48 Hours hath September...

It's amazing and surreal on how things in life can go from better to worse to better again within 48 hours. I just happen to be part of that.

So on Saturday I went to my church in Sylmar for the first time in a month and a half. Surprisingly, they were having a communion service, and unsurprisingly, there was no Pastor to coronate the service. We have a temporary part-time Pastor who comes every other Saturday, but other times when he's not there, we would have a guest preacher or just anybody in our congregation to do the sermon. Yeah, that's unbelievable but its true. Instead, one of the elders took the Pastor's spot on that day. Then I stayed after and talked with some of the members who I've known for a over a year. I actually was entertained with the discussions that we had, mostly guy shit like sports, automobiles, technology, current events and Megan Fox, who happened to host the season premiere on Saturday Night Live that night to plug her new movie and to become a future VH1 reality show star. Then I got a text from a friend of mine who wanted me to pick her up at 4 instead of 5 as scheduled. Then I told my friends later cause I gotta go and then walked out the church door. I think that scenario was something Ice Cube did 17 years ago.

I drove down to the West Valley to pick my friend up. Now I haven't seen her since the start of the NBA Finals back in the first week of June, but she looked gorgeous than the last time I saw her. We drove to Veterans Park, then to the San Fernando Mission, which happened to be closed because of some wedding, then to this church in Chatsworth which was at the top of the mountains so that we can look at the view of the West Valley. In other words, we just drove and parked around the San Fernando Valley, and during that time we were exchanging ideas for this photoshoot I was gonna do of her the following week. Also USC was playing at home that night so I kept calling my brother for the score updates. I didn't wanna turn to AM 1540 to hear the Play-by-Play for some reason. Later that night we stopped at a 7-Eleven in Valley Village and then I gave her a lift back to her place. Then I got home, found out that USC won the game against Washington 27-6 by the joyous mood of Pete Carroll's face at the post-game conference, which makes Matt Barkley 3-0 in his starts. That's good. Really good.

Back to the Ice Cube reference again. If you remember the end of his "Today was a good day" music video when the LAPD came in full force, raided his house and arrested him, and it continues on his other music video "Check yourself" where he stays in Jail. That how Sunday was kinda like for me. I was ready to watch some NFL games untill I landed in an argument with my pops and my brother. I wanted to leave my house to let off some steam, and I was thinking of checking out the venue where Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian were gonna have their wedding ceremony on that day. So I put on a suit with a black tie and drove to music producer Irving Azoff 's house in Westwood, where the wedding was gonna occur.

As I got there I was mistaken as one of the security guards there, even though I am a security guard but I wasn't hired to be stationed at this wedding. The main security guard came up to me and I told him that I was a guest. He then asked who invited me, and I told him that no one invited me, that it was all over the internet and shit. Suddenly he then yelled at me and had two of his other guards to escort me to my car. That's how beefed up security was at that wedding. Plus I got there early and the whole thing didn't start until 4PM. If the wedding took place at a church, I could've gone in easily. As a matter a fact, they should made this shit public just like Michael Jackson's memorial at Staples Center. Hell they SHOULD'VE have the wedding at Staples Center cause THAT'S WHERE LAMAR WORKS FOR HIS CHECKS FROM NOVEMBER TO APRIL, including the playoffs. But they held it there cause Khole's father, the late Robert Kardashian, spent his final years of his life running his own music production company, and he was good friends with Irving Azoff.

Afterwards I drove to this bar in Winnetka, which is 2 blocks from Pierce College. Heard about it so I decided to check it. Watched the Dolphins at Chargers game for a bit, then left cause the place kept tipping people. I didn't want to buy any drinks. I then drove to this library in Burbank. That place was so full even the handicapped parking spots were booked up. Stayed there for a bit and then left. It was very hot that day, so I can assume why that place was full. Then I finally drove to North Hollywood to stay at my mom's place for a few days Then watched Kurt Warner and his team getting embarrassed by the Colts at his home turf in the University of Phoenix stadium. After that everything went back to normal.

