Any self-respecting former/current B-Boy, B-Girl, Breaker, Hip-Hop Dancer, Popper, Locker, Performance Artist, and/or Dancer has heard of the Innovative Safi A. Thomas.
Safi A. Thomas is the Founder of BLADE Dance Entertainment in New York City. He has shared his extensive 20 years of experience in the music and dance industry, with over 4,000 students worldwide. Safi has worked with some of the top names in the industry and dance community, including most recently, Shakira (2006 MTV Awards), Missy Elliot, Timbaland, Rocawear, and in the past, the companies, Reebok, Bad Boy, and Motown.
Safi A. Thomas is also the Founder and Artistic Director of The BLADE Academy: School of Contemporary Hip Hop Dance Education, and The Hip Hop Dance Conservatory (the only one in the world). Thomas founded The BLADE Dance Technique®, the only codified teaching methodology for professional Hip-Hop Dance to date in the late 20th century.
The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory Repertory Company (HDCRC), the performance division of The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory (HDC) will present “My Ghetto Pop Life: A Dream Sequence” on April 17, 2010 @ 6pm at The Lovinger Theater.
I had the opportunity and the privilege to meet Yvonne H. Chow, Curator of Works of The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory Repertory Company. My daughter Tiana-Joi, who is a Repertory Company Dancer among many talented ones, introduced us last week. We set up a meeting because I was not really sure what Tiana-Joi was into in regards to her “education.” I must say, I was beyond IMPRESSED! Before I get into my wonderful experience, let me give you some information because you’ll have an opportunity to see The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory Repertory Company’s Spring 2010 Repertory Showcase for yourselves…
I was invited by Yvonne Chow to observe a class or two. I have to admit, that at first I was feeling like, “It’s hip-hop – I KNOW hip-hop…I was a B-boy back in my day and I’m immersed in the Hip-Hop Culture even today.” What was this cute Asian chick going to show me about Hip-Hop, right? Uhm…WROOOOOONGGG!
First of all, It was quite clear that this was NOT a dance school that happens to have a HIP-HOP class (those are a “dime a dozen,” incorporated into some dance schools to lure people into their classrooms.) The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory is an institution for higher learning dedicated to the education and the preservation of Hip-Hop Dance. Then it started to really hit me, “That’s why there’s a ‘Curator of Works’ (Yvonne Chow) to preserve the art-form of hip-hop dance.” Yvonne Chow is also the Education Director of The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory. The seriousness started to set-in with me. Then Yvonne Chow started to explain that The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory was the ONLY one in existence on the planet. WOW…really?? I was so giddy, fascinated, and interested (like a child given a new toy) that I’m sure Yvonne was like, “Who IS this H. Luiz?” jajajajajajajaja! I felt the raw power and electric energy of their meditative exercise called “ARMS-OUT” and witnessed the human body interpret a popular hip-hop song – AMAZING! As far as Yvonne Chow: She literally “schooled” me on Hip-Hop Dance – that woman has skillz too! I was so impressed that I may be posting a “series” about my experience and what The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory offers its students (dancers) from A to Z in my ENTERTAINING PAGE hopefully soon.
For now, check out The Hip-Hop Dance Conservatory’s site http://www.hdcny.org (800) 697-4698 for more information and I’ll see you on April 17th, 2010 @ 6pm at the Lovinger Theater to witness the powerful performance of the Spring 2010 Showcase - “MY GHETTO POP LIFE: A dream sequence.”
The weather is getting warmer and warmer and you need a place to let loose, meet some great folks, skate to the hottest beats, pay for some good grub, and raise money for a great cause, right? Well, I know of such a place…
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21st, 2010 @ 8PM at the SKATING RINK located on the grounds of beautiful BRANCH BROOK PARK at 7th Ave & Clifton Ave., Newark, NJ 07104.
The NJCU Student Veterans Organization (SVO) is holding a FUNdraiser primarily to raise money for the Student Veterans of America because they are the voices of “Student Veterans” across the United States.
Come on down (and bring ALL your friends) to enjoy the hottest music (brought to you by the very talented ”DJ Vee”) as you SKATE THE NIGHT AWAY! We are also holding a 50/50 Drawing…All tickets for the 50/50 will be sold during the event…You must be “present” to collect the earnings… The winner will be announced at 10:30pm.
Get your gear ready (and if you don’t have in-line skates or roller skates, you can rent some at the event) even if you don’t skate (try it, it’s lots of fun) come on down anyway and get you “boogie” on, meet some great folks doing great things…with your help of course!!
