Rhona Rhetoric: Goodbye, Awards Season!

Before I officially move on to the next, here’s my Rhona Rhetoric adieu to awards season, Oscars style…

oscars-2013-charlize-theron-dior-h724

1. Charlize Theron = Best Dressed at the Oscars. Hands down. The short cut with that Dior Couture gown was absolutely amazing. A close friend quipped “What about Halle Berry?” Halle looked great, too. In fact, Halle looks great consistently (as mentioned in previous posts).  In my mind, she is in the Red Carpet Hall of Fame and has thus received her “yellow jacket,” if you will. Halle and red carpet glory is a given combination, but Charlize simply dazzled.

Quvenzhane Wallis

2. They Call Me Miss Wallis: People really went there and tried it with Quvenzhané Wallis. First Seth, then The Onion, and topped off with that dumb reporter wanting to change her name to a fictitious character. In the end, it is all a reflection of them, not that adorable and talented young girl. Oh, by the way, that punk apology from The Onion’s CEO doesn’t amount to jack scratch in my book. For the quacks who are defending that garbage as satire, let’s hope you have the same stance when someone calls your child an offensive name. Just saying…

quentin-tarantino-oscar-win-gi

3. How many people thought or said, “Spike Lee is having a coronary right now!” when Quentin Tarantino won Best Screenplay for Django Unchained?

Oscars-2013-Shirley-Bassey-Brings-Down-the-House-Video

4. Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey was awesome. Say what you want. The 50-and-over-set STAYS having skills (she’s 76). “Goldfingahhhhh…”

Of course, there were honorable mentions like after party dresses looking way better than some red carpet choice. The list goes on and on.

I can only imagine what next year is going to be like.

Rise above!

 

 

Posted in Award Tour, Rhona Rhetoric, Suited and Booted, Talking Points | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Award Tour: RiaRob’s Top Grammy Mysteries/Problems

There were some things from Grammy Night that I noticed and simply had to say SOMETHING. Whether it garnered an eyebrow raise or a dose of side eye, RiaRob is going in. Here I go:

images (4)

The Case of the R&B/Gospel/Hip-Hop Blackout. One of the best albums of 2012 was Black Radio by the Robert Glasper Experiment. It actually won the Grammy last night for Best R&B Album. Mary Mary, consisting of sisters Erica and Tina Campbell, are known for creating and singing awesome gospel music that appeals to all people. Their song, Go Get It, won the Grammy for Best Gospel Song. I’m a huge fan of both Robert Glasper and Mary Mary. Too bad I wasn’t able to see one iota of their acceptance speeches LIVE. See the problem? I thought you would. See, all the time the camera team spent keeping tabs on Chris Brown’s every move in the audience, could have been better spent allowing time for one of these artists to be seen around the world so their music and faces can have global reach. But I digress…

jayjess-4_3_r541_c540

The Case of the Drinking Hip Hop Mogul. Ok, who caught Jay-Z straight sipping in the audience? Is the ceremony that boring to where you have to toss back a few? This is not a restaurant! Had Chris Brown had something to drink in the audience, he’d be drawn and quartered. In short, save the sauce for the after party or better still, don’t drink at all.

TheDreamHATCameFromTheSwapMeetJayZPutsTheDreamOnBlastForDressingLikeaBumAtThe2013Grammys

The Case of the Producer Who Can’t Dress Himself. The Dream ought to be ashamed. To be this sartorially challenged (and by choice, I bet) and think you are still fly is downright sad. And with that, I’ve said too much already.

images (2)

The Case of the Jacked Up Grammy Snub. First, it was Miguel about a year or two ago. It was obvious that Miguel should have won a Grammy first time out for music from his first album, All I Want Is You. This year’s Grammy snub star: Carly Rae Jepsen. This left me stumped. I am starting to see that the Grammys have a recurring theme with breakout stars with great success: totally diss them on their first Grammy night, then reward them a few years and an album later with a Grammy or two. Think I’m joking? Ask India Arie.

So there you have it. There are more. But I choose to keep things on the up and up. What’s done is done. Time to work on Grammys 2014. Pronto.

Rise Above!

