A DAY IN "THE LIFE OF RILEY"

MAXWELL’S “THIS WOMAN’S WORK”

My karaoke spin on Maxwell’s “This Woman’s Work”: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=390384328736&ref=mf Standing on Maxwell’s shoulders alone is heavy, but as evidenced by TV ONE “UNSUNG”s take on Sylvester’s life (http://www.tvoneonline.com/), my falsetto is also standing on big shoulder (pads)! LOL! Shout out to the strong falsettos out there – including Earth, Wind, & Fire's Phillip Bailey and The Temptations’ Eddie Kendricks. I recently got to echo Kendricks' style when my Tony-award-winning friend LaChanze ambushed me with the mic on she and Greg Generet’s recent spin on “Just My Imagination” - http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2010/3/15/easy-breezy-george-and-weezy.html).

BIRTHDAY GIRLS AND BOY

Consider it a birthday serenade, of sorts. Miss Ross recently celebrated another year of fierceness and fabulousness. But the big gift is ours as concert tickets have been cleared to see my favorite, 66-year-young diva Diana at Radio City Music Hall on May 19^th and – a week and change later – in Chicago, courtesy of my earth angel Sally Lou.  This “More Today Than Yesterday” tour promises lots of comfort and joy for me in May (http://www.facebook.com/#!/DianaRoss?ref=search&sid=662073736.1095004508..1). But there are also birthday shout outs due to our girlfriend Cy whose Big 3-0 fete Ant and I weren’t able to make. Still, we absolutely adore our diva girlfriend who is a Designer/Social Entrepreneur/Sustainable Lifestyle Branding Guru EXTRAORDINAIRE (http://www.vivedesignhaus.com/). We were, however, able to get out – in the 11^th hour for our other Aries birthday girl Dr. Shirley Madhere – plastic surgeon with the most (http://www.thenewaesthete.com/). She emailed us at 12 noon to show up at her last-minute brainchild of a celebration at the well-appointed, private club Norwood (www.norwoodclub.com/). And what a set it was as I uncovered that we have more mutuals in common than we knew about – including: “Why Did I Get Married Too?”s Malik Yoba; Yoki Brown (of Brandy's 'Full Moon' video notoriety - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxC1XZDghTc&feature=related); our girlfriend, good dentist Dr. Ericka; and my Lisa Goodnight's college mate Mica who inspired Ant and me to karaoke afterwards. She owns an anti-aging spa business which she is growing as it is still in the infant stages: www.myspatique.com, but look out: With Mica behind it, it promises to be a big success. While at our Dr. Shirley’s set, I got to reiterate to Malik - a regular reader of my blog 'A Day in the Life of Riley' - how great he is in "Why Did I Get Married Too?” Hopefully you have seen the film by now. Ant and I went a third time on our new favorite film’s opening night with Ern, Charlie T, and Danielle. AUDIENCES seem to be LOVING it… and are quite SHOCKED at several reversals Tyler Perry incorporated into the film to off-set critiques of being predictable and cliché. And as I shouted out Miss Aretha Franklin who too recently celebrated a birthday (Ant and I attended her BDAY set last year in Detroit: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2009/3/26/people-say-im-the-life-of-the-party.html), and I just uncovered that “Secret Trois”, the trio Ant and I secured for Ms. Franklin’s party last year, shouted us out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKWh3Mu3m34. This, for arranging their performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ2385evPmY.   And another shout out to Joe Ballon who too celebrated a birthday in March. He's Ant's colleague at 'The Wendy Williams Show' and is just an all-around, swell dude. And he and I have a love for all things 'Black sitcoms' in common. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOE! 

 BLEU BLOOM

Ant and I went to the BLOOM Spring Party on invite from my friend Clarence Haynes (I teased it in last week’s blog entry: http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2010/3/24/nothing.html). It was quite festive – dancing, cocktails, African drums, World music remixes, etc! Then, Ant and I went to BLEU's Beautiful People night - Sunday - at 7 BELOW 0 in Harlem. Turns out Ant and I were named to the Winter 2010 issue of BLEU Magazine's BLEU LIST! Total honor! Shout out to BLEU Publisher De’Von Christopher for the LOVE (www.bleulife.com)!

TEZA

My girl Loren - who collabo'd with me on my recent BET projects - co-edited this critically-acclaimed film TEZA for which the Dwyer Cultural Center in Harlem hosted a launch. Danny Glover endorses TEZA and hosted the opening night alongside TEZA’s director Haile Gerima ("Sankofa"). It’s currently showing in NYC at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas and other select movie houses nationwide (www.TezaTheMovie.com). CONGRATS LOREN!

SHOUT OUTS

• ·        So my good girlfriend Jakki’s stepdaughter Kamari has just started a new blog site called "Save Safe Sex" (www.savesafesex.webs.com) and FACEBOOK: www.Facebook.com/kamaririchardson. And her blog: www.krichy15.blogspot.com. She has started a fan page on Facebook called “Let’s Talk Sex...Blog In!! Her mission is to teach everyone from the young ages of 11 to seniors at 85 about saving safe sex. She felt that if she just stuck to the basics and did a blog on Reality TV or Celebs, it wouldn't have made a mark of any importance in the lives of everyone. For Kamari, she feels that this is important because she trusts that her story and some of its challenges must parallel other girls around the world and she just wants to do her part in helping that not be the story of our future girls.
• ·        My Morehouse brother Maurice McRae is currently at Baltimore’s Centerstage, set to open in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom", featuring a talented cast including diva E. Faye Butler. Maurice is playing the role of Levee originated by Charles Dutton. Then, they are in Philadelphia. For Baltimore:  www.centerstage.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.centerstage.org/marainey. For Philly: www.philadelphiatheatrecompany.org/2010/marainey.html And for more on Maurice: www.mauricemcrae.com.

HAPPY EASTER DAY!

On this day, Ant and I celebrated a holiday meal with Ern, Danielle, her husband Bernard, and our girlfriend Tina. A couple of years ago, Ant, Ern, Danielle, and I did the same location - Delta soul food restaurant in New Brunswick, NJ near Rutgers University. Now, I’m packing for a multi-week stint in Chicago (with a quick stop in L.A.). With Spring in BLOOM, I’m thrilled and blessed that some work has accompanied it. And though I am still a work-in-progress on a journey that is chockful of twists and turns, I am so GRATEFUL to have so much LOVE and LIGHT around me. Today, as we all broke bread, fellowshipped, and acknowledged the reason for the season, I was reminded how GOOD GOD IS. And it is HE who sustains me while on this ride called LIFE.