Good Times.Girl Power . . .Again (so necessary!)

Well, If life is really like a musical like my secret lover 3000 and my homie Brilliant Brown say, I am loving this scene a whole lot.
Yesterday was phenomenal.
I know, I know.
I say that everyday.
But seriously, after almost losing my life Thursday bench pressing for my final in weight training it was great to really feel alive.
I went to the first annual Global Visionary Awards hosted by the School of Communications to honor extraordinary women. And yes, they were as haute and high and mighty as it sounds at the Four Seasons in Georgetown with Lebron James in the lobby before two escorts meet me and take me downstairs.
I don't get to iron my suit and really primp like I want b/c of a problem relating to michael's post. I get their and they are just ending the silent auction reception before the luncheon begins. The room is decorated amazingly. As I look at all the beautiful black people I wish I could have worn a dress but they asked us to wear suits and Ive done a lot more for a good free meal.
I sit with some other students and we have a ball. I look back and squint my eyes trying to place where I know this lady from at the table behind me. It's Fredricka Whitfield from CNN.
Michelle Miller enters the luncheon in this fly aqua suit and matching purse with her husband Marc Morial, CEO of the Urban League, and a son who looks just like him. They head to a table at the front.
At this table sits the luncheon's honoree Sheila Johnson, who me and my godmom were just talking about right? Also at the table is Nancy Wilson. And I am trying to be calm and concentrate on cutting my shrimp so it doesn't fly off the table.
The speaker was Robin Roberts from Good Morning America and she was absolutely hilarious. her parents went to Howard and mom is sitting in the audience quick to correct her. Her scholarship to come to HU was $300 not $100. "Big Difference" Robin says and continues to be hilarious. She steps on my toes talking about how she had to get out of her comfort zone, which for her was sports. After the luncheon she's signing a copy of her book for me and tells me she likes my suit and I definitely feel good I wore the suit:).
Dr. Johnson is amazing and when I talk to her afterwards she lights up as I tell her my godmom was the woman she met at her resort and she laughs remembering how she hugged her.
I get back to campus and quickly change clothes to go see the Delta's come out.My homie Yasmine looked amazing and they were so cute in these "collegiate" sweater outfits.
Then me Shani, Arion, and Mikey head to Alero for happy hour. Those margaritas did me in as my shattered glass proved and we resolved the "Beyonce is A Drag Queen" debate. *Mademoiselle M a post is coming soon with all the juice. thanks for asking:)
I spotted Alison Bethel, a former Hilltopper as she was coming in and as we are leaving we go say hello. She is a big time journalist who has chilled in the Oval Office and still as cool as she wanna be. She mentions she was just talking about me to her organization, The D.I.V.A.S, who I saw come out last week.
She ask had we heard about her new job.
We hadn't.
She tells us she is the new EIC of the Nassau Guardian - in the Bahamas! She's heading on a one-way ticket Monday and I am amazed and so glad we ran into her. Not only are they taking care of her apartment and a car - she's moving to the freaking Bahamas! You know I will have to take her up on the offer to visit:)
i get back to my room to change clothes for Cotton Club and let the margaritas wear off. After all this girl power I get slammed back to reality reading about Imus's comments about the Rutgers Women's basketball team.
That reinforced why girl power is important. It's fighting back against ignorance that likes to rob dignity and can be suffocating.

Cotton Club was so much fun and everybody looked great. see:)?

Today I got up and worked on the thesis then went to lunch with the girls. Walking to the car I see these bushes - frosted with snow. It's April 6th and tomorrow is Easter, Global Warming is not a joke.
Leaving lunch this guy offers to take a picture of us then his drunk friend jumps in as the lady with them starts saying move to the left, then sings irreplaceable as the guy in the picture says "oh yeah, riding dirty" and they sing chamillionaire and Im thinking do these white people really think that makes me think their "down?" WTF?
We hit friendship heights for shopping. I got this cute 70s-ish dress I can't wait to wear but most importantly got the new GIANT with Eve on the cover along with some other mags including Ebony with Halle on it and the 150 black power players and Upscale with Jada looking phenomenal.

Girl Power Still Rocks.
A great weekend, indeed.
End Scene.
Queen.

iMAGine That!

Ok. Ok. So I have REALLY been trying to post before the magazine conference on Saturday because I knew once it happened I would have a lot to talk about. Well after writing two full posts and having them malfunction before posting i guess it wasn't meant to be to tell you I yelled when J-Hud won and thought Ellen was great, loved how Beyonce was acting like Jay-Z in the Upgrade video, decided Im going to Miami/ATL/NY for spring break. But it was meant for me to let ya know the conference was BANANAS(sp.:)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I mean, absolutely great. Cover to Cover's 4th Annual Magazine Conference. iMAGine:Dream. Believe. Achieve.

Friday night we had this sexy MAGtini Mix & Mingle on Ust that was so hot! Our 13 friends from UNC Chapel Hill made it and it was great to see the Ed2010 network at work. I felt cute . . .even I was a little overdressed. Probably just excited for the upcoming trip to Miami where my dress season officially begins again!
Remember last summer how it was one of my goals to meet Mitzi Miller, who made me want to go into magazines? Well, we met and somehow I finagled my way into her life and she is my homie/mentor/friend!
And I wasn't even extra greedy to try and keep her to myself and was so psyched she was able to accept my offer come to the conference. Now my friends keep talking about her and saying how cool she is and I'm loving it. So, her mentor (and mine too) Joyce E. Davis was able to come too from Atlanta! Mitzi interned for her at Honey and I interned for her at Upscale . . .and her mentor is my closest professor Yanick Rice Lamb.
If that didn't remind you to be pleasant at all times because EVERYONE knows EVERYONE, our lovely keynote speaker Danyel Smith of Vibe was sooo cool and her husband Elliot came too, the EIC of XXL. He was so funny and chill. Like, absolutely hilarious and actually got my jokes.

