Soooo... You want me to bid on a Gilbert Arenas jersey...

Ok - So tonight I went to the Capitol Movement, Inc.'s 5th Annual Winter Fundraiser and Reception...  It was a fun time had by all with a vast selection of silent auction items.  The evening was covered by The Hill, DC Metromix etc. so if you're curious you can look at the pics or you can wait for some pics to show up on my facebook account.

At any rate, some things I find interesting.  Here goes. My friend, Damien, reminds me about the event tonight and asks me if I'm going.  I waffle.  He says the magic words, "Natalie's going".  Needless to say that's guaranteed fun and, I'm in.

We go to The Reserve and I survey the scene.  Guys you are crazy not to show up at events like these.  The girls to guys ratio is 10:1.  Trust me.  You all made a big mistake.  Huge...

I notice a dear friend of mine who writes for the Washington Post and works for ESPN is listed as a sponsor of the event.  I doubt he's gonna appear though because he failed to mention it the night before.  At any rate, I'm gonna have fiun.  Nat and I arrive at the venue, buy our tickets, and grab what is to begin many glasses of wine...  I start to explore the silent auction items and a few things interest me...

1 - There's an autographed Brett Favre football that someone had bid $1K for...
2 - There's a Chris Paul autographed basketball that someone has bid the minimun $150 for...
3 - There's a Gilbert Arenas jersey up for auction...

The Brett Favre football is appealing because the odds of me buying a pair of Wranglers and having him sign them are bleak..  LOL!  Let's face it.  Brett is not gonna be playing many more games and he doesn't seem like the guy who's willing to sit at a mall/autoshow and sign autographs.  The thousand dollar question is ~ am I willing to spend at least $1,025.00 and get in a bidding war?  Ultimately, I decided, NO.

We move onto the bargain item of a Chris Paul autographed basketball...  I think back to 2 years ago or so, when I met Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade at the Hard Rock in Las Vegas.  Chris was on crutches then, and I honestly had know idea who he was...  I only recognized Dwyane at the time...  My friend, Richie, who's casino host extraordinare at the Hard Rock told me, that if I was patient, I could meet Dwyane.  Needless to say, I was patient...  After some time and an introduction, I was posing for a picture with Dwyane and ironically Chris was in the background, on crutches, on the left side of the pic...  Dwyane, Chris, and their crew were rolling dice in the cabana by the pool and having harmless fun...  This was 2 years ago or so, and I still have those dice in my Dior Boston Logo bag..  Those dice ARE money...

Lastly, I recall the Arenas jersey and all the headache Gil has brought to his fans and the Washington faithful...  Those that know me, know that I am not a Wizards fan.  Those that know me, know that I have a tendency to vote for the coach when it come to me picking teams during March Madness...  I was a Lute Olsen fan,,  Hell, if he was still coaching, I'd still be a fan.  I've never met the man... I know nothing about him.  BUT, I know "people", and Lute seemed like a good guy so when it came to push or shove, I chose the Wildcats... 

Last night I was chatting at dinner with my sports friends about Gil...  We talked about guns in the NBA and the other athletes that could've gotten in trouble for punching their babysitter, sexual assualt, accidentally shooting someone, jumping into the stands and punching people etc. and many ~ too many names (e.g. Ruben Patterson, Vernon Maxwell, Jayson Williams etc.) ~ come to mind...  I started to think.  These other individuals did what they did and were caught and their careers  for themost part seemingly continued.  Hmmmm... Interesting...  Guns and violence don't surprise me in professional sports.  It's a different world.  Professional sports is a fraternity.  There's a circle of trust in locker rooms, on the court, on the road, etc.  Those individuals in the fraternity do not tamper with the bond that is created by becoming a part of the team.

I looked at the Brett Favre ball today and someone made a comment to me at the event tonight about fidelity, and I found myself waving her off.  I don't care if the guy I admire on the field/court  is a complete POS at home.  I don't buy a ticket to see him at home.  Then I thought about women and the times I was sitting in a professional athlete "family lounge".  What's the family lounge environnment?  It's a bunch of woman, children, and friends who "saw no evil, heard no evil, and will not speak evil"...  You know the saying, "They alway kill the messenger"..  Yeah, welcome to the family lounge.  You tell someone that their spouse or significant other may be doing something shady and brace yourself for what you're about to hear.  It's much easier and safer to just watch Seinfeld re-reruns, keep your mouth shut, and smile.