I did do the photoshoot of my friend the next day. That was one of the best shoots I ever did. I can't think of any other time that was relatively close to Monday night's adventure. One of the pictures in on my Flickr page. And to this day, I'm still awed by that shoot and the result it produced. All I can ever say is...wow. I think I'm gonna end this here.

I just had to quote this...

I kinda find this amusing. If you watched professional wrestling in the past, you might understand this quote:

"Sarah Palin will give Barack Obama a lap dance on the steps of the capital before I get behind Vince Russo" - Jim Cornette, executive producer for Ring Of Honor

Just some one liners

If Matt Barkley played on Saturday, then the Trojans could've posted more then 16 points on the board and win the game, but he's still 2-0 in his starts

For some jaded reason, I like going to superior courthouses, especially standing in the long lines. San Fernando courthouse> Chasworth courthouse> Van Nuys courthouse

Why do high school students want to request switching or changing their classes that is listed in their schedule? Is it because of the teacher? They should stick with whatever class they have and deal with that shit when they get to college, unless you're an honors student

I went to the Camarillo Premium outlets last week. Bought 2 t-shirts from the Nike Factory Store and 2 t-shirts from the Nautica store. Why do shopping malls like Northridge, Glendale and the Beverly Center get more hype and attendence then this place?

The Game's LAX album is the shit! You have to listen to the whole thing non-stop without scanning or skipping tracks. They need to make mp3 players without those buttons

The tackle Ray Lewis did on Sunday was epic. That showed that he still has a lot of life left in the league.

You know you're an adult when your close high school friends already have at least 2 kids

Remember when shorties were shitting on dudes with their sneaker game earlier in this decade?

Bootleggers are gonna have a field day when Michael Jackson's This is It movie premieres in theaters. They have to get their slick game on

Why is everbody going to Las Vegas more often? I haven't been there in 5 years. There's really nothing there to do except lose your money on slot machines, casinos, strippers, escorts, and vodka bottles. Sin city my ass

Remember when the Playstation 3 was the cheapest Blu-Ray player in this country, while other players go for $1000

They should raise the driving age limit to 21. I can't rent a 5 series or a Ford GT until I'm 25

Why do older adults and parents have a Facebook profile, other than to promote their business?

Why do black dudes have mohawk hairstyle? I'll be suprised if they go through a job interview.

that's all I can think for now.

Black folks can NEVER have no fun

So this past week had been such a tailspin for me. I broke my phone on Ventura Blvd on Friday evening. I cussed out my half cousin on Sunday, I got into numerous arguments with my parents, which resulted in me getting barred from my house on Sunday, I missed the USC-Buckeyes game on Saturday cause this "Special" elderly person came straight from Nigeria over to our house to spend the night and he and my pops stayed up till 1 AM watching evangelism seminars. I think the guy is a pastor or something. Plus I owe a lot of money which is common for most young adults at this current economic times. I'm gonna see if I can TRY to get a new vehicle this month. I planned on getting a new vehicle around November or December but I had to drive on Empty from South bay to the 10 freeway west to the 405 North to the Santa Monica Blvd off ramp to Santa Monica Blvd east to Sepulveda Blvd North past the Getty and Skirball all the way to Balboa and Victory Orange line parking lot. While I got there, I saw that the Los Angeles Police Department arrested two or three youth males across the intersection near Birmingham High School. 

My sister and I almost went there for summer school six years ago but the summer session there was full so we went to Cleveland High School in Reseda instead, and looking back I'm glad I did go to Cleveland that summer. But if I did go to Birmingham, I could've seen a lot a famous people there, including Gwen Stefani, before she was pregnant, cause they shot her "Hollaback" music video there and other film and television shoots. Now if I was still in high school I wouldn't want to go there based on the people that I knew that went there. Place is full of kids who parents that don't know how to raise a teenager properly. Every time when I drive or walk past that school, the kids there would be wearing stuff that you can't wear to a job interview or your nieces christening and there would always be some ruckus happening there, which is why the LAPD would shut down the intersection of Balboa and Victory until things were all clear. I feel bad for those kids who live in that are who are forced to go to that school instead of Reseda high, Van Nuys high or Taft high. Hell I feel bad for those teenagers period.  

