Minolta C.White: Nina Foxx

Minolta C.White: Nina Foxx

Black Thanksgiving: Say What?

So NBA all Star weekend is Black Thanksgiving, or least it is according to David Aldridge in an article he wrote for CNN. Well, thanks for letting me know. You see, I was busy celebrating Thanksgiving with the rest of America, I missed the turkey and dressing I apparently am supposed to be having in March.
I took offense to this article. Many of the statements made in the article had me cussing at my desk. Had the article been written by a white columnist, I'm sure it would have never made its way onto CNN's homepage. The author was black, and because of that, it seems like he was given a pass to freely use the N-word (metaphorically) to describe people he obviously doesn't know, or perhaps he was just being allowed to do some shuffling and jiving to appease a larger audience. Just say, "Yassuh, boss" and get it over with.
I'm sure that there is a subset of folks who wait, with bated breath, for NBA ALL Star weekend. Like he said in the article, they covet the hard to get tickets and skulk around hoping to meet the men they hold at near demi-god status. There is also an even bigger group of black people who have no idea when NBA ALL Star weekend even is, or even though they are basketball fans, for them, the real season ends when the playoffs are over.
According to the author of the article, "black people are royalty in black America." This may be true for a group of people who view their only chance of "making it" as coming from a possible (and near impossible to land) stint in the NBA, but for the rest of us, basketball fans or not, the people who play this sport are really just tall guys who get paid well for doing something they are good at, but that's it. We are happy that these men are being rewarded for something they do well, and may even watch a game or two (or in my case, may have had season tickets a few times), but there is no worshipping happening. In fact, we don't even consider these people role models for our children. Our role models are the honest, hardworking men and women among us who chose a goal, get educated and stay on a path to something that makes them an upstanding citizen contributing to their communities and the wider community as a whole. SO, my friend the lawyer, engineer, artist, marketing professional, film producer, father, brother, THOSE are the role models. (I don't say demi-god because that is a WHOLE other argument. Men are but men. There is only one God.)
Yes, I agree with the author when he said that basketball is a culture, but it is most certainly NOT Black Culture. People like a party, and there are lots of them surrounding All Star Weekend, for sure. Party, yes, if that is your thing. But give thanks? There is no Thanksgiving about it. That is still an AMERICAN holiday that takes place in November. Originally, it was about surviving a winter in lean times for people in a strange world (hmm, is there a metaphor there?) but Thanksgiving has grown to mean spending quality time with your loved ones and being thankful for those that mean the most to you. Oh, and now its also about FOOTBALL. One last thing, check your history books, Mr. Aldridge. Black people weren't even there.

A Letter to Cathy Hughes (and anyone else who is interested)

Last week, I came across an article (I think it was on EUR Report) that told of how Cathy Hughes (TV ONE) slammed both Halle Berry and Mo’Nique. Halle, for her award winning role in Precious and Halle, for hers in Monster’s Ball. She said that the stories never should have been written and she knew of no black woman that acted like Mo’Nique’s character. I will admit that neither film was easy to watch, but I thought both were stunning in their performances. I don’t know of any WOMAN, period, that would have done what either of those characters would have done, but I have no doubt that some variation of those characters exist.
        Cathy also said that those were films that never should have been made. Hmm. Let’s examine that. True, they were difficult stories, but rather than blast the actors who were just that--actors, consider what the films did do. In an industry where there is a dearth of roles for Black actors, black women in particular, those films provided employment and exposure to several actors of color. Gabey Sibedy’s career was launched. Monster’s Ball also launched the career of another young black actor from Louisiana, Coronji Calhoun. Beyond that, Lee Daniels was the director of both of those films, and there are very few times that a Black director gets to be involved with films that receive that kind of acclaim. In addition, Precious was adapted by a book by a Black author. That’s a lot of paychecks. How many of us are still waiting in that line? Several of us have had our books optioned or near optioned, only to be thrown into development hell where nothing much seems to go on.
        Cathy Hughes asked the question “Where are the positive stories?” Rather than blast the actors for taking a job, especially in times when such jobs are so scarce, why not help find some of those positive stories, the ones that portray actors of color in more positive situations and develop a diversity of roles for Black actors? The romantic comedies, the dramas, they are out there, waiting for the funds and someone with the vision to make it happen.
        Cathy, I have one of those for you. Actually I have three. I’m an award winning novelist and FILMMAKER now. I have cut my teeth on a few shorts and by participating as producer at various levels on other people’s films. After watching several of my works be near-optioned several times, I have worked and honed a screenplay, a romantic comedy, that offers those diverse roles with no buffoonery or stereotypical images, a strong story based on a story that reviewers said was a character study with characters based on classical greek archetypes. I know you want to make a difference, so here’s your chance.
        The reason those movies were made is because someone, somewhere, green-lighted them and wrote a check to put their money behind their beliefs. If we have stories we think need to be told, ones that portray the true diversity of the Black American Experience, we have to do the same. There are stories that will never be told unless we do it ourselves and I know there are others just like me who would welcome a little monetary support and gladly give credit (and points) where credit is due.
        So, Cathy, if you want to see our POSITIVE stories in film, I (or my agent) will gladly take a meeting and tell you about my projects. Or you can email me and I will tell you the address of the legal counsel that is accepting checks for my (now) independent film. Did I mention, the screenplay has already garnered interest from several well-known actors and actresses that would love to be employed, especially where they can keep their clothes on?

Thank you, in advance, for your consideration.

