Entertainment

Reel-ality TV Talk

Published

9 years ago

January 12, 2015

By Marquesa LaDawn
NNPA Columnist

The Real Housewives of New Jersey – (Personal Accountability) Even if you do not watch reality tv, you could not have missed this story; I’ll tell you the quick version, Teresa and her husband, Joe Guidice, are two heavy hitters on the RHONJ, and they got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Personal accountability is a foreign concept to this couple, especially Teresa; nothing is ever her fault. She lives in excuses land. Well, she got away with it for a long time, but all good things must come to an end. Regardless of what you and I believe, they pleaded guilty on multiple accounts of fraud and got 15 months (Teresa) and 41 months (Joe) in prison. The Lesson: Deal with your issues before the law gets involved and you lose all control!

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills– (The queen can fall) I’m not a fan of emotional people who take everything personally. That being said, I’ve learned to be empathetic to different personality types. Lisa Vanderpump, who seems to be popular, is on two Bravo reality TV shows, is a tough nut to crack. She’s a smart business woman and nice friend, but if you offend her she never forgives you. She projects the aura of being the Queen Bee and I get that, but she forgets to keep her peeps happy. Last season, her peeps turned on her and all hell broke loose and in Queen Bee fashion she never said “I’m sorry” or took any level of responsibility. Sounds familiar? What’s really annoying is how she blames her Brit origin as the reason for her lack of empathy, my response, you are in America, act like it.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta- (Is your house really a home?) The law seems to be busy in the reality TV world and the RHOA is no exception. Apollo Nida, a house husband to Phaedra Parks, was sentenced to eight years in prison, making this his second time behind bars for a long amount of time. He’s a good looking, smooth talking bad boy, who seems to be challenged with doing the right thing. In an ironic situation his wife, soon to be ex- wife, calls herself a Southern belle. You know that Phaedra’s pattern is sharing as little as possible and appearing to be perfect. It doesn’t help that her husband, now in prison, hurt her reputation from the moment he was introduced, then continued to make bad decisions, including flirting with other women. On top of all of this, his favorite line was “Nobody can control me or tell me what to do or how to act.” I think he forgot the law. Of course, Phaedra, is not completely blameless, she’s a smart woman that pretends to miss things, like money being spent by her husband, etc.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta– (Being a mother does not give you a pass…) Oh my goodness, where do I begin, they call her Mama Joyce and boy did she pull the wool over our eyes during the early seasons. Well, all was revealed, and Mama Joyce is the meanest mom on the planet. She’s like a gangsta mom, literally, she threatens to fight even when she clearly starts the argument. She lies like she breathes, she feels that when it comes to her daughter Kandi, she can do anything she wants – and she does. I remember watching Kandi’s beautiful wedding, and when the cameras focused on her frown-faced mother, several of Kandi’s guests had this look of distaste all over their faces. It was really sad! She is talked about so terribly all over social media, I feel so bad for Kandi. But she is a major enabler and although I understand the need to protect your mom no matter what, it’s important that you ask your mother to respect others.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta- – (We all have a limit) Do you remember the big fight during the reunion when Porsha pulled Kenya’s hair? It was a big moment for RHOA and sealed in their first-place popularity. Kenya Moore is something else, a truly mixed up lady. She’s always the victim, though her behavior encourages a lot of what happens in her life. Well, this reunion was no different: she insulted, put objects in people’s face and thought there was no limit. Little did she know, it’s a bad idea to push a recent divorcee with mean words. She learned this hard lesson once Porsha reacted by pushing her down and pulling her hair (thank goodness it’s real).
FINAL WORD: Don’t assume all reality TV is trash; some of it, maybe. But, if you really pay attention, you can learn so much. I think reality TV should make us all look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we in some context share a similar behavior, I know I have. I think reality TV can be great therapy! So stretch out on the couch and get ready for my next column.

Marquesa LaDawn is a professional business woman who escapes the pressures of living in New York City by retreating into the real world of reality TV.

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Related Topics:Marquesa LaDawn Reality TV Reel-ality TV Reel-ality TV Talk The Real Housewives TV

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Oakland Post: Week of May 8 – 14, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May May 8 – 14, 2024

Published

1 day ago

May 10, 2024

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Community

Rajah Caruth: Young Trailblazer of NASCAR

Imagine you’re only 22 years old and already making a name for yourself in NASCAR, one of the most thrilling sports in the US. That is the life of Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver.

Published

7 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver. (File Photo)

By Tamara Shiloh

Born June 11, 2002, in Washington, DC, he was drawn to the sport as a child after seeing the Disney Pixar film “Cars.”

Caruth dreamed of tooling around the track like the main character in “Cars,” Lightning McQueen. His enthusiasm grew when his parents surprised him with a trip to the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway when he was 12.

In 2018, while keeping busy with school, sports and a summer job, Caruth and his family held fundraisers so that he could buy an iRacing simulator. Then, at age 16, he traded a real driver’s license to race virtually in the eNASCAR Ignite Series, which led to him being recruited by the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.

