Tuesday Open Thread | Macy Gray Week!

Posted on November 17, 2015 by rikyrah

More Macy

macy-gray (1)

The Id and The Trouble with Being Myself (2001–2005)

Gray visiting the Astrodome as a volunteer, in Houston, Texas, September 3, 2005
Gray’s The Id featured appearances by John Frusciante and Erykah Badu on the single “Sweet Baby” (which was co-written with longtime collaborator Joe Solo). The album peaked at number eleven on the Billboard 200.Despite its failure in the US, it reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and was certified gold by the BPI. The underperformance in the United States, compared to her debut album, may have been due to The Id being released just a week after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

In 2002, she appeared in Spider-Man as herself and worked with Santana on the track “Amoré (Sexo)”, for his album Shaman.

Also in 2002, she appeared on the Red Hot Organization’s compilation CD in tribute to Nigerian afropop pioneer Fela Kuti, Red Hot and Riot. She appeared on a remake track of Kuti’s classic, “Water No Get Enemy” alongside prominent neo soul, hip hop and R&B artists, D’Angelo, the Soultronics, Nile Rodgers, Roy Hargrove, and Kuti’s son, Femi Kuti.

She recorded a duet with Zucchero called “Like the Sun (From Out of Nowhere)”, which featured Jeff Beck on guitar released in 2004 on Zu & Co., a duets collection. Her song “Time of My Life” was included in the soundtrack to 8 Mile. A cartoon based on Gray’s childhood was being developed, but it never came to fruition.

In 2003, Gray released her third studio album, The Trouble with Being Myself, to rave reviews.[citation needed] The lead single, “When I See You”, became a radio hit in the US and a top forty hit in the UK, although the album was not as well received by fans. Nevertheless, it became Gray’s third top twenty album in the UK. A greatest hits collection and a live album were subsequently released: The Very Best of Macy Gray (2004) and Live in Las Vegas (2005). Additionally, Gray was featured on Marcus Miller’s 2005 album Silver Rain, on a cover of Prince’s 1986 song “Girls & Boys”. She also appeared on the soundtrack to the film Chicago with Queen Latifah and Lil’ Kim on “Cell Block Tango/He Had it Comin’

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69 Responses to Tuesday Open Thread | Macy Gray Week!

  3. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 9:04 pm

    FIRST LOOK: “THE WIZ LIVE!”

    Posted on November 17, 2015

    “NBC embarks on its latest musical holiday tradition: a three-hour LIVE event production of the groundbreaking Broadway show that brought Oz to life in a funky sing-along journey down the yellow brick road.

    “The Wiz Live!” is adapted from “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum, with a book by William F. Brown, and music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls. The production opened on Broadway in 1975 at the Majestic Theatre and won seven Tonys, including Best Musical. The original massive Broadway hit spawned a feature film starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. Now, an award-winning creative team, the imaginative Cirque du Soleil Theatrical and a diverse cast of showstoppers create an eye-popping new take unlike anything ever seen.

    http://tomandlorenzo.com/2015/11/first-look-the-wiz-live/

    Reply
  5. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 8:50 pm

    HAVE I NOT BEEN SAYING THIS????

    Have I not been saying that they long for the delusional world of Mad Men?

    ……………………………………

    White Americans long for the 1950s, when they didn’t face so much discrimination
    November 17 at 1:30 PM

    Yes, you read that headline correctly.

    In a new poll released by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) on Tuesday, a whopping 43 percent of Americans told researchers that discrimination against whites has become as large a problem as discrimination against blacks and other minority groups. And an even bigger share of Americans — 53 percent — told pollsters American culture and “way of life” have mostly changed for the worse since 1950.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/11/17/white-americans-long-for-the-1950s-when-they-werent-such-victims-of-reverse-discrimination/?postshare=7931447786242650&tid=ss_tw

    Reply
  6. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 8:45 pm

    from POU:

    sagittarius • an hour ago
    So, Fam – had an epiphany:

    Ever since Obama voters pointed out that birtherism started with Billary’s 2008 campaign, then there was that furios denial on Twitter and other social media – til folks started showing receipts – it just occurred to me that Billary 2.0 is in a straight-up Catch-22. She cannot deny what occurred in 2008, because folks have receipts. Butt she cannot address and apologize for what happened in 2008 because then she would admit that the receipt carrying foks are right and that she did use racist tactics against PBO.

    So, what’s an entitled Miss Millie to do in a case like this? Sh mploys surrogates in a group called “African-Americans for Hillary” thainking that, like overseers, the leaders will get these Black folks back in line.

