Prince is the Epitome of Musical Greatness

Many great musical artists have come and gone in my life, but this one feels different. I enjoyed Luther. I adored Whitney. I was awed by Michael. But none of them delivered art to my senses like Prince.

Not just music, but fashion, color, acting, and dancing. Prince was a multi-tooled performer and to think that his talents are gone forever is such a shame. This is a man who spent almost 40 years of his life bringing us music that we've dance to, nodded our heads to, and definitely made love to. He went from being labeled as a "freak" and "weirdo" in the late 70's/early 80's to literally being considered royalty just a decade later.

I feel so sorry for the Millennials who can't seem to wrap their brain around what a musical genius truly is.  And to think some of them were probably conceived to Prince's music.  SMH.  My definition of "greatness" doesn't line up with theirs at all.  Greatness is not the number of Twitter followers you have.  Greatness is not the kind of car you drive.  Greatness is not being heard on the radio every 20 minutes.

• Greatness is walking into a room and seeing people forget their own names.  
• Greatness is leaving a lineage of other performer's music behind you (Sheila E., Sheena Easton, Morris Day & The Time, Wendy & Lisa, Apollonia, Vanity, Tevin Campbell, Jesse Johnson, and more).  
• Greatness is being offered an opportunity to complete an entire movie soundtrack ("Batman").  Not one song, but the entire soundtrack album!  
• Greatness is having a sketch comedy show like Saturday Night Live dedicate their show to you.  A comedy show celebrating a musician?  Where they do that at?  
• Greatness is being recognized by a color or a symbol.

I have a cousin who is from Minnesota and has encountered Prince on several occasions.  I haven't spoken to him since Prince's death, but he has a ton of stories to share about him.  Just like me, my cousin listens to music "from the inside-out."  It's difficult to explain, but it's essentially focusing on the accompanying instruments first and working your way to the more dominant instruments like the bass or drums later.  It's making an attempt to "hear a song within a song" is the best way that I can put it.

Prince was a master of giving you that little extra that a lot of people would rarely notice no matter how many times they'd hear a particular song of his.  I have such an appreciation for what he did and it's a shame that it ended last Thursday.

I'm not one to mourn celebrities like I mourn people I actually know personally.  I just don't get attached like that to people that I've never met.  However, I do miss the talent when it is taken from us.  We don't have a lot of musicians left.  We don't have too many music artists who are so talented that other A-List celebrities stutter when trying to speak to them.

Prince was a one-of-a-kind entertainer and his talents will be missed dearly.  A friend of mine posted this lyric on Facebook that very much describes how so many people felt last week.  It comes from the Parade album which was the soundtrack to the movie, "Under the Cherry Moon."

Sometimes it snows in April 

Sometimes I feel so bad, so bad 

Sometimes I wish life was never ending, 

And all good things, they say, never last

Truer words have never been spoken, Prince.

At What Age Should A Woman Stop Being Sexy?

I came across this question in a Facebook group called "Love and Relationships" and I figured I'd dive into the topic. Some women thrive on their sex appeal. It gives them confidence and just a good overall feeling. However, Father Time is undefeated and at some point takes over. For some people it's earlier than others, but inevitably, it happens. Let's just focus on the average person and keep the Morgan Fairchilds and Tina Turners out of it.

They pushed being sexy well into their 60's. Being a "hot mom" or a "bangin' dad" is all the rage these days. Don't let those people in the gym fool you. Sure, they're maintaining or improving their health, but they want to look good, too. I've heard people describe "sexy" as a state of mind. If that's the case, then there isn't a preferred age to go conservative.

Guys, we have it easy.  All we have to do is throw on a suit and ladies think we're sexy if it fits right.  Look at Sean Connery, Denzel Washington, and men like that.  They may be older, but women still dig them because of either looks, wardrobe, riches, or a combination of those.  Women, on the other hand, have a different task when it comes to being older...

Women have to contend with something that men do not when it comes to their appearance: criticism from the same sex.  Men don't judge each other like women and because of that there's no pressure to try and outdo the next man.  Women do feel this pressure and that's why cosmetic surgery is a huge business!

On top of having to outshine their peers, they also have to try to keep the younger women at bay.  That fuels the fire for a lot of older women who wish to keep themselves up and be happy with themselves in regards to their look.  However, what happens whenever someone dresses a lot younger than their age?  Is it embarrassing to see a woman well past her prime rocking a short shirt and tube top?

At what age should a woman stop being sexy (if ever)?

CPS Investigates Will & Jada #Parenting

As seen on IG

Will and Jada are under investigation by child protective services?  Who would have guessed it?  Actually, as sarcastic as I'm being with that statement, I didn't actually expect it.  Mainly because I don't expect anything along the lines of discipline when it comes to celebrities.

Will and Jada give their children the freedom to choose.  Some people actually think that it's good parenting, but I think that a majority of people don't like it.  Regardless, they have the right to do whatever it is they want to do (or don't want to do) when it comes to their kids.  Well, at least until Child Protective Services shows up.  They tend to frown upon 13 year olds laying in bed with shirtless 20 year olds.

There have countless incidents that have made people buzz on Twitter and ask the question, "what are Will and Jada doing?"  Personally, I don't know, but it's not the way that I would consider raising my kids if I had any.

