About Last Night - The Oscars

I'm not sure what to say about last night's Academy Awards. The first 17 minutes are 17 minutes of my life that I will never get. So let's about some things I did like.
Fifty Years of Bond; James Bond. The legendary Shirley Bassey sang Goldfinger and Adele sang Skyfall. They both looked lovely.
And here are some of my red carpet favorites:
Octavia Spencer
Robin Roberts
Jennifer Hudson
Naomi Watts
Halle Berry
Stacy Keibler
Kristin Chenoweth & Kelly Rowland
Rene Zellweger
Michelle Obama

To me these are some of the hits.  It's easier for me to show you what I like versus what I don't like.  Andy Warhol once said, "I never know what I like until I see what I don't like." Well, in this case, I do know what I like.

Shirley Bassey & Adele

Octavia Spencer

Halle Berry

Robin Roberts

Jennifer Hudson

Renee Zelwegger

Michelle Obama

George Clooney & Stacy Keibler

Naomi Watts

Kristin Chenoweth & Kelly Rowland

The Harlem Shake

So I really had not paid much attention to The Harlem Shake until today. I'm still not sure what it is but these naked rugby players are  getting into it.

p.s. NSFW

Happy Birthday Miss Ginger Grant!

Str8 Up With A Twist sends out fabulous birthday wishes to fellow fabulous blogger Ginger Grant.  Rumor has it that Miss Ginger is tearing up the streets of The Big Easy.  Have fun Miss Ginger and enjoy YOUR day!

source: John Cox Photography

RECAP – Mystery & Fantasy Mardi Gras Party: Fairy Tales

Even though we are in the Lenten Season, Mardi Gras is still on my mind. Even though I didn’t make it to The Big Easy for the festivities, it was still a fun time in the Bayou City. My Mardi Gras Season consisted of attending the Krewe of Olympus-Texas ball, Galveston Mardi Gras with EPAH, the Diana Foundation Mardi Gras Party and of course Mystery & Fantasy Mardi Gras Party.

This year our theme was Fairy Tales and the theme really inspired people to be creative with their costumes. It was the night of 1,000 Red Riding Hoods, OK well maybe not that many but you get the idea. There were more than 7 dwarves, a few Prince Charmings, Mother Goose, and so you get the idea.

We received many compliments on the decorations. We transformed Rich’s into its own special Wonderland. Walt Disney would have been proud.

For my costume I decided to go as Antonio Banderas as Puss n Boots. That’s me in the cat mask. The other photos are of various guests and some of the decorations. To see more photos, visit John Cox’s photo album on Facebook.

source: John Cox Photography

source: John Cox Photography

source: John Cox Photography

source: John Cox Photography

source: John Cox Photography

"Take Monday Off: Houston"

Back in the mid-1980s I had a job that required that I travel to Houston.  I really didn't care for the city.  I had also put it on the list of places that I wouldn't live in.

In 1992, I was offered a job that required me to move to Houston.  After being here a few months, I decided to stay about two years and then move on.  You see...

I found it a difficult city to meet people.  It's a transient city and people come and go.  It's a novelty to meet a native.  And of course I moved here in the summer so the heat and humidity were on my Welcome Wagon.

Time went on and I started meeting people and getting involved in different organizations.  And before I knew it, the city had grown on me and 2 years turned into 5 years and then 10 and so it goes.

There is quite a bit to do in this city and the city has played host to some major events including but not limited to:

• Super Bowl aka Nipplegate
• NBA All Star Game
• Latin Grammy Awards
• Final Four
• World Series

The NBA All Star Game is back in town and with it comes the cache of  celebrities.  And with it comes the reporters.

The Wall Street Journal has done an article about what to do in Houston titled, Take Monday Off: Houston.  It highlights many of the restaurants and bars that I have visited and few that I need to visit.  It's a great article about what to do in Houston during an extended weekend.  You can read the story here.

And what's great about the story, is that many of the businesses listed are supporters and/or neighbors of Legacy Community Health Services...where I work.

Enjoy reading the article and if you ever come to visit Houston, hit me up and say, "Howdy!"

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 021513.1

Alrighty.  So...it's been a few days since I've posted about anything but you must forgive me.  You see...

I've had a cold.  It started on Monday when I was sitting in a meeting and by the time I arrived at The Calvinator's Crib I was down for the count.  Last night I slept 9 hours.  The night before I slept 10 hours and the night before that I slep 11 hours.  That is so unlike me.  I have found that when I get a cold the best thing for me to do is to sleep.  And so it goes.

Sweet Brown
So I see that Sweet Brown not only has a new look

 

she is also doing a commercial

 

You go Sweet Brown!  Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame.

S.A.D.
Yesterday was S.A.D.  There were flowers, chocolates, balloons and stuffed animals arriving by the truck loads at work.