    But here’s the deal: Black voters are free and have been sine January 20, 2009. We ain’t going back. So, next, Billary 2.0 pivots to name checking BLM and now, foreign policy. But, Black voters ain’t going back.

    Make no mistake folks – those internals for Black voters at Billary 2.0 AND the DNC look like shit. They know it and we know they know we know. That’s why the DNC hired a black woman and former OFA FL state leader as deputy director for community outreach.

    Their sure fire 2016 win for a Dem in the White House ended when VP Joe was hounded out of the race.

    Billary might win and then again, she might not. Depends on her and if she understands what she’s being told by Obama voters: earn this vote or lose. Bilary wanna be Republican-lite? That’s the difference between getting screwed with no lube by a dildo or a real penis. Give me no lube on a real penis any day.

    So, folks – I’m praying for a miracle. I don’t see Hillary being elected. #EarnThisVoteOrLose

    http://pragmaticobotsunite.com/tuesday-afternoon-thread-jodeci-week/#comment-2365509294

    Reply
  9. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 17, 2015 at 7:54 pm

    [facebook url="https://www.facebook.com/ratchetentertainment/videos/1066252256742613/" /]

    Reply
  14. Ametia says:
    November 17, 2015 at 2:51 pm

    OMG *TEARS*

    Reply
  15. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 2:45 pm

    uh huh, Unca Ben.

    uh huh

    ……………………

    Ben Carson Won’t Explain His Mysterious Palm Beach Real Estate Deal
    Does he own this $10 million horse estate? His campaign won’t say.
    —By Russ Choma | Tue Nov. 17, 2015 6:00 AM EST

    Last week, Mother Jones and the Associated Press reported that GOP front-runner Ben Carson had a business relationship with a felonious ex-dentist in Pittsburgh named Alfonso Costa, who had once been convicted of healthcare fraud. Carson made between $200,000 to $2 million last year on a real estate investment linked to Costa, whom Carson has often described as his best friend. When these stories appeared, Carson said he stood by Costa, but he declined to say much else. A further examination of Carson’s financial disclosure form and public records indicates that the retired neurosurgeon has another lucrative real estate investment that may be associated with Costa. But the disclosure statement doesn’t provide all the required information about this asset, and the Carson campaign refused to answer questions about this property.

    On the disclosure form, Carson lists a plot of land in West Palm Beach worth $1 to $5 million. He describes the property as “CPC Grand Prix South Lot.” Yet there are no Palm Beach County real estate records that show Carson’s ownership of this lot.

    Local real estate records note that Carson does own property in the area, but only his personal residence, which is on a golf course in West Palm Beach and was purchased for $775,000 in 2013. If Carson owns any other real estate in Palm Beach County—such as this CPC Grand Prix South Lot—he must hold it via an investment vehicle. Yet neither of the shell corporations that Carson and his wife list on his disclosure—corporations through which they invested in a Pittsburgh real estate deal connected to Costa—own property in Palm Beach County. So how does Carson own the Palm Beach property he lists on the disclosure form?

    http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/11/ben-carson-alfonso-costa-palm-beach-real-estate

    Reply
  16. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 2:43 pm

    Inside Groundswell: Read the Memos of the New Right-Wing Strategy Group Planning a “30 Front War”
    Ginni Thomas, Allen West, and a crew of conservative activists and journalists have formed a hush-hush coalition to battle progressives—and Karl Rove.
    —By David Corn | Thu Jul. 25, 2013 11:53 AM EDT

    Believing they are losing the messaging war with progressives, a group of prominent conservatives in Washington—including the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and journalists from Breitbart News and the Washington Examiner—has been meeting privately since early this year to concoct talking points, coordinate messaging, and hatch plans for “a 30 front war seeking to fundamentally transform the nation,” according to documents obtained by Mother Jones.

    Dubbed Groundswell, this coalition convenes weekly in the offices of Judicial Watch, the conservative legal watchdog group. During these hush-hush sessions and through a Google group, the members of Groundswell—including aides to congressional Republicans—cook up battle plans for their ongoing fights against the Obama administration, congressional Democrats, progressive outfits, and the Republican establishment and “clueless” GOP congressional leaders. They devise strategies for killing immigration reform, hyping the Benghazi controversy, and countering the impression that the GOP exploits racism. And the Groundswell gang is mounting a behind-the-scenes organized effort to eradicate the outsize influence of GOP über-strategist/pundit Karl Rove within Republican and conservative ranks. (For more on Groundswell’s “two front war” against Rove—a major clash on the right—click here.)

