A DAY IN "THE LIFE OF RILEY"

I have just landed from a week on the west coast and couldn't wait to share my adventures with you. I was there for business, but managed to squeeze in some quality time to see new and old friends alike. Each of them in their own way inspired me with their sharings. But I too was entertained and expect that we all will be entertained by the projects on which they are working. I was in and around Los Angeles after all, so yes, they were all in showbusiness.

My first stop was Santa Barbara last weekend. The last time I had the chance to experience the mild and sunny, Mediterranean-esque climate, I was in the presence of legendary greatness, a highlight all its own. This weekend of the working/relaxation hybrid was much less eventful and more inward focused. It gave me the chance to contemplate the ocean, mountains, and engaging vistas --- all a panoramic view away. It was just stunning and just what Dr. Feelgood ordered for me to get centered and inspired about the days ahead. Though the airline lost my luggage, I realized that my walks on the beach nor my 'conversation with God' required 'couture'. I got the opportunity to quiet the voices of stress and angst, and spend a little quiet time "with" myself. Plus, the Doubletree Spa and Resort provided me an emergency grooming kit and a quick trip to State Street allowed me a new pair of underwear (just briefs, if you must know). And from calm, pensive, self-reflection to celebration, I proceeded into Old Town with my crew in tow for a daring roll-through that starrred Santa Barbara's locals, painting the town Halloween (though two days shy of it). That night rounded out a lovely and brief two-day stay in the city known for its ecological wonder.

On Sunday night, I traveled from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, also for an assignment. But upon my arrival, I began to receive calls and love from friends and associates via phone as you know I alerted all my west coasters that I was coming to town. My first? Actor Lamman Rucker. You'll recall (from a previous entry), I grew up on CBS Soaps, including "As The World Turns", which tapes in New York. A few years ago, Lamman played Marshall Travers on the daytime story. He was an antagonistic attorney who came into town to cause all sorts of trouble with Oakdale. Playing opposite Tamara Tunie and Napiera Groves, regulars on the show (at the time), we got the chance to see "black folks" be more than token wallpaper in a scene. They were bad. They were viscious. They were conflicted. And when their well-executed and much-hyped storyline was over, his character was killed. Still, it was a very exciting time (albeit shortly run) for blacks on daytime TV (Fortunately, "Young & The Restless" continues to play its folks of color high in the scheme of the high-profile plots). With that, I had a chance to know Lamman socially during that time. We were always running into each other at some party or event - usually me stalking him on where "the character" was in the plot (then, incidentally getting in what Lamman, the actor, had going on. But he was always gracious and willing to chat up the character and his own plans for himself). And since he went back out west to continue his career, we've stayed in touch. You'll recall, he played one of Rachel True's two love interests on "Half & Half" during its last season. And because it was cancelled (again too-soon) on a cliffhanger, we don't know if Lamman's character Chase got the girl. What I do know from the time we chatted and caught up in L. A. this week is that he's co-starring in a theater piece (in Los Angeles, go figure...). I had to leave town before I could see him in the show (which runs this weekend), but it's the Los Angeles African American Repertory's debut production for its 2006 Fall Season, WEBEIME (WE-BE-I-ME) starring Johnny Boyd, Layon Gray, Thom Scott II, Justin Biko, Jason McGee, Eddie Lewis, Jay Jones, and my boy, Lamman. It's tag line is "Many men! One story! One man! Many voices! Eight perspectives! One struggle!". It's poised to run Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through November 19th at THE COMPLEX "Theatre 6470" on Santa Monica Blvd. (See www.LAArep.com and www.mySpace.com/WeBeIMe for more information). If you're in L.A. this month, please go and support this production. Theater can often get dwarfed by TV and FILM in L.A., so it's great to see these visionaries holding the fort and standing on the shoulders of a time when all actors of color had was the Negro Ensemble Theater (in New York).

