NOAH'S ARC FILM TIES UP LOOSE ENDS WHILE ENTERTAIN AND ENLIGHTEN FANS

When Noah’s Arc first premiered on Logo three years ago, many Gays made it a habit to be home on Wednesday night to see what adventures Noah (Daryl Stevens), Alex, (Rodney Chester) Chance (Doug Spellman) and Ricky (Christian Vincent) would get into as well as how they were able to resolve conflicts and situations to help them heal. The did well in the ratings department, but when the series were canceled indefinitely, many fans were pissed to the point of having a petition send the network to bring the series back, Well Logo and the show’s creator decided to have the series into a movie, "Noah's Arc: Jumping The Broom" which has fans turning out in large numbers to support, and I have to say the movie is excellent and tackles issues dealing with relationships, trusts and maturity.
The film begins with Alex, Chance, Ricky, and his date Brandon (played by Gary LeRoi Gray, who played Nelson in “The Cosby Show”). arriving in Mass chutes to help coordinate Noah and Wade’s (Jessen Atwood) wedding on his family’s property, and as soon as they enter the main house, they begin to chat while sassy Alex informs them of their responsibilities for the weekend. Afterwards Noah and Wade have a quiet moment on the patio where they hug and kiss while Noah expresses him gratitude and appreciation to Wade for allowing them to get married on his family’s property.
‘My grand father left this house to all of us” Wade says as he holds Noah close to him, before their mood of intimacy is ruined when Noah receives a phone call from his boss Brandy, who’s bitches at Noah for not receiving the script and for not receiving an invitation for the wedding.
“That’s the 5th time she called” Wade says with disgust in his voice.
Noah decides to text the information of where the nuptials take place, thinking she’s not going to attend.
“She won’t attend” Noah assures Wade as they return to the house to get their assignments from Alex, whose sassiness lights up the scene. Especially when he refers to Brandon as Ricky’s trick and while they’re at the dinner praying where Noah, and Brandon catches Ricky in his tramp mode kissing the property’s care taker. After dinner Brandon speaks to Alex about being coming to grips about his sexuality and being inspired to come out to his mother after seeing a bunch of Black Gay men being loving towards each other.
“Just make sure the choice you’re making is laying down the foundation” Alex tells Brandon before he gives him two boxes of condoms.
As Brandon walks up stairs, he sees Ricky holding Noah by his waist while they speak about the pros and cons of marriage, before Wade intervenes and informs Ricky that he’s stepping on his territory. A few minutes later, Ricky enter the room and sees Brandon’s profile on a non-sex site, and complains about marriage, while Brandon calls him mother and comes out to her, which has her pissed and him crying, and instead of Ricky being sensitive about the situation, he leaves him for a hook-up with a white man which turns out to be a bad thing; in addition to refusing to kiss, he forces Ricky to such him off, and while he’s going down on Ricky, a police car spots them and takes Ricky into custody, while Brandon reaches out to Chance and Eddie (who’s jealous of him) for comfort and wind up sharing the bed while Alex checks on Tre who’s in California watching their two-month old child they adopted.
The next day, Wade explodes when British Rapper/Actor Baby Gat (played by Jason Steele) makes an surprise visit and tries to win over Noah’s heart with flowers and gifts, while Brandy informs Noah’s she’s in town for a Party that Puffy is having at a new home he brought in the area and she wants him to show Gat hospitality so he can play in the movie he’s working on. Wade also walks out to the patio and let Noah knows that his friends aren’t too fond of him, forcing Noah to let him know that it’s going to take time for them to become close and that if he wants to marry him, let him know and before Noah can finish his sentence, Wade grabs and kisses him. One funny part of the film is when Gat and Alex read each other, and when Brandon informs him that he filmed Gat’s undercover activities and that he can easily post it on You Tube if Gat tries to disrupt the wedding. A sad moment is when Eddie tries to reminisce about his days playing in a music group and when Chance reminds Eddie he wasn’t too thrilled about his short-lived music career, he gets slapped in the face, causing the audience to give mixed reactions from the audience.
Another fun moment was when Noah, Brandon and Chance begins to vogue in the living room before they head to their separate Bachelors party, which has some nice edits of them speaking about various topics including, sexual roles, body image, using condoms while being in long term monogamous relationships, but the fun begins to end when Noah who’s drunk decides to call his future mother-in-law and informs her that Wade would love for her to be at their wedding, and when Brandon reveals to Wade and Eddie how Ricky really has feelings for Noah which confirms Wade’s suspicions of why Ricky was always flirting with him. The bachelor party gets wild when Brandy and Gat crashes, and Gat does everything to have a fling with Noah, who resists his urges despite being kissed and being dragged into the hot tub, while Chances makes out with Brandon after he informs Eddie their relationship is over, but the hottest and touching moments are when Noah catches Ricky kissing Wade, and when Alex admits to Noah that he’s in risk of losing Tre due to his dominating and controlling mouth. Noah commends him for acknowledging the problem, and encourages him to continue to learn to be more of a listener, while he encourages Chance and Eddie to work on more communication as well as telling Brandon that he can rely on his friends for being his family if his parents refuses to accept him for being who he is.
The movie ends with both the grooms parents attending, and while Noah’s mother is happy, Wade’s mother was shocked that her son was gay, and how Wade stood up to her and let her know that if she doesn’t want to accept his son’s decision, that she can leave. She tells him that somebody has to pay for the cab and Gat decides to pay in a way of showing his appreciation and gratitude., before they dance at the reception.