    One of the influential conservatives guiding the group is Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, a columnist for the Daily Caller and a tea party consultant and lobbyist. Other Groundswell members include John Bolton, the former UN ambassador; Frank Gaffney, the president of the Center for Security Policy; Ken Blackwell and Jerry Boykin of the Family Research Council; Tom Fitton, the president of Judicial Watch; Gayle Trotter, a fellow at the Independent Women’s Forum; Catherine Engelbrecht and Anita MonCrief of True the Vote; Allen West, the former GOP House member; Sue Myrick, also a former House GOPer; Diana Banister of the influential Shirley and Banister PR firm; and Max Pappas, a top aide to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

    http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/07/groundswell-rightwing-group-ginni-thomas

    Reply
  17. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 2:42 pm

    UNDER.THE.JAIL.

    WHAT.DA.PHUQ?!?!?!?!?

    ………………

    Mentally handicapped black worker rescued after 4 years of torture and enslavement by SC restaurant owners
    David Ferguson DAVID FERGUSON
    17 NOV 2015 AT 11:30 E

    Two brothers in Horry County, South Carolina are facing charges that they treated a mentally handicapped black employee like a slave for years, beating and overworking the man, who lived in squalor on property owned by their restaurant.

    According to the Charleston Post and Courier, two Charleston attorneys filed a civil suit on behalf of Christopher Smith, who worked at the J&J Cafeteria in Conway for 23 years, but was hideously abused and exploited from 2010 to 2014.

    The suit lists 14 counts against J&J owner Ernest J. Edwards and manager Bobby Paul Edwards, including false imprisonment, discrimination and exploitive labor practices. Bobby Edwards, 50, was arrested a year ago in connection with the case. Those charges are still pending.

    Last October, Smith was rescued when social workers received a tip from an anonymous source who expressed concern for the man’s safety. Attorneys Mullins McLeod and David Aylor said that while the civil suit cannot change the past or rectify the harm done to Smith, hopefully it will “bring about positive change in the future.”

    The Post and Courier explained that Smith worked at the Edwards brothers’ business for more than two decades, but it was when Bobby took over as manager in 2010 that Smith’s situation turned ugly.

    Smith was routinely called the N-word, according to the suit. He was savagely beaten with a frying pan, hot tongs, butcher knives, belt buckles and fists. He worked 18-hour shifts Monday through Saturday and 11-hour shifts on Sundays with no breaks, receiving little pay. His total wages for each year added up to less than $3,000.

    http://www.rawstory.com/2015/11/mentally-handicapped-black-worker-rescued-after-4-years-of-torture-and-enslavement-by-sc-restaurant-owners/

    Reply
  18. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 2:35 pm

    BECAUSE nothing says REAL MAN that beating up on a defenseless woman.

    Once again…none of these muthaphuckas will take themselves to the local mosque at prayer time.

    …………………..

    HATE CRIME ALERT: “Muslim Mother Attacked Outside School in Toronto”

    Toronto police say they are treating a brazen assault on a Muslim woman near an elementary school in the Flemingdon Park area as a hate crime.

    The woman was picking up her children from Grenoble Public School on Monday when she was attacked by two men, police told 680 NEWS and CityNews.

    Police said the incident occurred around 3 p.m. near Don Mills Road and Eglinton Avenue East.

    The two men approached the woman and started hurling anti-Islamic and racist profanities at her.

    Attackers yelled obscenities at Muslim women as they beat her. “You terrorist, you don’t belong here. You piece of Sh*!@, go back home”

    Victims brother says she was attacked from behind, grabbed by her hijab, thrown to the ground, & punched several times in the stomach & face.

    http://www.themuslimguy.com/hate-crime-alert-muslim-mother-attacked-outside-school-in-toronto/

    Reply
  19. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 2:33 pm

    This is the whitest movie about Ancient Egypt yet
    By Kwame Opam
    on November 17, 2015 02:53 pm

    And here it is, the first trailer for upcoming fantasy epic Gods of Egypt, and wow is it white as hell. Directed by I, Robot director Alex Proyas, the film loosely follows the mythic conflict between Set and Horus, two gods vying for the throne of Egypt. Starring Games of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and P.S. I Love You’s Gerard Butler, the film promises to be an orgy of terrible acting and awful CGI.

    But did I mention that this movie is exceedingly white? Because it is. For a movie taking place in Egypt, whose ancient people were, scholars agree, by no means close to our modern idea of whiteness, you’d be forgiven for thinking this took place somewhere on the playa during Burning Man. To quote our own Casey Newton, “There are episodes of The Brady Bunch that aren’t this white.” That fact manages to be both hilarious and infuriating. I thought we learned this lesson from Exodus: Gods and Kings.

    http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/17/9750270/gods-of-egypt-trailer-white-hollywood-nikolaj-coster-waldau-gerard-butler

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      November 17, 2015 at 3:27 pm

      What’s even more curious is why this adviser is publicly sharing this negative bit about his candidate in the first place – and worse, on the record..?

