55 Secret Street : My Little Brown Eye

My Little Brown Eye...

Sorry I've been away but sadly, it was necessary. My hilarious, can-fix-or-build-anything, original-Soul Train loving, had the keys to everyone's house grandfather, Kenneth Murphy, Sr., passed away on Valentine's Day.

Pop (as we 13 grandchildren) called him was a really funny guy who made up a nickname for everyone and gleefully teased and cracked jokes on anyone crossing his path. If you were the sensitive type well... you would just have to get over it! He was also well known as a hard worker - that's why he had the keys to everyone's house. If something needed to be fixed, torn down or built, you called my grandfather and he showed up when he got ready (generally, pronto). I can't tell you how many mornings as kids, my sister and I would wake up and find Pop sitting in the kitchen ("It's about time! Where's breakfast?")

We'll miss you Pop!

* In happier news, I've got several buddies on the move! First up, my pal Afrobella has a new blog! It's a blog she writes for work called Pretty in the City so don't worry, she will not be forgetting about Afrobella!

Also, my friend Adrena Ifill is screening her documentary Robert Smalls: A Patriot's Journey from Slavery to Capitol Hill around the country. There is a screening in Manhattan tomorrow, February 21, at The Williams Club and in Charlotte, North Carolina on February 26th. I have mentioned Adrena before and here is a clip from the documentary.

Posted by Nichelle on February 20, 2008 at 04:56 PM in My Little Brown Eye | Permalink | Comments (8)

My Little Brown Eye... Happy New Year 2008!

Whatever you do, Don't Drink and Diet! Drunkorexia is not cute.

Chris Rock is kicking off his 2008 "No Apologies" tour tonight at Madison Square Garden in New York. Aww, I like Chris Rock and I wish I had tickets! Maybe I can catch him in D.C. or Philadelphia.

Have you made any new year's resolutions? I have - but I'm keeping them to myself! I make lists and resolutions compulsively throughout the year, so January 1 doesn't always phase me. I don't have any black-eyed peas on hand, but I will be cleaning my house before the New Year officially arrives here in Newark, which is now the Northeast's fastest growing big city. That is fantastic, but I am still moving back to New York in 2008. Newark is great and it's definitely rising - I can see it everyday. But I still live 99.5% of my life in New York, so off I go.

I am very excited about the new year as 2008 is looking very very good for me. I hope it's looking good for you too!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here's to 2008! {Making It Lovely}

Favorite Things 2007 - Annie of Blogdorf Goodman leads the way as beauty bloggers, including my buddies Lianne of The Makeup Girl and Natalie of Coquette, list their favorite beauty things of 2007.

Isn't It Lovely? - I just heard about Lovely Magazine, a fantastic, interactive online magazine out of Boston. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the future of magazines. Beautifully done.

The List: What's In and Out for 2008. Chris Rock is "out" and Tyler Perry is "in"????? Wrong! {Washington Post}

What Happened to New York: A History of the 00's So Far - A history of New York via the Metro section of The New York Times. {Gawker}

The World of Tomorrow - On January 1, 1908, The New York Times ran an article called “1808 — 1908 — 2008.” The article marveled at the advancements of the previous century and called upon experts of the day to give predictions for the future. “What will the year 2008 bring us? What marvels of development await the youth of tomorrow?” "Us," meant New Yorkers, but there were very interesting predictions from 1908 that were definitely realized. One magazine stated, “When the expectations of wireless experts are realized, everyone will have his own pocket telephone and may be called wherever he happens to be.” As for the year 2108, novelist Oscar Hijuelos, Mad Money host Jim Cramer and a seventh grader named Kate Kaplan give their interesting predictions. {New York Times}

Posted by Nichelle on December 31, 2007 at 10:16 PM in My Little Brown Eye | Permalink | Comments (1)

My Little Brown Eye...

* Part 2 of my 55 Q&A with Sam Fine is coming up! Promise!

* Gabrielle Union is not pleased with black gossip blogs that are "run by black women". Sanaa Lathan is not impressed either. Well ladies, you can always check out black beauty and fashion blogs! I don't really deal with celebrities much on my site (with the exception of this column) but most of the other fashion/beauty blogs - run by black women - definitely do. And they are, more often than not, very favorable to you guys (including your pal Nia Long) in particular - even when they are not thrilled with what you're wearing, dating, whatever. Allow me to introduce you:

I Like Her Style!, Hip Candy, The Makeup Girl, Afrobella , Shake Your Beauty, The Adventures of an Urban Socialite, 99 Products, Scandalous Beauty, Fly The Fashion Bomb, Erica B's D.I.Y. Style, Ms. New Beauty and All About The Pretty. Stereohyped is not about fashion, beauty or gossip, but it's run by a black woman and it's pretty good too.

