Skewby-IM ILL

Here’s Memphis rapper Skewby’s latest video “IM ILL”:

Skewby-IM ILL

Gyft-“So M-Town”

Here’s talented Memphis rapper Gyft’s newest video “So M-Town”

Gyft-\”So M-town”\

Brian Williams Slow Jams the News With Jimmy Fallon on Late Night

Click that link, and prepare for awesomeness:

http://tv.gawker.com/5505073/brian-williams-slow-jams-the-news-with-jimmy-fallon-on-late-night

Wrestling, Acting, and more Wrestling: The Weekend Wrap-Up

I have not actually written a blog in a while.  I have been quite the absentee father or “deadbeat dad”. As a product of a broken union, you would think I knew better.  At any rate, I am attempting to start this new blog with original content portion as opposed to just being a hub for links to my writings for other sites or a place to pimp the videos of my friends.  All of that will still happen, but I will now attempt to share my musings on a regular basis once again. Here we go:

Friday:

 I got off work, and hung out with my high school buddy Keith and his friend Jeremy.  Jeremy is married to a high school classmate of mine, Lasonia Blade (No relation to the Mortal Kombat character, Sonya Blade… I make funny, hee hee).  We chilled out and discussed several matters while watching wrestling at a church.  This is very d-list wrestling, but I still liked it.  My favorite wrestler to heckle was The Crime.  I kept making puns off of his name like “The crime is your face!” At one point I yelled out loudly, “Crime you’re such a loser!”  I enjoy heckling bad guys at wrestling matches.  One bad guy called me Urkel and called Keith Bill Cosby because of his loud shirt.  It was all in good fun, though.  My one complaint about this wrestling federation? Less chitchat, more fighting.  And make it snappy.  If I wanted a show with five matches and endless talk, I’d watch Monday Night Raw.  Oh, that’s right, I do. Oh, well.

 Saturday:

 I got off work at 1PM, and I had an audition at 1:20 PM for a film entitled <em>The Romance of Loneliness</em>.  I made a misstep earlier, however: I ate a piece of Domino’s Memphis Barbecue Chicken before I left my job.  I thought one piece wouldn’t hurt me or cause me to belch heavily during the audition. Without being too gross, let’s just say that that piece of pizza caused issues. By the time I got to the U of M campus, I needed a bathroom, plain and simple.  As I raced to the crosswalk, a fire truck roared by, which meant that I had to wait a little longer, traffic stopped, and my stomach continued to “bubble, bubble, toil and trouble”, if you will.  After the fire truck left, I made a mad dash to the Communication Building and got “sweet release”.  After this, I briskly walked to the CFA building. Ironically, the writer came out looking for me as I was walking towards the building.  I had a pretty good reading, and afterwards I had a passionate plea/begging moment.  I told her that I liked the portion of the script that I read, and that I also liked the fact that they chose to do a relationship film, as opposed to the horror and comedy that seems to be prevalent in this town. Nothing against those films, but I haven’t been in a good relationship film in years.  I also told them that I am looking for a break from playing random thugs and Black people who die in horror movies.  They laughed, and the writer hugged me.  I really hope I get that role. Even if I don’t get the lead role, I would be cool with being a friend of the lead guy or something. 

 

Next, I went to the Lil’ Film Fest 13: the Sivads of March.  I used to be in about 2 or 3 films per Lil’ Film Fest before its hiatus.  Since the fest returned, people quit asking me to be in their films.  Many of my previous collaborators have stopped filming or quit doing Lil’ Film Fests, and many others simply didn’t have roles that they think fit me.  It’s been frustrating, and I took it personal.  I quit going to the Lil’ Film Fests.  Andy Bond,a young filmmaker, chose me for his short film, Sometimes I am very grateful for that. So, I returned to the Lil’ Film Fest.  I enjoyed myself, saw some people I hadn’t seen in a while, and my mom came out.  Even though our film didn’t win the big money prizes, it did win Best Editing.  I felt somewhat redeemed.  I may no longer be King Indie in this town, but I have NOT stopped acting.  Got that, filmmakers?! Use me, for crying out loud?! End of rant. Afterwards, I went to eat at the Bayou Grill with Andy, Sarah and Chris of Live From Memphis, Sarah’s parents, Chris’ mom, Kim Howard, McKenzie Stonis, Shelly Gillette, and others.  I had a good time, I laughed, I joked, and had a humorous conversation about how my love of pop music causes some people (myself included) to question my “Blackness”. You had to be there.

After that, I went to the Hattiloo Theatre and saw the play Shakespeare’s Women.   Many phemomenal local actresses were in this play, including my good friend, filmmaker DeAara Lewis.  They acted out multiple scenes from Shakespeare plays and were awesome!! The women were beautiful, stong, confident, and they even had a musical number set to the song “Enough is Enough”. Bravo, ladies, bravo.  They were a sterling example of “Grown-ass woman power”. No “girl power” there.

 Sunday:

 I had a moment that I think 10-year old Markus would be proud of me for. I went to Waldenbooks to buy a graphic novel using my 40% off coupon (Old Man Logan FTW!)and the cashier asked me if I wanted to donate a book to children. I chose to donate one of the cheapest books (hey, they all read the same), and my first two choices at $3.99 were a Handy Manny book (bleccchhh!) or a book entitled Pirateology.  My inner child posessed me and I pointed down at Pirateology and firmly stated, “That one!” Shoot, I almost bought it for myself.  Inner child win!!

 

Later, I went over my boy Shomari’s house and watched Wrestlemania  on pay-per-view.  The homie “Angry” Nick Jones and Christopher Bolding were there, as was Shomari’s Terra Hollis. Had a good old time. Sadly, it looks like one of my favorite wrestlers is retiring. Shawn Michaels lost a match with a retirement stipulation.  I really hope they find a way around it.  I grew up watching him.

Okay, I guess that’s enough for now. I will try to do this more often. Be easy, readers!!!