I also managed to leave Los Angeles with two film scripts in my hand. They came to me at separate times from two different people. Both of them are filmmakers and do work in TV too. First, there was my friend Todd Davis (far left in the four-shot picture; i am far right) in the next picture), who is a screenwriter, film producer, and director.  We had a ball, hanging out. He took me to my favorite restaurant (in any city) "Houston's" where we had the chance to be served by a couple of up-and-coming actors Odetta Bassett, a friend of Todd, and Brandon Austin, who says he has already had a small part in a Paris Hilton film. Though some see "Houston's" as over-rated and nothing more than a high-end "Bennigans" or "Applebees", I love its limited menu because 'what they do, they do well' and it's consistent and enjoyable everytime (for me). I had the "spicy shrimp and chicken gumbo" (which is not an option in New York or New Jersey) and the "prime rib" - both of which were perfection. Todd also took my friend Lesia and me to Melrose to shop. I stumbled into an awesome boutique that only had just opened three days before we walked in. It's called Rock & Roll Religion (www.rockandrollreligion.net) and it's a clothing store for men and women with "everything Jimi Hendrix". His iconography is all over the T-shirts, his essence is in many of the button-down, long-sleeved tops (one of which I purchased), and the spirit of his music is in the replicas that they have on display and for sale. It was a great find. Then, we went to West Hollywood for the parade. And again, I got the chance to witness and behold some of the most creative costumes known to man. Zany! Whimsical! Scary! Halloween! But the best and most exciting thing Todd shared with me was the news that he is planning to shoot his debut film, "The Engagement Party", down in Atlanta very soon and it promises to be "a stone gas, honey...", he says. The film - a romantic comedy - focuses on a hot and handsome young man who comes from a wealthy, Savannah family. After he graduates from Morehouse College, he chooses to stay in Atlanta. (Sounds like me, except for the wealthy family! smile!). He falls in love and has the challenge of not only giving his high-society mother the news, but he has to manage the "bumpy ride" that ensues, after she decides to throw an "engagement party" for him --- inclusive of meeting his significant other for the first time. It's a total hoot and to see Todd describe "his baby" with his Houston "twang" to boot makes me really excited to see the project and for this big step he's taking with his career. (And I so think that the lead role is my part. At least, that's what I told Todd. But he ignored me, having other thoughts about who can play the role. I won't divulge just yet, but Todd did note that he and his creative partner Warren Clarke are close to having the project fully financed through their company "Make Believe Entertainment". From there, they will cast. Then, they are off to Atlanta to shoot (and I will find a part for myself yet. Just watch.). Make room, Tyler Perry. There's another filmmaker coming to town. HALLELU-JER!!!

I also had the chance one evening this week to enjoy cocktails and calamari with "Noah's Arc" creator and executive producer Patrik-Ian Polk, who invited me to meet him at The Standard on Sunset Boulevard. It's a boutique hotel with low-slung sectionals and white shag carpeting all up and through its lobby, which leads to the pool area where you can eat and drink. Patrik chose the spot and I can see it as a place where perhaps he goes for "power meetings", etc. (In my mind as I still sometimes get amused at Hollywood's way of being). I just had an opportunity to meet Patrik when he and one of his "Noah's Arc" cast-members Jentsen Atwood came to the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Indianapolis in August (www.nabj.org). I moderated the NABJ LGBT Task Force panel on "Images of Gays in Televsion" on which he and Jentsen participated. We all hit it off well and the session would be one of the most popular and entertaining of the week, according to attendants. "Noah's Arc" is a huge hit on LOGO, yet Patrik says they are still waiting on word from the gay cable network on if it's going to be renewed for a new season. Meanwhile, Patrik is working on another feature film for which he's written the screenplay. It's yet another project with which I have an identification, but unlike Miss Ross (who insisted she play "Dorothy" in "The Wiz" as naysayers pointed out she was too old for the part), I won't act like I can play the starring role of a teenage boy, even if I still have my 29 waist from high school. All jokes aside, "Blackbird" is a film adaptation of Larry Duplechan's book of the same title. It's a story of adolescent awakening, written originally in 1986 for St. Martin's Press. The lead character, Johnnie Ray Rousseau, is a high school student upset at losing the lead role in the school staging of Romeo and Juliet; if that weren't enough, his best friend has been beaten badly by his father, and his girlfriend is pressuring him to have sex for the first time. All the while, he's intrigued by Marshall MacNeill, a fellow drama class member who's surely the sexiest man to walk God's green earth-at least according to Johnnie Ray. Patrik has an awesome wish list for who he'd like to play these parts, but I won't reveal that until the ink dries. Still, I'm excited for him and this project which should go into principal photography before year's end.

