Killa Cal, I'm biting...hard

My main man, and my mentor in the Blogging game, Mr. Calvin Miles Smith, III (www.killacal.net) gave such a cool entry this past week, that I had to bite it...

So here it goes...

Guess what movie these lines came from?

1. "I am the lizard king, I can do anything!"
2. "The secret to my salmon is the fresh rosemary..."
3. "My brother is crazy he thinks he's a chicken. Well why don't you take him in. I would, but I need the eggs."
4. "I won't sell it! I won't sell it!"
5. "$50,000 for the initial plans." "I'll give you $2,500."
6. "Just a bit outside!"
7. "Where on that list does it say that Screech is on the list?"
8. "I want intensity! I want reckless abandon!"
9. "I'll lose a million dollars this year. I'll probably lose a million dollars next year, and the year after that. And you know what, at that rate, I can keep losing a million dollars for the next sixty years!"
10. "Tradition is nothing more than the illusion of permanence."

Myintrotoletyouknow

It's Monday and what can I tell you?

Two weeks ago, I saw Crash. Loved it very much. Excellent picture about life in Los Angeles. It was the best movie I'd seen about LA since the original Crash, "Grand Canyon." Do your history and check that one out too.

Saw Star Wars III. I liked it. It didn't change my life, but it was definitely entertaining, and had a culminating effect, ya know? My big question is this though, "Does wearing authentic Star Wars garb and lightsabers enhance the movie in any way?" I have seen every Star Wars in the theater in its original theatrical release. That's right; 1977 at Northtown Movies in Dallas, TX, 1980 at Northpark 1 & 2 in Dallas, TX, 1983 at Furneaux Creek Movies in Dallas, TX, 1999 at CNN Center in Atlanta, 2002 at Magic Johnson Theatres in Atlanta and 2005 at Startyme Entertainment Center in Alpharetta. You can call me an anomoly. You can call me a pioneer. You can even call me a fan, but I've grown past the fanatic stage that I saw many people my age in.

I'm really looking forward to the release of Common's new CD 'Be' which drops tonight at midnight. I will most certainly be at Tower to pick it up.

I watched 'Desperate Housewives' last night. Admittedly, it was entertaining, albeit the second episode I've ever watched, but entertaining nonetheless. I'm very proud for Teri Hatcher, because I remember her fondly on Seinfeld and in the film Soapdish. It goes to show you that if you keep knocking, the door will eventually open. 'They're real, and they're spectacular!' However, after watching DH, I stuck around for 'Grey's Anatomy.' I hope that several million other tv watchers did the same, because it is an excellent show. Great ensemble cast. Great performances. Fun, hip writing. Enjoyable all around.

VH1 Soul is one of the greatest television innovations. VH1 used to devote an hour to R&B music with their fledgling but good 'The Soul of VH1'. Then someone had the brilliant idea to devote a whole channel to the music. Yet another in a series of great moves by the good people at VH1. Granted I work for the rival company, Clear Channel, but hey, when you're right, you're right.

Oh yes, my Mavs. We played valiantly. We played tough and gave away the last game. It was ours, and we were too afraid of the next step. We won't be next year though. We proved we are tough enough, we now just have to BELIEVE that we are tough enough. Jason Terry is my Mav of the Year. And I never thought I'd say this, but we should keep Avery Johnson.

I'm Joe and that's how I see it.

PS
Entourage is another great new reason to watch TV.

The Shout Outs

I'd like to send the following shout outs out...

