off it! Her debut CD just dropped a month ago, hardly enough time to reap benefits from it. She is essentially a new artist who's capitalized on some great opportunities. But lets face it she isn't making million's...yet! Some still argue that "she'd made enough to have moved her family by now." How do we know she hadn't offered? Her mother, sister, brother, and nephew, all had their own thoughts and feelings about where THEY wanted to live. Maybe they didn't want to move from the neighborhood they'd called home for years. Maybe her mother felt it was better to hold on to a house she owned rather than move into a house that Jennifer would be financially responsible for, (entertainment is a fickle business). They might've relished their "regular" lives in the "hood" amongst their neighbors, friends, and family. After all, it was the one place that Jennifer said "kept her grounded." There, she was not Jennifer Hudson, the celebrity, with a makeup artist, stylist, hairdresser and assistant, but rather Jennifer Hudson, Jason and Julia's lil sister, Aunt to Julian, who cooked her own breakfast, washed dishes, and played with her nephew. Fellow Chicagoan Kanye West said recently that he wonders "if he and his mother had not moved to Hollywood if she would be alive today?" Many celeb parents and siblings shun Hollywood or change in their personal lives and continue to live as they had before their relative "made it ". If you ask me all the speculating about what Jennifer's money shoulda, woulda, and coulda bought serves only to inadvertently place blame where there is none. This crime should never have happened!!! But Jennifer's money couldn't have prevented it anymore than living in a wealthy exclusive enclave prevented the murders of actress Sharon Tate and her friends who were killed at her home in the Hollywood Hills. No one can "avoid" the will of God and as hard as this is to accept it is the will of God. I just hope that Jennifer and her sister can find the strength to accept his will and move forward. God Bless!
~d-the-vip

Friday, October 24, 2008

Are the Images of African-American Men on the Big and Small Screen Changing for the Better?




Are the images of African-American men on TV and in Movies changing for the better? Today I watched the promo for Not Easily Broken, a movie starring our favorite chocolate drop Morris Chestnut. In it Morris plays a "Do right man"who is married, seemingly faithful, and the caring coach of a kids baseball league. I can't tell you how that promo alone spawned all kinds of Internet conversation that all my girls summed up in five words, "That's What I'm Looking For!!! The same happened after a recent episode of Atlanta Housewives in which NFL Pro Bowler Ed Hartwell, (Not too hard on the eyes either), cooked homemade soup for his sick wife and served it to her in bed, no less! A bouquet of what appeared to be several dozen newly delivered long stemmed red roses just outside of the bedroom door to boot. Okay so one guy is fake and one is real. Does that really matter??? Or does it matter that images of African-American Men showing love, honor, and fidelity are being shown to the masses??? I often wonder how having an African-American President on the mainstream hit television series 24 may have played a roll in America's acceptance of an African-American man as president. I'm not saying that Obama would not be in this position had there not been a black President on a hit show, (Obama's stellar credentials speak for themselves), but I am saying there may be some validity to the fact that America's populace might not have given him a chance had the show not introduced the idea and given viewers a look at a President, (albeit fake), who was no different when decision making than any other powerful leader, irrespective of color. I do wonder how more positive images of African-American Men on screen could affect America's treatment of them off-screen. What if they were no longer shown as robbers and rapists but as loving father's and competent leaders? I'm reminded of a story I heard about two African-American Men getting on an elevator at a casino with a middle-age Caucasian woman. The woman had a bucket of chips she had won. Looking from one guy to the next on the elevator, she covered her bucket "protectively." So obvious was she that one of the men yelled, "Boo!" , startling the lady into dropping some of her chips. After helping the lady pick up the chips she'd dropped and waiting until she exited the elevator, the two burst out laughing. The next day the lady received a bouquet of a dozen roses with a $100 bill attached to each stem, ($1200 in total), and a note that said, "That was the best laugh we've had in a long time!!!" The note was signed...Eddie Murphy and Michael Jordan!!! Will roles that introduce black men as business professionals, Heads-of State, caring husbands, and present fathers change the perception of African-American Men in America? We'll have to wait and see but it's good to see Hollywood moving in that direction.




Click below to view Not Easily Broken Promo: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/noteasilybroken

~d-the-VIP

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

What's Love Got to Do with It?