The movie was very great, uplifting and encouraging. I like how Patrick was able to tackle important issues that many in the Gay community deal with on a daily basis, and how people can solve them and live healthier lives. I commend him for showing Ricky’s and Alex’s sensitive sides as well as showing how mature Brandon was. Especially when he tells Ricky “though I’m only 19, I know what real love is.“ It though it would have been nice had he included music by openly Gay Singers and rappers in the film to show how far gays are coming in the industry,

LABELLE RETURNS: MUSIC'S LEGENDARY NIGHTBIRDS ARE BACK WITH NEW ALBUM IN OVER 3 DECADES

LABELLE
BACK TO NOW
VERVE RECORDS

9 Out of 1-10
Whenever journalists would interview Patti La Belle, they would always ask would she, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash would ever reunite and perform? Girlfriend would always say yes, and they have reunited for several occasions; they recorded the song “Release Yourself” for Patti’s 1991 Grammy Award winning album “Burnin” and recorded a top charting dance single “Turn It Out” for the “To Wong Foo: Thanks for Everything” Soundtrack. They even reunited for two specials where Patti were honored, but many including the fans and the ladies grew tired of waiting for the original Space birds to get back together.
“Pat’s been talking about us getting back together for thirty years! Nona said in the group’s bio.“ I said, ‘we should either stop announcing it…or do it!’” “I knew it was long overdue but each time, I was not ready to do it and I had so many things on my plate.” Patti added. “My manager Damascene Pierre Paul kept asking me to do this; he was begging me and finally, I gave in. Then I said, ‘I don’t want to half–step…I will make time to do this.” Adds Sarah, “We never did a farewell tour. We just stopped. This is a way of bringing completion for the fans who were with us from the beginning.”
The group had originally began as Patti La Belle & The Bluebelles, which also featured Cindy Birdsong, who joined The Supremes in 1967, while the group carried on as a trio. Three years later, the group linked up with British producer Vicki Wickham, who gave them a music make-over by changing their name to La Belle, having them dress in silver costumes, and record songs (mostly written by Hendryx) about empowerment, sex, and politics, which became a hit with many fans including Blacks, Women and Gays, who embraced their musical mixture of Soul, Funk and Rock. They hit big with their top charting classic “Lady Marmalade” which made them the first Black group to perform at the Metropolitan Opera House.
Sadly creative difference caused tensions in the group (Nona wanted to record Rock, while Sarah wanted to sing Dance and Patti wanted to record more ballads), and to save their friendship, they decided to split in 1976 to pursue solo projects. In addition to writing and producing for several artists including Lisa-Lisa, Nona also scored many classic hits including “Transformation” and “Why Should I Cry?” as well as forming her own record label. Sarah has scored many Dance hits while starring in several television movies and plays and singing background for The Rolling Stones as well as working with the group’s members Keith Richards on their solo projects. Patti has became a legend in her own right, scoring several classic hits including “If Only You Knew,” “New Attitude,” “If You Asked Me To” and her chart topping duet with Michael Mc Donald on the classic “On My Own.”
While they ladies were working on their solo careers, many of today’s artists have kept their music alive including Shelia E, Lady Soul and Sugar Babes who each did versions of their classic “Lady Marmalade” along with Christina Aguleria, Mya, Pink and Lil’ Kim, who’s version of the song topped the charts and earned them several awards for Best video and performance by a group or duo, while rappers Nick Cannon and Nelly sampled “Going On A Holiday” and “Isn’t A Shame” for their singles “Get Crunk Shorty” and “My Place.”
After years of waiting, the trio is back with “Back To Now” which features songs written by the trio and production by Hendryx, Lenny Kravitz, Wyclef Jean, and the legendary team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff who was able to keep the album fresh without losing their originality.
The CD opens with Hendryx’s self-penned “Candlelight” which contains a nice combo of Blues, and Soul courtesy of the guitar, piano riffs, strings and harmonies, followed by the album’s first release “Roll Out” which is getting spins in Gay clubs and moving up the charts as we speak. This track has sassy and empowering lyrics about being mistreated by a man and doing your own thing and features Wyclef singing the hook while the group’s sings harmony in a Caribbean style, but the computerized effects weren’t necessary. Especially for these talented females

