'I Hope I Get It!'

We did what we had to do..won't forget, can't regret what I did for love.

My friend V, and so many others like her, is the embodiment of that Edward Kleban lyric from the musical A Chorus Line. And it was life imitating art when I went to see her onstage in Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play set in the Congo, Ruined.

V is an understudy, covering the roles of Mama Nadi, a tempermental brothel owner with a weakness for Belgian chocolat and Josephine, one of Mama's gyrating working girls employed to service soldiers from the country's warring militias. On the night we saw her at the Manhattan Theatre Club at City Center, she was making her MTC stage debut in the role of Mama Nadi.

As a theatergoer, I had two simultaneous experiences happening: For one, I was seated next to actor John Lithgow watching my childhood friend give a compelling performance that mined humor to tell a story rife with brutality - in the same venue where I'd paid (okay, and a few press comps) to see countless New York City Ballet shows. But on another level, it was the full realization that my friend is a Fordham- and NYU- trained, working actress.

There are tables in restaurants all over Manhattan being bussed by aspiring actors who would give a year's worth of tips for the chance to give the performance she was giving.

Which brings me to life imitating art: A few weeks back, I caught a showing of Every Little Step at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on 62nd Street and Broadway. This must-see documentary for not only theater-buffs, but for anyone who's ever dreamed big, chronicles the near yearlong process of casting the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line. It opens with archival footage from the 1970s of the musical's wizard, choreographer and director Michael Bennett.

Bennett had this idea to gather the stories of the stage dancers who eke out a living on the stage, against all odds, and set them to a narrative. That of course became the long-running 1974 production. Bennett's co-coreographer, the charming Bob Avian, is still kicking and appears in the docu, overseeing the casting of the 2006 rendition. Not only do you you meet many of the players who originated the parts, but you follow their modern-day counterparts living in shitty walk-ups, FIGHTING for these roles, some in their 40s still waiting for that big break.

You watch auditions, call-backs, as well as the call-backs that never come. Every time "God, I Hope I Get It" starts to play, you get goosebumps. And you'll be mouth agape once you realize that the understudy is about to steal the role out from under one of the intended leads.

I was emotional and yet energized, not to mention determined to support the theater far more than I have been. I highly recommend both the play running until June 28 (V's back onstage June 5-7) and the documentary.

Black Girls Reign Supreme

Black Girls Rule. But then you knew that already, lol! Trace magazine's annual BGR! issue is always a triumph in magazine publishing to me. With Keri Hilson now fully hitting her mark, I went and downloaded the August 2008 issue when she covered. The issue is chock full of treats, including guest editor Spike Lee, whose Do the Right Thing celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, a piece on a pre-White House Michelle Obama, my man Nas! modeling, profiles on up-and-coming soul singers you oughta know, and crazy fashion spreads. This one's for my fellow mag junkies.

Roc (and Warner) Boys in the Building

Of course you've heard by now that Jay is officially a free agent, having given the salute to Def Jam Recordings, where he served briefly as president and released the bulk of his catalog under the Roc-A-Fella imprint. His Live Nation deal was historic, and now he's shopping for distribution homes for other projects, rumor has it.

It's amazing to me that Mr. Carter still gets the Joe Camel jokes. Hasn't he transcended that? I kinda like married Jay with his hair grown out, lol, and can even take the overdone-geek-goggles. Obviously, the MC isn't impervious to the jabs, as he's alluded to them in song (Used to tell they friends I was ugly, they wouldn't touch me/Then I showed up in that dubbed out Buggy...-"Song Cry" or All the wavy-light-skinnned girls is loving me now..."December 4th").

I always, always thought his talent and intellect trumped his lack of leading man looks. He's just interesting and soft-spoken (not quiet, which isn't an attractive quality for me in a guy) and curious. Strip away the franchise deals, the Hewlett Packard spots, the 40/40 clubs and so on, he'd still be a force just being that dude sitting behind you in an English lit class.

I like this 'power moves' flick of him with cigar-chomping Warner Music Group Chairman and CEO Lyor Cohen (Lyor IS a sexy older man; the only time I've ever seen him in person, he sat behind me at a screening of Ray and I was absolutely star-struck)... Back-room dealing.

'Gossip Girl' for '80s Babies

Teen sitcoms written by adults (aren't they always?) can go very badly (think melodramatic The O.C. with a vacant Mischa Barton) or rather well (like Dawson's Creek, which launched a couple of young Hollywood careers.) And as I've mentioned before, I'm a card-carrying Gossip Girl fan, from the fashion to the soundtrack to the scripts, loves it. I was excited to hear that it was getting its own prequel/spinoff set in 1980s Los Angeles. But after network upfronts, the fate of the still-untitled show is still in limbo; fingers crossed.