The other day I spent a couple hours talking to a guy friend who espoused the virtues, (Or lack thereof), of a particular lady he was..."dating", she has no job, and 3 kids, (all have different daddies). He has no kids and is a professional with benefits . While he swears he's not "dating" her and she's "just" a "booty call!" Miss Booty has left personal items at his crib, (including her favorite cereal), and is getting everything from a chicken snack for the family , (she and the kids), as well as every "man" job needed done from replacing doors to chauffeuring. While my friend says he's "tired" of being used" , (yes he knows he's being used but ain't it mutual?), he's reluctant to let her go. WHY???? Because "she's fyne" and he's gonna miss her "Goodies". He goes on to say that he can't find women who have "brains and looks". (Kimora & Tyra don't get offended...he meant a regular chick), WTF??? Next, I have to juxtapose his conversation against a lengthy conversation I had with my girl friend who has no children, is attractive, and employed and has EVERY married man within a 10 mile radius jumping to wine and dine her. Did I say MARRIED??? Yeah married!!! They're offering everything from a lifetime of luxury to her smallest hearts desire unfortunately she can't find a single man who's willing to offer the same!!! WTF??? (They live in 2 different states or I might have matched them up already). It seems that the men and women who, (on paper), appear to be "equally yoked aren't getting together. So what's the problem? WE'RE LOOKING FOR DIFFERENT THINGS!!! Or at least we see things differently. Take for instance, men and women shopping. Men will say I'm going to buy a blue suit and they'll go into a store and come out with a blue suit. Women will say I'm gonna buy a blue suit but they'll most likely come out with everything but the intended blue suit. Why??? Men are visual!! Once they see what they want they pursue. Women on the other hand see potential ! A blouse that may be ugly on the rack may be the "coup de grace", "piece de resistance", with the right suit and shoes. Women are risk takers who'll look beyond the obvious. Most men will see the obvious and act accordingly. Just think, what if Stedman had looked at the obvious when he met Oprah, (She wasn't his type visually)? What if Oprah didn't see Stedman's potential after she hit a billion, (he'll never be a billionaire)? Sometimes you have to look beyond the obvious to claim a true treasure! Tina Turner asked "What's Love got to do with it?" How will we ever know if we can't get to hello?

~d-the-VIP

Monday, October 20, 2008

Get MONEY!!! Russell Simmons Headlines Black Millionaires Summit


Junior Mafia had this song out called Get Money but in it they never told you how to "Get money"! Here's your opportunity to learn from some the greatest "go Getters" in the game. Check out Russell Simmons Black Millionaire Summit. If you live in Houston there ain't no excuse!!! Because if anybody knows how to get money Rus does! If Kimora and Diddy are prime examples of his tutelage than we all need to reserve a seat!!!


RUSSELL SIMMONS
HEADLINES
BLACK MILLIONAIRES SUMMIT

Dallas, Texas --> - African Americans are among the top spenders in the nation but when it comes to wealth accumulation, they're not in the top five of ethnic groups. A new three-day event aims to change that for good.

The first annual Black Millionaires Summit is the nation's premier business and wealth building conference for African Americans. Co-founders WNBA Champion, Fran Harris, Ph.D. and bestselling author, Myron Golden conceived the idea after brainstorming about the kind of legacies they wanted to leave their families. "Myron and I are kindred spirits who have a passion for moving our people forward," said Harris, author of The Intentional Millionaire. "We want to have everlasting impact in the black community -- and there's no better way to make our mark than through economic empowerment."
Fran Harris
Megapreneur and philanthropist, Russell Simmons is among the millionaire entrepreneurs who'll speak in Dallas at the Black Millionaires Summit on the weekend of November 7-9, 2008. Simmons sold his company Phat Farm for $140 million a few years ago and recently worked with Harris on a fundraiser for his charities. In addition to Simmons, the Summit's All-Star speaker lineup includes Internet marketing expert, Stephen Pierce, network marketing titan Jerry Clark, financial whiz Cheryl Broussard, and short sale real estate pro, Wahid Shakur.
-->"We've assembled some of the most dynamic and innovative black millionaires on the scene today," said Golden, who's sold over 100,000 copies of his self-published book, From The Trash Man to the Cash Man. "We're teaching people how to build multi-million dollar empires in speaking, publishing, real estate, network marketing, retail, and information products to name only a few. But what's most exciting is that every person who is smart enough to be in Dallas for this event will leave with a roadmap for sustainable business growth and real wealth creation."
The Black Millionaires Summit targets new and veteran entrepreneurs across all industries, as well as anyone who's interested in learning next-level business, success and wealth strategies. Harris urges people not to fall prey to the negativity in the press. "If you listen to the media, they'll have you believing that the economy's bad. We disagree. This is the perfect time to make bold moves as an entrepreneur," said Harris, who recently started two more companies with billion-dollar potential. "This is not the time to give in to fear. On one magical weekend -- for the price of a monthly cable bill -- attendees will have an experience that will not only transform their lives but also their bank accounts."
The early bird, basic admission pass for the three-day conference is only $97. To register visit www.BlackMillionairesSummit.com or call (214) 260-7742. There's also an unlimited BMS Referral Program that pays a 50% commission for every person who attends the event as a result of your referral.

