Who's Next In Line?

Photo from first major role in "Strictly Business."

I can only speak for black men, but we have a standard when it comes to beauty. For almost two decades now, that standard bas been Halle Berry. Heck, I even watched that garbage of a movie, "Monster's Ball," just to see her. Many times I've heard black guys (and some women) say, "She looks good, but she's no Halle Berry."

Halle will be 45 years old come August 14th. Now, she still looks stunning, but I do think it's time to name a successor.

I want to nominate five black women (in no particular order) to replace Halle Berry as the next "standard." This person will be referred to whenever someone wants to make a comparison to a beautiful black woman. Who's next in line to be the next Halle?

#1 - Beyonce Knowles

Pros: She is known on a first name basis like Halle, so that helps. She's a world music icon and she has music videos that sets tons of trends in the dance clubs. Most under-30 somethings would argue that she took over the title from Halle at least four or five years ago.

Cons: Is she likable? She tends to have controversy follow her and accusations of arrogance. "Sasha Fierce" was even recently booed by paparazzi. How do you get booed by paparazzi?

#2 - Serena Williams

Pros: Also has first name fame and is a worldwide icon. Her fashion is eccentric and considered a trend setter by some. She also represents some of the dark chocolate goodness a lot of us love.

Cons: Is she a tad bit too much to handle physically and emotionally? She has biceps like Rambo and an attitude to match (given that she's threatened to do bodily harm on a tennis judge once).

#3 - K.D. Aubert

Pros: With lips that would bring a lollipop to tears of joy, Karen Denise started small as the strawberry girl in the Fanta cola commercials. She became more popular after her role in the horrible movie, "Soul Plane" and has now appeared on TV shows, commercials, and movies. She's young enough and has the personality and look to become "the standard."

Cons: She's yet to go mainstream. She doesn't have the name recognition as the others on the list and could get lost in the shuffle unless she has a major movie role coming soon.

#4 - Megan Good

Pros: Physically, Megan possesses some of the same qualities as K.D. She's much more accomplished in television and movies with her latest appearance in a recent release called "Jumping the Broom." She's curvy and has the sex appeal to carry the torch for the next decade. She is gaining steam as a "horror babe" with appearances in "The Unborn," "Saw V," and "One Missed Call."

Cons: Also like K.D., she isn't mainstream yet, but she's on her way. She still has a long way to go to compare to Halle, who is a household name and has done countless of major movies with leading roles.

#5 - Jennifer Hudson

Pros: She doesn't have that iconic first name, but she definitely has full name recognition. Jennifer Hudson slowly became a household name thanks to her performance on "American Idol" and her first movie break, "Dreamgirls." Hudson won 29 awards for her role in "Dreamgirls." She's also a success story with her weight loss after losing 80 lbs. A beautiful woman to match the voice.

Cons: Doesn't have that "boom boom pow." Hudson is more cute than she is sexy. You would be more inclined to pinch the cheeks on face rather than below her waist. She just doesn't have that "come get me" in her.

So, after going through the five that come to mind for me, which one do you think should carry the torch? If it's not any of the five, then list your write-in candidate in the comments below.

So many of the black sex symbols that came to my mind when making this list were over 35 years old: Stacey Dash (45), Lisa Raye (44), Sanna Lathan (39), Gabrielle Union (38), Leila Arcieri (37). I thought that maybe I was stuck in my generation, so I Googled some Top 10 Black Women lists and on three different lists, six of the 10 were over 35.

Maybe it's too soon to pass the torch. Maybe Halle has some "Lena Horne" in her and can hold her beauty for yet another decade.

Now that I think about it, what about black men standards? Denzel Washington was the standard for handsome black men for close to two decades as well. A shout out to anyone who wants to take the reins on this one and run with it: who is the standard the sistas go with now? Boris? Idris? Who?

First lady to comment below and volunteer to put their Top 5 Black Men nominees on their site will get linked to this post.

White guys and girls, I don't want to leave you out. You all have so many in which to choose from the acting stages to the recording studios. Who have you considered "the standard" over the last decade or two? Brad Pitt? Angelina Jolie? Jennifer Anniston? George Clooney?

First white man or woman to comment below and volunteer to put their Top 5 White Men / Women nominees on their site will get linked to this post.

We can do this for all ethnic groups who care to join (I didn't forget about you Iz (Jessica Alba?) and Reckmonster - (Manny Pacquiao?).

Let's find out what each group likes!

Turning heads since 1991.

Body for Hire

I recently had a discussion on my FB Fan Page with a young lady about Hooters Girls. Her stance was that being a H.G. is unbecoming of a lady. My stance was being an H.G. and serving hot wings is more tasteful than wearing a short skirt to the nightclub and "backing it up" on the dance floor against some random dude's crotch. I don't see anything wrong with a person using what they have to get what they want... if it's legal. Then I ran across this story on the USA Today website...

