SGL Weekly: Waddie Grant

In this issue I sat down with Waddie G from the popular blog World Wide Waddie. Turn to page 5 to find out what he is up to in his life, career, and future. We also have new Movies on page 11, new Music on page 12, and our Entertainment section called What’s The T? on page 13. So enjoy the issue and tell a friend about us, also please send us your comments about the magazine sglweeklymag@gmail.com.

It Is What It Is Pt. 3 by Karen Minors

     When we first decided to meet face-to-face, I was very excited. We met at Jasper’s on a Friday evening, around five o’clock, just before the after work rush. We shared appetizers of buffalo wings and potato skins and more good conversation, and he told me how he thought we could be good friends. I was fine with that, and discovered that soon we would become more than just friends. The attraction was there, and I was happy to say that I finally had a man. We stayed online every night into the wee hours of the morning, getting to know each other better. We eventually spent more time together, taking turns spending the night over one another’s place. The first time he came to my place, we stayed up all night long just talking and listening to music. When we realized how late it was, we were both fast asleep on my living room couch. I never felt like he tried to take advantage of me, and we soon decided to see each other exclusively. But I knew he was tryna get some. Hey, I was tryna give him some, too. OKAY! That’s how men are anyway. I wanted to see if he could live up to the Latino side of him and show me the Latin lover. He was okay, but hey, what’s a girl to do. I was young and inexperienced, so, to me, it was a good start.

     There was a lot about Joaquin that I really enjoyed, and more that I eventually learned to despise, or wish that he would make adjustments to. I have since learned that you cannot change a person, especially if they don’t think there is anything wrong with them. He was not a family person, and I am all about my family. See, I grew up without my momma. She died giving birth to me, and my daddy never remarried. My auntie raised me as her own, and even moved into my daddy’s house to help him raise me. I am close to my entire family, and although I have no siblings, my best friend is like my sister. She grew up right next door to me. Her name is Milan, and I’ll tell you about her later.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "Cornelius spotlights Brandon Littlejohn and the 'p2 Initiative' ""

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness Wednesdays

spotlights

Brandon Littlejohn and the 'p2 Initiative'

Well on his way, as moving force and leader amongst young urban professionals in America, is Mr. Brandon Littlejohn. A graduating senior at the University of Michigan, with a double major in Communication and Music, Littlejohn's

educational pursuit has allowed him to blend his passion for the arts, media, and social justice. The rising music and media mogul has began to use his art as a vehicle for social change, on college campuses, by creating a campaign (p2 Initiative) to promote safer-sex and HIV/AIDS awareness, testing, and education.

We got a chance to catch up with Mr. Littlejohn this A.A+W Wednesday and he's what he shared:

Mr. Littlejohn...tell me, where are you from?

BL: I'm from Detroit, MI but I currently call Ann Arbor, MI home. However, in two months or so, I'll be making the transition from the midwest to NY.

Tell us more about your background?

BL: Well, I will be a recent graduate of the University of Michigan come May 1st. GO BLUE!! Basically, most of my life I've been involved in the arts. In high school, I traveled and toured with my high school choir, Renaissance Varsity Chorus. For that part of my life, music was all I did. I knew I wanted to stay involved with music, but I wanted to do more. Eventually, I applied to UM as a double major in Music and Communications. I spent a lot of my time in undergrad

performing and event planning. I had a lot on my mind about what I thought people should be concerned about lol. That was way before the Blacks in America's and media attention on the plight of black men and women. I got my feet wet producing events at the tender age of 18 after I joined my fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, and I've been keeping it up ever since. One of the very first events I planned was called "The Extinction of the Black Man". So I developed two passions... Music and Activism, and I've been working to blend the two in everything I do. A few internships later (MTV and Sony Entertainment) and a few arguments with my parents, I decided that I was going to

pursue my creative endeavors full time. And here I am.

How was the p2 initiative birthed?

BL: The 'p2 initiative' was actually born from an event called GET AHEAD 102: The Promiscuity Project. Now, the Promiscuity Project was a brainchild of myself and Rod Gailes OBC that got its start over a some great pizza at Pizza House in Ann Arbor. We were talking about doing a film screening of some shorts that were apart of an HIV Testing Initiative Campaign formed by the League of Awareness. We had done a screening of the films at UM before and they were well received. So the second time around we decided to go bigger. This meant making an entire event out of the films and moving beyond the typical film screening. GET AHEAD 102: The Promiscuity Tour blended the realms of music, film, and art in order to promote HIV awareness, education, and safer sex practices to a younger audience. It featured five short films by executive

producer Rod Gailes OBC as part of an HIV/STI Testing Initiative Campaign formed by the League of Awareness, an underground film collective charged with elevating community response to societal concerns. It took the “preaching” out of HIV education and reaches young adults on a level that can inform,

engage, and entertain....