“Be sure to stop by and say hello, who knows – you may end up on some after-event footage on H. Luiz Presents…” - H. Luiz Subscribe here to H. Luiz Presents…
Drink clean, crisp, bottled water – it’s better and much safer for you than ordinary tap-water…
Ah yes, we all have fallen victim to the evils of “Manufactured Demand” especially the marketing of bottled water. This particular marketing “machine” has been very successful in making us believe that their bottle water is superior than tap – and worth paying for it too.
Remember about 20 years ago or so (when the “French” brand bottled-water was the “chic” thing to drink?) We said, “Pay for water? WHAT?? What’s next, paying for air?” Well, in the U.S., we currently purchase half a Billion bottles of water a week…a WEEK! (And as far as “paying for air” -there are quite a few, profitable Oxygen Bars in major cities of the U.S. and abroad.)
We have been drinking ”tap-water” filtered by Brita and PUR for the past 10 years in my immediate family. However, we were paying for it at first at our local supermarket ($1.09 for a gallon of spring water at the time.) Then about a month of that, we asked ourselves, “Where the hell are we going to store and dispose of all this plastic?” Admittedly, we asked that question more as apartment dwellers with limited space, rather than eco-conscious folks…that came later.
Then we decided that enough was enough, so we bought a Brita water pitcher with a charcoal filter. But then that was not enough – we were out of filtered water after a couple of glasses. It also took awhile for the water to pass through the filter to refill the pitcher as well (15-20 minutes?) After a month of that, we bought a Brita 3-gallon stand alone water cooler/dispenser in a sleek black color- we loved it! We would insert two charcoal filters in the base of the cooler, fill up the 3-gallon tank with tap-water, and have cold (or hot) filtered water in an instant – it was heaven. Then, about a year later under normal wear and tear, it broke down. We cried. We looked for a replacement and found out that the product was no longer made – it was recalled and no longer sold. We later found out that there was a problem with the cooling/heating mechanics of the model and so it was discontinued because it would either just break down or catch fire…we were lucky. Today, we have an PUR attachment that hooks up to our faucet and so, we have filtered water all the time – as long as we have our charcoal purifying filter inserted in the mechanism – lasts about a month. It makes our tap-water extra safe to drink and makes it taste great! We have aluminum water bottles that we fill up for “on the go” to the gym, work, and school.
I have always found it ironic, that our tap-water is free of aluminum impurities (thanks to our filter) but then we go ahead and pour that aluminum-free water right into our aluminum bottles. Ha!
Some major water-bottling companies (Pepsi’s Aquafina and Coke’s Dasani for example) are nothing more than filtered tap water anyway (just like we have at home), so why pay hundreds of dollars per month for the same product you can get with a $5 filter? Pepsi says it has never tried to deceive the general public with its Aquafina brand (yeah’okay Pepsi!) Aquafina has a blue label showing images of snow-capped mountains and the claim, “Pure water, perfect taste.” The funny thing is, it is allowed under our FDA regulations. Ahhhh…the power of money!
The reasons to stop buying bottled water is just not an economic issue – it’s a health and an environmental issue…all those damn plastic bottles and toxins!
Our recycled plastic bottles are now being shipped as “waste” in other countries – how’s that recycling? We are paying and using viable energy to throw away garbage. I guess we’re just dumping our waste onto someone else. Now it’s no longer our problem, it’s theirs! Don’t get caught up either on the “new” eco-friendly water bottles either – they are just “downcycled” plastic bottles made of lesser quality (however, made with the same toxins) that they are going to dump anyway after we use and recyle them.
Plastic water bottles are also know to leach chemicals. The bottles are often made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride), which is an environmental hazard itself. Independent studies of the contents of bottled water have discovered fluoride, phthalates, trihalomethanes and arsenic, either present from the bottling process or from the bottles themselves. Remember those reusable water bottles, the ones that suppose to help us save the landfills from all of those non bio-degradable plastics? Not so good for us either! For years, some of the most popular “reusable” water bottles have been made from a hard, clear plastic called polycarbonate. The problem is that one of the key components of polycarbonate is the endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). A growing body of research has shown that polycarbonate bottles can leach bisphenol-A into the liquid they contain, making the hard plastic containers toxic water bottles.
Annie Leonard (narrator of “The Story of Stuff”) has a great new video about the ‘Manufactured Demand” of bottled water. This is the story that water bottlers Coke, Pepsi, and Nestlé don’t want you to hear — but thanks to Annie, millions of us will. Be one of the first and help spread the word…
Make an “informed decision” whatever you decide to do with the “source” (and vessel) of your water intake. If your city’s public water is safe to drink, then by all means drink it. Install a simple add-on purification filter to your faucet(s).
