The Urbane Urbanite

On paper, Red Hook Summer reads like an easy coming-of-age tale. Flik (newcomer Jules Brown), a precocious, spoiled middle-class tween from Atlanta, is dropped off in Red Hook, Brooklyn by his mother (without explanation) to spend the summer with his Baptist preacher grandfather, Enoch (played with gravitas by Clarke Peters), whom he's never met. But the latest joint in Spike Lee's Brooklyn-based oeuvre is anything but simple.

As a lifestyle and entertainment writer, I interview a lot of people. Almost every story needs quotes. You get quotes by interviewing people. That’s just the way it goes.  I’ve only been writing professionally for three years and in that short time span, I’ve had the opportunity to interview some pretty famous people. I’ve talked men’s style and fashion with John Legend; waxed poetic with Common about performing on stage versus on camera; listened to Ledisi (who is a super-duper sweetheart, by the way) reflect on how friends and family lifted her up during rough times. Two years ago, I sat across from Faith Evans in a hotel room in Boston where she raved about how Aliya S. King’s smokin’ hot debut novel, Platinum , was a spot-on depiction of what it means to be the wife of a hip-hop superstar. And then there was the time Angie Stone threw some very mild shade in the direction of her baby daddy, D’Angelo, during a quick backstage interview I conducted with her a...

After a six-year hiatus, I've made a triumphant return to the big screen ! The small screen ! Okay, your computer screen! Yep, I've got a lead role , a supporting role, a small role as a therapist in one scene of the fifth episode of the upcoming comedic web series, Jackson & Lewis (think Bad Boys meets The Odd Couple ).

Tyler Perry's latest film, Good Deeds , debuted last weekend to an underwhelming $15 million . But don't cry for him, Argentina. He's got three more times to get it right this year. With The Marriage Counselor , Madea's Witness Protection and Alex Cross all slated for release before Christmas, he'll more than recoup any losses at the box office. But does the top-paid man in entertainment risk overexposing himself? The Grio asked that very question in an article that ran on their site last week . Jarrod Harden and I, along with a few other folks, received the link to the story via email. Here's Jarrod's response.

Words By Perry B. With every Mark Zuckerberg and Sean Carter, there comes an equal yet opposite jackass who spent the past year devouring attention and contributing nothing to society. In honor of the douche bag debauchery, I have put together a small team of degenerate gentlemen to form the ultimate guild: The League of Un-Extraordinary Gentlemen. Usually, upon hearing the words “extraordinary” and “league” you may immediately comprise an urbane super-group with Tom Ford, George Clooney, Pharrell (of the Neptunes) and Idris Elba, ravishingly prepared to save the world, one swoon at a time. Or maybe that’s just me. In any case, a group of regal and rightfully deserving personas should come to mind. This is not that group. This is the other group: those who use so much time and energy soaking up all the free resources (both, sunlight and oxygen) that they’ve forgotten the true purpose of their presence. This is a league of gentlemen I doubt anyone would willingly want to be a part...

Image Used in an Old Blog Post about the NY Giants 2008 Ticker Tape Parade Last night, the New York Giants clenched another victory against the New England Patriots in the final nail-biting moments of Super Bowl XLVI - and I couldn't be happier. I yelled. I screamed. I ate my feelings. I clutched my chest. It was EVERYTHING! In honor of their win, I ransacked my archives and unearthed a blog post (on a now defunct blog) that I wrote four years ago about my experience at the ticker tape parade in celebration of Big Blue's win in 2008. Here's the blog post...subpar writing, corny puns, misplaced commas and all. I've grown as a writer as much as the Giants have grown as a team. *Runs to Modell's to grab a new hat and shirt for tomorrow's parade* ____ On Tuesday, members of the 2008 World Champion NY Giants football team, rode floats headed up The Canyon of Heroes (Broadway) to the cheers and admiration of thousands of their most die-hard fans. There we...

View from my suite (Photo: S. James) If I could add an additional 1000 square feet to my apartment at home; swap out the hardwood for marble floors; throw in a master bathroom the size of a NYC studio apartment; and switch my drab view of Papa Johns with crystal clear blue ocean waters, my spot would look just like the rooms here at The Seven Stars Resort in the Turks and Caicos. I feel so at home here; it's less hotel, more home away from home. I soooo needed this getaway. The winter blues began to set in. I was starting to live in my feelings on a daily basis. Again. And just when I was on the brink of an inevitable wall slide, my beloved editor hit me up and asked me to review this beautiful resort. Take a look at some pictures I shot of the 2 bedroom 2.5 bathroom suite I'm calling home. Cheers! www.sevenstarsgracebay.com My welcome package! (Photo: S. James) Living Room (Photo: S. James) Master Bathroom (Photo: S. James) Master Bedroom (Phot...