On the way home, I stopped by Kroger and the floral department was very busy.  For those people who have a special someone in their lives, it was Valentine's Day.  For the rest of us, it was Single Awareness Day.

Life Is A Cabaret

Last night I woke up from an afternoon nap (yes, that was a long nap but I also didn't get much sleep the night before so I was suffering from sleep deprivation), and was flipping channels.  One station that plays Cold Case was showing an episode titled Willkommen

It reminded me about an interview on Today that I saw last week so maybe the show should be Yesterday?  This year marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the movie  Anywho... you can see the interview below.

 

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I have seen the movie many times and the one thing that I never realized is that with the exception of one song, all the songs are performed inside the Kit Kat Klub.  The point was made that people don't walk around and then burst into song.  To some degree I disagree with that because, well..sometimes I do that.

I also didn't realize that this was Marisa Berenson's first movie!

This one episode brought back many memories of the movie and stage production but the one thing I will always remember about the movie first being released is the movie poster.  What a wonderful piece of art.

Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!

Have you ever had one of those moments when you’re driving in the car and you start laughing and there’s no one in the car with you but the reason you’re laughing is because you heard something funny on the radio?  Well that was me this morning.  However, Calvin (aka The Calvinator) was with me.  I’m sure people around me wondered what was going on.  You see…

I was listening to Roula & Ryan on 104 KRBE and Roula said that TMZ had interviewed Beyonce after the blackout at the Super Bowl.  It was obvious that she didn’t know anything about it and her reply was, “Oh Lord Jesus it’s a fire!”  So, you may not think that is funny unless you know the story about Sweet Brown.  You see…

Sweet Brown has become a bit of a celebrity just by being herself.  Sweet Brown became an internet sensation when she was interviewed by Oklahoma City television station KFOR.  Sweet Brown gives her account of a fire and she became famous for the saying, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”  

As Roula said, Sweet Brown brings happiness and smiles.  I love the fact that she was just being herself and didn’t put on any pretense of being someone that she isn’t.  

We all deal with people who put on airs and try to be something that they’re not.  All I have to say is “And ain’t nobody got time for that.”

My Kind Of Town

I arrived in Chicago today and on the plane I began thinking about my very first trip to The Windy City.  It occurred in 1981.

I was attending Texas Wesleyan University and was a member of Phi Beta Lambda.  The annual national conference was held in Chicago at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.  College students from all over the US were converging on the city.  The thing I remember most about the hotel is it’s huge atrium with a bar that project out over the registration area and main lobby.

The hotel has been renovated and the bar has been redone and it is being redone again.  If memory serves me correctly, it was redone after the catastrophic events at the Hyatt Regency Kansas City.

I can’t remember what I competed in at the conference but I do remember having a fun time and making some new friends and strengthening friendships.

Things I remember from the trip:

• Going to the observation deck of the Sears Tower now known as Willis Tower
• Going to the observation deck of the Hancock Tower
• Shopping at Water Tower Place
• Going to the beach (Who knew that Chicago had a beach?)
• Walking along the Magnificent Mile
• Having my first champagne brunch
• Having my first experience of being told I was too young to drink. (At the time, the drinking age varied by state.  In Texas, it was 18 and in Illinois it was 21.)

Since 1981, there have been many trips to Chicago; mostly for work and sometimes just for fun.  It’s a town that I always enjoy visiting and town that has left me with many good memories.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 020413.1

And THAT was then night that the lights went out in New Orleans
So there we were watching the Super Bowl.  It had been a boring game.  The Ravens were playing and the 49ers showed up but weren't playing.

Then Beyonce showed up.  She sang some songs.  She dance quite a bit.  And her Destinys Child partners had a reunion.  It was entertaining but nothing like Madonna's performance.

The game starts up again and The 49ers came out to play.  And then it happened.

I was sitting with friends at party and I noticed that the stadium looked dark.  Everyone else was ignoring the telly and I tried to tell everyone that something was going on but no one would listen.  Then folks realized that the game had stopped and something was really wrong.  The lights stayed off for 34 minutes but in the interim the attorneys at the party were all trying to figure out who was liable.

source: Getty Images / Jamie Squire

As of this evening, no one is accepting responsibility.  I have several theories:
1.) Someone paid a voodoo queen in New Orleans to put a hex on the game;
2.) Beyonce's equipment blew a circuit;
3.) Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams flipped the switch on their way out of the stadium

IF the game had been postponed, I suggested they evacuate everyone to Houston and play it at the Astrodome or Reliant Stadium.

I wondered if Mitch Landrieu was going to go Ray Nagin on the radio and scream for help on the radio?

So the lights came on and the game continued and it became a close game but when it was all said and done, the 49ers won.