Not only would I get to indulge in eighties fashion porn ranging from stirrup pants to lace gloves and tutus, but I'd get a peek at a city I don't know much about, save for an ill-fated trip I took a few years ago thinking I'd rekindle the love with my already-ex-boyfriend. His California was as glossy as it looks in the InStyles and US Weeklys, from the Chateau Marmont to Robertson Boulevard. But there's an underground L.A., too, with a thriving music and fashion scene, and I think the writers aim to capture that - only 20 years earlier.

Brittany Snow (pictured, left, with Krysten Ritter) will play Lily Rhodes, mother of GG socialite Serena van der Woodsen, in all her fab teendom. Lily flees her posh Santa Monica boarding school to join her "rebellious" sister on the Sunset Strip. I hear Lily has some Almost Famous moments, giving up the groupie love, and that's how she eventually encounters GG's veteran rock star, Rufus.

Def Leopard

What is it with the color pink? The photographer Naila Reuchel has even devoted an entire recent series to it. I personally can't shake the rosy hue and yesterday I hit an all time low when I spotted this pair of Pink Leopard Heart flats ($119.00) from Marc by Marc Jacobs. I shoved, manuevered, squeezed as hard as I could trying to fit the only pair that was even within a shoe horn of fitting, to no avail. My fixation with the color doesn't really extend to clothes but everything from an apron to an eraser in blush is making me pretty delighted right now. And some Cinderella with a size 7 foot is going to be just as happy soon.

A Summer Reading List for 'The College Dropout'

Good lawd. Do you know what it's like to defend an artist at nearly every turn, from his wardrobe choices to his artistic output only to have him spew the indefensible? Kanye West, whose upcoming 52-page "book" is titled Thank You and You're Welcome!, had this to say in an interview with the Reuters news wire this week:

"I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book's autograph. I am a proud non-reader of books. I like to get information from doing stuff like actually talking to people and living real life."

Since his mother, the late Donda West, a university professor on English literature, isn't here to steer her son toward a book shelf (or even a Kindle!) and away from the Louis Vuitton store, I've taken it upon myself to compile a summer list to help relieve The College Dropout of some of his foolishness.

During my freshman year, I enrolled in a senior-level university course called the African Novel taught by Professor Janice Mays. In that class, Prof. Mays, a Rubenesque Southern black woman with majestic locs and a gap-toothed smile who wore caftans most days, introduced me to some of the texts that I've gone on to re-read since. In the words of Marvin, I say, "Here, My Dear":


Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Rap icons and Late Night band The Roots know about Achebe's 1958 masterwork and fellow rapper 'Ye should, too. Achebe shines a light on pre- and post-colonial life in Nigeria, focusing on Okonkwu, a champion wrestler and all-around Alpha Ibo male who gets driven into exile as missionaries and colonialists make their way in.

A Walk in the Night (And Other Stories) by Alex La Guma (1968). This book of short fiction is a South African gangsta tale of sorts that gets off to a quick start and never lets up. La Guma's Michael Adonis has just been fired from his factory job for going in on his white boss, after the supervisor unjustifiably accuses him of laziness. Adonis is furious, unemployed and descends into a Cape Town underworld populated by thugs, ne'er-do-wells, and prostitutes. La Guma, a political activist, wrote the book in secret while under house arrest.


The Group by Mary McCarthy (1963). The author's machete-sharp satire of New England society and the Ivy League follows a group of eight girlfriends just as they graduate from Vassar. It's 1933, and the ladies find themselves chafing against entrenched values about marriage, work, sexual pleasure, child-rearing. West seems fascinated with college life; he should be thoroughly entertained.

Nawaal El Saadawi's Woman at Point Zero. Set in the 1970s, a reluctant high-end prostitute, Firdaus, living in Egypt stages a one-woman feminist revolt that lands her on Death Row for killing a man. Offered a pardon, she declines, deciding instead to tell her incredible backstory.

Few authors courted controversy like James Baldwin did in his day. Kanye should appreciate the work of this kindred spirit and lion of 20th century American literature. Another Country (1962) tells the story of Rufus Scott, a self-loathing 20-something Harlemite and jazz musician, who commits suicide after he falls for a fragile, white Southern woman, Leona. The books spans New York, and 'Ye's favorite city, Paris, among other locales.

