mOprah's On!!

Yeah...for all those who have been waiting, it's the inagural edition of mOprah. Where Dr. Phil, Geraldo, and Bill O'Reilly failed...mOprah will suceed. A voice that represents and takes a stand for the male species. However, to ease the worries of all the women out there mOprah will take callers, emails, and anonymous posting and they will be researched and answered from the males point of view. So that we can bridge the gap between our counterparts. Burning questions you want answered...well we have answers! I just hope you can handle the truth. Names will be disguised to protect the innocent. Enjoy the first edition.

Get the inside scoop

Dear mOprah:
I am a young, attractive, and fun lady. I am a loyal reader of Cosmo and can't seem to keep a good guy despite all the articles of inspiration that I read in the magazine. For example, the most recent subject was "105 Ways to Get a Good Boyfriend". However, even with all this expertise provided by Cosmo I still can't seem to get the guy I want. What do I do!?

Sincerely,

My favorite martini is Cosmopolitan

Dear Cosmopolitan:
We appreciate your concern here at mOprah and would definitely like to comment on your situation. First, we would recommend that you put the Cosmo magazine down and pick up tips from your male perspective friend...mOprah. The first mistake you made was truly believing that there are 105 ways to land a guy. All that article provided was 105 reasons for you to be mislead into buying the magazine. After communicating with A few Good Men out there, we have developed and will limit our list to the 5 things you need to do Find and Keep a good man.

1. Independence - Ladies unlike July the 4th, this should be celebrated every day! A man relates and respects a woman who can take time out for herself to do the things that she likes. Because a happy woman equates to a happy man. It also reduces what we call the "Snuggle" problem...Static Cling. That's right, 8/10 men polled here at mOprah cited Static Cling as something they like to keep to a minimum.

2. Total Package - Believe it or not, guys do notice the little things. The next thing you need to do is bring the TP or total package to the table. Yes, Jiffy Lube would be proud if you are one of the ladies that keeps up with the daily maintenance. No you are not a care and we may not always say it but we do notice and appreciate the little things: when your hair is done, your hands/feet are soft, and when you smell good. The reason why we appreciate the TP is because its too much work for us and thats what makes you unique. As a guy, I don't have the time to make sure my hands are soft, and for young college men out there everywhere Axe...the bodyspray may get the invention of the decade.

3. No drama - Mary J. Blige, the R&B diva said it best when she coined this phrase in her hit song. Women if you take anything away from our informational session today it should be this. Reduce the drama and increase the happiness. This means don't assume the worst from your guy. A guy's night out doesn't mean...a night of irresponsible partying and drinking (ok not always). Finally sports and video games are not the enemy! No drama means if your man is proactive about contacting you, spends QT or quality time with you, and likes to do things for you that you will appreciate...he is a Good guy. So less drama is definitely positive.

4. Patience - Women please exhibit patience when dealing with men. Being the simple creatures that we are, it often takes a few times for something to sink in. It could range from making a decision, getting your to do list accomplished, or even communication. Men are methodical in their actions and all we want to do is get it right.

5. Wow Factor - Last but not least is the wow factor. Guys don't usually talk to other guys about specifics in their relationships. But when they do, they usually comment on the wow factor about their leading lady. This is the trickiest but most of the important things to remember...ladies focus on your strengths and turn it into a wow. Wows are hard to define but here are a few that have come across the tables of mOprah... We call the list, the Wow She:
- has a passion for life
- likes to cook
- doesn't mind watching sports
- goes the extra mile for my special requests
- suprises me with thoughtful gifts
- has a great occupation
- likes to/helps me clean
- remembers the things that interest me
- knows how to express her concerns, rationally
- enjoys working out
- really trusts me when she's not around
- puts up with my bullsh@#!

For extra brownie points, it you can master mixing Wow Factors you will be elevated to status known to most men as Goddess status. This is like that secret bonus level on a video game that can only be unlocked by sincere hard work and patience...or for most of you gaming junkies you go out and get the cheat code book and guess what, that is what mOprah. This is your cheat code to getting the job done.

Guys if I have missed anything, please post them here...and Ladies if you have any other burning questions please post or use the email icon you get your questions researched.

Sincerely,

mOprah

Reliving Your Childhood...

Yeah let me take you back to the old school. How many people remember when all you had to do was get up, eat breakfast, go to school for half of a day, and you got to watch, what you thought were the coolest shows on the earth. For those of you whose parents were way to strict I will apologize ahead of time. Because, you will never relive some of the great shows that were on the air before all of this Barney, Power Ranger, Pokemon, & Silent Bob crap. Real shows where most had meanings and of course the Good vs. Evil plot. Let's revisit my favorite cartoons and situtation shows that had me on the couch tuning in everyday. I am only gonna post and few so I can get some feedback on what shows you watched as kids. I am a little biased because growing up it was easy to just turn to Nickelodeon and what all their shows. So here is my rating of how the all time greats rank:
Cartoon/Show Star Ranking (5=Really good) Link for more info

