Yesterday At The Beach...

While frolicking in the ocean, I got attacked by a killer wave lol I'm so happy SUMMER has finally decided to join us in Cali :)

Photo By Jason Wallace

Also here's a video of me and my girl Suzanne... from a few days ago at Temescal Canyon, my favorite hiking spot. My first real exercise since the whole toe issue.

Mid-Summer Nights Dream at the PlayBoy Mansion

I had the pleasure of going to the Playboy Mansion once again. This time for Hugh Hefner's Annual pajama party called A Mid-Summer Nights Dream! As you can imagine it was amazing with wall to wall beauties in lingerie, top notch catered food, full open bar to order anything your heart desired and live entertainment. There was also wall to wall high powered celebs to network with. I bumped into someone I hadn't seen in a while, Mr. Berry Gordy! I met him and his family years ago at a dinner party in Beverly Hills and instantly clicked with them about a project. Some how I had lost contact with them due to  lost phones and contacts, but we were reunited again at the mansion with lots of laughs, stories and possible future projects. For the youngins who do not know who he is, Berry Gordy discovered Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5, Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson and The Tempations just to name a few. He also produced and directed one of my all time favorite movies, Lady Sings The Blues. Very powerful man with very easy going demeanor. Glad we reconnected. I would love to work with him on something and plan on it.

I had such a wonderful time hanging out with my girls Neferteri Shepherd and Lake Payne! Also in attendance was Jamie Foxx, Brett Ratner, Too short and a live performance from the "Toot it and Boot it" boys, (I have no idea what their name is) just to name a few.

Overall it was a great night minus an unhappy couple getting into it and pepper spraying the whole crowd. By that time I had already did all my networking so I was ready to go anyway. So it didn't ruin my night, just my lungs and eyes for about 2 hours lol! Until my next adventure...

Death At A Funeral Premiere

The movie was funny with a very talented, star studded cast. I had a blast at the premiere catching up with people I hadn't seen in a while and networking with execs at the after party. It was freezing last night so I opted to cover the legs for a little comfort. I've already gotten bad press about the high boots and long dress but what do they know lol! Overall a great night with so many stars in attendance like Martin Lawrence, Eddie Murphy, Tracy Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Angell Conwell, Regina Hall, Chris Rock, Marlon Wayans, Columbus Short and Ciara to name a few.  My business partner and friend Ann Flagella came as well.  

Me

Photo By Jason Wallace

My Vacation In Rio De Janerio

What can I say.... It was everything! For a whole week it was fun, exciting, relaxing, sexy, steaming hot with a hint of danger and very spiritual. I'll begin with the hotel...

We stayed in a HUGE suite at the Fasano :) It's a fairly new luxury hotel (maybe 2 years old) with every amenity imaginable. Beyonce and Alicia Keys had just left a couple days before we got there. They were there shooting a video together. Madonna, Lourdes, and Jesus (her boy toy lol) were staying there while we were there. Somehow people found out that Madonna was in the building and all hell broke loose. It was like TRL outside of the hotel with screaming fans right outside my damn balcony for 2 days! It was madness and Madonna had a huge bodyguard entourage every where she went. I just got a glimpse of her but I have met her once before already in LA so it wasn't a big deal to me. Well.. maybe just a little lol! But yes, the hotel was amazing, especially the infinity rooftop pool. We chilled up there a lot getting a head start on my tan for 2010. Nicole Scherzinger (pussy cat dolls) frequented the pool often as well. It felt so good to get some R&R far far away.



The Rio Carnival was way more than I anticipated. It was breath-taking! The day we arrived I was thinking people would be all over the streets dancing but I now know, that is the Trinidad Carnival. This carnival is held annually at the Sambodromo specifically built for this occasion. The parade goes on for HOURS each day. At least 9 hours. Unbelievable, right? It's different parades per school and each float tells a story. We were standing there and the parade ended after about an hour and a half. I was like wow, that was beautiful! I'm thinking it was over but no one was leaving. About a half hour later, a complete new parade with a total new theme started! So you'd better had a comfortable seat or some comfortable shoes because you could easily be there all day. One float with more wow factor than the last. It keep going and going like the energizer bunny lol. Needless to say we were wore out because we did two days for about 4-5 hours. But it was well worth it... to see all the work they put into this amazing affair. My favorite parade was the King and Queen, Royalty type theme, especially Cleopatra and her servants!!! I took so many pics I don't even know where to begin to add them...

