thanks... now go see Crash!

uhuh, to my one-and-only reader: "you are a darling. stop by at ur whim". But anyways, per my previous post. I did get around to seeing the movie "Crash" and I was truthfully impressed. I haven't seen a movie in a long while that basically made me scream out "Oh shit!?!?", in amazement & disbelief. Sorry there is no caveat lector about the family friendliness of this blog. Brilliantly made movie, revealing acting. It had to be good; it had Don Cheadle in it. I am seriously considering not watching any more movies this year that might leave a sour after-taste on my movie-enjoyment palette.
Check out reviews.

i just met you but i know what u're like

after being on a low-cable diet for almost 6 months I caved in (thanks NBA playoffs!) and now i am a cable whore.. but i love the 24 hr news channels, even fox. So i saw tonight's AC_360 on CNN and it was a pretty interesting show; interesting meaning educative and not the latest blurb about some self-absorbed celebrity.
Theme (a cable news show with a theme. interesting eh?) of tonights show : perception of others. the first part of the show focused on how much can be learnt about a person's personality based on your room/apartment. It was almost like watching Houdini do his trick; a social psychologist accurately described three college students in the absence... it was quite intriguing. I learnt a think or two about myself as well... somewhat self-conscious, hard on myself, neither reticent nor full blown sanguine¬ those are the bad stuff ... driven, successful, unconventional, a thinker, young, handsome, and broke ¬ yeah i added the last three but u get my drift... all in all i am pretty proud of myself.
the second part of the show dealt with our perception of people... bottomline is taller people are getting the taller part of the stick than shorter people(men) when it comes to love, career, money etc. basically everything that every normal human being desires in life. the kicker though is that all of these benefits that the big-lings get is not really based on any factual/real advantages that they possess (qualities, personality). it is all perception... a woman basically assumes a taller guy is more confident, can take care of her better and is a better leader. yeah right!! of course the show also hit the nail right on discussing the association of black with inferior attributes and subversive behavior. and this is all a knee-jerk reaction that people reveal in the very first few minutes of meeting someone. boy will it hurt to be a short, black and bald. life will really suck wont it!?!?!? but on that note check out the movie Crash in theatres this weekend. sorta kinda somewhat related to what ive blabbered about.

"efie ne fie"

literal translation "home is home" or better still "there is no place like home". I feel patriotic today. This guy on the ghanaweb site almost gave me a fit. Ghanaweb is one of the foremost Ghana news pages, and I wasnt payed to plug anything. So i head over to see how things are back home and this editorial piece jumps out at me "Liberians looking down on Ghana ...". Wtf?!?!#@$#. that was my first response, then I calmed myself down; there had to be something wrong if this article was on a Ghana news webpage. If you don't understand my reaction well u need to get schooled on the socio-political landscape of West Africa, at least going back the last 15 yrs. With the neverending war that plagued Liberia, Ghana - my happy home, became a hospitable neighbor. We accepted floods of Liberian immigrants and feted them with our local delicacies and the thrombing sounds of uninhibited highlife music. Even now, with the war very much over in Liberia, a large number of Liberian immigrants remain in Ghana.
I wouldn't hesitate to call any Liberian an ingrate if they demean Ghana in anyway... but of course my initial reaction was uncalled for. The gist of the article was that the author, a Liberian of course, loved to jest Ghanaians, our culture and out food, because he was Liberian. All this notwithstanding, he shares a deep affection for the wonderful people who welcomed him with outstretched arms and provided him hospice... its just that he wished his country was as politically stable as his. The he'd be home where, he thinks, the food is better than Ghanaian food. Well, brother, I hate to tell you this, but hands down, Ghanaian food trumps any delicacy from any where around the globe. I challenge you to a Iron-Chef-esque duel with a Nigerian judge to establish, unequivocably, that Ghanaian food is the best.

a classic revisited

talk about impossible expectations. After being swamped with accolades at an erstwhile Grammy awards, Lauryn Hill wasn't expected to just come through with another classic album on her next outing, for some critics, fans and observers, it was requisite that she obliterate and reshape the hip-hop and rhythm and blues landscape.
The sound, feel and voice on "The Miseducation ... " album was different. And it was good. Personally, I could finally allow myself to exhale; I had been suffocating from the insufferable dross that pervaded the urban music scene. So in a sense, there might have been a collective feel that a savior for the genre had been borne. Armed with an irrefutable charisma while spitting rhymes, and an unnerving honesty in her voice when she sang, channeling a Nina Simone of days gone by, bringing newness to a stale arena, Lauryn had come to bless.
So when in her heralded return to the stage Lauryn chose for her stomping ground the very residence where musical artistry was stifled by the minute (a so called music television, I had high hopes. And so did many. The battle royale will be fought on the enemy's turf, and victory was all but assured for our heroine.
The aftermath of Lauryn's unplugged performance is still a mystery to me. There was no hype, critics (even those who gave favorable ratings) could not help but mention in their reviews their feeling that Lauryn might be mentally troubled. Why?

well, just take a listen for yourself. You'll find in the hoarse, crackling voice how much pain and effort it takes to break free from hype...