      Reply
  21. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 2:08 pm

    Cam Newton Doesn’t Owe You Modesty
    Nov 16, 2015

    excerpt:
    In both of these games though, criticisms against Newton arose – same as they always seem to do – and detractors seem to have a lot of trouble saying what they really mean. Sometimes it’s really vague and noncommittal: Newton is annoying, or he just “bothers” them. And other times, they’ll just come right out and say “Cam Newton is a thug.”

    All of this becomes so much more interesting when you consider the relative silence when it comes to outbursts by quarterbacks of lighter shades. Take into account Carson Palmer after the Arizona Cardinals’ 39-32 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, or in Week 4 of 2012 when Matt Ryan famously told the Panthers to ‘get the [expletive] off his field.’

    Hm.

    The word “thug” tends to get tossed around a lot when it comes to non-majority race people doing things that majority race people find distasteful, and I find its use a little problematic. Actually, I’m not a fan of the word “problematic” because it’s way too easy to hide behind. I like my bigots out in the open and easy to identify.

    If your problem is that Cam Newton is too rough around the edges for your genteel sensibilities, then that’s a personal problem. If your problem is that you don’t enjoy watching Cam Newton dance, then keep him out of the end zone. If your problem is that you want Cam Newton to stay in his place, too bad.

    http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/11/carolina-panthers-quarterback-cam-newton-doesnt-owe-you-modesty-dabbing-titans-panthers-thug-coded-language

    Reply
  22. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 2:04 pm

    Jeb Bush slams Obama for ‘getting us into a quagmire’
    11/17/15 11:20 AM
    By Steve Benen
    There’s a short list of words Jeb Bush should probably go out of his way to avoid. “Quagmire” is one of them.

    The National Memo reported yesterday on the Republican presidential hopeful’s latest appearance on “Fox & Friends,” where Bush shared his thoughts on defeating ISIS.
    “It means a strategy – we don’t have a strategy right now. This president is incrementally getting us into a quagmire, without having a strategy to defeat ISIS. This is a threat to Western civilization, a threat to our own country. We need to be merciless in this effort.”
    I mean, really, what’s a poor blogger supposed to do in a situation like this? George W. Bush’s brother, who has surrounded himself with his brother’s national security team, feels justified in complaining about President Obama “getting us into a quagmire,” without a strategy for success? Is Jeb purposely pretending the entirety of the Bush-Cheney era didn’t happen?

    For that matter, given that Obama continues to oppose the deployment of thousands of U.S. ground troops to fight in Syria’s civil war – a conflict in which we’re opposed to both sides – isn’t the current policy in no way similar to “getting us into a quagmire”?

    Finally, let’s not overlook the fact that ISIS terrorists are not a legitimate “threat to Western Civilization.” It takes an awful lot to bring down a civilization that’s spanned several centuries and multiple continents.

    Is ISIS a credible national security threat? Sure. Is the fate of Western Civilization at stake? No.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/jeb-bush-slams-obama-getting-us-quagmire

    Reply
  27. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 17, 2015 at 1:09 pm

    Rikyrah and Ametia… check your mail.

    Reply
  28. SouthernGirl2 says:
    November 17, 2015 at 11:07 am

    #FolksWannaPopOff: The remix

    [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/233390338" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /]

    Reply
  29. TyrenM says:
    November 17, 2015 at 10:53 am

    Good Morning 3Chics,
    Though I’ve had enough of the rain yesterday and today, I’ll take it over snow anytime.
    BLM shut down I-94 last night and WP are pissed. Oh well. Have a good day all.

    Reply
  31. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 10:52 am

    this is ‘ the smart one.’

    …………………

    Jeb Bush loses TV ad edge to Marco Rubio
    Rubio’s campaign is getting twice the ads for half the price of Bush’s super PAC, undercutting his rival’s cash advantage.
    By Shane Goldmacher
    11/17/15 05:15 AM EST

    Down in the polls, Jeb Bush was supposed to find refuge in his financial superiority. But just as his campaign enters the critical primary phase, the fallen front-runner is about to get outgunned on the airwaves by the man his campaign views as its chief rival: Marco Rubio.

    According to media buyers and a POLITICO review of TV ad purchase data, Bush and his allies are on pace to spend $5 million more than Team Rubio on broadcast, cable and radio ads through the first four voting states – but for that sum, they will put fewer ads on the airwaves.