It's like the whole city gets involved. If you are from Rio, 9 times out of 10 you have participated in the Carnival because it is such a prideful event with lots of heart! I felt so blessed to witness the BIGGEST Carnival in the world.

It also has it's religious connection... 40 days before Easter. It officially starts on Saturday and finishes on Fat Tuesday with the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday after which one is supposed to abstain from all bodily pleasures. Carnival with all its excesses, celebrated as a profane event, can be considered an act of farewell to the pleasures of the flesh. I'm not Catholic though so I won't be giving up anything :)

So after experiencing the spirit and soul of the city, we did some more relaxing by the pool, then spa pampering, then shopping, then sight-seeing. I'm realizing right now that we never made it to the beach. It was just steps away but the pool was too nice and it had waiters lol! Next time!

Our last day there, we were so in the moment. The beauty of God was everywhere! In the birds, the people, the sea, in us. We were high on life and thanking GOD for all his blessings!! The next step was to go see why they call this city, The City Of God.


My favorite part of the trip was seeing the "Christ The Redeemer" statue. It was so high in the sky! Think Empire State building high, but wayyyyyy higher! We took a trolley type train that was hanging from wires up the mountain. It was a lot of Asian tourists on there. Our ears were popping and it literally looked like we were on an airplane by the view with the clouds eye level to us. Up and up we go til we finally reached the top. My friend Ann couldn't breathe well because of the thinness of the air. It was so hot that morning, like 90 degrees at 10am. Plus we had not been to sleep the night before because we wanted to sleep on the airplane back home. (15 hour flight) It had been a very spiritual morning because we watched the sunrise and was leaving that night so we took it all in.

Christ The Redeemer is a MUST SEE. No pictures will ever do it any justice. It is by far one of those things that should be on your bucket list. It was built in the 1920's but I still can't figure out how they got it up there Or how they worked so high in the sky, especially back then. It took 9 years to build and it only cost them $250,000. Amazing! I wonder how much something like that would cost today... If you want to learn more about it click here.

We were deliriously happy and giggly. It was the best time I had had in a long while. With the everyday hustle of life you forget sometimes what's important. Paying attention to GOD's signs and living in the moment is the beginning of a spiritual rewarding life. All work and no play makes anyone dull. Take time to actually hear the waves crash and the birds sing! I was well overdue and it was just what the doctor ordered. I feel so refreshed and new. I feel like I am back on my spiritual path :) I can go on and on about this trip but that would be a book in itself. Bottom line it was AMAZING.

Here's a video of me doing the "Samba" on the trolley type train that was hanging on wires in the air on our way to see Christ The Redeemer at 9 AM... With the Samba, from which I learned from a Brazilian at Carnival, it really is about the fancy footwork but you can't see it in this video unfortunately. I heard drums and had to dance! I have other vids I recorded of the parade and other things but for some reason it won't let me download. I'll take it as a "sign" that it's not really significant at this point. Enjoy...



Til my next adventure...

Californication

I just realized that this week marks my 10 year anniversary of being in California. Wow... Time flew by. Faster than you can sneeze I went from a starry eyed little girl to seasoned vet. I have my doctorate in 'Hollywood'. I came here on a mission with faith in God and myself. Since then, I have been in movies, tv shows, videos, commercials, magazines and billboards. I have walked red carpets and befriended some of your favorite actors, actresses and singers, gone to some of the most exclusive parties and have fallen in love and gotten married. My memoirs will be INSANE. The stories I will tell my children and grandchildren... I look back and I smile because I knew absolutely no one when I came here. Fearless. All I had was $2,500 and a dream. Now I have a whole new life I created.

I remember telling my family and my friends at the hair salon I worked at in Chicago, that I was moving to California. Everyone was excited for me. I couldn't wait. Once I saw myself on the big screen at the premiere of "Soul Food", that was pretty much it. I had been bitten by the bug. I had already been taking acting classes and had booked a commercial there, so I knew the residuals would hold me over for a while. So if I was going to leave, NOW was the time. I did leave, well me and one of my good friends (and client) at the time, Tiffany, drove all the way to Cali, listening to Wyclef's "Gone til November" at least 100 times. lol That was our theme song for the drastic move we were about to make... To make a long story short, she didn't like Cali and moved back to Chicago after a couple months. So there I was. Alone. Me against the world. Ready to take it on.