There's a reason that people have to be a certain age to do things like drive, vote, enlist in the military, drink, or even get a hotel room or a rental car.  It's because with age comes maturity.  Sure, some kids mature faster than others, but realistically, you really don't see the real world until you're out of your parents home and supporting yourself.  That's when adult life lessons begin.

The Smith Kids, Willow and Jaden, are probably bright and worldly kids.  But, they are still kids.  Despite the fact that they've made more money than me in their young lives doesn't make them smart.  It makes them fortunate enough to have rich and connected parents to go with that budding talent.

I hope for the best as far as the outcome of the CPS investigation, but I also hope that it's a wake up call for Will and Jada.  Parent your kids like you want, but keep that stuff in-house.  Don't let Instagram be the undoing of your household.  That would just be plain stupid.

Oh, yeah, and to the guy, Moises Arias, in the photo with Willow: you may get a knock at your door, too.  Not from CPS, but from COPS.  They frown upon 13 year olds laying in bed with shirtless 20 year olds, too.  "17 will get you 20," but 13, dude?

Do you believe that kids should have free will to make their own decisions?

#T2Q's Toss Up Thursday, 2/6/14 (PHOTO)

#T2Q's Toss Up Thursday, 1/23/14 (PHOTO)

Why Black Face Still Bothers Some

Julianne Hough as "Crazy Eyes."

Julianne Hough started a ripple in the social media waters when she appeared in "tanned face" at a Halloween party.  In her attempt to portray a character from "Orange is the New Black," she decided to go the "extra mile."  The character, "Crazy Eyes," is known for her eyes and her hair.  However, Julianne thought it was important (for reasons unknown) to also capture her skin color.

Big mistake.

You can't do things like that, even in 2013.  As long as there are people still on this planet who lived prior to Civil Rights being granted to black people, then there will not be a shortage of pissed off minorities.  Although I view her outfit as being stupid more than I do racist, my father (born in 1941) would be furious.  He grew up during a time when he wasn't even respected as an equal.

I think the idea to do this is stupid because she had to know people would flip out over this.  And if she didn't know, then that just shows her ignorance when it comes to the real world.  I'm guessing that she doesn't have that proverbial "black friend" who could have told her this would be a bad idea and a media nightmare.

Now, although her tanned look is mild at best, there is a reason why black face still bothers some.  It's still a sign of disrespect to a lot of people in this country.  When black people dress up for Halloween, how many of us have you ever seen put on "white face" to be Batman or Indiana Jones.  When is the last time you saw a black person use eye makeup to be Jackie Chan or Bruce Lee?  Odds are you probably haven't.

And it's not just a black / white thing either.  It's sometimes a black / black thing.  Most blacks also get upset when people who aren't white change their appearance to look white.  See Sammy Sosa and Michael Jackson.

We're a long way off from this not being a big deal.  With insensitive idiots like the below (portraying Trayvon Martin) still displaying foolishness, people who think this isn't a big deal can maybe understand where some of the rage originates.

Do you think that it's time to "get over" black face or is it still a problem in America?

More #Miley!

Miley is making the most of her renewed fame.  The former child star has moved into adulthood with a bang all starting with her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.  She is now one of the most talked about people in social media and her recent appearance on Saturday Night Live has thrusted her even more into the spotlight.

We see this pretty much every few years.  A young star who comes off as inappropriate in his/her quest to be an adult.  Brittany Spears went through a phase where she was on top of the world after performing at the Super Bowl.  From there her image changed and the next thing that you know, people were calling her "trailer trash."  Justin Beiber went from an adorable child prodigy from YouTube to a bad boy speeding up and down his community streets despite complaints from neighbors.

It wasn't always like this, but times have changed.  Remember back in the day when the cast of "Diff'rent Strokes" were having their issues?  Child stars from 30 years ago simply used drugs or did porn.  There was no social media to really put themselves out there, so a lot of the abuse they endured were self-inflicted and somewhat private.  Dana Plato (Kimberly Drummond) did porn and drugs and it ultimately killed her.  Todd Bridges (Willis Jackson) and Gary Coleman (Arnold Jackson) had brushes with the law as well.  Ironically, Conrad Baines (Phillip Drummond), the man who played their father on the show, almost out-lived all of them (only Todd is still alive).

Child stars transition to the adult world isn't so private any more.  In fact, it's more in your face than ever.  The media force-feeds us photos and stories about these kids each and every day.  With that kind of pressure to stay in the headlines, it's no wonder that these kids go to the extremes that they do to stay relevant.  We can't help but see them all over the place and for those who aren't fans, it drives us nuts!

I personally have nothing against Miley Cyrus.  I never watched Hannah Montana and I never listened to her music.  I don't care that she attempted (poorly, I might add) to twerk on stage or the fact that she sticks her tongue out more than a dehydrated anteater.  But, I really need her to go away and I'll tell you why I feel this way.  In fact, I'll tell you why a lot of people feel this way:

Her act is forced.

It's one thing to transition from one personality into another naturally (a la Justin Timberlake), but it's clear that Miley is forcing her way into her new persona.  The tattoos, the new affinity to rapping, the provocative dancing, and even the hairstyle appear to be part of a "PR package."  Miley's new image is about as natural as Pamela Anderson's breasts.

But, you do you "Boo-Boo."  Whatever works and pays the power bill is all anyone cares about these days anyway.  However, just as you have the right to do whatever you want on television (within the law), I have the right to pray that the TV station broadcasting you suffers a power failure.

If there is someone in Hollywood you could ban from TV, then who would it be?