"Just Wright" Gives Lesson About Finding True Love

As I watched the movie, I noticed that there were a lot of similarities between me & the main character. When Leslie went on a great date with a cute guy, everything seemed good, until he said that she would be the "perfect homegirl". He told her that he just got out of a relationship & that he wasn't ready for another one. When I heard him say that, it sounded vaguely familiar to me. 





I have heard this many times before from guys who think that I am someone that is cool to hang out with but they wouldn't date. Being a bigger girl, I usually use my personality to get guys' attention. I saw some of the same situations that I have been in before, like dressing comfortably for a basketball game and someone else telling me how to dress to catch a man. I felt that this story had a little piece of me in it all the way through. 


Queen Latifah stars as Leslie Wright, a physical therapist tired of being a guy's girl. She lives with her friend, Morgan (Paula Patton) who hopes to be an NBA trophy wife. After a Nets basketball game, Leslie helps star player, Scott McKnight (Common) at the gas station. He invites her to his birthday party, where she shows up with Morgan. He meets Morgan and suddenly takes an interest in her. After a quick relationship, Scott and Morgan end up being engaged. After Scott gets injured in the All-Star game, Leslie moves in to help with rehab. When rumors circulate that Scott may not be resigned, Morgan leaves him and Leslie continues to help him get better. 


I was so excited to see this movie because it was a movie about basketball and I love a good love story too. The previews were just enough to have me waiting to see it, plus the fact that Queen Latifah was gonna be in it. The icing on the cake was Common, who not only pulled off the roll of NBA player Scott McKnight but also looked FINE doing it. His silky voice and beautiful smile made it hard to turn away from the screen, plus the fact that he had the body to pass for an NBA player. He obviously had to work out and train for this movie :-) 
The movie was a little predictable but most romantic comedies are: boy meets girl; boy falls for girl's friend; friend leaves him & girl has to pick up the pieces; boy falls in love with girl & they live happily ever after. You fall in love with the characters easily and become invested in their story. It was a good love story with a message that true love wins every time and was funny from beginning to end. It gives us BIG girls some hope that you can find love by just being yourself. 

Same Old So-Called "Reality" from VH1

Ever since the 1st episode of "Flavor of Love" all those years ago, VH1 has become the epicenter for the black reality show. From Fantasia to Tiffany "New York" Pollard, these celebs have been the main example of black life to some people who may not know what it is like. However, I think that some of the shows have a negative effect on that outlook because they might put all black people into categories that may not be fit for everyone. This round of shows may not be the worst, but they still may give off a negative connotation to those who do not know better. Sometimes it is not that they represent black people, but they do not always represent themselves and their business well.

The 1st show in their Sunday night lineup is "Brandy & Ray J: A Family Business", which follows the two R&B singers in their transition into the business aspect of their careers. While it is good to see a tight-knit black family on TV, there are some moments when I think that they should keep some things in-house. Every family has its problems, but I think that Brandy is a little over-emotional sometimes and Ray J is a bit immature for a grown man. The dynamic between them is the same as in a normal family, like dealing with parental favoritism, so it does have a higher level of "reality" than some of the others. It does not seem to be fixed or scripted, & I have been a fan of Brandy's since the beginning so I will continue to support her, which is probably why I watch the show.

The sweetest part of the show is the relationship between Willie Sr. and Sonya Norwood, the duo's parents. It is wonderful to see a husband try to ease his wife's mind and help her loosen the reigns on the children that she has raised. She has been struggling with letting go and enjoying her own life and Willie has been trying to help her think about herself for a change by pampering her, even though she is stubborn.

I was really excited about Shaunie O'Neal's project "Basketball Wives" because I thought that it would be a show about her. However, she just serves as narrator and pops in & out and the DRAMA level with the other women is through the roof on this one. The basic premise of the show is to follow the women linked to NBA players and how they deal with that life, but they only seem to deal with groupies and infidelity. IF YOU THINK THAT YOUR HUSBAND WILL CHEAT, THEN HE PROBABLY WILL. IF YOU EXPECT IT, THEN YOU WILL GET IT. First of all, only 2 of the women are actual WIVES & the rest are either girlfriends or ex-girlfriends (or fiances) & one girl is just a baby mama. & now that she & Shaq have gotten a divorce then she does not even fit anymore. Out of all of the ladies, I like Jennifer the best, the only one that is an actual basketball wife. I hope that she works it out with her husband who she is having a rough patch with.

The final show in the lineup is "What Chilli Wants" starring Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas of TLC. It follows her in her quest to find love with the help of a matchmaker, Tionna Smalls. It is a more classy type of dating show in the sense that she does not have a bunch of guys in a BIG house in Atlanta somewhere. Instead, she has her outspoken matchmaker set her up on dates after screening for guys that match Chilli's "list", which is a little over the top and leaning towards picky. I do like how Chilli is beginning to lower her guard and expectations, which has led her to getting close to the two white guys that Tionna brought. We will have to see if settles down with someone by the end of it. I think that Tionna is a real star of the show, with her outrageous outfits and ever-changing hair, not to mention her "outgoing" personality.