On Sunday night I slept over at my moms house in North Hollywood. Then I woke up the following morning I went online to read the days headlines. One of them discussed an incident that took place at the Video Music Awards that took place the previous night in New York city. From what I read and watched the video clips online, young Country music singer Taylor Swift won the award for best Female Video over Beyonce Knowles- Carter's ( yes she married Jay-Z) "Single Ladies" music video. As she went up to say her acceptance speech, rapper Kanye West came out of nowhere and interrupted her by saying that Beyonce had the best video of all time, which is damn true, and when gave the microphone back to Taylor Swift as he walked off the stage. Since then Kayne West has been under the magnifying glass the next few days as the media, Taylor Swift fans, Kanye West fans, countless celebrities and even President Barack Obama disapproved Kanye's action on Sunday night, despite the apologies he gave on his website several hours after the incident took place. He even got sonned by talk show host Jay Leno on the inaugural "The Jay Leno Show" premiere. This happened to be totally coincidental because Kanye West was scheduled to preform on the premiere with Jay-Z and Rhianna and that gave Leno an opportunity to talk to Kanye West, in which he mentioned the late Dondria West which made the rapper emotional. 

To me, I think this whole thing is totally preposterous and absurd. Not just what Kanye West did which I find kinda humorous but the way everyone is shitting on this. I mean, to me, I think this this whole thing is fixed, planned, worked and or staged. In paraphrasing the ESPN Classic program, here are some reasons you can't blame Kanye West for Interrupting Tayor Swift at the 2009 Video Music Awards.

1. This isn't Kanye West's first incident at the VMAs

If you done your homework and research or if you religiously wacth MTV, then you know that this past Sunday wasn't the only stunt that Kanye did. In 2007 when the Video Music Awards took place, the rapper went apeshit after losing 5 nominations and he claimed that he would never appear on MTV again. Not everybody keeps promises nowadays. 

2. He was Intoxicated before the show started

As he and his girl Amber Rose appeared at Radio City Music Hall, Kanye had a bottle of Hennesy and Amber took turns chugging it. He even had the audacity to go up to Joe Jackson, who was here because his daughter Janet was gonna do a tribute performance to her brother, and give him "daps". Michael just died, but that was totally awkward encounter between Kanye West and Joe Jackson.

3. Beyonce Knowles' "Single Ladies" was the best video

I'm saying that cause I'm a guy. But as a former filmmaker, this video was shot in one take continuously and it was choreographed very well. I mean not A-plus well but three attractive females moving around in tights can have a group of Frat boys dazed  for minutes or they might do their own version of "Single Ladies". As for Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me" music video, the background for producing this video takes a great deal of trust and time. I mean your shooting a scene that takes place in a football field and a school dance with thousand of kids who could consist of some high school in the mid-west or just about every exact Taylor Swift fan on this planet, and it's not easy. But the storyline was obvious. I mean, if you saw at least 50% of the chick flicks that came out the past decade including the Notebook, you pretty much know how this know how the video plays out. And that goes for never listening to the song which ties-in the video storyline. The bottom line is that Taylor Swift could've been reserved for the Kids Choice Awards, or the Teen Choice Awards, or the Billboard Music Awards if it was still in existence.