I knew about this story on a local level, but now Taylor Corley has made national news. The USA Today has a story about the freshman cheerleader from Mississippi State University who decided to bare it all for Playboy Magazine.

Now, the controversy coming from the local media is if Taylor should be allowed to participate as a cheerleader since most men across the country have seen her assets. Some parents are up in arms and want her tossed, but Miss. State's VP said since she didn't go into the mag representing Miss. State, that the school won't seek any action against her.

Taylor, who went by the last name Stone in PB, participated in the photo shoot before enrolling at Miss. State. The mag started circulating in November and now she's a household name in Starkville.

So, should she be tossed from the cheerleading squad or not?

My answer is "no" and "yes".

"No," because she did not do anything (to my knowledge) that was illegal. She was a body for hire and there's nothing wrong with posing nude for a magazine. Now, I know some of my followers are saying, "As old school as you are, you think it's okay?"



Yep. Nudity isn't new school. Folks have been getting "bucket naked" for entertainment way before magazines were printed. From a moral standpoint, I understand anyone who opposes the idea of someone showing their blueprint to the world. From a realistic standpoint, I don't think it's up to any of us to judge what a person does in the proper venue. She wasn't on a billboard or on the side of Highway 82 wearing nothing but a smile. She was in an adult magazine where only people of that lifestyle will dare to peek.

Now, from another point of view, "yes," she should be booted from the squad. Simply because she's a distraction. Despite the increased attendance the cheerleaders will probably see (due to the recent exposure of Taylor), it will more than likely cause the other cheerleaders to resent her or feel awkward.

So, Taylor made her bed and now has to lie in it. Nude. She took the money and now has to accept what comes with it. I'm pretty sure she'll be okay with whatever ultimately happens. At least she got paid for it. I went to college with women who would strip for a Budweiser and some hot wings. So, in comparing the two, it's hard to argue with Taylor's decision since she obviously doesn't care that people know. She's getting paid.

Besides, I don't agree with actresses getting naked in movies and having it called art while models in Playboy are called whores. Playboy is not a porno mag, it's a magazine with photos of nude women. There is a difference. Besides, the same perverts who will drop $10 on a PB mag are the same pervs who will drop $10 on that garbage of a movie, "Monster's Ball," to see Halle Berry get busy with Billy Bob Thornton (Why? I haven't a clue). So, I don't want to hear someone say Halle screaming, "make me feel good" is art.



Taylor has reportedly done Maxim and now Playboy. Next could be a Reality Show. She wanted attention and now she has it. They say bad publicity is better than none at all. I tend to agree with that statement. If you asked Taylor, then I'm sure she would, too. As long as her family has accepted her decision and explained the ramifications, then so be it.

What Taylor did was legal in the court of law, but it won't prevent her from being judged in the court of public opinion.

Check out the follow-up to this post -> Body for Hire 2: Taylor Made for TV

Sunday Rewind 12.26.10

Another lazy Sunday and it's time for another oldie, but goodie. This is a flashback to a previous post. I hope you enjoy it!

I present to you... More Halle and Less Whoopi (release date: 10.4.10)

Hey, even Showtime's "Look" has reruns, right? LOL!

More Halle And Less Whoopi

Dreams are supposed to be the unconscious mind allowing you into a fantasy world. If it's my fantasy world, then why am I tortured in my land of slumber? Not only do I have the dumbest dreams, but I also have the most unattractive women in my dreams.

Yes, the women in my dreams are average at best. How sad is that? It's not that I'm looking to go into each dream thinking I'm a thirty-something Hugh Hefner starting an empire, but it would be nice if my dreams were actually "dreams".

Instead, I torture myself unconsciously and I wish that I knew why. Last night, I had a dream that a fan of my blog wanted to meet me. The fact that someone is excited enough over my blog to want to meet me is a clear indication that I was dreaming! So, in my so-called dream, I meet this lady at a local bar and she looks like Forest Whitaker from "Battlefield Earth".


Not again. Yet another dream without someone decent to bring a smile to my face. At this point, I would even settle for one of those anorexic Cosmo Mag models, but I can't even get that. Wait. Let me retract that. I'm not desperate enough to want Bulimic Belinda in my dreams.

Even when I was a teen-ager, I had the same issue. My wall was covered with posters of Lisa Lisa, Vanity, Sheila E. and Sheena Easton, yet I never had one dream about them. Instead, my dreams had ordinary or less than ordinary-looking women in them.

Why can't I get more Halle (Berry) and less Whoopi (Goldberg)?

Like an eagle, I've flown in my dreams, yet all I see are crows.

I've fought crime like Batman, but instead of Catwoman, there's only Joker.

I've even scored the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl, but instead of dancing with cheerleaders, I wind up high-fiving the mascot.

Now, I have a very vivid imagination, so you would think my dreams would be filled with Monica Raymunds and Angie Conwells. Instead, I get stuck with ladies who look like Christopher Walken in drag.

Maybe my imagination isn't as good as I thought.