A wonderful man by the name of Harvey Burko would ALWAYS ask for “NY’s finest tap-water” whenever he would dine out. He use to say it with such conviction that it would sometimes alarm the waiters and oftentimes embarrass his lovely wife, Shelly. He didn’t understand the hype of bottled water or maybe it was that he understood too well that New York has one of the cleanest (and best-tasting) public water sources in the U.S. This post reminds me of a story…
It was the late 1990′s and I walked into the Burko home with bottled water in my hand. Harvey asked me, “What are you doing?” I replied and stated the obvious, “Uhm…I’m drinking.” He said, “You’re drinking?” Then, he shook his head and lowered his eyes and snickered like he loved to do whenever he “got” me. “Why are you drinking bottled water, better yet, why did you ‘pay’ to drink that bottled water?” I couldn’t figure where this was going, so I replied in my matter-of-fact voice, the one I use when I know I’m being setup but can’t figure out why, “Because it’s better for me than tap-water, that’s why.” Harvey just smiled (I have always known that my “reactions”use to make him guffaw) then he spoke almost in a whisper, “You know Luiz…” he looked around to ensure our privacy, he leaned-in even closer, ”I’m trying to sell this bridge…you want in?”
jajajajajajajajajajajajajajajajajajajajaja!
So, every time the issue of bottled water comes up, my mind races back to Harvey Burko and the lesson he tried to teach me (about 15 years ago) in his inimitable way of not buying (literally) into a farce. Now, in his memory, I’m trying to teach you the same lesson before you go off and try to buy that bridge.
“Today, after almost a Century of trying…today, after over a year of debate…today, after all the votes have been tallied…Health Insurance Reform becomes Law in the United States of America.” - Barack Obama
It will take 4 years to responsibly implement the Health Care Reform Bill, but THIS YEAR (2010)the BILL will inact immediate change:
* Insurance companies will no longer be able to drop people’s coverage when they get sick (and no annual limits)
* Tax Credits will be given to ALL Americans who cannot afford the new low-cost coverage in the EXCHANGE
* Tax Credits will be offered to about 4 MILLION small-business owners to help them cover insurance costs for their employees
* Tens of Thousands of UNINSURED Americans with pre-existing conditions will finally be able to purchase the coverage they need
* Competing insurance companies will have to give Preventive Care (including routine checkups, mammograms, colonoscopies, etc.,) at no extra charge
* If you lose or change your job you will get health coverage
Some folks are a little confused about Health Care Reform – some think that it means health care will be free – it won’t be, but it’s way more affordable than private health care. AND if you cannot afford to buy lower-priced insurance THEN the government will HELP you pay for it with CREDITS. For example, instead of paying $400 a month for insurance in the private sector, you may now pay $145 a month with the new not-for-profit coverage. If you cannot afford that (due to lower income for instance) the government will still assist you with that by paying what you cannot (so maybe you’ll pay $100 and the gov’t pays the rest.) For those of us with incomes below the poverty line will be eligible in the new expanded Medicare Programs that will cover all medical expenses (not just for seniors anymore.)
By offering a not-for-profit option in the Insurance Ecchange, it will keep existing insurance companies honest, meaning: they now have to “work” to make their coverage attractive to the buyer and that starts with much lower premiums (and to treat their customers much better.) In other words, the big-name insurance companies now have to compete for our dollars!
This is History-Making and Revolutionary!!
If you’re still concerned what “Health Care Reform” means, please look at this video below for some explanations…
The NJCU Student Veterans Organization (SVO) is holding a FUNdraiser for the Students Veterans of America (SVA) and SVO.
Come on down (and bring ALL your friends) to enjoy the hottest music (brought to you by the very talented ”DJ Vee”)as you SKATE THE NIGHT AWAY at the United Skates of America, Inc., Roller Skating rink. We are also holding a 50/50 Drawing…All tickets for the 50/50 will be sold during the event…You must be “present” to collect the earnings… The winner will be announced at 10:30pm at the event.
This benefit event is happening on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21st, 2010 @ 8PM at the SKATING RINK located on the grounds of beautiful BRANCH BROOK PARK at 7th Ave & Clifton Ave, Newark, NJ 07104.