Gilbert Arenas' jerseys and other items have been removed and according to friends are no longer for sale at the Verizon Center.  Wow.  OK...  I find it funny then that this item seemingly was bid on so little, when it could EASILY become a rare collector's item :-P  I uploaded a pic of this on my fb account during the night with a comment saying that Gil's gun(s) would've gotten more bids than that jersey...  Yes, I said it  ~ and it's funny, so go ahead and laugh out loud...

That's all I have...  It's late...

Brett Favre autographed football...

Foolishly I neglect Chris Paul in Vegas...  He's to the left of this pic of Dwyane and I... 

Arenas' jersey for auction

THE WIRK

Happy belated birthday, Dominique Wilkins and Go Hawks!

View from a suite of the pre-game at Philips Arena, Celtics v Hawks ~ April 2008

Have I mentioned that I love sports? I think it was 2 years ago that, I went to 3 NBA playoff games in 3 consecutive nights in 2 different cities (Atlanta and Washington DC). If I remember correctly, the Hawks were playing the Celtics and the Cavs were playing the Wizards. My friend, Ricky (aka The Wolf), joked that not even Craig Sager has covered 3 playoff games in 3 consecutive nights in 2 different cities ~ and it's been a running joke between us ever since.

Ricky lives in Atlanta, where I used to reside, and I still have an affinity for the city and many friends that still live there. I've been a Atlanta Hawks fan since the days of Dominique Wilkins (aka The Human Highlight Film). Once, while I was in college, I bought a single standing room only ticket so I could go to Richfield Colosseum and see Dominique fly in person. Standing room only are three words that never scared me, because there are people that don't show up for events that they have tickets to, all the time! How wasteful, and in the words of my father, not very "cost effective". At the game I found a father-daughter combo to sit with and they were extremely welcoming once they found out I was by myself. With my eyes glued to the court, I told the father-daughter combo about a trip I took to the Crystal Palace in the Bahamas.

I was in college and on vacation with my dad. Whenever I had a long weekend, it seemed like we were in the Bahamas. Lucky me! Anyway, my dad and I were having lunch at the pool bar and I found myself staring at a man. Staring. I kept staring. Don't worry, he couldn't tell I was looking at him that hard ~ but I was determined to figure out who I was looking at. The man was sitting with a beautiful lady and also enjoying his lunch. My dad noticed I was distracted and asked me what my problem was. I kinda pointed and told him I knew that guy... My dad nonchalantly responded, "Of course you know who that is. He's one of your favorites, Dominique Wilkins."

HOLY CRAP! My dad was right! My internal voice starts screaming at me... Why am I sitting with my dad eating, when I can go meet Dominique?!?! OK ~ must be cool, I tell myself. I leap off my stool, head to my beach chair, and grab an index card and my camera and walk back to lunch with my dad. Index card?!?! Yes, I said index card. What do you expect? I was in COLLEGE. I was studying a little bit on the beach. Back at the beach bar, I wait. and I wait some more. It looks like Dominique and his lady are finished with lunch and getting ready to go back in. Now's my chance. Off my stool and over to the 2 of them I head. I tap him on the shoulder, explain that I'm a huge fan and his lady just sits patiently. He's kind enough to sign my index card and pose for a picture. I stll have both at my mom's house in a photo album. For me, those two items are priceless! As I walked away, I noticed Dominique was talking to another man, and I recognized him as Gerald Wilkins. I let that opportunity pass, because I did not care as much.

It's great to see Dominique at Philips Arena and to see the current success of the Hawks.

Coach Mike Woodson is a class act and one of the few people on the short list of folks who came to the house to check on Zydrunas post-surgery. I'm happy to see him successful after his years in Cleveland as Randy Wittman's assistant. Woody has always been very welcoming to me when I come to Atlanta and it's always great to see a friendly face. I call him once or twice a year and wish him luck, congratulate him on his sucess, and let him know if/when I'm coming to town. One night at Philips Arena, I ran into an old friend, Larry Nance at a Hawks game He was in town, and he noticed the Hawks were home so decided to call Coach Woodson and check out the Hawks. It's great to see the Hawks play as well as the have been, and I'm thrilled that Dominique Wilkins is still a part of the franchise and Woody is leading the charge.

