BET AWARDS 2008 - Red Carpet Fashion

I hope ya'll got a chance to check out the red carpet action at the BET AWARDS the other night!

My favorite:

Unfortunately not loving...

What did you think? Let me know. And for more coverage - check out Jezebel.com.

B EXPOSED: Sex & the City - LIES & TRUTHS

If you ask a 20-something young woman why she moved to New York City, it's likely that her answers may have something to do with a little series called "Sex & the City." (The fashion, the friendships, the fun - oh my!) But as a new audience experiences the fab four through the movie release, it's only right time expose some of the lies & truths about the lifestyles lead by Carrie & the gang.

LIES

4 women can really walk down a Manhattan sidewalk shoulder-to-shoulder and side-by-side without getting whacked or cursed out by on-comers.

Your driver is always on time, and parked right in front of your building.

It's possible to never wear flats and relentlessly pound the pavement in 4.5 inch stilettos - and in the meatpacking district, no less.

You can rent a spacious 1 bedroom apartment on the UES for less than $1000 a month.

A publicist, an author, a corporate lawyer, and an art gallery director/housewife can sync their schedules to have a drink a least once a week.

Neighbors in your building are ever this sexy (and available)!


TRUTHS

You will eat LOTS of brunch.

Fashion will inspire you - daily. (For better or worse.)

You just might get a dream offer to work for Vogue.

You will make friends for life.

You can fall in love.

B a jetsetter!

Travel season is upon us, so why not jet in-style? A few essentials will keep you fabulously functional while flying high!

WRAP

This Banana Republic Long-Sleeve Wrap Cardigan is key to staying warm and chic on your flight. Layering pieces are easy to grab on your way out the door will help you to keep your outfit simple. All you need are comfortable jeans and a tank!

SUNGLASSES (AVIATORS)

You don't have to be the pilot to rock these stunners. Ray-Ban Original Aviator Sunglasses are classics that can cover a few bags if you had a late-night out before boarding the plane.

PASSPORT CASEYou can't go too far without your passport, but you can take you can instantly upgrade your look with a chic Abas Wave Passport Case. Love this one!

COLORFUL CARRY-ON

Laptop, magazines, wallet - check! Fit it all into a fun, colorful bag like this J.Crew Lugano Leather Valise. It would be hard to leave this standout piece behind.

SCENTED HAND CREAMAsh-checks are necessary before and after you get on the plane. A clean, but fragrant lotion like L'Occitane Lavender Hand Cream will keep you moisturized and a little dab here and there will freshen your senses before you land.


HIGH-FIBER SNACK

Food is hard to come by on most commercial flights, so pack a box of Triscuits on your way out. Hi-altitudes can leave you backed-up (it's true), so hi-fiber snacks will keep everything moving while satisfying your hunger.

B quoted...

“I was just a typical South Side little black girl... Not a whole lot of money. Going to the circus once a year was a big deal....I enjoyed it there [Princeton]. I liked the safety and quiet. It helped having an older brother who was a basketball star...Of course, it was different, being black, but I found a black support base for myself. It was also different not being filthy rich...At the end of the year, these limos would come to get kids, and me and my brother would be carrying our cardboard boxes down to the train station. But it helped my confidence, being able to succeed there. I actually knew lots of kids in high school who could have competed there, academically. You just had to get in. So much of getting ahead in this world is access, networking.” ~Michelle Obama

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this woman. Get it Michelle!

B out...TONIGHT!

B thrifty...

Living the B-Life doesn't exclude doing it big on a budget. Whether you're saving for a trip to South Africa or trying to stash cash to get a Miu Miu bag this Fall - these tips will definitely help you out!

HOLD THAT PURCHASE! Before you make your next online purchase, head to Retail Me Not for discount codes to countless online retailers! I recently got a 20% discount and free shipping on a 1200-thread count duvet set.

CALLING ALL CURL-GIRLS: Sign-up for your free hair cut at the Ouidad Salon today. Ouidad specializes in curly hair, and they dole out experts cuts during training sessions with their special "carve & slice" method.

SHIP THIS - Did you know that Greyhound can ship clothing/furniture/packages cross-country for hundreds less than the usual shipping methods? Just call/go to their website to learn more about the "Cargo" program. My girl's mom recently found an antique chair in LA, and now it lives in her Harlem digs for a mere $30....

