Obsessions: MTV's 'The City'

After four seasons, I am still working out (defending) my ongoing fascination with 'The Hills.' Now with a spinoff of the reality show set to debut at December's end, I can see already that 'The City,' with Hills regular Whitney Port leading, will be my new must-see TV. What is it about it? More on that later.

The Cult of Claire Huxtable

The release of 'Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' moved me in ways too difficult to describe. Yes, there were the surface changes, but the real movement was from within. Now, a decade later, Miss Hill is, it turns out, a black girl in need of inspiration. And, I, for one have been in need of new heroes & heroines: My cousin, Pascale, is poised to give Michelle Obama and the fictional Claire a run for their greenbacks. Having just graduated from Harvard Law School in June 2008, she joined the Chicago firm where Michelle and Barack first laid eyes on each other. Is it any wonder she's one of my heroes?

Home for the Holidays

It's true, there really is no place like home. With 2005 coming to a close, I'm equal parts nostalgic for Christmases past (pictured, X-mas 1984, Brooklyn) and steeling myself for the uncertainty of the year ahead. In those days, I wanted only to be like my aunts, all silvery glitter and magic dust. They looked liked they'd walked off the dance floor of Studio 54 and sashayed into our red brick house on Fifth in Long Island. I can smell the puff of Fashion Fair and Youth Dew when I'm strapping on heels for a night out. I'm still that girl (minus the glasses) with her legs crossed just so, just trying to measure up. In 2006, no resolutions, but I hope I can hold on to how hopeful it felt back in '84, tucked on that couch.

Black Girl Lost

When I named this blog, I had Nas's catalog on my mind. And isn't Lauryn now the ultimate 'Black Girl Lost'? In 2002, caught her uneven acoustic set at Carnegie Hall (pictured), where she sang, preached, and lamented, a far cry from the 'Miseducation' of four years earlier. In 1998, we cut off the relaxer, loc'd our hair, declared we Used to Love Him, and generally annointed Lauryn our patron saint of getting free. Diamond shining. In an interview with TRACE this year, a bitter Lauryn related that she'd learned the "lust and insecurities of men." But I think it's about more than a broken heart or disillusionment. Just hope she'll finally sing about it. In the meantime, I continue to draw inspiration from what she has contributed to the culture.

not another blog

Huuhh...does the crowded, oft polluted blogosphere need another entrant? Probably not. But this is my space.