Happy Belated Birthday, Dominique Wilkins, and Go Hawks (i.e. unless of course you're playing the Cleveland Cavaliers)!!!



Post game passes let me catch up with friends, when they're finished working.


Philips Arena, ran into Larry Nance, 2006

THE WIRK

I love this time of year... How 'bout dem Cowboys?!?!

If you ask the average person, they'd tell you football started 16 or so weeks ago. If you ask me, I'd tell you that football season started last Saturday... Athletes practice for the big game... I also prepare, even though I'll never take a snap or catch a pass of my own... On Monday night, I was at trivia watching the ESPN crawl... I noticed that the Eagles were playing the Cowboys on Saturday night. The wheels in my head start turning... I want to go to Dallas. Some people have a goal to visit all the MLB ballparks... I dream bigger. It's been a goal of mine to go to a sporting event at every professional venue for baseball, basketball, and football. I will go to hockey games at different sites if the opportunity presents itself, but I'm not about to add it to the list, just yet... After my visit to the new Cowboys stadium, I've been to 57 professional sporting venues. 57. I should've kept a tally on how much this goal has cost me, but I think it'd make me throw up, and I can't imagine the reaction from family and friends so the numbers will not be calculated.

I go to bed on Monday night and tell myself I need to look at flights early on Tuesday. Tuesday morning I wake up and hit Orbitz. To my surprise it appears that USAir wants me to go to Dallas also... They're offering Dallas as one of their last-minute e-saver destinations. For under $220, I can book a round trip ticket and the flight times are PERFECT for an overnight trip to Dallas. Next thing to look at is, game tickets... Must find out whether game tickets are cost-prohibitive or doable... A quick look at some ticket resale sites, tells me that I can commit to a trip to Dallas and go to the game. AWESOME. I think about things a little bit more. I wonder if I can get a Cowboys fan to come with me to Dallas and go to the game.

I jump on facebook and look for my friend, Pat. He's a diehard Cowboys fan, and I bet I can convince him to make the trip. Sure enough he's online. I tell him about the flight prices. He looks for himself. I tell him we can get tickets on stubhub. He says he's never used it. I tell him I'll take care of it, if he just says "YES". He books his flight. We're half way to Dallas in my head! Woohoo. Now for game tickets. Like I said, Pat is a diehard Cowboys fan and I'm a ticket snob. We both go to stubhub and scan for tickets. He's kind enough to offer to sit in the endzone. (For those that don't know, end zone seats are generally cheaper than sideline). I scowl audibly. I'm not flying to Dallas to sit in the endzone. We get home team sideline tickets, on the 20, 13 rows up. I'm BEYOND thrilled. It's a done deal. We're going to Dallas.

Saturday early afternoon I swoop and pick Pat up in the cab and off to the airport we go. Arrive in Dallas, and we get picked up by my cousin's family. Off to lunch for some Texas BBQ. My cousin gets to know Pat. I think he thinks we're a couple. Who cares. I'm not going to correct him. It's not worth it, and I'm sure his kids won't remember Pat when they're older, so he won't have to respond to inquiries about where's, "Uncle Pat". Lol. I'd be willing to bet $10 though, that I get asked about Pat at my cousin's wedding in March ~ but I digress...

My cousin drops Pat and I off at the stadium. When we walked in, we were handed a rally towel. I'm a sucker for free stuff. We cruise the concourse and get a feel for the stadium. Wow. This stadium is like no other. Pat described it as a convention center. That's actually not a bad analogy...

We hit the pro-shop, because we need to get Cowboys gear. Purchasing a home team hat is a compulsory activity when I hit a new venue. While looking at all the Cowboys gear (and singing along to De La Soul's Me, Myself, and I, which is booming through the speakers) I pick my hat and head for the check out line. In line I see a 4 pack of bobbleheads for $20 ~ best souvenir ever because I don't have to buy them a la carte. 