I ain’t your superwoman
I ain’t your wonder woman
I ain’t gonna wash your clothes
I ain’t the floor you’re walking on
I’m gonna keep the car
Stop caring where you are
Buy your own cigarettes
Walk your own pets
I’m out the door
Tonight when you come home
I will be gone
LADIES!!!
Tonight. Ain’t gotta fight
I’ll be alright.
I see the light.

“Super Lover” is a beautiful sexy ballad that has a nice horn section and captures Patti’s ability to sing mid range as well as harmony with Nona and Sarah, further demonstrated on “Without You In My Life, which contains heartfelt lyrics penned by the group and “System” which is one of my favorites songs on this CD. In addition to the music, the songs has creative social conscious lyrics that tells people (especially politicians and homophobic pastors) not to impose their narrow-minded views on people because they wouldn’t like it if the tables were turned.

Please don’t take that attitude
Now who’s reflecting who?
I control the multitude
Tell me which one would you chose?
It’s up to me to whatever you’re gonna be in the end
System don’t bother me
System don’t worry me.


Nona cuts loose vocally on the hard rocking “Truth Will Set You Free” which has hot Rock guitars solos and lyrics encouraging people to be who they are without compromise and to put their trust in God, while they tackle issues of war, poverty, haterism, abandonment of children and violence of the Caribbean flavored “Tears For The World” which should have had more balanced percussion, but the vocals compensates for the loss along with the Nona-produced “Dear Rosa” a beautiful tribute to the late Civil Right leader whose refusal to give her seat for a white passenger resulted in her being arrested and for equality for many Southerners who experienced racism on a daily basis and the Disco-flavored “How Long“ The CD closes with the group’s 1970 original recording of the Cole Porter classic “Miss Otis Regrets,” a treat for longtime fans who were eager to see how the former Bluebelles was going to succeed with the new direction they planned to take.
Patti, Nona and Sarah recorded a good album, and it shows that they haven't lost their touch to record thought proviking songs that touches the hearts and souls of fans who love good music, and it show how they were able to maintain their originality as opposed to jumping on the everchanging music band wagon to acheive success.

This review is dedicated to those who impact people in positive ways including My brother Garry, My Godfather Donald, Obama, Da Doo Dirty Show and Beautiful Boyz of Pride Network.
This review is also dedicated to the memories of James Budd Ellison-La Belle's original music director, My grandmother Clythia Dorsey, My great-aunt Manda Lowery and my uncles and friends Phillip Howell and Robert Spellman

CHELSEA CLUB HAS PACKED NICE ON OPENING NIGHT

Club Madison had a great turn out for it's opening night, and the crowd wasn't disappointed. Co-sponered and hosted by BKen, the party was held in a nice bar that has a classy, laid back and sexy atmopshere, which gives party goers the feeling of comfort while they're dancing and lounging. DJ Styles played a hot mixture of R&B, Hip-Hop, Reggae and Soca, and even gave a shout outs to both the Gay and Lesbians, as well as acknowledging the sexy Americans and Caribbeans who were in attendance last night.
Another highlight was the exotic dancer that was hired to perform. The London born dancer had a nice built, dancing skills, and great personality that kept me going back to him. Hopefully they will hire him more often and have more than one dancer to keep the crowd's fantasies fulfilled.
It was great to see be at a place where the music and staff was nice. Especially the exotic dancer that was hired to perform. He had a nice built, great moves and a great personality.