4. Its the VMA's

When MTV launched the Video Music Awards back in 1984, it was basically the youth version of the Grammys with some formality. Sure not everybody was wearing black ties and the performances were something you would see at a world tour such as Madonna's "Like a Virgin" performance or Rod Stewart's "Infatuation" performance, but everything else was moderate and things went according to plan. That was when it was the "Video Music Awards". When it became referred to as the "VMA's" things started to stir up a bit and all kinds of hell and mayhem ensued. Take Howard Stern's "Fartman" debut in the 1992 and having "Beverly Hills 90210's" Luke Perry grab Stern's visible rear end. Or how bout the entire 2007 Video Music Awards where there were countless after parties and concerts in every hotel on the Las Vegas Strip as well as Britney Spears' "supposed comeback" performance which was a major failure and letdown and the brawl between Pamela Anderson's exes Tommy Lee and Kid Rock. Let's not forget the threesome between Madonna, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in 2003. And last years show made "Solid Gold" conceiving a child with "American Bandstand" due to it being shot at a packed warehouse in Hollywood. I could go on and on but the bottom line is that the show is entertainment. It a chance for the celebs to let loose and do stuff that they can't do at any other award shows.

Here's the "Best of the Rest" the Stuff that didn't make it on the list:

5. MTV doesn't play (that much) videos anymore                  

6. Nobody in MTV's current demographic likes country music 

7. Kanye wants to try to promote Jay-Z's "The Blueprint 3" album which came out around that weekend in favor of Beyonce

8. Kanye never won a VMA award  and wants his own acceptance speech

9, Taylor Swift is just 19 and should stay in school to risk being the next Paris Hilton, came out with an album back in 2006, or Lindsey Lohan, who also came out with an album back in 2004

10. It's all about the ratings........ and Twitter.

I really don't know about that last one but that's the best I can come up with. Maybe Kanye has gotten his wish. He might get some sort of lifetime ban from any future VMAs just like Andrew "Dice" Clay did in the late 80's with threw off the the MTV exces based on his explicit stand up performance. Looks like he'll take a while for him to recover from this tailspin he's in right now. 

 

       

Destination 9/9/09

4 deaths in one week is just too fucking insane.

That's one of the reasons on why I haven't been on here for two weeks. Well, that and some financial matters I had to deal with. But yeah, this "Final Destination" type shit has really made me gather my thoughts for a while because I don't wanna turn this page into some obituarty. Speaking of Final Destination, they released the 4th part of the movie without the Part 4 at the end of the title. The movie is called "The Final Destination" You know just like how they did it with Fast and Furious without "the" in the beginning of the title. I know, hollywood is is running out of ideas. I really don't wanna say it like that as a former filmmaker during high school, but with all the films that came out this past year, the opion just became a fact.

Yes, like I said, 4 people that I known and who I think are inportant have passed away in a one week span. 2 of them are famous and the other two were from my church. I don't wanna talk about the people from my church, so that I can respect their families privacy. But the two other people that passed away were Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy and Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein, a club DJ whos known for his infamous,ungodly collection of sneakers, was engaged to Nicole Ritchie for a brief time, and he survived a serious plane crash.

Now that I got that out the way, we are already in the month of September, the ninth month of the calendar year, the ninth day of the month, and the ninth year of the decade as well as the century. Today was the official start of the school year for the Los Angeles public schools. My brother is in his senoir year and one of my sisters just started the 10th grade. To me, it feels like they were both just in middle school last year but now they already have high school experience. Just yesterday, the President of the United States did a video message directed to students at all the schools in this country telling them to stay focused and that giving up is not an excuse for failure. Prior to that, all the critics and pundits acted as if they know what he already was going to say, and that Barack would be treating the students as if he was speaking at all the schools during the regime of the Soviet Union in the 20th century. But he left out anything that had to do with politics out of his speech. Hell, they're were some kids who were motivated from his speech, saying that this was something that they never saw the past Presidents of the United States do every September. I wish my siblings, as well as those who just started their Freshman year and those who are in their last year in school a very sucessful year. Either way its a challenging destination that will last up to June 2010 or June 2013 for current ninth graders or June 2021 for those starting Kindergarten.

Oh yeah as for my labor day, it was bullshit. I got cited at the Universal City Red Line parking lot for having expired tags. Now I just took care of my registration before the month ended. I talked to the Sherrifs that were nearby patroling the area about it and they said that I still need the sticker, because I though they mail the sticker. So I went to the Department of Motor Vehicles the next day and waited two hours for them to call my number and had got the sticker which took 8 seconds. That's living in California for you.