ABOUT THE CO-FOUNDERS

Fran Harris, Ph.D. is an international business strategist, executive coach and Fortune 100 consultant who was recently featured as a multi-millionaire in Essence magazine, and on CNBC's The Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch and FOX Business Channel's "Cavuto". She's the founder and publisher of Collegepreneur magazine and the newly formed Millionaire Business School. Myron Golden is a wildly entertaining speaker who's built his multi-million dollar business in seminars, coaching and publishing. He's the author of the bestselling book, From The Trash Man to the Cash Man and the creator of the Six Figure Business School.
# # #

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Random Act of "Bitch-Azzness" or a Random Act of GENIUS???




Is it me or was I the only one thinking that Puff, excuse me, Diddy's, boot of Aubrey and especially D.Woods from the group Danity Kane personified "Bitch-azzness" the term he coined? Okay so I'm waaaay to old to be wrapped up in Making the Band but who cares??? WTF??? He kicked those two out of the group for WHAT??? Because Aubrey told him to his face what she thought and usually said behind his back? Because D. Woods didn't kiss his azz enough and maybe, in his opinion, kissed Aubrey's too much??? Diddy's whole diatribe telling Aubrey that her attitude was going to kill her career may have some validity to it but wouldn't that "pill" have been easier to swallow had Diddy told her and the audience-at-large how he lost his job at Uptown Records because his attitude needed "adjusting"? I'm sure Diddy knows what he's talking about but why not give ALL of us that history, unless he's playing us like the Brilliant marketing genius he is. I am blogging about last night's show...Can somebody say FREE advertisement!!! Heck, probably every critic, blogger, etc. whether they're online or around the water cooler, are talking about it this morning.

My theory??? This "Cliff-hanger" will make next seasons first episode of Making the Band one of the "most watched", possibly, in the history of MTV! If "Ebony & Ivory, (Aubrey & D. Woods), don't return to Making the Band, we may soon see them in their own spin-off show produced by...Yep! Diddy!!! We may also see subsequent albums produced by...Yep! Diddy!!! After all he is the business wiz who was savvy enough to sign Biggie and purchase the rights to his masters for $40,000. He's also so beloved or revered by his friends that one "gifted" him complete ownership of his labels catalogue for his birthday. That one gift alone was worth MILLIONS!!!! Yeah, I'd say Diddy is Crazy!!! Crazy-like-A-Fox!!! And he's playing us all!!! Diddy's next name change should be from Diddy to "Dollars" as in FREE marekting dollars because he's getting publicity for everything he's selling from musical groups to Obama, (Nice touch with the shirt)! He has truly re-invented himself from "Music Mogul" to "Reality Show Impresario" and has made the Making the Band brand must- watch-TV!! A LUCRATIVE act of Genius on his part if you ask me!!! I bet I know who owns the license to the word "Bitch-azzness"!!! Can somebody say cha-ching!!!

~d-the-VIP

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Is Being Pretty a Problem???