"There is something terribly radical about believing that one's own experience and images are important enough to speak about, much less to write about and to perform " -James Baldwin That quote by famed literary icon James Baldwin is a staple on the website for The Fire This Time Festival, and speaks to its mission to provide captivating, conscious portrayals of the black experience and offer a platform for early-career playwrights of African descent to explore new voices, styles and challenging new directions for contemporary theater. The festival, which kicks off its third season on January 16 with a panel discussion on diversity in contemporary theater, includes a four-night limited engagement of seven eclectic ten-minute plays and five staged readings (the panel discussion and readings are free) presented by the Horse Trade Theatre Group. According to Derek McPhatter, a playwright and lead producer of the festiva...

One of the most fascinating conflicts to watch on screen is the internal struggle of sexual expression. Only after watching important films like Pariah , does it become glaringly clear just how difficult it is to be your authentic self in a world where you feel there's no place to be the person that you know you are. Adepero Oduye brings that battle to life with her fearless portrayal of Alike (pronounced: Ah-Lee-Kay), a Brooklyn teenager who isn't really coming to terms with her sexuality per se, but more so struggling to figure out how, where and with whom she can be herself.

My Holiday Party Guests Piled Toys for Tots Near The Tree I hosted my 3rd annual holiday party last weekend - and it was a success! The sangria was flowing (until it was all gone); the food was hot (until the food warmer thingy blew out) and the DJ was spinning (until she was ret ta go). My guests had a great time. I couldn't have asked for a better night. But this year I did something different. I teamed up with The Apostles' House whose mission is "to provide comprehensive social services to homeless and at-risk families and individuals in the Newark, [NJ] area in an environment that encourages and enables self-sufficiency." I received a text message from a friend stating that they were in need of toys for homeless children staying there this holiday season. So, in lieu of a bottle, I asked my guests to bring an unwrapped toy to donate to the kiddies at The Apostles' House - and they did not disappoint. I had over 40 partygoers at my crib and ended up w...

With the holidays looming and a brisk chill wafting through the air, ‘tis definitely the season for eating and drinking. While sizzling thirst quenchers like teas, hot chocolates and warm apple ciders will be bought and consumed by the boatloads this winter, what hot beverage options are available for folks looking to get lit - and stay toasted? I commissioned the head bartender at 169 Bar, a down-home dive bar on the lower east side of Manhattan, to concoct five warm, charismatic cocktails perfect for keeping the cold at bay and a buzz on deck this winter. I've tried them all - and they're good!

April 15, 2011. That date stares me in the face, mocking me, each and every time I fire up my computer. My homepage is my blog. And April 15 is the last time I updated. Nearly five months ago. Once upon a time, I was a mega-super-blogger. I blogged five days a week, (sometimes seven), and I went in on that blog. I begged writer-friends for exclusive quotes , interviewed my favorite photographers , told my whole life story, chronicled my world as a mother , wife and writer . I shot commercials for new blog posts . (No. Seriously.) I assigned and edited a weekly guest blog spot . I hired an ombudsman . And a graphic designer. And then had the nerve to hire an assistant too. I treated that blog like a full-time job. And then, (surprise, surprise), I burned out. Completely. I’m the energizer bunny when I have a new idea, whether it’s blogging, Tweeting, running or dieting. I don’t do anything halfway. So when I decided to blog, I went all out. And when I found myself with nothing le...

I don't offend easily. With close to ten years of rejection under my belt auditioning and working as an actor, I've grown quite the thick skin. But I'm still an artist and very sensitive about my shit! About a month ago, a friend and loyal reader of this blog made a comment about the post: My Upstairs Neighbor's Bed . He went on about how good he thought the post was and how much he enjoyed reading it. And then - like a rusty dagger to my heart - he asked: You made that up, right? Listen. Del don't make up blog posts. EVER! No disrespect to the bloggers out there on that James Frey flow; the ones who concoct misadventures and stretch the truths of their lives to entertain their readers. If that's your thing, fine! But it ain't mine. Everything you read over here on my little slice of the interwebs is 100% true. Period. Besides, I'm a writer. If I wanted to hit you with a piece of fiction, not only would I do it, but I'd say point blank: C...