“Your minimum donation of $10 gives you access to the grounds where you can purchase food and beverages, listen to the latest beats, and mingle with the hottest crowds. If you do not have skates, you can rent some at the skating rink. If you can’t skate (or won’t skate) - so what??? Come on down anyway to enjoy the evening!! I’ll be there with my family – make sure you stop by and say hello! Who knows, you may find yourself featured in a video on my popular website http://www.hluizpresents.com in a recap of the fun-fest! Your donation would be very much appreciated and remember, it’s for a great CAUSE – the NJCU Student Veterans Organization along with the Student Veterans of America.“-H. Luiz Martinez
We will remind you again as we near the date (April 21, 2010) about this can’t-miss event. We just wanted to give you enough time to clear your calendars. We cannot wait to see you!!
Student Veterans of America (SVA) is a coalition of student veterans groups from college campuses across the United States. Founded in January of 2008, SVA is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that works to develop new student groups, coordinate between existing student groups, and advocate on behalf of student veterans at the local, state, and national level.
SVA has two major components: the executive staff and student veterans groups. Student veterans groups are student groups that have formed on college and university campuses to provide peer-to-peer networks for veterans who are attending those schools. These groups coordinate campus activities, provide pre-professional networking, and generally provide a touchstone for student veterans in higher education. These local groups are an important part of ensuring that every veteran is successful after their service.
The executive staff facilitates communication between groups, connects groups with resources from outside their campuses, and organizes these groups to advocate at the state and national level for the common needs of student veterans.
Our three primary missions are: 1.Develop student veteran groups on college and university campuses and coordinate by region between existing groups.
2.Connect student groups with resources.
3.Advocate on behalf of student veterans at the state and national level
If you need any more information please feel free to contact Marilyn at tiggerm2002@aol.com or call 201.683.1466.
Not completely…Alcohol has a much lower boiling point than water, which is why people think it dissipates when you cook/bake with it – IT DOESN’T. (This is why I always insisted on NOT feeding family members with alcohol issues, my Chicken Marsala.) When you simmer a sauce containing wine or liquor, up to 50 percent (yes 50!) of the alcohol can remain. I have learned (years and years ago) that the percentage also depends on how long it simmers and other factors, like the size of the pan. Even when you bake, the evaporated alcohol has to work its way out of the batter, so even less will “burn off” than in an open pan. Most wines and alcohols are added to cooking/baking for added “flavor” and to help a dish retain moisture. However, an addict can go into a tailspin with just a sliver of rum cake.
2. Veggies lose all their nutrients when boiled
Not necessarily…Yes, vegetables such as green beans, stewed until they are gray beans, may lose many of their nutrients (mostly vitamins, which are water soluble,) but important minerals like iron and potassium do not break down easily in water. All vegetables (overcooked or not) are a good source of fiber. I drop vegetables, such as broccoli, in boiling water for about 2 minutes or so. Then I shock it in ice-cold water for about a minute to lock in that vibrant green color and to stop the cooking time. Your best bet: Steam your vegetables lightly to the desired consistency (careful – you can also over-steam veggies.)
3. Butter spoils if it’s not refrigerated
That’s another myth. Butter can spoil, but much more slowly than fresh (unfermented) milk products, such as, well, milk. The reason is – butter contains added salt, which impedes the growth of spoilage bacteria. Today’s salted butter, in normal usage, will rarely spoil, even if you leave it unrefrigerated all the time. Unsalted butter (labeled sweet butter) might spoil in about a week, but it contains enough natural salt to slow the growth of bacteria that cause spoiling. So you don’t have to worry if you forget to put the butter away after dinner.
4. All good natural foods expire
I know of one that doesn’t – honey. The natural sugar content is so high in liquid honey that it kills almost all bacteria and the moisture content is too low to allow fungus to grow. It can crystallize and become solid and chunky, but you can add water and heat it and it will become edible again. (However, it can still be dangerous for infants to eat.) Honey can actually be a preservative, and scientists found honey in pyramids in Egypt and were amazed because it didn’t expire, even after thousands of years.
5. Salting pasta should be done as soon as it is drained and not beforehand
Wrong – salting the water the pasta is boiled in is a better method for salting pasta. Many Italians say the water you cook your pasta in should be as salty as the Mediterranean. If you salt pasta after you drain it from unsalted water, then the pasta just tastes salty. Please, salt the water – not the pasta. Never, ever rinse the pasta with cold water after it has been drained (the pasta starch will be drained away and you need that starch to hold the sauces and gravies onto the pasta.)
6. Mushrooms should be thoroughly washed before you cook/eat them
Noooooo! Portabella, shitake, button, porcini, chanterelles, and oyster mushrooms are no longer wild – they are cultivated. That means there is less dirt on them when we receive them from our grocery stores. If you wash mushrooms, you will make them soggy. Soggy mushrooms expel brown unappetizing looking liquids to your food. Take a damp (not so wet) paper towel and wipe them clean.