It has not been a smooth ride thus far and if it was easy everyone would be doing it. I'm so close yet so far away from exactly where I want to be. I've grown a lot mentally, made some mistakes and learned from them. I have sat back and observed. This business is definitely not for the weak or thinned skinned, in fact I think it is the hardest business in the world. Just think about it, if I had put that much time into being a doctor or lawyer I'd be just that, guaranteed. There are no guarantees in Hollywood. So you definitely have to respect anyone who sacrifices their life for their dreams because most people don't have the balls to do it.

I've seen so many people come and go. I've lost some friends who let Hollywood change them and they became intolerable to be around. I've seen some play themselves out on reality shows (for the 15 minutes of famers) and I have seen some, well one particular friend, Kanye, blow up right before my eyes. I still can remember me and him riding on his scooters and no one knew who he was. We were two crazy kid-like gemini's having a blast and he still had his wire in his mouth from that near death car accident. The following year, EVERYONE knew who he was. He is definitely a huge inspiration and no... we were just friends not lovers and he has not changed to this day. He was that arrogant/cocky guy even without the fame and fortune lol! But at the same time he is also a sweet heart. My homie for life and his mother was such a beautiful spirit.

After all these years I am still motivated to go to the next level. I've taken time off here and there to regroup but I'm still here baby. I just booked a commercial so you should be seeing that soon and I am finishing up a script I have been working on all year. I gave myself a deadline sense I am my own boss. Dec. 31st. Then I will be on to the next one... which is a book. I have a production company now and soon will be producing my own films. I'm also reading other people's scripts because the next project I act on will be the type of project I am very proud of. No need to do just 'any' role anymore. 2010 is looking pretty good. I'm doing it MY WAY.

My Life Is A Beach

So I have been meaning to write about my transition to my new home blocks from the beach. A cute little developing community called Playa Vista. It is so clean and perfect. It kinda reminds me of the neighborhood in "The Truman Show" movie with Jim Carrey. There's no smog so the air is fresh and crisp. Everyone is friendly and active and owns a bike. My place is so cozy with every amenity imaginable. It's my dream location... well maybe if I was actually on the strand I'd be a little happier, but I'm in heaven right now. It's definitely my favorite place out of all the places I have lived thus far. God is great. I'm 5-10 minutes away from everything. I schedule my auditions and meetings during non-traffic times. Just living a stress-free life. My friends love to come visit me to get away from the hustle and bustle of the inner city.

So it's been a month since I got back from my 2 and a half month travels,(Chicago, New York, Ohio) and I would have wrote about this sooner but I got super busy moving/settling in, reconnecting with everyone, writing a scipt and a book, and last but not least, working out. Yes I have been working out like crazy because I always get chubby when I go home. I think it's because none of my family there workout at all. Needless to say, most of them are out of shape :( So all I did while in Chicago was eat, talk, write and sit around. It drove me crazy but I got a lot of writing done. I almost bought a bike while there just to feel active because hey... I'm well into my 30's and I have to preserve "the sexy". lol I did occasional sprints with my nephew but I'm not a runner really, but it did make me feel better. I like exercises that don't feel like exercise like hiking, sex lol, swimming, tennis, roller blading, volleyball, yoga or cycling. The funny thing is I didn't turn into this "healthy" person until I moved to LA. The truth of the matter is I don't think I really worked out until I became a Californian. I adapted the lifestyle pretty quickly and I am so glad I did because it truly is the fountain of youth.

So as soon as I moved in, I bought a cute cruiser bike and have been riding every other day. Those extra chubby pounds were gone in a week. I need to get a cute basket for the front like everyone has. I'm always in bike shops looking for new things to put on it. A few days ago I joined this bike group in my neighborhood and we have a 30 mile ride this Saturday.... Yes you read right. Thirty mile ride on Saturday when the most I have done in a day is 10 unconsciously. I say "unconsciously" because usually I am just going at my own pace. Just strolling along, enjoying the beach sights. But the memo says the ride will be at "moderate" speed. What in the Lance Armstrong hell are these people trying to do to me??? Can I keep up??? We will see. lol I'm up for the challenge!!! I will write about it and post pics. Stay tuned!