After a quick walk around the concourse, it's off to the seats we go... Eyes wide open I stare at all the activity around me. Cheerleaders, dancers, fire, players, lights, video, etc. are everywhere. Lights, camera, and so much action. They could easily name this stadium "Attention Deficit Arena". I have no idea where I should be looking, but I know I can't take my eyes off the screen over head... The monster screen goes from the 20 to the 20, and the picture is so vivid!

Game On. Cowboys win the coin toss. Cowboys already win in my book. After a few plays it looks like it's going to be a close game. I didn't come to Dallas to get stressed out. After a while, the Eagles (or whoever those people were in green) start to crumble and it begins to look like a barn burner! The group of 4 old guys in front of me are the happiest little boys in the world! Pat has died and gone to heaven. Everyone is smiling from ear to ear and slapping each other high-five after every great play. I'm not sure if it's the South, the fact that they're indoors, or that the Cowboys were winning ~ but all those people were very happy. The new Cowboys stadium felt like Disney World.

I'm taking it all in and surveying the people around me. I look 2 rows ahead of me and notice someone. I know basketball. I know the physique of a basketball player and I'd be willing to bet I know the guy I'm staring at. I look at his profile a little harder and then he sits down. I look at the back of his neck. I see the word "Franchise". I guarantee there may only be a handful of people that know who he is and I'm in that handful. I put it together. It's Steve Francis. It makes sense since he played in Houston and who else would have that on the back of his neck. I think to tap him and ask him if he has Bobby Sura's number in his phone. I'd be willing to bet he does. It's not the time or place. I'd have to talk over a row of people and if I need to find Bob, it's not that difficult for me to find my old friend. Steve and I high-five several times during the game... I'd be willing to bet, even he'd be surprised I figured out who he was!

Do you know who this is? I do! I do!!! :-P

Cowboys blew out the Eagles. We get a drink at a stadium bar after the game, and the stadium is still bustling. Very cool! We watch the postgame and I just people watch. People are throwing footballs on the concourse and having a great time.

By the way, Ted Nugent did the National Anthem. I guess that makes sense because we're in Texas.

One thing is for sure ~ they were dead on, when they said "Don't mess with Texas".

After the game, Pat and I head to Sherlock's for a drinks... Already the gears in my head are turning... I see a guy in Colts gear and I have to tell him I'm a Colts fan. He's visibly confused and tries to take my Cowboys hat off of my head. I stop him because my hair is crazy under there. He tell me if I'm a Colts fan, I need to "be proud". Huh!?!?!? I think to myself, I'll show you proud and immediately try to plan my trip to Indianapolis...

Who's the Colts fan now, guy?!?!? :-P

THE WIRK

The Big Lead took one of my pics...

On Dec 16, 2009 ~ The following link was sent to me by a mutual friend of MW and I.  It's from the website, The Big Lead...  Funny thing is I know one of the other girls in the pics.  She hadn't seen the link, until I sent it to her.  Both of us shared a laugh about the post.  MW is a class act, we're happy and proud to call him our firiend.

http://thebiglead.com/index.php/2009/12/16/ladies-love-mike-wilbon/

THE WIRK

Wednesday ~ Public Enemy, Cavs v Wizards, B-day Party

Originally posted on Nov 19, 2009 and slightly edited for public consumption...  A little bit of sports in here.  You can see the difference between working out (Chuck D) and not (Flavor Flav).   LOL!  :-P
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Wednesday. Most people are home on Wednesday night. The Wirk is not most people. I wasn’t even supposed to be in town ~ since work was originally expected the keep me Europe this week, but I am fluid and have learned to just “roll with it”…

Wednesday. Usually I go out with my girls.  My girls and I get dolled up, head to our local watering hole, and go dancing...

