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  • Mike Tyson, Comedian

    Remember when Mike Tyson was a cannibal? A rapist? Ha-ha. Me neither. Call it the comeback of comebacks or maybe collective amnesia brought on by gut busting. Because somehow the infamous boxer with the nickname “the Baddest Man on the Planet” is now a really, really funny guy. The kind of guy you might invite…

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  • Stop Racist Halloween Costumes!

    Halloween is nothing like it used to be. I was a late-October baby, and my childhood birthday pictures swap cakes and candles for ghosts and ghouls. Two Halloweens in a row I was a “movie star,” which in 1989 meant a long “red carpet” dress from the thrift store and really, really big sunglasses. But…

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  • The First Invisible Lady?

    If Michelle Obama were wearing fluorescent fuchsia Hammer pants and a furry Kangol, I’d still recognize her. She could be buying breath mints at CVS just for the $20 cash-back offer or sprinting up the left side of the escalator and I’d stop to gawk. She’s the first lady of the United States, and I…

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  • When the Death Penalty Hits Home

    I remember Tony first as one of the big kids with a Jheri curl. On holidays, when everyone under the age of 18 holed up in the den and “gimme the controller” mayhem ensued, he was the chubby, quiet one. The one who smiled a lot. I remember Tony second as a superhero. He’d gone…

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  • How Will the Baby Change Jay-Z's Life?

    It’s been more than two weeks since the annunciation of Aug. 28. I’m speaking, of course, of the coming of baby JayBey, the son of J-Hova born to the virginal vixen Beyoncé. And like the three wise men of the Bible, the bloggers guided by superstardom have already begun the long journey to lay presents…

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  • Will and Jada's Marriage: Who Cares?

    Unless you are Trey, Jaden or Willow Smith, Will and Jada are not your parents. So please stand down. Come off the ledge. Put away that tub of Pinkberry and get a grip. Your world will not tear asunder should the power couple shut down standard operations and cease to be the poster pair of…

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  • 'Help' Wanted: Weighing In on New Film

    When something’s free, all reservations about it usually fall by the wayside, which explains why I’ve yet to try deep-fried Kool-Aid balls. Someone hasn’t handed me a free sample — yet. Last week a group of friends and I met up to watch a complimentary advanced screening of The Help, the big-screen adaptation of Kathryn…

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  • Lauryn Hill's Private Life

    Thankfully, I read Demetria Lucas’ new book, A Belle in Brooklyn, after we met for drinks last week at Dirty Martini in downtown D.C. Otherwise, instead of having a normal tête-à-tête con tequila, we would have had an entire conversation that consisted solely of me prodding her with questions: “So, whatever happened to ‘Greg’? Who’s…

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  • Who Gets to Tell Black Stories, Anyway?

    I can’t decide if I want to applaud journalist Mac McClelland or verbally backhand her. Both reactions to McClelland’s Good-magazine essay, “I’m Gonna Need You to Fight Me on This: How Violent Sex Helped Ease My PTSD,” are visceral and near involuntary. Depending on whom you ask — another journalist, a feminist, a native of…

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  • Embracing the Awkward, One Webisode at a Time

    Remember the first day of school? Sweating through your gym uniform waiting to get picked for kick ball? Walking into a bustling lunchroom with a tray full of Tater Tots and a heart filled with hope? Back then you knew the meaning of “awkward” before you even knew how to spell it. Too bad you…

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