BECAREFUL OF WHO YOU THROW SHADE AT

I had the opportunity to attend the Gay Erotic Expo this weekend, and I was able to take a picture with one of the models who was passing out copies of HX Magazine. Not only did he have a nice body (I have a thing for men who has nice chests), he had a nice personality and was very down to earth.
Later that afternoon, after squeezing through the crowd (hopefully they will have the expo in a larger area and have more ethnic companies there), I walked over to a table and saw three sexy models at a table smiling and greeting the guests. Let me rephrase that, they were being more flritatious with a White man while one gave me mixed actions. Even though this model was nice looking and plesant, he could have been more respectful and professional.

This particular post is one of many I've been wanting to write for a long time, but never got around to doing so. Now that I have the opportunity, inspiration and heart, I will write how I feel about many public figures, who feel they can treat and talk to anybody they want to. I've met and interviewed many singers, rappers, authors and adult film stars, and I was blessed to have good experiences with them, but there are some I've met who feel that the world owes them something.

2 years ago durng Gay Pride day, I met a group of models and purchased their calendars and get photographs. When they arrived, I purchased the calendar, got autographs, and photographs with them, and they were very nice. All but one, who I don't know, may have woked up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. I asked him for an autograph, and he said he would be with me in a moment. He wanted to cater to the females who were there, and I allowed him to give them autographs and take photographs with them. A few minutes later, I got his autograph and asked him for a photo. I went to put my arm on his shoulder, and he got an attitude
"OOh! Don't touch me!" he screamed.
I was shocked at his attitude. It wasn't like I grabbed his dick and ass; I just simply put my arm on his shoulder like I did with the other models who had no problem. Especially since they pose with females and males at events.
A former associate cussed him out
"You got some damn nerve being shady, yet my boy paid for your motherfucking calendar!" he said disgusted at his behavoir.

A few months ago, I was at a club when I saw this former porn star who I met before he entered the industry. We danced and I spoked to him about appearing on DA DOO Dirty show. Afterwards, he was like "I'm thirsty, buy me a drink!"
I was totally shocked at his command and outburst. This isn't the same kid I met at an awards dinenr, who spoke about the importance of showing and receiving respect. I said to myself. I didn't get him the drink for two reasons
1. My money was low
2. His attitude.

My nice nature began to eat at my conscience after the second incident; I left the club feeling bad at not telling him no, but after I re-examined the incident and spoke to a few friends, I realized that I had did the right thing. Especially since he didn't ask me in a nice manner to buy him a drink.

Being in the public eye has many pros and cons. The pros are being famous, recognized, and being able to travel the world, and experience other cultures, but the cons are constanly not having the ability to have quality time with family, friends, partners, and making sure a person isn't trying to hang because of their status or materialistic items they have, and it's hard to cater and please everyone, but there are things that are totally unexcusable such as being nice to certain fans because of their looks and physique, while overlooking the one's who may be full-figured and laid-back because they may be the ones who buys their products and they could be journalist and bloggers who will put you on blast.

The point: show respect because you the person who is getting shade thrown at them may be the ones who could help end and (may-be) re-start your career.

Songs inspired for this post

Think
Performed by Patra and Lynn Collins-The Sultry Siren of Funk
Written by James Brown-Lynn Collins & Patra
1993 Epic Records

Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are)
Performed by The Temptations
Written by Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong
Produced by Norman Whitfield
1972 Gordy Records

After All This Time
Performed by Simon Webbe
2005 Innocent/Virgin Records

Runnin' Back To You
Performed by Vanessa Williams
1991 Wing/Mercury Records