Rainer Maria Rilke, My new favorite Poet

I Beg You.

I beg you…to have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, someday far in the future, you will gradually, without ever noticing it, live your way into the answer…

- Rainer Maria Rilke

Slam Poet Diva gets fired from phone sex job.

This is from a Mockumentary feature film (ala "Spinal Tap") called "Poetheads" by Director, Rawle Lewis.  It takes us in the land of the underground Los Angeles Poetry scene through the eyes of an indie British film maker. It was so much fun to make! I play a very serious slam poet diva called "The Zone" that get's stuck in "Poetry speak" and  sadly can't hold down a job because she's just too weird and deep. Cult classic.

In honor of all Mockumentaries, I would like to recommend
 "Spinal Tap" below. It's one of my faves of all times.

Turning "Hard Times" into Art while living in L.A.

The Roots - Hard Times (feat. John Legend) [Live]

Audition or Bust!

I knew that when my alarm clock didn't go off this morning, it was going to be a nutty day. Mercury in retrograde? Well, I couldn't let that stop my stride, being that I had a major television show audition to prepare for. Thank God I woke up early on my own...the first miracle of the day. I had to get on the freeway asap and be very careful with my over-heating- prone- car. It was 9am and I was making good time.

Car working great and lines memorized. "I am gonna rock this!"

 I thought to myself.

As I was drawing closer to the freeway exit, all of a sudden I see smoke rising from the hood as I came to a stop light at the end of the off ramp. "Nooooooo . . . !!!"

 The car went, "Ca-put!" So there I was, right at the tail end of my exit, car smoking...

but not as much as I was!

I didn't miss a beat.

I quickly wrote a note saying. "Calling triple A, please do not tow . . ."I was not about to miss this audition.

I called my manager who calmed me and said that I was just a couple blocks away.

So, I started walkng.

 I was still making good time. Not only did I arrive, but I was 15 minutes early!

Say Wha??? 

 I could not worry about that damn car now!.

 I walk in, sit down and immediately breathe and focus. I was greeted by a sweet girl who I told my car story to. The big boss comes in and gets right down to business. I quietly tell her about my car fiasco and she insists that her assistant take me back to my car to make sure I was okay. So Nice!!!!....

 I auditioned....Luckily, I had to be in a high stakes emotional hostage situation so I thought to myself..."I may as well just go with it!"

I managed to get a smile and a "Good, good" and off I ran with the assistant to get to my sorry car!

When we arrive at the freeway I realize that THE CAR WAS TOWED! Great! So then there was the whole adventure of trying to figure out who towed and where it would be. After numerous detective work, we found the towing storage facility.

 "For ONLY 200 bucks, the broke ass car could be mine again...."Yippieeee!"

Well, I didin't have that money right then and there, so I decided to deal with it the following day.

This whole time, the casting assistant is soooo awesome and cool! He asked where I lived so that he could drop me off at home. I couldn't believe it! I told him my address and he said his best friend was a building manager over in the area so he was familiar with the neighborhood. Cool, so I asked him what the manager's name was and it turns out (Seriously!)

His friend was My building manager after all!!!

Small world.

Moral of the story: Don't give up. Hopefully I get the part, but even if I don't I know that I have what it takes to count on ME! Oh, and also that I hate driving in Los Angeles! Sigh.

xoxo yvette.

Beauty and talent and skills, Oh my!

In the land of popular women singers, the only thing that seems to matter is SEX and more of it. Whether it's Beyonce, Lady GaGa, or Christina Aguilera, the only thing that seems to stand out more than their voices are their bodies. Sorry ladies, I know it's the way-to-gettin'-PAID, but where does that leave the rest of us? I believe this example only encourages our little girls looking up to you to value body over talent and brains. Don't get me wrong,there is nothing wrong with being beautiful, but when the "look" is more featured than the talent, I truly believe we as a society are selling ourselves short.

Enter Janelle Monae. . . Who seems to find the delicate balance between voice and beauty does it with passion, positivity and killer vocal abilities. Should I even say she is "Tipppin the tight rope?"

Below is her innovative music vid. I think James Brown would be a little jealous. This girl makes me glad to be a female artist! This girl's got it!

Thanks again, for showing the world that black women singers don't have to be strippers in order to be appreciated. BRAVO!

Enjoy.

xoxo Yvette

Love is the only thing left when you're gone.

My good friend thought that this was a good quote I said to her, while helping her mend a broken heart. I agree, so I decided to share this with you all. I know first hand that this is true because of  losing my Mom from cancer, I know that for a fact. This quote comes from my heart and I hope it supplies you with healing. My friend is a singer, so she said she liked it so much that it sounds like a good song title. Thanks girl for the encouragement. May it continue to live in others as truth.

xoxo yvette

"No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again." -Buddha