*To Antoy Bell for passing the Bar on the first attempt.
*To the Dallas Mavs for winning their first round series and winning by 40 at home for the home team.
*To Calvin Smith for introducing blogging to me.
*To my parents for being the best people...period.
*To Alanis Morrisette for 'Jagged Little Pill'
*To all 2005 graduates
*To my sister Marjon for graduating from Brown on time, and with a greater sense of self.
*To VH1 Soul for keeping it real.
*To George Peters, a rising star.
*To Benny for his faith.
*To Tower Records for always having what I'm looking for.
*To all of my little brothers at the House for repping harder than humanly possible.
*To Dewey for kickin' tail and winning it all.
*To JC for making me laugh.
*To Spence for being himself.
*To Destiny's Child for the songs 'Cater' and 'Girl'
*To Bryan Barber for the video to 'Girl'
*To Amerie and Eve for the video to '1 Thing'
*To Dr. Tobe Johnson for noting that 'any wayfaring fool can put anything on the internet...'
*To Chris Lee for being a statesman.
*To Aubrey for thinking he got away with it all.
*To 112 for keeping it going and for the song, 'Smile'
*To Morehouse...for everything
*To Antioch Baptist Church North for not letting me down
*To my parents for all of the love and support
*To Faraji, Toy, Corey and Cash for the vision, support and love
*To Scoop for all his new horizons
*To old friends and new ones
*To the class of 2000 of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges
*To Travis Harry for always having my back
*To Sweetwater Creek
*To Ray Charles for Modern Sounds in Country and Western
*To Clear Channel for my job.
*To the Beatles for 7th grade
*To the Beatles and Run DMC for 8th grade
*To Public Enemy, NWA and Harry Connick for 9th grade
*To Public Enemy, Harry Connick and Troop for 10th grade
*To Nat Cole, Harry Connick, Boyz II Men and Jodeci for 11th grade
*To Diggable Planets, Das EFX, Dr. Dre and Snoop for 12th grade
*To Sinatra for obvious reasons.
*To John Cox for always knowing what to say
*To B Font for the conversations and the brotherhood
*To Josh Harris for being a true friend, husband and father
*To Dallas
*To Larry David for 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'
*To Jordan Carlos for being a true success...
*To Joi for showing me how to get 'A Different World' on DVD among other things.
*To the Bullie Corp. for the great face products
*To Joao and Astrud Gilberto for 'Quiet Nights'

More to come...

Some Things You Should Know...

Hello friends...

A little less than a year ago, I graduated from Morehouse College. I was remarking to a friend last night while sitting in his very nice condo on Lenox Rd. in Atlanta, that the time has gone by swiftly.

The swift time from May to May got me to thinking about how quickly it will keep moving. In four short, quick years, I'll be back at Morehouse for my 5 year reunion. Man...that's quick.

I'd like to share a few things that I learned with the new college grads out there...

1) Have a plan.
When I graduated from College, I did not have a plan. I was so very fixated on graduating, that I let the little things like employment, kind of fall to the wayside. Oh sure, I applied to jobs, a number of jobs. But I wasn't serious about it. For instance, I was offered a job on Capitol Hill and I turned it down, to later take a job in Atlanta for pretty much the same amount of money. A stupid move on my part. I would have had two or three raises by now had I taken that job on the Hill. A lesson learned, a lesson learned. But seriously, please have a plan. Because after a few weeks, that diploma, for all it's greatness and for all its worth, starts winking back at you, waiting for you to make the next move.

2) Don't take the first job offered to you.
I was so ecstatic over being offered a job, that I took the first one offered to me. Now, I am grateful for the job that I have with Clear Channel, but I should've waited it out and possibly leveraged them for more money. Remember, shop around.

3) Don't worry about keeping up with the Joneses.
Look, the guys who were pre-med or pre-law, are going to do their thing regardless of what you do. Remember that. You are not in competition with your friends or classmates from school. Do the best that you can in your chosen field and let the chips fall.

4. Don't be averse to moving.
If you've been someplace for a great period of time, you feel comfortable there. Leaving is a scary prospect, I know. But don't be afraid to do it. It could be surprisingly liberating. Moving to a new place and having new experiences could be exactly what you need to help you figure out who and what it is that you want to be.

5. Enjoy every moment of your senior week and graduation.
Please enjoy and take advantage of every second of your senior week. You'll only do it once, if you do it right, and before you know it, you look up Senior Week, and it's Friday and your parents just came to town. Soak it up, let the experience go through you, and party harder than you ever have. Chances are very good that you will ever have this little level of responsibility again in your life. I enjoyed every second of my senior week, after living through and participating in a month's worth prior to my own. And nothing was sweeter than graduation day, nothing. If you read this and you're currently attending Morehouse or plan to attend Morehouse College one day, remember that there of the three greatest moments in a Morehouse man's life, other than his wedding day and the birth of his first child (son), is the day that he graduates from Morehouse. The air is sweeter, the grass is greener, the water is colder, and nowhere is the love warmer.

6. "It ain't bragging, if you can do it." - Dizzy Dean

Now on a personal note...My baby sister is graduating from Brown University Memorial Day weekend, and I wanted to send her a special shout out.

Calvin, Raj and JC, I'm sorry for the delay.

I'm Joe and this is how I see it.