CUSTOM DRAPES for all! Apparently custom drapes aren't just for those with pricey interior designers. Visit a fabric store, pick a material/pattern you love, and bring it to your local dry cleaners. A good dry cleaner can place all the necessary hems/pleats to create the perfect panels for your pad.

DRIVE EASY! Getting a new ride is easier (and cheaper) than you think. Sites like Swap A Lease allow you to take over a pre-existing car lease at an extremely reasonable rate. The down payments have already been made, so all you have to do is pitch in monthly. My boy got a 3-series BMW ("B My Wifey"/"Black Man's Wish" - I didn't make those up!) for less than 3 Ben's a month. Not a bad deal.

B: "Black In America"

This July, CNN unveils the stories of one of the most culturally influential, yet misunderstood groups in the country - BLACK PEOPLE. All of our journeys may vary, but our shared legacy is the same. Take a sneak peak at this provocative and telling special about a group struggling to keep it together at a time when we have everything, but risk losing even more all at the same time.

B quoted...

"But out of limitations comes creativity." ~ Debbie Allen

B out - THIS WEEKEND...(NYC)

What: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
When: Friday June 13th - 12:30PM
Where: Blue Note Jazz Club
Why: Every time I catch these guys on the street I'm mesmerized by their music. Really - if you can stay up, don't miss this one.

What: Dangerous Girl
When: Saturday June 14
Where: Kion Lounge - 509 E. 6th St. (btw Ave. A & B)
Why: Time for a night out...

B out - TONIGHT!

And so it begins...Lots of options for the summer. This one at Level V will definitely be a good look. Enjoy!

B out(doors) for lunch...

I think I may have found the perfect work-week lunch spot - MARIA PIA, located on 319 W. 51st St. (btw. 8th $ 9th Ave.)!

If you're a sucker for eating outdoors (like me), you can dine Euro cafe-style in the front, or in the back on the patio.

But if you prefer to stay cool at all times, the inside is equally adorable.

There's also an AMAZING prix fixe lunch special. For $12.95 you get antipasti, secondi, and dolci! You can't beat that with a stick!

(The outdoor patio)

Sure, we may have gotten back to the office about about 15 minutes late, but it was worth it!

Head to www.mariapianyc.com for more info.

B out - TONIGHT

Something new for the Uptown set...
"Renaissance Wednesdays"
Body Lounge on 12th Ave. btw. 135th & 134th Sts.

B Reviewed: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

B-Review: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Written by: Dontré Conerly

Ask any music theatre actor who has the tougher job between Broadway actors and television actors and he will likely delineate that it's the Broadway star who has it rougher. The combined elements of a live audience, no chance for outtakes, and no cameras to transmit action to the very back or top of an audience, means that a star of the stage has to act (indeed, overact) under some very strenuous conditions. It's always an irony, and a wonder, that they never really achieve the same level of fame (and pay?) as their television counterparts, even when those actors commit their parts to the screen in adaptations of Broadway plays.

The revival of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof combined veterans of both the screen and theatre, and tapped some of the best names of Black Hollywood and Black Broadway. Drawing its talent from three Tony winners and an Oscar-nominated movie star, the play received critical claim for the storyline as much as its headliners. Yet, even though Tennessee Williams' Pulitzer prize winning play is billed as an exuberant tour-de-force and marks Broadway veteran, Debbie Allen's, directorial debut, its three hours of slow-moving action and circuitous dialogue can make Cat On A Hot Tin Roof as uncomfortable as wearing a wool sweater on a hot, humid summer day.
Confined to an unchanging, single-room set on the Pollitt family's Mississippi estate, Cat is a play that deals with family turmoil in the wake of its patriarch's impending death. James Earl Jones commands the stage as "Big Daddy," a successful sharecropper-cum-plantation owner whose decision it is to divide the family assets amongst his two male heirs, both who seem incapable of running the family business. Giancarlo Esposito convincingly brings to life the emasculated "Gooper," who plays second-string to a headstrong (if not gold-digging) wife. It is Gooper's misfortune that though the eldest of the Pollitt children, he will likely be overlooked for the family's inheritance in lieu of "Brick," a indifferent drunkard played by Terrance Howard. While Brick outshines his sibling in the eyes of his father, Esposito bests Howard in the portrayal of their respective characters.