* Black Is The New White For 'Men's Vogue' - This is via Portolio.com which is, like Men's Vogue, owned by Conde Nast. Men's Vogue Editor-in-Chief Jay Fielden: "I don't think that Tiger or Senator Obama appeal only to one segment of the population. In fact, they proved to be two of the best-selling covers we've ever done, and we have good reason to expect even more from Denzel Washington and Will Smith. If there is some industry rule of thumb that you can't have African-Americans on the cover more than so many times a year, then we're glad to be the ones disproving it."

Sounds great Jay - but clearly the rules are different for black superstars. While we can expect to see a Denzel Washington or a Will Smith, or a Barack Obama on your cover and a Beyonce or a Halle Berry on a cover like Glamour, I have yet to see a black star that is not a mega star (like a Kerry Washington) that also "appeals to more than one segment of the population" on a major cover.

* Sad but nice: Watch this video of Holly Robinson Peete paying tribute to the late Dr. Donda West, a former professor and chair of the Department of English at Chicago State University and of course, mother of rapper Kanye West.

* Robin Givhan of The Washington Post weighs in on the possible cause of Dr. West's death: Plastic Surgery's Allure Cuts Both Ways.

* Gerald Boyd was the Jackie Robinson of the New York Times. Be sure to click on the comments after you read the article. Gerald Boyd's widow is former Essence editor Robin Stone, author of No Secrets, No Lies: How Black Families Can Heal From Sexual Abuse.

* And here is yet another interesting black woman. My friend Adrena Ifill, a documentary filmmaker, has just uploaded the trailer to her documentary Congressman Robert Smalls: A Patriot's Journey From Slavery To Capital Hill on YouTube. Check out her website for information on a screening near you.

Posted by Nichelle on November 16, 2007 at 01:49 PM in My Little Brown Eye | Permalink | Comments (4)

My Little Brown Eye... Fashion Bullies Attack!

* No, not Miss Jay (see the last item for him).

I spotted this Wall Street Journal story, Fashion Bullies Attack - in Middle School, at Talking Stuff, a blog by one of my blogger pals Classicrose. This poor girl is showing up in Dolce & Gabbana, Juicy Couture and Seven For All Mankind and she's getting harrassed?

Mean Girls suck.

And would you believe the problem was that she did not show up in Apple Bottoms and Air Force 1's by Nike? I didn't even know they made Apple Bottoms for girls! The image I have of Apple Bottoms is Nelly hugging a topless model in his jeans while chomping on an apple. Don't get me started...

* Did anyone catch Damon Wayans on The View yesterday? Apparently he's joined the nappy-headed ho brigade. According to People, Damon said that he has no problem with Don Imus. "At least I know where he stands. And you know what? When he called them nappy-headed ho's, I went, 'Wow, he's right!'

Well alright then Damon. I'll remember where you stand the next time you hit the box office. I don't play the nappy-headed ho thing. Find a new joke please!

* The Divine Afrobella was the first to hip me to singer Sharon Jones, a 51-year-old Augusta, Georgia-born former Ryker's Island corrections officer! Now, Sharon and her band The Dap Kings are everywhere. Jezebel linked to their video for their song 100 Days, 100 Nights which led me to this New York Times article where Sharon reminds everyone that Amy Winehouse and Joss Stone did not reinvent soul music. Tell the truth and shame the devil won't ya please!

If you haven't heard Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, oh my... are you in for a treat! Here you go:

Don't you miss real singers?

Anyway, Sharon is playing a singer in Denzel Washington's next film, "The Great Debater" so now I really can't wait to see it.

* Okay, back to Jay Alexander. By the way, did you know that he was tall? I mean Tall - like 6'5". I'm not a big America's Next Top Model viewer so I had no idea. I met him (as in a ten-second elevator ride) during Fashion Week and I was very surprised. If you would like to meet him - and perhaps break into the fashion industry while you're at it, this may be for you:

WHAT: Fashion Industry Forum hosted by designer Malcolm Harris of Mal Sirrah.

WHO: Panelists include: Jay Alexander (America's Next Top Model), model Chanel Iman, Selita Ebanks (Victoria's Secret), Memsor Kamarake (Vibe's Fashion Director), Alexander Allen (Celebrity Fashion Stylist), and Tia Williams (Shake Your Beauty & IT CHICKS).

WHEN: Sunday, November 11th, 5-7PM

WHERE: Runway Lounge, 4 East 28th Street (btwn 5th & Madison)

TICKETS: $25 in advance at www.ticketleap.com, or $30 at the door

Posted by Nichelle on November 07, 2007 at 11:22 PM in My Little Brown Eye | Permalink | Comments (2)

My Little Brown Eye... Denzellllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Say it with me now: Den-zellllll!!!

The most elegant man in Hollywood graces the cover of the November issue of Men's Vogue. In the article, he talks about he and his wife Pauletta moving back to New York after years in Hollywood so he can reposition himself to the theater scene.

