Entertainment

Reel-ality TV Talk: Don’t Get Dramatic Over Drama

Published

9 years ago

February 2, 2015

By Marquesa LaDawn
NNPA Columnist

I love asking folks: What reality TV shows do you watch? Invariably, the response is: “I’ve seen The Real Housewives, but they are so dramatic.” Yes, they are dramatic and if they weren’t, they wouldn’t be on television. And there are lessons in drama for those willing to look deeper.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta is supposedly the most dramatic of them all. On a recent episode, Claudia, one of the newest housewives, joined Kenya and Cynthia, on a short road trip to celebrate the opening of Peter’s new sports bar. Once they arrived, guess who was introduced as Peter’s business partner? Kordell, Porsha’s ex-husband. It gets even better when Claudia immediately connects with Kordell, leading to a possible future date. Now, if you watched this episode you may have thought Claudia and fellow housewives were wrong for even considering making this connection. If Claudia and Porsha where friends or desire to be friends, then yes, stay far away from the exes. But, most people who hate “drama hate life and all of its craziness.
Stepping in to the Beverly Hills Housewives world…
Now, there was some real negative drama on the most recent episode. Everyone knows not to ever come between family. Kyle and Kim, two of the RHOBH housewives, have a strained relationship, largely because Kim, is an alcoholic. Well, Kim Richards shows up to a house party, impaired, which didn’t exactly relax her sister. Since Kim and Brandi have become BFF’s, Brandi decided to interfere and tried to pull Kim away from her sister. It got ugly and led to a bit of a fist fight. I agree this was an extremely dramatic situation, but it happens. My sister is no alcoholic, but we have also struggled with our relationship, even to the point of her unfriending me on Facebook for a few months and not speaking for months. Now, that we are working our way back, I can tell you it’s a bad idea for anyone, even other family members, to get in the middle of this relationship. We’ve had our shouting matches but it never got to the level of physical fights. Still, watching this episode made me want to work hard on making this relationship better. You see, there was a a life lesson in there after all.
Celebrity Apprentice
You know I can’t leave out Celebrity Apprentice even if I wanted to. Now, if you’ve ever watched this show, all cast members are automatically put into high stress situations and encouraged to fight for the right to “not be fired” by The Donald. During the board room scene in which Kate Gosselin was in the “hot seat,” Vivica Fox and Kenya Moore had to defend their positions. It got interesting, to say the least. Vivica and Kenya exchanged barbs throughout. Still, amid the fireworks, they were expected to show why they were the stronger player. Without a doubt, Kate, as the project manager, did not have the skill set to win this challenge, period! Her defense seemed to be focused on her team mates not getting along, which she says caused the loss. Life Lesson: At the end of the day, do not let anyone interrupt your focus All good leaders know the first rule is to put people in the best place that serves the team. Kate broke that rule and it was nice to see Kenya defend her position by stating that it wasn’t personal, it was about business. Some folks watch the scene and thought poor Kate. I thought, bad leader –with or without drama. So the next time you are tempted to label someone “dramatic” remember that all drama isn’t necessarily bad. So bring it on!
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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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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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

1 week 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.”