Get the inside scoop

Voltron - This show was the real deal. I guess from doing a little research I need to specify that I watch the Lion Voltron series (there are multiple ones...check the site). Classic good versus evil and I loved when they came together to form the mighty Voltron from 5 separate lion robots.
Rating: **** (Better than the wack Power Rangers)
http://www.voltronforce.com/

ThunderCats - Not sure what this cat/lion theme was all about growing up but hey it worked. I remember the characters like it was yesterday. Lion-O(I alwasy thought they were saying Lionel), Panthero, and I Snarf. Lionel was the leader and had an amazing sword that grew when he said the phrase (Thunder...Thunder...Thundercats...Whoooah) The bad guy, who was pretty scary as a child was Mumm-Ra who was made of bandages. Great show, another classic.
Rating: ***
http://thundercats.vpga.com/

X-Men - The coolest characters came from this cartoon series. It is an obvious favorite that has spawned two movies already. This was definitely a grown up cartoon series and that dealt with mutants that had special powers and usually defended the helpless world of normal humans from bad mutants. They protected humans because they wanted to prove that mutants and humans could coexist peacefully.
Rating: *****
http://www.marvel.com/index.htm

Smurfs - The land of the blue minature people. All I can say is everyone grew up with the Smurfs. I always wanted to know why there was only one smurf that was a chick...Smurfette and I think everyone hit on her even Papa Smurf. Here is a snippet:
The cartoon featured the adventures of the Smurfs who lived in the mushroom cottages of Smurf Village with their 542-year-old leader, Papa Smurf. Their lives would have been perfect were it not for the villainous Gargamel, an evil wizard who spent his days trying to capture the Smurfs. Gargamel's cat Azrael added to the menace, always looking for a snack.
Rating: ***1/2
http://www.mushroomvillage.com/smurfs-tv.html

FraggleRock - Don't remember much about this show but that I used to watch it all the time. I know that the Fraggles lived underground. Check out this summary courtesy of IMDB:
Doc and his dog Sprocket have a hole in their wall, behind which live little furry creatures known as Fraggles in a place called Fraggle Rock. The Rock is also home to the Doozers (who are knee-high to a Fraggle) and the Gorgs (who are giants that think they rule the Rock). One gang of Fraggles (Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, and Red), under the guidance of the all-knowing Trash Heap (Marjorie), learn about each other and their neighbors and eventually befriend the Doozers, the Gorgs--and even Doc and Sprocket. Meanwhile, Gobo's Uncle Matt explores Outer Space (our world) and sends postcards to his nephew about the Silly Creatures (that's us).
Rating: ***
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085017/


Today’s Special - The show no one seems to remember except for me. This aired on Nickelodeon and was awesome. Read this summary: It was about a department store, and the adventures of its inhabitants. The main four characters are: Jeff, Jody, Muffy, and Sam. Jeff was the main character and a mannequin by day, and a living, breathing human by night. However, in order for Jeff to remain a human, he must always keep his magical hat on. If he loses the hat, he becomes a mannequin again, and then the hat has to be put back on his head, and someone has to say the magic words "Hocus Pocus Alimagocus".
Rating: ***
http://www.johnnorrisbrown.com/classic-nick/todaysspecial/

How about these...do you remember:
CareBears He-Man, She-Ra, GI Joe, Curious George, Inspector Gadget, Bananaman, David the Gnome, Danger Mouse, Mighty Mouse, Mr. Roger's , Sesame Street!!!

Scorpio 2005

For just a little bit... Naw you need to see the rest

What does this mean you might be asking. Well this is my zodiac sign and it is important because I just celebrated a birthday: NOVEMBER 5TH. So if you forgot you still have a grace period to call, send expensive gifts, cards, candy…you know the deal. So I have heard a few smirks because some people know I was born in ’79. So I hear the occasional you know you were “born in the 70s” or that I am a “70s baby” and that makes you old. Paaaaleease… I was a hop, skip, and jump away from the 80s. Even worse someone asked me how does it feel to be older than a quarter of a century. Not funny because now I occasionally check for any gray hairs and periodically get false alarms when I have lotion in my beard.

So I decided this year to throw a little birthday bash for myself. I’ve been known to party hard so I figured why not throw a party, P. Diddy style. So I set out to find a really chill spot in Chicago that all of my friends and their friends could appreciate. It had to be trendy, the music had to be on point, and the liquor had to be top shelf. So I called up all of my close friends and we hit club VIP style. To top it off, I came out fresh to death, and had to light up a couple of big boy cigars this weekend. If you're on the market, try my personal favorites... the Acid's Kuba Kuba and the Cohiba. And boy did we throw back of some drinks that night. I had a wrist band that gave me all access to the premium shelf all night. So of course, nothing was flowing out of my cup except for Hennessey, Belvedere, Grey Goose...and we had to pop a champagne bottle.

Check me out this past weekend, doing it big with all my friends. I love everyone for coming out for this last minute event that I put together. This was the best weekend possible, and I can't believe the amazing turnout of people that I've known for both a little and long time. You'll see me out with the guys on Friday and kickin' @ Club Wet on Saturday.