And then, just as my week was wrapping, I was reacquainted with a young man named Paul Boese. We both worked together years ago. Well, it turns out that Paul now works for Go Go Luckey Productions (http://www.gogoluckey.com/), the company that produces MTV's hit "Laguna Beach". I don't watch it, but my nephew, a freshman at Morehouse College, does - so much so, when I mentioned Laguna Beach (the location) a few weeks back, he thought I was talking about 'the show' (Like "uncle" like "nephew", huh? We take our pop culture very seriously). So, as soon as Paul told me that, I asked for whatever "Laguna Beach" SWAG (Stuff We All Get) he could provide for my brother's son. He says he'll send it soonest. And Paul's sweet wife who I met as well said she'd make sure of it. I'd be most appreciative. In his best joking impersonation of the "Laguna Beach" youth on the show, my nephew said "... Like, Oh my GOD! That's like so cool!!!". Now, I'm not only one of the "brothers" (black and white) doing it for themselves, but I'm the coolest uncle. Like, really.  

My boyfriend wishes I wouldn't say this, but "BLACK FOLKS DON' COME UP!!!!!!".

It's a little folk joke I say whenever I'm in the midst of seeing African Americans having experiences that belie the stereotypes and one-note profiles of 'colored folks' that I find often permeate the media and sometimes our mindsets (as a society at large). My loud and light declaration has shown up on occasion, like when I visited my friend and radio personality De De McGuire in Dallas and she showed me around what my one-room- apartment eyes saw as a mini-mansion with pool in the backyard. Not that I haven't seen my people have lovely homes before, but in that moment, I wanted to point out - in my arguably off-color colloquialism - just how proud of her I am. It's sort of an echo of what EBONY and JET do for its readers. Clearly, in 2006, there should be 'people of color' representing all tiers of success and that should be represented in all media. But without EBONY and JET, you might not see it demonstrated and celebrated on as grand a scale as it is. So, when the spirit moves me, I do my part and AFFIRM my interpretation of HOW FAR WE'VE COME, albeit through a filter that may read CHICKEN GEORGE or SOPHIA (from "The Color Purple").

And for the record, speaking of SOPHIA, I haven't "all my life... had to fight"!. I don't necessarily come from the "humble beginnings" of 'the Brewster projects' (a la my Diana) or from a backdrop of dirt roads and out houses, a backstory that sets the tone for legends and the like, who've become the flossiest versions of "The American Dream". Still, I unapologetically relate and respond (quite loudly, some have experienced...) when I come into contact with sightings of my people doing cool and progressive things. So you'll know, I am an Air Force brat, born in Japan. My family - with my father at the helm - traveled all over the world. Those exposures in our early years are with us even today. Still, global consciousness notwithstanding, we are regular folks who grew up with basic southern Christian lessons and knowing the limitations that society can sometimes put on people of color, if only inside of what we watch for entertainment, where we pray, and with whom we fraternize. And somehow, since Dad retired in his and my mom's hometown of Savannah, Georgia after we traveled the globe, I have an identification with many of these so-called simple, traditional folks who raised me and from whom I come. One of my beau's arguments around it is that hearing "BLACK FOLKS DON'T COME UP" from me "reduces" many of my "LIFE OF RILEY" philosophies and experiences to race and - to his estimation - I'm not that person. To him, "THE LIFE OF RILEY" transcends race and any social limitations. And he's 100% right. Mostly, I am a product of who I am being NOW and the results are showing up towards my BEST LIFE with those CHOICES. And though I am NOT just the humble story and life that it took to get here, it is still inside of me and played it's part to get me here too. I feel I am as TRADITIONAL as I am CUTTING EDGE. And depending on the day and the trigger, my connection to both can show up (sometimes at the same time). 