Wednesday ~ this one was different, since my girls all seem to have variations of swine flu, the common old, and strep and are staying home. The Shaq-less Cavs were in town to play the Wizards, and with my ex in the middle ~ I felt no need to try to get a seat… I’ve seen that show many times and wanted to do something fresher. Public Enemy was in town to help raise awareness for Youth Homelessness. Ironically, when looking for something fresh, I chose to go old school…

I rounded up a couple of my friends who are Public Enemy fans and off to the show we go. Lisner Auditorium is a small venue. Picture a movie theatre on opening night ~ yeah, the show is general admission, but good luck finding a seat. If you donated a coat, you could be upgraded to a VIP seat closer to the stage. I went through my closet ~ pulled a coat. Not sure what happened, but there was some miscommunication and my 2 friends who I shard the cab with went empty handed to the concert. Yeah, I don’t know… Anyway, I’m set with my VIP bracelet and am already thinking of how I am politely going to tell my two friends, that I’m sitting up front and that I’ll see them after the show. Sure enough, my opportunity came at the bar, when my friend told me to wait for them. I think she could tell I was getting spazzy… “We’re all gonna sit together,” she said. “No, we’re not.” I replied. With that settled, into the auditorium I went.

I sit next to a guy named Jimmy. It just so happened that Jimmy knows the guys that are working security. Courtesy of Jimmy, I am upgraded from the 10th row to the 3rd row. Jimmy is now my best friend. My friend sees this and texts me, “I just saw you move up with that guy. Hook us up bitch.”… I laugh out loud and show my new best friend her text. He tells me to talk to his friend ~ he thinks his name is Carlos and see what I can do. I go up to the guy and call him Carlos ~ and he says, “Did you just call me Carlos?” OK – we’re off to a bad start, Carlos is obviously not this guy’s name… BUT I have no shame and I will be short 2 friends if I don’t make it happen for them. I continue to press on with “Carlos” and ask if my friends can move down. After getting the green light from him, I wave my peeps down and manage to sustain those friendships for at least one more night.

Show starts. Flavor Flav (aka Fookie Fookie) is on the stage doing his thing. Chuck D gets on stage and wow, that voice… Talk about contrast from Maxwell last week… Chuck D’s voice is commanding. Think of it like this. At fast food restaurants you have to ask for ketchup. Why?!?! Who knows ~ ketchup is free. Anyway… I’d imagine Maxwell almost whispering, “Can I have some ketchup, please?”. Chuck D would say, “Gimme some ketchup.” Flavor Flav wouldn’t utter a word. He’d just hop the counter and grab it himself.

Public Enemy played their hits, but noticeably absent was Burn Hollywood Burn… Don’t worry, I’ll live. 911’s a Joke didn’t disappoint and Fight the Power was strong. “Elvis was a hero to most, but he never meant shit to me…” Eureka ~ I’m not alone!!!

It’s 11PM. Concert is over and it’s time to hop in a cab to hit a birthday party. Happy Birthday, Michael Wilbon. Cavs v Wizards game has ended and the crew is making it over to a spot so we can toast our dear friend, and where he can get some grub after the game. We chat it up, catch up, and drink up. Mike bolts for home, and it’s decided that three of us will go to the club to see Lebron and the crew. With Teri and Neville with me, I’m off to a spot called Josephine’s… Randy (LeBron’s cousin and co-star in a State Farm commercial where they do the Kid and Play dance) has his phone off. We’re waiting and I notice a Washington Wizards is waiting too, and he is pissed. HAHAHA… “This always happens when Cleveland is in town,” he yells. My girl gets the attention of one of Sam Cassell’s friend, and we’re in. The door girl wants $140 for the 3 of us. $40 for girls, and Nev has to pay $60 for being a dude. I laugh at her. Sam’s friend comes through for us again and we’re IN.

The club is packed. I couldn’t tell you what music was playing, and I’m pretty sure I had a fun time. We head to the bar. Check the scene, head to the VIP. Deshawn on one side and Lebron on the other. It’s an OBVIOUS choice. My girl knows Lebron from the league and being in PR. I “know” Lebron because of my Cleveland WAG past. What’s a WAG?!?! It’s an acronym I picked up when I was in London for 3 weeks. WAG stands for Wives and Girlfriends and I am a Cleveland Cavalier WAG alumnus… We’ve been at the same parties and events and sat less than 2 feet apart numerous times (most recently when they played Orlando during the Eastern Conference Finals), but I still don’t think he puts it together and I’m not sure I want him to. I like being a little under the radar with him and although I think he’s special, I’m not Lebron crazy. I practically watched him grow up on the court because I went to the University of Akron, lived in Cleveland, and would see him all the time.