Primarily tasked with copious drinking throughout the production, Howard's turn on the stage leaves much to be desired. Unlike his seasoned co-stars, he struggles to set the tone of a scene, and has a hard time calling up the proper emotions, which sometimes left members of the audience laughing when the dialogue was gravely dramatic. Given the title role, one would have expected Howard to shine brightly like the star that he believes himself to be; instead, the audience watched him get upstaged by his co-stars, most notably by Tony-winner Anika Noni Rose.
Rose gives a burning-hot performance as the female lead, "Maggie," the scorned better-half to "Brick." Her rapid-fire delivery of biting dialogue is executed with stealth, heart, and passion that truly draws in the audience. Locked in a loveless marriage to Brick, Maggie's intensity is fueled by repeated rejections to her attempts at intimacy, and, indeed, an almost festering hatred from her husband, who battles talk and innuendos of an improper relationship with friend, "Scooter." Rose's performance steals the show and carries the first half of the play, but the play slumps into a monotonous drag soon thereafter. Even when the graceful Phylicia Rashad, "Big Momma," lends her talents, the action is only spiced for a few precious moments before being dragged down by the unbelievable plot and the seeming ineptitude of the characters.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roofe primarily showcases feline fury in a masterful piece that is simply anachronistic for today's climate. It's hours-long central dilemma could be shored up with an edited script that seeks to move the action along instead of repeating the core conflict. True to expectations, leading Broadway veterans live up to their tenor, but the lone movie-actor didn't quite fit his role. We may have gotten some insight, however, into his inadequacy with his recent comments, which suggests that the rigours of Broadway are too much for him. "Tough thing about Broadway is eight shows a week. It's slavery. That needs to be adjusted. It's wrong."
Theatre-goers may not get to see Howard grace the stage anymore, unless they change the schedules to shorten the work week. "I wouldn't do Broadway again if it's more than five a week. I'd just say no. N-O. Not doing it. I'm not saying it has to be my way. I'm saying they can get somebody else." Interestingly enough, the directors did get someone else when Howard scheduled a work-related leave; his role was played by popular film star Boris Kodjoe.

The limited-run engagement of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof closes on June 22, 2008. The show plays at the Broadhurst Theatre, located at 235 West 44th St. For more information, please call 1.800.BROADWAY.

Dontré L. Conerly is a freelance journalist, blogger, and social critic. Currently, he is the News & Culture editor for BLEU magazine and authors a weekly column on their website, entitled Entre Nous. His writings commonly appear in amNY, one New York City's most widely-read daily newspapers. Conerly graduated from New York University with a Bachelor's in Journalism and Communications studies. A native of New Orleans, LA, he currently resides in historic Harlem, NY.

B a role model...

My boy might kill me for posting this, but when I got it, all I felt was love. B a roll model, a mentor, an uncle, a brother, a friend. Taking time to touch one another is what it's all about. It's beautiful. Way to b Sonny !

B a summer beauty...

The B-Life is back, and summer is OFFICIALLY here! I've discovered a slew of amazing products (new and old) that are as hot, hot, hot for the season. Take notes, cause' this line-up will keep your beauty routine fresh all summer long!

BENEFIT BENE-TINT

One of my bff's swears by this stuff. It's a liquid stain you can use on your cheeks, lips, or wherever to get the perfect flush before you run out of the house. Chuck the heavy rouge and lighten up!


REDKEN UV RESCUE
Believe it or not, your hair needs UV protection too! If you like to sun like I do, this miracle spray will keep our hair silky smooth and sun-blocked as you take in the rays.


OPI - CURRY UP, DON'T BE LATE

So, I stole this one from a page in Harper's Bazaar while I was getting a pedi last weekend. Gold is the new neutral for the summer. It's great on toes!


JO MALONE - GRAPEFRUIT COLOGNE

A punchy citrus is perfectly Summer-appropriate. These yummy grapefruit notes only ripen in the heat, so use modestly.


BLISS FAT GIRL SLIM

Calling all skinny girls and big girls: thigh-cream is equal opportunity! Unfortunately cellulite doesn't discriminate, so take action. I can attest - this product is the truth. Period. Done. I take legs very seriously.


ST.IVES HEALTHY BRILLIANCE BRIGHTEN & GLOW

Skin is in when it's hot - so smooth out your situation before you bare all. Body exfoliation is not only the best way to unwind after a long day, it also serves you well when it's time to cuddle with your boo. Love this one!


SCHICK INTUITION

I've been a believer in this all-in-one razor ever since it hit the market! Stubble is a hairy-situation, so please avoid it at all costs. Throw this baby in your purse so you can stay smooth at all times!