 

 

Posted in Award Tour | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Award Tour: RiaRob’s Top Grammy Moments

Fresh off the Super Bowl (and thus no more football season), the Grammys rolled in. One year after the tragic death of Whitney Houston, music’s biggest night aimed to be a lot more festive. Here are RiaRob’s top Grammy moments:

Prince. If you don’t know by now, you never did and you never will. The only man who can walk on stage, utter a few syllables, give a glowing endorsement and simply exit stage left. It’s his world and we simply take up space.

gty_kelly_rowland_grammys_lpl_130210_vblog

rihanna_grammy_dress_a_p

I love a revolt. It became more than obvious that everyone either sidestepped, worked around or completely ignored the now infamous Grammy memo that warned against artists wearing clothing that exposed anything they really didn’t want to see.  Between Katy Perry’s “display” and Jennifer Lopez continuing the Angelina Jolie leg deal, artists were not really concerned. Big ups to Kelly Rowland in that amazing George Chakra dress and Rihanna who looked absolutely amazing in a red Azzedine Alaia gown.

The 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards - Red Carpet

The men showed up! Lanvin, Tom Ford and Moschino pretty much had the red carpet covered for the men. Suits and tuxes were everywhere. Three words: It’s about time.

You can’t stop the Timberlake. Everybody was too excited to see the (musical) return of Justin Timberlake. He is a Grammy (and CBS) darling. I wasn’t so into the performance as Bruno Mars already had that “visual” on lock a year or two prior, but I am glad to see Timberlake doing music again. What I will say is that Timberlake is a very astute businessman and has great people to make sure his return was complete with TWO commercials during the telecast. After his album release on March 19, the JT takeover will be monstrous.

The Bob Marley Tribute. All I can say is that Bruno Mars and Sting were every bit of all that. The two joined forces to perform Locked Out of Heaven which smoothly transitioned to Walking On The Moon. Soon after, Rihanna and Ziggy came out and I was dancing all over the living room. By the time Damian Marley came out on stage, I totally lost my mind, complete with a dutty whine to boot!

Great moments indeed. But you know there were some things that really burned my toast. I’ll elaborate in my next post.

Rise above!

Posted in Award Tour | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Talking Points: Catching Up

This week has definitely been a time for catch up on many levels. Rest, writing, cleaning and planning. Here are some things on RiaRob’s mind this week:

412360_149119

  1. Baltimore Ravens win the Super Bowl. Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a big Ravens fan and to see my home team go all the way was just too much for the kid! Even with a power outage, my team managed to pull out a win. Baltimore fans are possessive of our team so you know we have been absolutely hysterical! By the way, did you see that victory parade?

Beyonce-Super-Bowl-Outfit-PicturesStop blaming Beyoncé for nearly every thing. When the power outage occurred, I joked with a friend saying, “They’ll probably blame Beyoncé,” and totally dismissed it. Lo and behold, while watching Tuesday’s episode of The Talk, I was shockedsurprisedtaken aback shaking my head that it actually morphed into an actual point of conversation. To have NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell “exonerate” the singer for any wrong doing was completely unnecessary. All I can say is “hateration in the dancerie.” Leave that girl alone. Oh, and stop getting on Alicia Keys for sitting while playing her piano during the national anthem. Did you expect her to stand and play the piano. Next, you’ll want her to rub her belly and pat her head at the same time. Sheesh!

Barbara+Walters+z

Barbara Walters is a stone cold “G.” After suffering a fall prior to the Presidential Inauguration which caused a concussion AND battling the chicken pox (at the same time), Barbara Walters will be returning to The View in about three weeks. Just think, some of you get a paper cut and think it is the end of the world. At 83, Babs is showing no signs of slowing down.

obama-sen

For some folks, it will always be about the donk. Yes, I said it. These shriveled up cats in government and media need to watch their mouths, especially when it comes to the body parts of the First Lady of the United States of America. Never have I seen a president’s wife objectified in such a manner. Sometimes I wish the President Obama could simply step to these individuals and ask them to meet him outside. Check out Kryssah Thopmson’s recent article for The Washington Post. 

grammy

Happy Grammy Week! While still in my Ravens/Super Bowl euphoria, I have to remember that it is in fact Grammy Week. Shout out to all the members of the Washington DC Grammy Chapter who took the trip to L.A. Have a great time!