With that, last night I was screaming "BLACK FOLKS DON' COME UP!!!!!!" from the 16th floor penthouse of an event that was hosted by my 'Black' friends Carl and Sharon Nelson, a pair of siblings I've known for twelve or so years. They invited a group of our friends (of color) and me to join them at the home of Tom & Kamala Buckner, who run Lotus Music & Dance (www.lotusarts.com). And for all of the places I've been through my childhood years and -- throughout the U-S and Europe -- in my adult years, I dwarfed into "PATRICK IN WONDERLAND" as we enjoyed the setting that is a 4,000 square-foot, bi-level apartment with a 1,400 square-foot upper level that boasts a wrap-around terrace, giving the most delicious, panoramic views of Manhattan. That experience alone let me know I wasn't in Savannah anymore (like Dorothy's Kansas/Oz revelation in "The Wizard of Oz" or perhaps the "Emerald City Sequence" in "The Wiz"). By the way, this beautiful home is on the market for $4.8 million. (Anybody want to go in on it with me? Then, we can flip it! SMILE!).

But the night's program, which was run by my friend Carl, who is a special events coordinator of only the most FABULOUS events. I remember a  going-away party he threw for me in Atlanta when I moved here to the New York area ten years ago. He rented out only the hottest new club, "Tongue & Groove", in the posh Buckhead area of Atlanta and made sure all the accoutrements and people were in the house. I laugh at this memory because I felt so much love from not only my family and friends, but the - at least - three hundred other people he invited who I DID NOT KNOW. But per Carl's instruction, ALL OF THEM - the athletes, entertainers, socialites, and a drag queen or two - spoke to the camera, letting me know how much they (and Atlanta) were going to miss me. And when I viewed the tape in New Jersey a couple of weeks later, I wondered "WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?". But that's my CARL and the lengths to which he will go to make a party really special. 

And boy, did Carl (pictured, in white & orange shirt at Lotus in 2004) take us on a ride last night. The reception's purpose was to celebrate the debut of "Gandhi's Outstanding Leadership" by Alan Nazareth. Though the author was not there, they designed a program that honored Gandhi and what he represented and represents around non-violence, peace, and forgiveness. With my super-ecumenical spirit in tow, I knew the night was going to take us to and through many religions and beliefs. I surrendered to that as there is something to be said for us all coming together inside of our differences. We started with "A Prayer to the Lord of Ganesha", a Tibetan Buddhist prayer to an Elephant-headed god. (Lawd! The saints at my church are rolling over! SMILE!).

Then, two beautiful Muslim students from "Lotus Music and Dance" performed a classical dance from South India called Bharathanatyam. (The simpleton in me was bopping my head and tapping my feet to the rhythm of the music as it could so be sampled in a hip hop song. And we've seen that done ,haven't we TIMBALAND? "Okay, You can take me out of the hood. But you can't take the hood out of me". What am I talking about? I'm not from the hood. But you know what I'm saying... SMILE!).

From there, we were blessed with seven minutes (and counting, THANK YOU CARL!) of wisdom and enlightenment from three Lamas (not to be confused with the "Llamas" that used to frequent "Neverland" before Michael stopped paying the bills, but I digress...and only mention that because Carl pointed out that some of our people he invited actually thought menagerie would be present, which is why we love OUR PEOPLE.). These LAMAs, three sweet and cute men, are former Parliamentary members of the Tibetan government, currently in exile over in India. One said "Peace is not simple. It has to be nurtured, cared for, and cultivated." Another noted "Freedom has to be two-fold: inside and outside. We have to protect it from being compromised.". And my favorite of their talking points: "Art is a form of spirituality". And from there, actress Leslie Lewis Sword performed a stellar excerpt from her one-woman show which is based on Immaculee Ilibagiza's "Left To Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust". This book tells how Ilibagiza's world was ripped apart in 1994 as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Her family was brutally murdered during the killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans. Lewis Sword is the daughter of the late, great billionaire Reginald Lewis. Last year, she befriended Ilibagiza, after reading the book. She wanted to travel with her to Rwanda and have Ilibagiza walk her through the experience. Since that time, Lewis Sword says she is forever changed - so much so - she and her husband have adopted two Rwandan children. Lewis Sword calls Ilibagiza "our generation's Anne Frank" and - given her brief performance last night - Lewis Sword may be on her way to becoming "our generation's Cicely Tyson".