We walk over to Lebron and the club’s security attempt to keep us away from Lebron’s corner. Try again… We get waved through. We say, “What’s up?!?” After acknowledging each other, we’re done. There really isn’t much else to say. Lebron was sporting some smart eyeglass frames and was probably sweating harder underneath his sweater than he did on the court, because the club was HOT and I had heard he got hit with two techs during the game. C’est la vie.

My crew and I decide to bounce. I hop in the cab, text my friend to see if she’s still awake and ask to crash at her house since my car is there and I don’t drink and drive. She says I’m golden, but to go to the back of the house so I don’t wake up her housemate. Looks like I have one more stealth operation before I sleep…

Woke up at 8:30 this morning and reflected on a great night… Yeah, Wednesday. And I wasn’t even supposed to be in town…

Cleveland WAG

Flavor Flav and Chuck D

Happy birthday, MW! :-P

THE WIRK

Maxwell - Soulful, yet Light... Where Is The Brown Sugar Man? ~ Originally posted November 2009

This is the Maxwell blog that I have received a number of compliments on, most recently a couple nights ago.  If you're looking for a sports tie-in, maybe weight-lifting will work...  Maxwell doesn't, and D'Angelo did...
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The following intro was written by the Insideplaya, since I originally submitted this to him in November 2009.

The Wirk is an internationally known and locally accepted SAP software consultant, sports enthusiast, music lover, amateur photographer, occasional blogger and dear friend to the playa. It was her suggestion that influenced us to blog. She caught last night’s Maxwell gig in London, and has been gracious enough to bless us with her impressions of the show. She stayed up late and filed this post before leaving London for a weekend in Athens. We are grateful and appreciative, as well as indebted to her for taking the time to bring us a little closer to her world, and inspiring us to bring you closer to ours.

insideplaya
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And now my blog begins...

While in London WIRKING it, I’d heard that Maxwell would be in town. So, I decided to make some phone calls and check out the internet for more info and tickets. I mentioned it to the insideplaya, and he asked if I’d blog about the show if I went. When he asked, I told him at this rate, “all I’d have to blog about was the parking lot.” He sets me up with a contact at Creative Artists Agency and the next thing you know my tickets are in motion. Awesome!

I get to Brixton and I see it’s a smaller venue. I would expect that for Maxwell. The O2 Academy is similar to a theatre ~ for you, NY’ers think Hammerstein minus the Muppet seats in the wings. When I got to the ticket office the lady asked me if seats were OK, or if I wanted to stand. Um – it’s Maxwell. I want to sit. Plus it’s already 8:15 and the show was supposed to start at 8. Standing would be a nightmare now because all the diehard Maxwell fans have already taken their positions near the stage and let’s face it ~ Maxwell is not gonna play “Get To Know Ya” on REPEAT, so how much dancing is this girl really gonna do?

The O2 Academy

I get to my seat and wait… As the time passes, finally a man from London appears and he’s the lucky duck who gets to sit next to me during the show. His name is Sam. Now I know you just said “Sam” in your head as in “Samantha”. Well, if you did that just like I did, you’d be wrong. It’s Sam pronounced as “Psalm”. Fabulous and WHATEVER, but he was nice so we won’t cast any stones.

Psalm and I are ready for the show and Maxwell comes out. There’s a band. Ok. Horns, an organ, etc. The acoustics in the bldg are great and I am excited to hear the man’s voice live. Maxwell sings and it’s amazing. The sound is pure. His falsetto ~ unbelievable. It’s soulful, but LIGHT. It’s sexy, but reserved. It’s the kind of show you can take your mom to… It’s safe.

One of my favorite pics that I took at the show.