7. Decaffeinated coffee contains caffeine
True – Between 97 and 99 percent of caffeine is eliminated during the decaffeinating process, but up to 3% of caffeine remains. Coffee purists recommend the Swiss Water Process (in which the beans are steamed, and then soaked in hot water until their chemical structure swells) at which point a carbon filter draws out the caffeine. However, some caffeine remains after the beans are dried and roasted. If you drink 6 to 10 cups of decaf coffee a day, or if you are highly sensitive to caffeine, you might feel an effect from those minimal amounts. However, one cup of decaf should leave you sleeping easy.
8. Fresh fruit and vegetables are always better than frozen ones
Frozen vegetables are usually processed within hours of harvest. There is little nutrient loss in the freezing process so frozen vegetables retain their high vitamin and mineral content. In contrast, fresh vegetables are picked and transported to market. It can take days or even weeks before they reach the dinner table and vitamins are gradually lost over time no matter how carefully the vegetables are transported and stored. Many fresh fruits are sent way under-ripe since it can take 10 to 15 days for it to reach the grocery store(I always see those too green bananas and unripe avocados – then I have to put them in a brown-paper bag and wait 3 days to have them.) Frozen is oftentimes better than fresh.
What food facts can you share? Leave a comment and educate us!
Did you see “Food, Inc.” the Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Feature? Well, I sure did, in fact my family and I saw it OnDemand on Comcast. I have to tell you – that film, directed by Robert Kenner, shook us all up.
Organic food is expensive, I know that…but I also know why it’s expensive. I tried to explain it to my Mother-in-Law, but I’m not so sure she got it. Like many of us, her thinking is, “If organic food is free from preservatives, pesticides, insecticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, fertilizers, toxic additives, artificial flavorings and colorings, why does it cost more? Does it not cost money to add those chemicals to food? So if organic food contains less added chemicals, why does it cost so much?”
She raised some valid points, but here’s the answer to those great questions: Government plays a significant role as to why non-organic foods are cheaper than organic. Non-organic is cheaper because we are reducing the in-store cost by paying for it with our taxes. Agrochemical agriculture is heavily subsidised by the taxpayer through the government, whereas organic farming receives no subsidies at all. Organic and small-time farmers receive “specialty crop grants” that are measured in thousands rather than in millions of dollars. (If you’re not growing corn, wheat or soybeans, you get the merest of crumbs from the federal table.)
Another reason why conventional food is cheaper than organic foods: Conventional farmers have certain advantages. Rather than using the age-old practice of crop rotation to keep soil healthy, they can apply cocktails of synthetic fertilizers and herbicides to fields. Unsold conventional food will be bought up by the USDA for school lunches (this is what we’re feeding our kids?) One calculation estimated the national all-in subsidy for industrially grown agriculture at $80 billion per year (that’s $725 per American household.) An organic farmer, by comparison, might mix up 200 pounds of old pasta salad, 100 pounds of rotting lettuce, and other assorted odds and ends to create a rich and fragrant compost with their waste.
The more common-sense reason why organics cost more than conventional is that smaller organic farms require more time, attention, and labor to get produce to market (watch an organic farmer hand-weed a row of carrots and you’ll immediately know why.)
Now personally speaking, my family eats pretty healthy foods…that is, I thought we did until I saw Food, Inc. Our major meat and poultry consumption comes from the major brands in that Documentary Feature. The chicken that we eat is so pumped with chemicals and growth hormones that it was difficult to watch.
For instance, the average chicken naturally takes about 3 months to reach maturity without toxic growth hormones – these BIG NAME chicken factories are growing them within 49 days (these chickens have also been “engineered” to have breast meat 2 to 3 times the size as a natural chicken, so much so they cannot walk more than a foot without plopping down because they are too top-heavy.) My family and I have consumed these toxic chemical-induced chickens for years and years…but no longer.
No wonder America has become an obese and sick nation (heart disease, E.coli poisoning, diabetes, obesity, elevated blood pressures, etc.) We are eating nothing but chemically altered foods - Go ORGANIC whenever possible.
“The price of Organic Food is cheaper than meds.” - H. Luiz
What an Amazing, Thrilling, History-Making OSCAR NIGHT…It started with Mo’Nique’s Oscar win for Best SUPPORTING Actress, one of four African American to win that prestigious award -Hattie McDaniel for Gone With The Wind (1939) Whoopi Goldberg for Ghost (1990)- 51 years later!Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006) and now Mo’Nique (2010).
“Everything I wanted to say — and everything I needed to say — I said,” the 43-year-old “Precious” actress beamed. “I am a stand-up comedian who won an Oscar!”
