Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Things that make me happy today... Flip the Bird Video

Things that make me happy today... Flip the bird, Down with the Thrasher -- Up with the Cornish Chicken!!

I had no idea of the travesty that was going on in Georgia.  I found this online campaign and had no choice but to post this as a reminder to all that they have a voice in the political process.  You may think that this issue is... for the birds (had to do it), but its the power of the idea that counts. Now if this can be done for birds, just imagine...



I've never heard of a bird called good for nothing and lazy for just flying around.  I love this video!! I'm almost hoping this makes it to the next political debate in GA.  Only in GA... Only in GA.

Best quote... "If nothing else the chicken will get a little respect"

For more information
http://flipthebirds.com/

Georgia on my mind...
S.F. Guru

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Things that make me happy... A Vintage Murder

Things that make me happy... A Vintage Murder... with a few good people. (Murder Mystery gone wild)

Okay. Maybe I am a little crazy. Who would invite a bunch people over... only to have them solve a the murder of St. John Sedgwick-Smythe. Yes. I did it.  Why not. Pump people full of rum punch and watch people try to figure out who did it. Way too funny. With a great cast of people in hand... the estate of Chateau de Reims (aka my place) in the lush wine country of France (aka CT) was buzzing with intrigue.

With food and drinks set the evening started off with some introductions. Six suspects all with hidden agendas.


After introductions and some food then people started to search for the murderer...





At the end... Everyone was a suspect. Everyone was accused. And the murderer was revealed.

I must thank all of the "actors" for doing a great job of playing their role. 

Best accent... Desiree (french... I think :-))
Best dramatic performance... Lotte (You got my vote for an Oscar)
The women you don't want to piss off ever... Rose (how many murder weapons to you have?)
The most confusing... Seymour (Seymour never sounded so... feminine?)
Most in need of a straight jacket... Ives (Get help... The mind is a terrible thing to waste)
The one with the loudest "inside voice"... Henry (A direct question... what is that?)

I told y'all there would be video on this one... smh.

Good times, Good peeps, Good fun.

Until the next time...

S.F. Guru

Things that make me happy this week... ATL Football Classic - FAMU vs. Southern

Things that make me happy this week... ATL Football Classic - FAMU vs. Southern

On my list of "to dos" this year included going to a college football game. I figured why not make it a Classic featuring two top HBCUs.  Luckily the ATL Football Classic fit my schedule perfectly. If you are going to do a Classic -- pick a big one in a big city. Even better go with a bunch of friends that are Alums. This makes a big difference.  I was adopted by my FAMU kinfolks...  all the love was much appreciated.

My first College Football Game was a good one. FAMU beat Southern 38-33 after a great 4th quarter comeback. FAMU running back LaVante Page scored 5 touchdowns including two in the 4th quarter.
But more importantly, FAMU spanked Southern in the battle of the bands at halftime. Everyone in the stadium knew what was the real match. After Southern did a decent job with their band performance, FAMU Rattlers came out and closed the stadium down. They might deserve that title of greatest band in the land. No bias... even thought I was sitting right next the FAMU band and the center of FAMU fans.

First up Southern U....



And then FAMU...



 




As much fun as the weekend was, I loved the fact that this was for a good cause.  The ATL Football Classic is put on by 100 Black Men of Atlanta and proceeds go to support mentoring high school kids to go to college. The Georgia Dome was full with fans and it felt like a big homecoming. The whole weekend is full of events, concerts, parties, and family activities.

This is definitely a worthwhile trip for anyone wanting to hang out in ATL for a weekend in the fall with lots to do.

What sporting event would you want to check out that you haven't so far? Next on my list is NCAA Basketball and World Cup. Looking for partners in crime for those adventures.

S.F. Guru

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Things that make me happy... Sundae Sermon in Harlem

Things that make me happy today... Sundae Sermon in Harlem!

Part of a fun things to do in NYC series...

House music yall. The real stuff.  Yes... I spelled it right, Sundae not Sunday. What is Sundae Sermon?  Simply put... Good Music for Good People.  This is series of Sunday parties in the Morningside Park in Harlem, NY.  If you like house music and dancing in open air with a few hundred new friends this is the place for you.  As you approach the park, you can hear the beats from blocks away. Then you see the people. Old and young. Gay and straight. White, black, latino, asian -- all getting their dance on... old school style to mellow house beats. I mean real House Music. ala NY legends Frankie Bones, Louie Vega, and Rich Medina (If you don't know-- Google them!!). For more information on Sundae Sermon check out site link...

http://sundaesermon.com/index.php

So... This Sunday was the last set of the summer. No more till next summer but I will defintely check this out again. What I liked most was the people just enjoying themselves in the park. Dancing. Relaxing. Just having fun with neighbors.  Good times.