From there myself and Rod put our heads back together to figure out how to keep the success we had with The Promiscuity Project going. It seemed like a no brainer to launch a high impact, low energy campaign

that extended the message of the Promiscuity Project throughout the entire school year. We got together and conceptualized a 10 image 10 week campaign to launch that featured prominent UM students participating in healthy and active lifestyle scenarios. I partnered with the Multi Ethnic Student Association and University Health Services to set up weekly free 1 hour testing sites. I even coordinated dates where Rapid HIV testing was available because our campus clinic did not offer it. I didn't want to promote getting tested without providing students a space to follow through with the p2 initiative slogan, which is... Get the Ultimate Status Symbol: Knowing.

Can your share any personal stories or testimonies about HIV in relation to your life?

BL: Actually, the work that I've done with The Promiscuity Project and p2 initiative is my first time dealing with HIV. I've never had someone in my family or someone close to me that I knew of contract HIV. I was always a stickler about diseases, stds/sti's, especially the ones that aren't curable. When I was younger I always thought every time I got sick, I had mysteriously contracted some illness that would be the end of me. So, I started getting tested even

before I became sexually active.

When I first embarked on this journey I just wanted to do something that was fun with a positive message. However, when I would walk into the testing sites and see the faces of my peers... it hit me. This work was actually life changing for people. Some people had never been tested before and said that the p2 initiative was the reason they came. It made it cool to get tested and eliminated the stigma around it. In communities of color there is always skepticism about going to the doctor, and when sexual health is involved... things get really hush hush.

Testing is very important, especially for young African American men and women, however, I feel that is not the end all to HIV. What happens when you test someone and say they are HIV positive, what are their next steps and how does p2 initiative help to mobilize the person back into

living? Basically what I'm asking is, what happens next? After testing?

BL: That's a good question. In the initial phases, I was nervous as heck about that! But those nerves were the very reason I moved forward. People needed to know, no matter what the outcome. The HIV counselors were more than equipped to handle that conversations that need to take place immediately following a positive result. I also set it up so students could talk with a CAPS therapist on an ongoing basis. CAPS is our Counseling and Psychological Services center. I didn't want to leave student on their own to cope. I definitely wanted to have resources in place to immediately direct student to.

I'm curious to know more about your fraternities involvement. How has that helped the project?

BL: Oh wow. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Epsilon Chapter was a HUGE HELP! As a matter of fact, all of the male subjects in the p2 initiative photos are all my frat brothers. They helped in raising some of the money to get the campaign off the ground. They dealt with the hectic schedule of the shoots. We shot the campaign mid November, which is basically winter weather without the snow in Michigan. So they froze their butts off while Rod and I were wrapped up and warm lol. They even helped promote the campaign via Facebook and Twitter and word of mouth. And most importantly, they all came out to get tested as well. Some were first timers!

If I am correct, the campaign has ended on the LSA/UHS campus, so what is the next move for the "p2 initiative" and for yourself Mr. Littlejohn?

BL: Well, the p2 initiative has ended for this semester at UM but I am all about keeping a good thing going. Rod and I already have a new series of p2 initiative images in the works for the fall semester. Everyone who partnered up with the initiative wants to see it go up again next year. This year was a test run of sorts with a lot of learning on the job.

The second time around will be bigger and better! The next portion of the campaign is going to be year long with deeper reach into campus and other communities. We are planning to relaunch The Promiscuity Project with additional films, new music, and newer attractions in the fall as well. Currently, we are trying to book the event and campaign at other school. I personally want to focus on Big Ten school as well as the top 15 HBCUs.

I will be relocating to New York, finally... now that school has set me free. I have a potentially awesome new job lined up and I'll be spending a lot more time doing the work it takes to develop this initiative even more as well as few other of my side projects.

A future favorite: Name 1 guilty pleasure.

BL: Oh, that's easy! Buffy the Vampire Slayer! I have seen all 144 episodes of the entire 7 season at least 3 times each. I own all 7 seasons, the movie, several books and even comics. I've done research papers on Buffy and can rattle off a 3 hour lecture on the show at the drop of a dime. Buffy rocks!

Thanks Brandon!