Literary Life Reunion

I had a reunion with my literary life this weekend. I haven't promoted a book In awhile, mainly because I haven't written one in a minute. I went back to San Antonio to kick off the promotions for my new book, Southern Comfort. When I lived there, I wasn't sure I liked the city. As my plane flew over the town, I took in its brownness and for a minute, I missed the sandy beaches of southern california that I've come to love. In 24 short hours I discovered that I could love the grime and romance of the RiverWalk, too.
My boo Surprised me and met me there for no other reason than he could; he flew from the other side of the country to give me support, to laugh at my goofiness, to take pictures and to share a glass or two of good wine with some of our friends. He has been so much a part of my literary life from the beginning; as an early reader of all my work, one that always told the real deal about what he thought, then as a fellow book club member and now as someone who inspires me to do what I do and sometimes even writes the stories through his actions.
It felt good to laugh a minute with my good friends, Reshonda Tate Billingsley and Pam Walker Williams (page turner.net), both of whom I have known since the very beginning. Over the years, both have grown to be more than people who are just "in the business". We may not talk every day, and because of the miles, we certainly don't see each other every day or even every week, but I'm honored to have them as some of my closest friends. Over dinner, I reflected a little on this journey that we have been on together for over a decade. Reshonda and I were self published back in the day and at the same time, and Pam/Pageturner (and her Honey-doo) has helped me keep my schedule and website straight for that entire time. Because of books, these people are much more than colleagues, they are my girlfriends and confidants.
The publishing industry has changed so much over the years and people don't promote books the way they used to. Huge book tours are almost non existent and the economy has killed many of the events that brought us all together and helped to shape our friendships. We rarely see a book cruise anymore, and even the book conferences are not as prevalent. Ten years ago, there were many more independent bookstores that hosted events and featured the works of many of my author friends. Often, we'd see each other on the road or at a yearly event. Today, we are finding new ways to get the word out about our work, but nothing beats a good, old fashioned book event, whether it be attended by 20 or 200, because everyone spreads the word for days about the great authors they just met and the new friends they've just made. I made two new friends this weekend. Tamika Newhouse shared the tip of her story with us, and didn't complain, even though she had to walk a mile in the (Texas) cold in shoes that made her feet feel like they were bleeding. Van Garrett charmed the women with his poetic words and taught a literary lesson from Southern Comfort. We had good dinner and wine and great martinis afterwards, and the fellowship we shared will keep me on a writing roll for months to come.

Read & Win!

Foot Fetish-Written for Breakoutbeatz.com

Foot Fetish-

By Nina Foxx

I don't buy clothes, I buy accessories, specifically shoes. I have shoes for every occasion, including going to the supermarket. I hate grocery shopping,so adding a little pizazz to my shopping outfit makes it easier for me to get there every week and avoid a mutiny by my always hungry family.
        I thought the shoes I'd chosen for the task were no big deal; snakeskin strappy shooties in an almost natural color. They felt good and looked just as good and after I put them on, I skipped happily from aisle to aisle in modern hunter-gatherer style, filling my basket with staples while I alternated between chatting on my iphone with my sister and humming "Like a G6" to block out the MUZAK. I'd reached for some turkey bacon and found my path blocked by a middle-aged, pot bellied, average, suburban looking man. His blue shirt was interrupted by his technology access badge and his khakis were riding just a hair too low around his hips. His lips were moving. I looked around me. We were the only people in the aisle. I pulled my headphones from my ears.
        "Were you talking to me?" I asked.
His mouth spread into a grin. "I was just saying that your shoes were cool."
The unthinkable was happening to me. This man was violating the unspoken supermarket silence rule. I stood there at a loss for words. Was this a pickup line?
        Just then, a little girl came flying out of the cereal aisle. "Daddy, Can I have these? She was clutching a box of Captain Crunch.
        "I'm not gay or anything," he said. "The shoes are just hot!" He grabbed the cereal from his kid and tossed it into his cart, then walked off, leaving me standing there with my mouth hanging open.
        At first, I thought that perhaps he didn't get out much, or maybe he was married to a marshmallow sole wearing, orthopedic shoe-type woman, but then I started to wonder what sort of man notices a woman shoes? I mean really notices them and appreciated the efforts we go through to tip around on our toes in the name of fashion? He didn't say, "those shoes make your calves or butt look hot". What he'd said was my shoes were hot.
        I asked a few men that I know about it. I tried to take a random sampling. One or two are absolutely what you would call "Manly- men", a few others more uber-sexual. (These seem to care more about their appearance, or at least let us know they care).
I was told that some men have foot-fetishes, specifically, women's feet, and as such, they absolutely noticed the shoes a woman puts on her feet. So, then, wouldn't this be a shoe fetish since typically shoes cover the feet?
        I also had a man or two tell me that they love women's shoes so much, they loved it when their girlfriend was naked and wearing nothing BUT shoes. One gentlemen even admitted that he admired the diversity in shoes that we women enjoy. What was this about?
        The more I asked, the more I realized that it wasn't just us women who like shoes. I know plenty of fellas who complain that their woman's shoe collection is encroaching on their closet space, but does this mean that deep down, men enjoy our shoes as much as we do?
        I'm at the car dealer today, wearing my car dealer shoes, a neutral-colored (nude is big this year), strappy cage sandal by Jimmy Choo with four inch heels. Fellas, if you see me, weigh in, that is, if you can catch me. Don't let the high heels fool you, though. There's a lot more to this sistah than her feet.


        

Nina Foxx Presents Closer to Crazy Episode 5

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Season Finale: Ayzah gets a visit and we see more of Prince's secrets.Starring Heidi Marie Wanser, Freeman White III, ;Written & Produced by Nina FoxxBased on Characters from Just Short of Crazy by Nina Foxxpublished by HarperCollins Publishers/Avon Acopyright FoxxTale Productions 2010