5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Big Smiles, Loud Applause… Please!!!  This is an account of my night at the live taping of Black Girls Rock, at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.  It was truly an amazing and soul-stirring night. It’s unfortunate that you’ll only see the edited version on Sunday, November 3rd.  You really had to be there.

Start Of The Day

My day started by finding a fantastic $2 find at a yard sale {future blog post}, and then hitting the road around 1:00 p.m.  One of my Angels and I traveled I95 in a 2014 Chevy Impala, and I must say it was as smooth as any ride Mercedes could ever offer.  I was truly impressed with its gorgeous leather interior, with contrast stitching, and all the bells and whistles of any foreign import {which I usually prefer}.

After arriving at our hotel around 4:00 p.m., it was a mad dash on my part to get dressed {my cohort was dressed in 5 minutes!!}  It takes me forever to get dressed for anything, I need at least 2 hours if it’s a special occasion.  As you can see there are a lack of photos regarding this event, because I literally had to take care of my make up {which takes an hour at least) and get dressed by 6pm.  When our car service arrived, I immediately started to repaint a couple nails which had chipped, thanks to wearing OPI’s “Lincoln Park After Dark“, which I love, but shows every chip.  Also, there was a very strict no photos allowed policy of the actual show, which was strongly enforced.

The Show

What can I really say about Black Girls Rock without giving too much away.  Tracee Ellis Ross was as fabulous as ever as was Regina King.  Tracee is truly one of my favourite women, in show business; I love her style and I love her quirkiness.  She just does her and doesn’t apologize for it; she seems very confident and secure in her own skin.

The most moving part of the night was Mara Brock-Akil who gave a truly moving speech, but the highlight of my night was Ameena Matthews, “Violence Interrupter” of some of the meanest streets in Chicago.  This woman literally puts herself in harm’s way to stem the increasing violence where she lives.  I doubt very much you are going to enjoy the full 10 minutes of Ameena’s glory, she was so selfless, humorous, extremely passionate, and totally lovable; she is the girlfriend you call up to get advice and have a good old chat with to keep life real for you.

One of the honorees, Marian Wright Edelman, an American activist for the rights of children, who is also the president and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, said something which resonated with me; “Who ever rocks the cradle, rocks the future!” She was referring to the amount of power, we as women have.  Love It!

Performances

I must say Kelly Rowland gave a really good show.  She’s not normally someone I pay attention to, but I certainly enjoyed her performance.

The Queen of R&B, Ms. Patti LaBelle, as always gave us a “Patti” show.  At 69 Patti is as fabulous and vivacious as ever, I truly hope to be a “Patti” when I grow up!

Alice Smith!!! What can I say about this young lady? What I will say is… Jennifer Hudson you have major competition!  This young lady’s version of Cee Lo’s “Fool For You” (one of my favourite songs) Was fantastic!!! The range this young lady has is unbelievable, and she is certainly someone to watch.  Watch the video here, which truly does not do justice to what I heard on Sunday night.

I really could go on, but watch Black Girls Rock for yourself this coming Sunday on BET.  Click on the link for more details.

Remember… We are Black Girls, who become Black Women, who truly ROCK!!