PS... You want a some good eats with good music before heading to the Morningside Park for some dancing. Check out SIPS NYC near the corner of 110st and Amsterdam. Live DJ playing great music (look for Roots, Tribe Called Quest, World Music, eclectic). He is actually broadcasting on the internet live from his pirch above the bar. Only in NYC.

A couple of videos of Sundae Sermon...






This was another great summer with more great finds of things (some free) to do. So as my summer in NYC comes to a end I got a great day in the park with some good people enjoying good music.  Look for it in 2012!!

S.F. Guru

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Things that make me happy this week... TV Show - Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Things that make me happy this week... Star Wars: The Clone Wars

If you are a Star Wars fan and really miss new stories in the Star Wars universe fear not. The Cartoon Network has created a CGI animated series depicting the events of the Clone Wars. These events take place after Star Wars episode II and before episode III.  Needless the say it feature a young Anakin Skywalker and Padme and the rest of the Jedis as they fight the emperor (who is still unknown at this point) and the separatist movement.

The Pros...
1. Great Plot and story lines each episode. This is not your typical cartoon.  The plot lines are complex and doesn't always have a happy ending. There is some violence but the fight scenes are kick ass.
2. They do a great job incorporating characters from the movies in recurring plot lines.
3. The CGI animation is pretty good. Cartoon now a days are way better than twenty years ago so you don't feel silly watching a cartoon anymore. If you can sit thru the Transformers or Avatar then this is some of the same effects... just in every scene.
4. 22 Episode a season. They just started season 4... so to catch up you need to rent the other three seasons.

The Cons...
1. Not many cons except people might look at you funny for watching cartoons. At least I don't play many video games.
2. The original show airs Friday nights... If you got better things to do on Friday night, bust out that DVR. Also it free on demand on most cable systems
3. If your not careful, you might miss the little lesson hidden in each episode. It is still a cartoon so it has to off set the violence somehow. Also no sexual content. That is actually a good thing.

So if you still yearn for stories from the Star Wars universe... give it a watch.  Oh yeah... And this season Anakin gets a little dark... Friday 9:30pm on Cartoon Network



What was your favorite movie you wished they made into a cartoon?



Later
S.F. Guru

Things that make me happy... Aaliyah

Things that make me happy this week... Aaliyah

On August 25th ten years ago a plane crashed after taking of from an island in the Bahamas taking the life of a young R&B superstar named Aaliyah. But before she was taken from us she left her mark on the music world with three great albums showcasing artistic growth, soulful sounds, and true hip hop flavor.

BET had a series of tribute including, Aaliyah: One in a Million, last month highlighting her career and her top videos.

Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born in NY but raised in Detroit. She started her released her first album at the age of 15 under the tutelage of R. Kelly. She released three albums in seven years and starred in several movies before her tragic death in 2001 in airplane crash after finishing a video shoot.

Did you know that Aaliyah was on Star Search at 9 years? Possessing triple threat ability in dancing, singing, and acting, Aaliyah was defintely born to be a performer.

A few facts...
#10 most successfull femail RB artist in last 30 years
#27 most successful overall RB artist in last 30 years
#70 most successful overall artist in last 30 years
30 million albums sold world wide

Nominated multiple times for Grammy, AMA, Billboard, MTV Video, and Soul Train awards.
Won 3 AMA, 6 Billboard, 2 MTV Video, and 1 Soul Train awards


Albums
Age is Nothing but a Number
One in a Million
Aaliyah

So why Aaliyah? I don't have many albums that I can play the whole thing and not feel like skipping any songs. Aaliyah has two such albums (One in a Million, Aaliyah).  And she was the princess of R&B. She brought a street swagger with a classic R&B singing voice. And her colloborations with Missy and Timberland set the foundations for Justin Timberlake, Ciara, and many other popular artist today with that hot double beat sound.














If you haven't seen an Aaliyah video in a while... Check one out. They still get nuff play on VH1 soul and other video channels.

A great talent taken away way too soon... RIP!!

S.F. Guru

Monday, September 12, 2011

Things that make me happy... Soledad Obrien & CNN Present

Things that make me happy... TV Show - Soledad Obrien & CNN Present

This week I saw another great documentary exploring race and religion on CNN Present called Unwelcomed: The Muslims next door.

Soledad has carved out an unique niche exposing bigotry and ignorance in America while creating a platform to explore sensitive issues in a constructive manner. This is by far my favorite CNN series and reporter.

In this documentary Soledad explores the small town of Murfreesboro, TN and fight to stop a mosque from being built by a local Muslim community. After watching this you might be alarmed to see the efforts made to support Anti-Mulsim bigotry.

The people of the town come off as ignorant and intolerant as they try to make the case in court that Islam is not a religion and therefore should not be protected by the constitution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRlqz3e9OrA&feature=youtube_gdata_player


Check it out on rerun if you get the chance. We got a very long way to go before everyone really read and understand our constitution.