Click here to view a crazy slideshow:

Birthday Bash

Turn My Music Up

Yeah I am updating the list of tracks to look out for. For all my Reggae fans I think the Damion Marley album is not bad and I have been listening to it for a long time now. I like "Road to Zion" a great collaboration with Nas. Also, another album that was surprisingly good is Young Jeezy recent album...he definitely stood apart from other artists in Boyz N Da Hood and his alubm proves why. Here are other songs that are definitely worth giving a look:

R&B
Floetry – Supastar
Trey Songz – Gotta Go
Avant Ft. Lil Wayne – You Know What
Mariah Carey - any song or remix!!
Black Buddafly - Rock a bye
Jamie Foxx - Unpredictable

Rap
Damian Marley - Road to Zion
Juelz Santana – There it Go (The Whistle Song)
Chamillionaire – Turn it up
Young Jeezy - Trap Star
Three Six Mafia - Stay Fly
Nelly - Grillz

Hanging Out

For just a little bit... Naw you need to see the rest

This past weekend I got a chance to hang out with my boys. This is my version of CRIBS, I was over my boy MN's new crib in the city. Of course, he is doing it BIG, did you check out the baby LCD screen in his room...all I can say is WOW.


Its all about the flat screen. And to top it all off he owns the whole damn rooftop, so he's got a skyline view of the city. So with a place like this you have to throw a gathering to watch the Chicago White Sox in the World Series. Check us out:



After partying at MN's during the SOX game, I had to catch up with my boys and hit Rush & Division (see Where in the World...Chicago). Check out a some pics of me and the crew:

Where in the world...Chicago

The nightlife in Chicago is definitely is always a lot of fun. As you all know I don't make it out every weekend but when I do... partying is like special glass of Hennessey you expect nothing but the best. And most people know that I like good music so I tend to be partial to the places that don't let me down. So when in the city here are some good spots to hang out in:

"The Apartment" - Great place, young crowd and the first bar/club that was sporting a big screen tv with a playstation on it for the folks chillin in the lounge area. On Thursdays, drinks are next to nothing and the music keeps the dance floor jumping.
Star Count: ***

"Funky Buddha": Yeah the spot that I like a lot. It has a great atmosphere good music from hiphop, R&B, neo-soul and even a few oldies. This club is not large and gets crowded very quick. If you love your space this may not be your place. But it has all the essentials of a great club:
1. Slightly Upscale Crowd - No offense, all I mean is that people care about what they where...and a door price that ensures that you are a true partier
2. Neck Turners - Honestly there are a few people that may cause you whiplash at the end of the night
3. MUSIC! - Yes, no time off for the DJ...he keeps the hits coming
4. Elements of Suprise - The X factor, bigs acts and surprise visits often frequent Buddha. Kanye, J. Legend, Questlove, Doug E Fresh, Bulls players, David Banner, and on and on.
Star Count: ****



"Redno5": This is a really good club. Its got a nice dance floor upstairs and plush lounge couches downstairs. Its got a Buddha feel but much larger.
1. Upscale Crowd - No offense, all I mean is that people care about what they where...and a door price that ensures that you are a true partier. The bouncers may be the toughest to get past in the business. Shout out to Jovi who got me in free last weekend...see it pays to speak to people on the way to the bars.

2. Neck Turners - I have walked out of here with a neck brace.

3. MUSIC! - Yes, no time off for the DJ...he keeps the hits coming. Don't forget the live percussion band and a MC that freestyles while walking through the club.

Star Count: ***1/2

Don't hate on my bling...

Here is part of the story. Changed you're mind, read the entire story.

The NBA has announced that a dress code will go into effect at the start of the season. Players will be required to wear business-casual attire when involved in team or league business. They can't wear visible chains, pendants or medallions over their clothes. (Courtesy of the AP)

A number of celebrated players have voiced their displeasure with this new rule addition. Everyone from Stephan Jackson (Pacers), Allen Iverson (76ers), and Paul Pierce (Celtics) have called this an outright attack on the hip-hop culture. It definitely begs the question of is this move racially movitated and how far can the league go to exercise its power over a league with players that are predominantly African-American and has a large hip-hop following. Who has the final say of what is professional or not? If I wore my bling to the office it would definitely turn heads...but should it. In the 70s, when Afro's where a symbol of a cultural movement many African-Americans wore this as an everyday hairstyle. Today, are we scared of rocking the conservative norm by not wearing Afro's, braids, or bling?

Or is it more of a regional or state issue? I often hear someone comment that they like another person's hairstyle...but they would never wear it because they wouldn't be able to wear it to work. But if you in an area where a large number of people where locks like down South or where people may be more liberal like on the West Coast is it more acceptable?

I am guilty of wearing a low-key hairstyle and dress code to ensure that I don’t rock the boat. And even today at lunch I saw a guy with an earring and thought whether that was a positive move on his part.

So does wearing bling mean that you are a thug? I think not and evidently neither does Sarbanes Oxley. When crimes were being committed at Enron, Worldcom, Adelphia, HealthSouth, and by Martha Stewart there were definitely suits and ties involved. But maybe we would have given them a break if they had worn their bling bling.