Happy Birthday, Miss Ross!!

She was always my favorite, and today she's one year older.

Diana Ross turns 65 today.

There was always something about Ross that I liked. I could never pinpoint just one thing. It just seems that she eclipsed being a singer, but was more of an entertainer.

I got hooked on her a long time ago, circa "Upside Down."

Below are two of my favorite Ross clips. The first combines my two favorites, Ross and New York City, as she opens her Central Park Concert on July 21, 1983. She's radiating energy:



and in 1997 along with the new Supremes, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras



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I met Ross on January 16, 2007 in New York. I could go on and on about the encounter, but I would be typing forever.

Just take a look: She touched me in the morning, and it made the sign of the cross!


And here she is vamping by the piano

Happy Birthday, Aretha

Along with one of my favorite nephews, JD, who's turning four today, March 25 is the birthday of Aretha Franklin.

Franklin, 67, is still the best thing to come out of Detroit outside of the auto industry.

I'm a longtime fan, at least since my years in college. I discovered her back catalog of great albums like "Live at Filmore West," "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," and "Young Gifted and Black"

Below are two of my favorite performances: her version of "Nessun Dorma," which is the performance that turned me on to her artistry:



and another classic:

Isn't That Special

Watch below as the ladies of "The View" discuss Barack Obama's comment made on "The Tonight Show" last week, where he said his bowling score is like something from the Special Olympics.

The histrionics become downright frightening, as resident conservative nut job Elisabeth Hasselbeck goes for Obama's jugular.

Far be it from me to defend Obama, but this is an instance where a stupid joke gets taken to another level of stupidity. I can understand people being offended, but it's indefensible to try to score political points from an inane comment.

Who is Lady Gaga? And Why is she Famous?

Lady Gaga has scored a number one song , "Let's Dance," and has another, "Poker Face," in the Top 10 on the Billboard chart.

Her first album, The Fame, is in the Top 10 on the album chart.

Maybe I'm just getting behind in my older age, but I've never heard any of her music.

But seriously, who is this young lady? Who exactly is this soon-to-be 23 year-old pantsless phenom?

The biggest mystery is who their right mind would pick "Gaga" as a stage name.

I'm stumped. I'm perplexed. I just don't know what to say.

Anywho, here's Gaga strutting her stuff performing "Let's Dance." I've never heard the song before, but it's always a good time to listen to crap trendy music.

Gents and ladies, brace yourselves for the vocal stylings of Lady Gaga.

The New Ground Zero

The numbers are in, and they read like something from the Eighties.

Figures released this week by the District's HIV/AIDS Administration show that Washington, DC's rate of HIV/AIDS infection numbers around 3%, which is considered a severe epidemic.

Washington's infection rate far surpasses that of other large American cities, including New York, Baltimore, Detroit. Actually it surpasses every American city, and even the perennially down-and-out Port-au-Prince Haiti.

DC's rate ranks alongside Uganda, a Sub-Saharan African nation that was decimated by the disease in the 1990s.

And according to the numbers, it's not just gay folks (but they are well represented). But I must point out that nearly 7% of black men in DC are infected.

Even crazier, the current rate represents an increase of 20% over the figures just two years ago.

Given the news, I'm just wondering how long it will be until the image of DC morphs from



to one that resembles this Time Magazine cover from a few years ago:

Out of my head

This is one of my favorite songs by Shuggie Otis, who pre-dated Prince but never achieved the same level of stardom.

Otis is best known as the writer of "Strawberry Letter 23," but the song below reveals his other talents.

If you don't have his outstanding 1970s album Inspiration Information, I suggest you pick it up.

Twenty

There was a male couple holding hands at the corner of 22nd and 7th. I really wasn't staring, but I couldn't help but notice. As I crossed the street, I noticed a man and woman kissing one another goodbye, followed by another male pair kissing one another goodbye. A few yards down the street were an older couple eating dinner.

The scene made for a wonderful welcome back to New York. If I'd had a camera with an extreme wide-angle lens, I would have documented the moment for posterity.

This was a Sunday night, on my first trip back to the city in months. There was a range of feelings, but none more outstanding than WHY HAVE YOU BEEN AWAY SO LONG?

It was a great night because I was doing one of my patented long walks. I wound up stumbling upon a friend. He was on the opposite sidewalk when I looked up and noticed him. I think he was listening to music, but I screamed out his name anyway:

"DAAAAAVID!"

In New York, it seems you never know what you will see or what to expect. I hadn't seen David since 2005. We had worked together at H&M in Soho the year before and laughed over that experience.

The next day when I was in the crowded 42 St. subway station, there was something else staring at me: a $20 bill.

There is was, right there in plain view. I thought it must've been a practical joke or something, but apparently all those people had missed seeing the money.

If I'd asked if someone had lost $20, it probably would have set off a frenzy. I think I did the right thing by pocketing the money. It must be some kind of running occurrence in my life. I found $20 two years ago while walking around downtown Jackson, Mississippi.

Here's looking at you, 2011.

Nancy meets Brad

So given the economic meltdown, foreclosure concerns, and the new health care reform initiative proposed by President Obama, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was still able to clear a block in her schedule to meet with Brad Pitt.

The meeting was about about reconstruction efforts in New Orleans, but As far as I know it, Brad Pitt is not an elected official. He’s not even from New Orleans, but apparently fell in love with the city while filming a movie.

So is that all it take to warrant an invite to the Capitol?

Not to say that he’s an average, ordinary American. He’s a two-time Academy Award nominated actor (12 Monkeys, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button). He's a star. He’s a beautiful, beautiful man.

But still, at the end of the day, Brad Pitt is still just an average ordinary American.

I have a lot in common with Pitt. I too am a beautiful, beautiful man. And I’m a star, it's just that my greatness hasn’t yet been recognized by myself or others.

So when do I get to schedule a face to face with Nancy? I’ve got a few things I’d like to talk about.

photo: via yahoo.com

West

If it's March, it means I'm planning domestic travel.

I've got my heart set on one location: the West.

Well, in truth, that might just be several locations.

Wyoming. New Mexico. Arizona. Nevada. Even Texas will do. You name it, and I'll go.

I don't know where this inclination to go west stems from. Maybe it's just a desire to see something different. I've seen enough cities for a while. After a certain point, they all tend to be the same.

When my family and I decided to go on a big vacation last year, I'd offered up the West. I was immediately shot down. We went to DisneyWorld instead.

I'm seeking a slower pace. I'm seeking the desert.

photo from www.atpm.com