“The reason why I have on this royal-blue dress is because it’s the color Hattie McDaniel wore when she accepted her Oscar in 1940,” Mo’Nique explained, saying the adornment in her hair also was a tribute to what McDaniel wore to the awards show. “I feel you all over me, and it’s about time that the world feels you all over them.”
“Through this journey and process, some journalists and some reporters wrote, ‘Somebody needs to teach Mo’Nique a lesson; someone needs to teach her how the game is played.I am proud to hold this Oscar in my hand, because the Academy said, ‘We are not willing to play the game.’ “ - Mo’Nique
The film PRECIOUS also won the adapted-screenplay Oscar by Geoffrey Fletcher. (We send a special nod to Sapphire, the author of PUSH on which the film is adapted from.)
“This is for everybody who works on a dream every day. Precious boys and girls everywhere!” -Geoffrey Fletcher
Then Oprah Winfrey presented a speech to Gabourey Sidibe, Academy Award Nominee (and my good friend…here I go, Ha!) for her portrayal of Precious, the Lead role in PRECIOUS. It was so moving and uplifting, Gabourey Sidebe could NOT contain herself as she soaked in the words…
“On Monday, she skipped school to audition for a movie called Precious. On Tuesday, they called her back to meet the Director Lee Daniels. On Wednesday, she got the part! And tonight she is sitting at the Academy Awards in the same category as Meryl Streep” – Oprah Winfrey
Then, Two-Time Oscar Winner, Sean Penn came to the microphone to announce the WINNER for Best Performance by an Actress in a LEADING role… “And the Oscar goes to – Sandra Bullock!” YES!!!! Oh…y’all didn’t know that Sandra was a Sista?
Sure, I wanted Gabourey Sidibe to win (she’ll have more opportunities, I hope and believe) but Sandra has earned that damn Oscar. I believe she has been overlooked in the past (could you believe that it is her first Academy Award Nomination??) and the film Blindside was just exquisitely performed and crafted by our Sista, Sandra Bullock!
Sandra Bullock gave a wonderful speech acknowledging all her fellow nominees and turned to Gabourey Sidibe and said, “Gaby, I love you sooo much, you are exquisite. You are beyond words to me.”
Then she spoke of her mother, “…So…if I can take this moment to thank Helga Bea…for reminding her daughters that there’s no race, no religion, no class system, no color, nothing, no sexual orientation that makes us better than anyone else…we are all deserving of love…” SPEAK!!
Sandra also thanked her “lover,” Meryl Streep jajajajajajajaja!
Congratulations to all 16 winners (and one lucky lady in NY for her support) of the “the HLP Oscar Night Contest.” I will be taking your orders shortly (tomorrow) and want to send your dozen cookies (whether chocolate chip, oatmeal cranberry, or biscotti) as soon as possible. I will be baking for the first 8 winners by this weekend, and the next 8 winners (plus Ev) by next weekend.
I would also like to thank everyone for their participation, let’s do it again sometime real soon!!
The 82nd Academy Awards is up and LIVE this coming SUNDAY, MARCH 7th at 8PM EASTERN TIME on ABC.
So, let’s have a little fun with it, shall we? I am conducting a casual, little contest with this year’s NOMINEES. Contest winners willreceive a box full (a dozen) of my home-made (some even say delicious) BISCOTTI, OATMEAL COOKIES, or CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES – your choice! See if you can correctly guess who will win Academy Awards in 10 categories – that’s it! There are only a couple of rules: You MUST be an H. Luiz Presents SUBSCRIBER to qualify as a contestant (if you have not done so yet, Subscribe to H. Luiz Presents by clicking this link) AND you can only enter once per household (and you must get all 10 category winners to win, duh!) The contest/survey closes Saturday, March 6th 2010 at 11:45pm (I’ll show you how you can enter by the end of this post.)
The contest/survey closes Saturday, March 6th 2010 at 11:45pm (I’ll show you how you can enter by the end of this post.) THE CONTEST IS ALSO LIMITED TO 500 ENTRANTS (there’s over 2,000 Email Subscribers and the site gets 38,000 hits a month from around the globe – which is a small population compared to more-popular celebrity sites, however I am but only one person with one tiny stove jajajajajajaja!) The FIRST 50 “WINNERS” out of the 500 Entrants will receive the gifts (that’s 600 cookies – whew!) So please, enter the contest as soon as you can – each entrant is automatically numbered.