Photo: S. James  Del don't do road trips. Usually. I have terrible childhood memories of being sandwiched in the back seat of an unairconditioned hooptie, riding down south in the middle of the summer. *Shudders*  So naturally, when talk of a road trip comes up, I'm the first one on the computer looking up a flight to said destination and making plans to meet my travel mates there. In my mind, by the time they get to the hotel completely aggravated, cranky and smelling of automobile, I'm already checked into my room, curled up with a Kindle and enthralled in a good book. Such was the case this past summer when my homies decided that a road trip from northern New Jersey to Toronto was in order for the 4th of July weekend.

What better way to celebrate the the second most scariest day of the year (the first being tax day, of course) than by paying tribute to my favorite scary movie? In 1960, the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, did with showers what Spielberg would do with oceans a decade later: Use them to scare people out of the water! Psycho tells the story of Marion Crane, a woman who skips town with $40,000 of her employer's money to start a new life with her lover, Sam. During her journey, a torrential rain storm causes her to pull over to the side of the road and seek refuge at a creepy, vacant motel. There, she meets meek mama's boy Norman Bates - and her untimely demise. More mystery and suspense than horror,  Psycho  is a tightly wound thriller directed by Hitchcock with such precision and exactness, you'd have to be blind to miss the trademark nuances - his blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo, countless bird references and innuendos - that make up this cinematic classic....

I absolutely adore Viola Davis. Truly. Not just because she's a phenomenal scene stealing actress. (See her powerful turn in the 2008 drama Doubt . You almost forget Meryl Streep is even on camera with her!) But because she's the real deal. All around. Period.

My Room With A View Photo: S. James It's late October, but you'll be hard pressed to find anyone with the fall blues here in Clearwater Beach, Florida - including me. As I type this, I'm sprawled out on the balcony of my oceanfront suite at the Sandpearl, a world class resort and spa facility that calls The Gulf of Mexico its backyard. And I'm not the only one taking in this beautiful day. There are folks sunbathing on the sundeck near the lagoon swimming pool. The kiddies are playing in the sand. And others are getting their toes wet, walking along the shore. Photo: S. James I'm here on assignment reviewing the Sandpearl for one of the lifestyle publications I write for. Slave labor, I know. But someone's gotta do it, right?  I haven't been here 24 hours and I've already: Nibbled on shrimp, lobster and chocolate covered strawberries during a private food, wine and dessert tasting in Sandpearl's private standalone beachfront guest sui...

Homer, ancient Greek poet & scholar Scholarly is the last word I would used to describe myself. In fact, the adjective is on my list of words people overuse when describing themselves and others. (Other words include: epic. icon. amazing. etc.) But, today, I am quite proud to announce that I've got a clip in a scholarly journal. Woot! Woot! Wait. Are written pieces in journals even called "clips?" The word "clips" sounds too light and general - not serious enough. I think the proper phrasing is: I've got an article published in a scholarly journal. Ah, yes. That sounds much better. Yes, yours truly has a piece in JENdA: A Journal of Culture and African Women Studies. *Takes Bow*  Here's how it all came to be.

I don't know about you, but I've got the worst luck with plants. I see them in the store all pretty and gussied up, get them home and in a matter of days they're dead. Case in point: The cactus. I stumbled upon a prickly, little guy at Home Depot last year. Small. Easy. Manageable. Perfect! Or so I thought.  I gave it a home on my desk (pictured in the banner pic of this blog). And less than a month later... Who kills a cactus?! Guilt-ridden, flustered and confused about my latest botany blunder, I turned to Sandra de Ovando for advice. She is the founder and creative director of Ovando, a full scale floral and event design company, with two boutique locations as well as a production studio based in Manhattan’s flower district. Ovando's roster of New York tastemakers and influencers includes The Four Seasons, Hermes and The MOMA, as well as a host of large-scale event clients spread throughout New York and The Hamptons. Fl...

Photo: S. James On Wednesday night, inside of the Press Lounge located on the 16th floor atop Ink48, an upscale boutique hotel in midtown Manhattan, the number one rum in the Caribbean (and the only 100% Dominican rum) launched its newest labor of love. Photo: S. James Brugal Rum 1888 is a smooth, oaky master blend of double distilled fine rums aged 5-14 years. It's sweet and flavorful and has a distinct, spicy lingering aftertaste. It has a dark amber hue and is packaged in a masculine, sleek, square-shaped bottle and costs $49.99. While the main bar was exclusively serving 1888 neat or on the rocks (I sipped mine neat), there were three other bars located in the lounge, serving up delicious Brugal Añejo Rum cocktails created by bartenders all over the country. (See two of my favorite recipes from the event at the end of the post.) Once the rain let up, folks began to migrate from the glass-enclosed lounge...