His first big opportunity came in 2019 when he competed in a “Legends” car at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Bojangles’ Southern Shootout and recorded two top-third in the semi-pro points.

People began to recognize Caruth’s talents. In 2020, he stepped up to the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and became the first African American to win at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in a late model race. The next year, he won at Tri-County Motor Speedway and picked up his fourth overall late model victory.

Then, he became the first person of color to win at the South Carolina track.

In 2021, Caruth announced he would compete full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East for Rev Racing, where he finished third in the standings, including a series of top-five finishes. He made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on a bigger stage as well.

Then, in 2022, thing really took off. A new chapter found Caruth at NASCAR’s unofficial Triple A league with GMS Racing, where he drives full-time for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, with a sponsorship from The Wendell Scott Foundation. After a few setbacks, he broke into the top 10 several times, finishing at a career-high 6th at Darlington Raceway.

Fast-forward to 2024, and Caruth’s took the third major step in his career. He is now driving full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Spire Motorsports and has been making the news for putting on stellar performances. Oh, and he won at Las Vegas: his first career victory.

From an impressionable young racing fan to a professional NASCAR driver, Caruth is charting a new path, creating history, and inspiring people to always remember that if you have the talent, the drive, and most of all, the heart, anything can be achieved.

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Bay Area

Mayor Breed Proposes Waiving City Fees for Night Markets, Block Parties, Farmers’ Markets, Other Outdoor Community Events

Mayor London N. Breed introduced legislation on April 26 to encourage and expand outdoor community events. The first will waive City fees for certain events, making them less costly to produce. The second will simplify the health permitting for special event food vendors through the creation of an annual permit. Both pieces of legislation are part of the Mayor’s broader initiative to bring vibrancy and entertainment to San Francisco’s public right of ways and spaces.

Published

7 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Outdoor community events are integral to San Francisco’s vibrant culture and sense of community. iStock image.

Mayor’s Press Office

Mayor London N. Breed introduced legislation on April 26 to encourage and expand outdoor community events.

The first will waive City fees for certain events, making them less costly to produce. The second will simplify the health permitting for special event food vendors through the creation of an annual permit. Both pieces of legislation are part of the Mayor’s broader initiative to bring vibrancy and entertainment to San Francisco’s public right of ways and spaces.

Outdoor community events are integral to San Francisco’s vibrant culture and sense of community. These events include night markets, neighborhood block parties and farmers markets, and bolster the City’s economy by supporting local businesses and attracting tourists eager to experience San Francisco’s unique charm and food scene.

They offer residents, workers and visitors, opportunities to engage with local artists, musicians, and food vendors while enjoying the San Francisco’s stunning outdoor spaces and commercial corridors.

The legislation will allow for more and new community gatherings and for local food vendors to benefit from the City’s revitalization.

“San Francisco is alive when our streets are filled with festivals, markets, and community events,” said Breed. “As a city we can cut fees and streamline rules so our communities can bring joy and excitement into our streets and help revitalize San Francisco.”

Fee Waiver Legislation

The events that can take advantage of the new fee waivers are those that are free and open to the public, occupy three or fewer city blocks, take place between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., and have the appropriate permitting from the ISCOTT and the Entertainment Commission.

The applicant must be a San Francisco based non-profit, small business, Community Benefit District, Business Improvement District, or a neighborhood or merchant association. Fees eligible for waiver include any application, permit, and inspection/staffing fees from San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Department of Public Health, Fire Department, Entertainment Commission, and Police Department.

Currently, it can cost roughly anywhere between $500-$10,000 to obtain permits for organized events or fairs, depending on its size and scope. Organizations and businesses are limited to a maximum of 12 events in one calendar year for which they can receive these fee waivers.

Food Vendor Streamlining Legislation

The second piece of legislation introduced will help special event food vendors easily participate in multiple events throughout the year with a new, cost-effective annual food permit. Food vendors who participate in multiple events at multiple locations throughout the year will no longer need to obtain a separate permit for each event. Instead, special event food vendors will be able to apply and pay for a single annual permit all at once.

“Many successful food businesses either begin as pop-up vendors or participate in special events to grow their business,” says Katy Tang, Director of the Office of Small Business. “Giving them the option for an annual special event food permit saves them time and money.”

Currently, food vendors are required to get a Temporary Food Facility (TFF) permit from the Department of Public Health (DPH) in order to participate in a special event, among permits from other departments.

Currently, each special event requires a new permit from DPH ranging from $124-$244, depending on the type of food being prepared and sold. Last year, DPH issued over 1,500 individual TFF permits. With the new annual permit, food vendors selling at more than four to six events each year will benefit from hundreds of dollars in savings and time saved from fewer bureaucratic processes.

“This legislation is a step in the right direction to make it easier for food vendors like me to participate in citywide events,” said Dontaye Ball, owner of Gumbo Social. “It saves on time, money and makes it more effective. It also creates a level of equity.”