Here are the NOMINEES for the 10 categories “The HLP Contest!” will cover…
Best Picture
Avatar, The Blindside, District 9, An Education, Hurt Locker
Inglourious, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, Up in the Air
Actor in a Leading Role
J. Bridges, G. Clooney, C. Firth, M. Freeman, J. Renner
Actor in a Supporting Role
M. Damon, W. Harrelson, C. Plummer, S. Tucci, C. Waltz
Actress in a Leading Role
S. Bullock, H. Mirren, C. Mulligan, G. Sidibe, M. Streep
Actress in a Supporting Role
P. Cruz, V. Farmiga, M. Gyllenhaal, A. Kendrick, Mo’Nique
Animated Feature Film
Coraline, Mr. Fox, Princess/Frog, Secret of Kells, Up
Cinematography
Avatar, Harry Potter, Hurt Locker, Inglourious, White Ribbon
Directing
J. Cameron, K. Bigelo, Q. Tarantino, L. Daniels, J. Reitman
Foreign Language Film
Ajami (Israel), Milk of Sorrow (Peru), Prophet (France),
Secret in Their Eyes (Argentina), White Ribbon (Germany)
Music (Original Song)
Almost There (Princess and the Frog – Randy Newman)
Down in New Orleans (Princess and the Frog – Randy Newman)
Loin de Paname (Paris 36 – Wagner/Thomas)
Take It All (Nine – Maury Yeston)
The Weary Kind (Crazy Heart – Bingham/Burnett)
If you are a MEMBER of “The HLP Network!” (which is NOT the same as being an H. Luiz Presents SUBSCRIBER), please subscribe first to the website by clicking this link to qualify for the contest. Incidentally, I will also be LIVE on the HLP Network! to chat about the Academy Awards with you during the hours of 8pm until I/we fall asleep…so please, stop by and give me a holler on OSCAR NIGHT if you are an HLP Network MEMBER (If your not, sign up by clicking at the bottom BAR of your PC screen…it’s FREE!) We can chat about the Red Carpet, Who Looks Good (and who doesn’t), Who SHOULD have won, etc.
NOW, onto the link for the contest - but first, remember to answer all 10 questions and don’t forget to include your name and email address at the END of the survey’s FIRST question. Please note that you can change your answer choice(s) if you decide to change your mind within your survey as long as you don’t press “Done.” When you press the “Done” button, the survey will NOT allow you to take another, since it’ll block your ip address (remember: one entry per household.)
Last minute tips: Just because you really enjoy and like a specific actor/director/song, it does not mean their performance was better/worse than another one you don’t really care for – choose wisely. If you have NOT seen the movies, peruse the internet for feedback. Ask friends and family who did see “said” movies to make a better decision. You can just have fun and try to “guess” who the Academy Awards Committee “thought” was the best. Or, just pick who you like and hope that they win!!
2. She nearly didn’t audition for the part of Precious because she didn’t want to have to cut school.
3. The 24-year-old from Harlem had been working as a receptionist to pay her way through college where she was studying psychology.
4. At school Gabourey played the part of a pirate in Peter Pan and Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz.
5. She didn’t want to pursue a career in acting because she didn’t want to subject herself to “the opinion of the world”.
6. Gabourey’s parents split up when she was 12. She has two brothers, aged 21 and 16, and a 13-year-old sister.
7. Her mum is a schoolteacher turned professional singer and her dad went to France to study architecture before returning to New York to become a cabbie.
8. Gabourey describes herself on her Facebook page as ‘a normal girl, trying to do abnormal things’.
9. She has been a fan of the now defunct boyband ‘N Sync since a teenager and has seen them in concert 23 times. She wants Justin Timberlake to be her date to this year’s Oscars.
10. Precious is based on the novel Push by Sapphire. Gabourey was cast alongside her idols Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey in the film.
Monday, Feb. 22, 2010 but what does that REALLY mean for us?
There’s lots of good news that I want to share with you, but there are also a brand-new series of traps as well (I’ll talk about those too at the end of this post.)
The BIGGEST thing the CARD Act will do for you and me is to to STOP Credit card issuers from increasing interest rates on existing credit card balances unless the borrower is at least 60 (SIXTY) days late on the account. This will eliminate the retroactive rate increases and the universal default clause where credit card issuers would periodically review an account holder’s current credit standing to determine changes in terms and annual percentage rates. If your rates have been increased in the last 6 months, this is exactly why - they’re trying to recoup the millions/billions dollars they’re going to lose once this ACT is in effect.
Credit card issuers will have to provide clear disclosure of account terms before a borrower opens an account. If the account provides a promotional interest rate period, the promotional interest rate will have to last a minimum of six months – not the usual 3 months or 30 days!
