Category Archives: Archbishop Oscar Romero

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“Where’s The Love” Premieres THIS Saturday on UP!!!

Hello World,

Lanman Rucker & Denise Boutte

Lanman Rucker & Denise Boutte…still working on my red carpet photo skills…

Happy Friday 🙂

As I’m still a newlywed (almost 9 months to be exact 🙂 ), all things love and marriage are very much on my radar…That’s why I was blessed last night to be able to attend a preview event at Aurum Lounge for “Where’s The Love,”  a romantic drama featuring two popular, married TV talk show hosts, played by Lamman Rucker (UP’s Sugar Mommas, “Meet the Browns”) and Denise Boutte (“Meet the Browns,” “Days of Our Lives”), who dispense relationship advice even as their marriage starts to crumble…

It is the one-year anniversary of the talk show Where’s The Love?, hosted by married relationship experts and doctors Sebastian (Lamman Rucker) and Ryan Reid (Denise Boutte). They are in their mid-30s, great looking and have a successful counseling practice complete with best-selling books and an EmmyÂź-nominated TV show. Ryan and Sebastian seem to have it all, but secretly their relationship is falling apart. They’ve been keeping up appearances to Sebastian’s sister Kai (Terri J. Vaughn) and her husband Rod (Darian “Big Tigger” Morgan), Ryan’s best friend Sidney (David Banner), their producer Paige (Nicole Eggert), Ryan’s editor Dale (Karon Joseph Riley), their patients, their fans and the public to save their lucrative careers – until one day when it all comes out. Now, Ryan and Sebastian have to decide whether their own marriage can be saved…

The ensemble cast includes Terri J. Vaughn (UP’s In the Meantime, “Meet the Browns”), Karon Joseph Riley (UP’s Marry Me For Christmas, “Necessary Roughness”), David Banner (Lee Daniel’s The Butler, Ride Along), V103 host Darian “Big Tigger” Morgan (“106 & Park,” “Rap City”), Ahmed Lucan (Khazana, “Homeland”), Shirley Strawberry (co-host of “The Steve Harvey Show,” Madea Goes to Jail), Nicole Eggert (“Baywatch,” Charles in Charge”), and LeToya Luckett (“Single Ladies,” “Treme”). Kandi Burruss (“The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” “Let’s Stay Together”), Tommy Ford (“Martin,” “Basketball Wife”) and singer-songwriter/record producer/actress Angie Stone (Ride Along, Scary Movie 5) guest star.

Trey Haley (The Man in 3B, Note To Self) directs the film from a script by Cas Sigers-Beedles (UP’s Sugar Mommas, Love Will Keep Us Together). Filmed in Atlanta, “Where’s The Love?” will premiere exclusively on UP on Saturday, May 3 at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Below are a few pics and impromptu interview snippets from the preview event…

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 Terri J. Vaughn gets my Cutest Red Carpet Appearance Award…At four months pregnant with her third child with hubby Karon Riley, she looked fabulous…In addition to acting, she and her business partner Cas Sigers-Beedles continue to make moves with their production company Nina Holiday Entertainment, she is an acting coach and mother…AND she is about about to shoot a new movie with her business partner in Trinidad while pregnant…Her secret to balancing it all: “I have an amazing husband, and he’s in the movie too!”

002Some may know David Banner primarily from his rapping career, but he’s becoming a well-versed actor as well. “This is my 15th movie. I took a break from music. Sometimes you do stuff for so long, you have to recalibrate and remember why you are doing it in the first place.”

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Shirley Strawberry, who is probably best known as the co-host of the “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” is also featured in the movie…She revealed that she was recruited to be on the show to help “balance” Steve…”He’s crazy but a lot of fun. It’s been fun and a blessing to work with him.”

018Everyone remembers Tommy Ford from “Martin!” But since then, he has moved into directing and producing…Currently, he is directing a new film “Switching Lanes,” a story about race relations between two high schools students, one who is white and one who is black, running track…The movie is in post-production…

013Ahmed Lucan portrays Ryan’s agent in the film….”It’s a blessing that Terri Vaughn gave me an opportunity to be in this film. She is my acting coach actually.”

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David Banner’s selfie with the cast and others affiliated in the movie 🙂

 

Below is a snippet of the film….

Any thoughts?

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Are We Our Brother’s Keeper? Why I Love Black Men…

Hello World,

First of all, I must say don’t take this post the wrong way…I love all people because we were ALL created in God’s image…But I would be lying if I didn’t confess that I have a special love for black men…Nikki Giovanni’s poem “Beautiful Black Men,” which I came across when I was an adolescent perfectly captures just how I feel….