I just logged out of Christian Keyes website. He's the actor who played "Sunny" from Madea Goes to Jail--the play version. You may also remember him as the lead in Ashanti's, The Way That I Love You; Ledisi's, In the Morning, or Keri Hilson's, Energy videos. He is incredibly FYNE!!!! undeniably BEAUTIFUL!!! and just plain GORGEOUS from head to toe, (Yes, they've even shown his feet)!!! Plus he seems straight, (At least my gay-dar ain't picked up nothing), and he says he "loves to laugh and is looking for a nice Christian woman to share is life with no matter what she looks like!!!" Okay, what gives???? There's gotta be something wrong...it must be his attitude!!! He probably thinks he's all that and a bag of chips!!! He's gotta be "Down low" and my gay-dar ain't working!!! Somethings GOTTA be wrong with him!!! Women aren't the only folk who think like that, I remember when Halle Berry got a divorce the first time, many of you fellas were quick to blame her for the debacle saying she's "probably crazy". After the second divorce a lot of you proclaimed her "Certifiable", even though it was noted that her husband, Eric Benet, had cheated on her on several occasions. Was her real crime simply being too beautiful? Do their looks make it easy to believe something is wrong with them? Are some of us waiting to point out flaws in those who got "Triple scoops and a cherry" when God was dishing out "looks" ice cream? How many times have we turned around and looked at a couple, one person seemingly more attractive than the other, and said "Dang! How did she get him or how did he get her?" believing it's something other than mutual attraction. I ain't the only one who's done that!!! I'm guilty of it I admit it! Now I wonder, do "pretty" people act funny or do we, who aren't quite as fortunate? I mean really! It's not like they can help their looks anymore than they can help their ethnicity, (Okay they could but they'd run the risk of looking like Lil Kim), but we seem to want to punish them for it. Maybe Christian is just an ordinary guy who likes to laugh and have a good time and is truly looking for "MRS. Right"no matter what she looks like. Maybe Halle Berry is a beauty inside and out, who's only "imperfection" is her poor taste in men. Could it be that the "Bad rap" that "pretty people" get is actually undeserved and is really our "Green eyed devil" clawing his way out?
~d-the-VIP

Friday, October 10, 2008

How many "Fruity Pebbles" make up a box---I mean a show?


How many Fruity Pebbles make up a box? I don't know but there certainly was a lot of them on the show I Love New York. Remember the "Genuwine knock-off" and his brother the "bargain basement Prince circa 1982" better known as Real and Chance? Well they now have a new show coming out called "Real Chance at Love". WTF???? All I can say is, it has to be another Tila Tequila situation, (both guys and girls allowed), because they look Fruitier than a fruit cake!!! Speaking of Fruit cake--they weren't the only "Fruity Pebbles" on I love New York, the guy Jennifer Hudson is engaged to was a contestant as well. His name was Punk on the show, all I can say is Jennifer might want to REALLY think about WHY he was named Punk!!! Okay so I'm actually just speculating about these guys. I don't have one shred of evidence that says they're anything other than heterosexual men. I just have one heck of a gay-dar, besides you all were thinking the same thing!!! While I'm at it, let me say right now for the record, that I love my Gay and Lesbian folk. I think they make the world a beautiful place...Literally, (my makeup guy George has turned me from ashy to classy on a number of occasions!!!). I encourage people to love who they want to love and applaud them for following their hearts and not conventional society.

Now that I cleared that up, let me get back with the program. I have a real problem with men and women, mostly men, claiming they "bat" right when you can see they bat "LEFT" or those who "Switch hit" with out notice!!! I admit it. I'm a little "noided" about this but I can't help it after reading the DL book, seeing the movie Cover by Bill Duke, (If you have not seen it--Rent it. It's a MUST SEE!!!), and listening to my friend, a new corrections officer, (on the job 6 months), recounting the numerous "Thugs" they've caught in less than "Thugg-ish" positions, (both"pitching" and "catching"!!). I got a right to be extremely paranoid!!! So what's the point of the story??? Declare a team!!! If it's left, it's LEFT!!! If it's right its RIGHT!!! and if it's both---Have a ball!!! Everybody ain't in the Military so that "don't ask, don't tell" crap "DON'T APPLY"!!! Besides sometimes we see you anyway...um Jonathon Plummer, I mean Mr. Terry McMillan. To my undercover fella's stop acting like Scarface around your girl and Lil Kim around your boy unless everybody knows what's up and what ever any of you do whether you're Straight, Gay, Lesbian, All of the above or none of the above, what ever you do always wear a condom!!! Sistahs remember they will test your man when he enters the prison system for AIDS but they don't test them before they come out. If your man is looking at some serious time you might want to wait until he gets a "Green" card before you properly welcome him back home.