A.A+W and Future Fans

definitely stay in touch with Mr. Brandon Littlejohn

via facebook and twitter:

www.facebook.com/1987productions

Twitter.com/1987productions
Twitter.com/TheeOBC

Tune in next Wednesday for more

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness with Cornelius Jones Jr.

Stay connected with me:

www.corneliusjonesjr.com

FaceBook: Cornelius Jones Jr.

Twitter: CorneliusJonesJ

FaceBook Fan Page: FlagBoy Official Fan Page of the Actor

www.theblacktraveler.com

5/5/10: Transformations - HOUSTON, TX (Pre-Splash Event)

TRANSFORMATIONS:

May 5, 2010

The Pre-Houston Splash

Performance & Dialogue Event

featuring Cornelius Jones Jr.

FlagBoy & HomoAffection excerpts

6:30-9:30PM

MCC GLBT Cultural Center

401 Branard

Houston, TX 77006

The Recycle in the of GREEN -- Art of Negotiation

The MEGA World of Lil Mogul
by Lil Mogul


This month The Future focus is GREEN and recycle. Every Tuesday, I post the MEGA World of Lil Mogul and on Tuesday, August 1, 2009, I posted the Art of Negotiation. Like it or not, life is a giant negotiating trading room floor. As participants, we come into conflicts with others: family members, business partners, sales clerks, competitors, customers or “The MAN” daily. How we handle these encounters can determine not only whether we prosper but whether we can enjoy a full, pleasurable, satisfying life or find business success.

Let's Make A Deal. Negotiation is a field of knowledge and endeavors that focuses on gaining the favor of people from whom we want things. It’s as simple as that. We want all sorts of things: prestige, freedom, money, justice, love, security, recognition and/or power. In the past, rewards presumably go to those possessing the greatest talent, dedication and education. But life has disillusioned those who hold the virtue and hard work will triumph in the end. The winners seem to be people who not only are competent but also have the ability to negotiate their way to get what they want. -Photo: Lil Mogul at the NYSE with Ashanti & Nefertiti Strong

I remember watching a Barbara Walters Special and she interviewed Sally Jesse Raphael. Barbara asked Sally, “What is the difference between you and Oprah, “and Sally replied, “Nothing; however, Oprah had better attorneys when negotiating her TV show deal. They had a line that included she would own her show.” After hearing that, I started researching the Art of Negotiation. I discovered, when David Robinson was signed to the San Antonio Spurs, he negotiated in his NBA contract that he would ALWAYS be the 2nd highest paid basketball player in the league. The mid to late 90’s basketball players were setting historical salaries. Getting what you want and understanding how to get it.

Negotiation is the use of information and power to affect behavior within a “web of tension.” If you think about this broad definition, you’ll realize that you, in fact, negotiate all the time both on your job and in your personal life. As entrepreneurs, we have to negotiate for survival. I call Sprint every month to extend my pay period to be able to collect invoices from clients; with vendors to pay them for services on 30 or 60 day terms and with bank managers to clear holds on checks or reverse bank fees for overdrawing the account.

To get to the Promised Land you have to negotiate your way through the wilderness. Stay in the Game – Richard E. Pelzer Sr.

I Am Forever Young

Have you ever said to yourself that you want to be forever young??? Well age is nothing but a state of mind... I AM FOREVER YOUNG!!! Check out Jay-Z and Mr. Hudson video "Forever Young" the feeling that I am radiating in my life... young, sexy, and successful.




Live in Concert with Beyonce "Forever Young" at Coachella Arts and Music Festival 2010

Androgynous Barbie the REMIX

Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler (1916-2002) is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration.
Barbie has been an important part of the toy fashion doll market for fifty years, and has been the subject of numerous controversies and lawsuits, often involving parody of the doll and her lifestyle. Many gay boys have often been obsessed with Barbie, because or beauty, fashion sense, and her fearless attitude. Barbie has no limits and she can be and is whatever she wants, this same attitude has been adopted by gay boys all around the world and it is no surprise that the hottest new YouTube video blogger has chosen to be called “Doll Face Barbie,” with his beauty, drive, ambition, and scandal you can only expect for this Androgynous Barbie to deliver nothing but playtime fun. I was really excited that this hot new blogger once rumored to be dating Diana Ross’ son Evan Ross, made time to talk with me about the life of a real life doll. With his hot YouTube programming you can watch him talk to you from his bathroom, while adjusting his lip gloss, telling you how fix your baby hair, or just informing you that he was not made by Parker Brothers or Mattel so don’t play with him, this is what he had to say…

Who is Doll Face Barbie? Doll face Barbie is a very driven 22 year old male from Los Angeles, that is going to change the gay face in the main stream media for the better and put a new face to black gay men in the media.

