Funky Stuff

Did anyone else see the Tribute to Aretha Franklin this past week? The tribute was to help raise funds for the UNCF, United Negro College Fund, and the show was fantastic, an unbelievable three hours of music, history and education and I was upstairs writing with the tv on downstairs full blast so I could pound away on my book while grooving to Aretha’s hits.

I like a lot of R&B, but I dig gospel, Motown and that funky stuff that came out of Detroit. I really loved Jennifer Hudson (of Dreamgirls fame) singing Aretha’s classics during the tribute. Jennifer Hudson is my girl. She’s my favorite actress/singer/star. If you haven’t seen Dreamgirls, do it, for no other reason than to hear Jennifer sing. I know it’s pitiful but when Jennifer sings, I cry.

Speaking of Dreamgirls, I finaly went to see the film just before the Golden Globes with one of my best friends, Lorrie Hambling, and her husband Peter. It’s a long movie–a long musical–but I’d go again in a heartbeat. I want the soundtrack for my birthday and if any of you know my kids, please let them know this would be a great gift for mom. There’s also a really cool coffee table book I want, too, called ‘Burton Holmes: Travelogues’ but that’s $50 and out of their league unless they pool money. Which is highly unlikely, but I digress.

I wanted to see Dreamgirls with Lorrie because she’s from Detroit, and she didn’t grow up in a cushy suburb but in the real city, the nitty gritty working class part and she’s got stories to tell, but she also loved the music, and I’m with her on that.

Maybe sometime in the next year I can have a big party and there won’t be much food, and only a little to drink but there will be lots of music, and I’ll be dancing when Aretha sings, and I’ll be on floor groovin to Brickhouse by the Commodres and okay, Wild Cherry wasn’t from Detroit, and they were pretty much a one hit wonder, but I’m going to get down when the dj spins Play That Funky Music. I am. And once I�m down, you�ll get me right back up with Aretha’s R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me�

Yeah

(just a little bit)

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