 Can I say it? "BLACK FOLKS DON' COME UP!!!!".

I recently ran into "The View" co-host Joy Behar - and her significant other Steve - in the security line at The Newark airport. I was standing in the slow-but-sure line, pondering at which second I would take my shoes off before I placed my belongings on the conveyer belt (so my feet wouldn't have to touch the dirty carpet for too long). As my eyes surveyed what was going on ahead of me, they landed on a woman with a face full of makeup and big, teased red tresses that - at a glance - gave me Bette Midler, perhaps Lucy (but I knew she was dead), or even a drag queen who didn't have a chance to wash his makeup off from the night before as this was an early afternoon flight. But as I focused my eyes into "view", I realized with enthusiasm that it was Joy. Stretching myself to seize the moment, I touch her shoulder and say "How much do I love you?". She looks at me, not so much startled but with ease and asks me back "Well, how much?". I tell her in my best nasal quip "You're alright!". She laughs and then I more officially introduce myself to she and Steve. As I hip her to where I'm going and vice versa, we realize we have friends in common and manage to hold our fun and light conversation through the X-ray threshold and beyond to when we put our shoes back on.

In that moment, I think to give her some feedback on the NEW "View", which this season welcomed Rosie O'Donnell as the "moderator" (READ: what Meredith Vierra was before she left to fill Katie Couric's post at NBC's "Today"). I tell Joy that I am liking "The View" much more than I expected as I felt Rosie would be TOO MUCH for an ensemble cast. Actually, though, I find she's blending in quite well alongside her Rosie-esque signatures (give-aways, confetti, left-wing politics, kid chat). And according to Nielsen, the ratings haven't looked this good in a long while. Joy pointed out that they were still getting their groove with the new addition, but that they are all enjoying themselves for the first time in a long time.

You'll recall, a couple of months after Meredith vacated her seat, the sole sister on the panel Star Jones Reynolds announced that she would no longer be continuing on at "The View" (after months of rumors that her contract was not being renewed). Though Star's announcement didn't quite land those specifics, her scoop to "People" (later that same day) did. ("I was fired!" she exclaimed). That press would provoke Barbara Walters to take her boxing gloves off and bring the claws out as she alerted viewers the following day that Star was - in fact - fired by the network, but she and co-executive producer Bill Geddie were aiming to protect star and let her go out "with dignity". Well, Star then went to Larry King LIVE! and told it ALL. And since that time, she has been under the radar, plotting her comeback. Keep in mind, this blow came atop criticism over her weight-loss and how exactly she lost over 150 pounds (Though not corroborated by Mrs. Reynolds, most believe she underwent gastro-bypass). Also, her marriage to Al Reynolds proved a media circus, but many argue she was the ringleader in reportedly pursuing commercial kick-backs from vendors for her elaborate wedding (not to mention there were questions about Mr. Reynolds orientation and whether the union was even authentic).

All of that aside, I say to Joy that as much as I appreciate what Rosie is bringing to the table (including diversity around her lesbianism and being another mom on the panel), "You ladies need to get some color up in the mix!". She agrees and alerts me that they had a Korean on that day. I applaud her, but - from my filter - offer that they need a "sistah". Joy acknowledges the direction of my advisement with "Ahhhh! A sistah!!!!" She laughs and says that once they are solid with the team a la Rosie, they will begin to try out more "women of color". Since that chat, we've seen the return of Al Roker's wife Deborah Roberts, ABC correspondent on 20/20. We've seen local New York City anchor (ABC affiliate) Lori Stokes. And this week, Judge Glenda Hatchett joined the ladies to good effect, but her personality seems so much bigger than cross-talk can provide (Keep in mind, she's the judge that can "shhh..." a person with the click of a gavel... and now she's got to excuse herself to get a word in edge-wise? I don't think so!). Prior to Rosie coming on, we saw a revolving door of African American women getting us through the post-Star summer weeks - including Brandy, EXTRA's Tanika Ray, Kelly Rowland ("Destiny's Child"), Tisha Campbell-Martin, etc.