~d-the-VIP

Thursday, October 9, 2008

I've Been ROBBED!!!!




I had planned to save my ranting and raving for what I was gonna call "Furious Fridays" but I couldn't wait. Am I the only one pissed that the government bailed out the banking community to the tune of $700 Billion Dollars while not setting perimeters to keep the CEO's who got their respective companies in such dire straits from cashing in?

In other words WHY IN THE HELL is Richard S. Fuld, CEO of Lehman Brothers walking away with $500 MILLION DOLLARS, (his payout), after bankrupting a company that's been around for over 100 years????? Okay, so according to him the number is actually a little less than $250 MILLION DOLLARS. WTF!!!!! If that ain't the Heist of the century, I don't know what is!

Don't get me wrong I could care less about Lehman Brothers as a company after all it was started by cotton brokers, (we all know who picked the cotton they were brokering), and went on to lead the pack in sub-prime/prime mortgages, (this casted a larger net but we all know who got caught up in this mess), while relying on the "Repo" or repurchasing market to continue their big payday. In other words the founders brokered a product made off the backs of slaves, the company evolved into giving folk mortgages on houses they couldn't afford so they could eventually "Repo" and resale the property thus making a handsome ransom. So, let me just go on record as saying I could give less than two scratches on my dogs AZZ about the company but I sure as heck wonder how many other CEO's are enjoying substantial benefits now that they have the security of $700 BILLION U.S. dollars to keep them afloat. I hope you know that U.S. doesn't mean United States it means US, because we tax payers will be paying for it! That means we've made sure Mr. Fuld's $20 Million dollar NY apartment and his $15 Million dollar Florida Estate won't be "Repo'd". Do you think he'll invite us over for dinner? After all we helped save them!



~d-the-VIP

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

The Real Housewives of Atlanta: Are they headed to the poor house?


The Real Housewives of Atlanta is the most Beautifully Hideous show on television! On the one hand, I'm excited that the world is finally getting a glimpse into the lives of wealthy African-Americans, and it's not just in a Tyler Perry movie, on the other hand, with the exception of 1 person, all of the ladies are wealthy because of the athletic prowess of their spouses or ex-spouses, thus perpetuating the stereotype of African Americans and Sports, (I could have used a little more diversity there...where was Dr. Huxtable and his beautiful wife Claire, the attorney, when you needed them???!!!)

Don't get me wrong I'm excited to see these women whip out their checkbooks to write a check for $68,000 for a truck or $6000 for a dress and purse. I loved seeing their "castles" brimming with chef's, nannies, maids, makeup artist, hairstylist, clothing stylist, and assistants but I couldn't help thinking about an article that I once wrote about the startling number, (something like 80-90%), of pro athletes that were broke after they retired. I started thinking about those athletes who played long past their viable years because they couldn't afford to retire. After watching the show I could see why. Did these women hear about Major league baseball player Cecil Fielder and the estimated $45 Million fortune he lost, or Boxing champ "Iron" Mike Tyson and the estimated $500 Million he lost, including selling a 52 room mansion for just $4 million because he was bankrupt? None of these wives' husbands are making anywhere near what those guys made yet they are spending money like the proverbial "well" will never run dry.

I was reminded of a dear friend of mine who, like the lone Vanilla drop on the show, was the pampered pooch of a very successful man. She had condos and penthouse suites and extravagant clothes, jewelry, and cars but one day she got old, (Old is 45 when you're living in the fast lane). She soon went from a luxury penthouse to a hotel room to a friends couch, after her "big Daddy" sold the penthouse out from under her when his fortune changed.

My advice to these women ENJOY the life but be smart!!!! Create your own identity and cash flow. I'm sure its not a mistake that the one "housewife" with a career is the ex-wife of R&B crooner Keith Sweat, presumably she learned a lesson or two about having her own income from her previous marriage. A smart woman learns from their mistakes a smarter one learns from someone else's! I suggest these ladies start doing some serious homework! Starting with math!

~d-the-VIP

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Welcome to D-the-VIP's first day of blogging. You can expect the unexpected here. I'm gonna talk about everything from what's going on in my world to what's going on in your's while adding interviews that I've done with some of your favorite celebrities. I promise this site will be among your favorites VERY Soon...Tell a Friend!

Love ya,
~d-the-VIP