Getting Nail-ed

One summer my friend A and I worked a camp counseling job pulling a paycheck that felt like making it rain every week on schedule. (I don't think that check would even buy brunch at Balthazar these days, lol.) We bought makeup, CDs, piles of candy, sneakers... But one of my favorite splurges that season was getting acrylic tips for the first time at a Long Island nail salon. Pastel lavender and yellow were my signatures. Now I've been revisiting that palette sans tips, in bolder canary yellows and deep blues and greens from Essie and Opi. I say if you can pull off nail art, go for it. I give Rihanna's look here thumbs.

Lauren Conrad Exits Stage Left on 'The Hills'

After five seasons as the willing, main character in a real-life Truman Show, The Hills' Lauren Conrad begins a two-part farewell tonight. While Conrad has had it with living her life on-camera, her publicity-loving co-stars will continue on, with Conrad's Laguna Beach nemesis, Kristin Cavalleri, filling the void.

In 2006, Women's Wear Daily reported that the hen-pecked L.C. had been offered a shot at solo fame. On MTV's Laguna Beach, Lauren had been the poor little rich girl from "the Real Orange County," thwarted at every turn by the brassier, blonder California Queen Bee Kristin. L.C. was her high school's prom queen-manquee. A move to Los Angeles and a coveted internship at Teen Vogue would give her a chance at reinvention.

When you think about it, it's pretty fascinating that a 17-year-old girl would choose to live out some of the most tumultuous years in a girl's life on a half-hour block of weekly programming, from LB to The Hills.

My cousin, a Family Guy (Fox) fanatic, put me on to a hilarious recent episode titled "We Love You, Conrad," in which the family's well-bred, intellectual canine, Brian, starts dating L.C. only to dump her when he discovers that she's practically a rocket scientist simply playing an airhead for ratings. Hearing the voice of the real L.C. spout off about molecular biology and historic American military battles was just genius. Of course, that epi was as scripted as her own show. If only L.C. and those O.C. chicks were a band of closet sophisticates!

Lauren traded in her anonymity for serious spoils. How many interns do you know appear on the cover of the publication they're toiling for? Conrad also became a spokesmodel for AVON's youthful Mark collection, launched a subpar clothing line that sold at exclusive boutiques, and recently signed a book deal.

Lauren and her clan were fast becoming household names, yet onscreen, MTV producers gave no hint of the paparazzo-magnets their stars had become. A bold experiment in 'reality' TV would have followed her rising celebrity and the ensuing debacles instead of the Heidi-and-Spencer nonsense that wore thin over several seasons.

On TV, Lauren worked as a glorified intern at Teen Vogue's West Coast offices, giving us a peek into the fashion closet and letting us tag along to a couple of high-profile balls in L.A. and Paris but not much else. Friends came and went - and boys were often the culprit: Remember Jen 'Bunny'?

Enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, L.C. displayed no particular gifts or skills in fashion or any other field. And those morning-after post-mortems when Lauren in the company of Whitney or Audrina or Lo re-capped the previous night's action were often excruciating to watch: no witty banter or insight, but lots of Chanel and Marc Jacobs.

I think the real action now will be off-camera, as Conrad - and her collection of headbands - exits stage left, to rediscover life without a voiceover. I tuned in initially for the same reason I tuned into The WB's Felicity in the early-00s. I'm just a sucker for a storyline that affords its heroine a second act.

Jeremih vs. Jeremiah: Ladies, Sex or Soul on Your Birthday?

This past week I sat in on a concert at Triad, an intimate performance spot on 72nd and Columbus. A Rochester, N.Y., native, singer/songwriter Jeremiah was trying out new material, and to fete his impending born day he'd baked red velvet cupcakes, which he shared with concertgoers.

As tasty Birthday pastry went around the room, a few blocks south at Def Jam Recordings, another singer by the name of Jeremih was celebrating a birthday of another kind: With 16,000 digital copies and counting sold of his single "Birthday Sex" in just the first few weeks of its release, the 21-year-old Chicagoan had a (soon-to-be) certifiable hit on his hands.

After opening with a cut called "Promises," a warm-up that ran perhaps too long and too slowly, Jeremiah laid out a handful of new songs. During a short set with the unstoppable Jay Fenix on keys, my thoughts kept circling back to the unpredictable nature of the music industry. I wanna share with you something like the coldest story ever told...