I would like to see "The View" try out Shaun Robinson from "Access Hollywood", Sheryl Lee Ralph, and I just loved seeing Gayle King as a guest (on the same show on which Rowland co-hosted), but she's clearly busy these days as the - watch out Wendy Williams!!! - "New Queen of All Media"?????

As Joy and Steve walk away, we realize our departures are one gate from each other. So, our conversation continues and we do some more shop talk and dishing. Then, we stumble into another familiar face, Rosie's "wife" Kelly, who was going somewhere out of Newark airport. Steve introduces me and tells her about some of my recommendations. Kelly says "That [advice] means something coming from you!". I guess there's a buzz about "The Life of Riley", already huh? Well, maybe not. But this I know for sure. Joy Behar is one cool, er... SISTAH! I LOVE HER!!!

Speaking of time, my TIVO has been neglected of late. Though it continues to digitally record all of my selects (which I'll share with you comprehensively one day), my time is not allowing for me to be as captive an audience. Still, I made time this week to watch VH-1's debut of "THE WENDY WILLIAMS EXPERIENCE", which featured ICE T and his lady, LIONEL RICHIE, and FARNSWORTH BENTLEY -- all chatting it up candidly on The Queen of All Media's radio show within a TV show. The guilty pleasure added dimension and color to an already vibrant experience when just listening on the radio (and letting the imagination run wild). After a few years of spot specials here and there (with promises of a bigger presence), it seems that VH-1 and TEAM WENDY may have a good formula going and --- blinds shut --- I have placed her on my TIVO's SEASON PASS to ensure that I don't miss any of the classic Wendy moments ("How You Doin'?"). Speaking of "How You Doin'?", I am loving UGLY BETTY's nephew Justin Suarez ( as played by Mark Indelicato about whom I'm sure we'll be hearing more about very soon). The effeminate teen boy adores all things FASHION and POP, including his aunt's job at the hip, very "DEVIL-WEARS-PRADA" MODE Magazine (THINK: VOGUE). Indelicato plays the best "gal" (but he's a 12-year-old guy) that I've seen since the one I suppressed and repressed at that age (while I periodically turned out an uncontrollable high-kick throughout my childhood home as if I was Leroy from "Fame". Meanwhile, my mom would tell me to "...Stop flouncing around this house like a sissy and sit down!!!!", but I digress.... ). BREATHE, PATRICK! The Thursday night ABC dramedy "UGLY BETTY" is getting better and better each week... and more and more enticing to watch. (I LOVE "Brothers and Sisters" too, by the way. GO ABC!!!! And more on that another time.). So, you must watch "UGLY BETTY". One awesomely rich-in-racial-subtext moment occurred this week, when the antagonistically seductive Wilhemenia, played to a T by Vanessa L. Williams (Remember her "A Diva's Christmas Carol" on VH-1? That was another annual treat for me - like "The Wizard of Oz" for someone else). Well, Williams' character Wilhemenia, the Creative Director of MODE, is introduced a concept around a Christmas layout, after the intended shoot theme is leaked from within and lifted by a competing magazine. As the brainstorm oscillates between her boss, the Editor-in-Chief (white male) and the chosen layout photographer (white male), the Editor-in- Chief recommends a KWANZAA motif - looking at Wilhemenia, who exhaustively, but understatedly, retorts (eyes rolling) "Did you just gesture at me when you said Kwanzaa?" Nervously, he says "NO!". And they move on...and that, my friends, is my favorite TV moment of the week. Without being preachy, it acknowledged what a meeting in corporate America can look like when there's only one face of color in the room. Insensitivity can abound. But because it's so inevitable and ubiquitous... and diversity is a long way from being the reality, we just laugh and - like this scene - keep it moving. GENIUS!