I could not wait to hear “Fortunate” and Maxwell did not disappoint. “Pretty Wings” was pretty cool. And “Lifetime” resonates in my head even though the show ended 2 hours ago. I recognize the talent and Maxwell’s voice is distinct to my ear. Music and sports are my life, and my ear is keen to sound. ‘This Woman’s Work” will never sound the same to me, now that I heard the first few notes sung LIVE . I like the range of Maxwell’s sound, it’s soothing and has some semblance of edge ~ but I feel like it lacks some grit. The kind of grit that resonates and make one feel it in their bones. The more I think about it the lines that resonate in my head are the lines that he has to go deeper to make. The whispers of “Fortunate” are nothing without the guttural sounds he makes when he sings lines such as “I’ve never sang a song with all my might”…

Maxwell is comfortable in his sexuality and tries to seduce the crowd with his moves, but he also seems to have a bit of a corny persona as he jumps around the stage… You’re not gonna see him do a huge dance number, and if you want choreography – go see Britney. I’d imagine Maxwell would be the kind of boyfriend who’d be all about backrubs and footrubs… The kind of man that Ralph Tresvant sung about in “Sensitivity”, except Maxwell is collecting checks…

All in all I liked the show, but the words, “soulful, yet light” stick in my head…. And the question, Psalm asked me has me thinking… Psalm asked me, “Whatever happened to D’Angelo?” I repeated the question I got from Psalm to the insideplaya and he didn’t seem surprised. “He knew you’d know,” The playa replied matter of factly. I guess, he’s right. When you’re passionate about things the way I am with music and sports, people feel that energy. That energy comes out of your mouth and through your eyes. Enough about that.

I started thinking about D’Angelo and all the stories I’ve heard and began to draw more comparisons in my head between the two artists. Maxwell is great. D’Angelo is better. Maxwell is who you listen to when your mom is in the car. D’Angelo is who you listen to when you’ve dropped her off. D’Angelo is soulful, but edgier ~ grittier, funkier, and raw. Maxwell is polished and refined. You get Maxwell to come to the front door to meet your dad, before you go on a date w/D’Angelo…

On any given Sunday, Maxwell is an opening act for D’Angelo… And if/when D’Angelo takes the stage ~ this girl isn’t gonna be sitting in the balcony.




THE WIRK

I Found Janet (in Jersey) ~ Originally posted October 17, 2008

As I mentioned I went to the Mariah Carey concert tonight and got reminded about my Janet Jackson blogs, so I'm putting them on this platform...  Sports tie-in?!?!  Maybe not so much, but she's dancing this time :-P
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The folowing intro was written by my friend the Insideplaya:

While in her never ending pursuit of the hotness, The Wirk caught her second Janet Jackson gig in three nights. Please find below her impressions of Miss Jackson’s performance.

-insideplaya
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And now my blog begins...

I was once told by a very good friend of mine, “Who else besides you and Craig Sager went to 3 NBA playoff games in 3 nights?”. This was after I spent Friday taking my work conference calls in Atlanta so I could watch the Hawks beat the Celtics later that night – and then flew back to DC on Saturday to watch the Cavs beat the Wiz – only to return to Atlanta on Sunday to watch the Celtics lose again… Sports and music (and handbags – but nobody wants to hear about that) are my “things”…

Not too many people would hustle (read: DRIVE) to New Jersey to see Janet Jackson two days after seeing the concert (more or less in her backyard) in DC. We’re talking a solid 8.5 hours driving for about a 2 hour performance… But when I pull the trigger and decide – I commit – and I decided months ago, I was gonna check this show out.

I drive to the arena and begin to think about what I had seen on Wednesday and mentally prepare myself for the worst. I stop at a visitor center on the drive up to grab a burger and some pie and a blueberry muffin in cellophane. I buy the muffin. I chuckle to myself that if Janet tries to eat someone in the crowd – I can hurl the muffin at her to calm her down… Yeah, I’m mean some times – when I’m pissed – and after Wednesday, I was pissed about what I saw and didn’t see.

I talk my cousin’s daughter into going with me to the show and tell her to bring 2 friends. I think to myself this will definitely be an interesting night, since I haven’t seen my cousin’s daughter since she was a baby in the Philippines about 23 years ago… If it weren’t for myspace and facebook I doubt I’d even recognize my own blood. I feel guilty using the possibility of an LL Cool J appearance as bait to entice her to go, but she’s young enough to handle disappointment and get over it, so I don’t actually feel bad when LL is a no-show AGAIN.