The classically-trained Jeremiah boasts a multi-octave range, has performed at landmark spots like the Blue Note and Joe's Pub, and released the 2006 album Chasing Forever (Siri), from which the video for the Shanice-duet "Love for a While," still plays on VH1 Soul. And he projects star quality: Onstage, he was charming, trading talk and banter with the crowd and was funny as all get-out.

"Out of Tune With Love," an unintended commentary on the pervasive use of Auto-Tune, found Jeremiah hamming it up and bravely singing so off-key that it was actually hot! He outsang Beyonce during his version of "Halo," even as he flubbed the lyrics. Then he spliced a rendition of Kanye's "Heartless" into his own mid-tempo "Foolish Heart," a much-needed nod to The Billboard 200 that this balladeer, who counts among his influences Nina Simone and Anita Baker, has previously avoided during his live concerts. But after grinding in NYC for a couple years now and seeming to be close to a breakthrough, that closing-on-Jay Leno-type success remains out of reach for now.

Who knows the vagaries of show business? Then there's Jeremih, who also writes and plays, and who has said he feels like he's "cheating" by dropping a single so coarsely radio-ready, describing what he does on "Birthday Sex" not as singing, but "melodically speaking." The Def Jam rookie is the cousin of Day 26's Will and he stretches a bit more on "My Ride"; and on album in stores June 30). But I would argue that Jeremiah packs more gift in his musical box than does his urban-pop namesake.

With lyrically-driven ballads like the tear-jerking "Go" and "Turn the Light On," Jeremiah makes gentlemanly music that often defies easy categorization, heavy at times on jazz, dabbling in folk, AC, and pop. Thing is, many (female) consumers want to make love in this club. They crave the pain, the make-up sex (yes, even the birthday sex), the Confessions, the blues. A soundtrack long on chivalry but short on pounding sensuality can suffer in the mainstream marketplace for "black music," in particular. Again, who knows for certain the equation for making it in the age of the $1.29 MP3? But I think there's room for that dude who brings something other than the business on your birthday. Do you?

A Sartorialist Salve

It Happened One Night

This past week, I was on the scene with a friend who I often teasingly call C.Lo cause she's like a younger J.Lo in style, look, and general go-get 'em. We met up with colleagues of hers at L.E.S. spot Stanton Social. Over mango Champagne sparklers, we talked shop, music, men. We moved on to the next spot, but it wasn't until the wee hours that I discovered that not only were these accomplished music industry women, but one, Maria Christensen, is responsible for writing the one Jennifer Lopez song that I have long described as timeless. So among incomparable NYC encounters, this ranked pretty high.

The Grammy Award winner in 2000 for Best Dance Record, "Waiting for Tonight" is a heat-seeking dance burner. A girl stands in celebration of the moment she's imagined in her head, rehearsed, lost sleep over. He may disappoint her the next morning, but this night will live up to expectations. I have played this song on vacations in Miami, getting prepped for events when I needed to look extra splashy, and just as a kind of performance-enhancing drug (the song drips sensuality).

Have you seen the companion video? You cannot but get lifted: It's 1999, and a glowing Jen (remember spending your P/T job cash on Victoria's Secret Body Glitter?!) is at the center of a giant rave minutes from the clock striking the double 00s. This is Jennifer Lopez at her prime in my opinion; she's post Fly Girls, in the throes of love with Puff, she's seeing big budget movie scripts. The Bronx, N.Y., girl who rode to dance classes On the 6 has made good on her dreams. If you haven't seen the clip in a while or if it's been a minute, click through.

Once Damaged, Funky Divas Reunite

A music producer holds auditions to assemble an R&B group; girls from around the country show up, and eliminations follow before a few winsome singers are selected. Their first album is a crossover hit and the disc is certified platinum. Label politics, jealousy, in-fighting, empty bank accounts, and a headstrong member who drops (or is pushed) out of the group leads to its dissolution. Sound familiar? Nope, it's not the Making the Band tale of how Diddy created Danity Kane.

Producer Denzil Foster and his partner, Thomas McElroy, had stars and dollar signs in their eyes when they settled on four supremely talented singers, with looks to match, to build a Supremes-style group c.1988.

Cindy, Dawn, Maxine, and Terry (l-r, top, 2008). In 1990, En Vogue's award-winning album Born to Sing was a runaway hit, and every grade school girl wanted to be them. Maybe you even fought over who got to be rebellious Dawn or perky Cindy in your homemade singing act? Did you practice singing "Hold On" into your Goody hairbrush, straining to strike the notes on the Jackson 5-sampled "Who's Loving You" intro? The harmonies were lush, spine-tingling, so pitch-perfect, I doubt Destiny's Child could stand in the booth with them.