How often are you compared to BSCOTT? I hear pretty often but people just see the looks I mean I’m flattered BSCOTT is beautiful, BUT at the same time I’m me and he is him I bring a very different style blog wise then him.

What made you start a video-blog and what kind of content can we expect from you? Well on myspace I would always get the messages like "OMG I bet your funny" or "can u show me this or that" and a lot of other stuff so I thought why not put it on YouTube so everyone can watch?

Baby Hair 101? Please explain? LOL! So everyone wanted me to do a video on how to maintain your baby hair. Everyone thinks that video is so funny but I am a person who has natural "baby hair" and a lot of people would ask me how I got baby hair, so I did a video for those who wanted it to… LOL… I did not expect for it to become so popular.

Are you going to share beauty and fashion tips on a regular? Yes oh there so much more to come.

What is your favorite hair care product? My Bed Head Wax Stick my hair is very thick and that really keeps it down, it is great!

Which celebrities are the best to follow on Twitter? Paris Hilton I love her, Teyana Taylor, Solange, RichGirl (All Of Them). There are so many I we could be here all day… LOL

What have you done with MTV? I Did Parental Control as well as Next

Any fun projects currently in production? Yes actually I have Doll vs. Doll 2 coming In November

Do you like being androgynous? I love who I am but sometime people see that as me trying to me a woman and don’t understand "Androgyny" BUT I LOVE IT THOUGH!

How does being androgynous affect your dating? Not much cause it takes a real man to be with me and a lot of dudes are DL and want a guy who is going to hide the SECRET with them and I am me all day so if u date me I am going to be me no matter what.

So tell me about the Evan Ross drama? OMG NOT THIS AGAIN NEXT QUESTION PLEASE… LOL

How did your life change after being on media takeout with Evan Ross? For the best that got a lot of people to get to know who I am so THANKS MEDIA TAKEOUT

How do you handle haters, bad press, and shade? Just pretty much kill them with kindness there is nobody who can bring me down BUT ME!

Are you and Evan Ross friends? LOL....No, Next subject please…

What can we expect next from you in your career? To be a in a feature film playing someone like myself and people will take me serious as and an actor/model

Where can we see your work, contact you, and stay up to date on all your work? Youtube.com/dollfaceBarbietm as well as DollFaceBarbie.com

Check out DollFace Barbie's Blog and Movie Trailers to Doll VS Doll Below!!! Enjoy they are very entertaining!

We are about to meet Tahj Mowry!

Zolra's Corner: How Do You Handle Being A Public Person?

Ever since I decided to make my life an open book, I began to think about public relationships. When it comes to a couple being very public about their lives, it's very hard to find. Nowadays, couples are so private, it sometimes feel like you have to glue yourself to the wall, and still hear nothing. But for some couples that are not afraid to talk about their lives to others, I wonder if they can handle it.

Kendra and Hank Baskett are a good example. Now that the second season of Kendra has finally aired, I am happily enjoying this couple that are not afraid to be public with their life. I can't wait to see how Kendra handles motherhood. In the beginning, I knew that Kendra could handle the cameras since she did The Girls Next Door. But I just wondered how Hank dealt with it. I haven't seen a lot of athletes do reality shows before.

Hank is handling the camera like a true person. I applaud him for that. Having cameras in your face everyday is not easy at all if you think it is. I think Hank handles it very well.

This couple is good example of a public couple. Their in the spotlight everyday and their not letting people get in their ear. But I wonder how a single person handles it. A person who is not afraid of being a open book. A person who talks about 90% of his/her life. I guess it's all about how to balance. However, you can't let anyone get in your ear if you decide to a public figure professionally and personally.

It Is What It Is Pt. 2 by Karen Minors

Anyway, I met this guy on Mochaluv.com, and we connected instantly, sending each other IMs, until we finally exchanged phone numbers. After talking on the telephone for about two weeks, we decided to meet in person. We wanted to see if the connection would be there in person, especially since we had seen one another’s pictures online, and we both liked what we saw. 