Posted in Talking Points, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Show and Prove: Why Beyoncé’s “Do Over” Wasn’t Necessary

Usually when the critics come calling, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter addresses rumors with the style and grace, if at all. Today was no different. The multi-hyphenate, still dealing with rumors of lip-syncing the national anthem at the Presidential Inauguration, strolled into a Super Bowl press conference. She asked everyone to stand and then did the unexpected: she sang a very LIVE rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”  

After a rousing applause, she admitted to lip-syncing on that fateful day last week due to the weather and not having time to rehearse but was confident in her guarantee that her performance for Super Bowl Sunday will be all the way live.

Obviously the Twitterverse and planet Facebook went completely bonkers. Her fans and followers were internally (and externally) saying, “Run tell that!” I, however, was left completely baffled.

Hear me out on this:

Beyoncé is a strong force in the music industry, sells millions of records, has tons of fans, and has proven herself to be an astute songwriter, producer and businesswoman. So why did she have to do this? Given the quickness of the 24-hour (more like 24-minute) news cycle, the inauguration performance was already old news and could have been obliterated by the Super Bowl performance. In short, it simply wasn’t necessary.

I may be wrong on this but I trust my gut. My gut doesn’t lie. I usually do not comment on the frequent Beyoncé reports, but on this day, I just had to say something. I’m thinking that all the flack finally got to her, which is completely understandable. But I would be remiss if I did not say that the performance left me feeling some kind of way.

Either way, I will be in front of the tube on Sunday to see my Baltimore Ravens go for it all, but to see that halftime show.

Monday morning is definitely going to be something else.

Rise above.

 

Posted in Breakdown, Opinion | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Rhona Rhetoric: Top Seven Things From The 2013 Inauguration

So the Presidential Inauguration is done and let me say I had a great time…via satellite from my couch. Between the ever so fly First Lady, Michelle Obama, and those adorable daughters, Sasha and Malia, I could look at that family for days, led by a smooth president/husband/dad that simply oozes cool.

The day provided lots of happy moments, comic relief and good fashion as I watched everyone come together to acknowledge the President. Here are the seven things that kept me glued to the set:

reg_634.michelle.ls.12113_copyThat Coat: Thom Browne is somewhere praising Jesus right now. The way we went bonkers over that checkered coat alone (she also wore a dress designed by him) had his name on everyone’s lips. You know there is going to be a cheap replica of this at a store near you.

That Last Look: Obviously the President knew the magnitude of the occasion, opting to take one last glance before he was on to the next. Loving the fact that he can simply make people stop and wait for him. His race, his pace.

1420130121100437001_t607

Those Kids: Were they cute or what? You better not say anything bad about those little mamas. They were pretty little girls and dressed APPROPRIATELY (some of you mothers need to take note).

That Eye Roll: I will say this is my favorite. Remember, our First Lady is from the south side of Chicago. So imagine my glee when she gave House Speaker John Boehner some serious eyelids during the Inaugural Luncheon. It was the unspoken “Child, please!” Say what you want, but you know he said something slick or sideways to warrant that type of response.

Politics_BidenParade_121_480x360

That Veep: I personally want to adopt Vice President Joe Biden as an honorary uncle. He is the perfect hype man for Obama. Did you see him straight strutting his stuff during the parade, smacking hands, hugging kids, and the whole nine yards? The Secret Service practically had to beg him to get back in the limo. He genuinely loves the people and we eat it up. Big Daddy Joe is that dude.

That Parade: Between the Grambling State Marching Band, The South Shore Drill Team, the Isiserettes Drill & Drum Corps and the Native American Women Warriors, I was tickled pink and dancing in my living room.

Michelle-Obama-Inauguration-Dress-2012

That Dress: Like the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I was surprised so many people were peeved that Michelle Obama went with designer Jason Wu for her second inaugural ball gown. Three words people: Get over it. Either way you slice it, the First Lady looks good.

There you have it! Now on with this second term…

Posted in Rhona Rhetoric, Talking Points | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Happy Birthday, First Lady Michelle Obama!

 

images (1)

Sending a special birthday shout out to our über-fly First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama!

Not many women can follow-up a birthday with a round of inauguration festivities. You already know that she is going to look flawless.

For those of you who follow the First Lady, she has a new Twitter handle that her office released today. Check out her new Twitter profile at @FLOTUS. Remember, the accounts are run by her office but if she tweets, she will identify it with her signature “-mo.”

Posted in Beauty is Her Name | Tagged , , | Leave a comment