Before I get on my semi-soapbox, let it be said once again that there is a connection between politics and the entertainment business.
Think about it — the crowds, the cheering, the picture taking, the signing of autographs, the planning of events, etc.
I am glad that Mike Duggan is Detroit’s mayor-elect. I knew he would be. (My “gut feelings” are never wrong). Not that I had any issues with Benny Napoleon, and I know they both care about Detroit.
But the city is moving into a different place and time, and becoming more cosmopolitan in the process. Duggan is the right man at the right time.
Sure, there are Black people who want Michael Duggan to fail, just as there are White people who wanted — and still want — President Barack Obama to fail. But people of goodwill, whether Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, straight, gay or anything else, will prevail.
And we all have a choice — roll with the times or get rolled over by the times.
The only thing I can say negative about the election is that I wanted Adam Hollier to win a City Council seat. However, he was competing against someone with name recognition that goes back decades. But Hollier will re-emerge. He, too, represents hope for Detroit.
JAY-Z (Shawn Corey Carter) always seems to have some new entrepreneurial venture going on. The latest is a male fragrance he reportedly had a hand in developing called “Gold Jay-Z.”
It’s no wonder he ranks No. 2 on Forbes magazine’s list of the richest people in hip-hop, with a net worth of $475 million.
Don’t invite Paula Abdul and Miley Cyrus to the same party. As we all know, Cyrus created a sensation — and caused a mountain of controversy — when she “twerked” Robin Thicke at the VMA Awards.
For those who don’t know what “twerking” is, it is a female grinding her behind into the crotch of a man, usually on a dance floor. Pretty crude, right? But not that much more so than “the dog” that was popular among some people in the early 1960s.
Abdul said, “I think when girls dance, they should be girls. I don’t find it the most attractive kind of dance. My Chihuahua can twerk and stick her tongue out at the same time too.”
IT IS interesting how artists can be hot, sometimes for several years, then essentially disappear from public view.
I was thinking about Aaron Hall. From 1988 to 1991 he was high on the charts with the trio Guy, then had several Top 10 hits as a solo artist.
But Hall hasn’t made a record since 2005, and its title may offer an explanation: “Adults Only: The Final Album.” Just as Destiny’s Child released “Destiny Fulfilled” in late 2004, then disbanded.
Corbin Bleu (his last is Reivers), the actor, singer, dancer currently on “Dancing With The Stars,” says he would like to open “an Italian-Jamaican fusion restaurant.” (That would be strange but interesting.) His mother is Italian and his father is Jamaican.
DAVID LETTERMAN has long had a strange feature on his iconic late-night TV show called “Stupid Pet Tricks.” Well, perhaps there should be something called “Stupid Kanye Tricks.”
Seems every time you turn around, West is saying or doing something stupid, often at the same time, the latest of which is wearing a confederate flag on the sleeve of a jacket.
He said people can “rant all they want” because he doesn’t care.
This is the same Kanye West who proclaimed himself a genius; snatched the mike from a singer who was making a speech at an awards ceremony; was labeled a “jackass” by the ordinarily even-tempered President Obama; stormed out of the room when he didn’t win an American Music Award; and let’s not forget the time he said, “George Bush doesn’t like Black people.”
At the age of 36, one would expect West to be more mature — and shame on the media for giving him the publicity he craves.
BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW…that “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” has been a hit on four separate occasions — in 1967 by Gladys Knight & the Pips, in 1968 by Marvin Gaye, in 1976 by Creedence Clearwater Revival and in 1981 by Roger. However, it was originally recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles in 1966 but not released as a single.
MEMORIES: “Oh Girl” (the Chi-Lites), “Living in America” (James Brown), “When She Was My Girl” (the Four Tops), “Get a Job” (the Silhouettes), “Oh No Not My Baby” (Maxine Brown), “Piano in the Dark” (Brenda Russell), “Underlove” (Melba Moore), “Low Rider” (War), “Being With You” (Smokey Robinson), “Cutie Pie” (One Way).
BLESSINGS to Michael Henderson, Dennis Archer, Carolyn Crawford, Trina Naylor, Chuck Bennett, Queen Reese, JoAnn Franklin, Ernest Knight, Chuck Stokes and Andrew Humphrey.
WORDS OF THE WEEK, from an anonymous source: “The best way to do anything is the way that works best for you.”
Let the music play!
Steve Holsey can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and PO Box 02843, Detroit, MI 48202.
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