His name is Joaquin and he was thirty years old when we met. I was twenty-two at the time and had just started going to school for my Master’s degree. He had never been married, and had a teenaged son named Noah, whom he was raising on his own. I had to give it to him; that was very admirable for a man to raise a child by himself. Joaquin was the oldest of three; his younger siblings both women. He grew up in Upper Marlboro and was living in Crofton, where he worked as an office manager part time. He went to school at night, so he could study marine biology during the day. He had a huge aquarium in his home, and it was filled with exotic sea life from everywhere. Joaquin’s father was from the Dominican Republic and his mother African American, a native Washingtonian. He had toasted almond skin and jet black wavy hair. He was a momma’s boy, and he was very accustomed to being by himself. This should have been a red flag for me, but trust me, this didn’t come out until after I was in way over my head. Although he shared with me his desire to one day be married and have more children, he was only saying what he thought I wanted to hear. And he was absolutely right. We stayed together for six years. Many of those years found me just going through the motions. 

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness: "NYC LGBT CENTER - Moving Forward in Love and Solidarity"

Moving Forward in Love and Solidarity

Known as a "safe-haven" a "beacon of hope" for many young, middle-aged,

and elder LGBT New Yorkers and allies, The LGBT Center of New York City

was hit last week with a devastating act of hate and fear.

Staff members arrived to find a torched and debased rainbow flag gloomily

draped on the front of the building on the morning of April 14, 2010.

The NYC LGBT CENTER takes stand along with Gilbert Baker, the Rainbow Flag's creator, as well as many elected officials and other organizations, in restoring and remounting a new 20 foot long flag.

Join the NYC LGBT Center along with fellow Center friends, partners, organizations, and allies for the unveiling of the new flag. The ceremony takes place TODAY - Wednesday April 21 at 5:00PM in front of the LGBT Community

Center located at 208 W 13th Street, Manhattan.

Stand in Love...Stand in Solidarity!

Tune in next Wednesday for more

Arts.Advocacy+Wellness with Cornelius Jones Jr.

Stay connected with me:

www.corneliusjonesjr.com

FaceBook: Cornelius Jones Jr.

Twitter: CorneliusJonesJ

FaceBook Fan Page: FlagBoy Official Fan Page of the Actor

www.theblacktraveler.com

The Future presents Tahj Mowry LIVE!

The MEGA World of Lil Mogul

Lil Mogul is under the weather this week.
So, I would like to leave you with these words on this special TUESDAY!

Don't try to become well known,
try to become worth knowing.

How I discovered "The Secret"

So it was around 3AM and I was fast asleep in bed with my new boyfriend, when all of a sudden something woke me up right out of my sleep. When I woke up I noticed that the light from his cell phone was being hidden under the cover and that he was obviously texting someone in the middle of the night. I was so upset that I got out of bed and went into the bathroom to splash water on my face, because Beyonce’s “Ring the Alarm” was pounding in my head and was burning from anger. I had finally met someone that I was really falling hard for and this guy was just like all the others it appeared. The next day I had an attitude toward him and what few items I had left at his home I gathered up to take back to my own; because I had already decided that this was the beginning of our end. As I was venting to my best friend about what happened I passed a book store and I thought about this book that everyone was telling me about called “The Secret” and how it had changed their lives and how they felt like I should read it. I knew that I had a business trip coming up so I decided that I would take the book with me on it and read it while I was in San Francisco.

When I read the book it really reflected how I was currently feeling sad, broken, loveless, and lost. I did not really understand what I was going to really get from the book, but my intuition told me not to discuss the cell phone incident with my partner until after I return from my trip. When I read the book it really taught me a great secret, one that I had used without realizing it. It taught me that I have a great magic inside of me and that everything in my life I was attracting it. I had always thought that men were worthless and I was not worthy to be loved the right way and that is what I got. In that moment I decided that I was worthy of love and that I was beautiful on the outside as well as inside, instantly tingling went throughout my body. I also declared that I wanted to be successful and that I was going to have a booming career. I am not saying these things to just brag; however if you look at my life and my circumstances they do reflect these blessings. I noticed a difference immediately when I shifted my thoughts, on my trip I received a financial blessing on my plan ride home, a free shuttle ride, entire new wardrobe within a month, and a repaired romance (Come to find out he was checking the time on the phone, because he accidentally unplugged the clock and didn’t want us to over sleep, he hid the phone to keep the light from waking me). I urge you to sit in a quite still place on today and keep saying over and over what you want as if you always had it and watch how quickly it will become yours. God gave all of us equal gifts and the one that we usually misuse is our power to will. My daily mantra is “I am happy, healthy, and wealthy… Yay Yay Yay” and whenever I say it, it reminds me to radiate thoughts that bring me those things. May the power of your thoughts bring you many blessings, that is my prayer for you, Amen.