    That’s because the vast majority of Bush’s ads are paid for by his super PAC – roughly 85 percent for Bush versus only 40 percent for Rubio – and super PACs get far less bang for their buck.

    Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/marco-rubio-jeb-bush-super-pac-215962#ixzz3rlhq2bpB

    Reply
  36. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 10:01 am

    Obama and Bill Simmons: The GQ Interview
    5 hours ago

    excerpt:
    You’re out to dinner with your wife and the phone rings. How many of the people in your life are you like, “Uh-oh, I’ve got to take this”?

    Malia and Sasha. [laughs] And maybe my mother-in-law. My national security adviser, Susan Rice, and Denis McDonough, my chief of staff. Those are the only people whose call I would take during a date night with Michelle. But the entire White House is full of people who have enormous responsibilities. You can’t do this by yourself. The principle of team building in the White House is really no different than the principle of team building anywhere, on a sports team or a well-run business. Do they put team ahead of themselves? Do you make sure all the pieces fit together? Because just having the best athletes, if they’re knocking heads and nobody’s doing rebounding and everybody wants the ball, it isn’t always going to work.

    http://www.gq.com/story/president-obama-bill-simmons-interview-gq-men-of-the-year?mbid=social_twitter

    Reply
  39. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 9:41 am

    Just finished listening to the soundtrack for Hamilton.
    I loved it!
    Man, I wish I could see it on Broadway.

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      November 17, 2015 at 3:41 pm

      Ugh…The very unpleasant and ungracious Andrew Lloyd Webber was there – and in true form, ruins every shot – such an unmitigated egomaniac..

      If it isn’t entirely all about him, he gets antsy, irritated ..

      Reply
  47. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 8:11 am

    Why Steve King’s endorsement matters
    11/17/15 08:40 AM
    facebook twitter save share group 1
    By Steve Benen
    There are 75 days remaining before the Iowa caucuses, and with an unsettled polling picture, Republican presidential hopefuls are looking for every possible advantage. For much of the GOP field, that’s meant wooing Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), one of Congress’ most ardent anti-immigration voices, and a highly influential figure among right-wing voters in the Hawkeye State.

    By most accounts, roughly a half-dozen Republican contenders were in the mix for King’s support, but as MSNBC’s Emma Margolin reported yesterday, but only one came out on top.
    Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz scored a major prize in the first-in-the-nation nominating state Monday: An endorsement from one of Iowa’s chief kingmakers, Rep. Steve King.

    “Ted Cruz has the positive conservative vision for the country that we need to correct the failures of the Obama Administration,” said King in a statement. “When I survey the challenges facing our country, and the slate of individuals who have stepped forward to offer to lead, one man stands out as the courageous conservative whom I believe can restore the soul of America. That man is Ted Cruz.”
    The endorsement was accompanied by a YouTube video in which the far-right congressman sings Cruz’s praises.

    Not all endorsements are created equal, and I think it’s fair to say King’s announcement matters more than most. Not only does this give Cruz a boost going into the home stretch before the Iowa caucuses, it also gives Cruz’s campaign access to King’s state-based network of conservatives.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/why-steve-kings-endorsement-matters

    Reply
  48. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 7:55 am

    This is ridiculous! She is a THIEF!

    She should not anything!

    WTF?

    …………….

    Byrd-Bennett entitled to at least $140K in public pensions; cost CPS $900K

    WRITTEN BY LAUREN FITZPATRICK
    POSTED: 11/15/2015, 02:06PM

    Chicago taxpayers paid almost $900,000 for three and a half years’ work by disgraced former Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett.

    And though she’s a felon since pleading guilty in a contract rigging scheme at CPS, she still stands to cost taxpayers in districts that employed her more than $140,000 in annual public pensions.

    Byrd-Bennett’s decades-long education career effectively ended in Chicago in April after federal subpoenas looking into her and a $20.5 million no-bid deal she gave a former employer, The SUPES Academy, became public. She resigned June 1, was indicted in October and pleaded guilty to a single count of wire fraud within a week of being charged. She faces prison time and has vowed to cooperate in the ongoing investigation

    http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/7/71/1099692/byrd-bennett-public-pensions

    Reply
  49. rikyrah says:
    November 17, 2015 at 7:54 am

    Good Morning, Everyone :)

    Reply
  50. Ametia says:
    November 17, 2015 at 7:45 am

    KARMA, KARMA, KARMA, KARMA KARMA….!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Reply
  53. Ametia says:
    November 17, 2015 at 7:33 am

    Good Morning, Everyone. :)))

    Reply

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