Harmony on wax didn't translate to harmony offstage, though; by the late 1990s, even with stacks of hits to their credit, the group had imploded. Dawn became a member of Raphael Saddiq's Lucy Pearl after her Aftermath Records release failed to take off. The quartet changed its lineup over the years, but by then music had passed En Vogue by.

Now on the 20th anniversary of the release of their classic debut, the ladies are poised for a reunion tour. On Sunday, May 10, they'll take the stage in NYC, reportedly as, yes, a camera crew follows for a reality TV docu.

For this black girl, R&B girl groups were about more than music for me. Outfits like En Vogue represented a kind of high glamour that was appealing because I could relate and aspire to it. They chose heels over Timbs, minis over baggy jeans (left, 1992). Moreover, unlike most of the faces I saw in the 17 and Glamour mags I was so addicted to, these faces looked like mine. It must "feel good to be grooving again."

xoxo...It's Blitz

Spotted. The single "Runaway" from alt-rockers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs closing out the April 20 epi of Gossip Girl.

The haunting cut from their third, recently released album, "It's Blitz," is sung with that eerie steadiness by perennial fashion muse and frontwoman Karen O (above). It was the perfect sonic backdrop for season 2's "Seder Anything" episode. The drama unfolded over a Passover meal served at queen bee Blair Waldorf's.

If for some reason, you haven't been glued to GG on a recent Monday night (Maybe you're grinding at a good spot? Cheering your team in the NBA Finals?), then you're missing some of the sharpest writing left on the little screen, not to mention the work of music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas; the show deserves a post of its own (stay tuned). Meanwhile, as long as you know the Gossip principals, it's easy to catch up.
xoxo, Black Girl Named Becky

Chrisette Michele Has an 'Epiphany'

Just as there are several ways to skin the proverbial cat, a click of the radio proves there are many ways to throw in the towel on a doomed affair. Once upon a time, it was to the left, to the left. This year, Central Islip hometown girl (I see you L.I.!) and Def Jam signee Chrisette Michele is making it simple with "Epiphany (I'm Leaving)" the first single off her sophomore album of the same name, due
May 5.

As if the syrupy farewell wasn't enough, the companion video features Drake, flexing his acting chops again, as Chris's cheating ex. This is a singer/songwriter who has mustered only a kind of quiet success; she lacks the grit of a Keyshia Cole, Keri's kittenish approach, or Beyonce's power pipes and predictability. But if Chris can cut through the increasingly rigid standards and practices that dictates what an R&B songstress should sound and look like, she just might get it. A little more noise might push her over, too.

Picture Us Married: Nas, Kelis D-I-V-O-R-C-E

Isn't this the picture of marital bliss? When Nas and Kelis first hooked up back in '02, it was, as they relayed it to VIBE magazine in June 2003, kismet. “At the afterparty [for the MTV Video Music Awards], I met my girl,” Nas told VIBE. Kelis added: “Everyone moves out of the way, and Nas stands up, and I put my hand out, and I’m like, Hey, I’m Kelis. And he goes, ‘Who?’… So I’m crawling into a fucking hole, and he’s like, ‘Wait-huh? What’s your name? And I’m like, Kelis, and he’s like, ‘Oh, well that’s great, because I’ve been waiting to make you my wife all these years.’”

And it probably should have come as no surprise that the Queensbridge MC had matrimony on the mind. On his 1999 I Am, Nasir rapped to his would-be wife on "K-I-S-S-I-N-G":

I see you dressed up in white, face covered in veil
Do I hear wedding bells? My dogs throwin rice

And it's the day that your father give you away
to a real man that gently put the ring on your hand

Do we vow to stay faithful? Do more than try to
Now, look me in my eyes and say I do

Dare we look to lyrics for signs or symbolism? Rumor has it Nas couldn't stay faithful to his 7-months pregnant wife, but really only those two know what differences became irreconcilable. In hip hop, we often hold up our celebrity couples as a glossy version of our own relationships, giving Beyonce and Jay-Z the US Weekly treatment when they're courtside at a Knicks game, applauding Nelly and Ashanti for making it exclusive. The same went for Nas and Kelis, who scrapped a reality TV show for MTV after only a few unaired episodes, reportedly because their union was just too good and ordinary - no meddling parents and tug-of-rope over fame like the original Newlyweds.
But I Do is easy, I suppose. I Do forever is another story.