Of course, the primary reason for the cover is to promote his latest movie, American Gangster with Russell Crowe. He also mentioned this neat little tidbit: Pauletta, who studied piano at Juilliard and put aside her musical career to support Denzel's acting career, has just recorded a duet with Angie Stone! Can't wait to hear that one! I also can't wait for Denzel's second shot in the director’s chair, The Great Debaters. He’ll also be in front of the camera with Forest Whitaker and Kimberly Elise. History buff that I am, I love movies like this. It's a 1930s period piece about a black debate team from Texas that went on to challenge Harvard for a national championship. The film is being co-produced by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions and the Weinstein Company.

I got a kick out of Halle Berry telling Tavis Smiley that Denzel and Pauletta are sick of her asking to do a film with him. She said that he wants to do a comedy, but she wants to do something epic and "gut-wrenching like The Way We Were.

Berry: He's sick of hearing it. He's like, "Just go away."

Tavis: (Laughter) I doubt that.

Berry: You know, he and Pauletta are both, "Can she get a life?" But Denzel, I think, wants to do a comedy with me, but I want to do like "The Way We Were", a great classic love story between he and I. That's what I want to do. Something that's gut-wrenching, that's passionate, that's honest and would really be reflective of two Black people coming together telling a story about our story that would be on another level. That's what I want to do with Denzel.

Halle? I know you’ve got an Oscar too, but if Denzel said to me, “Hey, let’s do a comedy!” I would say “Okay!” Make that Hitch-like comedy money and then do something like The Way We Were. Not that you asked me or anything, but I just thought I’d throw in my two cents as a fan.

* Hot Mamas - Note to self: Stock up on black dresses and boots when I get pregnant...

Speaking of Halle Berry, she has said that she is foregoing maternity clothes and going organic and eco-friendly with her nursery. Sounds good to me. And Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, easily the best-looking pregnant woman I have ever seen in my life, gave birth to healthy twin boys last week so congrats to she and her husband.

* Are you a Country Girl? I'm a City Girl myself, but I can appreciate a little country music every now and then. I stumbled across Rissi Palmer on several blogs a few weeks ago and went to her MySpace page to hear some of her music. Not bad! She's been getting a lot of attention because she is the first black woman in more than twenty-five years to make Billboard's Hot Country chart. And yes, her hair looks great! Has Afrobella been notified?

* On my Starbucks run today, I noticed a brochure for an essay contest they are holding for kids 8 to 12 years old. If you have a child or know of a child who can, in 100 words or less, write a poem, essay or short story about what he or she would do to make the world a better place, send them to www.hearmusic.com/essaycontest. Prizes range from $250 to $1,000 educational bonds and the winning entry will be placed on Starbucks.com. I'll be alerting my 8-year-old nephew tonight!

Posted by Nichelle on October 23, 2007 at 08:08 PM in My Little Brown Eye | Permalink | Comments (2)

My Little Brown Eye...

I was a little under the weather last week, so forgive me if I'm a little late with some of these things...

* Vogue India has launched and the debate is on - why is Gemma Ward sharing the cover? And how long will we have to wait before a curly-haired desi model graces the cover?

* Although I enjoyed my first Fashion Week in New York a few weeks ago, I may have missed the Fashion Week at the recently concluded London shows since Prince famously rocked the runway for Matthew Williamson. Yeah, I admit it - I just wanted an excuse to put Prince on my site! He knows all about 55 Secret Street of course...

* Jaime Pressly and her widely-panned St. John Couture dress at the Emmy Awards made me think of a New Yorker article about her a few years ago, 2003 to be exact, The Almost It Girl. She kept stressing to the writer of the article how badly she wanted to be taken seriously in Hollywood. Hopefully her new Emmy has solved that problem for her.

* Interesting article about Eartha Kitt in the Sunday New York Times called The Wild Child's Delight on her affinity for hornet's nests. Yes, hornet's nests. I say 80-something legends can like whatever they want!

* Speaking of legends, I can't wait to hear the duet Aretha Franklin is doing with Fantasia (Oh wait, here it is - Let Me Put You Up On Game), but I can't get behind the idea of mommy-to-be Halle Berry playing Aretha in a movie on her life - especially when Jennifer Hudson and Queen Latifah are available! I respect my legends so I will not comment further ~~unless she brings it up again~~.

* I am always in SoHo and I recently stopped into the Todd Oldham home design store (all of the floor samples were on sale by the way) but I am glad to hear that he is stepping back into fashion. He has joined Old Navy as it's Creative Director and, of course, his eponymous clothing line is on the way too.

*Also in SoHo, I had to drag myself out of Jonathan Adler's store on Greene Street. TOO! CUTE! Remember these pillows I showed a few months ago? And check out these groovy cannisters.