On the way to the show, I learn that I may have a ticket upgrade coming my way… I may be able to gain access to some house seats and move closer to the stage, due to friends calling in a few favors since “THE WIRK matters”… I’m flattered. A few minutes later, with the beauty of 3-way calling – even better news comes through that comped tickets are a possibility. Comps are extremely meaningful to THE WIRK since she’s got Vegas in her blood and is an absolute ticket shark….

I get to the Izod Center… Izod… Really?!? Izod… Whatever. That bldg will always be the Continental Airlines Arena… And that point was DRILLED home when I saw former, NJ Net, Cliff Robinson a few rows BEHIND me…

Janet on the walkway and Cliff Robinson behind me...

My blood and I are catching up in our seats – center floor section, 5 rows from the stage… While she and I are talking, she mentions she read my blog about Janet’s show on Wed. I asked if she ever saw Janet in concert before, and she says “No”. I reply that she should be fine bc my blog lowered her expectations and since she has nothing to compare this concert to… In her eyes, Janet’s more or less been offered a clean slate.

I look around the arena before the show starts…

It's a bit blurry but you can see that there are plenty of open seats...

For those that don’t know how the bldg is set up – you should know that in addition to the floor seats, there is only a 1ower bowl and an upper bowl. Some arenas have more seating – this one doesn’t. Anyway, the upperbowl is only about ½ full and the lower bowl is close to being full. I’d say this crowd in Jersey is about 75% the size of the DC crowd – but even though this audience was smaller, I’d say Jersey got the better show. Incidentally, DC had better concession stand choices… Jersey only had hotdogs, cracker jack, pretzels, and cookies, etc. for food… Sad choices for a sad bldg.

She looks slimmer this concert

Finally, the real Janet Jackson stood up… Janet tonight was noticeably more into the show. She seemed more comfortable. She was more sincere in her “acknowledgment” of people in the audience and with her dancers. She smiled more and “looked” happy. She danced harder – I can’t accuse her of half-stepping this show. She even looked like she slimmed down some (but seriously, how can you not).

I’m not sure what happened in the day and a half after Wednesday’s show – but the show was better. My only issue with that is that I think the tour is coming to an end shortly. I was checking out the back of one of the concert t-shirts and I think I counted about 4 more stops (but I have no idea how they’re handling the other cancelled shows).

Similarly to an athlete who’s been injured, maybe Janet just wasn’t in condition to perform on Wednesday – but athletes do gain their conditioning and get their wind back eventually. I’m not about to hit another Janet Jackson concert this tour. I’ve seen and heard enough. I’ve figured out which tracks she’s singing on and which ones she’s not.

For the most part she doesn’t sing during the tracks that begin with the graffiti video – but how would you really make the over-produced, yet hypnotically catchy “So Much Betta” sound good if you really sang it live?!? Also, that whole part of the set focuses on her and her background dancers’ dance numbers so just focus on the visuals.

Janet danced harder this show and in general the crowd loved her. I can’t figure out if people watched the concert more through the viewer of their cameras or with their real eyes. What did people do without digital cameras?!?! HAHA. I’m guilty of this and often take more pictures than necessary, because I want “perfect” pics to share with everyone that capture the magic of being there “live”… Even Cliff had his iphone out trying to get some shots…

It was challenging for me to focus on her singing, since I couldn’t shut myself up and the old lady behind me kept singing – but I wouldn’t really want it any other way. It’s a concert – not a recital – and if I wanted to really just hear the music and the singing – I’d stay home and just play the cd.

I did notice her mic wasn’t working when she was yapping into it and no sound came out. Plus when “Love Will Never Do Without You” came on, she started to mouth the words before the track kicked in.

Whatever. Everyone knows the 1st verse of that song is also over-produced and can’t be done live.

Oh – I need to mention that I hate the song “Black Cat”. Now that I got that off my chest, I feel better. I don’t need Janet doing rock. ‘Nuff said.

My stint following Janet is over at least for this tour… I’m not to the point of apathy, like I feel for Madonna, but I don’t think I’m getting what I want out of either of them anymore. As a result – I’m just gonna go back to focusing my time and energy on Tina Turner and see how many other dates and venues I can hit before she hangs it all up AGAIN… But I may just have converted my blood into a Janet fan for life… Soooo – at the end of the day, the way I see it – Janet still owes me…

THE WIRK