They will not be able to raise your interest rates on your new credit card accounts during the first YEAR the account is opened. Again, this rule will not apply if the borrower falls 60 days late on a credit card payment.
Credit card issuers will not be able to charge over-limit fees unless they obtain our consent to accept and process over-limit transactions beforehand. If consent is obtained, the card issuer will not be able to charge more than ONE over-limit fee per billing cycle. This has got to be one of my favorite laws of the CARD Act. Just like those damn BANK CARDS, my attitude was, “Don’t allow me to purchase something if it goes over my limit” If I’m a dollar over the limit, they would ALLOW the purchase ‘for my convenience’, but charge me a fee from 29 – 39 dollars! What the…???
Additionally, credit card issuers will not be able to charge an over-limit fee if interest charges or other fees are the sole reason for pushing the account holder over their limit. (Amen to that!! I use to be like, I didn’t use that card, how is it possible I’m incurring an over the limit fee? Well, thanks to the CARD Act – not anymore!!)
Credit card issuers will not be able to charge additional payment penalties for accepting payments by mail, phone, electronic transfer, or any other means, unless the payment is processed through an expedited service processor. No more additional costs for paying by phone – awesome!
If a due date falls on a weekend or holiday, the credit card issuer will not be able to penalize mailed payments that are received on the next business day. Payments received by 5 p.m. must be credited the same day. YES!!!!!
Double-cycle billing, a process where credit card issuers use the previous month’s balance to calculate interest charges for the current month, becomes illegal. Okay…This is HUGE here! Credit Card companies do this, well did this, with most of us NOT knowing about it. I use to say, “This should really be against the law,” and now it is.
Credit card issuers will be required to apply any payment above the minimum amount due to the highest interest balance first. In the past, you just paid your bill beyond the minimum balance and that “extra” would be applied to your lowest previous purchases/services – that’s why it takes most of us FOREVER to pay down a bill.
Credit card issuers will have to include a minimum payment disclosure that explains how long it will take to pay off the existing balance and the total cost in interest fees if the cardholder paid only the minimum amount due. Additionally, card issuers will have to provide minimum payment details and the total cost in interest to pay off the existing balance within 3 years. If we “see” how long it will take, then we will make better choices when purchasing on credit, right?
They will have to make account terms and cardholder agreements available to their cardholders on the Internet. (It is HARD to find any REAL information on our Issuer’s web site – now, everything will be just a click away – no more run-around phone calls and automated systems to trouble us.)
As part of the CARD Act, credit card companies will be severely restricted in how they market cards to college students, potentially shrinking an important part of their business. (Thank Goodness – most students have credit card debt to an average of $5,000.00 before they graduate.)
NOW, SOME “NEW” ISSUES TO WATCH OUT FOR:
Most CARDS will charge a 2% fee on all purchases made outside the United States (watch out all you online shoppers.)
Whereas 3% was once the standard charge for rolling over a balance from one credit card to another, I found out that JPMorgan Chase (JPM, Fortune 500) are now assessing customers a 5% fee.
If you’re 18 to 21 years old, you will need a co-signer on most cards. So MOM and/or DAD, when Junior can’t pay his bill, you will now be responsible.
Consumers with credit history less than PERFECT, may find it much more difficult to get a card or have their credit limit extended.
REWARDS on card will decrease as a result of the new laws. My CARD just sent me disclosures of my reward plan, I found out that I can no longer get FREE Hotel Nights and my child can no longer fly for FREE – using my points. Shoot – Jonathan stayed at some great resorts on my “points.”
American Express told me that they would not be able to accrue my reward points on my purchases if I’m ever late with a payment. I am NEVER late with payment, but if I ever am, I must pay a $29 fee to recoup those points. To be fair, American Express “CREDIT” cards (not charge cards) is the BEST card I ever had – they treat me like I’m a MILLIONAIRE every time…we should all be treated that way, whether we have millions or not.
Whereas in the past, banks could raise your annual percentage rate just for missing a payment on your cell phone bill or without giving a consumer much advance notice, such practices will soon be outlawed. Issuers now have to alert you at least 45 days in advance before raising your rate under the CARD Act.
In recent months, banks have moved consumers over to so-called variable rate cards, whose rates fluctuate based on the direction of the prime rate. And with that rate at historic lows, be prepared for at least a moderate increase in their APR at some point. Make sure you have NOT be moved to a variable rate card – check right now!
The new law also does not include any sort of interest rate cap banks and issuers can charge customers that are late on their payment by two months or more.
The CARD Act doesn’t absolve anyone from having to pay back their bills or take people out of harm’s way if they run into trouble – so you MUST be careful.