While the imagery and pop culture references are somewhat dated, Nikki Giovanni captures what captivates me about black men in her beautiful poem. But black men, particularly black boys, are in danger…We have to look no further than the examples of Trayvon Martin and Jordan Davis, black teenagers who were senselessly slain before they were able reach manhood, to see that we are at an impasse for black boys…

This is one of the reasons why I’m so very proud of President Obama for creating the “My Brother’s Keeper Initiative,” which will support black boys in helping them reach manhood and achieve success.  Below are just a few of the poignant statements President Obama made on Thursday about why he created this critical program…

  • But the plain fact is there are some Americans who, in the aggregate, are consistently doing worse in our society — groups that have had the odds stacked against them in unique ways that require unique solutions; groups who’ve seen fewer opportunities that have spanned generations.  And by almost every measure, the group that is facing some of the most severe challenges in the 21st century in this country are boys and young men of color.
  • As a black student, you are far less likely than a white student to be able to read proficiently by the time you are in 4th grade.  By the time you reach high school, you’re far more likely to have been suspended or expelled.  There’s a higher chance you end up in the criminal justice system, and a far higher chance that you are the victim of a violent crime.  Fewer young black and Latino men participate in the labor force compared to young white men.  And all of this translates into higher unemployment rates and poverty rates as adults.
  • That’s why, in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin verdict, with all the emotions and controversy that it sparked, I spoke about the need to bolster and reinforce our young men, and give them the sense that their country cares about them and values them and is willing to invest in them. And I’m grateful that Trayvon’s parents, Sybrina and Tracy, are here with us today, along with Jordan Davis’s parents, Lucy and Ron.
  • Below is a video of President Obama talking about the new initiative. Isn’t the image of President Obama, our nation’s first black president, flanked by boys of color, a powerful one? I love it…

For those that don’t know, the phrase “my brother’s keeper” comes from the Genesis story of Cain and Abel in which God asks Cain about the location of his brother Abel, whom Cain murdered due to jealously. Cain said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” Of course, he knew because he murdered him. And the Lord punished him for his crime. As demonstrated in this story, we are ALL our brother’s keepers…If we see someone struggling, we cannot ignore it, we must help or face God’s judgment…

Any thoughts?

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A NEW YEAR IS HERE…And what are you gonna do about it?

Hello World, valorieandnewhubby

I know I haven’t written about it yet, but I am well aware that God has blessed us to see a New Year – 2014...It takes me a month of prayer and meditation to discern what resolutions and or goals that God wants to help me reach for this year so I’m not quite ready to write a New Year’s Goals or Resolutions post yet…but I found this great blog post by (the recently married 🙂 Congrats!) Valorie Burton, a life coach and author, that I interviewed in my book “After the Altar Call: The Sisters’ Guide to Developing a Personal Relationship With God.” Enjoy….

“What is it finally time for you to do?” It’s a great question for the beginning of the year. Perhaps there is something you’ve been talking about doing, thinking about doing, even daydreaming about doing. And in 2014, it’s time to make a move! A few years ago, I discovered a scripture in Ecclesiastes 5:3 that inspires me whenever I get stuck in a rut of over-thinking my vision in a particular area of my life:

“A dream comes through much activity, but a fool is known by his many words.”

Whether your dream is related to your work, relationships, finances, health or spiritual life, it will only come to life when you take action! So what is it time for you to take action on? Consider these examples to help you identify what it’s time for you to take action on in 2014:

Your Work

– Is it time to change jobs? Change careers? Ask for a raise? Launch your own business? Take your existing business to a new level.

Your Relationships

– Is it time to move past fears or past heartbreaks so that you are healthy and ready for love in your life? Is it time to forgive a family member or friend against whom you’ve been holding a grudge? Is it time to carve out more time for the people you love? Is there a conversation that’s long overdue?

Your Finances

– Is it time to stop using those credit cards that you don’t pay in full every month? Is it time to set up an automatic debit from your checking into an investment account so that you can finally bring your savings goals to life this year? Is it time to take action towards getting more (and better) clients or customers? Is it time to stop spending money to impress others?

Your Health

– Is it finally time to get serious about exercising consistently? Or is it time to cut back on the sugar or fried foods, or add more vegetables to your diet?

Your Spiritual Life

– Is it time to trust God in a particular situation or area of your life? Do you finally need to find a “church home” that nourishes you in the way that you need to be nourished? Is it time to get serious about studying the Word?

Whatever it’s finally time for you to do, make a decision this week to do it. It’s not about creating a New Year’s resolution. It’s about making a shift and recognizing that the time has come for a change. If you ignore the need for a change when it’s time, you will find yourself increasingly frustrated with the situation. Often God will allow you to get frustrated so that you will finally become fed up enough to do something about it! Your dreams can come true, but your job is to take action! It begins with a decision and continues with each step you take forward.

It is essential not to begin the year by overwhelming yourself with multiple, large changes and goals. Get clear about what’s most important and focus your actions on it.

My challenge to you this week:

Identify the “thing” that it is finally time for you to do. Then take action!

Journaling assignment:

What has kept me from taking action on this particular circumstance or issue in the past? What will I need to do differently to make it easier for me to accomplish my goal? What is my goal in this area for 2014? Leave your comments below, I’d love to hear from you!

Last year, my major goal was to plan a beautiful engagement/wedding/honeymoon and start a wonderful new life with my husband, and God really blew me away…Thank you God! This year, my major career goal is to finish my first novel, etc. which I must confess is really challenging me…but I am working on it although I have the worst habit of taking on too many things at once and being a procrastinator at the same time…a deadly combo…So in the words of Valorie Burton, what is the “the ‘thing’ that it is finally time for you to do?”

Any thoughts?

Below is a video of Valorie Burton speaking about her latest book “Happy Women Live Better.”