But just imagined if all you wanted to do was cover hip hop and you messed up with her . . .you really think you got a shot at XXL?

You would think them being at two magazines whose readers overlap would be an issue or something juicy, but he really broke it down and its really a beautiful thing. My main regret of the conference - I didn't take a pic of Danyel with her shoes or me with the two of them for the conference to have next year, I was on my 'I'm not a groupie" tip and didn't think about it till they left, which felt so presidential as I escorted them to their chauffeured car out front with the wind blowing through me and Danyel's hair.. .i know, way too much:).
Joyce had forewarned me Danyel gave a good speech and would have people eating out of her hand. Well, she was sooo right.
Danyel had people who weren't interested in writing or editing re-thinking their career goals. And she did it all while wearing these sick patent leather 3 1/2 inch red pumps.
Even with people who wouldn't know what hard work is if it bit them in their pompous ass tried to play like Im just the dictator from hell, my good mood and that feeling of job well done was there to stay. Im a compromiser. So if we are going to argue over whether a book signing or career booth should be at a round table or rectangular, I'll just sweetly ask the people who are using the table what they would prefer. Each said rectangle. Have you ever been to a book signing at a round cafeteria table? Anywho, I digress . ..but while Im at it. If you scream on me about you being in charge of something, than damnit, see it through and not slink into a corner proving my point of how you dont follow through . . .

Back to Danyel and Elliot and Mitzi and Joyce, yeah, it was great. And all the attendees were so fly all the speakers kept saying how they were keeping in touch with this bright bunch. And I'm all like me too.

Mitzi's freaking working on a screenplay with Malcom Lee, who did my beloved Best Man. Hot right?
Corynne Corbett, the executive editor at Real Simple, came and was great! Even cooler my summer buddy is her new EA and sent the comp. issues of the magazine to us. Yasmin Shiraz donated her sexy novel where the main character is what-a magazine journalist. I've probably already said this to you as I do everyone, but please please get up on myspace! It's a great networking spot and in a field like magazine journalism who you know has a lot to do with even knowing a job is open, let alone being considered.

That pic in the tan dress is from Friday with me and my Johns Hopkins homie Jan who interned at Vixen last summer in beauty. We are both Mean Girls/Andre 3000 lovers. Weird, right? She is so . ..me. It's so much more I could tell but I actually have to get back into school mode and do actual work:(
Well, we did get great press for the event and will be in the Washington Post later this week. Miss YBF herself was in the building, who my BFF absolutely loves and quotes on the regular, and was a panelist and even shouted us out on the blog! Yep, alls well that ends well and this ended FANTASTICALLY!

My last year as president, something I was the first of for this newly formed group when I was a freshman, has really come full circle. The closest thing I ever have had to a kid after my little sister is this club. I did my thing and am ready to move out the way for the next bunch and take all of the speakers and friends up on their offer to "stay in touch"!

Best,
CJ

We Run it!!!

I'm not skinny. I don't pass the paper bag test.
I'm gorgeous. Not pretty for a dark skinned girl. Just pretty.

But just because I know these things doesn't mean the world we live in acknowledges that. That's why I am really feeling Usher right now, or more importantly his choice in lady friends.

Tameka Foster
Everything about Tameka from being 37, three kids and married when she was his stylist didn't stop the two from hooking up. She's thick and from what she wore to Usher's photo shoot for Atlanta Peach, uses her styling skills on herself. *This article is by far one of the best on Usher I've read and was written by the entertainment editor and my old boss Isoul.


Raven Symone
After seeing those two I was already feeling good about the thick girl on the come up and a little close to cheating on my Kanye Workout plan, and glad that my theory from last march of the brown skinned girl being "in" may still be holding. Then I saw this cover and bout feel out my seat from excitement. Raven raking in
$400 million is major. I mean I know EVERY little kid loves that show . . .including me and my homies too, hey shani! But I didn't know she was almost at the half billion mark. Being a double digit, not losing weight and having great self confidence living and working in Hollywood may be even bigger deal.

Jennifer Hudson
Then there's my FAVORITE, Miss Jennifer Hudson. Yes I'm still playing the Dreamgirls soundtrack like it's an overdue movie. And took it as a sign of good things to come for me when I saw my favorite star on one of my favorite magazines. Then Friday Mikey told me there were rumors of her being on the cover of Vogue. WHAT!!!! I would really be feeling real good (you have to say that in the Like Dat voice from Flavor of Love) if J Hud was on freakin Vogue. Anna Wintour makes no secret of the fact she doesn't care for those of us with more to love for her magazine. We shall see!

Not so running it . . .
Now as giddy as I was to pick up my Giant in Borders my high deflated when I looked across the aisle and thought I saw Denise Richards on the cover of the British GQ - then realized it was Beyonce. WTF? I mean, it's no secret they are always lightening her up in pictures. But this is extreme. She looks pasty white.





Then there's Rasputia. I saw Norbit last week at a screening with Mikey and thought it was hilarious. One of my other favs Thandie Newton was in it (she was also in the Jennifer issue of Giant looking Fab!)He told me how some black women were protesting because of Rasputia. I mean, she's is a lot of woman. But I thought Eddie did what he seems to do best. But way in the back of my head I do wonder if white people realize Rasputia doesn't represent every black woman they see . . .

So outside of the whitening Beyonce to the extreme and Eddie Murphy a la Rasputia, Jennifer, Raven and Tameka are showing that the spectrum of what constitutes a beautiful black woman is getting bigger! And I'm loving them for it.

Queen.